Venus Wars

"Venus Wars" (ヴイナス戦記, 1989) is a Japanese sci-fi anime you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko — the artist who gave "Mobile Suit Gundam" its iconic character designs. A comet strike in the early 21st century terraformed Venus, and four generations of colonists built two rival nations there. Now one of them has invaded.

Young motorcycle racer Hiro Seno gets caught in the opening assault on Aphrodia by the forces of Ishtar. He has no interest in politics; the war doesn't ask. American journalist Susan Sommers arrives in the city the same day, looking for a story and finding something harder to walk away from. The score is by Joe Hisaishi — already known for his Ghibli collaborations — and it runs more austere here than in the Miyazaki films: closer to dread than wonder. Watch "Venus Wars" online on iFILM.