Lacklustre animation on top of an uninspiring story of an alien invasion means that Salamander disappoints immediately. The Bacterian are the evil race who battle against Lord British (!) and his heart's desire - Stephanie - in familiar space opera surroundings. Colourful regal/military character designs and the orchestral score aside, there is little to recommend in the Salamander series. My suspicions were aroused when watching the battle sequences and then remembering that (Japanese arcade game giants) Konami were one of the companies behind this series, and sure enough, the arcade game Salamander made its way to these shores a few years ago. However, whereas most films/anime lead to arcade and video game versions, it appears with Salamander that the process evolved the other way around, i.e. game first, anime second. I could be wrong, but the unsubtle plug for the Salamander Nintendo game cartridge at the end of tape 3 does little to convince otherwise. If I am wrong then it just makes the animated version even more plotless and dull.
Rob Dyer
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