Director: Kazuki Akane, Distributor: FUNimation

 

As an agent of the Federation charged with hunting down interplanetary criminals, Birdy Cephon Altera finds herself stuck on Earth. But during the usual nighttime scuffle, she accidently kills Tsutomo Senkawa, a local high school boy. Desperate to keep him alive, Birdy inserts his consciousness into her own body. Until his human flesh can be repaired, the two must now share the same limbs, hunt otherworldly villains, and make sure Tsutomo still appears to have a normal teenage existence!   

 

Upon initial viewing, Birdy The Mighty: Decode is a very familiar anime. Teenage boy meets scantily clad alien girl reluctantly out to save humanity. Great action and prepubescent hijinks ensue.

Now, you might assume a bad or, at least, disinterested review is about to follow. And I wouldn’t say Birdy is great anime. However, it’s got one thing going for it: focus.  After Birdy and Tsutomo merge, the focus of their heroic endeavors is an alien device that could wipe out the planet. The problem is, this device is somehow connected to Sayaka Nakasugi, Tsutomo’s classmate and love interest. The resulting, tense triangle between Birdy, Tsutomo, and Sayaka is the lifeblood upon which Birdy The Mighty season one thrives.  As they race to find this weapon, there’s just enough stimulating character interaction to make you forget the overall generic and uninspiring framework of this series. And without any fluff or filler episodes, once you’re in you’ll most likely stay for the ride.

And it’s not too bad.

Ah, teenage love and heartache. Add interstellar problems and ramifications and it just might be as complicated and earth shattering as the CW channel purports.