Anime Review by Jeff Anglea
Posted: February 2002

Critic Score: B+

Borg...Get...On!

"Post-Bubblegum Crisis but curiously more old-fashioned, Borgman is a stylistic bridge between earlier team shows and the dystopian heroes ushered in by Alien, Blade Runner, and Terminator; though none of them used a teaching career as a cover for their hard-suited heroes." - The Anime Encyclopedia

How many of you out there remember the days when Japanese animation was virtually impossible to find in the US?

Back in the 80’s my friends and I used to drive from San Diego to Los Angeles on occassion just to rent anime videos like "Z Gundam," "Saint Seiya," "Shurato," "Orange Road," and many others.

One day, after watching an episode of "Saint Seiya," we were introduced to a new television series titled "Cho-on Senshi Borgman," which translates to "Sonic Soldier Borgman." The opening animation and theme song "Don't Look Back" (performed by Earthshaker) literally blew us away and we had to check it out. Needless to say, after watching the first two episodes were hooked. The ending theme "Forever" (also by Earthshaker) became one of my favorite Japanese songs.

A cyberpunk anime classic! "Sonic Soldier Borgman" ranks among my favorite television shows of all time. In my opinion, the characters are well-developed and I especially like the drama, mild comedy, and action sequences. I encourage all fans of the genre to seek it out! It's definitely well worth the effort.

If you are a fan of Michitaka Kikuchi's work, you will see early concepts and designs in this anime that would later become "Silent Möbius" and "Dark Angel."