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AKA: Juiichinin Iru
Genre: Outer space sci-fi mystery
Length: Movie, 92 minutes
Distributor: VHS from US Manga Corps out of print
Content Rating: 10+ (mild violence, mild profanity)
Related Series: N/A
Also Recommended:
Notes: Based on a short shoujo manga by Moto Hagio (A'), originally in Bessatsu Shoujo, now available from Denpa.
Rating:

They Were 11

Synopsis

A motley mix of ten people arrive at an abandoned starbase to carry out their final exam for their graduation from the Space Academy. The task: to survive and make do for sixty days without outside assistance, relying on each other for teamwork and support. In fact, if even one person out of the group fails the exam, the other nine fail along with him. When our group arrives at the base, though, mass confusion reigns when a quick head count reveals eleven people present, not ten! Somebody obviously isn't who he/she says they are, but who?

Virtually /every member of the team has a secret they’d rather keep to themselves, and the mysterious "accidents" that endanger the crew don't help keep tensions down. And when a crisis of unspeakable proportions threatens the eleven, no holds are barred as everyone scrambles to keep alive. Who's the impostor? Will they pass the exam? Will they even survive?


Review

This is a movie you can't take too seriously when you watch, although it certainly takes itself seriously. "Campy" is a good word to describe the overall effect. Other words T.H.E.M. has used are "cheesy," "hokey," and "corny."

The art and animation are considerably older in style than their contemporaries, but it doesn't really detract too much from the overall picture. The soundtrack is good enough to do the job as well as it could be expected to.

The plot...well, like I said: you can't take it too seriously. While the premise is very original and interesting, the execution will probably make you laugh. There are plot-holes big enough to fly a star cruiser through, and some of the twists in the story are bizarre enough to make you laugh out loud. Characters are all pretty interesting, although the story definitely focuses on a few of the eleven instead of everyone. You actually start to worry a bit for the poor chaps stuck out there in space (C'mon, Frol! Be a man!).

All in all, not bad if you watch it in the right frame of mind. It's bad, but in a MST 3000 kind of way. Rent it just so you and your friends can yell snide comments to the screen (that's all T.H.E.M. did when we watched it).

Raphael See

Recommended Audience: Should be okay for pretty much all audiences, although one person gets stunned by a laser blast.



Version(s) Viewed: VHS, Japanese with English subtitles
Review Status: Full (1/1)
They Were 11 © 1986 Shogakukan / Kitty
 
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