Looking for intelligent cinematic science-fiction? Heat Guy J is a good choice.

Heat Guy J. V.1, Super Android. V.2, Vampire’s Ambition. V.3, Sins of the City. V.4, Hidden Fangs. V.5, Haunted Past. V.6, Urban Corruption. V.7, Revolution. Special Supplemental DVD.
TV series (26 episodes), 2002-2003. Director: Kazuki Akane. V.1-5, 4 episodes/100 minutes; v.6-7, 3 episodes/75 minutes. Price & format: DVD bilingual $29.98. Distributor: Geneon/Pioneer Entertainment.

Blade Runner meets The Godfather! Judoh is a futuristic New York-like mega-city blending soaring new technology and relics of the past. The City Safety Management Agency’s underfunded three-person Special Unit, consisting of investigator Daisuke Aurora, secretary Kyoko Milchan, and Daisuke’s hulking “Heat Guy J” android assistant, are supposed to correlate data showing signs of possible future crimes so the regular police can be on the alert for them. But Daisuke is a daredevil who investigates to the point of sticking his nose right into the danger.

The first episode opens with the funeral of Lorenzo “Vampire” Leonelli, and the succession as Don of the Leonelli crime family of his 19-year-old son Clare. He is a Caligula-like megalomaniac who plans to take over all Judoh’s other organized crime gangs, despite the misgivings of his own men. This becomes one of a couple of continuing story threads throughout the series (25 episodes broadcast from October 2, 2002 through March 25, 2003; the final episode was a OAV release), scattered among many stand-alone dramas. After Daisuke and J thwart a couple of the Leonelli mob’s schemes, it turns personal between Daisuke and Vampire jr. Another running story involves “Boma the Werewolf”, an illegal immigrant from a foreign country where criminals are branded by superscientific transformation of their heads into animal heads. Boma is a “noble villain”; physically a werewolf but was he ever really a criminal? What are his motives, and how will his relationship with Daisuke evolve? Among these serials are a hunt for a serial bomber, Daisuke’s attempt to dissuade a bitter young man from a self-destructive act of revenge, and similar individual human-interest tales.

The character design by Nobuteru Yuuki is attractive, the characters act believably, and the dramas are cleverly written. But as with Blade Runner, the real star is the futuristic city and robotic/A.I. technology. From street scenes that mix 22nd or 23rd century buildings with “ancient” 20th century landmarks, to intriguing CGI vehicles, Judoh is worth studying for the backgrounds and settings alone. The political and social situation are gradually revealed. Intelligent androids are illegal in Judoh; J is a special exception because of his use in police work. In one episode Leonelli tries to get rid of J by using political pull to have the exception revoked. The animation by the Satelite studio uses impressive CGI animation heavily, smoothly blended with the cartoon animation; just as the stories smoothly blend crafty plotting with action climaxes. Heat Guy J is a winner for fans of intelligent cinematic science-fiction. Note: The series is released individually and in two boxed sets of four DVDs each, and the Special Supplemental DVD is only available with the first boxed set.

Fred Patten has written on anime for fan and professional magazines since the late 1970s. He wrote the liner notes for Rhino Entertainment’s The Best of Anime music CD (1998), and was a contributor to The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons, 2nd Edition, ed. by Maurice Horn (1999) and Animation in Asia and the Pacific, ed. by John A. Lent (2001).