I'm not sure whether I should be more ashamed for actually willingly watching this or because I almost enjoyed it. Virus Buster Serge is another anime series brought to us by the man who desecrated the Fatal Fury franchise, Obari Masami. You might also know him by his other works such as Battle Arena Toshinden, Gravion, and Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer. If so, then you have my deepest condolences. However, there's one thing that I always enjoy about Obari Masami's anime abominations. No, it's not the actual watching of the anime, but the WRITING about the anime. Tee hee!

The first thing you'll notice when you watch Virus Buster Serge (and hopefully you don't) is the long, complicated introduction that is played in the beginning of every episode before the opening theme, Rainy Day and Day (by Dragon Ash), gets a chance to play. "124 degrees east longitude high above the Equator: stationary orbit. Special defense of the Incubator. Black Valentine. Birth of the Incubator, ending the days of hell, dawn of the new terror. Incubator. A hole within the void, leading to world destruction. ZAINELL. A corrupt alliance, creating tools that offer false salvation. STAND. A feeble arm of Zainell standing guard against the Annihilator. Neo-Hong Kong in 2097. A city cursed with this fate, the worst yet to come. Virus. Servant of the Annihilator. Virus. Without limits. Virus. Linking eternity. Virus. The key to the end. VIRUS."

If you got all that, then you are indeed a more intelligent watcher of anime than I am. I watched all twelve episodes of Virus Buster Serge, going against my doctor's warning that any further exposure to Obari Masami's anime could damage my body beyond all repair for the rest of my life, and I still can't make heads or tails of what the opening is all about. From what I was able to gather about the Virus in the anime was that it is some sort of genetic strand that is magically whisked from outer space to Neo Hong Kong (and ONLY Neo Hong Kong), and then somehow infects the population there. How? Why, magic of course! Actually, I couldn't figure that part out either.

Speaking of magic genetic strands, the dialogue in Virus Buster Serge is simply embarassing. About 3/4 of the series is spent by characters explaining all kinds of things like how RNA and DNA work in the most boring way possible. The last parts of dialogue are split between boring character monologues, little one-liners like "It can't be!", and transformation keywords like "Stand by Hyper Mode - MARK!". I'm not sure who Mark is, but I sure as heck don't want him anywhere near MY anime.

This isn't helped at all by the fact that Virus Buster Serge has some of the worst characters I've ever seen before -- and I watched Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer! The awful characters are complemented quite nicely by the ugliest designs I've ever seen before in an anime -- and I watched Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer! The men and women alike seem to have been based off of the same anorexic models. Among other features, both the men and women have thick legs, tiny little wastes, tiny abdomens, and enormous breasts. Now, I know Obari Masami's fetishes are his own personal business, but I want no part of men with giant chests!

I was able to figure out what all of the characters' roles were based on their designs, too. Raven wears black, so he's going to be the mysterious guy that works behind the scenes. Serge wears red, so he's obviously the leader. Macus has a fancy hat and fluffy clothes, so he's probably up to something. Erika has enormous breasts, so she'll probably be the one that falls in love with Serge. Believe it or not, I was right on all counts! I'm so proud of myself. Unfortunately, I could not predict that the characters themselves were as stupid and shallow as their very designs. The animation, on the other hand, is... well... a shadow of even Obari Masami's usual "stunning" ability to create an interesting action sequence.

On a positive note, Virus Buster Serge was able to establish the mood of the series remarkably quickly. The dark, gritty environments combined with the equally gritty, yet generic, music made Neo Hong Kong out to be a place that no human could survive in. The feel of the anime is also established very quickly. In fact, in just the first episode we observe Raven's inexplicable knowledge of Serge's name despite never seeing him before nor knowing he even exists. Until about episode 7, episode after episode go by without us learning anything new about the story. The only thing that happens is that we are bombarded with more details that don't make any sense at all.

I was constantly left with the impression that there was something going on other than what I was seeing. It was as if there was a story much larger that was yet to be told, a story that would answer all of my questions. Then, the ending came and went like a speeding bullet without answering a single important question. Questions like "What is the purpose of the Virus?", "What is the Black Valentine?", and "Where can I get a spiffy hat like the one Macus wears?" all went completely unanswered. In the end, I was left with the impression that even Obari Masami didn't know the answers to the questions Virus Buster Serge raises.

After many minutes of thinking over the plot that makes up Virus Buster Serge, I came to a realization, then I puked -- but back to the realization. The realization was that, had Virus Buster Serge been longer, it may actually have amounted to something. The plot is definitely ambitious, there's no denying that. It's sort of like a freakish mix of Bubblegum Crisis and Soul Taker. However, no matter how ambitious it may have been, that doesn't change the fact that it just didn't deliver like I didn't expect it to. That really makes me wonder, though. How is it that Obari Masami keeps getting work?