Video Backlog: "The Great Horror Family"

Publisher: Bandai Entertainment (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Subtitles
Length: 13 Episodes x 24 minutes
Production Date: 2004
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

Like “Vampire Host (released as Bloodhound)”, this is another strange Japanese TV comedy/drama release from Bandai Entertainment. I’m still really unsure what exactly their aim was in releasing these shows. There never seemed to be any promotion that I recall for the three dramas they released. In the light of the fact this show was created and partly directed by Takashi Shimizu, the man who directed the “Ju-on” movies (later remade by himself in Hollywood as “The Grudge”), it’s even more curious that very little fuss was made about this show. Oh, and despite the cover, there is no animation all in this show. In fact the depictions of the cast on the cover don’t appear in the show at all. However the end credits consist of similar drawings though.

The series revolves around the Imawano family. They have just moved into a new home, a house which the real estate had difficulty trying to sell. The house seems fine to the family except for a trange room downstairs which the doors seems to be permanently locked. However the grandfather, Fuchio Imawano (Shunji Fujimura) knows there is something wrong and gather the family to tell them. Unfortunately he drops dead before he can explain himself. Strange things begin to happen about the house. Twenty something son, Kiyoshi Imawano (Issei Takahashi), wakes one night to find a strange female sprit haunting him and asking if she is pretty enough. He manages to escape and later finds himself inside “the room that cannot be opened”. There he is flabbergasted to find the spirit of his grandfather. His grandfather explains that he now has the power to see and communicate with sprits and it his duty to solve the mystery of why the house seems to be attracting all kinds of ghosts, demons and even aliens. However, soon the entire family gains the same abilities to see sprits, with the ironic exception of paranormal phenomenon obsessed father, Osamu Imawano (Moro Morooka).

Like previously mentioned “Vampire Host”, this show really surprised me. I suppose with the talented Takashi Shimizu being the creator, I shouldn’t be surprised. However the production values are most certainly TV standard (and like “Vampire Host” it was screened in the wee hours of the night), with it being shot on video and some rather cheap (but often rather effective) optical special effects. The key to the show I think is in the writing. It’s almost constantly quite witty and for many of the episodes there is a very dark line of humour running through it. A lot of traditional and not so traditional Japanese horror/folk tales are given a rather inventive and highly original comedic spin. Some of my favourites include the episode where an old hag monster shows up to infiltrate the home under the guise of grandma’s friend, and the cursed gothic lolita who wreaks revenge on the senior high school daughter in the family.

The cast are also pretty damn good and avoid hamming it up too much. The standouts for me were the two grandparents. Shunji Fujimura who plays grandpa Fuchio Imawano grandpa is probably better known to western audiences as the horse (in human form of course) from “Monkey!”, and Watari in the live action “Death Note” movies. He underpays the character really well. Tomiko Ishii who plays Kiwa Imawano, is a scream as the grandma, who seems to have developed some sort of psychic abilities and is always munching on rice crackers. You may have seen her before in “20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End” and “Shall We Dance?” The son, Kiyoshi Imawano, played by Issei Takahashi (“Meatball Machine”, “Swing Girls”, “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” and Seiji Amasawa in “Whisper of the Heart”), does a really good job too in his role. He’s manic but not too over the top. I also like Shoichiro Masumoto as the hapless monk who tries to help the family the ends up as a sprit for the remained of the show, after being run over (he has a tyre mark over his face as a spirit). Nao Oikawa who plays Asami, the spirit of the dead girl who initially haunts then sticks by Kiyoshi. She’s very effective as the rather creepy long haired spirit. That’s quite an achievement, considering her former career as an AV actress (in other words porn star). Despite her past she’s managed to appear in mainsteam fare like the live action drama version of “Negima!: Magister Negi Magi” and “Engine Sentai Go-onger”. Just as a side note, I noticed that cosplay superstar Yunmao Ayakawa appears in a cameo in an episode. While the show was rather funny and well written, at times it was just way too silly. Also the last three episodes (directed by Takashi Shimizu himself) force the show to come to a resolution. At this point I really felt it lost a lot of its humour and was hell bent on having a conclusive, rousing climax. In the end it’s a fun show, but it is let down by too much silliness and an ending which is determined to tie everything together no matter what. 6 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Girl’s High"

Publisher: Anime Works (Media Blasters, USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Subtitles
Length: 12 Episodes x 24 minutes
Production Date: 2006
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Eriko Takahashi, Yuma Suzuki and Ayano Sato are graduating from middle school to high school. The three of them have been friends since middle school. Eriko, a bit of a scatterbrain, decides that it would be a great idea to visit and explore the school the day before the new term. After making their new school uniform skirts into micro minis using scissors, the trio meet another trio; Akari Kouda, Kyoko Himeji and Ikue Ogawa. The three of them are exploring the school as well, but mistake Eriko and co as seniors, which then Eriko runs with and proceeds to make up various stories about high school. However it backfires badly as the three girls end up with the other three in the same class. Eriko and Akari become enemies, but when they are mistakenly locked up in a room and left there after hours, the two of them put aside differences and all six girls become friends.

Seriously, that’s about all there is in terms of plot to this show. Apart from one quite serious two parter, it’s pretty much self-contained single episode comedy. Early on particularly and in the last episode there was a focus on some rather exploitative fan service (mostly of the panties fetish kind), but surprisingly most of that evaporates after the first couple of episodes. If you deleted the fan service shots, you could mistake this show as shoujo. Almost. Once the show becomes a bit settled after the second episode, there are some very funny interactions between the main cast members. I particularly liked the episode where everyone mistakenly thinks Akari has some sort of terminal illness. Then there’s the one where Ayano’s parents and later her friends give her boyfriend a serious grilling to see if he is worthy of her or not. The show is certainly not without its faults though. A lot of the animation it’s all that great. There is a lot of off model animation which cheapens the show. A lot of the exploitative stuff I didn’t really like. Yes, that also cheapened the show for me, albeit in a different way.

Of note is the end animation which is by Yasuomi Umetsu of “Kite” and “Mezzo Forte” infamy. He certainly makes the character designs his own and the girls truly look like they his own creations. I note that this series has been adapted from a manga and a ton of secondary characters have been cut from the show. However the staff has included Nao Koshiba and Mōri Sayaka known ij the manga as the “Takarazuka Pair” for obvious reasons. I sort of wish more was done with these two characters. Here they just sort of seem to appear do their throwaway gags then off they go again. At the very least they aren’t over used. A couple of teachers also get some time in the show; Odagiri, a narcissistic teacher who thinks his god’s gift to women, and “Macho” Matsuo, the PE teacher who shows off. Certainly the former character works a lot better and is milked for more laughs than the latter. I think overall the show isn’t too bad. There were some real laugh out moments but some of the comedy was a bit inconstant. The show probably has just enough steam to last its 12 episodes. A fun show, but not really an essential one to watch. 6.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Dokkoida?! (Living in the Cosmos House - Foolish Dokkoida's Great Battle)"

Publisher: Geneon (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles
Length: 12 Episodes x 24 minutes
Production Date: 2003
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes (Sentai Filmworks re-release)

Suzuo Sakurazaki can’t catch a break. Everywhere he goes he finds that employment is hard to find. Businesses are going broke and every time he secures a job the company ends up in bankruptcy. However out of the blue a young girl named Tanpopo asks Suzuo to work part time and asks him only to wear a belt and transform into a superhero. Naturally this raises some suspicions in Suzuo’s mind, especially with the fact a job is being offered by some prepubescent girl. While he initially declines the offer, sheer desperation forces him back. Much to his surprise however, he discovers that the belt actually makes him transform into an actual superhero, Dokkoida, and that he ends up fighting alien villains. Tanpopo is actually an alien who works for a toy company which has decided to go into the powered suit business.

The Galaxy Federation Police (GFP) has decided to buy up some powered suits to offset the fact they don’t have the personnel to do the job (they keep losing staff due to the dangerous work). Two companies have been chosen and the one that wins the testing will win the contract. The GFP have also decided to set three Class A criminals loose in order to test the products. Of course the testing ground is earth and unbeknownst to both companies and all three villains, they all live together in the Cosmos House apartment unit block, in their human disguises of course. The apparent block is run by GFP and while the occupants become close friends, they never seem to figure out they are living beside criminals and corporate rivals.

There are probably a few too many sentai/tokusatsu parodies. I think for the most part this one doesn’t really differentiate itself for all the others. The business/hero thing has been done many times before and much better. The Dokkoida suit itself is much like a cross between Ultraman and Kamen Rider with a name similar to Kikaida. Not exactly original either. The characters are for the most part the usual tropes. You have two busy women, one a beer drinking tomboy who is Tanpopo’s rival, the other a literal dominatrix who is a master criminal, complete with male slave who she continually whips and drips hot wax onto. You also have a second master criminal, who in alien form is a magical girl type and the final master criminal, an evil male scientist, with sexy robot girl. The artwork and set up reminded me a lot of the stuff AIC was churning out on the mid to late 1990’s, stuff which I really didn’t like.

But somehow this show really grew on me. In particular the focus on the relationships between the Cosmos House inhabitants was quite well done. The clincher was probably a number of episodes towards the end, in particular the one about the doctor’s robot girl was rather touching, if rather clichéd. There are also a number of quite well done anime parodies in the show, including a quite well hidden “Grave of the Fireflies” one. While it was a rather mediocre to bad show at the start of the series, it improved vastly mid-way onwards, with a pretty good end to the show. 6 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Shin Angyo Onshi (Blade of the Phantom Master)"

Publisher: ADV Films (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles
Length: 87 minutes
Production Date: 2004
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes (Funimation re-release)

In a land much like feudal Korea, a man named Munsu crosses the desert. Down to his last drop of water, he is saved by a young man named Monryo. He tells Munsu that he wishes to become an Amen Osa, a king of champion of justice. However a group of cannibalistic goblins attack them both with Monryo dying when hit by a spear. Munsu makes a deal with the goblins to eat the corpse of Monryo in order to save himself. However as he leaves he sets off an explosive charge he has hidden inside Monryo’s body, killing all of the goblins. Munsu then travels to Monryo’s homeland, which is ruled by an evil lord. Munsu fights off his army by summoning his battalion of solider spirits, and in doing so the lord is defeated. However a young girl with amazing fighting skills is sent out in a last ditch effort to defeat him. The girl is Chun-Hyang, Monryo’s former sweetheart. She has been hypnotised into fighting, but regains her senses when she sees Monryo’s headband which Munsu is wearing. Upon hearing that Monryo is dead, Chun-Hyang takes it upon herself to become Munsu’s Sando, an Amen Osa’s bodyguard. Munsu practically ignores her as he travels, but soon accepts her offer reluctantly.

Munsu is not wandering the countryside aimlessly. His home country, Jushin, has been destroyed and he is out to wreak revenge on the man who killed the king of that country, who was also a dear friend. On their travels, Munsu and Sando come across a young man called Jyun. He has swum from his island home to the mainland asking for help. Against his better judgment, Munsu travels to the island with Sando and the boy. There the village elders explain that Jyun is suffering from shock because his family was killed by pirates which had attacked the island. Munsu decides to stay on the island for a few days at the instance of the elders. But he soon discovers that something is not quite right with the village and it seems to centre on a priest named Yuite who can seemingly preform miracles such as bringing the dead back to life.

This Korean and Japanese co-production is based on a bestselling manhwa by Youn In-wan and Yang Kyung-il. It seems to be based on stories from feudal Korea including several historical figures. As far as I can figure out, most of the movie seems to be based upon the events in the 11th volume of the manhwa. I really didn’t know what to expect and had some quite low expectations. Unfortunately not even those low expectations were met. For starters the looks of the film feels like faux anime. It’s a copy of anime and manga, shonnen manga in particular, let’s be honest. This is the show’s major hurdle and not one that is confined to this film. The history of Korean animation back to the early 1970’s clearly shows a direct influence (some would say completely rip off in many cases) from Japanese animation. This film is no different. Sure it looks and feels like anime, but there’s just something a bit wrong about it. Things like Monryo’s pet desert bat for instance. It’s a rather silly and out of place element stuck in what is a highly nihilistic and ultimately depressing shonnen anime. And that’s the second thing wrong with this film; Munsu is a real prick. There’s nothing in his character at all which I could sympathise with.

There are some issues with other characters too, in particular Chun-Hyang/Sando. There’s this one scene where she nervously decides not to follow Munsu over a rope bridge. It’s not explained at all in the film but she is afraid of heights. Her actions in this scene weren’t explained at all and not elaborated later on in the film either. It’s like the makers of the film expected the audience to be familiar with the characters. The pacing plot also leave a lot be desired. It’s like two separate films; the first half where we are introduced to Munsu and Chun-Hyang/Sando, and the second half with Jyun and his island home. I really don’t think this works well at all. You also have long stretches where nothing particular is happening. The film at times struggles to fill its 87 minute runtime. The saving grace is the action scenes. They are very well choreographed, especially towards the end of the film. Overall the film looks and feels like a generic shonnen action piece. It’s all very ho-hum and a bit of a downer with its nihilistic lead character. The action scenes where brilliant and for mostly that, I’ll give it 5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Bubblegum Crisis"

Publisher: Toshiba/Happinet Pictures (Japan)
Format: Region 2 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles
Length: 2 Episodes x 45 minutes, 2 Episodes x 28 minutes, 1 Episode x 40 minutes, 3 Episodes x 50 minutes
Production Date: 1987 - 1991
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes (AnimEigo single disc and DVD Box Set versions. All other English language versions out of print)

This is the third time I’ve bought a copy of this OVA series. Think I originally bought the AnimEigo tapes back in the mid 1990’s. Around 2000 or so, a friend lent me that awful “PC software box”release of the series that AnimEigo let some half arsed company sublicense and release (they later released a better version themselves). It was pretty shit with some awful video even by early 2000’s standard. I heard that back in 1999, Toshiba in Japan had released the series on DVD complete with AnimEigo’s English dub and subtitles. I didn’t pass the opportunity up, and paid a ransom for the three separate volume DVD releases, which came in CD jewel cases. Looking at the video today, it still looks pretty good, but is in need of a remaster for sure. In 2004, Toshiba rereleased the three discs as one gorgeous looking box set with an additional disc which only contained the rather forgettable “Holiday in Bali”, where the voice actresses sing a few songs in the land of where most Australian bogans choose to holiday. All the other BGC stuff like the two music video compilations had previously appeared on the original Toshiba DVD releases. As the current Blu-ray version of the series (from Bandai Visual in Japan) no having any English language options on it, and the fact I really wanted the DVD box version, I stupidly went ahead and bought it. Being an out print DVD box set, it cost me a pretty penny too…

I hadn’t the show for many years prior to watching this box set. Certainly it has aged. But you have to remember it’s going reach the ripe old age of 25 next year. The designs and concepts are still fantastic. Sure it’s a “Blade Runner” rip off (using the names “Priss and the Repilcants” and “Leon” was a bit too obvious in that regard) and the opening music sequence is a direct lift from ”Streets of Fire”, but hell, I don’t really care. It’s goddam fun, which arguably couldn’t be said for “Blade Runner” (however I do love that film). A big part of the series success can be attributed to Kenichi Sonoda, who not only did the immediately recognisable “80’s big hair” character designs, but the highly distinctive hard suits the Knight Sabers use. Looking at the feet of those suits, one can only conclude that Sodona has a massive high heel fetish. Of course the other important element of the show is of course the music. It’s big dumb 1980’s pop/rock anthems. Somehow this mix of “Blade Runner” filtered through 1980’s sci-fi anime design, the burgeoning OVA format and Japanese pop rock works brilliantly. No one has seemed to be able to copy the format, and none of BGC’s sequels, prequels or spin offs have ever matched the brilliance of the original. The characters are of course great too. Priss is gruff tomboy rock chick, however latter episodes soften and feminise her image too much in my opinion. I also love Leon for the fact he never gives up on trying get in to bed with Priss, despite the fact she brushes him off every single time. Sylia Stingray is also a great character, however I felt that we are never given much clear insight into her background. Her brother Mackie is also interesting, as in why in hell does he want to perv on his sister so much? I always found that weird. The ditzy and practically useless (well, in a battle at least) Nene is also a favourite character of mine. Strengthening my personal theory that Megumi Hayashibara pretty much appeared in all anime from the late 1980’s thorough to the late 1990’s, is the fact she also appears in this series, albeit briefly early on in episode 5.

Besides Sodona, the staff roster includes some really big names. Shinji Aramaki is credited throughout many of the episodes as a production designer. Masami Obari directed episodes five and six (“Moonlight Rambler” and “Red Eyes”), and Satoshi Urushihara’s (of “Plastic Little” infamy) influence on the character designs can be seen quite clearly in “Double Vision”, though most of the designs stay true to Sodona’s original designs. While the initial episodes are quite well done (perhaps the third episode “Blow Up” was a bit too similar in plot to the previous episode, “Born To Kill”), the second half of the series are some of the best OVAs ever made. The two Masami Obari OVAs, “Moonlight Rambler” and “Red Eyes”, change the look of the series with powered up hard suits, and techniques such as depicting making the Hard Suits transparent to the perspective of the audience so we can see the expressions on the Knight Sabers’ faces as they battle. And of course due to his mecha designs and style, it looks so very much like an Obari work. My personal favourite episode is “Double Vision” which embodies all the best elements of the series (mecha, girls and music) and turns everything up to eleven. I really liked the fact they directly linked the events between this OVA and the second OVA, “Born To Kill”.

Apart from the obvious fact that the show has aged visually, the major problem the series has is the lack of a continuing story throughout the eight OVAs. Certainly the Knight Sabers are in constant conflict with Genom, but their actual enemy rarely hangs around for more than two episodes. Still, plot points mostly dealing with Sylia Stingray brought up in episode five and six are practically ignored and forgotten in the final two episodes. I suppose with the fact this series was being planned only one or two episodes ahead, it’s not really surprising there’s no real overarching storyline. However I think the episodic nature works to their series favour most of the time. There’s some weird little in jokes spread out through the series. For example a scene of Sydney briefly includes a shot of a business woman with a koala attached to her shoulder. There’s also their weirdness of the 1987 Williams formula one car plonked in the centre of an operations room in Genom tower, or the fact that character and actor names from “Top Gun” appear on the computer screens in the same scene. The bonus material on the discs is as about as extensive as you’d expect for a series this old. First you have the two music video compilations. The first one is probably my favourite of all anime music video compilations. It contains a video clip called “Touchdown to Tomorrow” which contains all new animation. It’s rather cheesy, but incredibly fun. Other notable extras include a promo music video for “Hurricane Tonight by Kinuko Oomori (who plays Priss). There’s also a promo for the fourth OVA which features Oomori dressed in a mock up Priss Hard Suit. She looks incredibly uncomfortable in it. The box also comes with a 24 page full colour booklet. The only problem is that it doesn’t come with the same full colour promo artwork that the single DVD booklets came with. So in conclusion I still think it’s a highly entertaining series despite its age. Nostalgia might be clouding my judgement on the series, but I don’t care. 9.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: Week 51, 2011

I’ve been a little busy with stuff to write up reviews of stuff I’ve watched over the last couple of weeks, so I’ve written up some quickies;

“Dear Boys (Hoop Days)”
Publisher: Bandai Entertainment (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles
Length: 26 Episodes x 24 minutes
Production Date: 2003
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

This shonnen sports anime is of course based on a manga, one which started in 1989 and continues to be published today. To a small degree I think this does date the show right from the beginning, though I think the staff have modernised the show a bit. The core plot of the show has teenage boy Aikawa Kazuhiko transferring to a new high school and immediately wanting to join the basketball club. While the school has a quite successful girls’ basketball club, the boy’s club exists in name only. The club’s captain Fujiwara Takumi had an altercation with a former teacher/coach and the club was suspended for a year. As a result only Fujiwara and three of his close friends remain in the club, one short to complete a team. Aikawa’s determination to get the club restarted again is met with some resistance, but soon the team is up and running again (in less than two episodes). There is nothing in this series which differentiates it from any other sports anime, let alone basketball anime. As you’d expect, it never reaches the heights of “Slam Dunk”. The character development and fleshing out of various relationships felt really incomplete and unsatisfying to me. I wonder if this is due to the fact that the original manga hasn’t yet run its course or if they could only fit in part of the main story. Certainly the ending seems like the conclusion of the first part of a longer story. I though the female teacher/coach of the boys and girls team was a bit absurd. She’s pure sex, wears crucifixes, drives and expensive sports car and certainly seems to do very little coaching. Apart from the rather disappointing and quite clichéd storyline, the animation is also quite mediocre. It’s quite limited animation with a number of very static action sequences and there’s some really horrible off model character designs in a couple of episodes. The rather tense climatic game almost made up for a lot of the substandard elements of the show, but not quite. Over all it’s an OK show, but not up to snuff when compared to similar shows in the genre. 5.5 out of 10.

“True Tears”
Publisher: Bandai Entertainment (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Subtitles
Length: 13 Episodes x 24 minutes
Production Date: 2008
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Yep, slice of life romantic dramas are pretty much dime a dozen in the last decade or so. Of course the most famous of them is the infamous Kyoto Animation/Key trilogy, none of which I enjoyed that much, except the first series of “Clannad”. Here the formula is pretty much the same; you have your disengaged with life lead (Shinichiro), his perverted friend (Miyokichi Nobuse) and three girls all needing some sort of help. However “True Tears”, has differs in a few ways, like romance which clearly develops during the course of the show, and the biggie, realistic depictions of women. Well, certainly the characters and relationships are certainly more realistic than anything Kyoto Animation or put out, and that’s despite the fact like those shows this one too is based off of a Visual Novel. Another major deference is there are no supernatural themes in the show. And even though the girls require some “help” and the main boy is there to help them, the girls aren’t nearly as pathetic or childlike as they are in shows like “Clannad” and “Kanon”. They’re really quite developed, believable, and likeable and sympathetic. Even Noe Isurugi, the girl who can’t cry and teats Shinichiro as a substitute for a dead pet chicken, is quite believable despite her quirks. The fact that the third girl, Aiko Endo (Miyokichi’s girlfriend), seemingly runs a pancake show entirely by herself while attending school during the day was a bit hard to swallow though. The idea that Shinichiro and his love interest, Hiromi, live in the same house (her only parent, her father died and the family took her in) could be cliché city, but it works really well. The tussle between the five main characters as they vie to capture the heart of their loved one worked really well. “True Tears” is probably the best in its genre I’ve seen over the last couple of years. 7 out of 10.

“Yukikaze”
Publisher: Bandai Entertainment (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles
Length: 2 Episodes x 48 minutes, 3 Episodes x 30 minutes
Production Date: 2002 - 2005
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

I’ve ignored this show for quite a while, but eventually decided to buy it. Comparisons to “Macross Plus” are bound to happen with a show like this. However the only real similarities are the inclusion of planes (which of course don’t transform in this show). While I’ve read reviews that this show is depressing, I found it not to be. Sure the leads, Rei Fukai and James "Jack" Bukhar lives can be a bit on the nihilistic side, it’s certainly not really a depressing show. The plot involves an alien invasion by an entity called the JAM who have created a strange looking portal which look like a giant mushroom cloud over Antarctica. Some 33 years after the initial invasion, Earth has taken the battle to the JAM’s home world via the portal, dubbed “Fairy” by the earth government. Here the Earth forces launch fighters into battle including the AI craft Yukikaze piloted by the rather cold Rei Fukai. However the JAM seems to using strange techniques and perhaps psychological warfare on the Earth forces. Overall I think it’s quite an interesting show. Most of the concepts and designs are really good, especially the aliens which seems to be formless beings and no real reason is given for their aggression. All five episodes are bit episodic which I found a bit disappointing. There were some rather surreal sequences (presented as dreams of the main characters) which seem to be leading up to something but never did. The final episode was hard to make sense of at times, and the ending a bit underwhelming. Some of the problems in the storytelling are made up for in the fantastic action sequences. Though a few of the early sequences in the first OVA look a little rough. Overall I think it’s quite a good OVA series, but the last episode and a clear continuous story let it down a bit. 6.5 out of 10.

“Rescue Me: Mave-chan”
Publisher: Bandai Entertainment (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles
Length: 25 minutes
Production Date: 2005
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

This is a very daft one shot spin off from “Yukikaze”. As I understand it, the guy who drew the mecha for the show did some drawings for the planes in the forms of girls for fun, somebody from the studio saw them and this blasted thing was born. The story follows otaku boy Rei Sugiyama which an extremely timid person but manages to a draw to go to a fan event. Once there opens the door to go to the loo, but magically ends up in a desert where girls are flying around fighting JAM craft from “Yukikaze”. Apparently the world he is in has been created by the desires of the anime fans who have come to the event. Rei has the choice of helping the girls or returning to his world. Unfortunately for him, the world will cease to exist when the fans disperse and forget about “Yukikaze” and follow the next hot anime show. Unlike “Yukikaze”, created by Gonzo, this OVA was produced by Studio Fantasia and it’s hilarious to note that Rei’s favourite anime is “Stratos 4”, a Studio Fantasia project. The fan event Rei goes to is a Bandai one which is pimping both “Yukikaze” and “Stratos 4”. The self-referential and blatant promotion stuff shat me. However I did like the concept of fans subconsciously creating these worlds and vanishing when they move on to the next anime, as well as the characters within them knowing this and being upset with the fans because of it. Overall it’s an OK piece, but it’s highly disposable really. 5 out of 10.

“Vampire Host (Bloodhound)”
Publisher: Bandai Entertainment (USA)
Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English Subtitles
Length: 12 Episodes x 25 minutes
Production Date: 2004
Currently in Print (as of writing): No

I don’t usually watch Japanese dramas or comedies. However for some odd reason a couple of years back, I decided to get any Bandai stuff that was in danger of going out of print (hence the reason why all of the stuff here is Bandai stuff) and I added this series the cart. Well it was only a couple of bucks for each DVD, so what the hey. Believe it or not this show exceeded all expectations. High school girl Kanou Rion (Komukai Minako) receives a very strange call from her best friend. She says she’s been abducted by a real vampire. She eventually tracks down Suou (Matsuda Satoshi) who works at a host bar named Kranken Haus, in which women pay money to be seduced by men dressed as vampires. While she at first suspects Suou and manages to get a job at Kranken Haus to spy on him, it is soon revealed that he is not the culprit and indeed he is a real vampire and not acting. The series is divided into six sections over 12 episodes, each containing a new mystery for the pair to solve (much to Suou’s annoyance). The last four episode change up the format a bit with a rather good finale, which does fall at the last hurdle unfortunately. The cover of the DVD does make it look like a horror drama, it’s more of a comedy for the most part. Both leads are pretty good and surprisingly there’s not much in the way of overacting. Nobukawa Seijun who plays a police detective who visits the host club incognito is quite good, but does ham it up a bit too much. While a shot on video cheapie, the special effects are pretty damn effective, though some of the more involved ones such as bloodied limbs aren’t as impressive. In the end it was quite a fun show with quite a lot of laughs. There are some cringe worthy moments and some silliness, but the design and look of the show is stylish as hell. But the end was a little substandard and left a number of unresolved matters up in the air. I’ll give it 6 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Anime Backlog: “Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below”

Publisher: Media Factory (Japan)
Format: Region 2 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English, Japanese and Chinese Subtitles
Length: 116 minutes
Production Date: 2011
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Makoto Shinkai’s last three films have been pretty much on the same theme; love doesn’t always work out and growing up is a bit of a bastard. In particular the last film, “5cm Per Second” was particularly melancholy. The second element in his films is his infamous twilight sky panoramas. You could say he’s in grave danger of stereotyping himself and plonking out similar films every few years. However I think all three of his previous film are fantastic and stand on their own. It was quite interesting to see that he seemingly wants to break out of the mould he has created. However after watching this particular film, I’m not sure if it was all that successful.

In rural Japan in the summer of 1975, a young girl named Asuna spends most her time, when not at school, doing chores at home as her mother is seemingly continually on the nightshift. In her spare time she climbs a local mountain where she has dug a hideout/cubby house for herself into the mountain’s face. There she’ll often use her crystal set which uses an unusual stone given to her by her late father. On this occasion she picks up unusual music rather than the usual radio stations. The following day she crosses the railway bridge to get to the mountain where she spots a huge strange creature which attacks. Suddenly a boy leaps into the monster’s path and fights it off, however he accidently kills it due to a strange flash of light from the crystal around his neck. In the aftermath of the chaos, a train driver nearly runs over the dead creature, however it falls off the bridge and into the river below as the boy and Asuna escape. Asuna has fainted due to the shock of what has happened, and awakens sometime in the early evening near her hideout. The boy, Shun, tells her not to return, but she dresses his wound on his arm with her scarf and thanks him. He says goodbye but to her disappointment he disappears.

The next day Asuma plays hooky from school and heads up the hillside to find Shun. He is waiting there for her, and the two of them become rather close that day. Shun tells her that he comes from a place called Agartha. The following day she waits for him again, but he doesn’t return. Later that night her mother brings her horrible news; the body of a boy was found with her scarf wrapped around a wound on his arm. Asuna doesn’t want to accept it and goes to search for him. At school the day after, the class gets to meet the new substitute teacher, Ryuji Morisaki. The class’ first lesson is a reading of the story of “Izanagi and Izanami”, a Japanese folk tale where a husband resurrects his dead wife. Asuna is highly intrigued by this and visits Ryuji at his home. Ryuji reveals to her that he knows she met Shun and she saw the monster. He is researching the mystery of Agartha, an underground kingdom, and a way to bring the dead back to life which a method to do this apparently can be found there. On her way back home, Asuna sees a reflection of light coming off something near her hideout. Thinking it might be Shun she rushes up there, but sees another boy, Shin. The boy is actually Shun’s brother, Shin and understandably she mistakes him for Shun. He’s here to retrieve a crystal that Shun left behind. However before Shin can explain himself, a helicopter gunship arrives as well as several armed men. They are from the organisation Arch Angel and are desperate to find out the entrance to Agartha. Shin flees with Asuna, which leads Arch Angel directly to the entrance. After a fight with another monster who is a sort of guardian to the entrance, it is revealed that Ryuji is a member of Arch Angel. He double crosses his team mates and manages to slip into the highly fortified entrance to Agartha with Shin and Asuna.

I think it’s plainly obvious what the problem is with this film; it looks and feels exactly like a Studio Ghibli film. Asuna seems a little reminiscent of Taeko from “Only Yesterday” with a few other Ghibli girls mixed in for good measure, Shun and Shin are like composites of the male leads from “Princess Mononoke” and “Tales From Earthsea” and Ruyji is a dead ringer for Muska from “Laputa Castle in the Sky” (in both design and motive). Even the bloody cat, Mimi, looks like Teto from “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”. The film with plot elements including glowing stones, a fantasy world setting, lost advanced technology and monsters makes it appear like a mash up of “Tales From Earthsea” and “Laputa Castle in the Sky” with a bit of “Princess Mononoke”. One scene in particular where Shin cuts his hair off and leads his horse away from the village seems to be a direct lift from “Princess Mononoke”. Another scene with Shin and Asuna floating to the ground with a glowing gem looks eerily similar to “Laputa Castle in the Sky”. It’s very hard to enjoy a film when all I can see is “homages” to Ghibli works. Shinkai claimed he wanted to emulate the anime that were part of the “World Masterpiece Theatre” series (of which Miyazaki and Takahata had some involvement in), but let’s face it, if it quacks like a duck...

Plotting and pacing are a problem too. After I finished watching the film I knew there was something really wrong with it, but I could not put my finger on it. It wasn’t until I read a review that it came to me. While the focus for the most part is on Asuna, her character doesn’t really develop one iota during the entire film. Instead it’s the teacher, Ruyji who’s journey is the most interesting and is forever changed because of it. Asuna is just a passenger, despite dealings with Ruyji and Shin/Shun. It’s like she hasn’t learnt anything really in the entire 116 minutes of the film. She just pops out the other end no different from when she started. It’s kind of bizarre really as the first part of the film is almost entirely focused on Asuna. I think the focus should have been on Ruyji the entire time. I understand that this is meant to be a family film, especially from the promotional material and it’s Japanese “G” rating, however it would have been a much better film if the Asuna parts had been ditched completely and Ruyji’s story had been expanded and written as a piece for older audiences. The dates on the photograph of the monster that Ruyji shows Asuna indicate that the story takes place in July 1975. While most of the technology and setting in the film would also lend weight to this date, Arch Angel’s military equipment is far more modern. While it may be slightly plausible that a similar gunship like the one in this film might have existed in 1975, the uniforms/armour and laser sights on the guns wouldn’t have. The juxtaposition of old cars, rotary phones and modern military equipment doesn’t work or make sense.

The highlight of this movie is of course the animation. It’s stunning and gorgeous. Some the scenes right up to the entrance of Agartha are really well done. In many early scenes I felt a real connection with Asuna as well an emotional connection to her plight. Of course Shinkai’s infamous twilight sky panoramas are present throughout the film, however it’s more subtly done than his earlier works. The theme of how badly humans deal with death and the eventual acceptance of it is quite interesting, but I’m not sure if it’s the right subject for a family film. There’s also a certain death in the film which I thought was rather senseless and added nothing to the story. Other than that, I think the film’s narrative is a bit of a mess. In conclusion, the film isn’t a bad one, but it’s a little average in terms of story. Using Asuna to tell what is in fact Ruyji’s story doesn’t work for me. It’s almost like two separate stories have been (unsuccessfully) merged together. They should fleshed out Ruyji story more and not made it as a family film. Or developed Asuna’s character more and actually made her go on a proper journey and have come through as a changed person at the end. But neither of these things happens and it makes for an unsatisfactory and highly disappointing film, especially when you factor in that Makoto Shinkai is the director. Also I note the literal translated title of this film is “Children Who Chase Stars” which is a lot better than the clunky official English title.6.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 27 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: “TO”

Publisher: Panorama (Hong Kong)
Format: Region 3 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional Cantonese dub and English, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) Subtitles.
Length: 2 Episodes x 45 minutes
Production Date: 2009
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

This is the final disc in my last order from Hong Kong. I know this was released in the US and just about everywhere in the English speaking world, but it was cheap, so I thought what the hell and added it to the cart. This CG fest is based on a manga called “2001 Nights” which I think had a US release sometime in the 1990’s from Viz. The OVA is advertised as being from the creators of the “Appleseed” movies and “Vexile”. That didn’t really inspire much confidence in this show.

The first OVA, “Elliptical Orbit” is supposedly set in 2068. Humanity has set up a colony on the moon which has three hundred thousand occupants. Supplies are sent to the colony via a large platform orbiting Earth called the Midnight Bazooka, which shoots containers to the moon’s orbit. A ship known as the Flying Dutchman is to dock unexpectedly at the Midnight Bazooka for minor repairs. This makes the captain of the Bazooka, Dan, uneasy. His former lover, Maria, is the captain of that ship. The ship has made a 15 year round trip to Alpha Centauri on a mining mission and is rumoured to have brought back liquid proton mined from a planet orbiting the star, a power source that could provide enough energy for the entire planet for a decade. However due to light seed travel the theory of relativity has kicked in and time dilation has occurred. Dan is many decades older than Maria due to various trips to Alpha Centauri. The reunion is a little tense to say the least. Without warning, the Midnight Bazooka is overrun by terrorists who want to shoot the highly volatile liquid proton from the Bazooka into the moon colony to destroy the colony. Maria and Dan must join forces to thwart their plan.

The second OVA, Symbiotic Planet, takes place some one hundred years after the first. Humanity has expanded beyond the solar system and is beginning to colonise and mine other planets beyond. On one particular planet, two country blocs, a Eurasian and a separate American alliance have set up two competing bases on the one planet. Alina, from the Eurasian camp and Ion from the American camp are madly in love with each other but are hamstrung by the cold war-like tensions between the two camps. Both are told to not see each other by their respective superiors. Talks are held between the two parties at the American base and overseen by the UN in attempt to come to some sort of agreement on how to use the resources of the planet. However just before the meeting is to take place, a accident takes place, where spores from an alien fungus escapes a lab and begins to spread, engulfing not only Ion, but the rest of the base. The Eurasian commander decides that this would be a time to the take the opportunity to destroy the American base. However Alina is determined to save Ion.

Wow, this is real mixed bag. Like “Vexile” and the “Appleseed” one of the big problems here is the animation itself. It’s cel shaded CG. There are a number of problems, starting with the facial expressions. They just look wrong. Certainly they’re not quite expressive enough. A lot of the moments aren’t really right either. There are a lot scenes which just end awkwardly where the character just seems to be motionless. It’s a bit weird. The second major problem has to do with the science of the show. Take the mechanics of the Midnight Bazooka for example. The physics seem rather bad to me. Wouldn’t the use of the gas mechanism cause the entire structure to move in the opposite direction? It just wouldn’t work as a concept in space. Maria also makes mention the ship’s carburettor needs looking at. Sorry, a carburettor in space? There’s also the problem of who several centuries into the future, humans could no longer be able to securely and safely contain alien biological matter. I mean they have the means to do that in the present. However the main problem of this show is the story itself. The first OVA isn’t too bad, but there’s some weird stuff like one of Maria’s crewmates practically sexuality harassing her to almost the point of sexual assault. The second OVA is worse. Apart from the dreadful “Romeo and Juliet” plot it suffers under the weight of a ton of clichés. There’s also the incredibly drippy ending where, and yes this is a spoiler, the two warring sides differences are miraculously solved by the nature of the fungus. It was so stupid and corny I almost threw something at the TV. So while it had its moments, especially in the first OAV and some of the CG was spectacular, especially the opening animation, this series isn’t much to write home about. 5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 27 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: "Jungle Emperor: The Brave Can Change the Future"

Publisher: Universe (Hong Kong)
Format: Region Free DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional Cantonese dub and English, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) Subtitles.
Length: 106 minutes
Production Date: 2009
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

This was the third disc in my package from Hong Kong. As you can tell occasionally some weird stuff gets commercial releases over there in English. A lot of this stuff has a snowball’s chance in hell of getting a western release. This film is yet another adaptation of Osumu Tezuka’s “Jungle Emperor” manga. The very first was of course Mushi Pro and NBC in 1965 (“Kimba the White Lion”), and there’s been numerous TV series and movies made since then. This particular adaptation was made for the 80th anniversary of Tezuka's birth and the 50th anniversary of the Fuji TV network and was first screened on Fuji TV in September 2009. The official English title of the film is “Jungle Emperor Leo - The Brave Changes the Future”, however I’ve gone for a slightly less Engrish translation. The English subtitles on the disc opt for yet another slightly different translation of the title, “Jungle Emperor Leo’s Courage Changes the Future”, which is probably the best out the three really.

The story revolves around the creation of what is dubbed Neo Jungle, an island where nature has been created as such. This is project by a company called Eternal Earth, headed up by a man named Kenzou Oyama. His young son, Kenichi, thinks the world of him, however Kenzou is not really interested in persevering nature as he publicly says, instead he’s out to make a buck. He hopes to sell his prototype island idea to the UN and make millions. The animals are treated as disposable commodities. Professor Hikawa, who runs the island and works with the animals, plays along with him, though she is deeply disgusted with some of his tactics. Kenichi, who can understand and speak with animals, though naturally the adults say he’s making it up, decides to enter the jungle when he sees a white lion cub on one of the monitors. He soon meets the cub called Leo, and the animals are quite surprised he is able to converse with them.

However not is all well in the jungle. Leo and Kenichi are attacked by a black panther named Toto who hates humans. Leo’s father, the king of the jungle, Panja, and his mother, Eliza, rescue the pair and take them back to their cave. There Kenichi learns that while the animals don’t mind Neo Jungle, they feel controlled and continually watched by the humans. Most were forcibly taken from their homelands and placed on the island against their will. Like Kenichi, Leo adores his father, but Panja is considered a tool of the humans as he does not want to fight against them or leave the island. Kenichi returns to his father and explains that the animals are unhappy. However he ignores him and continues on with this work. Meanwhile Leo has to contend with his fear of heights and leaping across ravines in order to catch prey. Eternal Earth has decided to hunt down and kill Toto as well as remove and destroy sickly animals such as the wise old wildebeest, Dolf prior to the forthcoming UN inspection. Leo and Kenichi lead the animals in a bid to not only save Dolf and Toto, but all the other animals as Kenzou in a fit of insanity decides to “reset” the entire island.

This is a very different and arguably strange adaptation of the original material. Gone are the usual cast of Tezuka characters that inhabit his works. Instead we are treated to a cast of brand new characters as well a completely different storyline, though many elements are mirrored from the original story. Initially it really feels like a Disney film and I think a lot of Tezuka’s messages have been filtered out of the story. Yes, the movie is certainly aimed at a very young audience focusing mostly on adventures with the prepubescent Kenichi and a bunch of slightly annoying talking animals. It then switches mid-way and becomes much darker with Kenichi’s father becoming the super evil villain in the story, the onscreen deaths of many animals which culminates in the animal’s rebellion and destruction of the island. I thought it was all a bit strange and had some quite mixed messages in there for its intended audience. It’s certainly not a patch on the 1997 theatrical remake. They’ve tried to make it relevant for a modern audience and I think they’ve destroyed a lot of the themes and messages from the original work. Believe it or not, Yoshitaka Amano did the character design for Leo. Yes, that’s right, Yoshitaka Amano. Despite with his contribution, the film is still rather flawed. I was rather narked off at the seemingly Americanisation/sanitisation of the story early on, but the second half did improve the story a whole lot and there were some really exiting sequences towards the end. Some of it was rather suspenseful, for a kids film about talking animals. The film isn’t all that bad, but it is terribly flawed and mashes the themes of the original story which I found quite disappointing. 5.5 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 27 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).

Video Backlog: “The Galaxy Railways: A Letter from the Abandoned Planet”

Publisher: Panorama (Hong Kong)
Format: Region 3 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional Cantonese dub and English, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) Subtitles.
Length: 4 Episodes x 28 minutes
Production Date: 2006 – 2007
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

Looking back on the little blurb I wrote for the original TV series of this show over a year ago, I said; “the problem with modern (well, stuff made since the 1990's) Leiji Matsumoto stuff is that it doesn't translate very well for the 21st century. A lot of the values and how the characters interact with each other are very 1970's Japan, especially the way men are supposed to act. Because of the emphasis on that in the initial episodes, it was cliché land galore there for a while and I rolled my eyes a lot at what was happening on screen. If this show was made in the late 1970's, I would have probably accepted it, but as it was a 2003 show, I rejected just about everything. It did improve a great deal after a while and was really good by the end, but still it seemed really out of place at times for a show made 7 years ago”. Maybe I was a bit harsh, but generally this is true. I had no plans seeking out either sequels (the OVA or second TV series), however I am a sucker for unusual anime releases in English, particularly if they haven’t been released in the US. This OVA series also got a BD release in Hong Kong. As well as this DVD release.

The story of this OVA series follows on from the original series. In fact it’s meant to serve as a bridge between both TV series. While the initial focus revolves around the SDF Sirius Platoon’s training in which new recruit Kilian Black botches an attempted mock rescue of hostages on a train, the focus soon switches to the Galaxy Express 999, where on the planet Diquette, Maetel and Tetsuro decide to explore the stop over world on their own rather than together. In a bar Tetsuro befriends a group of retiring postal workers. One shows him an undelivered letter he has had for several years which has no address or sender on it. Tetsuro momentarily sees a name on it however the name soon vanishes. Because of this the old postal worker decided to give it to him in the hope that he will find the recipient. Tetsuro boards 999, but can’t find Maetel anywhere. He believes that she has travelled to the nearby planet of Herise and pleads with the conductor to land, but the conductor states that it is forbidden to go there. However Tetsuro is insistent and the conductor agrees to talk with the engine. But a beam is fired from Herise and hits the 999, causing it to seemingly rust and fall, and to crash land on the planet’s surface.

After investigating some very mysterious occurrences where forests, oceans and beaches appear in space in front of Galaxy Railways trains, the SDF Sirius Platoon are ordered to investigate the crash of the 999 and save its occupants. Meanwhile Tetsuro wakes to find he was thrown from the train upon impact. He notices two machine men trying to make off the conductor on a hovering platform, and attempt to stop them. Unfortunately in the ensuing scuffle, Tetsuro falls from a great height off the platform into the forest below. Meanwhile the SDF Sirius Platoon have arrived at the site of the 999 crash. Manabu Yuuki and Kilian search for the passengers (seriously only Maetel and Tetsuro and the conductor are aboard that train) and eventually come across Tetsuro. After some misunderstands which lead Tetsuro to think they are linked with the machine men, the two take him aboard. But the Galaxy Railway’s effective leader, Leila Destiny Shura, orders them to leave as the company has no jurisdiction on the planet. Horrified that the conductor and Maetel will be left on the planet, Tetsuro escapes top same them. He later joins up with Kilian who has also gone AWOL. He has a close connection with the 999 and feels completed to save its occupants. Meanwhile a strange wave called the Tsunami of Time is hurtling towards the planet, seemingly able to erase everything in its wake. Unbeknownst to nearly everyone is that the 999, the abductors of the conductor and Maetel, Kilian and the Tsunami of Time are all interconnected.

As I said before, I think pretty much all of the Leiji Matsumoto anime that has been released since the late 1990’s has been rather disappointing. It’s the general values and attitudes expressed by the characters which seem really out of place in the 21st century. Yet it’s odd as I can watch old stuff like the original 999 movie and it does have that same hokey feeling. In fact it feels more genuine and believable. Why is that? It’s it because of the aged look of the animation that it actually feels right and I can accept it because I immediately know it’s from the late 1970’s? It must be, that’s the only reason why I guess. Like a lot of Matsumoto stuff, there’s this highly unbelievable “space fantasy” stuff going on in the plot which is really absurd. I suppose if you can accept trains roaming in outer space, you can accept disembodied giant female spirits and tsunamis of time. It just seems a little daft to me. Of course like all good Lejjiverse material, the continuity is rather questionable in relation to his other works, but then again I suppose that’s not the point. It’s a fun OVA and in fact I think I might have enjoyed this a lot more than the original TV series. Just don’t expect a coherent or believable resolution to the story. The explanation of who Kilian’s “father” was a little hard to swallow. The subs on this disc are pretty good, but a little Engrishy at times. 6 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 27 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).