Video Backlog: "Battle Arena Toshinden"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 2 Episodes x 28 minutes
Production Date: 1996
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: Eiji Shinjo is still worried by the memory of his tournament battle with the champion Gaia. The battle was cut short by an evil organisation unimaginatively named “The Organization”. Eiji is also in search of his long lost brother Sho. Add in the a mysterious warrior who is hunting down the champions of the previous tournament and using their own moves against them. Eiji teams up with close friend and rival Kayin Amoh to stop the warrior and to defeat “The Organization” and their evil plans to take over the world (or whatever).

Mini Review: Fighting anime. Pretty much, they’re all the same aren’t they? Impossible moves, lost siblings, same old tired crap. This short OVA is no different. Same old boring plot based off a video game that we’ve seen a million times before. The whole thing made very little sense to me. This is the real problem with these types of anime. I’m not a gamer, will never be a gamer, so why can’t they expand a bit on the story so those who haven’t played the game know what the hell is going on? But then again the characters and situations are just one dimensional anyway. It's quite hard to get involved in the story or the characters or even care about what is going on. While for the majority of the series the animation is quite good, the opening action sequence looks woeful. Masami Obari directed and this seems to that point in the 1990’s were his work took a serious nosedive, which personally I think he has never recovered from. If the characters on the DVD cover look familiar, Tsukasa Kotobuki of “Knights of Ramune & 40 Fire” and “Saber Marionette J” did the designs. The animation in this series was OK I guess, so it’s 3 out of 10 for that alone.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Sasami: Magical Girls Club"

Publisher: Funimation (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 26 Episodes x 24 mins
Production Date: 2006
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Story Outline: Sasami Iwakura is a normal 10 year old girl, except she has magical powers. However she has been forbidden to use them by her father. Long ago witches and humans lived together, but the witches eventually went back to the magic world to escape prosecution by humans. However unions between those of the magic world and the humans still take place, and their offspring, such as Sasami are endowed with magical powers. They’re not witches, but magical girls (and boys). A new school nurse comes to her school named Washu. When Washu unexpectedly teaches the home economics club, she forces the student s to dissect and cook a rabbit/cat creature named Ryo-Ohki. But Ryo-ohki escapes and Sasami and shy unpopular girl Misao chase after the creature in order to save it from being cooked. The two girls discover both have magical powers and eventually Washu, who is also from the magical world, convinces them to forma magical girl club under the guise of a cooking club, so that they can learn to control their powers. Soon three more girls, Makoto, Tsukasa and Anri are recruited and the team of five works toward their goal of competing with other magical girl teams around the world with the magical world being the venue. However something isn’t quite right with the magical world and the high priestess has the girls in mind for a plan to change both the human and witches world.

Mini Review: One can only wonder why AIC decided to revive this part of the Tenchi Muyo franchise after so long. What made the TV series such a joy to watch is ditched for clichés and a dull story for the most part. OK, I’ll be fair, the story is quite intriguing, it’s just that it’s written rather poorly and the pacing is pretty off. Even at the climax of the show, there is no real sense of urgency even when both the Earth and the magical world are headed for certain doom. Also the first half of the show (the first season really, as the show is divided into two sections) becomes a bit dull and stagnant. More time should have been used building up the plot. A lot of motivations of the adult characters aren’t really explained, nor are the real reasons why the humans might fear magic users.

Only a few charters are present from the original series; Sasami, Misao, Washu, Ryo-Ohki and Mihoshi. Unbelievably ALL have been recast. All of the actresses who play the five young magical girls really, really suck. They couldn’t act their way out of a wet paper bag. They do get a little bit better as the series goes on, but they certainly aren’t as good as the original cast. Chisa Yokoyama is Sasami. Her voice is so full of life and fun. Pity they didn’t consider for this show. Actually in this series Sasami is a really childish character. She speaks in the incredibly annoying third person all the time. In fact the show for the most part is pretty infantile. I did like the main character designs however. They were fabulous. The opening animation was a real treat too. Pity about some of the secondary characters and just about all of the males. It’s like their designs were complete afterthoughts. The music is good, but really has a bit too much of the “Harry Potter’s” about it. Look, I was rather entertained by this show, but there were a ton of problems with it. I was going to give it a 5, but I’ll be nice as liked a fair bit of it , 6 out of 10. But it’s a really mediocre 6 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy (Magical Project S)"

Publisher: Pioneer (Geneon, USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Subtitles
Length: 26 Episodes x 24 mins
Production Date: 1996 – 1997
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: Sasami Kawai finds herself being courted by a woman named Tsunami to become a magical girl when she delivers a CD from her mother’s record shop to an old house. Tsunami is actually the top candidate to become queen in parallel world of Juraihelm. Though Sasami initially rejects the offer, she is forced to accept as another magical girl, albeit and evil one, named Pixy Misa starts causing havoc in town. Unbeknownst to Sasami is that Pixy Misa is actually Misao Amano, her best friend. The quiet introverted girl has been is being used against her will by a losing candidate to be the queen of Juraihelm, Rumiya, who will do anything to stop Tsunami from becoming queen.

Mini Review: A complete remake of the OVA series, with Sasami’s family being reduced to just her and her “dandy” father (played fantastically by Kazuki Yao) and her mother. Unfortunately Sasami’s mother is not played by Rika Matsumoto as it was in the OVAs, however she does make an appearance latter in the series. Some of the character designs are redone such as such as Sasami’s mum and dad, but the basic plot is practically identical as the OVA series. Surprisingly the show is really high quality. The animation looks fantastic. There’s a lot of well written humour in the series as well with lots of anime parodies. However the last quarter of the show takes a turn for a fair wack of drama leading up to the climax of the series, which surprisingly is quite good. All of the cast from the “Tenchi Muyo!” OVA series make in here in one form or another such as Tenchi who is an assistant director on a Sentai TV show! Sasami’s fellow schoolmates aren’t all that developed and become a bit clichéd in their actions, but luckily they are relatively unimportant to the show. The core here is Sasami and Misao friendship. Overall a rather surprisingly well done show, especially for something which seems such a throwaway concept. Probably the best thing I’ve seen in a little while. 7.5 out of 10. Oh and by the way, the packaging says the disc is regions 1 and 4, but my discs are coded for region 1 only.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Tenchi Muyo!: Mihoshi Special/Pretty Sammy OVAs"

Publisher: Pioneer (Geneon, USA)
Format: Region 1 and 4 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 27 mins (Mihoshi), 3 Episodes x 45 mins (Sammy)
Production Date: 1994 – 1997
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: In the Mihoshi Special, Ayeka annoyed at Mihoshi’s laziness and general incompetence questions how she ever became a Galaxy Policewoman. Mihoshi responds by telling the story of "Ultra-Energy Matter”, her greatest case ever. Naturally as she tells it, the members of Masaki household become characters in the story, which involves her and her partner Kiyone Makibi saving the universe from a plot to destroy it. This OVA also marks the first appearance of Magical Girl Pretty Sammy. Oddly this disc contains the three Sammy OVAs. Sasami Kawai an ordinary primary school aged Japanese girl is asked by queen candidate Tsunami of the magical kingdom of Juraihelm to become Magical Girl Pretty Sammy. Despite her initial reluctance, Sasami agrees to do it. Tsunami gives her a baton to transform and a part rabbit, part cat talking magical creature named Ryo-Ohki who helps her. However a rival queen candidate Ramia decides to put a spanner in the works. She forces Sasami’s best friend Amano Misao against her will to transform into the evil magical girl Pixy Misa. Pixy causes chaos on Earth which Sammy has to then fix.

Mini Review: This one is a bit of a mixed bag. I never really understood why the Mihoshi Special was never included in the Tenchi Muyo DVD box set. It’s certainly a lot funnier and more enjoyable than some of the latter OVA episodes. I’ve always had a soft spot for Mihoshi. I think it’s probably because she didn’t try to hit on Tenchi like all of the other girls. The opening animation which features Mihoshi inadvertently causing havoc in a fairy tale land is really funny, as is the main program. The long suffering Kiyone also makes her first appearance here. The music video for "Pretty Sammy, the Magical Girl", originally part of the “Tenchi Muyo! Soundfile”is tacked on here during the credits of the OVA. Which brings us to the three part Pretty Sammy OVAs. For the most part they’re overlong and a little uninteresting. However as each OVA progress’, they get a little better and so does the animation. The first OVA looks really cheap and sub standard when compared to the Tenchi Muyo OVA series. The second OVA is a Bill Gates/Microsoft parody which is a little mediocre (I remember we played this at the local anime club I was co-running back in 1998. Unsure why we chose to play it though…), but the third OVA is really fun. There’s a few changes to characters like Tenchi becoming Sasami’s sister and Mihoshi as her teacher. Rika Matsumoto who played Ayaka in “Phantom Quest Corp (You-Gen-Kai-Sya)” plays Sasami’s karaoke loving mother which I thought was brilliant. I also love Chisa Yokoyama who played Sasami in just about all of the Tenchi Muyo anime. Her voice is great. Sasami is such a fun character. I just wish they’d written these OVAs a bit better. There are a lot of laughs and the magical girl genre is parodied well, but I think they’re a bit too long. They should have only been about 30 mins in length. So overall the disc gets 6.5 out of 10. I would have given more if the Mihoshi Special was the only thing on the disc.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Gin-iro no kami no Agito (Origin: Spirits of the Past)"

Publisher: Funimation (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 94 minutes
Production Date: 2006
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Story Outline: Several hundred years after a world wide disaster which wiped out civilisation as we know it, humanity has regressed to feudal like state. The forest and its aggressive trees are the dominant force on the planet. A young boy called Agito and his friend attempt to take water from the well in the forest which is forbidden. They are caught and made to do salvage work, taking items from the lost civilisation that existed before the apocalypse. Agito eventually comes across a machine which accidentally activates. Inside is a girl about his age. She is called Toola and was put into stasis centuries ago by her father as the apocalyptic disaster occurred. Toola is just beginning to come to terms with what has happened to here in the town where Agito lives, Neutral City, but she is abducted by a man named Shanuk from a nearby country named Ranga. Shanuk, like Toola, is from the same time period and was revived from stasis a few years ago. He wants to take control of the Earth back and defeat the forest. Agito is determined to get Toola back, but decides to become an enhanced human to do so. A process that will eventually turn him into a plant and finally to death, a process which his father is suffering.

Mini Review: Well first up, the story is absolutely absurd. It starts off with the images of the destruction of the world where we are asked to believe that an experiment on the moon involving plants caused the apocalypse. It’s just too hard to swallow. Sorry, a bunch a dragon like plants made their way through space to Earth, entered the atmosphere without a heat shield and defeated civilisation? Oh come on now. We also have the three sides, the forest, the war like Ranga and (snicker) Neutral City. God, they called it Neutral City for flip’s sake. It’s like a terribly unsubtle early 21st century “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” with all the soul and warmth removed and lots of action sequences added. None of the characters are terribly interesting and plot is rather dull. It’s almost like a Hollywood version of anime. Boxes are ticked, everything is resolved nicely, blah, blah, blah… Compare this film to Gonzo’s other feature of the same year “Brave Story”. Although rather flawed, at least it was really exciting, fun and had a resolution that wasn’t a cliché. Pity that film hasn’t had a decent release outside Japan (though it’s been released in English in UK, Australia and Hong Kong, albeit to a rather lukewarm response). Look, on the plus side “Origin” looks fantastic and if you switch off our brain, the story is passable. I think expected too much from this film. It’s OK, not great. 6 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 60 minutes
Production Date: 2004
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: A year after the events of the first Munto OVA, Yumemi finds herself asking what happened to Munto and the Magical Kingdom. However mysterious earthquakes and strange weather continues to baffle those on Earth, as well as the brief appearance of the islands in the sky, which previously only Yumemi could see. Despite Yumemi’s injection of Akuto into the Magical Kingdom, a new war has erupted and Yumemi begins to have more visions of the world above her. In fact the source of the mysterious happenings on Earth is the result of both worlds merging together. Yumemi’s friend Ichiko is really concerned that her visions are taking a toll on her and attempts to make her snap out of it and to live life as an ordinary girl. Despite the fact Ichiko actually saw the islands in the sky a year ago, she seemingly no longer believes in Yumemi’s visions.

Mini Review: Wow, this is one of those rare instances where the sequel is far better than the original. I did like the first Munto a lot, but had problems with a sub plot with Suzume’s character that was horribly childish. While there was a lot of action in the first OVA, here it feels a lot more spread out and gives the viewer a chance to breath. The politics and worlds floating the sky above are nicely fleshed out this time as well. I also loved the sub plot with Ichiko. That was a good story. And the ending was quite good too. Nothing is really resolved as such, or should I say it’s not resolved neatly. I found this to be really refreshing. There’s a follow up TV series which re-edits and expands the OVAs (with new animation and new voice actors) called “The World Reflected in the Eyes of the Girl Looking at the Sky (Sora o Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai)” and a movie compilation “Last War of Heavenloids and Akutoloids (Tenjo-nin to Akuto-nin Saigo no Tatakai)”, both released in 2009 but unfortunately not available commercially in English yet. This OVA however gets a respectable 7 out of 10 from me.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Munto"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 50 minutes
Production Date: 2003
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: Yumemi Hidaka has been able to see floating islands in the sky since she was small. However no one else can see them. She has learnt the hard was to keep this a secret and carries a pink umbrella with her whenever she goes out so she can’t see the islands. But she starts to have new visions where a red headed boy who calls himself Munto keeps asking her to lend her power to him so his kingdom can be saved. Munto is from the Magical Kingdom which is being attacked by other nations and is in danger of falling. Even worse is the fact he is running out of a power called Akuto which Yumemi has, and she should be able to give Munto the power to save his kingdom. If Munto doesn’t succeed and convince the reluctant Yumemi to help him, not only will he die and his kingdom fall from the sky, but Yumemi’s world will also be crushed by the falling kingdom, hence the unexplained earthquakes in her world.

Mini Review: See, Kyoto Animation can produce other stuff than that sappy Key “moe girls in peril” stuff (Kanon, Clannad etc). However this OVA does contain a LOT of elements from the Key based moe anime. For the most part we go back and forth between the many well choreographed battles in the Magical World as well as some of the politics behind it, and the real world which is very much slice of life and a lot like Air or Clannad. The one plot point which really crapped me was the one with Yumemi’s incredibly childlike friend Suzume, who sounds like and acts like she has regressed to the age of a four year old. She has a boyfriend named Kazuya who performs a “marriage ceremony” with her together where they cross the river, making everyone think they’re committing suicide. But no! They’re showing that can overcome any obstacle together! Oh how heart warming... Jesus, make vomit... Ignoring this rather sickening melodramatic cotton candy fluff for the mind, the show looked fantastic and was a bit of treat. I quite enjoyed this for the most part. 6.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "L/R: Licensed by Royalty"

Publisher: Pioneer (Geneon, USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 13 Episodes x 25 minutes
Production Date: 2003
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes (Madman Entertainment, Australia)

Story Outline: Jack Hofner and Rowe Rikenbacker are “L/R”; two secret agents from the government of Ishtar’s secret service unit called Cloud 7. Their job involves protecting the reputation of the Royal family of Ishtar which is often dangerous or politically sensitive. The pair are soon involved in the strange quest to find the “15 Year Princess” in which eventually a country girl named Noelle is revealed to be the true heir to the throne. However a conspiracy is soon revealed that threatens the Royal Family and several corporations in Noelle’s home country of Ivory Island.

Mini Review: OK, so Ishtar is meant to be England, and judging from the bombings, the accents and the bad blood between the two countries, Ivory Island is meant to be Ireland. Or maybe it’s meant to be Wales with all of that mining... Anyway this show boils down to a couple of secret agents in a sort-of-kind-of slightly futuristic Britain protecting the monarchy from embarrassment and theft. The main problem here is the story. It’s dull as hell. The action sequences aren’t very interesting. If you have a look at the promotional film that both the Japanese and US divisions of Pioneer used to promote the show, of the four sequences in that film only bit of the first sequence and the fight against the blimp sequence actually made it into the show. The more exciting sequences which involve the launching of the mini jet plane down a motorway and the fuel tanker chase and explosion never appear in the show. The promo film is obviously cut down from a pilot film for the series, which is much more exciting and much better animated than the final TV series. Add in the absurd 15 year old princess sub plot, the show stinks a bit really. The Beatles references are OK, though Mr Penny Lane was a bit daft of a reference. Surprisingly the dub for this show was really good, and I don’t listen to dubs. Sounded like they used British actors, however some the dialogue is very much American, not British. Overall? OK, not brilliant. 5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Takegami: Guardian of Darkness"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 3 Episodes x 43 minutes
Production Date: 1990 - 1992
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: Teenage schoolgirl Terumi is constantly bullied by female students. She has a crush on childhood friend Kouichi, definitely the guy most of the girls go for, but unfortunately his self appointed girlfriend is the main girl that taunts Terumi. However Kouichi has got problems of his own. Someone or something is murdering women. Kouichi hears a voice that makes him believe some sort of demon maybe killing these women. He also has to deal with a mysterious Buddhist nun who is following him around. Meanwhile Terumi has suddenly gone from a homely girl to a complete babe. What has happened is that Terumi has been possessed by a dragon and ends up killing people against her will. The Buddhist nun explains to Kouichi that he is possessed by a god called Susano and that he must destroy the awaking dragons before they destroy the world. However how will he kill the dragon inside Terumi without killing her?

Mini Review: There seemed to be this period in anime where mecha (especially combat suits) were combined with ancient Japanese legends. This OVA series is yet another one of those. It’s OK, not too brilliant. Some great action sequences and the plot and characters develop nicely. Even though we’re told that Terumi is an ugly mo fo, well, I’d think you’d find it really hard to find anyone that would accept that she was ugly. She’s a bit of a babe, even before the transformation. Masami Obari did the character and monster designs, and they’re classics Obari designs, before everything stated looking plastic and horrible into the late 1990’s onwards. Overall, a little average. 6 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Geobreeders 2 (Breakthrough)"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 4 Episodes x 26 minutes
Production Date: 2000
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: A direct continuation of the first OVA series. Kagura Total Security has just paid all of its bills and has decked out it’s office with new equipment. However an unknown female sniper who has a grudge against Maki takes out the entire office when she shoots a gas main. Kagura Total Security find they aren’t welcome at the usual temporary accommodation they normally use, so they decide to go on the road after receiving a request from a client. However they are attacked not only by the female sniper, but the phantom cats along the highway. Eventually they managed to get lost in the rural setting after shaking off their pursuers. Meanwhile the phantom cats are hatching a new plan.

Mini Review: The follow series which I hadn’t seen until now (yes, yes, a decade behind in my anime watching...). The show is still silly, but I found there was a lot of wasted time in the first two OVAs, especially with the rather dull sub plot where the girls (and boy) are lost in rural Japan. However there were some really funny moments. Even if the plot makes little sense (such as why the sniper woman has a set on Maki), it delivers on laughs quite regularly. As before fantastic designs, great action sequences (with more than a few John Woo references), but not quite as good as the first series. 6.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Geobreeders"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 3 Episodes x 30 minutes
Production Date: 1998
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: Ayagane City is overrun by digital entities called phantom cats. Their true form is an actual cat, however they can transform into humans and have the ability to talk with real humans as well as entering computers and machines operated by computers so that they can escape via phone lines or control machines. The phantom cats are plotting something and have caused many disturbances throughout the city. Luckily a company called Kagura Total Security is on the case to rid the city of the problem, for a price though. They don’t work for free. Their work causes many headaches for government anti-Phantom Cats military team Hound, as Kagura usually ends their jobs with a lot of collateral damage. After completing a job, Kagura CEO Yuka Kikushima orders the hen pecked Yoichi Taba (the only male at Kagura) to go back to the scene of the last job search for several missing talismans which they use to seal the phantom cats. While he is away a group of men disguised as mailmen, delivery men and even the local newspaper chopper shoot up the Kagura office and abduct Maya, a phantom cat that Yoichi has adopted. Yoichi returns and pleads with Yuka to save Maya. However Maya has been kidnapped as part of a huge conspiracy that Kagura will have to crush.

Mini Review: Gotta love 1990’s OVAs. This is another beauty. I remember playing this show at the old anime club I used to run back in the very late 1990’s. The show itself is like a continuation of the manga, so if haven’t read it, this OVA series is going to make absolutely no sense whatsoever. However the action here (and trying figure out the plot) makes it really good OVA series. Not the best thing ever made, however it’s really slickly produced, colourful and glossy like all 1990’s OVA should be. A load of fun even if it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense (I've read the manga, but it was a long time ago). 7 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Garzey's Wing"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 3 Episodes x 30 minutes
Production Date: 1996 - 1997
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: While riding home on his motorcycle, Christopher Senshu notices the beads on his necklace are bouncing up and down. He writes it off to being the power coming from a local shrine, however seemingly part of his spirit is taken away to a parallel universe by what seems to be a giant duck. He lands in the world of Byston Well with a small fairy like creature named Falan Fa who is a Fellario, a being also from another world but abundant in Byston Well. All around Chris a war seems to have broken out. In fact it is the escape of the Metomeus tribe from slavery of Ashigaba people. Chris is told by the people of Metomeus that he has been summoned by a sooth sayer like woman named Hassan and that he is a Holy Warrior who will free their people. Chris is rather confused by all of this, but helps them anyway. He soon discovers that part of his soul is still left on Earth and that he can communicate with that Chris. However if the Chris dies in Byston Well, the Chris on Earth will die. Also anytime Chris is injured in Byston Well, the Chris on Earth suffers the consequences. Chris follows the Metomeus tribe on their journey to the Barju Tree and has to help fight off numerous attacks from Ashigaba who want the slaves back so they can finish building a temple.

Mini Review: This series has a really bad rep and it’s easy to see why. Like a lot of Yoshiyuki Tomino’s work, it is a bit of a mess and it’s really hard to get into any of the characters. In particular Chris is really hard to sympathise with. There’s a ton of characters and lot of plot is shoved into a small time frame. This is really bad on two levels; the audience is confused as hell as to what is meant to be going on and there is no time at all to give any of the characters any depth. The show is a prequel as such to “Aura Battler Dunbine” and even starts the same way with a teenager being spirited away to another world while riding a bike. You’ve also got Tomino’s misplaced and grating humour. It seems so out of place in a show which is so serious and grim at points. Those wanted to see the Aura Battlers from the original series will be disappointed. There’s not a robot in sight here. A lot of monsters though, which makes it feel a lot different to the Dunbine TV series. The two Chris’ didn’t make a whole lot of sense either as well as a number of plot points that just weren’t followed up on. For example the Chris on Earth tells Byston Well Chris how to make a gun and he asks one of the Metomeus people to manufacture one (whilst they are on the run from the Ashigaba army mind you ) and then it’s left at that. It’s never followed up. Also the ending, I’m assuming the two halves of Chris joined up? The end credits seem to indicate maybe, but it’s never explained. Not as bad as people make out, however it’s exceptionally mediocre. 5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Garaga"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 100 minutes
Production Date: 1989
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: In the 23rd century, humankind breaks the light speed barrier and travels the universe via a warp gate constructed from three black holes. In 2755 the cargo ship XeBeC is on a mission to transport two people in stasis across the galaxy. However something goes wrong with the warp and the XeBeC’s fuel cells fail and explode. The crew decide to ditch the craft and head for the escape shuttle with their cargo. Unfortunately the shuttle crashes on an Earth like planet, making escape impossible. However the crew all survive and so does their cargo. Not knowing where they are in the universe, they explore the swampy marsh the ship has crashed in and discover dinosaur like creatures which attack them and worse still what seems to be race of hostile ape like creatures who aren’t happy to see them. To add to their ever growing list of woes, there seems to be a saboteur in their ranks and a mysterious blonde lady lurks in the shadows helping crew member Jay when he goes exploring on his own. Soon a conspiracy about the ownership of the planet is revealed with the crew of the XeBeC smack bang in the middle of it.

Mini Review: Ah geez, what a daft film. To be totally honest I lost interest about half way through. The film seems adequately designed and lot of it seems similar to other anime of the period (which really dates it). The story is pretty daft and quite a chore to get through. Couple this with the TV budget animation. Not good for what is meant to be a theatrical feature. Highly unoriginal and dull as hell. I’ll give it 4 out of 10 for some of the designs.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Darkside Blues"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 83 minutes
Production Date: 1994
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes (ADV Films re-release)

Story Outline: Sometime in the future, almost the entire planet is owned by the private corporation Persona Century. Only a few free areas remain on the planet. One of them is Kabuki-cho in modern day Shinjuku. Here is where the rebel force named Messiah is most concentrated. Because of this, the run down city is considered to be the dark side of Tokyo. Despite the Persona Century corporation cracking down hard on Messiah, they continue to survive. Add into the mix a young boy Kitari who seems to have sort of power around him. Life in the city is changed when a mysterious man who calls himself Darkside comes from space in horse drawn carriage, seemingly to protect the citizens of the town.

Mini Review: What a strange movie this is. The problem I had with it is that it seems to have no form. We can see that those running Persona Century are bastards, but the motley group of freedom fighters just seem so disorganised. Add in the weirdness and supernatural elements with Darkside, Kitari and an old lady and her cat at what seems to be a magical hotel where people go to ask for help or advice. It just seems rather loose and didn’t go anywhere. Characters seemed to be focused on for no reason other than they were there. All rather strange and unfocused for me. Though this show looks like a Madhouse production with Yoshiaki Kawajiri at the helm, it’s not. It’s a J.C. Staff show based upon a Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D, Demon City Shinjuku) manga. The show looks great, but it just didn’t make a whole lot of sense. 5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Kakurenbo (Hide & Seek)"

Publisher: U.S. Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 25 minutes
Production Date: 2004
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Story Outline: In a practically abandoned part of Tokyo, seemingly part of another dimension, children are rumoured to play a game called "Otokoyo", a game of hide and seek. However it is also rumoured that demons sometime take away those children who dare to play. Those who wish to play arrive at the gate of the abandoned town at night in traditional fox masks. The game requires seven children to play, however eight show up. The game starts, however the children soon discover that the demons are real and that escape is practically impossible.

Mini Review: This is a one off short film made with cel shaded CGI. It certainly works a lot better than films like “Appleseed” or “Vexile”. This is probably because of the small scope of the film and the fact you can’t see the kid’s faces due to the masks they’re wearing. God the sing-song traditional Japanese hide and seek call is really creepy. Prefect for horror. For the most part, this short was quite fun and had quite a good story. 6.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Battle Angel (Gunnm)"

Publisher: ADV Films (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 2 Episodes x 25 minutes
Production Date: 1993
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Story Outline: In another time, perhaps on another planet a pristine and white city called Zalem hangs in the sky. Down below is the Scrap Iron City and the "Factory" that supplies the floating city with everything it needs. The ground is like a dump for the Zalem, and Scrap Iron City is a dirty, rundown, lawless and poverty stricken place. Ido, a cyber doctor, trawls through the dumped cyborg parts from Zalem looking for usable pieces. He happens upon a head and torso of a female cyborg, and upon discovering she is still alive takes her back to his surgery to rebuild her. Ido names her Gally. Unfortunately for Gally she can't remember a thing about her past, but she seems happy enough living with Ido in the town.

Due to the lawlessness of the town, crimes such as spinal column theft and even mutants who eat brains have become common. Gally notices that Ido frequently head out at night, and sometimes comes back with unexplained injuries. Gally is suspects he may be a spinal column thief, and follows him the next night. She discovers that he is a Hunter-Warrior, a kind of Bounty Hunter. Ido is overpowered by one of the mutants, but Gally reacts angrily and with great force kills and defeats both of the mutants. Ido is surprised at her strength. Gally is invigorated by the fight and tells Ido that she wants to become a Hunter-Warrior. Ido initially doesn't want her to take up a dangerous profession, but later accepts it as and makes her his partner after she becomes a licensed Hunter-Warrior.

One of the brain eating cyborg-mutants that Gally and Ido have previously defeated, Grewecia, has been rebuilt and challenges Gally to a fight to the death. Grewecia, a former wrestler, has been rebuilt by Chiren, Ido's former cyber-doctor partner from the days when both of them lived in Zalem, before they were expelled for unknown reasons. Chiren hates being in the town and wants to return to Zalem with Ido, except he would prefer to stay in Scrap Iron City and help the locals survive. Chiren develops a hatred against him. Meanwhile Gally has to contend with the discovery of her friend Yugo's illegal second job, spinal column theft. He is desperately trying to escape the hell hole that is Scrap Iron City, and he thinks that he can buy his way there by paying a local criminal, Vector. Unfortunately Gally may be forced to arrest her best friend or even kill him.

Mini Review: I really miss the OVA format. It was such a great format to show off short works that really didn’t have the legs for TV series length shows, or were a bit of a financial risk for cinema outings, or too violent for TV. Here is a prime example of what the format could do when funded properly and coupled with a great story. I'm probably speaking to the converted here as I reckon nearly every anime fan has seen it and has some sort of opinion on this show. What I really like about it is the underlying theme of "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer". To me it reminds me of how First World countries treat Third World countries. I'm not too sure if that's what Yukito Kishiro, the writer of the manga, had in mind though. Judging by his other manga "Ashen Victor", and the manga version of "Battle Angel Atlita", it was just bone crushing violence, but I'll have read a bit more of his work before I make a final judgement. Rin Taro (Metropolis, "X") and Nobuteru Yuki (Record of Lodoss War) were involved in the production (supervisor and character designer respectively). With those two, you can't lose. Fantastic little show. So glad ADV re-released it, as James Cameron’s live action version ain’t coming for a while. 8.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Champion Joe (Tomorrow's Joe)"

Publisher: Tai Seng (USA)
Format: Region free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese Subtitles
Length: 152 minutes
Production Date: 1980 (1970 - 1971)
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Story Outline: A young man named Joe Yabuki runs away from the orphanage he has lived in all his life. He soon runs into a homeless man named Danpei who was a former boxer and trainer. Joe resists Danpei’s attempt to get him to become a boxer, but he can clearly see his talent and persists. However Joe is sent to gaol where he gets into a fight with other inmates including the leader Nishi. Because the ruckus, Joe and Nishi end up being transferred to a juvenile prison where they are harassed by other inmates. The leader of the inmates, Rikiishi, clashes with Joe and the two of them constantly fight. Danpei doesn’t give up and communicates boxing lessons to Joe via mail. Latter Danpei is allowed to train Joe and others in the prison and a match is set up with Joe and Rikiishi which inspires other inmates to take up boxing. Upon his release, Rikiishi vows to return to professional boxing which he abandoned when he went to gaol. Latter Joe and Nishi are released and after getting the disgraced Danpei back into the boxing federation, Joe soon works his way up to the top of his weight division in boxing. However he soon has to confront Rikiishi again, and Rikiishi will do anything in his power to win.

Mini Review: Holy mother of god. Compare what was screening on TV in the west in terms of cartoons in 1970 then compare with this. Yes, another sports anime I’ve watched, however this is the big daddy of sports anime (screened a couple of years before “Aim for the Ace!”). It’s really gritty, violent, cruel and something which I thought was unusual, it’s focus is squarely on the working poor. Certainly a lot, if not the greater majority of anime and children’s fare in Japan focused on middle class to upper class situations. This anime shows the grime and squalor of the literally dirt poor lower rungs of Japanese society in vivid detail. Also the desperation and the nothing to lose attitude of the characters is quite noticeable too. The director was of course Osamu Dezaki (though Mizubo Nishikubo constructed this theatrical compilation of the TV series) and his style and trademarks are quite apparent, despite the fact this is the first TV series he directed. Certainly this movie edit is a little bit slow to start, however it soon picks up and the focus of the show (boxing) comes into clear view. I think I’d prefer seeing the TV series over this 1980 cut of the show and it is quite long at over two and a half hours. However that last hour and a half are really well written and very dramatic. Plus it’s really unlikely we’ll see the TV show in English ever. 7.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "The Prince of Tennis"

Publisher: Viz Media (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 50 Episodes x 25 minutes
Production Date: 2001 - 2002
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Story Outline: Tennis prodigy Ryoma Echizen enrols at Seishun Academy (known affectionately as Seigaku), a private junior high school with a talented tennis club which is feared by other high schools that come up against them in competition. Though first year players generally end up doing track work and picking tennis balls, Ryoma ends up on the team of “regulars” who are the key players in defending Seigaku’s title in tennis championships. However Ryoma doesn’t have an easy time in getting to become one of the regulars, and he keeps having to up the ante every time he meets a new foe on the tennis courts.

Mini Review: Sports anime and manga are pretty much formulaic when it comes down to the basic structure of them. First you have the main character which strives to become an elite player usually from an underprivileged background, you have the rather mean challengers who ultimately become friends with our hero, a spots journalist that sees potential in our hero, a coach that also sees that same potential, a love interest and clueless hanger-on’s who are pretty much there to fill in those reading watching who have no idea about the rules of the particular sport. Most of all there must be techniques or abilities displayed by the sportsmen which are absurdly superhuman. Pretty much this show ticks all those boxes. Except Ryoma is a conceited little jerk. While just about every other character is quite likeable, I just felt cold towards Ryoma. His precocious talent is explained away by his father Nanjiro Echizen who was a world champ. Ryoma has essentially copied all of his moves.

In the 50 episodes that have been released in English (I doubt Viz will release another DVD set, let alone the remaining 128 episodes), the romance between Ryoma and the girl who is smitten with him, Sakuno, never develops. Instead we are pretty much treated to an almost nonstop barrage of tennis battles, some more absurd and physics defying than others. However I think the best material here is the character interactions of the other tennis players. They’re infinitely more interesting than Ryoma who is quite dull and almost emotionless. Inui, Eiji and Momo are the most interesting. Tezuka and his injury is a very interesting subplot, but we are only given tantalising hints during these 50 episodes. However when tennis is not the focus and it tries comedy, the results are pretty disastrous and cringe inducing. There’s some really stupid stuff like the street tennis court (oh no, it’s the toughness of street tennis!) and some odd translations like calling the umpire a “chair judge”. Like what is that? A guy which judges chairs at a furniture craftsman competition? Overall kind of mixed, but well worth a watch. Pity the 50th episode ends on a cliff hanger part way through a tennis match. Stupid Viz. 6.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Super Robot Red Baron"

Publisher: BCI Eclipse (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue and English Subtitles
Length: 39 Episodes x 25 minutes
Production Date: 1973 - 1974
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes (Mill Creek Entertainment DVD reissue)

Story Outline: Supposedly set in the year 2005 (though this is no mention of this in the show itself), an evil organisation named the Iron Alliance steals hundreds of giant robots from a world robot expo in Tokyo. However the Secret Science Investigation (SSI) are on the case and set about beating the heck out of the Iron Alliance’s minions. Robot scientist Kurenai Kenichiro foresees his own kidnapping by the Iron Alliance and turns over to his brother, Ken, a giant robot he has been building in secret; Red Baron. Luckily Ken is a member of the SSI and with his other teammates they take out evil robots every week, with Inspector Kumono, the “bicycle inspector”, who has a umbrella with a gun in it as well as the umbrella itself being a bulletproof shield.

Mini Review: This show was a follow up to “Iron King” I watched a week or so back. This show is a lot more competently made and scripted and far less insane than Iron King, which is a bit of a disappointment. However there’s some really weird stuff such as the SSI commander’s grand piano in the SSI’s ready room which doubles as a communications device when you play the keyboard. The bicycle inspector is a bit annoying at times, as well as the three kids who irregularly appear. There’s also weirdness in some really obvious product placement with Mobil service stations and logos plastered just about everywhere including the garage which is a cover for the SSI and the team’s vehicles. With the loss of two cast at the end of the first season (at episode 26), the last 13 episodes change the tone of the series a little bit and I thought it was a bit weak towards the end. However, the ending was fantastic. Bob Sakuma who did the music for Gatchaman did the music for this series and it sounds a little like outtakes from that show. Even real a piece BGM from Gatchaman appears in the first moments in the first episode, remixed slightly. So a little uneven, but the good stuff outweighs the bad. 7 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).