Ani-Mania: ‘Soldiers of Space’ (UchÅ« no Senshi)

Uchū no Senshi, (lit. Soldiers of Space) is a six-part anime OVA (original video animation) by Sunrise, based on the book Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein.

I was surprised to find this little series from 1988 on the anime site I use to keep up on my favorite shows. It is a more faithful adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s original novel. Though it takes some liberties with the races of certain characters. For instance, Johnny Rico, who in the novel is portrayed as an Asian Filipino, is a blond-haired blue-eyed white boy.

One of the main features of the book that the series brought to life is the power armor that the mobile infantry wear in battle. It was pretty neat to see those aspects of the book, which were largely ignored in the 1997 movie adaptation staring Casper Van Dien.

All in all, it’s a neat series. I was a little bit annoyed that Johnny is made to look like a whiny little wuss in the beginning. He has a lot of trouble with physical demands of both his position on the football team as well as his military training and subsequent deployment in the the war. Though, I might be a little bias as I was a big fan of the 1997 movie.

The OVA is fun, but it’s pace is really slow. There is a lot of character development and the action is a little disjointed and less intense by today’s standards. Although, it was nice to see Johnny’s transition from a spoiled rich kid to a military commander. The power suits brought a cool element to the OVA as well.

If you are a fan of the book, then the anime is definitely worth checking out. If you are looking for a real thrill of a movie and some ultra violence, then I would suggest you watch the 1997 film by Paul Verhoeven and enjoy the ride.

You can find the 6 episodes on a number of different torrent sites online. Enjoy!