Review Detail

Firstly, I have to say I'm a huge mecha fan, so my bias towards this series is rather obvious. It's very rare that the mecha (giant robot) genre gets a yaoi series of any sort, and to get one that portrays relationships realistically is a bonus in its own right. Secondly, I'm a huge fan of bara, so my statement previously applies here as well.

If you're a fan of neither, then you may have some difficulty watching this OAV. The relationships between the characters is more mature and very rarely falls into the stereotypes of most one-shot yaoi OAVs. It attempts to show the transition between friendship and love - something that either gets glossed over entirely, or is handled shoddily. In this case, it was handled beautifully. They didn't suddenly turn any manly men into emotionally insecure ukes that questioned their love for the seme; in fact, you end up seeing a much more raw, powerful emotion that conveys heaps more meaning than a good chunk of yaoi series out on the market. That raw passion is something that stands Legend of the Blue Wolves apart from the rest, in my opinion. It shows a different side to male on male love that, for some ungodly reason, isn't explored enough.

The dated art style holds up well despite being made over fifteen years ago. The animation itself is well done, with some sticky transitions in between scenes withstanding. I almost wish they showed more of the mecha, since for a yaoi series they looked quite sexy in their own right.

If you've read all of this and are thinking to yourself "I might give this a try!"... do be warned, it's not for the weak. As stated in previous reviews, there's rape and amputation - and neither of them are censored. They're brief instances, but enough to turn people away from finishing this series. If you're against on viewing both, then either avoid it like the plague or skip over the scenes. Both are very easy to do. Personally, I watched it myself and came out of it fine, albeit a bit disturbed for a couple hours.

So, to be brief:

If you're looking to get into a gritty mecha series with a good dash of sex on the side, then I highly recommend this series to you. If you're squeamish at the sight of rape and amputation, then avoid it - despite, in my own opinion, you'll be cutting off a great series. (and that was a horrible, horrible pun. I'll take my leave now.)