Venus Wars: A Classic Sci-fi Anime That Deserves a Revival (2024)

Space travel has long been a science fiction mainstay. Dreams and aspirations of traveling among the stars have arrested man’s imagination since antiquity. The wonders, the mysteries, and the answers that await man deep within the cosmos drift in silence, gazing down at the Earth, waiting for us. While man has learned how to scratch only the merest of surfaces with space travel with its space stations, satellites, robots, and its famous lunar voyage, there is still yet an incalculable amount of space that has yet to be explored. It is this dream of venturing forth from Earth and into the stars that sets the stage for one of anime’s long forgotten science fiction stories. Set on a planet within our solar system, and steeped in action and drama, Venus Wars is a gripping science fiction story that has been lost in the sea of classic anime.

The Venus Wars was created in 1986 as a manga, written and illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. Set within the distant year of 2003, The Venus Wars presents a simple, yet effective premise to its readers. A comet, named Apollon, crashes into the planet Venus. This mighty impact disperses much of Venus’ atmosphere, allows seas to form, and speeds up its planetary rotation. As unimaginably unlikely as such a series of events are to occur, they do occur, which results in Venus becoming habitable for humans. By 2012, humanity begins to venture forth from Earth to its formerly lethal sister planet and begins to colonize it. Humanity being humanity, however, brings with it the inevitable clash and conflict that has plagued humankind since its birth.

Venus Wars is a Gripping Science Fiction Military Thriller Set — Fittingly — On Venus

With humanity flying to Venus in droves, two separate nations form: Ishtar to the north and Aphrodia to the south. Military tensions begin to rise between the two nations, with war looming upon the dark horizon. Such horrific developments make it a planet ripe with reportable news, which is exactly what the young reporter, Susan Sommers, hopes to find. But as the nation of Ishtar executes a swift and violent invasion of Aphrodia, Susan finds herself swept up in the sudden military conflict. Side by side with a ragtag group of former monobike racers, Susan gains much more than she had ever anticipated as the war on Venus erupts all around her.

The monobike racers, the Killer Commandos, assume the roles of a guerrilla resistance group, fighting back against the invading Ishtarians. Chief among them is Hiro Seno, a young star cyclist. Together with Susan and the rest of the Killer Commandos, Hiro is forced into the role of military fighter. The outcome of the war between Aphrodia and Ishtar is set to have long-lasting effects on the planet of Venus; should Ishtar win, the people colonize it and those who would travel there in the future would be met with an oppressive fascist regime. The stakes are high and failure is not an option for Susan and Hiro, the fate of millions of people resting on their shoulders.

Venus Wars Takes Familiar Sci Fi Anime Tropes and Gives Them Its Own Special Spin

Venus Wars borrows heavily from earlier anime science fiction epics such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Both of those other series featured young people being forced into massive military conflicts. Both series were set within the depths of space, with the majority of its cast living far from Earth, equipped with fantastic future technology. Venus Wars utilizes both of these plot elements, as well, but changes them enough to keep the ideas fresh. Venus Wars is set on the terraformed planet of Venus, a location wholly unique from the classic starship and Earthside locations from other sci-fi anime. It also features incredibly young protagonists being forced into armed conflict. Unlike Gundam or Macross, though, Venus Wars thrusts rowdy punks and hooligans into its conflict, character archetypes far removed from the likes of Amuro Rei and Hikaru Ichijyo. Venus Wars' protagonists aren't the usual bright-eyed stock from other shows.

What also makes Venus Wars so enthralling is its setting and underlying themes. Humanity has achieved the seemingly impossible and colonized Venus. Vastly different from Earth, having the entirely new planet of Venus to explore, mine, and investigate should lead to countless discoveries and breakthroughs for humanity. That is not the case, however, as it is shown almost immediately that the cities humanity has built for themselves are rough, rugged, and deteriorating. Even though humanity possesses the ability to interplanetary travel, it still cannot maintain clean cities and adequate living conditions for itself. The humans in Venus Wars are an alien race who come to sully and destroy another planet within the solar system. Rather than come together in harmony to help push itself further into the stars, humanity instead has decided to perpetuate the same cycles of needless death and violence that has held it back for millennia. While Venus Wars borrows certain plot elements from Gundam and Macross, it tells a very different story, one that speaks as a cautionary tale of how humanity is damned to destroy itself regardless of its potential.

Venus Wars Only Received One Video Game Adaptation, Which is a Criminal Shame

Venus Wars received only one video game adaptation to its name over the years. Developed by Human Entertainment and published by Varie in 1989 for the Nintendo Famicom, Venus Senki follows the plot of the film. Players are placed in the role of the Killer Commandos and are tasked with engaging and defeating the advancing Ishtar army. A turn-based grid-based strategy game similar to Famicom Wars and Fire Emblem, Venus Senki allows players to move various characters and units across different boards. One very unique feature of Venus Senki is how the gameplay transitions from traditional top-down strategy to third-person racing/shooting segments when two opposing units engage with one another. The shooting segments are where players enter into combat with enemy units, creating a radically different gameplay dynamic than that of Fire Emblem.

Unfortunately, Venus Wars has never received another video game adaptation since, or any other kind of installment for that matter. All that exists of Venus Wars is the original manga, its feature film, and its Famicom game. This is very surprising as the very premise of Venus Wars allows for tons of narrative potential. Future installments could have explored what happened to the nations of Aphrodia and Ishtar after the initial conflict came to an end. They could have dived into any direct actions Earth could have taken once Susan Sommers returned with her story. If sequels were set far enough in the future, the developments of Martian colonization and the interplanetary battles that could have transpired would have been fantastic to cover — and if the entire planet of Venus was yet to be explored, there was always the possibility of the titanic revelation of discovering extraterrestrial life.

Venus Wars Deserves to Get Its Due During This Age of Reboots and Remakes

Mobile Suit Gundam and Macross have received countless sequels, spin-offs, reimaginings, and reboots over the years, to much aplomb and critical acclaim. While absolute legends in their own right, it’s strange that few other deserving manga and anime series have received as much love and attention as they have. Venus Wars has the potential for an amazing comeback, be it a remake or sequel. With so many streaming services available, from Netflix to Amazon to Crunchyroll, there’s no shortage of places where such a reboot could find a home. And with classic anime and manga series such as Ghost in the Shell, Cyborg 009, Bastard!, and Baki receiving brand-new content within recent years, it’s impossible to believe that no other series could benefit from similar treatment, too.

Venus Wars stands as a gritty and hard-hitting dialogue about the follies of mankind and its relentless desire to destroy itself. Regardless of the feats humans can accomplish, regardless of the distances humans could travel together, humanity will always hinder its progress through pointless armed conflict. Venus Wars is a cautionary tale, much like Gundam and Macross, that presents its viewers with the harsh realities of war. Fans of science fiction and those seeking a satisfying military action thriller would do well to watch Venus Wars if they haven’t already.