genre: science-fiction / action

Old-world oriental designs meet new-world technology might be the best way to describe this SF anime series. Many of the mecha and set designs have a decidedly turn-of-the-century Chinese/Japanese flair to them, giving this story of a female bounty hunter a decidedly retro feel. Iria is the younger sister of Gren, a highly regarded bounty hunter whose skills in weapons and martial arts are unequalled in the business. When a mission goes bad, Iria is forced to work on her own, trying to bring down Zeiram, a genetically-designed killing machine, which is purported to be unstoppable.

Based on a manga by Amemiya Keita, which later also became a Japanese live-action SF thriller. Iria is distributed in North America by US Manga Corps, a division of Central Park Media Corporation.

Parental Guidance Advised - As is typical with the dark hard-core SF genre, there's a fair amount of violence. Many of the scenes are of the 'mix body parts with alien' nature, with several creature features made to look somewhat phallic in nature, or as in the Zeramoid producer, an anus. Some needlessly cruel scenes of children and babies getting killed. Beyond the violence aspect, there is little else objectionable -- there's one very minor shower scene with Iria, but it's very non-descript.

• Episode 1: Mebatama (Pitch Black)
• Episode 2: Akashima (Rampage)
• Episode 3: Omokage (Visage)
• Episode 4: Hahakigi (Broom Tree)
• Episode 5: Kowaburi (Wind Song)
• Episode 6: Mahoroba (Shangrila)

• Iria: Zeiram the Animation encyclopædia entry