Movies / Animé and Toons

Needless Collection 2 Blu-ray

By Chris Zimmerman
April 29, 2011 - 13:32

Needless’ first collection wasn’t necessarily the standard by which I would measure all anime so much as an entertaining if somewhat disappointing action-adventure jaunt with all the usual crazy one would expect from a series that relies on the bare-minimum amount of story. Sentai Filmworks recently released the second collection on Blu-ray and one look at the cover should tell audiences all they need to know.

Needless sprung out of the mind of Kami Imai, who penned the story for Ultra Jump back in 2004. It has since gone on to be collected into eleven volumes and is still running today. An animated adaptation was produced by Madhouse of Trigun fame, running from July of 2009 to December of that same year.

Like the first release, this collection of episodes is heavy on the action and thin on plot. Adam Blade and Adam Arklight are both the results of a cloning project, which also seems to be related to a young Girl named Eve, though given the names it should come as no surprise. The trio have an assortment of powers at their disposal that they employ against each other and anyone else that would get in their way. In the first collection, Blade and Eve had adopted a young boy named Cruz into the mix after his sister’s apparent demise. Lo and behold, his sister returns and in a bit of a head scratcher, is also aligned with her supposed killers.

While there seems to be a lot going on, the series tends to ignore whatever semblance of a plot it has going for it in order to thrust the viewers into one action sequence after the next. Think Dragon Ball Z, just with some mystery spliced in. This can become boring and even tiresome to watch at times, as there isn’t much to distinguish the fights from each other. This also leaves little room for whatever miniscule character development. The series tries to adjust to this by offering lengthy flashbacks, though these are sandwiched in between important events and only serve to distract or lessen the drama taking place in the present.

This release is on par with the first. The artistic direction is the same and feels to be lacking on the whole. Madhouse has shown they can deliver top notch animation, but Needless feels clunky and uninspired. Sentai Filmworks loads up the blu-ray with some descent extras including six gag episodes, trailers, clean music, sketches, and a nifty feature that examines the making of the English dub. All in all, a nice set of extras that are worth at least a once over.

Needless is a series that requires viewers turn their brains off at the door. It’s not Madhouses strongest production and the lag between developments threatens to derail the series in spots, but it does deliver in exactly what it promises: constant battles and fanservice. If you’re in the mood for something deep and meaningful, Needless will not satisfy by any means. However, if your appetite calls for attitude and non-stop explosions, then take a load off and check your brain at the door.

B-

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12