MD Geist...
Sometime ago, I picked up the VHS version of MD Geist...
I used to have the subtitled VHS version of the original MD Geist production. I never bothered with the second (US/Japanese) co-production. It was pushed mainly by the US distributor/co-producer that had adopted Geist as their corporate mascot. I didn't see a problem with the original production, but, I concede that there are some people who might be led to believe that the original MD Geist production ended "badly". Ultimately, I decided not to support the second production or the "Director's Cut". I used to have the subtitled VHS version MD Geist. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep MD Geist in my archive. I gave MD Geist a 4 out of 5.
MD Geist is set in a post-apocalyptic world, there's plenty of action. There's also a fair amount of gore (arm slicing, head slicing, and a spear through the back of some poor guy's head -- to name a few). There are no naughty bits worth mentioning, but, if you have an original version of MD Geist, there is a surprise ending. It is notable that the MD Geist co-production was the first time that a US anime distributor decided to spend presumably truckloads of money to encourage a Japanese production team to dust off an aging title and make a sequel.M.D. Geist I
There has long been a quest for the perfect soldier: one who is almost invulnerable, one to lead, one to accomplish and survive what would otherwise be a suicide mission. Using advanced biotechnology, one race has reached this goal with the advent of the MDS: the Most Dangerous Soldiers. Human in appearance, these are superior in every way, and are far too dangerous to be allowed to roam freely once their initial missions are fulfilled. MD Geist, the second and perhaps most fierce of the Most Dangerous Soldiers, finds his way back to his homeworld after awakening from a forced sleep on an orbiting satellite. The world he comes home to is a shattered husk racked with civil war fought by splinter groups who use the latest in high technology coupled with old fashioned violence. Now, the army's supposedly fail-safe doomsday weapon has been activated, and besides the ever-present terrorist warriors, the entire planet is threatened with Armageddon, Only Geist stands a chance of defeating the forces arrayed against his planet. Now he must choose: help those who marooned him in space, or stand back and let his homeworld be ravaged by the "Death Program"! One way or the other, there is sure to be a mass of smoldering bodies left in his wake!
M.D. Geist Director's Cut
Includes 5 minutes or so of never-before-seen footage added to the first installment to link the first and second installments together.
M.D. Geist II
In this sequel to the original Geist story, the Death Force has been let loose on the planet. These robots are out to kill and otherwise hurt every living thing that's left. A little annoyed about this, the remaining people decide that they've had enough... and of course Geist himself will confront another one of those "Most Dangerous" soldiers that we've heard so much about...
I used to have the subtitled VHS version of the original MD Geist production. I never bothered with the second (US/Japanese) co-production. It was pushed mainly by the US distributor/co-producer that had adopted Geist as their corporate mascot. I didn't see a problem with the original production, but, I concede that there are some people who might be led to believe that the original MD Geist production ended "badly". Ultimately, I decided not to support the second production or the "Director's Cut". I used to have the subtitled VHS version MD Geist. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep MD Geist in my archive. I gave MD Geist a 4 out of 5.
