ANIME REVIEWS 1996
Author's Note: This is the source file for reviews which appeared on SHOUJO &
GENERAL and also in CRITICAL WAVE magazine, etc. As a review compilation
this is not 100% complete, but everything of merit or general interest is here.
Missing are: some episodes of OAV series where I reviewed the #1 episode,
and one or two titles, like VIOLENCE JACK, which I wouldn't bother to watch
without some mercenary incentive.
The titles are grouped by month of release, though the dates are not entirely
accurate because of release delays, etc. I have also grouped all series items under the first released, to aid indexing.
Jan: Manga Video: KABUTO, PROJECT A-KO#6, BOUNTY DOG.
Jan: Anime Projects: Super Deformed Double Feature,.Urusei Yatsura TV #8.
Jan: Kiseki: THE COCKPIT, Sol Bianca #1
Jan: Pioneer: ARMITAGE III #1
Jan: East2West: BABEL II - First Blood -tape 2.
KABUTO (Manga Video, cert.15, 45mins, £9.99)
KABUTO (a.k.a. Raven Tengu Kabuto): Script,storyboard, direction and
character design: Buichi Terasawa, from a manga by Terasawa. A-Girl
Co. Ltd/NHK. 1992, 45 mins.
In this Japanese animated video, Kabuto, a samurai warrior, returns
to a region which he has previously visited, only to find it ruled by
an evil queen, Tomamushi, who has the use of some rather advanced
technology developed by an inventor of robots and other mechanical
devices. Soon after arriving on the scene, Kabuto is confronted by a
carriage drawn by a steam-powered horse!
His former girlfriend Himai has been kidnapped by the queen and her
cohorts, and Kabuto, conjuring up a flight of ravens, causes all the
captives to be set free during the confusion. Himai is rescued by
another warrior from Kabuto's past, Kasumo, but they are soon attacked
by a steam-powered robot and then cornered by some hag-like female
warriors. Kabuto arrives and aids their escape by river. While Kasumo
and Himai flee downriver, Kabuto uses his powers to engage the Queen's
minions. He engages the robot in single combat and defeats it; it self
destructs. Meanwhile Himai and Kasumo are captured again...
The realistic opening scenes evoke the atmosphere of medieval Japan
quite well. The chase sequences are quite exciting, and are intercut
with scenes from Kabuto's past. The artwork is good, with realistic
character and striking mecha designs; the character faces in
particular being pleasingly drawn. Kabuto, with his swordfighting skills and magical powers, soon proves to be such a
super superhero that one doesn't worry about his safety or ultimate
success for a moment. Rather, enjoyment lies in watching Kabuto do his stuff. The robots and other inventions - there is even a
helicopter - are styled to fit in with the medaeval setting, and the
technology is effectively used in the final twist of the story. An unusually inventive piece of anime, entertaining but rather lacking in character interest.
(G. Cowie.)
(Spoiler notes - Kabuto does some magic to blast down rocks and block
the river to prevent the robots and the hag warriors - their faces are
separate multi-legged creatures which scuttle away when the body is
killed - from following. He then takes wing (literally) and flies to
counter-attack. However a house-like helicopter appears and sucks
Himai and Kasumo up into it. Kabuto battles the robot which has a
timer inside causing it to self-destruct explosively when disabled.
The queen is preparing to crucify Kasumo when Kabuto appears with
warriors. Kabuto fights his way in, but the queen escapes by
helicopter. Kabuto reappears on the outside of the 'copter and cuts
his way in. He finds Himai, but the queen traps them both in her magic
cloak. He escapes by magic and kills her with a swordthrust. The
scientist calls to his queen but she doesn't answer. Kabuto discovers
to his shock that the queen has a timer in her body that has already
counted down to six seconds. He makes a hasty winged escape with
Himai.) (***)
BOUNTY DOG (Manga Video, 60 mins, cert.18, £11.99)
The title gives no clue to what this is; in fact it's an example of the kind of weird, rather romantic sci-fi that only the Japanese could produce. Yoshioki, Shouko and Kay, comprising undercover investigation team "Bounty Dog", head for the moon, posing as tourists. Yoshioki poet who writes blank verse on his laptop as their shuttle nears the cratered surface. A fire and minor explosions serve as a diversion for their investigation of the powerful Constans Development Corporation. However, a strange girl, Inez, accosts Yoshioki. and seems bewildered and angry when he fails to recognise her. He belatedly realises that she is a reincarnation of his dead girlfriend, Yayoi. Meanwhile it emerges that contrary to what they imagined, the Constans corporation is concealing a dark alien force, the Sleeper, which is rapidly awakening, and that in a strange duality Inez and his dead girlfriend are linked to it.
The predicted 18 certificate seems a little extreme as the action scenes are no more explicit than in hundreds of other anime. The strengths of this video are in the more poetic and romantic bits which momentarily are quite powerful. The science fiction elements are wildly implausible - a breathable lunar atmosphere in our lifetimes, indeed! - and the animators have made no attempt to portray the effects of the low lunar gravity. The action sequences, in which swarms of soldiers with battle robots appear on the supposedly demilitarised Moon, are rather hackneyed. Interesting stuff, though. (***)
SUPER DEFORMED DOUBLE FEATURE (AnimEigo/Anime Projects, 67 mins, cert PG, £12.99.
This is a video aimed at fans of ace character designer Kenichi Sonoda. It opens with "Ten Little Gall Force", an affectionate "Super Deformed" parody of the GALL FORCE series of videos. In this parody the viewer is taken behind the scenes at the making of a Gall Force movie, in which a director with an over fondness for realism inflicts various indignities on his cast. I found parts of this very funny, but the humour depends partly on familiarity with the characters (and a good pause control to read all the subtitling).
Next comes a short live-action video of Sonoda at work and asleep, and a charming mini-anime sketch which is by way of an apology for the delay of Sonoda's latest release.
The second feature "Scramble Wars", is anime's version of the "Wacky Races". It's set on Gaiarth, and has a number of Youmex stars competing against each other to win the Genom rally trophy. The line-up includes the Gall Force girls, the Knight Sabres, Ital and Sahari (of GENESIS SURVIVER GIARTH) and a blue Boomer. Few of the competitors ara above pulling a few dirty tricks in order to win. I found bits of it (mainly the rivalry between the Knight Saber girls) very funny, but other parts fell a bit flat. And it's alleged by some that the original "Wacky Races" was better.
There is also a short live action video about the recording of the GALL FORCE theme song.
Verdict: Minor league stuff for dedicated fans. (**)
ARMITAGE III, vol.1 (Pioneer, 50 min, cert. 15, £6.99
This 50-minute OVA is almost a BLADERUNNER sequel, pursuing the same theme, robots (androids) who are too human for comfort. Inspector Ross Sylibus arrives at the Mars space port on the same shuttle carrying famous C&W singer Kelly McCanon; during a gun batle with thugs involving Ross and a girl in hot pants (Armitage) the dead body of McCanon falls out of a suitcase, and Ross makes the shocking discovery that she was a robot. He soon learns that there is an anti-robot movement on Mars and that a killer, D'anclaude, is tracking down and murdering advanced robots, the "Thirds". Armitage is a police detective and Ross, partnered with her, soon suspects that she herself is a "Third".
This video had a profound effect on me when I saw it for the first time, on a big projection screen with cinema sound. There, the imagery looked stunning, both in the opening pictures of Armitage herself, and in the scenes of the Martian city. The animation and character design are cool and realistic, and the racism is ugly, even when directed against androids. In contrast with Pioneer's previous releases, this is fairly violent.
Much of the impact, however, lay in the characterization of Armitage: her closeness to a real personality seemed quite startling. In the publicity material she looks like a fetishist's delight, but on screen the effect is muted. She seems more a real girl who dresses for effect, a real girl with real behavioural problems (seen further in later episodes) who is also a robot. A disturbing prospect! Such strength of characterization is not common in SF, and even rarer in animation, though one occasionally sees an animated character who (like the secretive Rikako Muto in I CAN HEAR THE SEA) is defined with sufficient distinction to seem like a real person. That is what was happening here; Armitage seemed to be more than just a robot or animated character; she was as real as any fictional character could be. At the time, her dysfunctional personality reminded me of some women I had known. (G.C. Jan. 1998)
ARMITAGE III #4 (Pioneer, 30 mins, cert.15, £6.99)
So what can I say about this? I bought #3 with my own money as soon as it came out. I suppose that anything that happened in #4 could be a surprise after the "explosive" ending to #3. I find that I can't say anything about the plotline of #4 without spoiling the surprises you're likely to get when you watch it! Suffice to say that it restores some of the 'sensawunda' to science fiction and thoroughly blurs the boundaries between human and robot.
One thing that I like about ARMITAGE III is that (like BABYLON 5) it attempts to put its story in an economic and political framework. One might quarrel with its analysis but at least the attempt is being made, which is more than one can say of a whole lot of anime (and of STAR-TREK). Note also the dome city of Lowell: nowhere is a big deal made of the setting, but it's domed and those strange aerial buildings and roadways are hung from the roof. And the dialogue is very adequately dubbed by Pioneer, and there are some fine characterisations, from Armitage herself to the sleazy Eddie. Ross still seems a bit wooden though.
So go buy it immediately unless you're some kind of weird person who does'nt like SF or animation, in which case how did you get here??
Feb: Manga Video: Mad Bull 34 #1, Giant Robo #1, Goku Midnight Eye #1, Goshogun the Time Etranger.
Feb: Pioneer: Armitage III #2.
GOKU MIDNIGHT EYE #1 (Manga Video, 50 mins,cert.18, £9.99)
Goku is a private investigator, who becomes involved when the efforts of the Japanese police to investigate a powerful gangster meet with disaster. While investigating the Hyakuryu building several detectives apparently go mad and kill themselves or their colleagues. Goku investigates with the sole squad survivor Yoko, and the immediate outcome is another disaster. Goku finds himself hypnotized by one of the gangster's androids, a "peacock girl" and escapes only by stabbing himself in the left eye to break the hypnosis. He is rescued by a mysterious group and equipped with a cybernetic left "eye" and an extending metal staff/shock gun. Armed with his new powers, Goku resumes his attack on the Hyakuryu building and its defending androids.
This is an energetic, inventive and interesting thriller with 'tec noir overtones, and works really well as an action video. The laid-back English voice acting suits the style of the piece. Falls short of being an anime classic, but recommended. (***)
GOKU MIDNIGHT EYE #2 (Manga Video, 56 min, cert.18, £9.99)
In this part, Goku is asked by a young woman to track down her brother, but he finds that nothing is quite what it seems. Again, Buichi Terasawa's creation is vastly improved by being directed by someone else, namely Yoshiaki Kawagiri. The second part of Goku is pretty much as good as the first, except that the product that Goku commands the automatic arms factory to make for him is a bit naff, and the ending of the story is weak. If you liked the first part, get this too.
GOSHOGUN - THE TIME ETRANGER (Manga Video, 80 mins, cert PG, £12.99)
The movie sequel to a long-forgotten Japanese video series which featured the Goshogun group, adventurers who travelled around the Galaxy. The movie is as strange as its title, and I'm rather surprised to find it turning up as a Manga Video release. Some forty years on, retired adventurer Remy Shimada, who refused all rewards, is a recluse, while her former co- adventurers have become wealthy or successful in various professions. While the police in a future city chase bank robbers, Remy, in a hurry to make a meeting she has set up with her former colleagues, interferes and forces the robbers off the hover-road. She then crashes her hovercar while swerving to avoid a bird and is critically injured.
Her former comrades gather at the hospital. In flashbacks we relive segments of her life, and in particular a time when they were trapped in a nameless city, peopled by religious fanatics of Arabian appearance, with their deaths foretold for a date a few days away. The images of a young, vigorous Remy, contrasted with the older, dying woman, are unbearably poignant. The city is, perhaps, a metaphor for Remy's struggle for life.
The fan subtitled version is one of my favourite pieces of anime. Even though much of the animation isn't very good, there are some scenes, such as the dark Arabic city, and the fight to reach the temple, that work well. A great story, very odd stuff, dramatic and ultimately very moving. Make up your own interpretation. The MV version gives the heroine an uncertain French accent but otherwise is okay. (****)
MAD BULL 34 #1 (Manga Video, 49 mins, cert.18, £9.99)
Part 1 of a four part cop thriller, set in a New York precinct where all forms of crime and Mafia turf wars are rife. Eager new recruit Diazaburo, a Japanese-American, joins the force and is partnered with an experienced cop known because of his shoot first and ask questions later tactics as 'Mad Bull' . In an action-packed first episode, Mad Bull survives an attempt by an evil black thug, Curtis, to assassinate him, is seen collecting money from the local whores, and is the subject of a police investigation.
This is very average stuff and will appeal most to those who don't mind political incorrectness, tasteful nudity, sexual exploitation or excessive violence. The version you will see has been cut for the British censor. (**)
MAD BULL 34 #2, (Manga Video, 47 mins, cert.18, £9.99)
This contains few surprises for those who have seen part 1. In this one, a new, attractive policewoman is transferred to the precinct amid varying reactions. Seemingly Mad Bull knows her. Diazaburo is smitten by love, and a corrupt detective dislikes her. A new drugs baron moves into the area and the action is fast and er, violent.
In short, the same naff, sexist and over-violent stuff as last time. Though the animation of the principal characters' faces is quite good.
MAD BULL 34 #4 (Manga Video, 50 mins, cert. 18, £9.99)
In this episode a cop-killer is on the loose, and offs eight 34th Precinct cops in the
first few minutes. The killer turns out to look just like a cheaper monochrome version of the Gyyver, and seems strangely reluctant to kill Sleepy and Diazaburo on sight, though it has fewer inhibitions about the SWAT team and their helicopters. Belief is totally suspended by the Guyver clone and the dim and predictable plot. The sex scene was alright though.
By far the best part of the tape is the promotional trailer for Manga Videos in general, and three forthcoming Lupin III titles in particular. This totally outclasses the amateurish promos on Pioneer , Kiseki and Western Connection tapes; indeed in surround sound it's so good as to evoke visions of glassy-eyed kids stumbling down to the video stores. "You WILL buy these videos."
GIANT ROBO PART 1 -The Black Attache Case (Manga Video, 58m,cert PG, £5.99)
The run time and price are correct!
A retro-mecha style anime with a science fantasy theme. The date is ten years after the invention of the Shizuma Drive, a clean and non-polluting source of totally renewable energy. Now Dr Shizuma is running for his life, clutching an attache case that contains a variant of his valuable but dangerous invention, and pursued by a diabolical organisation, Big Fire. The International Police Organisation and its Experts of Justice rescue Shizuma and for the moment frustrate Big Fire's evil plans. The Experts include two sake-swigging martial aritsts, Taiso and Tetsugyu a beautiful young woman, Ginrei, and Daisaku, a boy who commands Giant Robo by means of a writswatch radio. The robot is a metal colossus with a head like that of an Egyptian sphinx. Many of the principal characters have supernatural powers, which gives the action sequences something of the flavour of an American cartoon.
In the second half-hour, a construction under Notre Dame, Paris, erects an energy barrier and blacks out most of the city as Big Fire launch another attack..
Reasons for watching: the attractive animation and colouring; the fabulous mecha, the witty direction and the engaging characters and their relationships. Despite all the up-front silliness, this is a highly watchable and entertaining series with some memorable characters. (***)
GIANT ROBO #2 (Manga Video, 42 mins, cert.PG, £5.99)
In this second volume (which in the preview follows on from the 60 mins of volume 1!) the assault on the Peking headquarters continues, the third attache case is about to be seized by the forces of Big Fire, and the two attache cases in the possession of Big Fire are used to devastating effect in causing the failure of every Shizuma Drive on the planet. They seem to be succeeding in bringing about the 'beautiful night' prophesied by the mad Von Vogel.
This is an excellently produced anime, in a satisfactory dub edition, and maintains the standard set by the first part.
GIANT ROBO #3 - Magnetic Web Strategy (Manga Video, 35 mins, cert PG, £5.99)
In this episode, the black Orb circuits the world, shutting down Shizuma drives in its path and heading for the world's last oil reserves, while the Experts of Justice marshall forces and equipment for a last showdown. But will the Experts deploy the awesome nuclear-powered Giant Robo?
Once one gets used to the flamboyant over-the top style of this series, it's great, with colourful characters, thrilling action, and bold designs. I missed an incoming phone call while the final credits of this episode were rolling. For reasons best known to themselves, Manga Video are selling these great videos so cheap (£5.99) that it would be a crime not to buy them!
GIANT ROBO #4 (Manga Video, 48 mins, cert 15, £5.99)
Another nailbiting episode of this excellent science fantasy series in which those glorious superheroes, the Experts of Justice, battle desperately against the evil forces of Big Fire who are bent on reducing the world to chaos and darkness. Things are not going at all well in the battle for Shanghai, as the magnetic attack on the Eye globe has failed and Giant Robo has been disabled, and the airship Greta Garbo is also overrun and set on fire by intruders. Expert of Justice Taiso makes a last stand, taking on his old enemy Lord Alberto in a battle to the death in an effort to win his companions enough time to escape.
This episode maintains the high standard of excitement, animation, characterisation, design and soundtrack set by the previous volumes. The characters, both the good guys like brave Taiso or lovely Ginrei, and the bad guys like the fearsomely villainous Lord Alberto, each with their own special powers, are particularly noteworthy.
Verdict: This series is so good and so cheap it would be a crime not to buy it.
March:
Manga Video: Giant Robo #2, Mad Bull 34 #2, Goku Midnight Eye #2, Vampire Princess Miyu Chapters 1&2, Ad Police Parts 1-3
Mar: Pioneer: ARMITAGE III #3.
Mar: Anime Projects: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS #5 (DUBBED)
VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU Chapters 1&2 (Manga Video, 55 mins, cert PG, £11.99
In the original and subtitled editions, this is a minor classic, a restrained and hauntingly beautiful horror series entwined with Japanese legends. The mythology of the series is complex and perhaps confusing: the vampire's bite can confer on humans eternal bliss , or death, or enslave another spirit to the vampire's will. There are evil spirits known as shinma,
and vampires such as Miyu have the task of banishing them from Earth back to the netherworld. Miyu herself is a lonely figure who appears in the form of a young girl.
In the first story, the medium Himiko Se, investigating the deaths of several young women of Kyoto who have been found bloodless, stumbles on Miyu as the latter is about to bite the neck of a young girl and assumes that the vampire is evil. Miyu's familiar Laba makes his appearance.
In the second story, Himiko attempts to penetrate 'a labyrinth of loss and deception' as Miyu and the shinma, Ranka, battle over the handsome boy Kai, who himself hungers for eternal beauty. But Ranka's kiss turns humans into lifeless marionettes. You'll never feel quite the same about Japanese dolls again!
The original videos have a fine soundtrack; I have a copy of one of the soundtrack CD's and often play this lovely haunting music as I drive!
The Manga Video dub leaves somewhat to be desired and fails to re-create the delicate atmosphere of the original; with various voices pitched higher than in the Japanese.
AD POLICE Parts 1-3 (Manga Video, 80 mins, cert.18, £12.99)
A re-issue of the series, popular with "Manga" fans, in a cheaper omnibus edition.
ARMITAGE III part 2 (Pioneer, 30 mins)
As good as part 1 and cheap, so you'd better buy it.
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS #5 (Anime Projects/AnimEigo, dubbed, cert.PG, 44 mins, £12.99)
This is the dubbed version of part 5 of the classic series. I hadn't seen this before; it's a more than usually interesting episode in which a group of female androids try to blast their way out of a space station and only two manage to escape to Earth where the authorities search for them. Thus far the plot is an obvious steal from BLADERUNNER. One of the androids is wounded and both, having deficient metabolisms, need human blood in order to survive. Somehow, one of the androids meets Priss and the two become friends. Some rather sensual-looking female bonding takes place in these scenes.
Meanwhile, the vampiristic activities predictably cause alarm, and the Knight Sabers take up the case. A high-powered battle suit is being used by one of the androids (one of the weakest parts of the plot) and appears in the final scenes.
The dubbing is well done and this is one of the best episodes of BGC so far.
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS #6 -Red Eyes (Anime Projects/AnimEigo, 100 mins, PG, £12.99)
This episode is a sequel to #5, and continues the story of the androids, in particular the melagomaniac Largo who is bent on defeating GENOM in a struggle for world domination.
Oh dear! Sorry Nigel Fisher & Robert Woodward, I thought this episode was utter crap!
I sat through it in mounting disbelief, enduring a plotline that totally failed to suspend my disbelief, some very strange voice acting notably one character with an odd- sounding Irish accent that made her sound like an IRA terrorist, and some dialogue lines naff enough to make me wince. There's a scene where Priss's fancy battlesuit fails to stop a stab from a very ordinary knife. There's an android whose powers, including the ability to control laser satellites, and psychic powers, are totally over the top.
Unless you are bent on completing your set, you really ought to give this tripe a miss.
APRIL:
Manga Video: Mad Bull 34 #3, Giant Robo #3, Vampire Princess Miyu ch. 3&4, Cyber City Oedo 808 parts 1-3.
May: Anime Projects: Urusei Yatsura TV Series Volume 8; Bubblegum Crisis #6 (dub).
May: Manga Video: Giant Robo #4, Violence jack #1, Ghost in the Shell, Mad Bull #4, GenoCyber 1-3, Stand Up
URUSEI YATSURA TV #8 (Anime Projects/AnimEigo, 100 mins, PG, £12.99)
More bizarre episodes of this esential series. The "double episode" format has now been quietly dropped, so what you get is four 25-min episodes, each broken in the middle by an "eye-catch" (originally an advertising break).
In "What a Dracula" a rather enfeebled version of the legendary vampire comes off worst in his encounter with the demons from outer space.
In "Small Boy's Educational Lecture Course",Lum goes back to Ataru's childhood, but tries in vain to re-educate him out of his lecherous ways.
In "From the Garden With Love" Ten-chan and Ataru cultivate a plant rather reminiscent of the Little Shop of Horrors as they both pursue the cute florist shop girl.
In "Rain Woman" Ataru gets wet when he pursues a strange girl cursed by a rainy demon.
June: Anime Projects/AD Vision: Gunsmith Cats, Dragon Half.
June: Pioneer: Armitage III #4
June: Manga Video: Giant Robo #5, Violence Jack #2, Castle of Cagliostro
GUNSMITH CATS (AD Vision, 70mins, cert 15, dubbed, £12.99)
This consists of GUNSMITH CATS #1 (30m) + a 40 minute documentary on the making of the videos.
GUNSMITH CATS is a 3-part anime series based on the manga by Kenichi Sonoda, and shows Sonoda's fascination with guns and fast cars.
As in the manga, the principal characters are Rally Vincent, young, female gunsmith and bounty hunter, her precocious young associate Minnie May, who is an expert in blowing things up, and researcher ?? Featured in the anime are innumerable guns, and Rally's car, a Shelby Cobra (this is a 370hp American muscle car, for those interested in such things)
The whole series is set in Chicago, USA. Rally owns a gunshop and shooting range, and also acts as a bounty hunter. In the first episode she is 'persuaded' by the cops to help with an undercover operation to catch some illegal arms dealers. In the cource of this, a lot of bad guys get shot and a few get blown up.
The anime, unashamedly billed as Girls -Guns- Grenades, is in fact enormous fun. It is a distinct improvement on the manga, which was interesting but looked rather colourless and static.The girls behave toughly and look sexy by turns, and there is plenty of humour and lots of moderately violent action. The well-researched backgrounds of Chicago add much to the look and feel of the animation. It's a pure male fantasy, of course, but none the worse for that. One could probably safely commend this to any young men interested in girls, guns, cars and grenades...
The 40-minute documentary includes brief clips from the anime, footage from the animators' research trip to Chicago, interviews with the three decidedly cute Japanese voice actresses, and interviews with Sonoda, and if you are already a fan of GUNSMITH CATS (or have just viewed #1) it will be of considerable interest.
GUNSMITH CATS #2 (AD Vision, 28 mins, cert 15, subbed/dubbed, £12.99
Another episode in the explosive exploits of Rally Vincent and Minnie May Hopkins. This time they get involved when a Russian gun girl in a bullet proof coat proves more than a match for a police safe house guarding a frightened prisoner. She may prove too much for our heroines too. There's a car chase, of course.
Like the first episode, lots of fun for violent minded boys.
DRAGON HALF (AD Vision, 55 mins, cert.15, subtitled, £12.99)
Originally a manga, DRAGON HALF is one of the more bizarre pieces of animation to come out of Japan ,and may take some explaining to those unacquainted with it! It's a satire on the popular 'swords and sorcery' genre of fantasy, and contains most of the ingredients of dragon-slaying knights, spell-mumbling wizards, scheming kings, princesses, and fair maidens, but in parodic form. If you have seen shows like VILLGUST, BASTARD, LUNA VARGA, etc you may well wonder what's left unparodied, however DRAGON HALF goes one better by using both 'superdeformed' (dwarf-like parody characters) and normal anime characters.
Anyway, Mink, the heroine, is the offspring of a dragon-hunting knight and a female dragon, and apart from a small tail, horns, and vestigial wings, looks like a normal teenager. She has a crush on pop idol Dick Saucer, who unfortunately for her is also a dragon-slayer! The king, for reasons too bizarre to explain here, wants Mink done away with. As if that wasn't enough, Mink maks an enemy of the King's daughter, who is a black sorceress, and the offspring of the King and a piece of slime that sometimes takes human form. OK?
Rest assured that there is a storyline of sorts. Will poor Mink stay alive and win her heartthrob? There is plenty of comedy, plenty of action and some good jokes.
Some fans rave about DRAGON HALF; it's certainly a lot of fun but more so if you are familiar with the sort of material being parodied, and have an eye for the spiky super-deformed art style. And whatever you do, don't turn off the tape before the end of the episode final credits.
July: AD Vision: Sukeban Deka.
July: AD VISION: Princess Minerva.
July Manga Video: giant Robo 6, Violence Jack 1, Secret of Mamo.
PRINCESS MINERVA (AD Vision, 45 mins, cert??, £12.99, subtitled).
"When a Tournament for Female Warriors is announced, the residents of the quaint little kingdom of Wisler find themselves up to their hips in combative members of the fairer sex competing for the cash prize that could allow the winner to live like a princess. In the meantime, Princess Minerva, who doesn't like BEING the Princess, has been sharpening up her sword-and-sorcery skills and has taken on a secret identity with the aid of her loyal bodyguard Blue Morris."
I only saw this at at an anime con.; it was average stuff, but fun.
SUKEBAN DEKA #1 (AD Vision, 60 mins, cert??, £12.99, dubbed).
This is the story of Saki, a streetwise bad girl from a criminal family, who is taken out of juvenile prison and blackmailed into rejoining school to spy on a ruthless criminal organisation that camouflages its activities behind the facade of an exclusive high school. She is given as a weapon a device that just looks like a yo-yo.
The results are certainly exciting, and at one level this black comedy/crime thriller has a lot going for it, with fights, extortion, criminal plottings, cheating, and so forth, as well as some good character designs, and some amusing characterisations. An altogether hellish view of school life.
It's also extremely violent, with frequent vicious fighting - for example, I won't be giving too much of the story away by revealing that two busloads of school students are exterminated in the first few minutes.
More importantly, there are at least two gratuitous scenes in which helpless girls are terrified and sexually abused. Such material shows Japanese tastes in a less than flattering light. As a man, rather than an anime fan, I find such scenes thoroughly objectionable and can see no merit in allowing Western youth to see them. It will be interesting to discover whether British censors agree.
Verdict - for Adults Only.
THE SECRET OF MAMO, (Manga Video, 100 mins, cert.12, £13.99)
This is one of a series of LUPIN III animated movies (others have been released in the UK by
Western Connection). Lupin (or 'Wolf' in this edition) is a master thief, ladies'
man, gentleman and master of disguise; a rather Robin Hood like figure.
At the opening of the movie, Inspector Zenigata goes to Transylvania to confirm with his own eyes reports that master thief Wolf has been executed. As he suspects, Wolf is still very much alive. Wolf and his friends next try to steal an ancient jewel, the Wiseman stone, from the heart of an Egypian pyramid. The stone is soon filched from Wolf by his onetime girlfriend, the lovely but mercenary Fujiko, who is working for the grotesque billionaire Mamo. Mamo proves to be a dangerous enemy.
All this is quite fun, but suffers because most of the stunts are so exaggerated as to be quite beyond belief, even for the moment of suspension required to go along with the fun, while lacking in the wit that would make this forgivable. Take the scene where a helicopter machine-guns a Parision cafe for a minute or so without hitting anyone at all. To escape it (still missing the target) Wolf drives his sports car into a sewer - where he is joined by the helicopter, which seems to have shrunk, or the sewer has expanded to riverine proportions.
Verdict: has its moments, but inferior to the three other Lupin movies released in UK.Menu.
August: Manga Video: Bubblegum Crash 1, Sazan Eyes 3, Violence Jack 2.
August: AD Vision: Airbats, Burn-Up W
BUBBLEGUM CRASH #1 (Manga Video, 48 mins, cert 15, £9.99)
This is Manga Video's own dubbed production of the sequel series to Bubblegum Crisis.
A gang of hi-tech mercenaries are using battle armour suits to raid banks in Mega Tokyo. The outgunned AD Police are powerless to prevent them. The Knight Sabers have been quietly pursuing their various careers, but they reform when alerted to the new menace, and a violent showdown occurs.
The 'Crash' episodes form a less than satisfactory sequel to 'Crisis'. Manga Video's production in CRASH #1 is quite satisfactory as far as it goes, but the material is lacking. In the sequel, the capabilities of the "Boomer" androids are played down, even though they had frightening abilities in the original series. The new stories are flashy and violent without ever being particularly convincing.
Verdict: a miss.
BUBBLEGUM CRASH #3 (Manga Video, 46 mins, cert 12, £9.99)
This is the last BGC episode to date, a sparky episode in which the boomers (androids) used as industrial labour, incited by a robot leader, revolt in a attempt to take over Tokyo and destroy all humans. Then the Knight Sabers face three almost unbeatable 'boomers' as the mastermind behind their recent adventures finally reveals himself, and launches a drilling machine against a nuclear reactor sited under Tokyo Bay, threatening massive destruction.
There is lots of action, not unmixed with humour, as our heroines sort out the robots and then fall into the cluches of more formidable opponents. It concludes with an unexpectedly cogent message about mankind's impact on our planet. Much of the interest derives from previously established characterisations. The dialogue has an unfortunate tendency to state the obvious, otherwise this is an entertaining episode which should not disappoint fans of the series.
3x3 EYES part 3 (Manga Video, 47 mins, cert 15, £9.99)
Just so you are thoroughly confused, this is the third tape in the UK releases, but a translation of the fifth Japanese video, and covers some events in "Part 2" of the original manga series, some four years after the events in Hong Kong which culminate in Pai's disappearance in a violent explosion. Pai has entirely lost her memory, and is living as a Japanese schoolgirl with an old couple who claim to he her grandparents. Yakumo has been wandering and searching for Pai for the last four years. On the same day he sees her picture in a men's magazine and then spots Pai herself. So, unfortunately, do the demons, and a series of battles with a collection of malign dolls erupts.
This is a predictably disappointing continuation of the SAZAN EYES series, by a different director. It has been seriously cute-ified and lacks much of the snap of the earlier scripts, even compared with the earlier dub versions. Along with her memory, Pai seems to have lost much of her character! The first four 30min. episodes followed the manga fairly closely, asides from some severe compression, but this episode seems to be a very loose adaptation. Nor does it have the lovely soundtrack music of the earlier videos. There's also a real error, with Yakumo repeatedly saying that he first met Pai in Hong Kong! I wouldn't want to put you off completely, but this is fairly average stuff.
3x3 EYES #5 (Manga Video, 50 mins, cert 15, £9.99)
The third of the 'new' Sazan Eyes videos, in which the resurrection of the dark lord Kuei-Yan-Wang draws near, and the destruction of the world as we know it is at hand. Only Pai, last of the Sanjiyan, and her follower Yakumo Fuji have any hope of stopping Wang's "Wu", the powerful Benares. Pai and Yakumo, accompanied by an Australian treasure hunter, reach the dead city of the Sanjiyan, destroyed centuries earlier by their malevolent lord Kaiyanwan. The inevitable final battle occurs.
It's quite adequately animated and has plenty of violent action, but storywise is as unconvincing as only bad fantasy can be. The conclusion was convoluted and rather feeble. I don't like the new Pai chracter, or the script. All the new characters seem to be "types" rather than characters in their own right. (compare, for instance, Pai's two tiresomely cute schoolfriends with the group of school students in the original series). The story, incidentally, is based very loosely on the manga version.
Altogether this 3-part set is much inferior to the original 4 part 3x3 Eyes (issued by Manga Video as two 1-hour parts)
AIRBATS (AD Vision, 30 mins, cert PG, £12.99, subtitled)
801 TTS Airbats is the story of flight maintenance engineer Takuya who finds himself posted to a new squadron. He makes a bad start by getting frightened by a bat and bursting in on some female personnel in various states of undress. The down-at-heel 801 TTS is, he learns, a display squadron crewed solely by female pilots, a dumping ground for 'problem' personnel, and under threat of closure by unsympathetic staff officers. Takuya determines to make a go of it and encourages the demoralised and misfit girls to do their best.
AIRBATS is full of small virtues: there are some fine characterisations; notably the moody Sergeant Mitaka, the kind of girl who as well as planes likes leather jackets and fast motorbikes; the flying sequences are good, and there is a fascinating glimpse of the (doubtless real) aviation fanboys who lurk outside the fence with binoculars and radios. There is no fantasy or supernatural stuff whatsoever (and believe me that makes a refreshing change!) - perhaps the most implausible thing in it is that two of the pilots develop a crush on Takuya. There are many sly touches of comedy. There's even a plot, though it does tend to get repeated in succeeding episodes. All in all a delightful series, and much better than some of the stuff I've sat through on your behalf recently!
It does seem poor value at £12.99 for a 30 min. episode, (ie £39 the set), considering that American fans were able to buy all three episodes together for $35 (about £23).
AIRBATS #2 (AD VISION, 28 mins, subtitled, £12.99)
I reviewed this series for the release date of #1. In this episode, mechanic Isurugi is invited out on his birthday by sweetie-pie female pilot Haneda, but the uncontrollably jealous Mitaka becomes inconveniently ill at the very thought... The rest of the team go to the races. Another charming episode in this better-than-average series.
BURN-UP W (AD Vision, 30 mins, cert 15, £12.99, dubbed & subtitled versions)
This is inspired by the original Burn-Up OVA made in 1991. A bunch of bad-ass terrorists called the Falcon Claw take over a high-rise hotel where a plethora of influential govermental representatives have gathered. The terrorists baffle the police by making a set of bizarre and frivolous demands (such as making a baseball team manager apologize for losing). The president's right hand woman decides to comply with their wishes, to distract them while calling in the all-female special weapons & tactics team WARRIOR. As a diversionary tactic, team member Rio has to perform a nude bungee jump down the side of the building.
All this may strike you as hugely funny, or possibly just hugely witless. I may be an old fogey, but I tended to the latter view, and can't think of any particular reason why I should want to view this a second time, since, female anatomy apart, it has nothing to distinguish it in the story, design, direction, or music departments. At £12.99 for 30 mins, it also seems rather poor value for money, and I wonder if AD Vision are not making a mistake in applying such pricing to UK fans who enjoy some of the lowest video prices in the world, and are accustomed to paying about £6 for Manga Video tapes of 30 mins (or 50 mins, in the case of Giant Robo).
September: Kiseki: Urotsuki Doji 4, Rei Rei
September: Manga Video: Goodbye Lady Liberty, Bubblegum Crash 2, Violence Jack 3, 3x3 Eyes part 4.
September: AD Vision: Gunsmith Cats #2, Airbats#2
REI REI (Kiseki, approx 55 mins, cert.18, £12.99?)
(October 96)
Release date still to be confirmed. I saw the US edition at a convention: Rei Rei is a relatively mature sex comedy about a mischievous spirit who grants several characters' sexual wishes, but not quite in the way they hoped. There are two independent parts:
The evil Doctor Manami has seduced Ikuko, an innocent schoolgirl, in a lesbian affair, and then murdered her. But she has not counted on the intervention of the Goddess of Love, Kaguya. With the help of Ikuko's boyfriend, Kaguya and her servant Pipi make sure that the punishment fits the crime. Among other things this involves turning Ikuko into a girl. Before they have finished, Manami's going to wish she had never got involved...
And:
"Satoshi isn't getting anywhere with Mika, but not for lack of trying; It's just that he's scared of women. Enter Kaguya, the Prophetess of Passion, who can show Satoshi everything he needs to know.." Mika not surprisingly tires of being dragged around planetariums and game arcades instead of being romanced, and is about to dump him. Sexy Kaguya's intervention at first just makes matters worse.
As the 18 cert indicates, this is racy stuff, but quite witty, and in all a bit above average. If you like this sort of thing, and have a NTSC player, check out the AD Vision/Soft Cell /Pink Pineapple catalogue. Menu
GOODBYE LADY LIBERTY (Manga Video, 96 mins, cert.12, £13.99)
Another disappointing Lupin III movie, in which the Super Egg, the world's largest diamond, is the ultimate prize for various gangs of thieves, not least Lupin and his associates. The rugby-ball sized gem, stolen in a previous raid, is hidden somewhere in the Statue of Liberty. The police forces now have a computer database which enables them to predict Lupin's every move, but despite this he is determined to lift the gem.
Also in the story are Fujiko, who is enjoying the company of a very rich man, and a religious cult, Conquer the Universe Incorporated, whose mad and ancient leader also wants the Super Egg. If this sounds a bit like the previous Lupin movie from Manga, you're right, it is the same formula and it fails for much the same reasons. A lot of implausible and sketchily
defined characters engaging in fantasy slapstick does not necessarily make a great movie, and in this case it certainly doesn't, the movie being too fantastic and arbitrary to engender any suspense. (The tape proved less interesting than a sampling of the evening's TV viewing.) One suspects, on admittedly scant evidence to hand, that excessive fidelity to the manga may be the problem.
My Lupin advice: first get CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO (Manga) and PLOT OF THE FUMA CLAN (Western Connection) and maybe GOLD OF BABYLON.
October: Manga Video: Junk Boy, New Gall Force, Bubblegum Crash #3, 3x3 Eyes part 5
NEW GALL FORCE (Manga Video,48 mins, cert.PG, £9.99)
This is a sort of sequel to the original 3-part Gall Force series, in which we learn that humanity is descended from the Solnoid and Paranoid races, a result brought about by the sacrifices of the original team of all-female fighters from the Starleaf.
As a link, some of the same character names appear in the sequel. The date is 2085, and the Earth is a ruined wastland after Mankind's final war. Most of humanity has fled to Mars and the forces that are left are trying to reactivate a set of nuclear missile silos to blast their mechanoid foe, called the MME (though they seemed to be called something else in the dub). Most of the action is in Australia, and involves Sandy Newman and her band of guerilla fighters. She successfully locates one of the missile silos, only to find it blockaded by a previously unknown mystical eco-religion, the Geo Chris, who have a Tree of Revival growing in an underground cavern, and then discovering that the necessarily messy nuclear bombardment is not going to hurt the MME anyway.
It was hard to figure out who was doing what where, and perhaps because of my gastric 'flu I didn't much care. Characterisation is minimal. At various points, leaders shout things like "Carry Out the Plan" (obviously nobody could be bothered to script some minimally authentic-sounding orders like "Proceed to shore at five knots, course 045, show no lights"). And the eco-friendly plot message was about as subtle as a mud brick. A miss.
NEW GALL FORCE #2 -Earth 2 (Manga Video, 50 mins, cert PG, £9.99)
The second of the series in which most of surviving humanity has been evacuated to Mars while a few guerillas left on Earth battle the mechanoid foe, MME. In this episode, rather than landing Martian ground forces, the Mars government sends a massive spaceship with a plasma gun so powerful that it will wreck the whole Earth. Sandy Newman and her fellow guerillas are less than pleased to learn that they are to be wiped out along with the robotic MME. Sandy is captured by the MME, and their GORN controller taps her knowledge of her dead father's arms project. Meanwhile some Martians who disagree with their leaders' policy hijack a spaceship and travel to Earth, intending to stop the plasma attack.
The animation is quite well done and there is a lot of combat action and drama. However the video is sunk by its childish plot. Why use such an over-powerful weapon? This is never explained. Why not turn it down a bit or devise some way of limiting the collateral damage?The more I think about it the more stupid it seems. And the number of female characters in command and combat roles goes beyond the point of credibility. The dialogue is littered with simplistic cliches. In short, it's childish stuff, little better than the first episode.
JUNK BOY (Manga Video, 44 mins, cert 18, £9.99)
JUNK BOY is a sex comedy about a young man who is determined to make his way in the world of glossy magazine publishing. Ryuchi, extremely confident and full of himself, arrives for interview at Potato Boy magazine. The interview panel is clearly looking for a serious sort of person, while all Ryuchi can think of is how much he'd like to get his hands on the one woman in the room, who unfortunately turns out to be the senior editor.
Guys with erections don't get serious jobs, but Ryuchi is ecstatic when offered another job; it turns out to involve grading the naughty photos. Other equally menial tasks lie in store for him, but our priapic hero is totally undaunted.
This video succeeds admirably in what it sets out to do; it's sexy, funny, and, being set in the real world of publishing, interesting. If it has a fault, it is that it's too indulgent of its big-headed sex-pest main character.
AD Vision's SUPER ATRAGON is well worth a look.
Manga Video (UK) releases for November: DARK MYTH, NEW GALL FORCE #2, Ghost in the Shell subtitled dou0ble pack, Crying Freman box set.
THE DARK MYTH #1(Manga Video, cert 18, 50 mins, £9.99)
In legend, the god Susanoh oh terrorised heaven till he was banished to the Underworld for his crimes, where he encountered and slew the monstrous eight tailed serpent Yamata and became known as the Lord of Darkness.
This has some significance for Takahashi, a youth whose father was murdered ten years before while on a quest for mysterious artefacts. Takeuchi is brought to the attention of the powerful Kikuchi clan; direct descendants of the five original families of Japan, and becomes the focus of bizarre and frightening supernatural events. Takahashi bears the mark of the serpent, and each time something weird happens another mark appears on his body. Seems that the Evil God is about to be resurrected. (Oh no! Not again! experienced anime watchers will whimper.) It's not obvious who the are the good guys and who the bad guys.
Well, this video has some interesting artwork, and excellent music by Kenji Kawai. Though the script is quite complex for a Manga Video, that doesn't mean it's a critical success. I wonder at its impact on Western youths who know nothing about Isanagi etc or the Jomon period, or Buddhist mythology, and could care less.
There is also a problem in that the characters do not react in a believable way to the strange events that befall them. For instance, at one point they enter a cave expecting to find a great treasure. Doors open automatically into a chamber where they are surprised and frightened by a chained-up monster. Once outside they are only interested in a clay model of some forgotten god. The treasure does not get another mention. ( "Guess what, Mom, found a really weird huge monster chained up in a cave today. " NOT.) When the characters react in such a deadpan way why should viewers get any more excited?
If you find this summary intriguing, then get DARK MYTH, but don't blame me if you are disappointed.
December:
Manga Video's UK releases for December are DARK MYTH #2, and at £12.99 three budget 2-in-1 re-packagings of previous releases: 3x3 Eyes parts 1 & 2 (the good bit), Devil Man #1 and #2, and Wicked City/Monster City (never could remember which was which anyway).
In fact 1996 has been the Year of the Budget Re-Release for UK fans of popular anime fare, for most of the Kiseki catalogue is available in budget form, for instance Plastic Little for £5.99 (that's about $10), and Adventure Duo #1-3 for £12.99. Should solve Xmas present problems for parents of 'otaku'.
Rei Rei has (Kiseki claim) sold well, but release of Urotsuki Doji #4 has been indefinitely posponed from Jan'97, probably bcause there wasn't enough left to fill a tape after the British video censors (BBFC) had finished cutting it. (23.11.96)
(G. Cowie 7.12.96)