Mujin Wakusei Survive

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Alternate Titles: Uninhabited Planet Survive

Original Japanese Release Date: October 16th, 2003

Episode Length/Run-time: 52

Summary:
A group of children are supposed to be on a school field trip, however due to an accident the end up stranged on an uninhabited planet filled with monsters and other dangers.  Can Luna and her friends survive and make their way one?

Review:
This is a show that I rather enjoyed.  Wanting a show with a unique storyline and feel I found one in what might be one of the only anime out there about a desperate survival situation.   I had similar thoughts about Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 which might be the only anime about an earthquake.

So the show gets serious points for being unique but what else does it do well?  The show has a very nice cast of characters. The situations in which the characters are placed really do a great job of developing these characters personalities but also revealing their “true colors”.  Certain characters the start out as the weaker, more timid of the group develop into strong people and even leaders.  It reminds me a bit of Spirited Away in this way.  The back stories of the characters are also fairly good for some characters however, I would have liked to see certain other characters receive more back stories than they did.  I guess it’s understandable considering there are 8 or 9 total characters in the group.

Continuing on with the characters, they are some of the most resourceful kids I have ever seen.  I mean they use practically ever possible piece of their crashed spacecraft in order to build shelter, fix electronics, hunt, and just about everything else you could imagine them doing for survival.

One of the problems with the show is that the pacing is a bit slow.  In the beginning it is alright because the situation is fresh and new but as the story continues, they just throw one impossible situation after another.  Also, after they started introducing the alien technology I found the quality of the show dip a little bit.  It was at this point that the show really revealed itself as a show geared at children.  There are certain reasons for this but for the sake of no spoilers, I shall not reveal them here.

All in all, its a recommendable anime.  It’s unique feel and interesting execution alone makes it worthwhile, particularly so if you have the patience to finish it.