Lotus Watches Genocyber [Anime] (1994)

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OVA are the direct-to-video “wild west” of anime; they can range from awesome to unfortunate, as they adhere to zero specific rules. Genocyber leans towards awesome. It’s an ultra-violent, phantasmagorical descent into annihilation in the form of a 5-episode OVA from Bandai. A scientist develops the Mandala, a high-tech, cybernetic engine built to harness vaguely-defined psychic energy “mind shadows” called “vajra” to create a new kind of mechsuit-style weapon, named after the ultimate cosmic weapon of Hindu mythology. This project is convoluted, involves some kind of crime syndicate, and involves a fusion of two psychic sisters and an artificial body. To say it (and its ensuing projects) backfire is an understatement, as the OVA transitions into a post-apocalyptic dystopia in the wake of total global destruction.

Title: Genocyber (1994)
Type: OVA
OVA Type: Series
Episodes: 5

[Book] Ready Player One (2011)

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline, is a book with an interesting premise: an eccentric rich nerd named Halliday has built a virtual reality internet/MMO called the Oasis. When he dies it’s up for grabs, along with his entire fortune, to the first person who can find the easter egg he has hidden in the code. People all over the world begin to hunt for the easter egg, including powerful people with money and few scruples. Its interesting premise is about the only good thing I can say for this book, because everything else about this book is seriously stupid.