ICE

This 2007 three-episode anime deserves credit for an interesting concept: in 2012, an unexplained catastrophe has wiped out all the men on Earth and left Japan with approximately 20,000 women. The majority of the remaining female population has created a militia under the leadership of Guardswoman Commander Julia, who is focused on recovering a mysterious substance called ICE that may hold the key to saving the last remnants of the human race. Unfortunately, the story suffers from gaping logic holes, not the least being how any of the characters can survive in a post-apocalyptic world without starving to death. Sapphic possibilities meet graphic violence here, with the women undergoing the ICE treatment turning into grotesque monsters if the base material is contaminated in any way. ICE might have worked better as a tongue-in-cheek satire, but there's nary a shred of humor (intended or otherwise) to be found here. Presented on a dual-language disc, rated TV-14, this is not recommended. (P. Hall)