▪	RELEASED BY:		FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH DD 5.1 / 2.0 AND JAPANESE DD 2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		615 MIN
		▪	RATING:		TV 14
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		03/18/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		03/14/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		DAVEY C. JONES

A quiet science fiction with a very big bite. That’s Solty Rei through and through. It starts off all harmless like. A burnt out ex-cop turned bounty hunter, Roy, finds a girl literally falling for him. He calls her Solty and then can’t seem to get rid of the earnest girl who obviously isn’t exactly all human – if at all. The big mystery starts and this anime is going to rock Roy’s world and the viewers before that last curtain falls on this slick show.

Ever since Cowboy Bebop, I go crazy for any anime that shows that same kind of originality, really fresh writing, totally cool story, wicked awesome characters and subversive humor mixed with freaky slick action. Solty Rei does. It starts off (almost) as if to make you think this will be a simple sweet android girl helping cynical shut-down guy discover he has a heart after all tale. But this isn’t the Grinch, this is anime! Solty’s whole existence is a mystery, one that’s tied into the Blast Fall that devastated the city and will lead Roy and his friends into the scariest places ever – their pasts.

These are all damaged people. Roy lost his wife and kid. And it’d be nice to be able to go on with life as a drunk and maybe figure out who and what Solty is, but the world goes on and it gets really hairy up until that unforgettable final episode. By the halfway point in the story it already rocks and shocks with “Oh my god” moments starting and they don’t stop. There’s a band of good hearted thieves led by a girl named Rose. She’s spunky! And she ends up being part of the key to the whole story. Then there’s the RUC, the origination that runs everything since the Blast Fall. The special Section 7 is filled with power-suited babes and some episodes offer fan service and even comedy. But that sure doesn’t last. Once you get past the halfway mark things get harsh and keep up on the gritty and grim side. The secrets Roy and his pals are uncovering are not cool for the people pulling the strings behind the scenes and they’ll go to any, and I mean any, lengths to stop that from happening. The violence starts and beloved characters begin to fall.

The show ends with this huge climatic finale with everything on the line for everyone and very few are going to be coming back from this one alive. It’s hard hitting stuff that sneaks up on you. That’s cuz the show is sneaky. I mean that in the best way. The final two episodes of the series are more fan eps that are fillers, giving a look at the lives of the characters before the events of the ending. It’s lots of fun and heartwarming stuff. It lets ya wind down after the tense events just prior to it.

It’s GONZO that produced this animation. After Last Exile, Burst Angel, Trinity Blood and everything else the crew is wowing us with, naturally Solty is right up there in quality. It has its own unique style. There are incredible jaw-dropping cityscapes and nifty mechanical designs. Gritty stuff sometimes with the action. Slick stuff too.  Also cool is how the music mixes it up. There’s a fresh jazz kinda groove going on, some sax playing in the background, and then some J-pop for the endings and openings that are catchy.

EXTRAS:
Bonus goodies have textless songs, FUNimation trailers, and a couple of English audio commentaries. The first is in volume 1 with ADR Director Christopher R. Sabbat. The second one is on traumatic episode 13 with Christopher R. Sabbat (Roy/ADR Director/Line Producer), Carrie Savage (Solty) and Colleen Clinkenbeard (Rose).

IN SUMMARY:
Solty Rei is the sci-fi series that comes in like a lamb and leaves like a lion. It’s slick off-beat sci-fi that fans don’t want to miss!