This is the 8th 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 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.
For the best in on-line anime chatter, be sure and check out Takayuki
Karahashi's VALLEY OF THE WIND BBS, the official ANIMAG BBS. It is
certainly one of the best anime BBSs around.
Give it a call at 1-415-341-5986. (It's located in California...)
Once again this issue takes advantage of CompuServe's GIF graphics
format to provide illustrations for this issue. Be sure to download
and view files AS8G1.GIF to AS8G10.GIF.
Files AS8G2.GIF to AS8G5.GIF feature graphics from rare test footage
created for Cream Lemon Part 4 : Pop*Chaser. Files AS8G6.GIF through
AS8G10.GIF feature graphics from the ICZER-1 OAV series. And of
course, file AS8G1.GIF is the GIF graphic "cover" for this issue of
ANIME STUFF. Enjoy!
COMPACT DISC VIDEO (CDV) : IT JUST MIGHT HIT...WITH ANIME FANS
The consumer doesn't really know much about it yet. Critics say it won't
fly because it's too expensive for its teen target market. And I thought
it was impossible to really do much with it as a format. Just what is
Compact Disc Video, and how will it fit into the now united Compact
Disc/Laser Video Disc family? Well, after some firsthand experience with
this new LaserDisc/Compact Disc hybrid, I must say that I'm very
impressed with this new format.
This past summer I received some of my first Compact Disc Videos (AKA
CDVs...). And before I go on about how neat I think they are, perhaps a
little explanation about what CDVs are is needed.
The marriage of LaserVision video discs to the compact digital audio disc
has spawned its first software hybrid, the Compact Disc Video. The CDV
is actually pretty much the equivalent to a compact disc single (CD3)
with 5 minutes of a laser video disc attached to it. The format is
built around a disc that is the exact same size as a standard CD, but
it has been colored gold to set it apart from the rest of the CD audio
format. The disc provides for 20 minutes of digital audio on its inner
tracks, and 5 minutes of video with a digital audio soundtrack on the
remaining outer part of the disc. The first 20 minutes of digital audio
on the disc can be played on any CD player, but the rest of the disc must
be played on a CD or Laser Video Disc player that has CDV compatibility.
(All current laser video disc players that can play CDs now also have
CDV capability.)
The format was designed to achieve to goals. First, to provide an
inexpensive way to sell music videos, and thus recover more of their
production costs. And second, buy providing an inexpensive way to sell
the videos it is hoped that this will pull more teens and young adults
into the CD and home video hardware and software markets. The discs are
only supposed to sell for about $9. Critics argue that this is silly
since how many teens have enough money to throw at a $600 to $1000 dollar
laserdisc player to play them on?
Well, it's still to far to early to judge the viability of the format. It
has only been available in Japan since the beginning of the year, and
was just introduced in the US in July. (Even though the hardware to play
them on has been available for over a year now in the form of the
"Combi" laserdisc players that play CDs, CDVs, and LDs.)
So, what does all this have to do with anime? Well, if you recall in
ANIME STUFF 6 I felt that CDV might be an interesting and inexpensive way
to collect or preview a bit of an anime program without having to plunk
down the money for a full CD, tape, or disc of the show. And yes, the
first few anime CDVs have been released...and they really are a pretty
nifty way to collect an audio/visual souvenir of your favorite anime.
So far, I have collected 2 anime CDVs and 1 pop CDV from Japan. (The
pop music CDV is Ryuichi Sakamoto's RISKY CDV.) I must admit, I was a
bit skeptical about the format at first. I didn't think that there
was much that one could do to effectively fill 5 minutes to represent
and anime show. And would the video quality suffer due to the size of
the smaller discs? I was wrong on both counts. The directors and editors
of the 3 discs I have seen so far make the most of the 5 minutes. And
the picture quality is flawless. It rivals some of the best LDs I have
seen. Really!
I hope the format finds its nitch in the US. But I know that for the
Japanese, CDV is just to cute to fail. (grin)
- Tom Mitchell
SAINT SEIYA CDV (COLUMBIA 24AV-3002)
To my knowledge, this was the first anime CDV to be released. And if you
need a momento to remember this show with, than this is as probably as
good an item to get as any. The audio portions of this disc contain 4
excellent rock ballads and intrumentals from the first season of the
show. The songs are PEGASUS FANTASY, FRIENDS IN THE SKY, WE'RE FEARLESS
WARRIORS, & BLUE FOREVER. The video portion is used for a 5 minute music
video-style collection of best scenes from the show set to the song
ATHENA'S LULLABY, a lovely pop ballad with some rather uplifting and
powerful instrumental arrangements.
The director and editors of the the video do a pretty darn good job in
trying to convey the strong emotional triumph and tragedy theme of the
show by presenting the characters in all their armoured glory...and then
showing them bloody with the pain of their magical combat. Most all of
the major characters are featured throughout.
This CDV is highly recommended for the Saint Seiya fan. For me, it was
my first introduction to this series. And for anyone wishing to sample
what the series is like, this disc really brings over the quality and
emotion of the show.
- Tom Mitchell
KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD CDV-1 (TOSHIBA/EMI {TOEMI} VIDEO CTV24-106)
Toshiba/EMI seems to be determined to make Kimagure Orange Road's
appearance on home video a special event for fans and collectors. Not
only is the whole series being issued over the next year on laser video
disc, but they are also releasing a special series of CDVs that compile
all of the opening and ending credit animations for the show and other
short graphic animation.
For the audio part of this CD, 4 hot pop tunes from the show are brought
together. First up is the snazzy NIGHT OF SUMMER SIDE, perhaps one of my
favorite anime pop tunes. Next is the moving and bouncy pop ballad
SUMMER MIRAGE, followed by ORANGE MYSTERY, a tune featuring some great
rock guitar! And finally, the hard driving rock ballad BREAKING HEART.
This show featured some of the best anime music of the year!
The graphics for the show are just as captivating as the music. The
opening and closing titles take advantage of a quick cut montage style
perfectly suited for the accompanying music. This is the only CDV that
I have seen to present more than one graphic sequence in the 5 minutes
of video allowed on the format. The first video is the quick cut
eye catching opening credit graphic for the show set to the popular
NIGHT OF SUMMERSIDE. This is a really stunning opening title sequence!
Great editing. Next is the closing credit graphics for the show
featuring the beautiful Madoka in many poses watching the credits scroll
by. It should be noted that the text for the credits has been deleted so
that they don't get in the way of the beautiful artwork on both of the
opening and closing sequences. Next is a wonderfully animated music
video for ORANGE MYSTERY done in pencil test/sketch style. Some really
amazing renderings here featuring the main characters from the show
in a rock band playing the ORANGE MYSTERY tune. Finally, the disc ends
with a commercial break title card from the show.
This is the best use of the CDV medium I have seen so far. It's so well
done, that it'll make you crave to see more of the series. It's small...
but it's one of the best videos I have seen all year!
- Tom Mitchell
ICZER-1 SPECIAL VERSION LASER DISC (LP VIDEO L148-9019)
It is her eyes that capture you. Bright and flashing, and changing
with every instant, every shift in light and feeling. The windows to
an artificial soul...
..Iczer-1.
In 1985 director and character designer Toshihiro Hirano released
Iczer-1 Act 1. A science fiction action adventure in which, once
again, the Earth is threatened by an alien invasion, and Earth's only
hope lies in a strange warrior and her young teen-aged partner. Their
adventures are chronicled in three acts, as slowly Earth falls to the
deadly alien forces. The trilogy ended in 1987, with, of course, the
vanquishing of the beastly enemies, and the restoration of peace to our
embattled planet.
A common story, an animation series that has been seen and followed
for three years.
The three OAVs stood very well as individual films, and together they
told a much grander tale of desire and guilt. Finally, the three
tales have been collected, re-edited, and now released as a single
Special Edition. The story of Iczer-1 and Nagisa, Big Gold, Cobalt,
doomed Sepia, Iczer-2 and Sir Violet can now be told in a single
sweeping tale of action and character.
Technically, the retelling of Iczer-1's story is as exciting as the
first time.
The film opens now with Sir Violet's awful choice. Between forever
traveling the stars with her homeless people, or forcefully taking
over a planet, casting out that world's own people. Just as her
children, the Cutowolf, were thrown off their own mother world. This
re-cutting sets the groundwork of the story at the start, and from this
foundation the story grows, much more understandably than when there
were three separate films. Also changed from the original videos, is
the inclusion of approximately five minutes of new animation. These
brief additions aid not only in the splicing of the three acts, but
also serve to further develop the characterizations, most notably that
of Sepia. Hirano's skill at pacing the action, excellent in the three
short acts, only becomes more apparent in the special compilation. The
story builds continuously, and where there are minor high points, the
climaxes for each particular act, they do not detract nor hinder the
power of the films ending. Hirano has an excellent sense of timing,
of when and where to switch scenes. The ability to juxtapose actions
to build excitement, without losing the continuity of the story or
disorienting the viewer. Hirano also knows when to be graphic and
when not to. When Sayochan's mother is taken over by the Bedem, it
is never seen or graphically portrayed. Yet it is more eerie and
horrifying than any other Bedem capture. Last, the transitions from
scene to scene are quick, and natural, and are seldom forced or
awkward. As if it was truly one complete film.
The animation is beautiful. But that, too, is part of Iczer-1's
three year history. Of all of Hirano's work, Iczer-1 stands out as
his best. What the Special Edition allows, however, is the ability to
watch the skill and technique develop over the series. It is rich,
and full and detailed, and when compiled, a tour-de-force of not only
Hirano's, but Jyunichi Watanabe's monster designs and Hiroaki
Motoigi's mechanical design work.
But even with the best direction, and excellent animation, Iczer-1
would still be a plain alien invasion story, albeit a pretty one.
However, beneath the action and animation, there is the conflict of
desire and conscience, and a theme of compassion which allows Iczer-1
to transcend the simplistic alien invasion genre.
Beneath the well paced action, the conflict is not just a slugfest
between Iczer-1 and the Cutowolf/Bedem/Big Gold alliance. The action
is the focus not for simple conquest, but a conflict of ethics. Of
whether any action can be justified by desperation, irregardless of
the consequences to others. It is Sir Violet's torn battle, between
invading and taking over the Earth, or dooming her own people to even
longer exile from a homeworld. Big Gold and the Bedem are the
incarnation of her desperate desire, a wish for a mother world at all
cost, uncaring of whom they must destroy in that process. And then
there is Iczer-1. Sir Violets's conscience. The realization
that the end does not justify the means, that there are some things
which are wrong to do, despite how desperate the circumstances are.
It is this conflict, between desire and conscience, which is the
framework and foundation of the OAV.
And Sir Violet's desire is strong, very strong. And yet it crumbles
before the power of Kanoh Nagisa. In the end, it is not super mecha
that triumphs, nor new technology, nor discovery, nor force of fist or
fury. Indeed, as shown over and over again, the Cutowolf have the
biggest and best of all equipment. Nagisa's power is so very simple.
She cares. It is compassion. More powerful than any technology or
simple obsessive force, the ability to care for those around you has
far greater power. And if Nagisa is special, it is because she has
the ability to care very deeply and strongly. Compassion is the
downfall of the Cutowolf invasion: Sir Violet's compels her to create
Iczer-1, it is Sepia's compassion that dooms Iczer-Sigma, and Iczer-1's
final understanding of what it is to care that gives her the strength
to defeat Big Gold. Nagisa showed an artificial creation what it is
to care. Gave her a human heart. You can see it in Iczer-1's eyes;
the caring, the worry, the compassion.
Desire. Conscience. And compassion. Three simple words, three
complex emotional drives. It is this conflict which allows Iczer-1 to
transcend being a simple action film.
And this underlying story is all the more powerful in the Special
Edition. When released as three separate acts, the first two videos
stood very well as simple science fiction action stories. It was not
until the release of Act 3 that the underlying themes were truly
brought out, to bring the OAV series to a powerful close. The Special
Edition, with the initial re-cutting, the added animation, and the fact
that there is now a continuous story, better handles the development
of the background framework and the development of the major themes.
The Special Edition is not perfect, however. It has one flaw. The
new animation is easy to pick out. And it has the same slickness
which marred the animation of Dangaioh. All the hair and lips have
the same clean and polished reflections. And this difference is very
apparent when next to the rich animation of the original video.
The laser disc set is impressive. It is a two disc set, packaged in
a fold out jacket. The jacket is rich with stills from the video, but
the true value of the set is contained within the encoding of the
discs. The reason is three very simple letters: CAV. The ability to
freeze the action only shows how good and detailed the animation is.
If one truly wishes to study Hirano at his best, this CAV disc set is
imperative. If there is any problem with the discs, it is an annoying
and now unavoidable problem. The transfer of Act 1 to disc was less
than perfect. The original master tape must have been old or dusty,
and these streaks become apparent in the darker backgrounds or large
fields of color. Luckily, this is only a problem on one side of one
disc.
The remainder of the tape to disc transfer is remarkably clean.
Flipping the CAV discs is a problem inherent to the media, but the
side separations have been well placed and well handled. The change
between sides two and three come as a surprise, however. But it is a
happy surprise, for it allows the battle between Iczer-Robo and
Iczer-Sigma to continue uninterrupted by the old cliffhanger break
between Acts 2 and 3.
In the end, the depth of the story can be told in a pair of beautiful
red eyes.
Within them can be found determination and love, surprise and
anger, desperation and caring, and last, a loss that will haunt long
after the phosphor dot reality has faded away.
- Mike Naylor
CREAM LEMON SPECIAL - DARK ON LASERDISC (ARISU VIDEO 78AX-5)
Cream Lemon meets gothic horror in this special video. Two young men
, a Catholic seminary student and a handsome young preppy, spend the
night at a dark castle after their car gets clobbered by a tree in a
storm. In the castle they run into a lustful demon disguised as a horny
young girl, a strange man with with an ax, and an innocent young maid,
and lots of demonic dolls! Some of the sex scenes are strange and
horrific, filled with bloody gore. All in all, this ads up to a lot of
campy horror fun with a Cream Lemon twist!
This is by far one of the funniest, strangest, and best directed of any
of the Cream Lemon videos. Highly recommended. From what I gather, not
a lot of people know about this one since it is not part of the regular
Cream Lemon "PART" & "VOLUME" series. It is also on the ARISU label, not
Pony Video. The video quality of the laserdisc is excellent, with a great
analog stereo soundtrack featuring some spooky original organ music. If
you think bible-thumpers had a field day with THE LAST TEMPTATION OF
CHRIST, well this would just turn 'em blue with rage.
- Tom Mitchell
MASAKI'S OAV LIST (On Loan from ANIMANGA NUZU)
KYOKO: Onegai...ichinichi de iikara. Atashi yori nagaikishite ....
Hi! This column originally ran in Animanga Nuzu, the BBS Anime Newsletter.
Unfortunately, AN is down for right now, because its main home, the Silent
Running BBS, is under renovation (so to speak). So, right now, due to Tom's
good graces, it's running as a guest in Anime Stuff, the CIS Comic Animation
Forum Anime Newsletter.
"LookOut!"s this time around go to Makaitoshi and Kikou Ryouhei Mellolink.
For all those of you who liked Yojyutoshi (known in many translated English
titles such as "Devil City", "Demon City", "Beast City", "Supernatural Beast
City", etc.), you're in for a treat because the same studio and the same
novelist (Hideyuki Kikuchi) is back again for this offering, Makaitoshi. The
two stories are very different, however. Makaitoshi is not meant to be a
sequel to Yojyutoshi. Also, for those of you that were Votoms fans and are
downcast because the series has ended... well, there's good news! Kikou
Ryouhei Mellolink is done by the same staff, same studio, with the same basic
premise. The idea here is that Mellolink and Chirico (from Votoms) are in the
same universe but fighting in different places. Thus, this new offering from
Sunrise can be taken to be another look at the Votoms universe. Great fun for
those of you who like "hard" SF stories.
Finally, a few notes about upcoming videos (verified and rumor). Those of
you who read Animag know that Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" is being
animated by Sunrise (if you don't read Animag, well, then you should! (grin)).
If you check the chart below, the first volume in this series is scheduled to
be released in late October. If all goes according to plan, volumes 2 and 3
will be released in November and December, respectively. Being a crazed
BubbleGum Crisis and Gall Force fan, I would heartily recommend that people
take a look at the upcoming offerings from those two series. BGC4 is sort of
a variation on "Christine". A car becomes slowly sentient and does nasty
things.... Gall Force 3: StarDust War will supposedly be the last chapter in
this series. The Paranoid and the Solenoid fleets are supposed to meet in a
last blazing gunfight at the OK Corra... whoops, I mean, the Sigma-N solar
system. It will be interesting to see how this one turns out.
And that's it for this episode of my list. Take care and I'll see you
around! (where? I don't know....)
(Legend: Figures with "p" next to them mean "projected". That figure is not
final. Figures with "u" or "u" by itself means "unknown". That figure has
not yet been decided. All prices are in yen and are for the tape version.
Names that are all in CAPS mean that that name is presently being used until a
final name is decided. All translated names are approximations... please do
not nitpick.)
==============================================================================
NAME TRANSLATED NAME RELEASE DATE PRICE TIME
!=======================!===============================!========!======!====!
!Eesu o Nerae! 2 - VOL.1!Aim For the Ace! 2 - VOL. 1 !released!12800 ! 75 !
!Kyuuketsuhime Miyu !Vampire Princess Miyu !released! 5500 ! 30 !
!Tooyamazakura Uchuujyou!His Name is Gold !released!12800 ! 60 !
! -Yatsu no nawa Goorudo! ! ! ! !
!Shounan Bakusouzoku 4 !Shonan Bakusouzoku 4 !released!12800 ! 50 !
!Howatsu Maikeru? 2 !What's Michael? 2 !released! 9800 ! 45 !
!Watto-po to bokura no !The Story of Watto-po and Us !released!12800 ! 50 !
! Ohanashi ! ! ! ! !
!BaburuGamu Kuraishisu 4!BubbleGum Crisis 4 !released! 8800 ! 40 !
!Kizuoibito VOL. 5 - !Kizuoibito VOL. 5 - Final !08/25/88! 9800 ! 46 !
! Fainaru Tatchidaaun ! Touchdown ! ! ! !
!Piihyoroo ka 1 !The Family of Piihyoroo 1 !09/01/88! 8800 ! 30 !
!Galu Foosu 3 !Gall Force 3 - StarDust War !11/01/88!11800 ! 60 !
!Makaitoshi (Shinjyuku) !Demon World City (Shinjuku) !Autumn p!14800 ! 80 !
!Yooseioo !King Fairy ! u !11800 ! 60 !
!Kaze o Nuke! !Outrun the Wind! !11/88 p !12800 ! 50 !
!Toppu o Nerae! VOL. 1 !Go for the Top! VOL. 1 !10/07/88!10800 ! 60 !
!Uchyuu no Senshi Vol. 1!Starship Troopers Vol. 1 !10/25/88!12800 ! 50 !
!Namakemono ga Miteta !The Lazy Thing was Watching !09/23/88! 9800 ! 30 !
!Youtouden III !Yotoden III !10/88 p ! 9800 ! 45 !
!Kidoo Keisatsu !MechPolice Patlabor Vol. 4 !09/25/88! 4800 ! 30 !
! Patoleibaa Vol. 4 ! ! ! ! !
!Uchyuu Kazoku !Space Family Carbinson !12/88 p ! u ! 45 !
! Kaarubinson ! ! ! ! !
!Kikou Ryouhei !Armored Soldier Mellolink VOL 1!10/21/88! u ! 50 !
! Meloulinku VOL 1 ! ! ! ! !
!Seisenshi Dunbine 3 !Aura Battler Dunbine 3 !08/25/88!12800 ! 75p!
!Hajya Taisei Dangaioh 2!Dangiaoh 2 !10/88 p ! u ! 45p!
!Maryuu Senki 2 !Maryuu Senki 2 !nextyear! 9500p! 30p!
!BAIOLENSU JAKKU !VIOLENCE JACK ! u ! u ! u !
!Leina Kenroudensetsu 2 !Reina Wolf Sword Legend 2 !09/04 p ! 7800 ! 30 !
!DOUYOU ANIME 1 !NURSERY SONG ANIME 1 !11/88 p ! 3500 ! u !
!Ichi Pondo no Fukuin !The One Pound Gospel !12/02/88! 9800 ! 50 !
!Kaze no Matasaburou !Matasaburo of the Wind !08/20/88! 7800 ! 30 !
!Nihon no Obakebanashi 1!Japanese Ghost Stories 1 !08/28/88! 4800 ! 30 !
!Kuriimu Lemon - Ami !Cream Lemon - Ami After Then !09/21/88! 9800 ! 25 !
! Sorekara Vol. 1 ! Vol. 1 ! ! ! !
==============================================================================
Also, starting from this issue, I will also feature a special column for all
you LaserDisc fans out there.... telling of last month's (and maybe some of
this month's) anime LD releases. This information is not complete and will
only be featured as new information becomes available. No claims are made as
to accuracy in this list.
(Legend: "S" stands for Stereo, "M" stands for Mono, "D" stands for Digital
Sound, "DS" stands for Dolby Surround, "CAV" stands for Standard Play Disc,
and "CLV" stands for Extended Play Disc. Other codes which may or may not be
as interesting are: "F" for Dubbed into Japanese discs, "C" for Color, "B" for
Black and White, and "N" stands for Bilingual discs.)
(This information comes from the August issue of Animage and the September
issue of Anime V)
- Masaki Takai
CREAM LEMON PART 4 : POP*CHASER ON LASERDISC (PONY VIDEO G98F0054)
(Note: This disc also includes Cream Lemon Part 3 : SF Legend Rall)
What can I say? Of all of the CREAM LEMON Original Anime Videos that I
have seen so far, this is my all time favorite.
The story is set in some unspecified future in the American west. It
centers on a young female mercenary named Rio who rides out of the
desert into a town called Neo-Cansas City looking for a place to get a
stiff drink and a nights rest. Instead she stumbles into a saloon
featuring a crazed bartender who is stuck with having to use a bunch of
rowdy school girls to staff his hotel bar. One of the girls named
Mai-chan seems to take an immediate liking to Rio. That night, she
manages to trick her way into a surprised Rio's bed where she gives the
worldly Rio a satisfying sexual experience like she's never experienced
before. The next morning Rio awakes to an explosion, and finds the hotel
under attack by a group of hover-bike mercenaries led by the handsome
Jack. In just a few minutes his men rampage through the town, stealing
supplies and kidnaping the school girls. And of course, Jack takes Rio's
new friend Mai.
At Jacks camp, Jack gives Mai the sexual experience of her life! If fact
she can't get enough, and starts getting in Jack's way as he has to try
to pilot his walking-tank when an angry Rio comes to rescue Mai.
There are several elements that make this erotic comedy action/adventure
stand out among all the other Cream Lemon episodes. First of all is the
the crew of artists that worked on it. This was created by many of same
artists that would later create the classic anime action comedy Project
A-Ko. If anyone has a flare for wild action scenes and comedy adventure,
these guys do. They are also fantastic artists with a talent for wildly
funny body language. They are also great human figure artists. The love
scenes between Rio and Mai are fascinating in their daring perspectives.
In fact it's amazing to note how all these scenes are handled. This is one
of the few Cream Lemons that have absolutely no censoring. Pop*Chaser
probably has some of the most beautifully choreographed CL love scenes and
yet no genitals are shown. It's handled so skillfully that it took me
quite awhile to realize this.
The direction of this OAV features very tight pacing that really keeps
the story moving, but not rushed. In fact the love scene with Rio and Mai
provides a beautiful breather from the loony bar scenes before it, and a
great contrast for the wild action scenes to come. It's amazing that so
many varied scenes were able to be paced so well in just 25 minutes of
time. It's also interesting to note that Pop*Chaser is set up as if it
were an actual TV series episode with great opening and ending titles,
and even intermission graphics for a commercial break. (Too bad it's not
a series, this would be hot!)
The action scenes are the best ever featured in a Cream Lemon. Wild
mecha designs, blasting weapons and some amazing scene choreography that
require to repeat viewing to catch all the action. And the love scenes
between Jack and Mai are a riot when the final battle begins! In addition,
the film also sports a great rock soundtrack, one of the best of any of
the Cream Lemon series. Some of the music from Pop*Chaser also ends up
being used in later Cream Lemon episodes.
If you've got to have just one Cream Lemon to round out your collection
, get this one. Cream Lemon doesn't get much better than this. In fact
most OAVs don't even come close to being this good.
Sequel! Sequel! Hey, a lot of Cream Lemon episodes have had sequels. Why
not this one?
(Here's a tip for you diehard Pop*Chaser fans: Even if you already have
this video, you don't have all the animation that was created for it. The
preview trailer for Pop*Chaser features completely original animation
that was not used in the OAV! It is shown on the end of Cream Lemon
Part 2 : Escalation episode on laserdisc. It's probably on the tape
version too.)
WING OF HONNEAMISE - ROYAL SPACE FORCE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK COMPACT DISC
This is by far the most brilliant and varied soundtrack music from any
film over the past year. And I would venture to say, one of the best
film scores ever. Young composer Ryuichi Sakamoto is going to have one
hell of a brilliant musical career during his life time.
The music he composed for the film WING OF HONNEAMISE is hard to
describe. Sakamoto is drawing from so much of his varied musical past
here that he has managed to blend it all into an exotic and evocative
score that is unique in its acoustic texture and range of emotion. The
15 tracks here manage to cover a wide range of dramatic feeling. Playful
melodies, pompous marches, technopop themes, and tragic arias. Sakamoto
touches on just about every BGM style you can imagine. And yet despite
the variety, it all works as a whole due to his unique world-rythm aural
signature. This is truly a classic BGM that may just satisfy all BGM
lovers and also introduce them to musical styles that many other
composers with Pop/Rock backgrounds don't really dare to play with.
If you really enjoyed this album, there are some other works by Sakamoto
that you might also wish to explore. He just won an Academy Award for
Best Original Score for his new soundtrack to THE LAST EMPEROR which
he composed with David Byrne of TALKING HEADS fame. His new album
called NEO GEO is a great companion work to the HONNEAMISE soundtrack
featuring an expanded emphasis on his exotic rock/pop roots. And of
course his albums with his former group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) are
also quite popular.
It will be interesting to see where Ryuichi Sakamoto will go from here.
If the Honneamise soundtrack is any indication, he has the talent to
become one of this century's finest contemporary composers.
- Tom Mitchell
LAPUTA - THE CASTLE IN THE SKY ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ON COMPACT DISC
(ANIMAGE RECORDS 32ATC-115)
Of course, composer Jo Hisaishi is already established as one of the
premier BGM composers in Japan. So as one would expect, this is a quality
soundtrack. Although, there are some welcome differences between this
recording and Hisaishi's two previous anime soundtracks for NAUSICAA, and
ARION.
Unlike those two previous films, which were solid adventure films
with a lot of tense action, Laputa is much more lighthearted. And it
shows in the music as Hisaishi looses up and composes music that paints
pictures of comedy, adventure, and blue sky-filled vistas. A nice change
from some of the close heavy drama music of ARION or NAUSICAA.
But it's not just the compositions themselves that lend to the light
feeling of this soundtrack. It's also a departure of sorts as Jo leaves
some of his synthesizers behind and chooses instead to work with a
full orchestra. Lots of strings and brass.
One other thing I noticed is that music here is much more varied. Mostly
due to the fact that the music follows the action of the film very
closely. One minute you're listening to peaceful full orchestra painting
a wide aural vista of the Skycastle Laputa, and in the next your being
chased by sudden bursts of flighty action music. All without any warning.
Makes for some fun listening.
The music aside, the jewel box for the CD also features an interesting
cel reproduction of Pazu and Sheeta on the cover. The cel slides away
to reveal the CD's booklet serving as the background. Neat.
What can I say. Jo does it again.
- Tom Mitchell
////////////////////////////BOOKS AND MAGAZINES\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF DIRTY PAIR (A.K.A.: THE DIRTY PAIR ENGLISH NOVEL)
A NOVEL BY HARUKA TAKACHINO
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY YOSHIKAZU YASUHIKO
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY DAVID LEWIS
PUBLISHED BY KODANSHA AS PART OF THE KODANSHA ENGLISH LIBRARY (BOOK #30)
For starters, this little paperback book is an absolute must have for the
collection of any true Dirty Pair fan. Not only is this a fun story, but
the novel also serves as an important reference work that will provide
many clues into the origin of the Dirty Pai...er...Lovely Angels.
Reading it, you will learn such things as where the Lovely Angels are
from, how they met, and where the got their pet "cat" Mugi. You will
also learn more about their employer, the WWWA. And of course, important
facts are revealed about the uniforms that Kei and Yuri wear.
The story itself is a pretty typical Dirty Pair adventure, so I won't
give away anything here. But in my opinion, the most unique aspect of
the novel is that it is told entirely from the first person perspective
of Kei. This is really fun, since you get to see how she thinks and what
she thinks about on the job.
The book also presents some interesting differences between the original
Dirty Pair novels and the TV series. After all, among other things, the
Mugi here is _not_ the cute fat red ball of fluff that we know from the
TV series!
One other interesting feature is that the the book also features a
handful of illustrations by famous anime artist Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
(known as YAS to his fans. He signs his pictures as"YAS") The
illustrations in the book are in a simple and stylized black and white
manga style. But the cover of the book is a gorgeous color painting of
the Dirty Pair featuring Kei, Yuri, with Mugi's face in the background.
It's one of the best YAS paintings of the Pair I have seen.
Again, this is a must have. It's an important reference to the Dirty Pair
universe. Not to mention a lot of mindless fun. Which is what this is
all about, right?
- Tom Mitchell
/////////////////////////////ANIME MODEL KITS\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
LUM FROM URUSEI YATSURA KIT (Tsukuda Hobby Jumbo Figure Series No.7)
Before getting into the actual review, a word of thanks to Ray
Pelzer is in order for his finding this kit and actually parting with
it for cash! If any of you actually run across this one, grab it,
because it'll probably never cross your path a second time.
As with the Oneamis capsule review, I'll start with the box.
The cover features a drawing of Lum with her arms crossed, totally
unlike the actual kit pose (no reason they have to match). One side
panel advertises other kits like Nausicaa and Supergirl, the other
shows front and back views of the finished figure.
The first peek inside yielded a quick count of 12 parts total.
Two of them had little to do with Lum herself, the base plate and a
little figure of her cousin Ten looking extremely surprised. Okay, I
thought, this is going to be easy. A little glue, a little putty, a
little careful painting, right?
Forget it. The figures in this series are molded in a very
tough, very smooth vinyl compound, totally unlike the more brittle
resin-and-filler kits or easily-worked styrene plastic kits we all know
and love. The difficulty in working this stuff can be likened to
working with mozzarella cheese cooled to approximately absolute zero.
The surface gives a bit under a virgin X-acto blade, but grudgingly so,
and pretends to give up particles under pressure with 280 grade
sandpaper.
What this means is you are going to spend a lot of time carving
away molding lines, sanding her legs and arms smooth, and getting rid
of excess vinyl blemishes on the back of her head/hair. What this also
means is that you will love the results, because this vinyl looks very
clean and very lifelike. Lum, in this form, is quite leggy but nicely
proportioned, and the original sculptor has done the female body
justice.
Lum's face is an area of special concern, and I suppose that
this applies to other anime-based models, both male and female. It is
not the world's easiest task to translate the simplified face art in
cels to a 3-D solid, and there are some angles on this Lum face that
are not especially flattering, but luckily they are in the minority.
The eyes had been molded with lines defining the lids and irises; these
I sanded smooth and filled with Squadron green putty, since I wanted to
define the eyes only with paint. I was able to capture some stills
from the beginning of the '87 OAV, which featured some of the best
"maturing" Lum faces ever, and painted her eyes to match.
Her nose is quite tiny in the model, and might be sanded down
too far if one isn't careful. The nose, as well as the mouth, are fine
and required no modifications. As for her ears, I think they stick out
a bit too much, but otherwise these too look fine. Her two
forward-falling hair pieces needed just a tad of trimming to fit just
ahead of the ears and look natural. Her horns are meant to fit in
indentations in the mass of back hair, but I filled the indents with
putty as they were too far back, and the horns were trimmed a little to
better fit in the fold where they belong.
The hardest work by far involved smoothing her skin and creating
smooth joins for her arms and legs. Every time I thought I was done, I
would notice a little depression that needed a little smear of putty
and sanding. Again, this attention to the look will help with similar
figures. In Lum's case, she deserves it. One small example of almost
overdoing it was in the hands, where I got in with a small file and the
X-acto knife to clean up the fingers so they didn't appear to be a
solid lump.
Once shaped and sanded to my satisfaction, I fired up the
airbrush with "Aqueous Hobby Color", a water-based acrylic paint from
Gunze Sangyo. The nine colors I used were: light blue, dark blue,
white, light tan, pink, flat red, green (#46 was PERFECT hair color),
yellow orange, and brown. In different mixtures, I was able to get all
the needed shades. I was able to cut very small masks from drafting
tape to get her eyes the same size; even slight differences can make a
face look out of balance.
For a first effort in vinyl, I'm real happy with the results;
thanks again, Ray. I realized even before writing this review that it
might be futile raving about a product that was near-impossible to
find, but again, there are other anime kits out there, and the general
model-making tips still apply. Keep looking; you might ask around (like
the old song): "Are there any more at home like you?"
- Rick Sternbach
//////////////////////////////MAIL ORDER INFO\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Well, it's been a year since the special mail order services issue of
ANIME STUFF 4. Since then circumstances have forced the ANIME STUFF
staff to seek out new sources for anime goods. Fortunately outlets for
anime goods have grown in the past year, and we have found a couple of
new, excellent, and professional sources for anime goods.
Also, since the mail order situation can be quite volatile, we will
be using this MAIL ORDER INFO section to present any news and comments
on the subject of mail ordering and importing anime goods.
WOK TALK/SIGHT & SOUND (FORMERLY THE INSTANT REPLAY)
For the best mail order service in domestic and import LaserDiscs,
the folks at WOK TALK/SIGHT & SOUND can't be beat. I have been ordering
laserdiscs from these folks for the past few years now, and I recommend
them highly. They are truly a professionally run business, featuring
fast and courteous service. Orders are shipped quickly, and backorders
are carefully tracked. Unlike some places, I have never had them loose
a backorder, or ship the wrong disc.
Over the past year, due to new management, they have stepped up their
selection of imported Japanese discs and special order capabilities. This
is a dream come true for us anime fans! And their services offer many
features that other sources don't offer.
First of all, they will place an order for any disc from Japan as long
as you can provide the title of the disc, and most importantly, the
disc's catalog number. (Keep those anime magazines!) Another feature,
and the nicest of any anime LD sources, is that they take credit card
orders and don't charge to your account until the disc comes in.
This is really nice, because if they can't find the disc you want, you
don't have to worry about getting a credit or a refund. And their
prices for discs are kept very close to the current Yen to Dollar
exchange rate. Plus, discs are shipped in your choice of UPS services
and packed in sturdy LP mailers.
Again, if you looking for a reliable LD import service, give these
nice folks a try. I have really been satisfied with their services.
Be sure and get copies of their domestic and import catalogs.
And one more feature: They publish a neat monthly newsletter called
LASER FLASH that provides info on new discs and in-stock listings.
And they now have a storefront that you can visit if you are near
their area.
You can contact them at...
WOK TALK INC. DBA
SIGHT & SOUND
1275 MAIN STREET
WALTHAM, MA 02154
Phone: 1-617-894-8633 or 1-617-894-8634
NIKAKU ANIMART:
Another new place that we have only just started to deal with is NIKAKU
ANIMART. These folks seem to sell a bit of everything _except_ video!
(Although they have just started to experiment with LaserDiscs...)
Anyway, they feature anime Books, Magazines, Manga, Compact Discs, Audio
Tapes , Posters, and other anime goods. Like Wok Talk, they also take
credit card orders, but checks and money orders are fine too.
These folks really seem to want our business, as they sent out our copies
of their catalog in a flash! I got mine in just a couple of days.
Here is where they can be contacted...
NIKAKU ANIMART
615 North 6th. St.
SAN JOSE, Ca 95112
Phone: 1-408-971-2822
PATRICK MINYARD'S AMAZING ANIME T-SHIRTS:
Forum member Patrick Minyard makes the most amazing anime T-shirts!
Custom airbrushed wonders! He is good, damn good. I've always wanted
a T-shirt with a graphic from some my favorite anime shows, but the
price for 2 or 4 color anime T-shirt from Japan are a bit steep running
at about $35 to $50 a shot from some places. And sometimes they feature
really dumb graphics too! Well, Patrick has a cure...send him an anime
graphic, and he will paint it on a shirt with an airbrush for $25 to $50
depending on how complex the graphic you want done is.
Believe me, this is great! His prices are competitive with imported
shirts, but his are in full color! As many colors as it takes! And not
only that, but your shirt is a one-of-a-kind work of handpainted art!
I was really impressed...he made me a Dirty Pair movie T-Shirt. The
colors! The resolution! Cell quality art! Wow!!
If you have been wanting something like this, Patrick is the man to
contact. Here is his address...write him...he might even have a few
already done for you to check out...
PATRICK MINYARD
ALL-STATE PLASTICS
15352 E. Proctor Ave.
City of Industry, CA 91744
Hey, I haven't asked him, but I'm sure he could probably work on other
articles of clothing. Or maybe your car! Yeah, that's an idea! Let him
work on your car! Have it done in tiger-stripes with pictures of Lum
all over it! (Sorry, I lost myself there...) But, hey...give him enough
money to by a Urusei Yatsura 50 Laserdisc Boxed Set, and I'm sure he'll
paint anything you want! (grin)
Tatsunoko Productions is having problems getting support for its new
MACROSS movie project. It seems folks are not interested in backing the
film if many of the original creators of the TV series and first movie
can't be involved. All of the people who worked on MACROSS are working
on other projects.
SONY HELPS BUILD "ROUTE 20: GALACTIC AIRPORT"
Gainax will recieve funding from SONY to produce its next large scale
anime film ROUTE 20: GALACTIC AIRPORT. This production is expected to
rival or surpass their popular WING OF HONEAMISE in quality. If you have
access to ANIMAG 3, be sure and read the article on this project. This
will be an important anime film, at the very least.
Rick Sternbach didn't like Pop*Chaser as much as I did, but then there's
no accounting for Rick having good taste. (grin)
-Tom Mitchell
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9/27/1988 ANIME STUFF COPYRIGHT (C) 1988 MIDORI COMMUNICATIONS
This publication originally appears on CompuServe Information Service's
Comic Book & Animation Forum.
Original Copyrights to the material reviewed, articles written and
graphics presented are reserved 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 & computer artwork in Anime Stuff may be re-published in
newsletters so long as 2 copies of the publication in which the articles
appear are sent to:
MIDORI COMMUNICATIONS
c/o Tom Mitchell
474 Chowning Circle
Dayton, OHIO 45429
"GIF" & "Graphics Interchange Format"
COPYRIGHT (C) 1987, 1988 CompuServe Information Service
an H&R Block company.
