Avenger

Avenger is a Dramatic SciFi piece in 13 episodes that takes place on Mars. We first meet the main character Layla in Serena city where she is the representative fighter for that city. The mayor has placed her in luxury but she seems to enjoy destroying the place. It seems she has some serious personal demons. A fighter has come to town to challenge the representative and he finds Nei, a doll who takes him to the mayor. It appears that the inhabitants of Mars are unable to have children and have created dolls in the likeness of children (like androids) to take their place. Some treat the dolls as if they were their own children but others treat them no better than slaves. Layla appears to know Nei yet it’s too early to discover their association. She fights the new challenger because the winner gains ownership of the loser’s possession, in this case Nei. Speedy is a doll breeder and is familiar with all things dolls. He learns of Layla and is curious enough about her, to follow her out of town when she leaves with Nei. As the series moves on we discover more about Layla, she appears to be known by the political controllers as the Destined Child. Some believe her to be the daughter of Volk, who is a bit weird (walks around in an unusual armor – or he is grossly deformed). Volk and Vesta appear to have gained the ability to live for a very, very long time. They are searching for Layla, but I have not discovered why, but it seems they are also interested in Nei. I have a feeling the she is not a Doll (or at least not a typical doll). Layla appears to have been abused when just a child, trained to be a killing machine or maybe just to survive as a Barbaroi (a race that people appear not to like much). Nei brings a certain peace to Layla when the stress causes her to lose control of her actions.

Layla heads out toward a city where a Great Tournament is to take place and has several encounters on the way. First with a group of enforcement dolls called Panthers. They attack the group because they notice that Nei is a stray doll (she is not registered to an owner). They are out to destroy all stray dolls. The Panther’s follow the group into the city and attack them once again, but Speedy hacks into Nei’s collar and registers her to Layla before the Panther’s can destroy her which basically earns him Layla’s trust. In the next city she encounters a group of assassins that were hired by Volk to get rid of her. The Warrior that she fought before comes to her aide because he doesn’t want her to die before he has a chance to redeem himself by killing her himself.

We learn a bit more as the series moves on. There were 12 original people that came to colonize Mars and it is said that they never age (like Volk and Vesta). In Jupiter City Layla encounters one of the original dozen who has already been informed by Volk of her arrival to his city. He challenges Layla to a fight but we know that it is to gain her possessions (Nei). Lord Jupiter, Volk and Vesta are the last of the original dozen and their skills as fighters are the highest in the land. While the battle takes place we learn that the skills Layla displays are comparable to those of the original dozen, learned on Earth and not on Mars. The information on Layla seems to be feed to us in small layers. Just enough for us to wonder who the hell is she and who is Nei, as well. The match takes place and Layla defeats Jupiter and although she is going to show mercy, Jupiter’s secretary tries to kill her and Jupiter steps in front of her. He is killed. Layla now could claim ownership of Jupiter City but she has a mission and leaves.

They reach Venus City but they are being pursued by the Panthers. While there they meet a man, called Gants, who gives them refuge but under suspicious circumstances. When Speedy follows him on an errand to purchase food he confirms his suspicions. Gants had sold them out to the Panthers. It’s in this episode we really get to see Speedy’s loyalty to Layla and Nei. After getting battered by a group of men, Speedy picks himself up and heads to the dwelling where Layla and Nei were. The odds are completely against him and he could easily have walked away, but he doesn’t. He is ready to do battle and die. Layla and Nei had already escaped and stopped him before he exposed himself. Things don’t get better as they rush away from the city and find hiding with a Father and son in an old ruin. The Panthers attack and steal away with Nei.

Now things get really interesting because the layers on the lives of the puppet masters start to peel away. Vesta goes on a pilgramige to Jupiter City for the burial of Lord Jupiter and she shows us how Volk’s power somehow corrupted him. He became someone that thought he could choose who lives and who dies. Jupiter was his right hand man and Vesta, his lover? There was a forth man from the original dozen called Ares who could not tolerate Volk’s ways and left Dome City for the outside lands. When he left he changed his name to Cross. There appears to have been some change in Mar’s atmosphere that cause great famine and death, things that those in the Dome did not suffer, but all lost the capacity to reproduce. In a way, they thought this good because it would stop overpopulation and with little food, it seemed a blessing. Now society is dying because the people are aging and without children there is no one to continue the lives they have built. This is the importance of Nei, because as I had originally suspected she is NOT a doll but a real child. The only child born in the last 10 years. There is still the mystery of her birth and it appears she is not a normal child. Layla and Speedy head out to the city where Nei is being kept and encounter Vesta with Nei. She wanted to see this child. It appears there is some relationship with between them, I’m not sure yet what is going on there but she also feels compeled to save Layla from herself and the sense of revenge that drives Layla. Eventually Vesta hands over Nei because she knows the child will help Layla to find her way and in turn Layla will keep Nei safe from Volk’s intentions of using her as a guinea pig.

This series reminds me a lot of Soultaker. The music is actually quite awful and the cinematography is created to give the whole piece a sense of doomed reality. But it also makes you want to know more, It doesn’t leave you bored but instead makes you ask, what is happening and how will it all end.

I’ll post more when I watch the last few episodes.