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).
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