Feb 6, 2025
AWOL: Absent Without Leave is a solid space anime with a reputation preceded by lots of infamy. AWOL is allegedly so bad that it was only released on home video in the West via AnimeVillage.com while Japan got an edited OVA, but it is actually a decent show bogged down by obscurity and a slow start.
The most notable issue with AWOL's TV version is the pacing. In the first half, almost nothing of importance to the overall plot happens, and the events are very predictable and slow. The show is beset with a bunch of pointless dialogue and boardroom scenes as it spins its wheels,
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waiting for the main plot to begin. However, certain episodes, such as the third episode, stand out as good stand-alone plots, so there are some bright spots in this first half that make it worthwhile. Viewers who follow a three-episode rule or decide to stop watching the show before its seventh episode should beware because in the second half, the actual plot begins. The show proves itself to be a very cool space anime in its second half as it offers rare anime space fleet battles, great chases, a long-range battle through an asteroid belt, and an ending so grand in scale that is matched only by the likes of Wrath of Khan.
Another appealing aspect of AWOL is that it is grounded, mature, and respectable. All the characters clearly look and act like adults, and the anime focuses more on the overall plot and the characters doing their jobs competently rather than pet anime topics like how the characters accept their responsibilities in the world and the characters' internal thoughts. The anime understands the concept of "show don't tell", unlike most other anime, by developing the characters via showing them in action rather than setting aside lengthy scenes for emotional expression and discussing the characters' internal feelings. Anime cliches like fanservice, gore, child/teenage protagonists, self-insert characters, coming-of-age/hero's journey tropes, melodrama, existentialism, internal monologues, and pseudointellectualism are absent, so this show is very respectable and, at worst, inoffensive.
At the same time, AWOL's inoffensiveness and groundedness translate to the ship and vehicle designs. Aside from a few cars and random spaceships (the most notable of which are ships that look like the Enterprise but with round side sections like the White Base), the main vehicles are very boring. The protagonists' ship is a generic white spaceship, while the enemies' ship is a dull orange tube, and the enemies' laser ships are pyramids with light sci-fi detailing. However, the action makes these bland designs easy to overlook.
AWOL: Absent Without Leave is an excellent anime that requires patience, yet ends up paying off in offering good action and a story that is freed from anime's tiresome and unnecessary cliches and allowed to be mature and respectable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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