FROM THE DVD CASE AND INSERT (VOL. 1): It's unknown now how long the Blue have actually existed. The first confirmed sighting came in 2017. That was fourteen years ago. At first we thought they were a biological weapon that some rogue nation had developed. But we soon learned they were very different.
It is the year 2031. Humankind has been replaced as the dominant species by a race of monstrous insect-like creatures known as Blue. Sleeper Yuji Kaido finds himself thrust into this nightmarish world after being awakened from 22 years of suspended animation. Alone and surrounded by the Blue, Yuji's only hope for survival comes from an elite Sleeper Recovery Team and a steely Mech pilot named Marlene.
Yuji learns the horrible truth about the Blue. Their infestation of planet Earth has forced the human race to seek refuge in outer space. Marlene and the Sleeper Recovery Team have been given orders to bring Sleeper Yuji to space station Second Earth alive. But with the Blue lurking at every turn, things do not always go according to plan.
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FUNimation has some "teaser" scenes from
Blue Gender here
MY TAKE ON "BLUE GENDER": In 2009, Yuji Kaido, one of the two main characters, is suffering from an incurable disease and is put into a form of cryogenic sleep until a cure can be found. He is awakened 22 years later into a completely changed world, not by doctors with a cure but by a group of soldiers from a space station, Second Earth, on a mission to collect "sleepers" like Yuji and return with them to space. However, things do not go as planned and the team is on-the-run with Yuji trying to escape from the Blue and find a way to return. The Blue are huge, heavily-armored bugs, who feed on human beings and cocoon them until they are ready to dine. They must pass through an Earth that is in ruins with most of the population gone. There are only scattered pockets of surviving humans left on Earth, and it does not seem that they have long to live. A few million of Earth's entire population have escaped to space stations.
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This is a very grim and violent story. When viewing, it is a good idea to never become too attached to any of the characters because they are not too likely to last very long. The atmosphere is always tense as the Blue are a constant menace. There is plenty of mecha-type action and more than enough extremely bloody battles against an ever-evolving Blue to satisfy the fan of that genre. But "Blue Gender" is a lot more than just a violent action-filled show.
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The most interesting thing in "Blue Gender" is seeing the contrast between Yuji, who is a fairly normal "civilized" person from our time and the soldiers from Second Earth. Yuji is, of course, horrified by the situation that he has awakened into. He reacts as any of us probably would to the violence and horror around him. His reactions seem totally at odds with those of his "rescuers" from Second Earth as typified by Marlene Angel, the other main character. She was separated from her parents during the "Blue" invasion when she was a young child and trained as a soldier on Second Earth. Like her fellow soldiers, she seems totally desensetized to the horror that surrounds her. She has a mission to accomplish and that is the only important thing. Perhaps, this is the only way to deal with a situation this terrible, the way a soldier deals with the horror of war. A good example is their different reactions to the survivors they come across in a devastated city. Yujii, being a caring human being, wants to try to help them; Marlene and the others consider them already as good as dead and completion of their mission the only thing of consequence. The survivors are just in the way.
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There is plenty of character development on the part of both Yuji and Marlene as the story continues. Marlene's hard and cold attitude begins to thaw, especially after Yuji saves her. Even though I am only 9 episodes into the story, it is clear that something is developing between them. This is what makes this so much more than just another war story. It will be very intersting to see how this all plays out. If only they don't get devoured by the Blue first!
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Here's a review of "Blue Gender - Volume 1"
Here's a review of "Blue Gender - Volume 2"
Here's a review of "Blue Gender - Volume 3"
Here's a review of "Blue Gender - Volume 4"
Here's a review of "Blue Gender - Volume 5"
I love the opening and closing songs from "Blue Gender". They capture the two different moods of the show very well. They are available on discs 2-3 in extended form in the form of videos.
To hear these songs and read their lyrics :
