Mars has been colonized and the majority of people live in domed cities even though the entire surface has been terraformed. However, something has gone wrong, time has stopped, no new children are being born, and humanity is slowly winding its way to its eventual destruction. To soothe their loneliness and fill the child-shaped void in people's lives Dolls are created, young-looking pet androids with perfect manners and perfect obedience. Avenger is a dark far-future series where technology has begun to break down and humanity has reverted to a more barbaric society, with people fighting for the amusement of the masses.

Two people rule over the red planet now, Volk, an invincible fighter who is willing to do anything to pursue his agenda, and Westa, a gentle but timid woman who follows Volk but doubts his methods. Far removed from this pair is Layla Ashley. She is a woman with no home to call her own, all she can do is go from city to city and fight in tournaments. She is incredible to watch; fast, agile, and showing no fear in combat as she tells them to kill her if they can, which prompts many to ask if she is the daughter of Volk. She hates the Dolls passionately, and destroys the young maid androids sent to her by a city courting her, but is strangely taken by a Doll she wins after a fight. The Doll's name is Nei, with her mismatched eyes and odd mannerisms it is obvious that there is something different about this Doll, though she keeps the same perfect civility and obedience as all the others. Following them is Speedy, a cheerful young man who calls himself a Doll Breeder but who is more of a jack-of-all-trades.

For the first few episodes Layla is almost a mute, speaking only to her opponents and only to ask them if they can kill her, and she only begins to open up and speak more after being around Nei. She acts almost maternally to the young Doll, protecting her even in her sleep. The relationship between the two may be the focus of the plot, but the focus of the show is the absolutely amazing action sequences. Each episode is packed and they are all incredibly beautiful and brutal at the same time. Avenger simply has some of the best animation on the market, and every drop of that is poured into Layla's high action and over the top hand-to-hand fight scenes. They also linger over the aftermath of a battle, with long shots of the field scattered with fallen bodies, human or Doll.

The scenery of Mars is also vivid and distinct. Broken domes, impressive red crags, and pieces of lost technology riddle the landscape, making the small town familiarity of the domed cities all the more unsettling. There's something unexplainably wistful about how the broken world is realized that makes it a fantastic setting for a story of hopelessness and taking charge of one's own fate. Adding to this, and occasionally destracting from it, is an incredibly unique soundtrack. The opening sets the tone with a high energy electronic piece with strong Indian influence, and most of the background music is variations of the opening and end themes. Sometimes the music is just a little too distinct or a little too busy and begins to take precedence over the dialog in a scene, but other than those rare instances it lends itself quite well to establishing the otherworldly and desperate feel of the series.

Avenger is a series with a heavy plot that loves to revel in foreshadowing and flashbacks. However, this format goes really well with the story being told so it keeps from crossing that line between making you want more into annoying you. While the main character is cold and unlikable at first, once she begins to open up and those tantalizing glimpses of how she got to be who she is start to come out you can't help but want to see her survive. Avenger is a story about fate and if one can avoid it or if it's better to meekly accept it, put in an excellent setting and told with some simply amazing action sequences. The flaws are easily outweighed by it's positives, and make it an easy series to recommend. - Angie 'Foodbunny' Dietrich .