This is the 6th in a series of files of comments and reviews of anime
(Japanese animation) items that we have bought. Please direct all
comments to us by E-mail or post us a message in the Forum. We also
welcome any reviews or comments about anime products or services that
you would like to have included in the next anime stuff article. Also
please send us any comments about any incorrect information contained
here. A correction will be placed in the next ANIME STUFF.
- Tom Mitchell (TM)
CompuServe Address : 75156,1067
SOME NOTES ON THE FUTURE OF HOME VIDEO AND ANIME COLLECTING:
There have been a lot of interesting developments in the world of
consumer electronics over the past year. Since all US anime collectors
are dependent on home video technologies for the distribution and
presentation of anime, all of the new technologies that are emerging
now will have a great effect on the future of our anime hobby.
The following are some of my observations on how some of these new
technologies will effect us in the near future:
> Super-VHS: Question: Will we see any anime software issued in the
new S-VHS format? A: Probably not for a while yet. Of course S-VHS
represents a fantastic advantage over most home video systems in terms of
picture resolution. But until the number of units in use gets close to
the 1 Million mark...there won't be any profit in companies issuing
software in this format.
Once that happens though, it will be interesting to see if anime films
will be released in S-VHS. After all, unless costs drop quite a bit,
S-VHS will remain too expensive for most of anime's target market to
afford.
I do see S-VHS becoming popular for dubbing/pirating of anime due to the
high resolution of the format. After all, with S-VHS it would become
possible to do multiple copies of VHS software little loss of picture
quality...(...just wait to see how many companies can afford to release
Original Anime Videos once all-digital video recording is introduced
..perfect copies...A pirate's dream).
> COMPACT DISC VIDEO: I think that this format will work out very
well for anime collectors in Japan. After all, CDV represents one of the
first video formats aimed at teens and young adults...anime's primary
market. With CDV, you could sample 5 minutes of animation set to music
from a favorite show, along with 20 minutes of digital BGM. All on a
5 inch compact disc. What a great souvenir to remember a favorite
show with! And cheap too...high resolution video and digital sound on
a little disc for only about 2000-2400 Yen (Say around $20-$30 US)
For us fans who must import videos in order to see anime, this might
make an inexpensive way to sample the animation and music from shows
that one might not have otherwise seen because of the high cost to buy
a full blown video tape or laser disc of the show.
It will be interesting to see what kind of anime products are developed
for CDV. And who knows? You might see some short OAV's created just for
CDV!
>Super-Laser Vision: Of course, with over 400 lines of resolution,
digital sound, low software cost, and software that doesn't wear out from
repeated playings, Laserdisc has always been an ideal video system for the
anime collector. Now many of the players offer the capability of playing
CD's and now CDVs as well. An anime fan can now watch a favorite film and
listen to the BGM all on the same machine! (grin) So, what's next? Super-
LaserVision!
With the development of S-VHS and S-Video monitors, the LaserVision folks
are now working on upgrading laser disc to keep it in the lead as the
#1 system for delivering the best in both picture and sound quality.
As far as hardware goes, Super-Laservision will just be an S-Video
compatible version of current laserdisc technology.
The new S-Video hardware standard splits a video signal into two main
parts: Picture detail information, and color information. The result is a
much cleaner video signal boasting higher resolution pictures. On an
S-Video compatible monitor, Super-VHS delivers a sharp 450 lines of
resolution using special tape that is not compatible with standard VHS
machines.
Now get this: Current laserdisc player technology using S-Video
connector output on an S-Video monitor can deliver a picture slightly
more than 600 lines! And that using current software! No special discs
will have to be manufactured to take advantage of the new Super-LaserDisc
players! (By the way, S-LV players will shown at upcoming Consumer
Electronics shows. So you should be seeing them introduced in the next
few months.)
This means your super-clear copy of NAUSICAA on laserdisc will look even
better on a SuperLaser player...and you won't have to wait for a new
S-Video version of the film to be issued to take advantage of the higher
resolution.
With laserdiscs getting more popular through the consumer acceptance of
the Compact Disc format, the LaserDisc will probably continue to grow as
the preferred anime film collector's medium. Now just wait until
LaserDiscs start recording...(That is about 2-4 years off...) Drool!
>HDTV: Over the next 10 years, we begin to see our aging NTSC
television system replaced by one of several new high-definition broadcast
systems to bring TV into the 21st century. (For an excellent summary of the
technology and the types of High Definition TV systems being developed,
see the February 1988 issue of VIDEO MAGAZINE...By the way,our current TV
system was designed around a standard proposed in the late 1930's
..yuck!).
The benefits of some of the new proposed television systems will be
awesome: wide screen aspect ratio just like in movie theatres, and ultra-
sharp pictures rivaling the resolution of 35mm film! Not to mention
digital sound.
Despite which system is chosen, there is a danger for us anime fans that
nobody has yet thought of: Compatibility with Japanese television.
US anime fans have been very lucky in that both the US and Japan use
the same broadcast TV standard called NTSC. This has enabled us to view
TV shows, movies, and Original Anime Videos on video tape and LaserDisc
directly from Japan. Had the US and Japan had different broadcast systems
like European countries do, our hobby could not exist here.
The Japanese have now developed the best HDTV system called MUSE, and it
is a standard that will begin testing in Japan and Canada over the next
year. It is a truly state of the art High Definition TV system featuring
a wide screen with over 1125 lines of resolution! (over double the
resolution of Super-VHS and Super-LaserDisc!!!).
But many in the US are opposed to Japan setting the standard saying that
the Japanese would then gain an edge over US consumer electronic
companies in producing and selling HDTV goods to US consumers! (Look at
what whimpering losers we have become...we try to impede their progress
rather than work to improve out own technology and markets.) Anyway, so
now it is quite possible that the US would adopt some second-best system
that would not be compatible with the new Japanese broadcast standard.
You can see what I'm getting at: Both countries video software would be
rendered incompatible. US anime fans would not be able to view films from
Japan. Think about it.
Now of course, all this may not come about...The US could adopt the
Japanese system (not too likely, because of the costs...), or Japan might
follow whatever system we choose in order to make it easier to continue
to produce compatible consumer goods.
It will be pretty interesting to see what happens...and as an anime fan I
will be watching nervously.
(TM)
MACROSS FLASH BACK 2012 ON LASERDISC (ORIGINAL ANIMATION VIDEO):
There is a lot of argument among anime fans as to how good this OAV is.
I would like to say that I love it because it serves its purpose rather
well when you keep in mind that this video is meant to be a farewell
video scrap-book of visuals and music from the Macross TV series and
the Macross movie.
So, since it is a video-scrapbook of sorts, I'll list its contents.
First off the OAV contains 13 of most popular songs from the show.
This portion of the program really shines on laserdisc since the disc
boasts a digital soundtrack. An of course, all but one of the songs
are sung by Lynn Minmay, one of the main characters from the show.
Visually, this OAV contains clips from the TV show and movie. Perhaps
the biggest failing of the program though, is the director's emphasis
on the love triangle between characters Hikaru, Misa, and Minmay.
Because of this many important moments of the show are missed...and the
OAV has a too-sweet sentimental feeling to it.
Perhaps the most important (and most talked about) feature of this OAV
is that it contains new animation footage at beginning and ends of the
OAV. The beginning of the OAV starts with a fantastic Minmay concert
that was supposedly planned for the end of the Macross Movie but was
never used...and the end contains an intriguing sequence in which an
older Lynn Minmay visits the concert stage years later and is magically
greeted by her friends Hikaru and Misa. This end sequence also provides
never before seen glimpses into the past...Minmay leaving home for
Macross Island...and a possible future...A new space ship with Misa
and Hikaru in command heading out to space once again. (The direction
of the OAV leaves this portion of the ending tantalizingly vague...is
Minmay getting on board the new ship...or is she daydreaming this as
she visits the old concert stadium?) The art during these new sequences
is amazing...it even surpasses that of the Macross movie...character
designer Mikimoto is in top form here, and watching it makes one drool
for a Macross sequel.
(No sequels are planned...).
The laserdisc version of this OAV is technically superb. It takes full
advantage of all of the capabilities of the format. Like I said before,
I loved this, even though it dwells too much on the the Macross love
triangle. I would recommend this to the die-hard Macross fan and/or
the Haruhiko Mikimoto (HAL) art collector. The casual Macross fan
, or someone who is not familiar with the show may find this a bit of
a waste.
(TM)
GALL FORCE 2: DESTRUCTION (ORIGINAL ANIMATION VIDEO):
This is another fine product from the people at Sony Video Software
International/MOVIC and AIC/Artmic/Animate Films. In my opinion, this
sequel to GALL FORCE: ETERNAL STORY is not as good as the original but is
still much better than a lot of OAVs coming out these days.
The story picks up 10 years after ETERNAL STORY. Both the Solenoids
(the girls) and the Paranoids (the monsters) have been forced to use
their planet destroyer weapons and both sides have lost their mother
planets. They have each become wandering races with no place to return
to.
The OAV opens with the destruction of the Paranoid mother planet (and a
large portion of the Paranoid fleet). The Paranoid father leader discusses
with his group of advisors how the planet destroyer managed to get through
their defenses and destroy their mother planet. They decide to gather the
remnants of the Paranoid fleet at the 9th Solar System (the only solar
system left that hasn't been destroyed by the solar system destroyer
weapons or isn't controlled by the Solenoids).
The Solenoids are also gathering their forces together. One Solenoid fleet
passes through the remnants of an old Solenoid/Paranoid battle. They
decide to salvage. They discover an old Blon-D type of droid warrior with
a pilot still inside. It is Lufy (from ETERNAL STORY)! Her life
functions have stopped but Shildy and Spea (the two in the salvage room)
think that she can be brought back. They try once but the attempt fails.
Shildy hesitates and decides to try once more. Meanwhile, the main
Solenoid fleet arrives. The Solenoid mother leader informs the combined
fleet that the Paranoid mother planet has been essentially destroyed.
Unnoticed at first, Lufy's life functions return. Lufy begins the tedious
process of recovering. However, because of her Attackers' training, she
recovers quickly. During one such rehabilitation session, Lufy sees
Catty (again from ETERNAL STORY)! Lufy is overjoyed at seeing again an
old combat comrade but can't figure out what she's doing here. Shildy,
Amy, and Spea are all surprised too that Lufy seems to know Catty.
Lufy suddenly remembers their mission on the StarReef -- to protect the
planet Chaos from the Paranoids at all cost and asks about it. Shildy,
recovering quickly, orders the room sealed and they begin to bring Lufy up
to date.
As another Solenoid fleet arrives, Lufy is horrified by what she's just
learned, about the race combination project. Shildy insists that it's
their only remaining hope. However, there have been no complete successes.
Spea says there's no other way. Lufy claims that all they have to do is to
win the war. Shildy replies that there can be no victors in this war.
Amy and Shildy inform Lufy then that both races have lost their mother
planets. An announcement comes over the ship's system; the fleet is
moving out to the 9th Solar System. Catty starts and says worriedly,
"Not there....we can't .... not there".
Meanwhile, a remnant of a Paranoid fleet has picked up the gathering of the
Solenoid fleet. The Paranoid fleet admiral decides to attack even though
he has orders to gather at the 9th Solar System and the Solenoid fleet
far outnumbers his. They attack and take the Solenoid fleet totally by
surprise. Both sides have improved their jamming shields so they resort
to in-close fighting rather than long-range bombing. Lufy also takes a
fighter/bomber and joins the battle. She is saved by Shildy when she runs
out of ammo and they both return to the ship for re-supply.
Lufy is in a good mood after sharpening her skills out there but her
good mood is quickly crashed after realizing that most of her
comrades-in-arms are cyborgs. After losing a majority of its ships, the
Paranoid fleet retreats and heads onwards to the 9th Solar System. The
Solenoid combined fleet also heads onwards to the 9th Solar System.
Lufy is having a hard time dealing with the changes that have occurred
while she was away. (Notice the BGC poster on the wall? (grin)) She
decides to head on down to the shooting range to talk to Shildy. The
group gathers in a holotable room and Catty takes over the explanation.
She pulls up a picture of the solar system destroyer weapon and explains to
Lufy that it has caused the destruction of over 12 solar systems. Catty
then pulls up a picture of a cyborg soldier and explains that over 80% of
the soldiers are now cyborgs. They're basically bio-killing machines. She
then explains that even though Lufy seems to know her, she doesn't know
Lufy. A picture appears: Solenoid Second Intelligence Section Officer
C-9682138 Catty Nevilart. Catty then explains that she is an exact
android copy of this officer. Catty's original mission was the race
combination project. To assist her, a number of android copies were made
and spread throughout the Solenoid fleet. The Catty that Lufy knew on the
StarReef was another android clone. But now that both mother planets have
been destroyed and since all attempts at combining the two races have
ended in failure, the race combination project was shelved and the
remaining android copies have been left without a mission. However, Catty
claims, there was one partial success in the 9th Solar System.
Spea adds sorrowfully that since both fleets are heading there now, it
will become a battlefield. Lufy reacts to this with anger. All they have
to do is to win that battle! Lufy begins to stalk out the room but Spea
blocks the way with a knife. Shildy reminds Lufy that this is information
that even the higher echelons don't know and tells her to think about what
she's learned here today.
Lufy is torn between conflicting emotions: what her new friends have
told her and her former convictions. The Solenoid fleet enters the 9th
Solar System and Terra and Chaos both come into view.
The Paranoid fleet also arrives and both sides prepare for battle. But
while the supporting Solenoid fleets enter the battle, the main Solenoid
fleet refuses to enter the melee! Catty and the others, thinking this
strange, try to pull the reason out of the computer. Finally, after
overriding many Top-Secret codes, Catty discovers that the 5th planet in
the 9th Solar System is a camouflaged solar system destroyer! The plan
is that Solenoid supporting fleets engage the Paranoid fleet and keep them
busy while the Solenoid flagship activates the solar system destroyer
(code named: Damia) and escapes outside of the solar system.
Damia then destroys the sun, the surround planets, and any
Solenoid/Paranoid ships in the vicinity. Lufy is shocked to realize that
they are willing to sacrifice their own fleets in this fashion in order to
destroy the Paranoid fleet.
Shildy realizes that the Solenoid fleet is numerically inferior to
the Paranoid fleet. Thus, the Solenoid mother leader's plan is to end
everything here by wiping out the entire Paranoid fleet. Catty trembles...
"We can't let them fire the solar system destroyer....everything will
end!".
Shildy tries to find some weakness in Damia. Then, the announcement
comes over the system for their fleet to move out and engage the enemy.
Lufy stares open-mouthed at the screen and observes, "So we're....we're
just pawns too"
The fleet moves forward and personnel hastily prepare for battle.
Shildy decides that they'll go too....but to Damia to stop the firing of
Damia somehow. Lufy remains. Shildy looks back at her for a little
while and then goes too. In the attack ship, Spea asks about Lufy.
Shildy murmurs, "We can't force her.....I had hoped that she'd understand.
But who really knows what's best for the future? Let's go!" The attack
ship takes off and heads off towards Damia. Meanwhile, Lufy takes off in
a droid warrior and heads toward the battle. "It's OK. I don't care if
I'm just a pawn. If that's what strategy requires .... I'm satisfied!
The attack ship enters lightspeed and speeds towards Damia. They
arrive and Shildy takes over steering the ship. Shildy passes through
the first group of shields but is detected by Damia at the second shield
level. Spea, Amy, and Catty leave in power suits. The ship is badly
hit but Shildy blows off the lightspeed engines and saves the command
module. The power suits maneuver into an exhaust duct and they meet up
with Shildy who also comes out in a power suit. Catty pulls up a
schematic of Damia and discovers that the power core would be impossible
to reach. They decide to hit the fire control processing center and split
into two to better reach it. Meanwhile, Lufy has been fighting the enemy.
"This is the kind of fighting I believe in..." she says as she watches
the fleet fight against the backdrop of Terra. She then looks the other
way at Chaos and whispers, "...and this is the result of fighting."
Damia begins to power up. The group manages to reach the rendezvous
point but the power suits are beyond help after fighting with Damia's
automated defenses. They go on foot from here.
The main Solenoid fleet escapes out of the 9th Solar System. The main
bore of Damia opens up and massive locks close all over Damia. They try
to blast through the locks but they just don't have the firepower. The
group is trapped! Catty pulls out a grenade and approaches the lock. Her
android body consists of microplasmalo. The explosion of her body will
easily destroy the lock. But Shildy talks her out of it, saying that
even if she blows this lock, there are 5 more locks like it to get to the
processing center. Then, Lufy blows through the locks! "You guys still
here? I saw your suits back there and thought you'd croaked or
something". With Lufy's droid warrior, they easily blast through the
locks and destroy the fire control processing center.
Damia fires but because of the destruction of the processing center
its aim is off and it narrowly misses the Sun. The Paranoids suddenly
realize the true nature of Damia and warp out. Damia cannot fire anymore
because of the loss of its processing center. In fact, it is close to
destruction itself. Lufy, Shildy, Amy, Spea, and Catty barely get out in
time.
They slowly come to. Catty looks out the window and wonders, "They're
fighting....they're still fighting." Lufy says, "Let's go back." Shildy
ends the OAV with the question, "Do you still believe that there can be a
victor in this war?" Chaos looms in space.....and Terra silently glides
out from behind it.
This OAV series has had some of the best animation around in OAVs. If you
haven't seen either of the GALL FORCE OAVs, I highly recommend that you
do so. The animation, character voices, plotline, and soundtracks to both
are excellent!
(MT)
URBAN SQUARE (ORIGINAL ANIMATION VIDEO):
I have very mixed feelings about this Original Anime Video. On one hand
it is a excellent work of anime technically. It boasts some really nice
animation, beautiful character designs, and a fantastic Jazz BGM
soundtrack.
But on the other hand it features one of the dullest and most predictable
detective stories that I have ever seen. It makes me wonder why they even
would choose to make this story since its been done in hundreds of films
and TV shows: Man Being Chased Bumps Into Innocent Bystander and Leaves
Bystander With "Important Item". Man Is Killed...Bad Guys Go After
Innocent Bystander and New Girlfriend...etc, etc,...Rescue the Girl
..Car Chase...Gun Fight...Shoot Main Bad Guy a Few Times...THE END.
The kind of plot that's been ground out at least twice on every police
TV show and dozens of movies.
I will say that some of the gun fight and chase scenes are well directed,
but like I said, technically this OAV is very well done. I just wish it
held some surprises...or made some sort of attempt to bring a new twist to
the detective/police story genre. I guess the folks who made this felt
that just animating a story like this would make it unique.
Just a couple of notes: I love the hit man called Henmi. Notice how
seem to hit anyone with t
is always shooting at their feet! Also, I love the character design
of the hero...Ryo Matsumoto...He looks just like me if I were going to
be animated...I swear!
So, if you want to know what I look like...watch this! If you like to
amaze your friends by second-guessing the plot...watch this! But if you
are looking for something stimulating and unique...well, go watch
Nausicaa again.
(TM)
PIONEER LD-838D LASERVISION LASERDISC PLAYER:
Let's put the facts up straight; I'm a newcomer to the LaserDisc field
and this review is by no means meant to be an "expert's" view on it.
Rather, this is my impression of the player as it seems to me, a
neophyte. I have had this LaserDisc player now for 2 weeks and I am very
impressed with it. This 8" and 12" LD player is well worth its price
($470 - $570, depending on where you buy it). It has auto-loading and
auto-disc selection. The audio processing is done through two-times
over-sampling which results in crisp digital sound (from discs equipped
with Digital Audio). Because of its LaserVision heritage, it naturally
comes equipped with 400 lines of video resolution. The player itself is
a trim 420 x 385 x 100 mm. It comes with a full-feature remote control,
batteries for the remote, and various cables to hook up the player. A
plus is that this player is compatible with Pioneer's SR system so that
if you ever decide to buy a Pioneer A/V receiver, you will be able to
control the player's basic functions using the receiver's remote control.
The very few cons that I have been able to discover so far are: 1) the
disc drawer itself seems to be a bit loose and shaky when it is open.
This was a bit disconcerning. 2) This hasn't happened to me but I have
heard horror stories from other people regarding what happened when they
had something blocking the drawer while it was ejecting. I won't go into
any gory details but the disc was damaged. EXTREME care should be taken
not to block the drawer while it is ejecting (or loading for that
matter). Overall, though, I believe that this player is one of the best-
buys in the LaserVision player field. Besides, it has the high-quality
Pioneer name on it. (grin)
(MT)
CIRCUIT ANGEL (ORIGINAL ANIMATION VIDEO):
Quite possibly one of the biggest wastes of the OAV concept ever made.
And an example of the glut of quickly assembled OAVs beginning to clog
the market in order to take advantage of the current boom in Original
Anime Videos.
When you view an OAV you at least expect something somewhere between TV
and feature film quality in terms of the animation. Also, you would
expect a unique story...one that takes advantage of the freedom offered
to artists in the OAV medium. You know, something like Vampire Hunter D,
or Area 88, or even ICZER-1.
Well, CIRCUIT ANGEL is nowhere near those films in terms of animation
quality or creative imagination. Watching this, you get the feeling that
this was a failed TV pilot that someone figured they could throw out as
an OAV to at least make some money off of it.
The story is dull and predictable: Motorcycle Girl goes against Rich and
Rude Motorcycle Guy to prove that teamwork and friendship can win out
over bucks. Big Race...Oooo, it looks like she's gonna loose!...Nope,
she wins! Yeah...Boy, that rich snob sure got his...Sunset...The End.
This type of story has been done a million times...I would suggest
you watch the movie ROCKY instead...it's a better execution of the
same story.
When the big shake out in the Original Anime Video market comes,
productions like CIRCUIT ANGEL will be the ones weeded out. And then
perhaps we could get back to Quality not Quantity in OAVs.
(Also note that the laserdisc version of this OAV is an exercise in
wasted features. The OAV cu xsound...but instead the
y use CLV format and waste a side of the disc and
many of LaserDisc's special effects.)
(TM)
BUBBLE GUM CRISIS 2 : BORN TO KILL (ORIGINAL ANIME VIDEO):
Most folks who have seen this complain about this OAV's extremely short
running time...about 27 minutes. Heck even the BGM CD for this OAV
is longer than the film! The CD runs 37 minutes!
But what people seem to fail to appreciate is that with this short length
comes a fantastic economy of story telling, slick direction,
razor-sharp artwork, and dazzling scene choreography driven by this
OAV's fantastic pop/rock soundtrack. I guess it would be safer to say
that this OAV is more music video with a plot.
Once again the Knight Sabers go up against the GENOM Corporation and
Mason. Mason has recovered the USSD's satelite data from the body of the
cyborg/girl Cynthia who was killed at the end of BGC 1. With it, he hopes
to use the data in a new "Super-Boomer" design that will allow a Boomer
robot to use the USSD's laser satelite as a defence weapon.
Without trying to give too much away, I would like to state that my only
complaint about this OAV is the way that Mason gets away at the end:
He just drives away! Like he's driving home after a day at the office
or something. Really silly.
But don't write off seeing this OAV just because your friends tell you
its a rip-off because of the short length. The pacing of the story
direction in this short length is nothing short of brilliant and the
music and choreography of the battle scenes will have you hopping.
Not to mention those outrageous and deadly lady boomers...
And if that still doesn't convince you to see it...then the chance of
seeing Priss nude will...(Nudge, nudge...wink, wink...)
(PS: For us laserdisc users, once again Toshiba/EMI has come through
and put this second BGC episode on CAV format laserdisc with digital
sound. The picture and sound quality are amazing!)
(TM)
By far the worst OAV I have ever seen...avoid at all costs. This even
started me thinking that Circuit Angel wasn't all that bad! Whew!
Another example of leap-on-the-bandwagon OAV production.
(TM)
THE DIRTY PAIR MOVIE : PROJECT EDEN (A.K.A.: PINK TYPHOON)
The Dirty Pair Movie, one of the most popular anime films from
the Summer of '87, has just about every element you could ever
want in an anime science fiction action comedy. Here's the list:
a wild plot, cute girls, a dashing male lead, a mad scientist, a
big red cat, ugly monsters, strange gadgets, wild weapons, great
soundtrack music, great animation, and great action. Plus all
the elements that made Dirty Pair such a cult hit are still here
too! (Well, not everything...Nanmo is gone. I liked their robot
Nanmo...What happened to Nanmo?!?)
In this adventure, the Dirty Pai...(receiving evil eye from
Kei)...er...Lovely Angels are sent to a mining planet to
investigate a series of attacks on some mining installations.
The planet is a major source of ore for a substance called
"visorium". And visorium is now the chief fuel for space craft.
As it turns out, a wacky scientist named Dr. Watsman has
discovered that ore the visorium is refined from is the
condensed and fossilized remains of an extinct race of humanoids
called the Sadinga. Using samples of the ore, he is trying to
reconstruct the race, but his experements are not yet fully
successful. All the ore does is turn into a deadly mutated
creature with a strange attraction to visorium.
Since Watsman hates to see the remains of the Sadinga race
exploited for fuel...he uses the mutated creatures to attack
and gather more visorium ore for him at the factories. In the
meantime he tries to perfect his experements (his Project Eden)
..and he is getting closer to resurrecting the Sadinga race.
While all this is going on, a love interest for Kei is introduced
in the form of a thief named Carson D. Carson. The girls have
been after him since a ill-fated run-in with him at a visorium
smuggling bust on a resort colony at the start of the movie.
He too has come to the planet looking for Dr. Watsman who has
stolen a rare bottle of wine from him (The French wine is the
last of 10 bottles issued to commemorate the 1945 liberation of
France in World War 2...Not only is it worth millions of credits
, it is also said that the person who possesses it will have good
fortune...).
Of course things get even wilder from there so, I don't want to
give too much of this away. This film certainly ranks among some
of the best action/comedy anime films made, and it is highly
recommended. I was really surprised the film turned out as
well as it did, and I hope that we will see more Dirty Pair
features in the future. It may also be one of those must see
films for folks new to anime since it is easy to follow if you
don't understand Japanese. There's so much to look at here that
folks won't mind not understanding what's going on! (grin)
Sorta like some of the best Urusei Yatsura movies.
(TM)
This is a package full of hard driving and percussive rock
instrumentals complemented by an excellent group of pop/rock
songs. Best tracks include the songs MR. DANDY, KONYA WA
HURRICANE, and the excellent vocal performace on the rock
ballad REMEMBER. (remember is an "image song", and was not
included in the OAV...) Not one dud instrumental in the whole
bunch too. (I particularly like PRISS' DISCO...)
Certainly one of the strongest rock/pop BGM's of 1987. And from
the looks of it, it would appear that the new Bubble Gum Crisis
OAV series will be producing a whole series of BGMs over the
length of the series.
One interesting this to note about the quality of the recording
on CD is that the songs...with the exception of REMEMBER...don't
seem to have the same amount of sonic punch and dynamic range
that the instrumentals do. You can really notice the difference
when listening on headphones. Obviously the songs were engineered
by entirely different folks and equipment. But this is only
a minor flaw in an outstanding recording.
(TM)
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS PART 2: BORN TO KILL COMPACT DISC:
This CD keeps up the tradition of great BGC BGMs with an excellent
selection of songs. The opening song, "MAD MACHINE", is an earcatcher
with its driving beat. The instrumental, "Funky Doll", which plays in
BGC 2 during Linna's aerobics class is also catchy and will have you
snapping your fingers to it. Also, this CD starts off a policy of having
one song that has the NightSabers as the singers. The song here sung by
the NightSabers is called "Suriru ni Odoru Tenshi tachi" (roughly
translated: "Angels Dancing For Thrills"). The harmonizations work
pretty well here. Besides its novelty value, the song itself is good. I
wasn't particularly impressed with the theme song from this BGM, "Kizu
Dareke no Wild" (roughly translated: "Badly Hurt Wild"). It seemed to
emphasize too much the limits of Kinuko Oomori's (Priss' character voice
actress and singer) voice and you could definitely hear her voice
slipping at times. The liner itself has an interesting selection of
pictures (B&W, unfortunately!) of various BGC garage model kits such as
Priss riding her bike, Priss in concert, Cynthia, and the NightSabers in
combat gear. For fans of the BGC series, this is a great addition to
your BGC collection. For people who aren't fans, this CD still contains
a fine compendium of pop music and may still be interesting. Check it
out.
(MT)
SECOND OPINION!
I guess of the 3 BGC BGMs so far, I figure this must be my favorite
since I just can't seem to get this one out of my CD player. A lot
of high-tech percussion-heavy pop and rock instrumentals here...and
Kinuko Oomori and the rest of the girls turn in some solid vocal
performances on some great pop/rock songs. Favorite songs...the
hard-pulsing beat and strained vocals of MAD MACHINE, the choral work
SURIRU NO DORU TENSHI TACHI, and the sentimental sounding KIZU DAREKE NO
WILD. And perhaps I am a bit too addicted to the pounding-pop of
the instrumental FUNKY DOLL (...sort of a BGC version of AXEL-F from
Beverly Hills Cop...it sticks in your mind in much the same way).
All in all, a great BGM performance and highly recommended for rock
BGM fans.
(TM)
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS PART 3: BLOW UP COMPACT DISC
This is a hard BGM to get accustomed to. I don't say that meaning that
the music is bad or anything. On the contrary, the music in this BGM is
very good....I consider the music here to be superior to all the BGC BGMs
so far. The problem is that the music is much more complex here. It
takes a lot of listening-to to get fully accustomed to the music. I like
practically all the songs on the BGM. "VICTORY" is a great theme song...
I like it very much now. Many of the instrumentals on this album have
various musical textures which lend very well to the enjoyment of the
BGM. "DREAM" is an especially pretty instrumental ballad. The ending
song, "Wasurenaide" (roughly translated: "Don't Forget"), is probably my
favorite Priss song. The soulful guitar lead lines are great! The only
song that I have problems with on this BGM is "Ashite e Touchdown"
(roughly translated: "Touchdown to Tomorrow"). This song is the
NightSabers' song on the BGM but the guitar line just sounds too much
like a certain Asia (the band) song that I know for me to feel
comfortable with. It's a great song but I wish they hadn't cheapened the
album by borrowing lines like this without credit. Linna (Michie
Tomizawa) sings the high line and Sylia (Ryoko Sakakibara) sings the low
line with Priss (Kinuko Oomori) and Nene (Masako Hiramatsu) doing the
melody in this song. Other than the copied guitar line, I have
absolutely no complaint with the album. A definitely great set of music!
There are no goodies this time for the BGC picture/illustration collector but I
believe that the music more than makes up for it.
(MT)
SECOND OPINION!
For some reason I didn't take to this album as quickly as I did the
first two BGC BGM albums. Perhaps because there was no real quick fix
pulsing pop on this album like in the first two volumes. But this may
actually be the best album of the three in terms of the quality of the
instrumental compositions. The intricate melodies and instrumentation
take a few listenings to fully appreciate. And perhaps that is what
makes this album so good: It is full of compositions that should be
carefully listened to to be fully appreciated, while the first 2
BGC albums are straight forward flat out pop-rock that jump out and
grab you. This album is more subtle...it sneaks up on you. So, put
this album on after you are worn out from jumping around to the other
two...this one needs relaxed concentration to enjoy. Recommended to the
die-hard anime BGM fan because you will be hard pressed to find better
written and arranged rock BGM. This is...should I say it?...New Age BGM!
(TM)
DIRTY PAIR: THE MOVIE - ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ON COMPACT DISC:
Of course, the LP for this BGM was reviewed in ANIME STUFF 5, but I would
just like to add some thoughts on the CD version. The CD version of this
album brings even more brilliance to the music. All of the rock/pop tunes
on the album clearly benefit from the added punch that CD's deliver. Why,
even the instrumental tunes LOVE THEME FROM DIRTY PAIR and IF I TURN
sound better. On the vinyl LP they sound dull, and I said that CD owners
would be lucky since they would have the change to skip over them...but I
have yet to do that on this CD version.
(TM)
GENESIS CLIMBER MOSPEADA SUPER COLLECTION COMPACT DISC:
Yep, this has got to be the best (and possibly only...) collection of
music from Mospeada on CD. This excellent disc contains 19 choice tracks
of music and songs from the TV show. The CD is basically the LP BGM
Collections Volumes 1 & 2 recorded on one CD. The action music by the
While Rock Band, and the excellent rock/pop vocals make for some
stimulating listening. A nice veriety of sounds here. A must have disc
for any BGM or Mospeada fan!
(TM)
First of all, here is a little known fact about the music here...much
of it was written and composed by Joe Hishaishi, the man responsible
for the music to such hits as Nausicaa, Laputa, Arion and others
(this guy keeps turning up in everything!)
The music features all of Yellow Belmont's songs from The LOVE, LIVE
,ALIVE OAV. All the compositions are excellent and Yellow never
sounded better...(He also sings all but one of the songs in his
male voice...this lends some interesting interpretations to the
songs from Mospeada.)
The songs cover smooth pop ballads to hard rockers. My personal
favorite cut is the free-wheeling HORIZON, as song about Yellow's
love for motorcycle touring. The whole album is a must have for
MOSPEADA fans...and Japanese pop music lovers alike. (Too bad Yellow
is a fictional character!) The album is meant to have a live feel to
it since the OAV centered on a live Yellow concert. The only thing I
wish they included on the album was some crowd noise to add to the
"live" feel of the record.
(TM)
///////////////////////////BOOKS AND MAGAZINES\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
ICZER-ONE MEDIAMIX SPECIAL BOOK:
If you like Iczer-One, you will love this book...
..Even if you can't read Japanese.
The Mediamix book is, like the Iczer-One OAV, very graphic. It presents
a sampling of art, from design sketches to new illustrations, which can
stand on their own. The japanese text quite probably gives tremendous
insight into the animation, but the book can be followed through its
graphic presentation quite easily. So easily that one can tend to
overlook the great amount of english text contained. This text, often
quite humorous ( It's good to see that the japanese seem to have equal
problems with our language as we with theirs! ), contains a wealth of
information concerning the makers of the film, insights into the motives
of the Cotowolf, and enough titles to keep you on track as you move
through the book.
The Iczer-One Mediamix Special covers Iczer-One Acts I and II, presenting
both production sketches and pictures from the OAV. Each character is
studied, and the mecha are shown in detail. It is in these illustrations
that the book has its great value. Caught frozen is the depth and range
of Iczer-Ones'emotions.
Character development can be traced from rough sketch to finished
animation. Within the book is a pictorial summary of Acts I and II, and
the book ends with a series of test renderings of all the major
characters, their machines, and their creepy friends. Scattered
throughout the book are some very special gems: Sepia in a swimsuit;
Iczer-One, Iczer-Two and Nagisa as A-ko, B-ko, and C-ko; and many small
sketches just for fun. And last, Original Iczer Space: a series of
illustrations by director/character designer Toshihiro Hirano. These
alone are worth the price of the book.
The Mediamix special is the perfect supplement to the Iczer-One anime
series. Both can be viewed alone, but together they enhance one another.
If you are a follower of either Toshihiro Hirano or Iczer-One, you should
not be disappointed with this book.
(M&J)
PROJECT A-KO BEST COLLECTION BOOK:
For the Project A-Ko fan there is no better book on Project A-Ko Part 1
than this one. This large format paperback book has so much to offer!
For starters, it features a complete plot summery of the Part 1 story
with Japanese text and _tons_ of full color photos from just about every
scene in the Original Anime Film. Also featured are sections of character
and mecha designs, animation pencil test illustrations (the pre-cell
drawings...), and profiles of the major characters. As an extra bonus
the left-hand margin of the book contains three groups of cell animation
that you can make move by flipping the pages of the book! Neat!
So, if you are thinking of getting just one book on Project A-Ko for
your collection, consider the BEST COLLECTION book! It has a little of
everything.
(TM)
CREAM LEMON MEMORY BOOK:
From the way that this book is numbered, I would assume that there are
a whole series of books covering the episodes of this erotic OAV series.
Anyway, this book is a collection of stills and art from the first two
episodes in the CREAM LEMON series - PART 1: BE MY BABY, and PART 2:
ESCALATION.
This is large format art book stuff, so it is a pretty good item for
the collector. It features some really neat original pen and marker
artwork of some of the characters. Some character profiles done in the
manner of a Playboy Playmate data sheet, filled out by the characters
themselves. (grin) Some examples of the character designs from the show,
and preview stills from Cream Lemon parts 3 & 4 (A nice section on PART
4: POP CHASER, by the way).
The only disappointing feature of the book is that most of the stills
of cells shown are in black and white. Sorta cheap for a deluxe art book
of this size and price.
(TM)
B-CLUB SPECIAL: ARTMIC DESIGN WORKS MOOK
For any fan of AIC/Artmic, this book is highly recommended!! For those
of us who don't know who AIC/Artmic is, they are the animation company
responsible for bringing us Technopolice 21C, the Megazone 23 series,
Genesis Climber Mospeada, the Iczer One series, the Bubble Gum Crisis Crisis
series, the Gall Force series, etc. The list is much too long to mention
completely. It opens up with a poster illustrated by Kenichi Sonoda of
various AIC characters. From there on, the mook is separated into 5
sections: 1) Animation, 2) SFX Design, 3) Toy & Hobby, 4) Illustration
and 5) Another Works. The Animation section contains basically the above
list of shows and OAVs. For each one, there are 4 color pages containing
pictures from the actual anime plus mecha cutaways and color character
and mecha sketches (one of the most interesting color sections is the
section showing the various coloring tests for the KnightSabers'
hardsuits!) On top of that, there are 8-12 B&W pages with character and
mecha sketches from the anime, showing closeups and scribbled designer
notes. At the end of the Animation section, there is a short subsection
detailing Artmic's upcoming anime for 1987 and 1988 (such as Dragon's
Heaven, Katteni Shirokuma, Metal Skin Panic Madox-01, BGC 2,3 and Gall
Force 2) In the SFX Design section, ARTMIC describes its involvement in
project as diverse as Photon to Sony Pasocon (Personal Computer) ads
(using Gall Force characters!). In the Toy & Hobby section, there are
descriptions of various other things that ARTMIC is involved in. The
Gall Force video game for the Nintendo (Japan only, sorry!) game computer
is shown. The Mospeada toys as well as other toys that ARTMIC has
designed are also shown. The best part of this section however is the
two-page spread on ARTMIC's garage kits. They show garage kits from Gall
Force, MZ 23, Mospeada, and Bubble Gum Crisis in color! The Illustration
section is possibly the most gorgeous part of the mook. Beautiful illustration
art is featured for 16 color pages with posters and image boards from
Macross to Bubble Gum Crisis! This section really gives you an
opportunity to appreciate ARTMIC/AIC's works of art. In the Another
Works section, ARTMIC shows the various logos for the anime they create
and for some, they show rejected logos. It's interesting to see the
various permutations the Iczer One logo went through before its final
appearance! (grin) Finally, the last section is called the Staff Room
and contains pictures and biographies from ARTMIC's staff. Plus, there
is a rough layout on what the ARTMIC studio looks like and the typical
ARTMIC daily schedule. In the end, there are messages from various
people in the industry to ARTMIC. One last bonus: the right hand corner
of each page (front and back) has a small box with an anime scene in it.
When these corners are paged through, they make up a semi-animated scene!
The front corners are Gall Force; the back corners are Megazone 23 Part
II. In short, this mook is a definite must-have for the anime fan!!
Obtain it in any way possible!
(MT)
Here is an important bit of news that was sent to me via E-mail from Aki
Umemoto who is in Japan working with ARTMIC/AIC on the Captain Power
videos. ARTMIC/AIC are the folks who create Bubble Gum Crisis.
***
Date: 12-Jan-88 06:27 EST
From: AKI [76661,2211]
Subj: BGC4&5 LIVES!
Tom, I have a correction to make on my last communique. BGC4 is scheduled
to come out in July and BGC5 to come out in December of '88, not Feb and
July. Also, Artmic has committed to produce 13 BGC tapes! Yes, count
them, 13! Take care, that's all for now.
***
Another interesting bit of news about Bubble Gum Crisis: It seems that
the character Priss may die in BGC 4. Apparently Kinuko Oomori, who does
her voice and singing is, leaving to pursue her singing career. So far
there has been no definite news from Artmic/AIC on this...but BGC 4
could turn into quite a shocker for some of loyal BGC fans.
(FLASH!: Well, the latest news is that Priss is back! I guess they found
an offer for Oomori-san that she couldn't refuse! (grin)
THE MEGAZONE 23 SAGA TO CONTINUE!
Aki also provided another bit of news: Plans are underway for MEGAZONE 23
Part 3! It is in the scripting stages right now and will probably be
12-15 months before it's release.
(TM)
In ANIME STUFF 2, I detailed some of the books featuring the TV series
ORGUSS that are still available: "Orguss Connection" & "Mikimoto
Haruhiko Illustrations". Dana Fong dropped me a note listing some of the
other items on Orguss that he knows of:
* THIS IS ANIMATION : THE SELECT SERIES #8 & #9 from Shogakukan.
* ORGUSS GUIDE BOOK (Part of a large series of guide books on anime
shows...number of this volume was not known by Dana.)
* ORGUSS PHOTO PACK (Pictures from the show on photographic paper
..Dana also mentions that there are ones available on Macross and
Mospeada.)
* ORGUSS BGM COLLECTION COMPACT DISC from Animage Records.
Most of these would be out of print by now..."Orguss Connection" and
"Illustration" should still be available though through Books Nippan.
(TM)
THE EARLY HISTORY OF NAUSICAA IN THE VALLEY OF THE WIND:
Here is an interesting note posted to me by Takayuki Karahashi, after
I asked him if he could fill me in on the early history of Miyazaki's
film NAUSICAA IN THE VALLEY OF THE WIND...(PS: The "girn"s are supposed
to be "grin"s, but Taka is scrambling them due to something I started
in an anime conference...It's a long story...<GRIN>) (TM)
#: 46923 S5/Japanimation
01-Mar-88 05:46:32
Sb: #46857-#Miyazakanime
Fm: Takayuki Karahashi 75165,656
To: Tom Mitchell 76701,273
Just reread the "Road to Nausicaa" article at the end of THE ART OF
NAUSICAA to refresh my memory. According to this article...
--
In the August '81 issue, ANIMAGE ran a 32-page "The World of Hayao
Miyazaki" feature. Turns out Miyazaki had a pile of illustrations, some
of them movie proposals.
"I'd like to make movies like these," he told the ANIMAGE staff.
As Miyazaki enthusiastically told his proposals to the staff beginning
with then-editor-in-chief Ogata, they became convinced they wanted to do
something about it.
So in July of that year, ANIMAGE took a proposal for an animation movie
to the conference of the Tokuma conglomerates. Titled "Sengoku Majo,"
some of the Miyazaki mecha it would feature was a giant demon-castle
floating in the sky...
But, the conference rejected the proposal.
Immediately, Miyazaki struck back with a second proposal. "Rolf," it
would feature Yara the Queen of the Valley of the Wind and gigantic
Sand Worms.
It was also rejected.
Maybe the proposal would go through if it was based on existing material,
they thought. So, they negotiated with Miyazaki if he'd draw an original
comics for Animage. He gave them three conditions to accept their
offer...
1. He'll terminate serialization as soon as he finds an animation
project to work on.
2. If it doesn't gain popularity, the editorial staff may terminate
the serialization any time. In return, he'll draw whatever he wants
(ie, Animage has no creative say?).
3. He won't draw it as an original story to base animation on, ie,
unlike conventional Japanese comics, he'll draw it intentionally hard to
animate.
Thus, NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND started its run in ANIMAGE
Then came December 20 of the same year. ANIMAGE had just received the
first installment of NAUSICAA from Miyazaki and had just finished laying
out the rest of the magazine. Miyazaki called them. "I want to
terminate the serialization."
Turns out he started working on FAMOUS DETECTIVE HOLMES since the
beginning of November. We know Miyazaki; he puts tons of effort to
ensure the high quality of whatever project he works on. As a result,
he'd leave home for work (HOLMES) by 10am at the latest and return home
at 11pm. Then, he'd draw the comics (NAUSICAA) until 5am. He slept for
an average of 3 hours per day. No wonder he wanted to quit...
--
They could make an entire movie out of "the Making of NAUSICAA" <girn>.
Well, some of the imageboards reprinted in the beginning of ART OF
NAUSICAA are from "Sengoku Majo" and "Rolf" BTW. The one on P5 is
probably from "Majo"...the dead robot looks like a guardian of the
"floating demon-castle in the air." PP8-9 looks like a NAUSICAA
imageboard. PP10-11 is obviously "Rolf"...The bottom of the right page
shows Princess Yara with Teto, her pet...dog? P12 has what...Yara and
"Teto" riding the Mowe together?...Gee, the Mowe really looks like a gull
at this point. P14...who's that girl "Teto" is with?
P15..."Teto"(?) again. P16-17...Could it be from "Majo"?...Doesn't
really look like Yara riding a...flying dinosaur mecha? P18..."Rolf"?
..Is that "Teto" carrying the machine gun?...the orange/brown clothe
makes me think the girl in the portrait is Yara. P19..."Majo"?...those
robots must be descending from the demon-castle.
Beautiful book, THE ART OF NAUSICAA. I haven't opened it for quite a
while. (Silly Tom, they didn't have CDV back when they planned the
5-minute pilot, and I don't know what Jo Hisaishi was doing back then
either. <girn>)
MAILORDER UPDATE : FOLLOW UP TO ANIME STUFF 4: 3/1/1988
Quite a lot has happened in the world of mail-order anime importing
since ANIME STUFF issue 4. The two major players, Books Nippan and
Wyvern Web Graphics are going through quite a lot of changes right now.
And it would seem that 1988 will be a make or break year for them both.
BOOKS NIPPAN: For now, not recommended for video imports, special
orders or magazine subscriptions. Order in-stock items only.
WYVERN WEB GRAPHICS: WWG is in a state of major transition and
possible growth. WWG's founder Vaunda Perry is now living and
working in Japan, and she has left her business in the hands of the
of her helpers at WWG. Now the big question is, how will the new
WWG perform? If Vaunda is able to get access to more goods in Japan
with her affiliation with ANIMATE, and if WWG is able to maintain their
excellent customer service, WWG should do well indeed.
I really hope that WWG can perform as well as they have over the past
year. They have offered amazing quality in their mail-order services
and fantastic access to anime goods. If Vaunda and WWG are able to
take advantage of her working in Japan and being so close to ANIMATE,
they should have an unparalleled access to goods. (And probably faster
translation and shipping of orders too!)
By the way, WWG is now selling Magazine subscriptions to all the major
anime mags. Subscriptions will start within about a month...they were
really fast getting mine started. It only took 4 weeks! (let's see
Books Nippan top that!)
And don't forget...WWG now has a new address and phone number:
WYVERN WEB GRAPHICS
P.O. BOX 5748
TITUSVILLE, FL 32783-5748
This new anime club for knowledgeable anime fans is highly recommended.
Based in Gardena, California, this group holds public screenings and
meetings at the Japanese Cultural Institute. Also, as promised, they
have stepped up the quality of their newsletter for us out-of-state fans.
The AAJA newsletter is an excellent publication featuring news and
reviews of some of the latest anime. The club also has some interesting
ties into the anime industry because of their connections with Books
Nippan. In all, this is a neat club featuring quality info and
presentations for their members...and all without the politics that some
of the CF/O's indulge in.
(TM)
For more information about AAJA, contact:
AAJA
C/O
ROBERT NAPTON
1236 EUCLID STREET #201
SANTA MONICA, CA 90404
THE MACROSS FAN CLUB:
Can anyone provide us with information on what has happened to THE
MACROSS FAN CLUB (P.O. BOX 2566, COSTA MESA, CA 92628-2566). It seems
all communication from them has stopped and no information as to
what has happened has been available. The have also not been responding
to some of my last correspondence. Any information would be greatly
appreciated. I miss their excellent newsletter.
(TM)
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
3/1/1988
ANIME STUFF (C) 1988 MIDORI PUBLISHING
This publication originally appears on CompuServe Information Service's
Comic Book & Animation Forum.
Original Copyrights to the material reviewed are reserved by by
their respective owners. The contents of Anime Stuff are public domain
and may be reproduced in any form of media so long as the names of the
authors are preserved, articles remain intact, and ANIME STUFF is
mentioned as the source.
Articles in Anime Stuff may be republished in newsletters so long as 2
copies of the publication are sent to:
MIDORI COMMUNICATIONS
c/o Tom Mitchell
474 Chowning Circle
Dayton, OH 45429
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Special thanks to Takayuki Karahashi, Dana Fong, Steve Bennett
, Ray Pelzer, Aki Umemoto, Junichi!, Mitsuru Sugaya, Rick Sternbach
, Doug Pratt and all the other folks I've wasted my Sunday nights away
on CompuServe chatting about this amazing hobby for almost 3(!) years
now. And special thanks to Masa for becoming my partner in ANIME STUFF.
Two sets of fingers on the keys are better than one!
