Take a typical modern-day X-Men script (which have received thumbs-down reviews from numerous fans), throw in cliche mutant/human bad relations, and add to it the emo / angst / ridiculously long dialogs of anime, and you have the Marvel Anime: X-Men presentation (2011).
The animation is fairly decent-- especially compared to some of the mono-shading stuff we've seen on Saturday morning TV from both Marvel and DC. There is no shortage of the typical overly-buxom, deep-cleavage, body-paint- costumed Marvel female, or the camera angles to emphasize that physical trait. (If you've never thought you'd get tired of constant boob-focus shots, this series might change your mind.)
Beyond the animation, this is a 6-episode story drawn out to a long, long 12 episodes. The series starts out interesting enough and holds one's attention for about 4 episodes. By the 6th episode the viewer is starting to feel some strain in keeping the script going. 9th episode I found myself wondering how much longer is is going to go on and where it's leading. Beyond that there were some characters I felt needed eliminated right now, end them, why are the X-Men such incompetent morons? Seriously. And yes, I know it's an animated series. It still had me wondering at how stupid a group of people can be (and about the writers/directors that presented them that way).
It's been pointed out in many reviews that the X-Men are a paradox. They're supposed to be super-powered (and they are), but any criminal with a gun, grenade or LAWs rocket could wield about as much power as any of the X-Men. With the exception of Wolverine (and possibly Jean Grey), a bullet could take out any of them. Nowhere does that become more apparent than this series, in which the team is regularly disabled by one or two bad guys, who seem to be nearly unstoppable.
The script is cliche (granted, this was written 9-10 years ago), the monologues droll on, and the extremely-obvious focus-on-the-boobs shots plentiful. The X-Men are constantly arguing amongst themselves, disagreeing with one another, distrusting to the point of paranoia, and makes one wonder how they could ever be a team.
There is plenty for children to take away from this: the way to solve your problems is by the use of violence and excessive force, women are basically sexual objects, it's normal behavior to distrust, argue and fight with with your closest fiends and allies, and if you have blades coming from your hands it's perfectly acceptable to run around slashing and stabbing others with them... and no accountability. Because that's how life is, right?
Beyond that, this series is close to the most emo, angst-ridden, long, drawn-out, absurd-ending plot line I've seen. Those responsible for mass murder don't wind up paying the price, and everything is okay because people are "sorry".
The sorriest thing about this is the story line. This Marvel offering could have been a lot better with a little more effort and a lot less cliche.
