Anime Review No. 79 (Battle Athletes OVA)

“Winning at Friendship means Winning at Life”

Battle Athletes OVA (1997-98)

Studio-AIC, Director-Kazuhiro Ozawa, Writer-Hideyuki Kurata*

*-original concept derived by Hiroaki Hayashi (creator of Tenchi Muyo and El Hazard)

You know, sports can be quite fun and enjoyable. While I mostly walk or play fitness games on the Wii, back in the day I did do cross country during high school and tried out for track and field (in shot put) before becoming an equipment manager. I do also follow some sports as well (mainly college football and basketball) and find them entertaining.

Thus, sports do figure into anime but regrettably don’t sell well if at all. Efforts to do so stateside (Princess Nine, Ayane’s High Kick, Shootfighter Tekken and the 90s Ping Pong anime CPM released) have been fondly remembered or largely gone by the wayside. Of course, in that pile lies Battle Athletes, a OVA series from the late 90s that I find to be easily one of the better entries in the genre.

Of course, some background: In the far future (of 2015) a world war occurred but ended with the arrival of a global disaster. This united humanity, sort of the same way that Star Trek portrays the future. Flash-forward to AD 3045 and humanity colonized the whole of the solar system, but they engage in war with an alien race and it is very high tech warfare. It is a futile effort thus turned to tests of athletic prowess instead. The University Satellite Program, which would make the ISS look like Skylab, is founded and created. In AD 3996, the contest for the Cosmic Beauty is made in inspiration from that history but for female athletes only. Going forward to the present time of the story, which is 4999 AD.

Well Battle Athletes tells the story of one Akari Kanzaki and her journey to being the next Cosmic Beauty. She’s your standard main heroine: nice, kind, a bit naive but strong-willed candidate. Her mother Tomoe Midou won the contest years ago, so she strives to just not win, but also set a new record in process. In other words, Battle Athletes boils down to the classic underdog story that many sport stories use, like Rocky, Rudy, etc. That being said, Akari’s story is more interesting as the journey not the destination. Yeah, we as the audience know that she will end up winning in the end, but how she goes about it is more interesting.

In terms of conflict (besides the sports events which I will get to), Akari has more self-doubt and reluctance on her part then much of an external force. She is basically living beneath the shadow of her mom’s past success, which does put her in a bit of slump. Luckily she doesn’t mope around too much and seeks to improve. Of course, it isn’t just her doubt that plagues her.

If the series does have an antagonist, its Mylandah, but only through indirect sabotage. She is an A-grade psychotic given into her own highly misplaced regard for herself. She has her eyes on being able to beat the previous champion, Lahrri, herself to the point of pure obsession. Later, it is revealed that might be more than that, but I won’t spoil it here.

Fortunately, Akari is not alone. She got support from a few friends, be it the jungle girl Tanya, the quiet demure girl Anna Respighi, or Grant Oldman who I have to say is quite awesome. I mean, the dude surfboards in the upper atmosphere in one scene (trust me it makes more sense in context). Of course, Akari’s greatest pillar of support comes from well, one of my favorite characters in anime ever, Kris Christopher.

At first, she is a capable athlete but a bit of an oddball. She is from the Moon Beginners Colony, which are akin to lunar hippies, with their communal back to nature society and non-violent/pacifist philosophy. I would argue that the OVA is just enough about Kris as it is on Akari. Like her, Kris was inspired by Tomoe Midou as a child to go for the Cosmic Beauty. She is willing to give it her all, even against Akari. But more than anything, Kris strives not for victory, but self-improvement and seek spiritual peace in the process. Well, that and she’s a heavy spiritualist but thankfully it isn’t over-emphasized and she demonstrates this with both actions and words, which I have to admire.  Also, she’s an open lesbian or at least open to options perhaps, which makes some of the Akari and Kris scenes quite sweet and touching.

Of course, the sport events have their place in this. For once, these are given some degree of practicality to them. Of course, there is stuff like lacrosse in zero G or extreme High Jump with extra running start where physics much less standard human endurance are called into question, but yeah its sci-fi so I will let it slide. That and a lot of them look like a lot of fun and work to reinforce the character development and plot.

One of the things I adore about the show is how unbounded in its optimism and enthusiasm, much like other sports storylines with underdog protagonists. It is one of many Anime examples of the individual underdog going against all odds and obstacles in the process of getting it to the top.  It also has that good 90s old school charm which appeals to me greatly. Finally it is just so damn inspirational. It was so good that like many other AIC productions in the 90s, got a TV series named Battle Athletes Victory, which is a more expanded and light-hearted retelling of the story presented in the OVA and also gets a recommendation from yours truly.

Now, onto the animation. It is classic 90s AIC work here, very similar quality to El Hazard, Tenchi Muyo and Oh My Goddess in this regard. There are spots of CG work here and there but well done for the times. It is an overall gorgeous presentation and animation. It looks just fine on the DVD; of course, this came out in late 1998-early 1999, with the first US volume released within 6 months of the last episode release in the OVA in Japan.Though it would be nice if they would do a re-release in the future, especially the TV series since the only way to get it is through singles only at variable prices. I mean, come on, Princess Nine got a recent re-release, why can't this series?

The music is done by Takayuki Hattori who also did the Nadesico and Slayers OST among others. The OP song is  second best AIC OP besides the EL Hazard OVA 1 OP that I have listened to. It is phenomenally great, mainly being sweeping and grand orchestral music, though a lot of it sounds like battle theme music.

Lastly, the english dub. Now, this is late 90s LA dub done by the wonderful group at Animaze, the same group that brought us the dubs for Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Outlaw Star, El Hazard etc. The dub does have a handful of well-known voice actors (Steve Blum, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Julie Maddalena, Bridget Hoffman, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Wendee Lee, etc) in there, and they are doing quite a good job here. This would be an overall ‘great’ dub but the big BUT rests on whoever they got to voice Akari, Bambi Darro. She is doing her best, but its just not consistent as the rest of the cast_ Voice slippage, slight overacting in scenes, screeching, etc. Granted, that does improve a bit by the end so not too bad, just not as good in comparison.

Overall, Battle Athletes is a very good 90s OVA series showcasing a future with young women playing really cool sport events and watching Akari Kanzaki against all odds reach to the top.

Now, for my next review.....well who's ready for some tankery?

Til next time, dear readers.....
(It should be up around May 3-4)

Anime Review No. 62-Amazing Nurse Nanako

"Amazing Failure"

Amazing Nurse Nanako

1999 OVA, 6 episodes

Studio-Radix, Director-Hiroshi Negishi

Writers: Yano Rasputin and Ryo Yoshida



One of the few SFW pics I could find for this...

Note: I bought this from Amazon.com for 50 cents (the 3.99 S&H notwithstanding)

Oh, boy, I'm the Eclectic Dude and this time...well...I got a special kind of show today to talk about. For the past few reviews I have talked about shows that in one way or another, are like well-oiled machines where everything runs smoothly and operates as a coherent whole. However, there's the other side of the quality spectrum, where all aspects of the show don't work at all and therefore does not operate as a coherent, much less cohesive whole. Amazing Nurse Nanako is a perfect example, a show that tries desperately to succeed but fails in every conceivable way in the most spectacular fashion possible.

Amazing Nurse Nanako, or Nanako Kaitai Shinsho, is a 1999 6 episode OVA directed by Hiroshi Negishi (Tenchi Muyo, Burn Up W, KO Beast, Master of Mosquiton) and animation production by Studio Radix. Released on DVD by Pioneer/Geneon in 2003, its obstentily about the story of Nanako, a nurse who works for the mysterious Ogami Hospital, whose head doctor Kyoji is brought in to conduct experiments on 'special' patients that the military bring him in some vaguely explained conspiracy.

At least it would be, but instead of telling a good or compelling story it focuses on fanservice and comedy slapstick. But it fails in these two endeavors. First, the fanservice is not titillating at all, just very stupid and hilarious. No female is this show (only Nanako and one other) don't seem to wear bras at all, with some prominent tent poles abound. The boob physics is probably the most nuts I've seen in ages, and possibly more so then modern ecchi shows. Then again, it doesn't surpasses Eiken levels of fanservice, so at least I'm grateful for that. Second, the comedy slapstick fails due to the subject matter which is abuse and torture of Nanako. It is not funny, despite the efforts of the writing to make it so; it is rather off-putting and awkward. It barely reaches the point of being cringe-worthy, but thankfully doesn't sustain that for too long.

Even when it does focus on the story, which it does for about half the runtime, it is also a glorious mess. It is a patische of military/religious conspiracy and bizarro-science ideas that really don't gel at all. Even at the end, when the serious and compelling story comes into force, it is too little, too late. It seems to me that there is a good story here, but it is muddled by tracks of poor decisions, like the stuff I mentioned above.

That, and the animation, to be blunt, looks like crap. This was made in that halcyon era of early digital paint/animation techniques of the late '90s and early '00s and shows itself here, more so than other series from that time. Obvious CG work and off model shots abound, especially in the ending song. The only good I can say about the animation is that very retro-90s look to it, but's that about it.

Finally, the only thing that salvages this show is the English dub, which takes the bad writing and makes it at least looking like it was done as a deliberate parody. It has some good actors in (Patrick Seitz and some others) who try and make this show works a bit better, despite the poor source material.

Nevertheless, this show needs to be seen to be believed. It is great fun, though for not the same reasons the creators didn't intend for. And it is interesting to see this show as it does serve as a template for future ecchi shows to come, as shades of this show can be seen by the more astute viewer in shows like Sora no Otoshimono and Rosario+Vampire. I recommend it, but only barely.

Next Time: Magic Users' Club OVA

Anime Review No. 61-Read or Die The TV Series

Read or Die the TV Series (2003-04)

Studio-JC Staff, Director-Koji Masunari, Writer: Hideyuki Kurata 

The Paper Sisters (Maggie, Anita, Michelle) and Nenene

Well now, here we are, finally taking a look at a series that I have known for quite some time. Yeah, that would be Read or Die the TV Series. I covered the OVA way back in January 2012 and for some time after doing that review, I always ponder about the TV series. Like Crest of the Stars, I watched this on the Anime Unleashed block back in the days. I have to say that this is the best series that block ever had, and considering what else constituted that block, that is saying something. After looking through Amazon for the complete series on DVD, finally was able to grab the full set of DVDs (rare feat since this title is out of print for DVD).

So, what is this show about you ask? Well, Read or Die the TV Series is based on a spinoff from the original OVA story called Read or Dream, written by Hideyuki Kurata (creator of both this along with Excel Saga and Battle Athletes). It tells the story of the Paper Sisters (Michelle, Maggie and Anita), a trio of sisters who live in Hong Kong and are assigned to Nenene Surimegawa. She is a young novelist who hit it big a few years ago only to then suffer from a severe case of writer's block. After helping Nenene out with some psycho-stalkers, The Paper Sisters are assigned as her bodyguards. While in the course, The British Library under guidance from Mr. Carpenter (now Mr. Joker) is formulating a grand plan involving the whole world of books. It is a romping good adventure with paper powered girls with kick-ass action and compelling drama.

Now, onto the specifics for this show. First off it has awesome opening song (ROD the TV OP). It is all jazz/swing instrumental, with strands of the OVA theme thrown in for good measure. It is even better then "Tank" (a point I will argue willingly). The rest of the music for the series is very good, as provided by Taku Iwasaki who also did music for Gurren Lagann and Katanagatari. Though, it does run into repeating tracks from time to time, but the tracks are good enough that repetition isn't boring.

Second, this series starts off as a separate story within the same universe as the OVA, even set a few years after the events of the OVA. Now, some people (as I do read other blogs) have complained that this part of the series is boring/lacking. I have to disagree as it strikes the right balance between sci-fi action and slice of life scenarios that one isn't bored at all, and even in the slice of life portions which could have been filler is actually important to the overall plot.

But then, halfway through the series, it converges with the story of the OVA (in the form of Yomiko Readman) and forms a natural fusion by expanding the world of the OVA. And I have to say, the second half of the series shines due to it. It is also where the themes of the OVA: problem of world domination, struggle of the individual(s) against authority, etc. More over, the series is crouched in the tropes and cliches of the spy action/mystery flicks (double crossings, secret operations, etc) and yet manages to be fresh about it.

The animation is fairly solid. Now, the studio that did the series was JC Staff as opposed to Studio DEEN which did the OVA. There are some subtle differences in animation, but it is rather solid effort throughout. It doesn't cut out too much in fight and action scenes, and the fluidity abounds (both in boob physics and other movements).

Finally, the English dub is very great given its great ADR direction and script by Taliesin Jaffe. He is an ADR Director and scriptwriter for New Generation Pictures, which did the english dub production work on this series while Geneon distributed it. Taliesin accomplished a great dub by doing two things: casting child actors in the kid roles (Anita for example) and getting actual Brits to play characters like Mr. Joker and Wendy. It also helps that the rest of the dub is consistently acted and well done performance-wise. Shame this group doesn't get much work nowadays, as the series they have worked on, like Yamamoto Yohko, Hellsing, etc are very good.

Overall, ROD the TV Series is a very good series and I recommend that if you want a great gateway anime, then this fits the ticket. Its got everything that is good in anime (good story with balance of action and drama, interesting cast of characters, fluid animation), and more.

Anime Review No. 48-El Hazard the Magnificent World 2

"Lost Potential", El Hazard: The Magnificent World 2

1997 OVA, 4 episodes

Studio: AIC

Genres: Adventure, comedy, fantasy

This time around, I figure I do the same thing I did for the Nadesico movie review. I'll tell you about most of it. Trust me, you are not missing much. El Hazard: The Magnificent World is quite possibly one of the best OVAs that AIC ever put out (Tenchi Muyo and Oh My Goddess are a bit better). However, the sequel is well, an entirely different beast altogether. It is a disappointing and inconsistent mess. Let's get started!

Episode 1 The Bride of Roshtaria

We start with an exposition dump by Princess Rune, you know, the character who did next to bum kiss in the original OVA. Great way to start, I must say. Then the opening, which is just that not good and tries so hard to be epic like the original OVA's opening song. This is evident by the fact that strands of that theme music do come through is some desperate attempt to say 'Oh don't worry, this is good I swear'. There is a rather noticeable shift in the art design where it is a bit sloppy and inconsistent. But that's the least of this OVA's problems.

The crew from the original OVA are dealing with the wedding of Miz and Mr. Fujisawa. Miz is naturally excited about it, with her innate desire of being a housewife and stable income, even having a humorous flashback to the drunken proposal. Mr. Fujisawa, on the other hand, isn't really ready and for really petty and vague reasons. So much so, that he doesn't even show up to the ceremony. When confronted of it by Makoto, he says he needs to "find the man within" or he's useless. Miz, to say the least, takes it real well by nearly flooding the capital.

Also, there's a subplot involving Princess Fatora and Aielle and their funny antics. Fatora, being a rather frisky lesbian (as you do), tries to seduce Nanami by disguising herself as Makoto. However, this is a total failure. So far, they are the most enjoyable part so far in this OVA.

Once she is calmed down, the crew gets ready and mobilized on a journey to find Fujisawa-sensei. They figure that he went to Mountain Lilly-Coco, which is a place of mediation, and bring him back to his senses. They stop off for the night at a desert hamlet, where not much happens aside from more antics by Fatora, this time targeting Shayla-Shayla. Again, it goes hilariously terrible.

Then, we cut to Queen Diva and Jinnai, he still being his crazy usual self. They, along with a small group of Bugroms, are searching for resources for the Bugrom Army. But, they stumble onto a cave and Jinnai find a key-staff, similar to Ifurita's. After a few obstacles, they reach the core of the cave: another like Ifurita ('demon doll' as Jinnai puts it).

Well, this is an interesting setup for the story. Though, the ending song sounds like a rejected disco track. Moving on...

Episode 2 Awakening of Kalia

This opens with a recap of the end of Episode 1. Jinnai awakens the new weapon, named Kalia. She is a bit of a foil to Ifurita. She's a bit brash, impulsive, out-going and rebellious, much to Jinnai's chagrin. She also has never heard of Ifurita, which is a bit baffling, but I will let slide for now.

Our crew is still on their way to the Mountain Lilly-Coco. An accident by Shayla-Shayla crashes their hovercarft and they end up land in some sort of 'micro-dimension' or a hidden place masked by an illusory spell. It has flora and fauna that El Hazard had in ages past, looking much like a paradise rather then the desert wasteland that much of the land is. This is where the OVA turns into a completely different story, and its a bit jarring.

Ifurita appears, but there's a catch: She doesn't know Makoto or his friends. Her appearance here is another baffling thing that just raises too many fecking questions, so I won't bother now. To put it simply, this is 'another' Ifurita who has lived with an old scientist, Yuba Yurius. The place is a 'living time capsule'. It turns out Yuba is another traveler from another dimension, much like Makoto. He reveals the heart of the shrine houses a machine now activated ('The Trigger of Destruction'). This is particularly interesting, as lost ancient technology was explored in the original OVA (The Eye of God).

Jinnai and Kalia are heading over to the same place They bump into Mr. Fujisawa who has gotten lost in the desert near the hidden place, which he stumbles into by shear accident. The gang is all back together, at long last. Jinnai hatches a plan of deception to get in by pretending to be nice and kind. This leads into really awkward and cliched scenes with Jinnai playing up being nice, which you think wouldn't work, but it does. However, Jinnai's plot does downhill in part due to Kalia, who its turns out that she is also an evil and heartless villain.

Episode 3 Ifurita Farewell to Destiny

The battle against Kalia begins. Jinnai gets relegated to side character, not even a joke villain (he's still enjoyable in the scenes he's in). The Plan: Jinnai will activate the 'Trigger of Destruction' with Kalia's assistance.

This ensues lots of fighting between the three priestesses and Kalia who like Ifurita can mirror and project back the priestesses' power. This is interluded with various other scenes. There's a quiet Moment between Yuba and Ifurita; a very touching but too short for worth. Fujisawa has a "Manning Up" moment which is pretty good. Unfortunately, there is also a few scenes so trite or cliched I won't even happen.

Now the problems of this story come into place: a bit too much going on all at once which makes the episode drag more then the previous two episodes. The story has lost all sense of coherence and focus that even the first episode had in spades.

In addition, the story lacks any sort of urgency and concern that came with the original OVA; at times I kept asking myself: what's the point of all this? So what if Kalia activates the superweapon? Unsure of what will happen, but it has to taken care of since Kalia's evil.

An there's another problem: Kalia is just plain evil for no good or explained reason. The Shadow Clan and Ifurita from the 1^st OVA had nuance, maybe not a lot but enough to empathize with them. Not the case with Kalia, as she turns on Jinnai and activates the 'Trigger of Destruction'. Oh noes!!!

Episode 4 Promise of Reunion

The 'Trigger of Destruction' turns out to be a giant war-ship with tremendous power. Ah so that wheres all the budget went to, I see. It does look quite impressive and menacing, as any doomsday weapon should be.

Meanwhile, Makoto and friends regroup. Ifurita is non-functioning so Yuba and Makoto set to revive her, but Yuba dies at the cost of reviving her. What a shame. Now there's impetus to get rid of the superweapon but too little too late. The ending is a lot like the final episode of the 1^st OVA. Heck, the final confrontation between Makoto and Kalia is both too short and too late to add nuance to Kalia. Once again too little, too late. The warship melts away into a gooey mess. Wow, what an anticlimax.

Fujisawa rescues Miz, resolving their plot thread (that I didn't care for) and a tad pointless at this final point in the story. Yes, the plot thread that propels this OVA that then gets thrown aside like a used towel halfway through episode 2 and not resolve towards the end.

Finally, the Epilogue:

Jinnai and his bugs pick up some of the remnants, proclaiming he will be back, the crazy nutter.

There's another farewell to another Ifurita, placing a plot thread that goes nowhere. The Wedding between Miz and Fujisawa takes place, which I don't care for so moving on. The last note of the OVA is Fujisawa and Makoto getting chased by Nanami, Shayla-Shayla and Miz. Yeah, brilliant /sarc.

Good Haruhi this sucked. The story has little to no focus or coherence, the characters haven't really developed much since the first OVA, Kalia just doesn't work as a villain, etc. That's not to mention the art/character design which is also lacking. The only great thing I can say is that the dub actually makes this bearable. The entire cast from the first one return, and give it their all despite the poor material given to them. But the worse thing about this OVA is how potential is lost. This could have been great, like the first OVA. Instead, it just recycles concepts and ideas from the first one with a slight redressing. I can't in good faith recommend this, just watch the original OVA and stick to that.

See you laterz

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review 42-El Hazard the Magnificent World

Fantasy: Then and Now continues with El Hazard: The Magnificent World OVA from 1995-96.

DVD Cover 

El Hazard is directed by Hiroki Hayashi (Tenchi Muyo, Battle Athletes) and written by Ryoe Tsukimura (Moldiver, Tenamonya Voyagers, Tenchi Muyo). Production was done by Studio AIC, who also did Tenchi Muyo, Battle Athletes, and whole lot of stuff in the 90s and early-mid 00s.If they did an anime I reviewed, I mentioned it at least. It is considered the ‘sister series’ of Tenchi Muyo, as the same people worked on both.   

El Hazard concerns the tale of one, Makoto Mizuhara, an average Japanese high school student. One day, when dealing with a self-proclaimed rival Jinnai, he stumbles upon an ancient ruin beneath his school. There, he meets Ifurita, who supposedly met him before and then waited in hibernation for a long time. With the last of her power, she sends him along with Jinnai, Fujisawa-sensei and Jinnai’s sister Nanami to the world of El Hazard, a mystical land. Makoto and Fujisawa-sensei ended up working with the Princess Rune Venus and her kingdom in an effort to stop an invasion by the Bugrom Empire, a race of insect warriors, led by Queen Diva and Jinnai himself. But an even more deadly threat lurks in the shadows, without letting either side know it. In addition, Makoto meets elemental goddesses, Ifurita (again!) and the Eye of God (a mystery). What a thrilling adventure!

What a stunning landscape, brought by stunning visuals

Now, what makes El Hazard such a classic to me lies first in the pure scope and depth this story delves into. This OVA spans 7 episodes, and clocks it at around 4 hours. The first and last are 50 minutes long, with the episodes between last 30 minutes. As such, there’s a lot of time devoted to world building, even if boils down to simple terms: The world is divided by a river, with Rushtaria and its alliance on one side and the Bugrom Empire on the other.  But there’s more to it, with vast forests and deserts seen throughout and even more that we don’t see. The stunning visuals, example above, help to reinforce this. 

L-R: Queen Diva, Rune Venus, Fatora and Aielle, Nanami, Makoto and the three goddesses

The story and characters are also well-done. Granted, the cast consists of Makoto (single male hero) and group of female characters (the goddesses, Ifurita, Nanami, etc.) and their interactions with each other. Sounds familiar, eh? Well, that’s the same setup as Tenchi Muyo except for the initial premise. Whereas Tenchi had a harem of women vying for his affections, Makoto is set on only one of the girls, something not used a lot in harem series. Sure, some of them vie for his affections, but he seems too oblivious to it. Granted, the story doesn’t focus on this too much. Instead, it deals with Makoto and his friends trying to find a way back to the real world, which seems linked to the mystery of “The Eye of God”. It is an ancient weapon long dormant since ancient times and is essential to how the story develops.

The characters are very engaging. Makoto is a bit like Tenchi, above average male hero who ends up being the key to the story. He seems a bit more developed, as he got some brains behind his meek and nice demeanor making him quite relatable. Jinnai, on the other hand, is a perfect foil and quite possibly the best ‘joke villain’ in anime ever. Any scene with him is quite an interesting gem.

Most of the other cast is very typical for anime: Fujisawa is drunk but reliable adult role model and Nanami is a love interest in denial with a slight obsession with money. Even the three goddesses, with their impressive elemental powers, have expected personalities (Shayla Shayla-fiery, hotheaded, confident; Afura Mann-cool, calm and collected; Miz-volatile and moody). Rune Venus is the typical damsel-in-distress who doesn’t do much in the story anyway.

Heh-part of the reason why I'm reviewing this.

The exceptions lay with Princess Fatora and Aielle, who are the lesbian couple in the show. Granted, Fatora doesn’t have an active role until the last episode, but when she does she is quite a surprise. Aielle shows up near the end of the first episode and stays on as the token lolita of Makoto’s group, constantly hitting on some of the other female characters, leading to much hilarity.  They may seem a bit superfluous, but they are entertaining anyway, so I welcome their casual addition.

The English dub is pretty good as well. Been done by Pioneer/Geneon back in the day, it has a cast that includes mainstays for quite a number of their dubs: Eddie Frierson, Lia Sargent, Michael Sorich, R Martin Klein, Melissa Fahn, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Bridget Hoffman, etc. They all do a pretty good job given the material. There are a few others (like Ifurita) where the performance is a tad wooden. I definitely recommend watching this dubbed, though the subbed version is decent.

El Hazard OP

Now, there are a few weaknesses to this OVA. First, the music is rather forgettable, barring the opening and ending songs. I love the opening song, with its rich mix of instrumental and electronic music creating an opening that grips and hooks you in. For the first six episodes, the ending song is a jumpy and energetic tune. The last episode, however, has a quite lovely and nice song to cap off the ending.

This leads to another weakness: The OVA is centered on a time loop paradox surrounding Makoto and Ifurita. Now, while this OVA has it built in such a way to ensure it has a definite ending, there is the possibility for sequels. This is similar to Tenchi Muyo, which had spinoffs/sequels due to parallel universes with the same characters. And considering how successful that was, AIC rightfully though it would work again with the EL Hazard series. To put simply, however, it didn’t. But that’s the subject for another review down the road

At the end of the day, El Hazard The Magnificent World as a standalone OVA is a fantastic piece of other worldly fantasy epic. It is well-done in nearly all aspects of the production, with a few exceptions. It stands its ground with other similar fantasy anime, like Magic Knight Rayearth and Escaflowne, both also very well-done fantasy series. I definitely recommend it. El Hazard is available on DVD quite easily on Amazon. 

Laterz

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 27, “Tenamonya Voyagers” (April Fool’s Day Special Review)

Hello, I’m the Eclectic Dude I review it for the lols.

Well, Happy April Fool’s Day everyone! This special day calls for a special review, because why the heck not. I know the perfect thing to review-Tenamonya Voyagers!!!!!

DVD Cover with the main characters (L-R: Wakana, Ayako, and  Space Trash Paraila) with Inspector Yokoyama near top

Never heard of it? I don’t blame you. Tenamonya Voyagers, a Sci-Fi 1999 OVA done by Studio Pierrot is in that category of ‘rare, obscure” in anime. It also has the distinction for being one of the early titles of anime released exclusively on DVD back in the late 90s/early 00s. But being one of the first, does that make it good?

The story behind Tenamonya Voyagers involves the adventures of 3 young women in space, at some point far in the future. Two of them are humans-Ayako, a new teacher and Wakana, a student athlete. Both ended up at a school on a far off planet of Meldonia, Ayako having a teacher job and Wakana getting there via an athletic scholarship.  However, once they get to Meldonia, the school got shutted down (valid since it took them light years to get there). Anyway, without much to do, the two decides to return back to Earth, despite their limited resources to do so.

Fortunately, a solution comes from above, literally. A giant mecha falls onto the planet, demolishing the school. Out of it comes Paraila, a mysterious young girl who seems more than she appears. Together, they are determined to get back to Earth, the home in a vast universe so to speak. But, it turns out Paraila is a former boss of the Space Mafia who is hoping to get back to Earth for her own selfish reasons. Turns out, some past space treaty left Earth as ‘neutral territory’ wherein any criminal that lands there has ALL their criminal charges wiped clean. In addition to be pursuing by the Mafia, the Space Police have someone on her trail as well-an obsessive policewoman from Hiroshima, Yokoyama.

Sounds pretty good, eh? Well, unfortunately, not only it is rare/obscure it is also unfinished. Only 4 episodes got made. Yeah, spoiler alert, they don’t make it back to Earth and the final episode ends on a cliffhanger. However, unlike Legend of the Last Labyrinth, which suffered from cutbacks it seems, this title suffered from probably low sales. A sad fact of life for OVA collectors, in that a lot of them were released by video every few weeks or months and the continuation of many titles depended on sales of the videos. If sales were good, then OVAs got more episodes and vice versa.

Which is a shame, as Tenamonya Voyagers is a very good OVA. The animation is quite excellent, for its time. Upon first watching it, I did a double take when the fact that this was made back in 1999. It looks good enough to be something made from the early to mid 00s. Characters are extremely expressive and back grounds are well done in every scene of the 4 episodes.

The direction is also something of note as well. Akiyuki Shinbou directed this OVA, yes the same guy who was involved in Galaxy Fraulien Yuna OVAs and Detatoko Princess (both I have reviewed previously). Here, in my opinion, is the best OVA/series he did pre-Studio Shaft. His trademarks are on full display here, be it use of texts on screen, interesting camera angles and wacky/tippy lighting and color effects. He gives it some pacing and quality that one should view the OVA as all 4 episodes at once, as it feels like a movie at times.

The story and characters are well a mixed bag.  It is essential a ‘girls on the run in space’ story, but with a few unique twists thrown in for good measure. The writing is filled with lots of humor, both sophomoric and more subtle. The characters are overall fun and enjoyable to watch. Ayako is a distressed young teacher who is in way over her head at times, but gives enough laughs at times so the audience is totally annoyed at her. Wakana and Paraila basically serves as bouncing boards off each other, Wakana wondering why go through the hassle of going to Earth with a known criminal and Paraila just not giving a crud about what anyone thinks or says. And Yokoyama, the policewoman on the trail of Paraila is basically a crazy badass who probably joined the police just so she could capture/kill people, making her a passable antagonist.

OP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkL-5_eGV0s

Finally, the music is also worthy of note. In particular, the opening, which it is basically a marching band tune set to well weird imagery. The rest of the soundtrack is very much like the OVA-space epic and all that. Granted, they do recycle some soundtrack parts a few times but thankfully it’s not too annoyingly overused.

Not that to say it’s all good. The story is rather unfinished and this fact is no more evident than in the fourth and last episode, where the production team just threw their arms up in the air and said “Feck the plot, we’ll just do something ridiculously awesome”, apparently. Now, there has to be the best way to end an OVA that probably had no chance: Just end on a note of ridiculously awesomeness. Check it out for yourself, I am not spoiling here.

This gets a good recommendation, if you are a sci-fi fan or like parody series as well. It is not that hard to find it, as Amazon.com has it for dirt cheap. It is well worth it, as Tenamonya Voyagers is a joke; a huge, entertaining joke, to be fair, but a joke nonetheless

‘Til next time ^_^  

Anime Review No. 22, "Ah My Goddess" The Movie (2000)

Hi, I'm the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz.

Well, after some years of the Oh My Goddess OVA and volumes of the manga were released, a movie for "Ah My Goddess" was almost a given. It premiered in October 2000, with a US release in Nov. 2001. It was done by studio AIC and directed by Hiroaki Goda, who also did the OVA from back in 1993-94. In the US, Geneon Entertainment (now defunct sad to say) released the movie a year later past its theatrical release.  So, is it any good? Let's see.

The events of the Movie takes place 3 years after the OVA's events. Belldandy and Keiichi's life is going great and all that. Their relationship/main characters are explained within the first few minutes, so it is assumed that you've watched the OVA or read the manga. More on that later, I assure you.

But, Celestin, Belldandy's old mentor, arrives on the scene unexpectedly after disappearing some point in the past. At the same time, Heaven (under guidance of Peorth, another goddess character who didn't appear in OVA) is dealing with the escape of a convict from their lunar prison and appearance of some problems in the Yggdrasil system (sort of like a giant computer system). Coincidence? Perhaps, though it doesn't take much to piece the two together.
Celestin, upon seeing Belldandy, kisses her and then flies off mysteriously after Bell faints (a cursed kiss?). It turns out, Bell got struck with selective amnesia, wherein she loses all memories pertaining to Keiichi. Now, for the casual/first-time viewer, this might not be a big deal. But for me, personally being a big fan of the series, this moment was a bit heart breaking and sad. Keiichi, along with Skuld and Urd, try to help Bell to regain her memories. Of course, they fail at first.
But slowly and surely, Bell regains her memories. Of course, then Celestin appears again to cause trouble. What is he up to? Well, he is akin to a Lucifer figure. He was a once a member in the high courts of Heaven, who once tutored Belldandy. However, he was troubled by the problems with reality, specifically the way that Heaven deals with relationships between members of different realms. There's this Judgement Gate that exists where these 'special couples' go and test their commitment to each other. Should there be any doubt, the couple is separated forever. So, he takes young Bell along to show this 'abomination' (as Celestin says) and then he attempts to destroy it. Now, while that might be something good, it has one huge downside-IT WOULD RENDER REALITY AS WE KNOW IT ASUNDER. (sorry for the all caps xD). He succeeds for a bit , but then is banished to the moon for his crimes. Belldandy then has to take a forgetting potion, so she won't remember it at all (hence the confusion when he showed up earlier in the movie). Also, this was told all in flashback, naturally.
He recruited Morgan, a fairy princess, to aid in his plan. She is a rather tragic figure, having felt the loss of her beloved at the hands of the Judgement Gate firsthand. She is the one who freed Celestin from the moon prison and aids him in trying to pry Belldandy away from Keiichi by first subtle means, then outright seduction of Keiichi. This of course didn't work too much.  
Now, Celestin wants to basically render reality asunder again, and create a new reality, probably in his own image. Of course, by that point, Bell regains her memories of Keiichi totally and she along with Keiichi, Urd, Skuld seeks to prevent Celestin's plan. The virus that is causing trouble to Yggdrasil is linked into Belldandy. the final solution, put forward by Peorth, would be to inject a vaccination into Belldandy and stem the virus at its source, which unfortunately would have unfortunate side effects as well. But its better then reality becoming no more, so they go ahead with this idea.
But it fails as Celestin takes over Keiichi's body and proceeds with his plan anyway. Just when it seems all is lost, the way to prevent this calamity is.....SINGING (I'm dead serious). Also, Belldandy and Keiichi pass through the Judgement Gate together, and because their love is unwavering, they are successful and they glimpse at Paradise (i have no idea, not really explained). Happy ending, closed by credits.

Well, what are the pros to this Movie? Well, quite a lot.
First, the animation encapsulates one word-Beautiful!!!!! This was where the Ah My Goddess series underwent artistic evolution on a grand scale, that carries through to the TV Series made 5 years later. From the first scene right up to the ending, it is all wonderfully animated. It also has a very well done blend of 2D cel and CGI, probably the best example of such a seamless blend from this era of animation (the turn of this recent century). 
Second, the voice acting (in the english dub). It is of course different from the dub of the OVA, which I reviewed last weekend. Now, the main couple is voiced by Bridget Hoffman (Belldandy) and Tony Oliver (Keiichi). They do a wonderful job, even if this was their own appearance in this role for the series. There are some other memorable performances in the cast as well. This includes Sherry Lynn and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Skuld and Urd, and interestingly enough Steve Blum as the baddie of the film, which surprised me a quite a lot. It is quite awesome, much like the rest of this film.
Third, the story. This is quite possibly the best story for an anime film outside of the Miyazaki canon. The plot is bit more developed than the OVA, as the series has been out for some time before this movie came out. It is also rather original, in that it doesn't take place within the manga series it is based on.
Finally, the music is very wonderful. It was done by Shiro Hamaguchi, who also did music for Final Fantasy VII-IX games as well as the One Piece movies. So, to say it sounds much like a video game soundtrack, not far from truth. Granted, it is totally grand classical orchestra playing the soundtrack and it is very well-done. It is grand and epic, which considering this is a theatrical release for a movie, not surprising.

Now, the one con against this movie, which I mentioned earlier: the continuity. In the first 10-15 minutes, we are thrust into this world, with lots of characters, most of which are incidental to the plot of the movie. Now, for the casual/first-time viewer, this will create some confusion. So, to truly appreciate this movie, one needs to have seen either the OVA or TV Series or read the manga beforehand just a bit to understand what most things are.

Now, final thoughts: This Movie rocks!! Like I say, this is possibly the best anime movie outside of the Miyazaki canon out there. I can heap more praise to this movie than I ever done for a lot for the titles I reviewed. It is the pinnacle of anime, the greatest example for this industry. There's hasn't been a lot of anime titles before or since that are as great as this movie. WATCH IT!!!

Now, next weekend is Legend of the Last Labyrinth.

Laterz, The Eclectic Dude





 
 



 

Anime Review No. 7-Moldiver

Hello, Im the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz
This week's review is on Moldiver, a 6 episode anime series that came out back in 1993. This title I've owned for a few years, having come across it at a discount video store. It was done by AIC/Pioneer LDC and distributed by Geneon, which went under back in 2007, which makes this title particulary rare. But, is it a rare treasure or a rare piece of junk?
The plot of Moldiver takes place on Earth in the far future of....2045. Nice choice there, lolz. It features the adventures of Mirai Ozora as uses the Mol unit (which has a supersuit) developed by her older brother. Which, she uses to thwart the evil deeds of Professor Machinegal and his legion of hot android amazons (Really?!) as the hero Moldiver, while balancing out her everyday life (rivals and romantic feelings for Mr. Misaki, a friend of her older brother).
Basically, the series is a rather clever parody of both superhero and magical girl series. It has a fine mixture of silly slice of life comedy and Sci-Fi action for the first 3 episodes. Mostly involving Mirai using the Mol unit more as a means to her own ends, but ending up saving the day from some crisis. It has one of the most obvious villain-Professor Machinegal/Amagi, who was mentor to Mirai's older brother. From the first time I saw him on screen, I was like "OMFG, that's the villain, no doubt about that!". Then again, its a satire so I suppose it makes sense.
Then, from episode 4 to 6, the show takes a more serious tone, with more of an emphasis on the Sci-Fi action. At first, it seems such a tone shift would disorient the viewer, being myself. But, in this instance, it works as the show builds up the tension and the stakes are raised, as our heroine must save the love of her life from certain doom.
That's all I am going to say, as I try not to spoil much since I want to inform others.
Anyway, onto the positives. Moldiver has a well-rounded English dub cast, featuring voice actors like Steve Blum, Doug Stone, Joshua Seth, etc. The performances are rather even, without being either bad or very excellent. Even the OP and an insert song from episode 2 were done in English, and I have to say it's very well done. The animation, well, is pretty good and consistent. Though, like Otaku No Video, it is a bit on the aged side. But, I like that quality of it anyway.
The negatives are not much at all. The plot is straightforward, though by the end there are some elements thrown in from left field for no real reason. Minor quips, I'm sure.

Final Score is 8.5/10. A very good Scifi action/comedy romp. Well worth a look at, as it is an early example of parody, which shows up more often nowadays then back in the day when this title came out.  Though, it might be just a bit hard to find since Geneon, the company which licensed and distributed this, is no longer in existence (dang shame really).
Laterz,
I shall post up something involving my reviews for next month, in a bit.

The Eclectic Dude ^_^