The Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie is a film that carries on the story from the anime series. While it is a standalone story, you need to have watched the anime in order to understand the context since this is all assumed. It jumps straight into the action which is great. After Tanya succeeded to taking over the Federation, the rebels that managed to break off and form the Free Republic has continued the war. The film focuses on a new enemy, the Communists based off the Soviet Union. Also, the daughter of one of the soldiers (well, the crazy powerful one that was the climax of the anime), Mary, has a big part. Mary, despite her appearances, is fixated on killing Tanya and getting revenge for her father. This overrides any sense of rational thought. The bad thing though is how overpowered Mary is. Unlike Tanya, because of Mary's one-track mind and rash moves, she isn't as likable. Mary ends up just causing destruction without much of a strategy. There is a marked improvement in the animation between this film and the anime series. Backgrounds are richer, there are many more soldiers on screen at the same time. The aerial battles, which was already a highlight in the anime, is even better now. It's fast paced, filled with visual spectacles yet it does not feel shallow at all. Each shot has an impact, and when the tides turn against Tanya and her battalion, you can't help but think what a waste that a war is. The climax is as you'd expect being a big showdown between Tanya and Mary. While at the end of the day, there isn't much to the plot other than two armies battling against each other, this is a great film, especially for fans of the anime.
