Here is the link I used for the subtitled version of this episode:
http://www.anime44.com/x-men-episode-1
I acknowledge that whenever an X-Men movie or cartoon is undertaken, that creative liberties be taken as well. I would just like to say that I loved the 90's Fox Kids X-men cartoon, hated X-Men Evolution, and sorta kinda tolerated Wolverine and the X-Men. So in three (not counting the 80's cartoon) different shows, we've gone from good to bad to almost ok. Let's just say I was worried about this one. If you think about it, though, this is Japan's first attempt and our first attempt (again, not counting the 80's cartoon) was our best.
From the get-go, I really liked the animation. I feel as though many anime series tend to pay for a wonderfully animated intro, and skimp on the actual meat of the show. This works for comics, because whenever I see I really great cover anymore, I know the guts of the comic will have crappy art. Moving along, I strongly liked the animation. It's fairly fluid with only minor paralysis. I remember a long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, my dad walking in on me watching Vampire Hunter D (not Bloodlust) and saying, "is this that japanimation that you like so much, now?" during a scene where only mouths were moving. I've been snarky ever since. Don't be annoying by body movement followed by paralysis in which only the character's mouth moves. It's not easy to animate and, also, shut up.
Name one well animated American cartoon, other than Disney, that mouths move at the same time as the rest of the body. GO.
Moving on to story.
The cast of Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Beast, and Armor coupled with the setup being post Dark Phoenix Jean death lead us to two possible conclusions. One is that we are in another Wolverine and The X-Men situation, which is lame. Another conclusion is that we are in an Astonishing X-Men situation. If Storm wasn't present, I would dare to hope that we are in Grant Morrison New X-Men territory, but I won't get my hopes up. I like that we are joining the X-Men after they have been established. Every cartoon has done this, but I like that we aren't subjected to an immediate origin setup like we see in the movies. The show seems to be setting up for a more adult-themed execution, which is good news to me. I hate this kiddy crap we get here. Good X-Men, in my opinion, is not a light-hearted part of the Marvel Universe.
The Wolverine/Cyclops rivalry is alive and well, and Slim has no gripes about blasting Logan when he calls him a coward. Beast is eloquent, but seems to lack his usual comical banter that we know and love. Is it me, or did Hank lose his sense of humor when he gained his kitty-cat secondary mutation? I don't like Storm. She is the timid, innocent, press-my-breasts-together-and-look-shy anime chick, and that bothers me. Storm is the strongest female in X-Men lore, and I can't stand to see her look, well, girlish.
I cannot comment on the voice acting since an English dialogue has not been completed. I will, however, mention that the music is really good. It feels like a mix of the 90's cartoon and the score from some of the movies. Really good production value in the music department.
A couple of criticisms, because it wouldn't be The Negative Zone without the negative. I've mentioned Storm being bashful. The next bit of gripe is Wolverine's height. He is not supposed to be as tall as Cyclops. Hugh Jackman ruined this. Ever since he was played his 6'2" Wolverine, the character has changed on every screen portrayal thereafter. Anger. Another gripe is that it appears that The Brotherhood is called The Inner Circle. I realize that they are combining the inner circle of the Hellfire Club to consolidate the Phoenix story. It's aggravating that these two entities can't be separate.
All-in-all, I am looking forward to this cartoon. It looks cool, and satiates this bitter X-fan better than any other screen presentation.
I give this first episode of the X-Men anime two strawberry Pocky up and zero naughty tentacles down.
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