REVIEW: X-Men (2011)
X-Men has had plenty of adaptations over the years whether it involves the whole team or just the ones that Hugh Jackman plays. One of the ones I was most surprised that existed is an anime depiction of the characters. That’s right, a Marvel collaboration with a Japanese studio that gained an English dub. This included three other adaptations involving Wolverine, Blade, and Iron Man, but this one in particular focuses on the X-Men. Beyond this unique development, here are my thoughts on the 12-episode anime.
I guess I should start on what I did like about it, considering there few and far between whatever else happened. With the live-action movies, although they’re called X-Men, there’s a larger focus on main characters whether they’re Wolverine or Professor X (two Wolverine sequels excluded). The series actually works in giving the team a focus and remembering that the title’s called X-Men. Even with Wolverine as a character, the show manages to look elsewhere for plots.
I guess I also have to hand it to the anime for doing things that would probably never happen in a live-action version. Things like Xavier’s lost son and reality-bending mutants are likely never going to see live-action screens considering they’re one step below time-travelling and conscious-exchanging (oh, wait). Animes are just strange and violent enough to try the events that could only come from a comic-book with changing continuity. Granted, animated versions have always been the easier path to working with superheroes, so that’s not a huge accomplishment.
All of the other things I could like about this series are pretty negligible. Well…I like Cyclops at least looking like a leader in an X-Men world. I like the idea of an X-Men plot having more to do beyond the prejudice between humans and mutants not because that’s not interesting but because it has a lot more action. I also like the idea of using villains beyond Magneto. What all those things have in common is that they’re all good in theory, not so good in what happens.
It’s not as though the ideas themselves are bad. Things like the death of Jean Grey, the search for kidnapped mutants, the use of the U-men as enemies, a mutant developing new and uncontrollable abilities, the appearance of the Hellfire Club for some reason renamed the “Inner Circle,” psionic battles, and the reveal of Xavier’s long-lost son are notable works in the comics. What wasn’t notable is the way ALL of these stories take place in twelve half-hour episodes. When you have all these dramatic plots taking place one after the other, it’s hard to take anything seriously. After all, drama is one step below sappy.
The fact that these characters are in a constant state of being surprised at the next big thing that happens pretty much undermines everything. Cyclops is barely a leader when he’s moping for Jean, Wolverine’s attitude barely makes it past the dialogue, and Beast’s intelligence only matters for the moving plot. It doesn’t matter who these people are so long as we move on to the next thing, which is a shame since animated versions are the only way to know some of these characters outside comics
Speaking of the characters, I couldn’t help but wonder: what are the X-Men in this world? They’re mutants, sure. They experience discrimination, obviously. They have a secret organization that goes around the world and is clearly known in far-off places. How does that work? They’re usually known for tracking and caring for wayward mutants as much as fighting against mutants bent against humanity. I’m just confused at where they stand since they’re known all the way to Japan and apparently live throughout the world.
Another disappointment is that while the final threat may be worldwide, we’re not treated to many X-Men beyond the ones in episode 1. I understand that the story needs a center character to keep going, but this is called the X-Men. Aside from a few brief seconds in the finale for characters like Angel, Rogue, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and apparently Deadpool, the X-Men are just the group that stands next to Professor X in that photograph give or take a new member.
I can’t really blame the Japanese setting too much, I guess. Being an anime warrants at least the more exciting parts to take place in Japan which explains Xavier’s romance with a Japanese woman as well as the rarely-used-outside-comics mutant Armor. Now they just have to explain whose idea it was to turn Emma Frost to a good guy. I know that she’s crossed sides a few times before in comic history, but to have her on the side of the Hellfire Club to having her and Scott exchanging glances at the end is almost hard to believe in twelve episodes. The fact that she’s supposed to be the compassionate one? Even more impossible.
I suppose the series should be worse. At least they didn’t sew Deadpool’s mouth shut or kill off Cyclops for kicks. It’s definitely lower on the X-Men totem pole of adaptations, but, unfortunately, there are worse, usually ones that come after X2 and before First Class. Maybe if they toned down the dramatic moves, add some different characters, and focus more on the world in a world threat…but then it wouldn’t be an anime.
