Review of Schwarzes Marken

As a prequel of MAL-TE, this doesn't have much of an impact, since the setting was just simply odd as to how the 80's were able to produce 25th century tech and yes I'm referring to them TSF which were just too advance for the timeline, it would have been much appropriate if original creator Uchida Hiroki could have just set it in some alternate time line where the cold war extents to the 25th century and then them BETA's comes surging in . It doesn't matter whether it's MAL-TE or this or any upcoming sequel or prequel the setting was just too ill fittedto such time line, so:

Storywise, the prequel focuses on man's struggle with not only with the swarms of BETAs, but within its own struggles inside an oppressive state. Now forget about the plot where a group of veterans whose reputation for kicking the BETAs butt were outstanding, the real plot was more on the geopolitics of the cold war and it was very good that original creator Uchida-san nail it very well, cu'z during the cold war such purges and paranoia does exist within the once reputed "IRON CURTAIN". And yes the things we see in the anime did have such reality during the cold war.

The art, was impressive and one wouldn't find any knee high sock wearing bimbo, nor would one find a Yamato Nadeshiku, though one would still find a usual white haired girl, red head and a blond girl. I never understand as to why character designer Hara Suuchi did follow the standard uniform of the National Peoples Army and instead used the standard green fatigue uniform that the JSDF wore during the 70's. Also, I can't seem to dig as to why Katia and Lise have to look like lolis.

Sound.........well, for the opening I do like when it was preformed by Fripside, but not the closing, also I do find the seiyu who did Katia's voice as annoying, since it kinda make her the way she is, an naive little girl, who has no idea of what she's getting into. Also, the voice of Lise really did make up as this deceptive crazy girl the way the character is.

Now for the characters of this anime, aside from the fact that some of the character's name were hardly German, nearly all of which where portrayed as a bunch of Stoic individual whom have no other option but to accept their fate in the hands of their oppressor the Stasi, however each character were a different kind of stoic human being, like Theodore Eberbach was portrayed as this distrusting stoic character who is just trying to hid from the Stasi's radar by accepting his sacred duty to protect East Germany, but in reality he's in survival mode and just wanna live long enough until the BETAs get him, though he was suppose to have a relationship with a supposed Stasi Dog, Irisdina, it came too little too late, cu'z Irisdina have to die in the hands of an opportunistic Stasi dog who is a CIA doggy wannabe Axman. Now, I hate the fact that Theodore was basically portrayed to be both a siscon and a lolicon, given that his sister Lise made love to him and Katia, being deigned as this young girl who maybe 16 was being made to be in a relationship with Theodore whom we can say is probably 25 , now don't that look like corrupting a minor? Oh, and his surname Eberbach is Jewish. Now as for the main girl Irisdina Brendhard, her name is hardy German or at least her surname which is Saxon btw, now I kinda like that she is portrayed as this stoic who know how to get around, but I kinda hate it when she has a 2nd in command Gretel Jeckeln whom I can't say at first as to whose side she is, and her surname Jeckeln is Welsh , there is also Thi-Rang Pham, who is name is Vietnamese, so why would someone from South East Asia doing in Europe? Now I could go on but then again there is no point. But I've notice that most violence where often done on the girls, which kinda make me sympathize with the female characters and at time make me wanna bash the original creator for such violence on women.

The Enjoyment for me was the part when the Stasi got owned and Gemany was united, but I can ignore as to how this anime exudes such violence on women, why, well Irsidina was often seen being bullied by Axman and Beatrix, Anette suffering some kind of nervous breakdown, Lise giving up her humanity just to be with Theodore, Phram and Sylvia receiving such domestic type of violence in the hands of the Stasi, Gretel getting her ass kicked by a crazy chick with brocon syndrome and Irisdina getting shot by Axman, let not forget the lolicon element for Theodore and Katia, so for that:

Overall, it's a "4" since this kind of anime should only be watched by guys and guys only, definitely not for girls with feminist ideas.