Mnemosyne - Episode 1

Mnemosyne - If that isn't an anime show title that cries out "Hey, I'm cool! No, really... Watch me!" then I don't know what is. In case you're wondering, the word is of Greek origin, referring to a Goddess who was the personification of memory in Greek mythology.

The star of the show is Rin Asōgi, a private detective of sorts with a useful sideline in kicking ass. Oh, and she's immortal as well, which naturally comes in quite handy when you're dealing with people trying to kill you on frequent occasions. This six-episode OVA is set in the early 1990s, although to be honest its overall feel as a series harks more strongly from the 80s - Poor animation, plenty of fan service, nudity, violence and gore, and a soundtrack to match that particular period.

Despite all that, the opening forty-five minute episode of Mnemosyne isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, with a somewhat likeable lead character and a reasonably paced story involving a student who isn't sure who he is any more - a problem that leads to the aforementioned plethora of nudity, violence and blood aplenty. Oh, and zombies. How original. Okay okay, so I said it isn't that bad... I didn't say it was that good either though.

As mindless fun, Mnemosyne does alright for itself with almost nostalgic qualities, reminding me of the bad old days of anime (a quality which may be deliberate given that this show was commissioned as a tenth anniversary project for the AT-X network in Japan). But, you have to ask yourself how a series based around someone immortal is going to hold your attention over five more episodes - if you know she isn't going to die, then there's hardly any dramatic tension to be had in moments of peril, is there? Of course, there are unanswered questions left after this opening episode which may just spice things up a bit, but from episode one the best description I can come up with for this series is 'average'.