Don't Lose, Makendo! Review

By sothis Published: August 6, 2005

STORY

6.5 / 10

On the surface, Don't Lose Makendo doesn't appear to have a very unique plot. And in this case, if you thought that, you'd be right! Definitely not anything special or unusual if you get down to it. If I had to discuss genres, I'd say it seems like a Ghostbustersish comedic action flick, with plenty of jokes and funny monsters to go around. A bit of magical girl transformations as well, and even a mecha to boot. Again, sort of a mix of everything, which makes it not so unique.

Then why the 6.5? It was difficult picking between that and a 7 simply for one aspect: entertainment value. I felt like this was kind of like watching Yougen Kaisha or Jewel BEM Hunter Lime -- very shallow, pointless monster-hunting plot, but still had a good ratio of comedy to ghostbusting to make it a quite enjoyable watch. In this case, the uniqueness score went down a bit due to the mecha and magical girl scenes, but still managed to be entertaining, hence the 6.5.

ANIMATION

7 / 10

Don't Lose Makendo has an interesting set of character designs, definitely looking like they are from the Metropolis type era (and I'm not sure when this was made, it must be 80s or very early 90s). The trademark swooped forward plastic hair will be recognizable, as well as the shades! One of the female main characters has a very interesting hairstyle where it appears she has a curved lever coming out of the top of her head, though the rest of her hair is totally normal. Very strange indeed. In addition practically everyone's clothing has two round (fist sized, if I had to put it in perspective) circles where breasts would be. This isn't just on the females, Makenko's body armor has them, as well as normal shirts on the girls.

Props and costumes were also unusual, such as the two devices which make the girls change into superhero mode: a golden elephant, and a sword covered in barber shop stripes. o_O

Monsters were the highlight, with the brain monster and floaty ghost really looking like something out of a comedic ghostbusters series (again, Yougen Kaisha and Jewel Hunter BEM Lime come to mind).

Colors used were a broad range, so there isn't anything to point out, really. Mostly dark or vivid colors, as opposed to pastels. Nothing unusual about the shading, and definitely not any CG. Explosions and special effects did tend to be a bit shoddy, but normal for an older piece.

SOUND

6 / 10

As with most series, the music was very background. Definitely an old 80s cartoon series feel, with tracks that easily make you feel like you are watching a mecha series during fights.

Voice actors seemed to do well with the characters, and made them sound very stereotypically... themselves. For examples, the females definitely sounded like whinyish high schoolers.

CHARACTERS

7.5 / 10

Whenever I review something that is only one episode (and short, nonetheless), it's difficult to go into a character analysis. What I tend to base my ratings on in such cases is how well each character fit their role. In this case, Makenko (who we never really know much about, except that he was turned into a cyborg against his will) plays his role nicely of a person out for revenge who has little time for those in his way. The girls are definitely fairly stereotypical whiny high school girls (as in many anime series), and are a nice balance for each other. Makendo doesn't want to be a hunter, yet her sister does, allowing for some comedic moments. The "people" who work for the Monster Police Office reminded me of watching Beetlejuice, and were amusing. Even the monsters played their part well, being clumsy, angry, or the comic relief when needed.

OVERALL

7 / 10

Sure, the plot was a bit non-unique. Sure, the animation was outdated. But did I enjoy this short OVA? Absolutely. It's hard doing reviews sometimes, because I can't really put into words why I enjoyed something that seemingly was sub-par. All I can say is that the comedic aspects of the OVA really shined through, which allowed me to oversee the lower parts.

As far as rewatchability, this would probably be a good one to watch when bored and needing a light-hearted laugh.

In general, an amusing, short tale that probably won't make your brain work hard, but will still pull a few laughs from your lungs and not be a total waste of time.