Cleared: Vexille

I told you it wouldn't be on the backlog for long! Vexille is an excellent action/scifi anime movie that suffers from none of the things I usually find vexing in anime. The story isn't weird, it's not overwrought, and the art isn't over-stylized. The characters have some interesting depth to them, and the animation is gorgeous. Movements must be based on motion capture, because everything looks very natural. Facial animation is especially good. I also liked the very realistic and practical art design. Female characters dress just like their male counterparts and aren't anatomically exaggerated and technology looks plausible. And I cannot stress just how astonishingly good the action sequences in this movie are. People do shake off a few things that they shouldn't, but aside from characters that should be superhuman for valid story/world reasons, nobody seems over-the top, and even the people who are superhuman are within a realistic window of it. No crazy unassisted leaps 50 feet into the air, for example. And then there's Vexille herself, who is a strong, intelligent female character who is most assuredly not just there for eye candy. She's tough, smart, adaptable, and courageous without being a man-hating ice queen or sexed-up fanservice. The plot is smart and the revelations about what's really going on make for a really amazing (and creepy) reveal. And the soundtrack! Paul Oakenfold did the music for this movie, and it was a perfect choice. I cannot recommend this one highly enough. If you like action and/or science fiction, it is well worth the two hours of your time!