"Let's Get This Party Started!"
Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko
1996-97 OVA, 6 episodes
Studios: JC Staff, Kadowa Shoten and
Starchild
Based on novels by Shoji Takashi
Ok, now we are talking. Unlike last
time's review of Debutante Detective Corps, this will be more
substantive. Made within the next year and a half of that, comes
Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko. Along with Tenamonya Voyagers (1999),
this OVA also display some aspects of Akiyuki Shinbo''s style, which
will be discussed further. Also, spoilers.
OVA I (March-June 1996)
Episode 1: Get Ready!
Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko tells the
story of Yamamoto Yohko and her friends who get transported to the
future via power of time-travel technology developed by chief
engineer Lawson, to work for the Terra fleet. In this future, wars
are not so much battles but more like video games (no one dies due to
ejector warps and one afflicts damage much in the same way in
paintball).
Team Terra consists of:
Yamamoto Yohko: reckless, very capable,
headstrong, determined, confident but not cocky
Ayano: quiet, demure girl
Momoji: country bumpkin tomboy
Madoka: Lil Miss Priss with huge
forehead
They engaged in competition against
Team NESS Red Snappers, led by Miss Rouge and her 3 sisters, all whom
are named after words based on the word 'red': Erutron (quiet dark
haired girl), Lubrum (punk girl) and Lote (blond ditz). Yamamoto
Yohko gets her own specialized ship TA 29, top of line spacecraft for
the combat matches. She also gets egged on by tough words of Miss
Rouge of the Red Snappers team, as well as her own built-in
confidence in herself.
Their Opening game is taking place at
the Star Prominence, which has uranium deposits. It is sort of like a
drag race in space, where they run a course around the star, ending
on a fuel station. However, Red Snappers are bunch of dirty players,
willing to do anything to win. All this complemented by a 90s J-rock
soundtrack. Team Terra seems to be in trouble, bu then Yohko flies in
just in time to save her teammates from danger.
But once they get to the star, a
problem occurs in that the team must orbit around the star but not
too close or get caught in the star's gravity. I do have to say that
there are some really stunning background visuals like solar flares
and star field. Just as Yohko is planning to get to the finish, Lote
(the blond ditz of the Red Snappers) destroys the goal post, which
leads to some instability in the star. With little hesitance, Yohko
handles the risk and finish the race on time, thereby winning the
competition. End on an upbeat J-pop song, moving onto the next
episode!
Episode 2: Nine Ball at Steam Rising
Hot Springs
It starts off very 'meta' with a
commercial of the Red Snappers promoting a holiday planet, getting a
vacation deal in exchange. Yohko and Team Terra also gets a reward
for all their current wins, going to the same holiday planet. When
they get there, the whole planet is a hot spring called Funky Bubble
for some reason that escapes me now. Now while that might seem cool,
it is very impractical. The science fiction here seems plausible even
if it is ridiculous beyond belief. The actual holiday planet looks
like Japanese hotspring town from well any anime, pick one. With some
notable exceptions, such as strip shows, arcades and a Banana and
Crocodile Garden, where one can watch bananas moving and eat
crocodiles like bananas. Meanwhile, the Red Snappers are enjoying arcade
games and karaoke bar.
In midst of this, Lawson is trying and
failing at the crane game, getting ownership rights to a planetary
system. Predictably, this leads to conflict with the Red Snappers,
who also want the planetary system. Rouge and Yohko engage in a crane
game and a ping pong match. When word gets to the hotel executive
gets word of this, he gets a brilliantly bizarre idea.
The two teams get worked into doing
"Space Nine Ball", which is basically billiards in space;
ships as sticks and planets as balls. Once again, this is an example
of ridiculous but plausible science fiction, that's awesome. Yohko
and Miss Rouge engage on an one-on-one match, which Yohko would have
won had it not been for the Red Snappers' interference. Sweet Victory
once again, though Lawson however didn't get the golden ball for RP
71, oh bummer for you. Next!
Episode 3: Memories of Roses
While the first two episodes have fun
and exciting space adventure, the third episode takes on a more
serious/dramatic tone. This episode also centers around Miss Rouge
and the Red Snappers
They arrive at a space graveyard, where
there is a science vessel where their mother was doing genetic
experiments on roses. The ship has a micro-black hole radiator within
its engine, as it was from a past era. Despite the serious tone,
there are comedy moments come from Lote, the blonde ditz of the
group, whose humor is very silly and relies sometimes on poorly
translated wordplay (oh old 90s dubs).
However the ship is re-activated;
uh-oh. Fortunately, Yohko and Team Terra are called to intercept it
as the ship is direct course for Earth (an accidental Earthshock?).
Meanwhile, a mystery occurs on the ship: disappearance of the roses,
accidental merging with another ship, odd energy signals. Of course,
the Red Snappers aren't aware of what's doing on outside, so dramatic
irony will be stretched beyond belief.
Once there, Yohko and her team are
stopped by the ship's defense system. The battles, like most of the
OVA, are very well done, not cutting too many corners on animation.
However, there is a big shock: The ship will blow up or as Lawson
puts it: "There will be a very big boom." This could lead
to the possible extinction of the Earth, oh noes. Luckily, the two
groups finally get in touch with each other. After some initial
misunderstanding and Rouge's reluctance to leave, Yohko once again
saves the day with her special weapon ya-woo! A visually poignant
ending as Yohko rescues the Red Snappers and the ship explode,
leaving space with a nice tasteful stain of red.
OVA II (August-December 1997)
The Opening Song seems very like the
ending song for Tenamonya Voyagers, leaving one with the impression
that this is a Space Western, which this certainly isn't. Anyway,
onto the second OVA, which does pick up after the events of OVA I.
Suffice to say, anyone who watches this should both OVAs. Now, onto
the episodes!
Episode 4: Summer Challenger
So, Yohko and her friends are back in
the present, about to enjoy their summer vacation. Then engage in
typical summer activities: Water Park, Eating Ice Cream, Basketball
Match, Photo Booth, Toy Store, etc. But someone is watching Yohko
from afar, causing some near accidents which Yohko avoids through
sheer power of insight.
In the future, NESS and Terra fleets
are dealing with an issue. Mr Fuligar, commander of the NESS fleet is
introduced and Miss Rouge has a crush on him. It turns out someone
has gone rogue and stolen a LS ship and teleported to the past using
Lawson's teleport system. One would think that these organizations
would have more security than just a singular guard, if that was the
case.
Next day, Yohko is woken up by the
mysterious stalker. Except there's an issue: a spaceship has appeared
in the sky over the Earth. The mysterious stalker reveals herself to
be Sylvie Dread. She challenges Yohko to a duel in orbit. If not,
Sylvie plans to smash Tokyo to a pancake, as expected of villains
like this.
As Yohko prepares for he duel, Lawson
gives Yohko some exposition information. Sylvie Dread is a former
pilot of Terra who is kind of a bitch, with some personality
problems. Yohko replaced her as pilot for the TA 29, naturally that
left Sylvie very jealous and angry. Good thing he delivered Yohko and
her friends' ships into the present time period, though at different
locations.
Yohko goes alone to fight Sylvie in the
duel, as that's the honorable though probably based on her gaming
experience. Fight is very gripping and exciting, all things
considered. It comes down to the wire at one moment, it's so tense.
However, the fight ends as Mr. Fuligar intervenes and captures
Sylvie. It's at this point that Mr. Fuligar gets some character, as a
strong, noble commander who admires Yohko's abilities as a enemy
pilot. Cue end credits.
Episode 5: Nightmare of Legends
Yohko, Momoji, Ayano and Madoka along
with Lote (dumb Red Snapper) get stuck on a planet
where the inhabitants (monk trio)
treated as goddesses until they are taken as sacrifices to revive
their ancient sleeping god, Pushuke. It is more or less like a
Haunted House/Mystery Adventure, with the end of it being proper
sci-fi again. This episode I like as it is the closest to anything in
terms of modern Shinbo. Features like odd color/lighting schemes,
unsettling and surreal atmosphere and weird camera angles/perspective
pervade this episode. There is also a sub-plot involving the two
fleets searching for them, while the NESS fleet recruiting Sylvie
Dread to their side. This leads into the final episode.
Episode 6: Cinderella of the Cherry
Blossom Moonlight
Sylvie Dread prepares for a rematch
against Yohko once more. But there is a party with Cherry Blossoms
cohosted by Terra and NESS to be had and only one team member can go
to the party. For team NESS, Miss Rouge is glaming it up for the
party as she plans to capture Mr Fuligar's heart. For team Terra,
Yohko herself ends up going to the party, with the other girls acting
as security They arrive at the Cherry Blossom Ring which I have to
say is a very nice visual treat.
The party begins in earnest. Lawson
dances with Admiral Rion (hot tanned beauty commander) while Rouge is
seeking out Mr Fuligar. Yohko shows up in a blonde wig and nice
dress, captivating Mr Fuligar on the spot. This party part is an echo
of Cinderella of sorts. Yohko and Mr Fuligar dance together, much to
Rouge's frustration.
However, Sylvie Dread breaks through
security in order to crash the party it seems. At this point she is
just one psychotic bitch. So, Yohko and Sylvie engage in a rematch.
One thing I've noticed while watching this is how trope-aware (games
and scifi tropes) this show is, and this final fight is no exception.
It is an awesome fight, well done in action and intensity. However,
it ends in a stalemate as Yohko views it no longer as a game,
therefore not fun. Sylvie leaves promising to return again at some
point. The OVA ends on an open note to say the least.
This OVA, along with Tenamonya
Voyagers, I can wholeheartedly recommend. Akiyuki Shinbo makes these
fun and enjoyable, and at the end of the day having some
entertainment value is enough for me when it comes to anime. Yamamoto
Yohko is a very good piece of comical scifi 90s OVA in its own right.
Granted, a TV series for this was made but it has not made it
state-side, doubt it ever will. But the OVA is sufficient for those
interested.
Next review will be out on March 30th
See y'all then!
The Eclectic Dude
