In the opening minutes of Avenger, we find ourselves thrust into the life of Layla Ashley, gladiator designate for Serena City, one of the domed cities on Mars. Layla seems to care little for the luxury she has earned from her victories, but she has no choice but to keep on winning; for in the arena, the loser forfeits everything they own- even their life. After her latest match, however, Layla finally finds the impetus to walk away, and together with the childlike android ‘doll’ Nei and doll breeder (mechanic) Speedy, she begins travelling from city to city, seeking to fulfil a mysterious goal connected to her troubled past.

Avenger is a series that plays its cards close to its chest, and it is only with the passage of a few more episodes that we begin to understand the context of the series a little better. This is a future where Mars has been partially terraformed, but despite this, the planet remains a harsh and unforgiving environment. With no children born in the last ten years, most families have adopted dolls instead; whilst resources are so poor that each of the domed cities has to name a designated gladiator to fight for their share. Despite these difficulties, Lord Volk, the ruler of Mars, is determined to ensure the survival of his people- and it soon becomes clear the path he has chosen will involve Layla and Nei in some way, regardless of whether they want to cooperate.

The fact that all of this background information is not revealed straightaway is both Avenger’s strength, and its weakness. The promise that the next episode will reveal a little more about the characters and their environment is the main compulsion to continue watching, but at the same time, having to wait so long to find out even the most basic details makes the early episodes confusing and leaves little room to develop concepts introduced towards the end.

Characterisation is similarly a mixed bag; on the surface, we have some fairly standard character types such as taciturn heroine Layla, her naively innocent charge Nei, and the cheerful, smooth-talking Speedy. Admittedly, none of the characters receive a great deal of development in the present, but Layla and Volk in particular gain extra depth as we chip away at the mysterious events of the past.

That being said, Avenger somehow gains something in the execution that makes for compelling viewing in spite of its flaws. This is due in no small part to the series’ excellent soundtrack, a varied mix of everything from slower orchestral music to faster paced tracks that wouldn’t sound out of place in a videogame. Bee Train have also done their usual top notch job with the animation, mixing their familiar technique of scene-setting pans over still images with some generally well-choreographed action scenes.

In Summary

Avenger is far from Bee Train’s finest hour, but with its excellent presentation more than compensating for the more mediocre elements, it is easy to find yourself watching eagerly as the mystery unfolds. Provided you don’t set your expectations too high, this is one series that will make for an enjoyable few hours.