Avenger (TV series)

アヴェンジャー (Avenjā)

***Avenger*** is an anime series, produced by Bandai Visual, Bee Train and Xebec, and directed by Koichi Mashimo. It is set on post-apocalyptic colonized Mars.

## Plot

The story is set on a colonized Mars at some unspecified point in the future. The majority of the human population is divided up into a number of small domed city-states. Those who live outside the domes in the harsh wildernesses of the planet are known as Barbaroi. Resources are scarce, and supplies are divided out between cities based on the outcome of gladiatorial battles between representative fighters from each. Adding to the problems of the colonists, no children have been born on Mars for a decade. The cause of the infertility is unknown, but people have turned to robots called dolls as a substitute for the presence of children in their lives. And a red moon, Earth's moon, hangs over Mars, drawn towards the red planet after the destruction of Earth and ravaging it with lunar storms caused by gravitational fluctuations between Mars and its unwelcome satellite.

## Characters

* Layla Ashley - The protagonist of the story and a barbaroi gladiator. A silent, brooding young woman, Layla is the only survivor of a colony ship which was destroyed by Volk over Mars. She was trained to fight by Cross, and is now determined to avenge her parents and the other passengers of the colony ship.
* Nei - For most of the series, Nei appears androgynous, having blond short hair and dichromatic eyes, green (right) and purple (left). Nei also accompanies Layla everywhere she goes and is the only person that Layla seems to care for. In the last episode, it is revealed that Nei turns out to be a girl when her hair turns pink.
* Speedy - An 18-year-old "doll breeder," Speedy has a friendly, affable personality. He finds himself drawn to Layla after watching her victory in a gladiator battle at the dome city he lived in, while also being curious about Nei.
* Volk - One of the Original Dozen, the first colonists to arrive on Mars, Volk's life has been greatly extended by science. Ruler and representative gladiator of Volk City, he is the closest thing to an overall ruler Mars has. He feels his responsibility very deeply, and takes every action for the well-being of Mars and its people.
* Westa - Another of the Original Dozen, Westa wields authority alongside Volk, but has a much more peaceful approach to solving problems. She cares a great deal for the people of the planet, and her concern for them. The fact that she does not age due to the same life-lengthening technology as Volk has caused the people to revere Westa as a goddess.
* Garcia - A barbaroi gladiator, Garcia encounters Layla early in her journey when she briefly became the representative gladiator of Serena city. Layla defeats Garcia in combat, but chooses to spare his life. Their paths cross again several times afterwards, including one incident in which Garcia assists Layla and her party in fighting off the vicious hunter dolls pursuing Nei.
* Jupiter - Another of the Original Dozen, Jupiter is the ruler and representative gladiator of Jupiter City. He challenges Layla to a gladiator battle, only to die not by Layla's hand, but his own assistant, Io.
* Cross - The only other remaining member of the Original Dozen besides Volk, Westa and Jupiter, Cross (formerly known as Ares) left the dome cities after a disagreement with Volk and lived in the wilds. He adopted Layla after the colony ship she and her parents were aboard was destroyed and trained her in gladiator combat.

## Soundtrack

*Main Article: Avenger OST*

The music for *Avenger* was composed and performed by Japanese duo Ali Project, which has also contributed music to several, other anime series, including *CLAMP School Detectives*, *Noir*, *Princess Resurrection* and *.hack//Roots*. The series opening Lunar Eclipse Grand Guignol (月蝕グランギニョル Gesshoku Guran Ginyoru) and ending (Mirai no Eve) themes and the score overall are considered by some fans and reviewers to be among the show's most memorable elements. An Original Soundtrack album was released in Japan in 2003.

## External links

* Official site (Archived) (in Japanese)
* *Avenger* (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia