Anime Review No. 96 (Agent Aika)

Agent Aika (1997 OVA, 7 episodes)

Studio Fantasia

Director: Katsuhiko Nishijima

Writers: Katsuhiko Nishijima, Kenichi Kanemaki, Katsumi Terahigashi and Noriyasu Yamauchi

Ok, so Guilty Pleasures Month 2.0 kicks off with an infamous classic of the vaulted halls of ‘90s schlocky anime, Agent Aika. Or as I would like to call it, Crotch Shot the Anime. This brilliant ‘masterpiece’ is from the mind of Katsuhito Nishijima, who is also behind Najica Blitz Tactics, Kirameki Project, Labyrinth of Flames and oddly enough Project A-Ko. Also, the lack of screenshots in this review is due to the fact that no one wants 6-12 pictures of nothing but crotch shots because who really wants that? Yeah that’s what I thought. Also spoilers because I don’t care.

Anyway, Agent Aika takes place in the far future where Earth turned into WaterWorld basically. The world is mostly underwater with small pockets of land here and there. Underwater salvaging is a prime business. Aika is one such salvager, working for some guy named ‘Boss’ and his annoying daughter Rion. She is hot 90s anime babe who is both hot, attractive and can kick ass by using a special underwear that turns her into a dark skin Amazon that can kick more ass. Anyway, Aika and Rion run afoul of a madman villain Dr. Hargen and his legion of miniskirt hottie minions and a plan involving wiping out mankind with a super weapon or something like that.

One of the big problems with Agent Aika is that there is not really much to it, not even enough for a redemptive reading. There are two stories if you can call them that: episodes 1-4 and then episodes 5-7. The first four episodes feel like their own self-contained story while the last 3 episodes feel more like a series of loosely connected one-off stories as some sort of follow up to the main story from the first four. This is seriously just plots constructed by action pieces, some pseudo-science BS and background sets glued together by fanservice and some rather troubling and bizarre content. Like did the incest really have to be here?, for instance. Like Amazing Nurse Nanako, there are a few interesting, even good ideas (a waterlogged future) but the people behind the production aren’t interested in that, but in the fanservice. However, the fanservice in Aika is so pervasive to the point where it becomes dull and tedious. I would have done a drinking game with how many fecking crotch shots the director inserts into every single fecking scene, but I would wound up in a coma. Add to that Nishijima’s tendency to linger on every crotch shot FAR longer than need be, and the show becomes so ludicrous its funny. It is also so bad its good quality in the visual presentation. Plenty of corners cut in the production just so the ‘money shots’ are extremely well-done. The OP, ED and the BG music is so 90s it hurts.

Finally, the English dub is not very good but that’s par for the course when it comes to US Manga Corps dubs for the most part. Angora Deb, who plays Aika, is the only one manages to do a consistent job in the dub and I feel that even in the bad/mediocre stuff she starred in, she does a better job than required which should be commended. However, the rest of the cast is wildly inconsistent-ranging from ok/decent to downright cringingly terrible. At times the dub manages a very OTT style with one scene in episode 3 pretty much is so terribad I couldn't help but laugh at the incompetence on display with this dub.

So yeah not really worth your time, not even for the fanservice. Which makes the second part of this review that more inexplicable…..

Aika R-16 Virgin Mission (2007 OVA, 3 episodes)

Studio Fantasia

Director: Katsuhiko Nishijima

Writer: Kenichi Kanemaki

So yeah, this exists. It is a prequel in ‘celebration’ of the original OVA’s 10th anniversary, because that seems like a good idea. I will give it this, it is a nice look into Aika as a teenage girl and salvager in training. So she apparently joins an Adventure Club run by rich girl Eri Shingai and meets a mysterious quiet cutie Karen with a butterfly on her bosom. Anyway, they go on cruise to a treasure spot for some reason that actually has a (stupid) point. But their advisor (hottie Ms Risako) turns out to be EVIL (what a twist) and has some plot involving Karen. The treasure spot site is a site tied to Karen’s past and then it gets WTF weird, even more WTF weird than the original.  

There are still a lot of crotch shots and fanservice. except its more amusing and hilarious here than in the original OVA. Luckily there is some sort of a story that is going on that actually incorporates the fanservice a bit better. Granted much of the story still is riddled with cliches and contrivances but it is there rather than not as is the case with the original OVA. It also has an awkward habit of reincorporating character elements/details that appear in the original OVA.

The production values look a lot more slick and digital, i’ll give it that. Of course the true mark of quality comes when the ED contains footage of the episode itself, yes really. Granted the whole OVA feels like a sad artifact of the 90s just looks a bit better in the visual department slightly. It is full of the same shortcuts (speed lines, obvious CG, etc) just so the Nishijima-san can focus on the ‘money shots’.

Now the English Dub is slightly better than the CPM dub for the original OVA but that’s not saying much. Its a 2008 Sam Regal-helmed Bang Zoom dub probably made on the cheap considering the quick turnaround between the initial airing of the OVA episodes in Japan and its subsequent Eng dub release and how small the cast is. Main stars include early-career Cristina Vee and Kira ‘Rina-chan’ Buckland among some other regulars of the LA scene at the time. The dub can be best described as competent, decently casted and acted but rather dull and procedural, which can best sum my feelings on modern day LA/California dubs anyway.

There is another prequel, Aika Zero, that came out in 2009 which is a mid-quel of sorts but since its not out officially I won’t talk about it. I imagine Bandai (who re-released the first OVA and then dubbed/released the prequel OVA) and hoped that it would make money so then they could then release the Aika Zero OVA here in the States. But that didn’t happen, and since Bandai is no longer in the game, I highly doubt this will get a Western release.

And what of Nishijima-san? Well he recently worked on an OVA titled Nozoki Ana, which someone on my Twitter feed was watching a few days back. Based on the screenshots it seems he is still up to his usual shtick. I suppose some old dogs can't learn new tricks. Though he has shown up working on another shows, notably as a key animator on an early episode of Kill la Kill, which is a quite interesting tie-back to the era of anime Nishijima-san was a part of.

So yeah this isn’t so much a guilty pleasure, because I don’t feel pleasure from watching it. If I want to watch something with just crotch shots, I’d just watch hentai or porn. I do feel a bit guilty in buying both of these though at a slight discount granted so I didn’t waste much money on this. Is the Aika series one of the worst? No, I have watched far worse anime that actually insult my intelligence. All that the Aika OVAs do is irk my sensibilities but only that as its not that deep or self-aware enough to read any further into it. Then again, that irking/shaking of sensibilities is what anime partly appeals to people I suppose.

Luckily, the other 2 entries this month are actual guilty pleasures and I will have more to talk about with those. Til next time dear readers.

Anime Review No. 52-Debutante Detective Corps

"Bombshells and Fluff"

Debutante Detective Corps

1996 OVA, 30 minutes

Production: Toho/Head Room/Marcus

Genres: Comedy, Mystery

Well, my next two reviews are covering some other OVAs directed by Akiyuki Shinbo. For those of you not in the know, Akiyuki Shinbo is my personal favorite director for anime TV series. Since joining Studio Shaft in 2004, he has helmed quite a lot of shows that I like, such as Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Negima!? (remake not a second season), Pani Poni Dash, Arakawa Under the Bridge, and Madoka Magica. Whether or not you like their shows, one thing you can't fault them is not being entertaining. Shinbo, through use of visual and textual references and slapstick comedy, along with the ability to deconstruct/reinvent common genres (like Madoka as reinvented Mahou Shoujo), makes most of their stuff very fun to watch.

Though, before 2004, Shinbo had a rather patchy career directing OVAs from various other studios. I have covered some of them here: The Galaxy Fraulien Yuna OVAs and Detatako Princess OVA back in 2011, and Tenamonya Voyagers last year. Those have their moments of inspired genius, but they suffer a bit from not being like Shinbou's later works. Not surprising as he hadn't yet to develop his own style yet, thus making the OVAs he did work on rather generic and not unlike other shows of the time. This fact is apparent with today's show of review, "Debutante Detective Corps", a DVD I picked at last November's Atlanta Anime Day for about 5$.

"Debuntate Detective Corps" is a 30 minute OVA from 1996, the same year that the second Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVA came out. It tells the the adventures of five rich and well-endowed high school girls as they contend with an escaped convict who plans to kidnap them. I won't go into too much details on the characters, as they are woefully one-note: Each girl has a special talent, be it computer hacking or master of disguise powers. That's all on the plot and characters. Wow, this review will be fairly short. Yeah, this is a pilot for a TV series that never came to be.

Well, I can still elaborate on the animation and direction a bit. Animation is well standard for the mid-90s; it probably looked good then, today it is merely passable. The direction by Shinbou is a bit wacky, like how over the top the entrances of each girl is or how ridiculous the story goes. Though, I think that stuff was added in by Shinbo himself, as without them its just a stock standard action piece with hot girls and explosions.

Lastly, the dub by ADV Films (who seriously released this 30 min. OVA with the tagline "You Can't Fight Fashion") is not very good. If I scrunched my ears up I'd swear the cast of "Totally Spies" was voicing the characters. Heh, wow am I old. Nevertheless, it is funny but too short to be  enjoyable through extensive re-watching.

So, I can't really recommend this, if only barely to fans of Akiyuki Shinbo. There just not a whole lot to talk about with this one. However, my next review will be more extensive.

Laters, The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 35 "Virgin Fleet"

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

Historical fiction is a genre I've read since I was a young dude. Be it Civil War or 20th Century fiction pieces, I find it interesting how some writers will look to the past of this country for literary inspiration. Not to say it's exclusive to American fiction, as the British (WWII, Victorian Age, etc), other European countries and all around the world has their own interesting histories to tell.

Anime is no exception. When dealing with historical fiction, one either ends with a few options: The Shogunate Era, WWII, Feudal Japan, etc. More well-known examples include Ruroni Kenshin, Peacemaker Kurogane, Grave of the Fireflies, and many others. But I'm not talking about any of those. Instead, I'm taking a look at the questionably titled "Virgin Fleet". An 3 episode OVA from 1998, this was made by Studio AIC (one of my favorite studios) headed by Ohji Hiroi, who is one of the 3 creators of Sakura Wars, another historical fiction piece, much like this OVA. This was brought to the USA by US Manga Corps, so right away it sours a bit for me.  

The basic story of Virgin Fleet deals with Shiokaze Umino, a cadet at the Virgin Fleet Academy in post WWI Japan, though in some sort of alternate universe (in terms of details anyway). She is training to be in the "Virgin Fleet", a special unit of the Japanese navy composing entirely of women. All of the members have 'Virgin Energy', a special psychic/mystical power that isn't well explained but could be misconstrued as water bending (lolz) and predicated on the young women remaining chaste. The OVA concerns Shiokaze and her fellow cadet friends Satsuki and Komachi trying to balance out her daily life with her duty to her country. Her choice: to either marry her childhood friend Mau or stay in the Virgin Fleet? All the while, the military higherups (total bastards) are attempting to shut down the Virgin Fleet and a looming new war is on the horizon. Oh noes!! 

I won't spoil this further, as I have to admit this isn't all that bad, even given the US Manga Corps license attached. It isn't great, as it seems to be too much to be like Sakura Wars. If you've seen Virgin Fleet after watching Sakura Wars TV Series, then the similarities are quite striking. Both involve girls with mystical powers piloting machines (Kubo bots in SK, biplanes in VF) dealing with issues in post WWI Japan. This is an era fondly remembered it seems, as Japan was on the winning side of WWI (nominally) and was experiencing good times in the country. However, I can see the first strands of rampant militarism that later would plunge Japan into another war. This is evidenced by the fact that all of the military are complete and utter hammy villains (apart from those in charge of VF). It also deals with heavy issues like arranged marriage (between Shiokaze and Mau) and equality (VF commander trying to get the military to recognize the unit's potential despite social obstacles: "The men must protect the women" mentality. It is very compelling, seeing Umino having a real moral dilemma on her hands. That what's makes this good, its a good character drama piece, with historical fiction taking a backseat to it. I care more what decision Umino makes then what happens with regard to the backstory: There's a conflict that is coming soon and will sweep away the complacency of the postwar age. Not that it's any less interesting, to be sure. 

Also, the english dub isn't that bad either. Granted, its US Manga Corps, so your mileage might vary when it comes to their dubs, I happen to like this one. Any dub that has Jessica Calvello, Crispin Freeman, Megan Hollingshead and Angora Deb deserves some praise. They all do a pretty good job with the dub, even if some of the lines are cringe-worthy. For instance: "It is our duty to our country to protect our virginity" and "My Virginity is Special" (the last line of the OVA) come to mind for me. That and some of the villains sound really hammy in the english dub. Listenable to an extant, I must say.

The overall production is very well-done. By the late 90s, a lot of OVAs were starting to look pretty good as the introduction of digital technology made its way into the production of animation at large. In the case, Virgin Fleet looks a bit plastic and a bit rough on the edges. It still holds up to today, but that's due to the fact it looks unlike anything I've seen, well, in terms of character designs.   

I'll end on this: If you like historical fiction, then check this out. It is very interesting and it has a complete story all within 3 episodes, unlike most OVAs I've previously talked about here, which due to production issues or money or lack of sales left many unfinished. But not this one. Check it out!

Until next week,

The Eclectic Dude     

Anime Review No. 14-"Voogie's Angel"

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

Well, after two weeks of really good anime (Master of Mosquiton and Alien Nine), this week I am looking at Voogie's Angel (or Dennou Sentai Voogie's Angel).
The DVD cover
This 3 episode OVA from 1997, done by JC Staff and distributed by Media Blasters (through AnimeWorks), is an interesting yarn, kinda. It is a "after the bomb dropped" story, or in this case, alien invasion. In an Earth far in the future, the remnants of humanity dwell in underwater bases. They are in fear of SE (Space Emigrants) who have taken control of the surface and threaten from above. So, Dr. Crimt (a mysterious scientist) assembles a team of Angels, cybernetically enhanced young women.

So, that's the premise. It has some good promise. But that's one of the few things I like about this OVA. For the first 2 episodes, there are problems with characterization and tone/mood. First off, characterization is poorly done here. The main cast, you know, the heroines that we have to give a dang, are 1-dimensional at best or vastly underdeveloped. Voogie is a overwhelmed leader, Rebecca is a gun crazy bunny, Shiori is a non-factor (she does feck all in this story) and Merrybell is an annoying pansy. The other characters are just  as bad. Dr. Crimt is well just mysterious, while the main villain is named Master Teddy (how can I take this seriously?!). The only character I kinda liked was Midi, the 'mother' figure for the team, as I got the feeling that she wanted to do more for the team, but couldn't.
Also, the tone/mood for the first 2 episodes is very jarring. A serious moment would be followed up by a utterly silly moment. Or, a scene that should be tense and stern would have something that dragged it down. It seems to me it tries to be both a cheesy scifi action piece and a serious post apocalyptic tale. Problem is, they don't gel well together.
Also, the writing and acting are terrible. For instance, one of the enemy thugs (who is also a cyborg), his first line is "Isn't it obvious? I'm the bad guy!" Most of the english dub actors are clearly overdoing it (or underdoing it in some instances). The OVA spends a lot of time flapping about until the action happens. When it does happen, it make no sense anyway.

The few positives lie in the final and third episode. Apparently, the director of the 1st 2 (Masami Obari) was replaced after the second episode was done. Aoi Takenouchi directed the final episode and wow it is a replacement (nominally, mind you). It is all rather dark and somber, the tone/mood problems of the first two episodes seem to have evaporated. Though, it seemed to be a oh-so subtle Eva pastiche. It has a conclusion that is rather ambiguous. Shame that these 3 episodes are all that was made.

Final Score is 4.5/10. This is quite frankly crap, but crap that could've done so much. It had potential, but ultimately wasted it. It fails so hard in the first 2 episodes, but then straightened itself up in episode 3. Of course, it was bit too late.

Next weekend is a week off.
Next 2 weeks of review will be covering another one of my favorite anime:
Nov. 27-Burn Up (1991 OVA)
Dec. 4-Burn Up W (1996 OVA)

Until next time,