4/5 A stand alone story...
  by Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA)
Romania is a kingdom of the far future that is about to enter a time of war. Starface has been freed from prison by his three Sexadolls - Marionettes designed to obey his every command. Marionettes are common, as they are female robots designed to replace the falling numbers of women.
That facts seems to place R beyond J and J to X, but Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry seem to be younger or underdeveloped when compared to their characters in the other cartoons. But they learn quickly as they have to protect Junior, the son of the King, and in the end they are more than willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the Prince and fight Starface. While Romania is a nation talked about in the other Saber series, this story may be placed either in a different universe or so far in the future that women are disappearing again.
This anime is darker - at one point Lime gets beaten up by a Sexadoll and, in a latter scene, she beats up the Sexadoll right back. Some suggested nudity during a bath scene and abuse towards the Sexadolls by their master, Starface. For 16 and up (and this rating hits it right on the nail).


3/5 Not as cool as J, but it's good
  by Bill Bort (Mexico)
This 3 episodes (no, it's not a movie, they're OVAs) are some kind of prequel of the Saber Marionette J series, although lacking a lot of humor and way darker. The names of the 3 marionettes are the same but they're a different version, they're kind of the prototypes. Some details might be confusing or strange but still the plot is understandable. I wouldn't recommend this to the Saber Marionette J fans who are looking for the humor and jokes that were in those series, but if you just want to know how were the marionettes first planned to be (darker) you might like this.

4/5 Short, contained oav with a fast-paced story
  by csmith400 (Jacksonville, FL)
Much darker in color scheme and tone from the original,
Saber Marionette R tells the story of an obsessed clone trying to
prove that he is greater than those who preceded him. If this sounds familiar, it's completely intentional. This story was the draft from which Saber Marionette J was created, and it's not too hard to see the prototypes for the personalities that were formed in J. The voice actors for R are the same as the ones in J, and it isn't too hard to see where some confusion might have crept in.

Bloodberry is the one who is the most different in R, and is much more mature and likable. As for Lime and Cherry, they've simply gone through a redesign. I'd also like to say that I liked the design for Romanova, as it had both the touch of the modern and the charm of past and future in the form of trolleys and large motorized gondolas which carried people from point a to b.

4/5 prequel to Saber Marionette J
  by (Shinto Shrine)
This 3-episode series covers the beginning of the Saber Marionette timeline.

The Saber Marionette concept is about colony planet where only men survived the crash landing. Society is built by cloning, but no such luck in cloning women, so androids (Marionettes) are created to fill the void.

This particular story has marionettes Bloodberry, Cherry and Lime protecting the next in line for the throne when an evil brother takes over. It an OK story, with the young Lime taking center stage by virtue of her cuteness. Very light and amusing. The evil brother's actions towards his androids may offend some viewers.

This is something to pick up after getting Saber Marionette J and you find yourself wanting more of the Marionettes.

5/5 Saber Marionette R - The beginning revealed
  by Ruth (Rochester, NY USA)
This movie is unique because it takes you back in time and shows you the origins of Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry. It is a hilarious drama that makes you laugh and cry, typically all at the same time. You will meet the love interest of the three Sabers before they meet Otaru and fall in love again. You will fall in love with the Sabers all over again and see them at their highest level of being cute. A great movie for any Saber Marionette fan and a riot for any who love watching the Sabers fight over a man!