Armitage III - The Complete OVA
This four-part 1994 OAV spawned several follow-ups, and writer Chiaka Konaka  went on to do screenplays forBubblegum Crisis 2040andSerial  Experiments Lain.Armitage IIIis noted for its brooding, dystopicBlade Runner-influenced backgrounds--which are more interesting than  its characters. Terran police officer Ross Sylibus arrives on Mars and finds  himself drawn into a complex plot involving seemingly random bombings and the  murders of women who are actually "Thirds," or state-of-the-art androids.  (Their circuitry is so sophisticated, they can be impregnated by human  males.) Sylibus's partner is Naomi Armitage, a sharp-shooting, hard-punching Third,  whose scanty costumes suggest a '50s burlesque show. Together, they battle a  standard array of addled scientists, sinister corporations, screeching  maniacs, and corrupt police officers. Fast paced and violent, this influential  adventure is not for the squeamish. (Rated 16 and older: nudity, graphic violence,  violence against women, considerable profanity, grotesque imagery)--Charles Solomon