Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 is a standalone mecha OVA that runs a mere 41 minutes but is a lot of fun. The premise is simple: a military-manufactured mech suit is accidentally lost in Tokyo where it is then found by a regular guy who gets into it without reading the manual. Because this story isn't associated with any existing series, novels or manga, there's no pressure on it to do anything other than entertain. It isn't setting up a larger world or introducing us to characters that we'll be following for dozens of episodes, it's just a quick little jaunt with mecha fights, a tank battle, and a finale on a skyscraper that looks a little bit like Nakatomi Plaza. The film is written and directed by Shinji Aramaki, who would later helm Appleseed, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, and Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045. Animated in 1987, this is not only the kind of anime that served as the gateway to my own appreciation of the medium, but it's also one of the first anime fea
