Starship Troopers (1988) User Reviews (13)

Uchû no senshi: Bit of a let down

[Platypuschow · 5/10 · 9 October 2018]

I enjoyed Starship Troopers (1997), it was one of those fantastically dumb take your brain out movies which really succeeded in entertaining. The sequels failed to live up to it however and were highly hit and miss.

What I didn't realise though was that it wasn't a Hollywood creation, not even close. It's origins go back to the late 50's where it was a book by Robert A. Heinlein, the first time it was adapted for the screen was right here in 1988. Sadly it cannot have met expectations because it had a limited release and is an extremely hard to get hold of anime!

If you're expecting something resembling the Hollywood adaptation you will be sorely disappointed. From mech suits instead of traditional grunts to an odd pink lifeform instead of bugs this a very different creature.

It tells the story of Juan "Johnie" Rico who most will know as played by Casper Van Dien and his story as he joins the military just before the alien threat kicks off and attacks earth.

It's an incredibly slow burn and focuses more on character development than action, in fact if it's action you're wanting you'll struggle to find enjoyment.

It's passable stuff but feels incomplete because of its pacing. I think it would have worked better as 30+ episode series.

What confused me was the setting/ethnicities. Wasn't this the US? Most characters look caucasian and have names like Pat, Greg and Smith! Yet they speak Japanese, it was certainly a bit of an odd choice. Why is a man called Juan Rico a blonde haired white dude exactly?

This was a minor gripe, my major one was the pacing.

Regardless it has a lot of charm, one of the best soundtracks from an anime I've ever heard and has it's moments............just not enough.

The Good:

Amazing soundtrack

I'm keen on the animation style

Great character development

The Bad:

Ethnicity/language confusion

Pacing issues

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Mechs would have made the Hollywood version better, right?!

Soldiers are scumbags apparently

Hmmmm interesting

[phanthinga · 7/10 · 22 August 2017]

I love Starship Trooper from 1997 directed by Paul Verhoeven since i never read the book the movie based on so i can't really compare how good or how bad the anime version to the live action version but honestly i enjoy both.The mini series follow the main character Johnnie Rico like usual but this time it focus not on the battle with the alien bugs but the hardship he and teammate been though in the military.The characters actually flesh out well and a very cool version of Powered armor which is a shame when it not featuring in the movie.The animation is old and it end too rush just about 6 episode but if you love the movie definitely give this series a chance

dated but far closer to Heinleins book

[david2112 · 7/10 · 10 August 2017]

Its dated and conforms to early anime styles but this movie is far closer in tone to the original novel than Verhoevens far-leftist Crapfest.

The English dialogue in the dub was stilted and barely passable but the bugs and the power armor of the troopers conformed to the book rather nicely.

Too many young people have seen Verhoevens later version and never read the book and just assume its fascist trash based on scuttlebutt. This could not be further from the truth. I wish Verhoeven had made "The forever war" which was a far better anti-war response to starship troopers. Im so tired of Hollywood trashing SF books.

To the Everlasting Glory of The Mobile Infantry...

[Capt_Bob27 · 24 February 2004]

Note: I've only seen the first two episodes (out of 9)

The Anime version of Starship Troopers is alot closer to the original book by Robert A. Heinlein than Verhoeven's film. However, the Social and Political commentary from the novel was toned down in this version (whereas in Verhoeven's film, it was exagerated into Nazi Symbolism). But hey, they kept the Powered Suits. Now remember, I've only seen the first two episodes. But I will post a full review once I see the rest.

Does A Fan Proud

[Steve_Nyland · 7/10 · 21 June 2018]

And that's saying a lot. I am not a committed fan of Japanese manga/anime type entertainment but actually found myself caring about the plight of the characters here. I've read the novel a dozen plus times & saw the 1997 film in a theater on release week. It was a riot. Total strangers hi-fived each other on the way out then went drinking together to rave about the experience to anyone who would listen. Got the video the day it streeted and came to know every line, cadence, beat and explosion. It's a party movie aimed at low attention spans and exactly the movie we deserved at the time.

This is different, a thoughtful and surprisingly low-key adaptation of the source material for Japanese television with some understandable alterations, lots of J-Pop schmaltz rock, and big weepy Manga eyes. Still far more faithful to the book than the 1997 movie, whose filmmakers must have studied this presentation for ideas - It even opens with a football game & high school dance, and our protagonist is likewise motivated by his yearning for the gal of his dreams. There is none of the rightist philosophical discourse which flavors the book. The series' futurist Utopia has none of the contradictions which flavor the 1997 film. The "bugs" are also transformed into Manga movie monsters, organic plasma spewing blobs with lots of whispy tentacles, and quite lethal enough to be worthy of the Mobile Infantry. They will do.

Yes, it shows the powered armor. LOTS of powered armor in fact, which is cool to finally get to see though the design employed has more in common with the Shogun Warriors walking angular Swiss army knife contraptions than the 9 foot tall ape like shells which encased the novel's heroes. Not that it's a problem, and the big payoff for devotees of Heinlen's novel will be the sequence saved until the final episode as the armored Starship Troopers are finally strapped into their re-entry capsules, fired from the Rodger Young, and do battle on the enemy's home planet in an impressive display of cartoon carnage. The entire sequence takes about 12 minutes but was worth every second leading up to it.

Viewers can of course skip the other five installments but by doing so will miss the journey Johnny Rico goes through learning how to control both his powered armor and his grief at the loss of his mother to the alien menace, whatever they are supposed to be. If the series has a weak spot it's that Johnny's romantic aspirations for Carmen Ibanez continue being his motivating factor long after the novel lets go to allow Johnny to focus on learning how to be an effective soldier. Yet the damnedest thing is that I found myself caring about not just Rico but his squad mates as well, suddenly realizing that they are likely facing their own deaths and understandably unnerved. They can only rely on their training, their technology, and each other against overwhelming opposition, a difficult notion to get across on a cartoon yet it somehow manages to. Only the most ruthless and adaptable survive, which is itself right out of Heinlen's Social Darwinism, no classroom lectures required and nothing lost in the translation. War will still be Hell.

The series has yet to surface on a DVD, an almost unforgivable oversight on the part of whomever holds the rights. How do you say "Get the lead out and press this already" in Japanese? The series deserves to be seen, especially considering the brainlessness of the (more or less) abysmal live action direct to DVD franchise which followed up the 1997 film. Here is a thinking person's alternative, and tracking down a fan-subtitled version of the complete six episode series took about three minutes. Look in the obvious place, you shouldn't have to spend a dime and that's a shame. I'd like to reward whomever was responsible with a purchase and have a hard copy on the shelf with the others so I can watch it again at whim -- Nice work!

Disappointing, particularly if you've seen the film

[Rufous · 3/10 · 24 August 2008]

The episodic version of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers plays out at a deathly slow pace, following Johnny Rico leaving his parents, the (not very attractive) girl he lusts for, and joining the mobile infantry. The aliens in the show are nothing like the barbaric bugs from the film, instead being squid-like monsters that shoot lasers out of their mouths.

Throughout watching this version, I was continually amazed at just how fruity they've managed to make the whole thing. The show is concerned mostly with the relationships between the recruits, and the aching, prolonged gazes they give each other through their battle armour visors, with 80s synth pop sometimes arriving *during* the sparse battle sequences which at last turning up in the final few episodes. In terms of construction, it owes a debt to Top Gun, sharing much in terms of pacing and content (and all that implies).

Starship Troopers Anime

[mpf95 · 5/10 · 11 April 2022]

This depiction of Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" is interesting mainly for its portrayal of the mobile infantry. Without the benefit of English subtitles, the story appears simple; focused on Johnny Rico's training and integration in a mobile infantry unit, and quest to win the affection of a young woman he attended school with. The animation is good but modest.

The scenes with the mobile infantry's powered armor suits are where this anime production shines. The design of the powered armor fits Robert Heinlein's vision with the soldiers able to move rapidly and fight under intensive combat conditions with substantial firepower, and the series adds autonomous track-wheeled robots that fight alongside the armored soldiers. The series also features the mobile infantry's capability for atmospheric entry via individual protective capsules, as described by Heinlein, when they fight the bugs in the final episode.

Overall, the series is okay. The combat scenes with the mobile infantry are worth watching, though the tactics appear less than sophisticated for a force equipped with advanced technology, and the battle with the bugs in the final episode is somewhat anti-climactic. Nonetheless, this anime production remains an interesting portrayal of Heinlein's mobile infantry.

Was that really based on Starship Troopers?

[Otcho · 3/10 · 5 November 1998]

You'd better choose Paul Verhoeven's even if you have watched it.

The most faithful adaption of "Starship Troopers"

[clarkk-28191 · 8/10 · 10 September 2016]

Honestly, this is my very first review. I specifically made an account so I could write a more informed, professional review after reading the divided reception it's already received. So I'll get right to the meat of it.

If you're a big fan of the Paul Verhoeven franchise and are looking for that, you're not going to enjoy this treatment of the source material.

As previously stated in other reviews, this Anime follows the BOOK and not Paul Verhoeven's "artistic re-envisioning" of the source material. Paul Verhoeven, as also stated already, read 2 chapters of the book before getting bored, throwing it in the shredder and writing his own movie.

Furthermore, "American Cinematographer" reports that Paul Verhoeven's film had a working title of "Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine" while in pre-production. That means the film and it's script, as Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine" had ALREADY been green lit. THAT means, Paul Verhoeven's adaption was not even originally envisioned as Starship Troopers. And it shows. Verhoeven's live-action film was originally an entirely different, original franchise altogether. However, when similiarity's between "Bughunt" and "Starship" were mentioned, they bought the film rights to the book, and retroactively repurposed "bughunt" into "Starship Troopers".

Hence why the connections to the book were superficial. A previously existing work was retooled and renamed after an already established Scifi Classic in order to garner viewership and attention from those who were fans of the Book.

NOW THAT WE HAVE THOSE SEMANTICS OUT OF THE WAY

This Anime mini series was the most faithful adaption to the books. From the characters, to the Power Armor. I must admit, this series is very difficult to track down and find. I only managed to find a handful of episodes and never got to watch the entire series.

But this was released before Verhoeven's Film. It IS the original Starship Troopers, and still the most faithful. No other adaption of the work can claim this, and this gives it much artistic credence in my opinion. Verhoeven's series with Caspar Van Dien is pretty much an alternate universe altogether. Attempts were made to reconcile the existing series with the books in "Marauder" and "Starship Troopers Invasion" which were both fantastic IMO, and I'm a huge fan of Verhoeven's film, as I saw it in theaters when I was only 7 years old.

The animation, as stated before, is fairly on par with what was standard and considered "Good" back in it's era. This is an 80's anime we're talking about here.

Aside from that, I must admit it's been a very long time since I watched this OVA, and it IS very hard to find a good copy of it.

But from what I remember, it was good. I only recommend watching it if you're a hardcore Scifi or Heinlein fan however because of the sheer difficulty of finding this series gives it a very low effort to reward ratio. The animation is dated, the Audio is in Japanese. But if this were to be released on say, DVD at Walmart, I would pick it up in a heartbeat.

8/10 from me, as there are better ways to spend your time than rewatching this old dinosaur of an OVA. However, it has my respect for reasons I've already stated ad nauseum.

On the bounce, soldier. \M/

The powered armor makes it all worthwhile. Much better than the movie.

[SoapFiction · 8/10 · 16 May 2008]

Robert A. Heinlein's classic novel Starship Troopers has been messed around with in recent years, in everything to Paul Verhoeven's 1997 film to a TV series, to a number of games. But none of these, so to speak, has really captured the spirit of his novel. The games are usually unrelated, the TV series was more of a spin off, and the less said about Verhoeven's film, the better. Little do most know, however, that in Japan, an animated adaptation had already been done, released the year of Heinlein's death. And, believe it or not, despite its differences, this 6-part animated series is, plot-wise, the most faithful adaptation of Heinlein's classic.

The most obvious plus to this series is the presence of the powered armor exoskeletons, something we were deprived of in Verhoeven's film. Like the book, the series focuses more on the characters and their relationships than on action and space travel, though we see a fair amount of each. While events happen differently than in the book, the feel of the book's plot is present. Rico and Carmen have a romantic entanglement, but it's only slightly more touched upon than in the book. While some may believe the dialogue and character interaction to be a bit inferior to the book (it gets a bit of the anime treatment, but what did you expect?), but it's far superior to the film. Heinlein's political views are merely excised, as opposed to the film, where they are reversed. The big payoff of the series, however, is the climatic battle on Klendathu between the troopers and the bugs/aliens, which features the kind of action from the powered armor suits we would have like to have seen in a film version.

Overall, I enjoyed this series because I wanted to see a vision closer to that of Heinlein. And I think they did pretty well with this. If you can find this series, give it a look.

Best Starship Troopers movie despite the lack of bugs

[omega2064 · 10/10 · 11 May 2010]

Uchû no Senshi is the little known 1988 Japanese anime OVA adaption of Robert Heinlein's 1959 novel Starship Troopers. This was produced as a 6 part OVA series comprising each episode being about a half hour long, for a total runtime of around 3 hours, a little less if you clip off the opening and ending credits. Sadly this series has never been released in the US so far.

The animation is good, about average for the nascent OVAs of the time and the character and equipment designs are good. The only real flaw all this are two things, the downplay of the governing system of the book, and the rendering of the alien bugs as instead some sort of double beaked goo spitting tentacly lobster/squid things.

Where Uchû no Senshi really shines above and beyond the horrid Verhoeven movie is that it follows the novel more closely and about 50% of the movie focuses not on the combat, but on the characters and how they develop and grow, and the trials they must endure to become soldiers. The other great boon this movie enjoys is that the troopers are actually shown properly in their power suits.

---spoilers may follow---

The first episode mostly sets the stage with Johnny Rico applying for the military and the reactions of his friends and family and the beginnings of the war with the aliens.

The second episode works through the beginnings of boot camp training as Rico is assigned to the harsh Mobile Infantry division which employs power armour suits in battle.

The third episode covers Ricos power suit training and the problems with dealing with a strict military code of conduct.

In the 4th episode we finally get to see some actual combat as the recruits advance from basic trainer suits to combat capable units and their training shifts from the Moon to Mars and ends with a disastrous training skirmish on the red planet.

The 5th episode covers the surviving members re-assignment to the spearhead invasion of one of the alien worlds and the new interactions with fresh team mates and advancement to fully operational suits.

The 6th episode finishes with a huge battle on the alien planet.

Since the OVA was never released in the US, a fan-subbing group has since taken up the task of translating the entire set. Hopefully one of the major anime release companies will pick this up! If you are looking for wall to wall battles and little else. This OVA is definitely not for you. But if you like a lot of character development and and an adaption closer to the source material. You may well enjoy this if you can find it.

Surprisingly Accurate

[luke-eberhardt · 8/10 · 30 September 2020]

While Robert A. Heinlein's controversial classic sci-fi romp about humanity fighting an intergalactic space war with alien bugs has been largely overshadowed by Paul Verhoeven's more satirical audience friendly but deprived of high regard 1998 film adaptation. This Anime OVA (Original Video Animation) remains the more faithful and unique adaptation to date, it's also something industry professionals should look to if a 'Reboot/Re-adaptation' is in the works.

First and foremost, the original novel was more about the main character; Juan 'Johnnie' Rico making his way through the rough and tumbles of life training and living under the military. It was never pleasant and always fraught with conditions nobody would've ever believed and not just on the battlefield fighting a vehement and unreasoning enemy. That's what's presented here as being fairly accurate to the development for Johnnie, he loses family and friends, but he never loses his sense of purpose and follows through on strict orders. This anime is less melodramatic than Verhoeven which makes it easier to relate, even when some characters are being unpleasant due to circumstances. It also puts Heinlein's conception of 'Powered Military Suits' up front and center and being the primary weapon of combat for these soldiers. While there isn't much of that to distinguish this from other 'mech themed' anime, it's the story and commitment the series makes as Heinlein's 'Starship Troopers' that makes it unique. Even if action on the book pages were far and few in between, here it's very much worthy of the the wait and build up until the most thrilling of action battle scenes are on display.

My only criticisms for this film is the conception of the aliens, while the book and Verhoeven film make it quite clear the aliens are 'Insectoid' or 'Ant-like' which has always been up for interpretation and classification or it's kind(s). Here it's less of being 'bug-like' and act more like an infecting alien parasite threat that simply breeds and destroys, although still very effective, revealing less until the penultimate moment the squad of soldiers figures out how to fight them.

Overall, despite being dated and barely having a full narrative that pays-off much like Verhoeven's film. This version of Starship Troopers is surprisingly accurate to Heinlein's novel, straightforward with it's narrative and unique in it's design and characterization. Not the best anime of sci-fi to recommend but good enough for anyone to see a fresh perspective on Heinlein's book rather than spawning off from what someone else created.

see below

[paladin9-1 · 10/10 · 27 February 2007]

Verhoeven's movie was utter and complete garbage. He's a disgusting hack of a director and should be ashamed. By his own admission, he read 2 chapters of the book, got bored, and decided to make the whole thing up from scratch.

Heinlein would have NEVER supported that trash if he'd been alive to see it. It basically steals the name, mocks politics of the book (which is a good portion of it), and throws in some T&A so the average idiot American moviegoer doesn't get bored.

This anime isn't perfect, but it's at least mostly accurate, as best I can tell.