Flashback Friday

Venus Wars (1989)

Hey there Retroholics, it's Friday and time for another trip on the nostalgia train. This week's choice is an intriguing and underrated anime film from the late 80's suggested by my good friend Florent Campana.

1989's Venus Wars, directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, takes place in the year 2089. Venus has been colonized for over seventy years, and is divided into two separate states caught in a civil war; Ishtar to the north and Aphrodia to the south. Ishtar forces, led by General Donner, have pushed into Io the capitol of Aphrodia. Susan Sommers is an enthusiastic reporter trying to piece together the tension between the two states.

She soon runs into Hiro Seno, leader of the Killer Commandos; a local monobike-rollerball racing team. Sue and the Killer Commando's are forced by Lt. Kurtz to join Bloodhound Squadron but Hiro convinces Kurtz to let the rest of his team go if he remains with them. In an attempt to push back the Ishtarian forces Lt. Kurtz is hurt and Hiro is forced to lead Bloodhound Squadron. Can his monobike skills help him aid the squadron into victory and regain Io?

The score to this film was composed by Joe Hisaishi. It's a great blend of energetic synths with wailing guitars and rockin' Japanese synth-pop. A great synthwave album to accommodate this film would be Dynatron's Escape Velocity which is sure to bring you on an immersive interstellar journey through the cosmos.

If you're looking to catch a flick this weekend or want to check out an interesting anime with great music, hop on your monobike, punch the throttle and follow Hiro on his journey to take back Io! Until next Friday rockers, have a fun, safe week!

Magnum Crockett