"Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune" (anime series)

Review by Dennis D. McDonald

Despite its reliance on familiar plot elements, standard characters, and some bizarre choices in music and alien designs, YAKITORI never fails to entertain—as long as you don’t think too hard about its underlying themes of colonialism and genocide.

We follow a mixed group of young soldiers who have been recruited from a future Earth that has been relegated to “third world” status by an intergalactic trade federation that is much more powerful. Earth now supplies the soldiers that enforce the trade federation’s colonial grasp on far flung worlds. We follow the young recruits from boot camp to another planet where they engage in ground level combat with the locals, their orders relayed from superiors circling in orbit high above.

Action sequences, weaponry, vehicles, and both civilian and military garb are superbly designed and animated. Were it not for some annoyances—two minor, one major—I would recommend this series without question.

Alien designs are based on familiar animals—mice, birds, dogs, and cats. Perhaps that choice was made to lessen our response to seeing them blown away in bloody combat? The series does not explain. But it’s an odd mix and dramatically quite jarring.

Background music relies heavily on Mozart. Yes, Mozart. If that choice was made to be somehow humorous in contrast with on-screen events, the choice is downright annoying and distracting.

My major beef is with the overall themes of colonialism and the “justification” of genocide. It’s tempting to respond, “Oh, they’re just showing the horrors of war.” I can’t tell if that’s really the case. I remember that the political satire of the STARSHIP TROOPERS movie was quite visible. Here it’s hard to not sympathize with this small band of humans obliterating hordes of enemy alien troops as they defend their position. This almost inevitably leads to the obliteration of cities inhabited by scores of noncombatants.

One is tempted to believe that those responsible for the movie are just saying, “You be the judge.” I suppose that might be a legitimate artistic choice, but it doesn’t change the fact that this series, as well produced as it is, left a very bad taste in my mouth. But I must admit that I did enjoy seeing a Tinkerbell-like AI figure based on Hatsune Miku.

Review copyright (c) 2023 by Dennis D. McDonald