Crusher Joe
Synopsis
Crusher Joe: The Movie
Joe and his team are hired to med-evac a cryogenically frozen heiress to the planet Miccola, only to have her kidnapped out from under their noses while in hyperspace! Before they know it, the team gets accused of space piracy by the United Space Force and suspended by Crusher HQ.
Crusher Joe: The OVAs
A double feature of derring-do! The team gets hired to adjust the orbit of a prison cometary core before it impacts on an inhabited planet, only to get caught up in a political double-cross of astronomical proportions. Then they take on the task of rescuing a military officer who is safeguarding an ultimate weapon that can destroy all the life on the planet while leaving the real-estate intact, only to find that the planet she’s crash-landed on is infested with mutineers (not a problem) and self-replicating quasi-organic semi-intelligent kamikaze death-bots (big problem!).
Review
Upon watching Crusher Joe, I have finally noticed how good it is to go back in the days, where all that digital, and CG things were not used. Crusher Joe has comedy and action. I have not seen a good action mixed with comedy like Crusher Joe since Ghost Sweeper Mikami. Once you see it you will be able to tell the differences between old comedy and new comedy in the anime world today. Of course Crusher Joe’s main focus is not comedy, but mainly space action.
The space battles are unique; there is just an immense amount of action taken place at times. Looking back at when Crusher Joe was made, I was very impressed with all the action the animation staff has put together. The story of Crusher Joe is interesting in ways. It is difficult to compare Crusher Joe to any modern series today, because this show came before them, and probably has set some guidelines for space action anime today.
Throughout the three hours and fifty-eight minutes of run time, the show gets better. From the movie, which I thought it was mediocre, to the first OVA (The Ice Prison), which was becoming better, and finally to the second OVA (The Ultimate Weapon: Ash) in which I thought, it was very entertaining. This show is definitely a must watch for those who crave space action and are tired of what modern shows have to offer.
The Breakdown
Crusher Joe is not your average Joe. Watching Crusher Joe was definitely a new experience in which I have gained. I liked the action a lot. The comedy gave me some laughs. Such as, how Talos punched this big dude’s face in and the way Alfin acted after just drinking a glass of whiskey. When putting all the pieces together, Crusher Joe is a good watch and a good value.