Publisher: AnimEigo (USA)Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Dub and English Subtitles
Length: 50 mins
Production Date: 1987
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes
Story Outline: An experimental robot co-developed between the US military and the Japanese Self Defence Force, is being transported on a highway. Unfortunately an accident occurs on a overpass destroying the truck transporting it and flinging the robot into the back of a tech student’s truck below. When the student returns to the garage he is working in, he shows fellow student and friend Kouji Sugimoto the strange box which he has found in his truck; actually the untransformed robot. Kouji convinces him to help him take the metal unit back to his apartment. After discovering the manual, which he doesn’t read, the box suddenly unfolds into a robot and stupidly Kouji ends up trapped inside the robot and ends up riding around the city occasionally destroying stuff. Before Kouji stupidly got trapped in the robot, called Madox-01, he received a note from his former girlfriend, Onose Haruo, whom he recently broke up with. She wants meet up with him at the observation deck in building downtown before she heads overseas to study. Pity he’s stuck in the Madox-01. Still he plans to see her, robot and all. However the military are on to Kouji and wish to recover their robot. In particular Lt. Kilgore who wants to blast the hell out of the machine as he lost to it in practice run. He doesn’t care if a civilian is in it or not. Luckily for Kouji part the Japanese/American developer of the robot project, Ellie Kusumoto, wants to save Kouji and the machine.
Mini Review: OK, let’s face it, this mid 1980’s OVA which isn’t all that original. You have the stupid kid with the “appropriated” military mecha, hot girlfriend, battle in a city environment and loonie military man who wants to destroy it. Now essentially isn’t that the plot to “Megazone 23”? I really don’t think the creators of this OVA thought they were making anything substantial. It’s fun, nothing more. The only real problem I had was that I wish Kouji was a fraction brighter, and that Kilgore wasn’t such a cliché. Shinji Aramaki who unfortunately is now known more for those soulless “Appleseed” CGI films than his old work, wrote the story of this OVA as well as directed. The character designs look really familiar, however they come from Hideki Tamura who really hasn’t done anything else besides key animation in OVAs such as “Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko” and the fantastic opening animation from “Prefectural Earth Defense Force”. Hideaki Anno was also a key animator on this OVA. Not brilliant, has aged substantially, the plot has some holes and it’s silly. But it is fun. And as I have the 15th anniversary edition from AnimEigo (15 years since they released the original subbed VHS back in 1989), it comes with really funny interview with CEO Robert J. Woodhead who’s a complete laugh. When asked “is there anything you want to share with the fans”, he pretends to take down his pants! Great little extra. Also included is the original video extra from the Japanese release which has the JSDF going through mock combat exercises. 6.5 out of 10.
Remaining Backlog: 21 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).
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