The Third follows a young lady and jack-of-all-trades named Honoka who takes on all sorts of odd jobs (as long as it doesn't involve hurting humans). She has few friends, but those she has are loyal to her and her A.I. controlled desert-tank. Honoka, also known as The Sword Dancer for her beautiful swordsmanship, comes across a strange young man who hires her to "show him this world." In these first four episodes, Honoka not only comes across this stranger, but also picks up her new toy, a mobile exoskeleton suit designed to enhance all of the wearer's movements and abilities. The last episode of this volume, Blue Breaker finishes up the intro stuff and kicks the show off into its first real storyline when some mechanic friends of Honoka are attacked by the automated enforcer Blue Breaker and Honoka is forced to use her new suit to save them. In the process, a bit of Honoka's past gets revealed and it turns out she has a third eye as well!
The Third: Vol. 1 Encounter really does a good job of kicking off what looks to be a great anime series. The 15+ rating means that there is some nudity and some skin-tight clothing, but what is there is brief. This DVD also has quite a few special features, at least as far as most anime TV series DVDs are concerned. There are a couple of interviews with the original voice actors (with English subtitles), as well as a couple of music videos and concept art.
The Third just looks like it will be a fun ride and I would definitely recommend this first installment to any anime fan.
