Blue Gender is a 26-episode series created, co-directed and co-written by Ryousuke Takahashi (Kikou Ryohei Mellowlink, Taiyou no Kiba Dagram, Soukou Kihei Votoms: Koei Futatabi) that was broadcast in Japan from 1999 to 2000. Blue Gender was animated by the Japanese studio AIC and distributed in the United States by Funimation. There is also a compilation movie (Blue Gender: The Warrior). Which I highly recommend you to skip, forget and never watch. Anyways, Blue Gender has quite a story to tell you, which is impossible to show only in one movie. With that being said, only watch the TV series.
Yuji Kaido was diagnosedwith a serious disease and since there was no cure for the unknown illness, he was cryogenically frozen. Twenty years later, he wakes up to see the Earth like it has never been before—the humanity is almost eradicated, because of the alien bugs called the Blue. However, the humanity still lives, a few selected humans have retreated to the space station called Second Earth. Yuji is taken back to the Second Earth, where he finds out that there are people that have been also cryogenically frozen and now they will be used as a force to combat the Blue.
The story might sound generic at first and I would agree with that thinking, however, once you dive into the world that Blue Gender depicts, you will actually like it. Indeed, this is something only a mature audience will understand, since the series is extremely dark, violent, and contains sex scenes. However, everything shown in this series serves it purpose. What I am trying to say is that nothing is overused, the story-line has enough unique elements, as well as the fact that overall it makes pretty good sense.
Animation wise, even though the series aired long time ago, the animation is pretty good. From character designs to great action scenes, Blue Gender offers quite good animation, since it is able to set the atmosphere well, being dark when needed.
Sound wise, no voices feel out of place. The English actors show quite a bit of flexibility as they rocket through the almost non-stop action pace presented by the series. So feel free to watch it either subbed, or English dubbed, both versions are equally good. In addition to this, Blue Gender had quite an OST to boast about. Do not skip the OPENING, it is amazing.
The real strength of Blue Gender is the story. Part Aliens, part Starship Troopers, Blue Gender borrows from strong sci-fi thrillers and takes it in a different direction. The story telling is well paced, the cast might look a bit simple and cliché at first, however, the protagonists undergo some amazing development that you need to see. There are so many things that you simply have no time to even breathe and rethink what is happening.
All in all, 10/10. This series is a must see for old school sci-fi fans. Blue Gender even today is one of the most well-written and dark sci-fi stories. Being extremely dark, Blue Gender is the story only a true connoisseur will appreciate.