I didn’t know what I was getting into when I watched this anime movie. I had seen a couple of series set on an island, one being a group of girls having to survive until help came in, another about a group of people who survive a plane crash, but in another land in another land, and this one started off in the same direction, but when you are greeted with the Japanese title first, then you get blindsided by “Kyochu Retto”, not knowing the English title (“The Island of Giant Insects”), but there you go.

We begin with a class trip, going by plane (heading to Okinawa again? It is a very popular destination), that goes bad when the plane crashes. Oribe Mutsumi (green in center), surmises that it will take three days to mount a rescue (That long? Really? What about tracking the plane via GPS and radio and other such nonsense, right?) If everyone remains calm, they can get through this. However, and no one saw this coming (unless you have the ENGLISH title or know Japanese) that they were on…THE ISLAND OF GIANT INSECTS!!!! (Insert kettle drums and violins.)

So, it becomes the horror version of “Ten Little Indians”, as students are skewered and sucked dry and kidnapped by wasps the size of a Cessna. It is only through Oribe’s knowledge of insects (damn those crawleyologists!) that might….might save them. Sadly, it dissolves into horror tropes pretty damn quickly and becomes an exercise in seeing how much you can tolerate before you say “Enough is too much!” and abandon the project. I’m a reviewer; I do have to tough it out sometimes, even if I am on…THE ISLAND OF GIANT INSECTS!!!! (Insert kettle drums and violins.)

It’s that you have Jinno Misuzu (her of the prodigious bosom) and her having some inexplicable canoodling with another female student. What is it about horror films that everyone gets so out-of-hand horny? And when we find that some of the other students have become meals for the maggots that the insects have laid upon them, we are treated to huge heaving breasts as the ladies writhe in pain and fear, being eaten alive, as this is the best hospitality that you can hope to get on…THE ISLAND OF GIANT INSECTS!!!! (Insert kettle drums and violins.)

Now, there is an OVA, but don’t get fooled. It actually is a clip from the film, so it drops you in somewhere, with nary an explanation as to how you got to this spot, wreaks its carnage and closes up shop, taking you from nowhere to nowhere. In fact, I would suggest seeing the OVA first to determine if you are at all interested in the full meal. Not much of the plot is tipped off, except that they are on…THE ISLAND OF GIANT INSECTS!!!! (Insert kettle drums and violins.)

If you can tolerate that snippet or it piques your interest, then hunt down the movie. If you feel it is merely an exercise to gross you out, there are some other island movies and series that might be more palatable, and, in my mind, much more interesting than being on…THE ISLAND OF GIANT INSECTS!!!! (Insert kettle drums and violins.)

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork           7 (Backgrounds rule, characters a tad weak)
Plot                  7 (Rather typical)
Pacing              7 (Telegraphed)
Effectiveness   6 (Motivations a bit scanty)
Conclusion      9 (It does reach a genuine end point)
Fan Service     5 (A similar show would be “Maburaho”)

Overall            2 stars

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. Don’t take it personally on…THE ISLAND OF GIANT INSECTS!!!! (Insert kettle drums and violins.)