Alien 9 is one of the most truly unique, twisted, and flawed anime of all time. As underrated and obscure as it is, it’s rightly considered a cult classic in all its awkward early 2000s OVA glory. This series is certainly something worth checking out for fans of unusual anime that deconstruct typical tropes, as Alien 9 was one of the earlier examples of this, focusing on the slice-of-life and magical girl genres specifically.

The story is set in an alternate “future” version of 2014 where hostile alien encounters have become commonplace on Earth. So much so that it is a regular public safety hazard. To help combat this, schools have formed “alien parties” made up of students who are paired with strange frog-like, symbiotic creatures called borgs to subdue and capture dangerous aliens.

Alien 9 follows timid sixth-grader Yuri Otani, who is forced to be part of her school’s alien party by her class despite being terrified of aliens herself. She is joined by girl-genius weirdo Kasumi Tomine and serious-minded student council president Kumi Kawamura. Donning their borgs, roller skates, and an assortment of nets and capturing gear, the girls do their best to perform their alien hunting duty but soon learn that things are not as simple as they first seem.

What stands out most about Alien 9 is just how odd everything is. The series makes great use of juxtaposition to add to the off-kilter atmosphere permeating the show, most noticeably with its superflat, moe (albeit non-standard) character designs mixed with the disturbing situations and symbolism in the story. This aspect of juxtaposition with its themes of coming of age, identity, and loss of innocence, works together wonderfully with the bizarre variety of alien lifeforms, disjointed musical score, peculiar pacing, and unclear character motivations to make Alien 9 a surreal, often uncomfortable, and decidedly different experience.

First and foremost, Alien 9 simply does not have a proper ending as it only adapts the first half of Hitoshi Tomizawa’s short manga series (which itself doesn’t have the most conclusive finish). If unanswered questions drive you crazy in a bad way, this might not be the show for you. Likewise if you have a low tolerance for character trauma, as this series packs a lot of tears and violence in its four short episodes. Character actions can also feel annoyingly obtuse and illogical or simply random at times. Although this adds to the strangeness, it might be frustrating for some. In general, Alien 9 is somewhat of a polarizing anime that is not for everyone. It should be approached with an open mind and reasonable expectations for a niche early 2000s OVA series.