For example, the basis for the film is the manga work by Satoru Ozawa, creator of the excellent Blue Submarine No. 6 series, which became the foundation for a four-part anime series. That alone should merit spending 100 minutes of time checking the film out. Then there is the appealing notion of a doddering old submarine (and its gallant crew), struggling to fit into a world populated with hyper-sleek super subs. Add in a pair of fast mini-subs that can extend the range of a submarine (that?s cool, too), a crew made up of a cagey veterans, a dedicated second officer, a subservient sonar operator, and a trio of still-wet-behind-the-ears cadets, and Sub 707R has enough variety to make it. Oh, and mix in a really evil enemy sub commander with an uber-bad ass sub of his own, and that should be the crowning glory.
Right?
Well, the whole of Submarine 707 Revolution: The Movie is much less than the sum of its parts. The character and machine designs never really come up to the standards set by Ozawa?s Blue Submarine No. 6. This ?movie? is also actually two OVAs (Original Video Animation) that form a nearly complete story arch -- not really a movie at all. Because there is no other Sub 707R anime to view, this release must be reviewed as a standalone ?movie.?
The story seems to begin in the middle of some other story, one in which we have already been introduced to the main characters, both good and bad. Admiral Red and his super sub destroy two surface vessels as though he were swatting flies. Far away and late (as usual), Submarine 707 is on its way to take part in a huge ceremony to establish the PKN (Peace Keeping Navy), a global organization that will keep the world safe from Admiral Red?s USR. Unbeknownst to anyone, Red sneaks his sub right under the ceremony and starts blowing everyone away. Red is about to knock out the PKN?s most strategically superior weapon, a humongous aircraft carrier-cum-submarine thingee, when who should show up to save the day but ? ta daaaah! ? the 707! By blocking Red?s torpedo, and sacrificing his own ship, Captain Hayami loses his sub, but automatically qualifies to take command of a newer, cooler one after it?s constructed.
Fast forward to Hayami taking command of that newer, cooler submarine (we?ll skip the parts where we get to see his and Red?s home lives? it?s all too weird, and darned near irrelevant). The remainder of the film, basically the second OVA, is the story of Hayami?s showdown with Red.
At its best and worst, Sub707R is a crazy quilt of characters, plots, and ideas. Numerous minor characters are introduced, and then cast aside as the story?s focus narrows on Hayami and Red. For example, the PKN?s efforts are directed by a female officer who has a chip on her shoulder the size of an aircraft carrier. She seems to be in the movie so Hayami has someone to rescue (the human personification of the humongous aircraft carrier-cum-submarine thingee). Once Hayami sacrifices the original 707, she is never seen again. The same can be said for the three cadets who are brought aboard the new 707. Two are drafted to pilot the 707?s mini-subs (amazingly underutilized in the second half of the show), while the third, portly one is invested strictly for comic relief. Do they contribute much at all, except for filling time? You got it ? nope.
Various plot lines are introduced, only to find that the ?movie? ends without resolving them, such as the entire PKN. After the ceremony debacle, it seems that Hayami and the new 707 are acting with complete autonomy. Red is also able to defeat the United States? super sub because his sub possesses a mechanical brain which is identical with the American?s. It seems, however, that this brainy brain is only useful during this one particular stretch of the show, and doesn?t offer many great insights in the climactic, closing moments.
The DVD doesn?t have any special features that might have mitigated (or amplified) any of the program?s shortcomings. The box art, however, is spectacular. The crew?s figures are completely opaque, but the background rendering of the Submarine 707 and the surrounding ocean is semi-transparent. Unfortunately, there is a yin for every yang... the semi-transparent effect and the tiny typeface used on the back make the synopsis, features, cast, and crew information, extremely difficult to read.
Submarine 707 Revolution: The Movie might have been much better if it had been streamlined right from the start. Concentrating on the conflict between Admiral Red and Captain Hayami, and focusing only on the people and materials under their commands, would have required more writing skill, but would have yielded a tighter, more dramatic 100 minutes of run time.
