Blue Gender

Blue Gender is a Japanese anime television series created by Ryōsuke Takahashi, the creator of Armored Trooper Votoms and Gasaraki, broadcast in Japan from 1999 to 2000 and spanning 26 episodes. Blue Gender was animated by the Japanese studio AIC and distributed in the United States by Funimation—one of the company's first non–Dragon Ball licenses. In 2003, Blue Gender was released on American television as part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block, though it had originally been planned for a Toonami broadcast, and was thus edited to remove more of its graphic violence, nudity, and sex scenes than usual, even for Adult Swim's standards. However, it aired uncut on the Funimation Channel in the United States.

Blue Gender
Blue Gender DVD box set released by Funimation
Genre	Mecha[1] Science fiction horror[2][3]
Created by	Ryōsuke Takahashi
Anime television series
Directed by	Masashi Abe
Produced by	Yasuo Hasegawa Hiroaki Inoue Hiroshi Tazaki Bag Min Beob
Written by	Katsumi Hasegawa
Music by	Kuniaki Haishima
Studio	AIC
Licensed by	NA: Crunchyroll UK: MVM Films
Original network	TBS
English network	BI: Sci Fi Channel US: Adult Swim, Funimation Channel
Original run	October 10, 1999 – March 31, 2000
Episodes	26
Manga
Written by	Ryōsuke Takahashi
Illustrated by	Takashi Hashimoto
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Magazine	Comic Dragon
Published	December 2000
Volumes	1
Anime film
Blue Gender: The Warrior
Directed by	Koichi Ohata
Written by	Daisuke Okamoto
Music by	Kuniaki Haishima
Studio	AIC
Licensed by	NA: Crunchyroll
Released	November 20, 2002
Runtime	95 minutes

Blue Gender is set in the 2030s, in which Earth has been overrun by the Blue-alien insectoid creatures containing a newly evolved B-cell, that kill and harvest humans for food. Most of the surviving human race has moved to Second Earth, a huge space station that orbits the planet. The series focuses on the relationship between Yuji—a human who also possesses the B-cells, and Marlene—a soldier from Second Earth, as they work together to return to Second Earth and subsequently participate in military operations against the Blue.^[4]

The series was followed by Blue Gender: The Warrior, a compilation movie with an alternative ending, in 2002. Blue Gender was also broadcast in the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2003 on the Sci Fi Channel.

Plot

In 2009, Yuji Kaido is an average young adult male diagnosed with a severe disease (the "B-cells") and is put into cryogenic stasis until a cure is found. Twenty-two years later, he is awakened amid a raging war between armoured soldiers and insectoid beings called the "Blue," which have overrun the Earth.

The soldiers are from an orbiting space colony collectively called Second Earth and were ordered to recover "sleepers" around the Earth. Among them is Marlene Angel, who at first appears to be heartless toward others. On the journey to Second Earth, Yuji meets many of the humans who were left behind during the evacuation due to limited resources. Standing orders for Marlene and the other troops are to consider any human survivors on the surface to be already dead, which greatly troubles Yuji.

On their journey, all of the soldiers are killed except for Marlene, causing Yuji to fall into a deep depression as he recognizes the destruction around him and his inability to save those he cares about. During their travel to the Baikonur Cosmodrome through the mountains, Yuji and Marlene start to develop a bond that softens her sharp edges.

Upon reaching Baikonur, Yuji and Marlene encounter another group of soldiers and devise a battle plan to return to Second Earth. During the operation, Marlene becomes the last surviving pilot and is about to be completely overrun by the Blue. However, just when she is going to self-detonate her Armored Shrike (AS), Yuji, determined not to leave her behind, comes to her rescue with a team of reprogrammed automaton attack sentries. Marlene is overwhelmed by Yuji's efforts to save her. During the shuttle flight to Second Earth, the two expose their emotions for each other. They are abruptly interrupted when a mutated Blue hidden in the shuttle attacks Yuji, critically injuring him.

Yuji and Marlene are separated upon arriving at Second Earth, and Marlene is sent back into training at the education station. Not knowing what happened after he was attacked, Marlene rebels and is determined to find Yuji. When she does, she finds he has healed and is being trained to use a new specialized "sleeper"-specific AS called the "Double Edge", a battlesuit that is much stronger than the originals used in the war against the Blue. It is revealed that Yuji's illness is the key to destroying the Blue and taking back the planet. He and the other Sleepers have B-cells, which are also the genetic makeup of the Blue.

After intensive training, Yuji and Marlene return to Earth with two other Sleepers named Tony Frost and Alicia Whistle. Tony is an inexperienced AS pilot, but his B-cells give him excellent AS skills. Alicia is a young teenager with no combat experience and a limited understanding of what is happening around her. They and the other forces of Second Earth battle the Blue, successfully destroying a few of the most enormous nests before they return to Second Earth. However, the battles begin to harm Yuji, who has minimal regard for human life and is utterly obsessed with surpassing Tony in killing the Blue. Yuji's actions deeply concern Marlene, and she begins to realize something is wrong.

Shortly after returning to Second Earth, the High Council orders the Sleepers on a second offensive against the Blue. Marlene becomes separated from Yuji once again, but in his current state, he appears unconcerned. As the Sleepers are carrying out their mission, a battle on Second Earth between two factions is waged. Seno Miyagi, director of Second Earth's science division, leads the Ark rebellion and seizes control of the military, lunar resources, and education stations of Second Earth from the High Council, who escape to and retain control of the medical station. Marlene learns about the nature of the illness that put Yuji in stasis, the source of his abilities, and the source of the Blue: they are a defense mechanism enacted by the Earth to purge the existence of humanity, and the B-cells that exist in the Sleepers could become a potential threat to humanity as well.

After the Ark successfully takes over Second Earth from the High Council, Marlene heads down to Earth in search of Yuji. When she finds him, his B-cells are already beginning to activate, and he begins to go berserk as a killing machine. After struggling with him, Marlene is finally able to get through to Yuji and helps him overcome his madness by showing him her human emotions and feelings. Meanwhile, Tony and an unknowing Alicia have also abandoned the remaining ground forces. The troops fend off waves of Blue before escaping with the few remaining survivors. Tony and the brainwashed Alicia also eventually return to Second Earth but bring with them several Blue when they board the medical station.

When Yuji and Marlene return to Second Earth, they find that Tony plans to ram the medical station into the military station, which would therefore destroy the heart of Second Earth. He sees this as the "Grand Will of the Earth", in which he will become a "messiah" and cleanse the planet of humanity forever. However, Yuji, Marlene, and a group of other soldiers infiltrate the station and manage to free Alicia's mind after injuring her. Later, Yuji and Marlene confront and eliminate Tony, while Rick, a close friend of theirs, is slaughtered by a Blue. Alicia ventures back to Tony to die with him as the military destroys the medical station.

After Seno's junta decides to abandon Earth, Yuji becomes depressed and contemplates his existence, wondering what he has been fighting for, why he was awakened, why he cannot save his friends, and what Earth's true will is. However, Marlene manages to reconnect with Yuji again; the two realize they need each other, and finally become lovers.

Yuji decides to return to Earth to find out what Earth's will is. After learning from Seno about a new migration pattern of the Blue, Yuji and Marlene lead a group of volunteers to an area where a massive nest is located. There, they find a group of humans surviving in the area. The nest seems impenetrable at first, but they eventually find an entrance with the help of the local people.

The entrance leads to a tunnel where the walls, ceiling, and floor of the cavern are composed of fossil-like Blue. The team finally comes upon a crystal formation in a massive cavern. A huge Blue is born from the gel substance sitting atop the formation and kills everyone except for Yuji and Marlene. Yuji kills it and concludes that the sphere will hold the answers he seeks. He sends Marlene, who is pregnant with their child, to the surface to wait for him. He then gets a vision and can see what the Earth itself can see. Yuji comes to understand how mankind can live alongside the B-cells and returns to Marlene.

Meanwhile, Second Earth's military station's citizens revolt against Seno. The station's personnel abandon the station for Earth via shuttles. Eventually, a firefight erupts over the last remaining overcrowded shuttle, and a massive explosion destroys the station. All around the world, from former Blue Nests, long strings of coalescing energy ascend into Earth's atmosphere and form a ring. Yuji and Marlene watch this, realizing Earth is now safe, and look forward to the rest of their lives together as the sun sets. A final view of the Earth from space is shown with a slightly garbled narration, presumably by the Earth, stating, "Welcome to your next journey".

Main characters

• Yuji Kaido (海堂 祐司, Kaidō Yūji) - After being diagnosed with an incurable disease (later discovered to be B-cells), Yuji Kaido decides to be put in cryogenic sleep in hopes that an effective treatment will be developed soon. In 2031, twenty-two years later, Yuji wakes up to find the world overrun by a deadly alien species known as the 'Blue'. In 2009 Yuji worked in a gas station, rode his motorcycle, and hung out with his friend Takashi. But in 2031 everything Yuji knew has been destroyed by the Blue. He feels lost and alone in an unforgiving new world. For better or for worse, Yuji is guided by the only thing that he can't trust - his emotions - as he attempts to gain control over his new life. Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (Japanese); Eric Vale (English)
• Marlene Angel (マリーン・エンジェル, Marīn Enjeru) - Orphaned at the age of ten because her parents were killed by the Blue, Marlene was one of the few lucky ones to make it to Second Earth. Since then, Marlene has dedicated and trained herself to defeat the Blue. Though seeming very heartless and cold in the earlier episodes, as time progresses, Yuji opens up Marlene's emotions and a bond is created. As Marlene's emotions begin to resurface, everything she was taught to believe in begins to break down. Towards the end of the series, she and Yuji conceive a child together. Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese); Laura Bailey (English)
• Tony Frost (トニー・フロスト, Tonī Furosuto) - Another Sleeper who unlike Yuji, awoke on Second Earth. A very powerful Sleeper, He is easily the most advanced member of the Sleeper Brigade and trusts no one. Yuji strives to improve himself to be able to beat Tony. Tony seems to have no emotion except for the euphoria of destroying Blue. It becomes apparent in later episodes, however, that he sees himself as a Messiah when his B-cells initiate and has his own plans for the fate of humanity. Voiced by: Hiroyuki Satō (Japanese); Jerry Jewell (English)
• Alicia Whistle (アリシア・ウィッスル, Arisha Wissuru) - Another Sleeper on Second Earth who is paired with Tony. She immediately gravitates towards Yuji, seeing Marlene as an obstacle to a relationship with him. She is very young and often naïve. Her death is one of the many that troubles Yuji. Voiced by: Miwa Yasuda (Japanese); Lisa Ortiz (English)
• Seno Miyagi (セノ・ミヤギ, Seno Miyagi) - A high-ranking member of the science division on Second Earth. He suggests that Yuji and Marlene be kept together in order to get the best results from Yuji in the Sleeper program. Not agreeing with the High Council's leadership of Second Earth or its reckless use of the sleepers, he eventually forms a group called The Ark, which would later overthrow the High Council's "government" on Second Earth. Seno would subsequently become the leader of Second Earth, but only for a brief time. His order to abandon Earth eventually results in a revolt and his execution by citizens who wanted to return to Earth. Voiced by: Katsunosuke Hori (Japanese); Kyle Hebert (English)
• Rick - Rick is a military Elite, and although he fights on the Sleeper Brigade, he is not a Sleeper. He is cocky, confident, and loves strong women, especially Marlene. Voiced by: Eiji Ito (Japanese); Sean Schemmel (English)
• Doug Vreiss - Doug is the assistant to the High Council and a high-ranking official on Second Earth. He is the Director of the Military Station, and also participates in High Council inquiries. He is later shot and killed by Miyagi. Voiced by: Shunsuke Shima (Japanese); Bradford Jackson (English)

Episodes

No.	Title	Original release date	English air date
1	"One Day"	October 10, 1999 (1999-10-10)	August 4, 2003
It is the year 2031. Humankind has been replaced as the dominant species on Earth by a race of monstrous insectoid creatures known as the Blue. Sleeper Yuji Kaido finds himself thrust into this nightmarish world, suddenly awakened after 22 years in suspended animation. Alone and surrounded by Blue, Yuji's only hope for survival comes from the elite Sleeper Recovery Team, and a steely Mech pilot named Marlene…
2	"Cry"	October 15, 1999 (1999-10-15)	August 5, 2003
Yuji learns the horrible truth about the Blue. Their infestation of the planet has forced the human race to seek refuge in outer space. Marlene and the Sleeper Recovery Team have been given orders to get Yuji to the space station Second Earth alive. But with the Blue lurking around at every turn, things do not always go according to plan.
3	"Trial"	October 22, 1999 (1999-10-22)	August 6, 2003
Tired of feeling helpless in this new hostile world, Yuji pleads to be trained as part of the team. Marlene gives Yuji a crash course on weapons. Joey teaches him the basics of driving a mech suit. Armed with his new skills and his newfound confidence in his ability to survive, Yuji is ready for action. But against an enemy like the Blue, overconfidence can be deadly…
4	"Agony"	October 29, 1999 (1999-10-29)	August 7, 2003
Yuji disobeys Marlene's orders by saving a little girl’s life and discovers a group of survivors hidden among the ruins of the city. Yuji makes a promise to the little girl, Yung, that he will protect her from the Blue. But this new cause is threatened when he learns a shocking truth about his rescuers from Second Earth.
5	"Priority"	November 5, 1999 (1999-11-05)	August 11, 2003
The surviving members of the Sleeper Recovery Team must enter an abandoned communications tower that is now a Blue nest in a desperate attempt to contact Second Earth. With the Blue now converging on their position, the only chance of staying alive is to draw the Blue into a fight using human survivors as bait. Yuji has promised to protect Yung at any cost—but is it a promise he can keep?
6	"Relation"	November 12, 1999 (1999-11-12)	August 12, 2003
Yuji and Marlene now travel on foot towards Balinonur Space Base. The tensions between the two come to a head, as Yuji confronts the demons that now haunt him in this nightmarish new world. As she witnesses Yuji’s struggle, Marlene's own horrifying memories of the past begin to resurface. But can even Yuji's fiery emotions help to melt away Marlene's icy exterior?
7	"Sympathy"	November 19, 1999 (1999-11-19)	August 13, 2003
Still en route to Baikonur, Yuji and Marlene cross paths with a rough-mannered stranger named Dice. With the Blue lurking dangerously close, he offers them shelter for the night and Yuji is given a glimpse into his seemingly carefree life. But as Yuji soon discovers, no one left on Earth is without their demons… not even Dice.
8	"Oasis"	November 26, 1999 (1999-11-26)	August 14, 2003
Yuji is separated from Marlene and Dice amidst the confusion of a sandstorm. He is rescued from the desert by a band of nomads and is befriended by Elena, a young nomad girl. As Yuji begins to believe that a peaceful life might still be possible, a raid by a group of bandits serves him a harsh reminder that there is more than one kind of danger in the world—and it is never far away.
9	"Confirm"	December 3, 1999 (1999-12-03)	August 18, 2003
Marlene and Dice are reunited with Yuji outside the nomad camp. Marlene pressures Yuji to continue his journey to Second Earth, but Yuji refuses. He decides to remain with Elena and her people and to live out the rest of his life in peace. But when Marlene and Dice are attacked by the Blue, Yuji is forced to choose between his life with Elena and saving the lives of his friends.
10	"Tactics"	December 10, 1999 (1999-12-10)	August 19, 2003
Yuji and Marlene arrive at Baikonur, only to find the space base in a state of chaos. The facility is crawling with Blue, and the computer defense systems have turned on their human counterparts. Now, with supplies and personnel dwindling, the assembled recovery teams must launch a desperate bid to regain control of the base.
11	"Go Mad"	December 17, 1999 (1999-12-17)	August 20, 2003
The lives of the remaining recovery squad members are thrown into jeopardy when a renegade officer attempts to hijack the shuttle and escape on his own. The attempt is thwarted, but the cost is the diversion of valuable resources from the battlefield, where Marlene and a small team of Armor Shrike pilots are fighting to stay alive!
12	"Progress"	December 24, 1999 (1999-12-24)	August 21, 2003
Yuji is rushed into intensive care after being attacked by a Blue aboard the shuttle to Second Earth. Now, Marlene must face an inquiry before the High Council and defend her recent actions on the planet's surface. But Marlene has questions of her own, and soon begins to suspect a dark design behind the Council's plans for the recovered Sleeper, Yuji.
13	"Heresy"	January 14, 2000 (2000-01-14)	August 25, 2003
When Yuji disappears from the Medical Station, Marlene defies orders and decides to find him on her own. Now, with Amick Hendar's security forces on high alert, Marlene must descend into the lower reaches of the Military Station to find the one man who may know Yuji's whereabouts—Science Director, Seno Miyagi.
14	"Set"	January 21, 2000 (2000-01-21)	August 26, 2003
Marlene's attempts to free Yuji from the laboratory in which he is being held are thwarted. Now she must once again stand before the High Council to defend her actions, this time with Yuji at her side. When Chairman Victor reveals the Council's true reasons for recovering the Sleepers, Marlene is stunned to learn that Yuji may be humankind's last hope at taking back the Earth.
15	"Calm"	January 28, 2000 (2000-01-28)	August 27, 2003
After beginning an intensive new combat training with the newly-formed Sleeper Brigade, Yuji finds himself the object of another young Sleeper's attention. Even the sterile military environment of Second Earth cannot subdue all human urges, but as Yuji soon discovers, a little human contact could cost him everything.
16	"A Sign"	February 4, 2000 (2000-02-04)	August 28, 2003
A large attack force is sent to Earth, the first wave in a new campaign to reclaim the planet from the Blue. Yuji is awed when a fellow Sleeper, Tony, wipes out an entire Blue nest on his own. Yuji determines to be the best at any cost. But is this unhealthy obsession with beating Tony really a symptom of a much greater problem?
17	"Eclosion"	February 11, 2000 (2000-02-11)	September 1, 2003
Marlene notices that Yuji's behavior is getting stranger and stranger. On the battlefield, he is a force to be reckoned with, but he has an unhealthy obsession with destroying the Blue. Has Yuji turned into something that he once despised—a cold-blooded killer?
18	"Chaos"	February 18, 2000 (2000-02-18)	September 2, 2003
Director Miyagi reveals to Marlene the true cause of Yuji's accelerated rate of achievement—an infestation of "B-cells" that has begun to eat away at his mind. Unless she can do something to stop it, Yuji's sanity will soon slip away completely.
19	"Collapse"	February 25, 2000 (2000-02-25)	September 3, 2003
The Sleeper Brigades launch yet another offensive against the Blue, and Yuji's lust for battle grows out of control as his B-cells begin to take hold of his sanity. Meanwhile, a mutiny has begun on Second Earth, and Marlene finds herself with an integral part to play in the plan to overthrow the High Council. But Marlene has her own reasons for aiding Seno Miyagi…
20	"Versus"	March 3, 2000 (2000-03-03)	September 4, 2003
The second airborne operation meets with disaster when the Blue counterattack outnumbers Second Earth forces five-to-one. But even as the combat units are desperately falling back, Marlene pushes herself further into the battlefield. Knowing the horrible truth about Yuji's slipping sanity, she's determined to confront him on her own terms…and bring him back from the brink of self-destruction.
21	"Joker"	March 10, 2000 (2000-03-10)	September 8, 2003
While Marlene flies a distraught Yuji back to Second Earth, Tony uses his Sleeper skills to infiltrate the High Council. The sky is turned into the newest battleground for survival. Only this time, the Blue have mutated into something unthinkable…
22	"Dogma"	March 17, 2000 (2000-03-17)	September 9, 2003
Yuji and Marlene infiltrate the Blue-infested Medical Station and are soon reunited with Rick and Soo. While Soo attempts a daring rescue of the station's hibernating civilian population, Marlene, Yuji, and Rick attack the heart of the problem—Tony. But before they can reach their objective, they encounter an unexpected obstacle standing in their way.
23	"Soliste"	March 17, 2000 (2000-03-17)	September 10, 2003
With Rick injured too severely to continue, Yuji and Marlene continue through the Medical Station alone. They arrive at the main computer room to find Tony waiting for them. Now Yuji must confront his one-time friend and rival, and the only way to stop him is to kill.
24	"Compass"	March 24, 2000 (2000-03-24)	September 11, 2003
The remaining survivors aboard Second Earth begin to rebuild after Tony's devastating attack. As Yuji contemplates his own place in this rapidly changing world, Director Miyagi lays out his plan to make Second Earth the permanent home of the human race. But there are dissidents hiding in the dark corners…and some of them carry guns.
25	"Adagio"	March 24, 2000 (2000-03-24)	September 12, 2003
Satellite images of the Earth reveal a mass Blue migration in South America and Yuji volunteers to investigate. Once on the surface, he and his team discover that the Blue have mysteriously vanished without a trace. Now, the only hope Yuji has of finding answers lies deep underground in the dark tunnels below a massive Blue nest.
26	"Let Me"	March 31, 2000 (2000-03-31)	September 16, 2003
A monstrous Blue has emerged in the heart of the South American nest, the only thing standing between Yuji and the answers he so desperately seeks. Unless Yuji wins this battle, all hope for the future is lost—for him, for Marlene, and for the entire human race.

Blue Gender: The Warrior

The compilation movie, Blue Gender: The Warrior is composed of both old and new footage—with many clips being completely re-animated—and a very different ending. Roughly the last third of the original series' story arc was removed for the movie, thus requiring an alternative ending. It was released on November 20, 2002 and in English on July 20, 2004.

Reception

Critical reception of Blue Gender has been mostly positive.

Allen Divers of Anime News Network gave the series a rating of A dubbed and B subbed, praising the story, mecha and monster designs, animation, and characters, with his only complaint being that the series was too long, which slowed down the story telling.^[3] Animerica gave the series a positive review, stating that some might compare it to Starship Troopers, and concludes that "if you like action, mecha, hardcore sci-fi, and global plots, this series has a lot to offer."^[5] Todd Douglass Jr. of DVD Talk gave the series a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, praising the story, characters, and animation, and stated that "on the surface the show may seem stereotypical and familiar but once you actually delve into its depth you'll recognize it for what it truly is; an awesome show."^[6] Nerdgenic.com also gave the series a positive review, with their only criticisms being the main protagonist Yuji, and the slow progression of the plot. They handed out praise for the series' secondary protagonist Marlene, the story, and the mech and monster designs.^[7]

Not all reviews were positive, however. Issac Cynova of THEM Anime Reviews was far more critical, and gave the series a rating of 2 out of 5 stars, stating that "Blue Gender is one of those titles that hooks you right from the beginning, but then just fails to deliver."^[2]