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Like many manga published in Shonen Ace, the manga of Brigadoon: Marin to Melan was created to promote the anime and was based on an early script of it, and because of that it's hard to judge it on its own merit.

If you do read it standalone, it's a sweet yet forgettable mecha story about a girl and a robot.

In some ways, it answers the biggest issues with the anime: the fanservice is more toned down, and the ending is less convenient and convoluted. A common yet objective criticism of the anime is that it's too tonally dissonant, and if you found this an ... issue, you might prefer the manga- it's both less comedic and less dramatic and violent.
It has good illustrations for the most part and the manga's alternative backstory for Marine is interesting, too.

But perhaps because it tries to compress 26 episodes into 2 short volumes, almost every other element of the series is done better in the anime: in the manga, the jokes don't hit as well, the fights aren't as well choreographed, the themes are more heavy-handed and less poignant and the story beats are more predictable.

The most egregious changes regard the characters themselves: it's common for them to act in mean-spirited ways, where in the anime even when people do terrible things, it's always shown that they're motivated by misconceptions and pain, rather than innate evil. Marin and Melan's character development is rushed, and so is their relationship to each other: them being in love is told to us by other characters rather than the reader seeing it from their interactions.

If you were a big fan of the anime and want to see an alternative version of the story, I can recommend this manga. But for anyone else, it's something you can pass on.

Brigadoon: Marin and Melan is a 2000 anime created and directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani, about 13 year old Marin Asagi, who after a parallel world called "Brigadoon” starts merging with our earth, is protected by a teenage biological weapon with a gun and a sword for hands named Melan Blue.

It’s hard to pin down a single genre or tone for the series: it’s got comedy, sci-fi elements, Super Robot mecha fights, romance, slice of life moments and after episode 10 it takes a heel-turn, becoming much more emotionally intense and violent, with the series switching from a character bleeding out on the floor dying to ... a slapstick joke on a dime, yet paced in a way that never takes away the impact of the heavy scenes. The light hearted, cute ending song playing after a cliffhanger almost feels like it’s telling you to have hope, and there’ll be a happy outcome by the end.

Brigadoon has an art direction employing a very stylised, cute look: with lots of the human characters looking younger than they are, and thickly applied bright rim highlights almost constantly on the characters, which can look gorgeous in close up shots where the cast is drawn with weighted line work. The cute art makes the dark scenes hit you in the gut so much harder- similar to Madoka Magica or Made in Abyss. The 'two worlds collide' theme of this anime extends to its unique, memorable score: Tracks relating to Earth or Marin are very upbeat and use a lot of flutes and strings, and tracks relating to Melan and Brigadoon are much more alien sounding, and use frequent use of choral singing.

The fight scenes are well animated- quick and flashy but in a way where you can always follow exactly what's happening on screen.

There is occasional fan service that the series really could’ve done without, with 3 episodes in particular being quite heavy with it, and while it’s usually meant to be a representation of purity and vulnerability than anything else, there’s a few scenes where Marin is nude, which could make viewers uncomfortable.

While the other cast members fulfill their purposes very well, the best written characters are Marin and Melan themselves- particularly their relationship to each other, which becomes a heavy focus of Brigadoon as the plot progresses. Marin and Melan are both very well written characters, and play off each other perfectly. The way their relationship develops gradually from a girl and her bodyguard to friends to eventually lovers feels natural and deserved.

The main themes of this anime are about how "with understanding people from very different cultures can live together peacefully", and how "the bonds you've made can help you in the most dire times". The themes are executed very well, being easy to grasp, yet as a viewer, you don't feel talked down to. The writing falters, however, with certain worldbuilding/plot elements that take place in the world of Brigadoon seem to be undeveloped or come out of nowhere, particularly Lulu's motivation could have been expanded upon more.

Brigadoon: Marin to Melan is an anime that takes absurd and unique concepts and plays them seriously, and never tries to court an audience, making many viewers offput by one of the many genres or tones it is at once. It feels intensely personal and sincere in a way a lot of anime don't, and if you can handle what it throws at you, it's highly recommended you experience this series.