Birdy The Mighty Decode – Episode 1

A-1 Pictures Inc., not SHAFT as I had previously read on ANN, are animating this. Fact check out the way, lets get this started.

OK, we probably have our second best anime of the year.

The creative team from Noein reunite, this time at A-1 rather than the increasingly sloppy Satelight, to adapt Masami Yuuki’s manga. This isn’t the first time the story has been adapted, there was an OAV from Madhouse in 1996. Interestingly, Yuuki had two stabs at the manga too, abandoning a three year run in 1988, before starting again in 2003.

The story involves the alien policewoman, Birdy, working undercover (as a cosplay idol) on Earth to track down an alien criminal. However during the course of her investigation her life becomes literally intertwined with that of a teenage schoolboy, Tsutomu Senkawa.

It’s a lighter, sillier story than Noein, but it has the same sense of capturing human movements, kinetic fight scenes and is full of distinct character designs. And like Noein, it’s aliens seem very unworldly, through the use of biological weaponry and equipment. The most effective is Birdy’s octopus/space suit/robot/partner. Even the 3D CG used in the early space battle seems organic, the ships designs in someway reflecting their passengers personalities and character designs.

And it has a wonderfully simple ED animation that does more with colour, shadow and a few loops of walk cycles than a lot of more extravagent endings manage.