MAPS

Original Title: マップス
Romanized: MAPS
Literal:

Plot Synopsis

MAPS is the story of Gen, an average Tokyo resident who happens to be a descendant of a long-dead race of star travelers. When a massive spaceship crafted in the shape of a beautiful woman shows up over the city one fine day and gets involved in a messy tiff with it's sister ship, Gen and his girlfriend Hoshimi end up running off into space with a lady with a long name who's the embodiment of a huge, ancient battleship. They're all looking for the three pieces of a star map that apparently has something to do with saving the galaxy... they think.

Quick Review

Rating: 2.5 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2006-06-18

MAPS is yet another story about a kid who turns out to be the chosen one and runs off to save the world (or galaxy, or local galactic cluster, or universe). The idea is basic, but it has a lot going for it--nice art, characters with a lot of potential, and a properly wild and convoluted story. Sadly, it's hamstrung by a failed attempt at cramming a lot of manga into a little bit of OAV, resulting in hectic pacing, a disjointed, rocky first episode, a couple clumsy logical lapses. If you tough out the beginning, it does eventually get some footing, but it just doesn't budget its time well enough to establish a solid connection to the characters. At least the time saved by whipping through the plot is spent on some spiffy-looking action sequences, one of which makes up the bulk of the final episode.

Based on a fraction of an epic space opera manga series, MAPS blows a lot of its potential with its poor writing and ends more on a stopping spot than a conclusion, but at least it's good looking. If you enjoy not entirely serious sci-fi adventure with a wild and convoluted plot, it's worth at least a rental.

US DVD Review

I have not seen the DVD, but it features English and Japanese stereo soundtracks and no extras other than ADV previews.

Content Guide

ADV rated it 15+ on account of raunchy humor, occasional nudity, and rather bloody violence (things get messy for the ship-women whenever their large-scale personas start getting shot).

Violence: 3 - Some cities get wiped out, but the really bloody violence never actually kills anyone.

Nudity: 3 - Several scenes spread through the series and a lot of very skimpy outfits.

Sex/Mature Themes: 1 - One humorous scene involving a... misunderstanding.

Language: 1 - Not noteworthy.

Notes and Trivia

Based on an epic 4000-page space opera manga series by Yuuichi Hasegawa; it consists of 90-plus acts and ran from 1985 through 1994. There was also a set of ten more side stories published between 1995 and 1997.

There was in fact an earlier animated adaptation, a short 1987 movie titled "MAPS: The Legendary Wandering Starfarers" ("Maps Densetsu no Samayoeru Seijin-tachi" - マップス 伝説のさまよえる星人たち), based on the first act of the comic. The cast was not the same as the later 4-episode OAV series.

Relative to the manga story, this OAV series is roughly based on the first 5 acts and the "Book of the Six Ghost Ships" story arc, which comprises acts 11 through 19 (or 12 through 20, if you count an early side story).

Finally, ADV has a One page website for MAPS, although the only thing there as of this writing is a small joke and some trailer links that don't work.

Availability

Available in the US on a single hybrid DVD from ADV Films. Was originally available on two subtitled or dubbed VHS volumes, now out of print.

RightStuf carries the DVD as of this writing.

Looking to buy? Try these stores: RightStuf (search) | AnimeNation | Akemi's a(nime)Store