OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
I wonder if we'll ever get more Guyver adapted.
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JunkerWoland
Member
I'm inclined to think the manga would probably need to resume for there to be a chance at more animated Guyver. Unfortunately, the last individual chapter and collected volume of manga were both released in 2016; and with the comic's story remaining unfinished, a new animation couldn't be pitched on the notion of adapting the completed work. If anything, the manga's 40th anniversary is in 2025; maybe the various involved parties will give the series' fans something to celebrate.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
It's not retro by any means but I'm watching Kill La Kill again. Damn that animation when it gets going is something else. What a wacky show to top it off.
About 4 minutes into this one check it out. Don't ask me why somebody but motion interpolation on this video but this was the episode I watched last night.
About 4 minutes into this one check it out. Don't ask me why somebody but motion interpolation on this video but this was the episode I watched last night.
Great Hair
Banned
Currrently re-watching
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
Could be lots of things. I feel music is a part of it. The overall art style of many modern shows doesn't stand out to me. Speaking of music is Yoko kanno still working?
STARSBarry
Gold Member
Not read the entire 24 pages so no idea if this has cropped up.
But always makes me smile, 4 anime seasons, OVA's, and even a Movie, yet I never hear anyone talk about it these days.
But always makes me smile, 4 anime seasons, OVA's, and even a Movie, yet I never hear anyone talk about it these days.
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kunonabi
Member
Its a personal favorite of mine. Well aside from the movie. The live action drama wasnt too terrible either.
Labolas
Member
Classic. I wished the tv series box set when they weren't hard to get.
Red Rackham's Revenge
Member
Has anyone bought Megazone 23? Is it worth buying?
JunkerWoland
Member
Depends on what you're asking. In terms of a physical product, the U.S. release compares favorably to its Japanese counterpart. Both are based on the same HD remaster, which is the best the series has ever looked on home video. The JP version is spread across three BD-25s, while the U.S. features two BD-50s. I haven't seen raw-number comparisons, but wouldn't be surprised if the video bitrate is slightly lower on the U.S. set, just by virtue of our two discs needing to hold more content (particularly audio options). Price-wise, the U.S. standard release ($79) and premium set ($99) are cheaper than importing either the Japanese singles or the now hard-to-find set.
Regarding the premium set, at $99, it's about what one would expect of a U.S. release. QC and material quality are below the average Japanese set, but the superior end-product found in most JP releases always comes at a higher price point. The U.S. box is chipboard and uses the same base piece of newly-created Mikimoto artwork as the JP set, while our discs are housed in a clear keep case with reversible-cover insert. Also included with the premium set is a 22-page booklet of liner notes and a more substantial art book, both sized to match the Blu-ray case & box; they're nice inclusions, but nothing mind blowing. As for the standard U.S. release, I believe it comprises the keep case and liner-note booklet.
As a product, the U.S. release of Megazone 23 isn't a bargain. The standard and premium versions are around $10 --$15 more than an average mainstream anime release, although you're paying for a niche series and a final product that required crowd funding. At the same time, this is the best looking home video version of Megazone 23 to feature English subtitles & dub.
Otherwise, I don't want to presume you're asking, whether Megazone 23 is worth buying from a content standpoint. The series is very much a product of its time and worth doing a little online research, if you're unfamiliar with it.
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JunkerWoland
Member
Small update related to Macross. The Macross/Big West channel on YouTube is for a limited time now streaming Flashback 2012 (link). The video is only 480p and doesn't feature an option for English subtitles.
Also, Big West paired this streaming release of Flashback 2012 with a news update on their website (link). The relevant portion of the update is as follows:
The bold portion, above, is worth noting. It was assumed Big West wouldn't have direct control over the original Macross TV series, as that would fall to Tatsunoko & Harmony Gold, but this would mean the related film, Do You Remember Love, is also out of their hands.
I don't want to be pointlessly pessimistic, but I do hope this doesn't become a situation of New Macross being somewhat available outside Japan, while Old Macross remains locked in the vault.
Also, Big West paired this streaming release of Flashback 2012 with a news update on their website (link). The relevant portion of the update is as follows:
The bold portion, above, is worth noting. It was assumed Big West wouldn't have direct control over the original Macross TV series, as that would fall to Tatsunoko & Harmony Gold, but this would mean the related film, Do You Remember Love, is also out of their hands.
I don't want to be pointlessly pessimistic, but I do hope this doesn't become a situation of New Macross being somewhat available outside Japan, while Old Macross remains locked in the vault.
Space Runaway
Member
Yeah I purchased a copy of the standard edition for $60 (Not counting shipping) about a week before they started sending them out to backers. I'm pretty happy with it. It's MegaZone, it looks great and came with a a neat mini info book, a less than stellar poster and some stickers too. Disc extras are a short 10 minute doc (Not terrible but you can find more informative stuff on youtube), a color art gallery and a lineart gallery. I don't know if it's worth the price for someone not familiar with MegaZone 23 (Always possible one wouldn't like it) but if you're a fan I think it's worth it...even though part 3 is crap. =P
Unsure of the bitrate for the JP release but for the US you're look at 27993 kbps for MegaZone 23 and 24995 kbps for Part 2&3. Disc 1 contains the Streamline dubbed international version of Part 2 but I'm not sure about that one. I'd have to look that up. =P
Red Rackham's Revenge
Member
Thanks for the detailed posts. I wasn't aware there was a Japanese release using the same remaster. I suppose I just assumed the campaign was partly to fund a remastering. I've never watched it, but from what I can see it seems kinda cyberpunk/proto-matrix and has great music. It sounds like something I'd like, especially since I've started to dig retro anime a lot more lately.
I'm thinking of grabbing Bubblegum Crisis to help spread the cost if I do buy. Do you know if that's good?
Space Runaway
Member
With MegaZone 23 just know they basically truncated an aborted tv series into two movie length OVAs, so there is occasional weirdness with the story, especially in the first. Also in the 2nd OVA all the characters were reinterpreted into a very different art style, which can be jarring and was, imo, a mistake. Though on the positive side the second OVA is still good and the animation is higher quality than the first. =P
Bubblegum Crisis is something of a "classic" and generally pretty good. The story and plots aren't amazing or anything but they work well enough. Naturally some of the OVAs are better than others and you get to see it change from the late 80's to early 90s style over the course of it's run. And if you like 80s synth-rock and synth-pop then you'll enjoy the soundtrack and score. You seem to be interested in cyberpunk stuff to some degree and BGC is very much inspired by Blade Runner (And quite a bit of other stuff) in many aspects, so you'll get a good helping of that.
Biggest issue is it ends at OVA 8 of the 13 that were planned, so while each individual OVA has a self contained story, the large overarching story dealing with the Genom corporation and certain backstory mysteries are never resolved.
JunkerWoland
Member
Not that it begs a huge distinction, but I'd view Megazone 23 as sci-fi with cyberpunk elements. More than anything, the series is a grab bag of 1980s culture, which in modern times lends especially to the cyberpunk vibe. As already mentioned, the show is something of an oddball project, with much of the main production staff changing between its three parts, giving each episode a different look and narrative tone. Part III is generally the most contentious. Where Parts I & II were created back-to-back and tell a connected story (albeit with different visual stylings), the third installment came a few years later and particularly from a story standpoint can seem unnecessary. Overall, the title's appeal is it being so quintessentially 80s, combined with the production work of people including Noboru Ishiguro, Shinji Aramaki, and Haruhiko Mikimoto. Megazone 23 is an artifact of its decade and something appreciated more for its individual parts, rather than as a cohesive whole. Given the cost of entry, I wouldn't suggest Megazone 23 to anyone prioritizing a tight, engaging story, while it's a fairly easy recommendation as an example of three well-produced pieces of 1980s animation that feature awesome music and some radical anime moments.
Bubblegum Crisis is somewhat easier to recommend, both due to the price and because the production remains consistent, across its eight episodes. The big detraction, as previously mentioned, is the lack of finality to the series. As it exists, the OVA is basically eight stories that thematically borrow heavily from other 80s sci-fi, all set in a futuristic Tokyo. Assuming you can accept the non-ending, Bubblegum Crisis functions well as anime junk food; don't think about things too seriously and get ready for a fun--if ultimately unfulfilling--ride. My only minor warning is the standard release takes the content of the three-disc Kickstarter set and puts it all on one disc. To the contrary of usual expectations, I've seen some fairly decent appraisals of the single-disc version, though its still seems like a slight technical downgrade.
Also, maybe worth mentioning, you can find a decent amount (if not all) of both Megazone 23 and Bubblegum Crisis on YouTube. The nature of both series is such that watching an episode or two isn't going to spoil some grand reveal; you're really there for the overall presentation, not amazing writing. The available streams are from a variety of sources and in various states of sub & dub, but they do exist, if you'd like to sample before committing to a purchase.
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Red Rackham's Revenge
Member
Thanks guys, they both sound pretty good to me. I'd like to check them both out.
I don't think I've ever heard of a standard edition release actually having an inferior presentation. That's pretty hard to defend, if it's actually the case that the encodes are smaller.
JunkerWoland
Member
For clarity, when I mentioned the standard release of Bubblegum Crisis, the distinction here is the Kickstarter product versus what's being offered through mainstream retail.
The bitrate is lower on the retail release, as confirmed by AnimEigo's President (link), which most likely is just a matter of necessity. It's quite possible for retail they weren't contractually allowed to offer the same amount of disc as the Kickstarter. Other possibilities include not wanting the Kickstarter backers to feel cheated or simply trying to save money with fewer discs. Worth noting, though, the retail release is $20 less than the cheapest Kickstarter version. I've never seen any comparisons of the two releases, but as previously mentioned, I have read reviews and forum comments of people being pleased with the single disc.
Red Rackham's Revenge
Member
Only allowing a certain amount of discs as part of a licensing agreement sounds absurd. Especially if they allow more for the kickstarter. I would believe it though. I can't imagine backers feeling cheated to point that they would want non-backers to not get the same experience as them. I can understand exclusive packaging or extras likes art books or whatever, but wanting a lesser version for others is pretty douchy. The cost possibility makes sense, and I'm inclined to believe that's actually the case. It's a shame though.
Oberstein
Member
I'm watching "Venus Wars" again, and it's amazing how the anime hasn't aged. The story, the music, the rhythm,etc, in short the work of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko had the chance to be transposed in OVA at the right time. There are a lot of elements that refer to the second world war, it's actually quite cool but not surprising if you read the manga. And, oh God, the attempt to destroy "only one tank" was so great.
And of course the animation which sums up a whole era...
And this beauty...
No, I mean this one:
And of course the animation which sums up a whole era...
And this beauty...
No, I mean this one:
JunkerWoland
Member
Thanks to the U.S. and Japan sharing the same Blu-ray region code, license agreements mandating the number of discs for releases have become standard. It's no coincidence so many U.S. releases only feature two or four discs. Lower disc numbers, locked subtitles, and lack of extras have all been some of the stipulations by Japanese rights holders to make the international product less attractive for reverse importation.
In the case of Bubblegum Crisis and its Kickstarter campaign, there was only ever going to be a limited amount of product created, with neither the crowd funding campaign nor the leftover units sold through AnimEigo's site eligible to ship to Japan. Not that this would completely prevent the Kickstarter product from hitting Japanese retail, but there was never going to be a ton of units in small stores and online marketplaces. AnimEigo's ability to create a standard retail product would have been covered under its own licensing terms and almost certainly would have included language on allowed product specifications. While now seemingly out-of-print, the Japanese Blu-ray release of the series was two discs and around $200. Today, go to Amazon Japan, search for Bubblegum Crisis under movies (in English or Japanese), and the first result is the AnimEigo disc. The disc is even currently being sold by Amazon Japan, itself, presumably because they can no longer get the Japanese set.
Could AnimEigo have dropped the disc count just to save money? Sure, but when the competing Japanese product was two discs at $200, the U.S. release being a single disc at $30 may not have been a simple cost cutting measure. Also, keep in mind, the contract for Bubblegum Crisis would have been established, when the Japanese set was still easily available. (And while this is overly presumptive, the President of AnimEigo's own comment was how everything "has to fit on one disc." This could have been his own call, of course, but maybe not.)
As for trying to placate Kickstarter backers (of which I'm one), I wasn't suggesting anyone, including AnimEigo, would purposefully want to deliver inferior video, but the way AnimEigo pushed the exclusivity of the Kickstarter suggests a standard release would never have been the same three discs in different packaging. That said, the standard release almost certainly could have been spread across two discs without any video degradation, looping me back to thinking two discs may not have been an option.
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Happosai
Hold onto your panties
I usually only buy remasters of retro anime for special occasions. I finally got the Discotek remaster of Venus Wars after watching it drop in and out of market availability the past 3-years. I look forward to watching it again soon! Thanks for the GIFs, always much appreciated.I'm watching "Venus Wars" again, and it's amazing how the anime hasn't aged. The story, the music, the rhythm,etc, in short the work of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko had the chance to be transposed in OVA at the right time. There are a lot of elements that refer to the second world war, it's actually quite cool but not surprising if you read the manga. And, oh God, the attempt to destroy "only one tank" was so great.
And of course the animation which sums up a whole era...
And this beauty...
No, I mean this one:
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
You have my attention. Looking into it now.I'm watching "Venus Wars" again, and it's amazing how the anime hasn't aged. The story, the music, the rhythm,etc, in short the work of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko had the chance to be transposed in OVA at the right time. There are a lot of elements that refer to the second world war, it's actually quite cool but not surprising if you read the manga. And, oh God, the attempt to destroy "only one tank" was so great.
And of course the animation which sums up a whole era...
And this beauty...
No, I mean this one:
Happosai
Hold onto your panties
I wrote a bit about rewatching Dragon Half late last Summer too. It never gets old.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
Dragon Half reminds me of Sorcerer Hunters a bit. I LOVED Sorcerer Hunters.
Space Runaway
Member
More "clearing out" of files.
This time "High School Agent"
Two OVA episodes based on a comic of the same name by Hitoshi Tanimura. Our lead character is geeky high-schooler Kosuke, who one night hacked into the UN's server and accessed some secret files. Naturally the next step was for the Japan branch of the UN to find this kid and recruit him...as a spy who goes on dangerous missions with no training whatsoever. =P So basically the gimmick is he's some goofy highschool kid who runs spy missions for the UN on weekends while trying not to be late for class.
First OVA is super basic with our hero going on a mission to intercept a dealer and use some fake money to exchange for a valuable stone. Course he can't help himself and must rescue a girl, which blows his cover and leads to a chase scene. The chase scene is decent but ends rather quick and the OVA ends soon after. The episode mostly just feels like a basic pilot and it's over as soon as it starts.
Second OVA has him teaming up with another agent to recover some gold that belonged to Hitler. Eventually we find out some Neo-Nazis are after the gold (Though they just look like full on WW2 Nazis). This leads to a very obvious twist anyone can see coming. Not so obvious the the last act of the OVA where Kosuke decks himself out in command gear (In a sequence lifted straight from Arnold's Commando) and can suddenly run around out in the open and machinegun tons of enemies. He's still portrayed a goofball during this yet has little problem dispatching the enemies. And that's an issue with the the entire second ova - while there's spurts of action throughout, nothing encountered ever comes off as any kind of threat or challenge.
Both episodes were directed by Junichi Sakata, who has spent most of his career as a storyboarder along with a couple outings as director, though never of anything that stands out. In fact that's pretty much the case with most of the staff who worked on these OVAs. Art is fine and the animation is decent enough, though again, nothing special. The lead character does have a lot of amusing visual quirks, so points to the animators who handled that. The second OVA is also a case where they saved most of their budget for the end sequence, so you don't see any interesting animation until that portion. On the plus side, if you like funky music or 80s synth-y stuff then you'll enjoy the score.
Ultimately another case of an easy but a forgettable watch. I'm sure it's a much more enjoyable experience for those who have read the comic. Otherwise another forgotten OVA that never made it off VHS.
This time "High School Agent"
Two OVA episodes based on a comic of the same name by Hitoshi Tanimura. Our lead character is geeky high-schooler Kosuke, who one night hacked into the UN's server and accessed some secret files. Naturally the next step was for the Japan branch of the UN to find this kid and recruit him...as a spy who goes on dangerous missions with no training whatsoever. =P So basically the gimmick is he's some goofy highschool kid who runs spy missions for the UN on weekends while trying not to be late for class.
First OVA is super basic with our hero going on a mission to intercept a dealer and use some fake money to exchange for a valuable stone. Course he can't help himself and must rescue a girl, which blows his cover and leads to a chase scene. The chase scene is decent but ends rather quick and the OVA ends soon after. The episode mostly just feels like a basic pilot and it's over as soon as it starts.
Second OVA has him teaming up with another agent to recover some gold that belonged to Hitler. Eventually we find out some Neo-Nazis are after the gold (Though they just look like full on WW2 Nazis). This leads to a very obvious twist anyone can see coming. Not so obvious the the last act of the OVA where Kosuke decks himself out in command gear (In a sequence lifted straight from Arnold's Commando) and can suddenly run around out in the open and machinegun tons of enemies. He's still portrayed a goofball during this yet has little problem dispatching the enemies. And that's an issue with the the entire second ova - while there's spurts of action throughout, nothing encountered ever comes off as any kind of threat or challenge.
Both episodes were directed by Junichi Sakata, who has spent most of his career as a storyboarder along with a couple outings as director, though never of anything that stands out. In fact that's pretty much the case with most of the staff who worked on these OVAs. Art is fine and the animation is decent enough, though again, nothing special. The lead character does have a lot of amusing visual quirks, so points to the animators who handled that. The second OVA is also a case where they saved most of their budget for the end sequence, so you don't see any interesting animation until that portion. On the plus side, if you like funky music or 80s synth-y stuff then you'll enjoy the score.
Ultimately another case of an easy but a forgettable watch. I'm sure it's a much more enjoyable experience for those who have read the comic. Otherwise another forgotten OVA that never made it off VHS.
Happosai
Hold onto your panties
This is a first hearing about this OVA. Seems that a ton of OVAs never made it out of the VHS or LaserDisc era. Sharing this here may be one of the last places to read about anime like this as some of them even bypass registry into Anime News Network. I've had at least 3 titles I've tried adding to my lists on there just not show up and I don't have time to enter all the data for them. I know that Kenny Lauderdale is also known for investigating into OVAs like this that are practically extinct at this point.More "clearing out" of files.
This time "High School Agent"
Two OVA episodes based on a comic of the same name by Hitoshi Tanimura. Our lead character is geeky high-schooler Kosuke, who one night hacked into the UN's server and accessed some secret files. Naturally the next step was for the Japan branch of the UN to find this kid and recruit him...as a spy who goes on dangerous missions with no training whatsoever. =P So basically the gimmick is he's some goofy highschool kid who runs spy missions for the UN on weekends while trying not to be late for class.
First OVA is super basic with our hero going on a mission to intercept a dealer and use some fake money to exchange for a valuable stone. Course he can't help himself and must rescue a girl, which blows his cover and leads to a chase scene. The chase scene is decent but ends rather quick and the OVA ends soon after. The episode mostly just feels like a basic pilot and it's over as soon as it starts.
Second OVA has him teaming up with another agent to recover some gold that belonged to Hitler. Eventually we find out some Neo-Nazis are after the gold (Though they just look like full on WW2 Nazis). This leads to a very obvious twist anyone can see coming. Not so obvious the the last act of the OVA where Kosuke decks himself out in command gear (In a sequence lifted straight from Arnold's Commando) and can suddenly run around out in the open and machinegun tons of enemies. He's still portrayed a goofball during this yet has little problem dispatching the enemies. And that's an issue with the the entire second ova - while there's spurts of action throughout, nothing encountered ever comes off as any kind of threat or challenge.
Both episodes were directed by Junichi Sakata, who has spent most of his career as a storyboarder along with a couple outings as director, though never of anything that stands out. In fact that's pretty much the case with most of the staff who worked on these OVAs. Art is fine and the animation is decent enough, though again, nothing special. The lead character does have a lot of amusing visual quirks, so points to the animators who handled that. The second OVA is also a case where they saved most of their budget for the end sequence, so you don't see any interesting animation until that portion. On the plus side, if you like funky music or 80s synth-y stuff then you'll enjoy the score.
Ultimately another case of an easy but a forgettable watch. I'm sure it's a much more enjoyable experience for those who have read the comic. Otherwise another forgotten OVA that never made it off VHS.
There are some "okay" ones that I've seen that never made it to DVD that sorta make me raise an eyebrow. Call Me Tonight drew attention decades after it's release from YouTube alone and likewise other YouTube popular (nearly VHS exclusive) OVAs like California Crisis.
Another thing that I recall used to happen seldom with anime that had a poor theatrical reception was to simply not release it as all. As was the case with the mysterious Maze: The Mega Burst Space movie back in 1998, I believe. What other anime movies never even made it to a video release?
Space Runaway
Member
Hmmm...most "recent" stuff seems to have released in some way (The Phantom Blood movie, which has been brought up several times, is a notable miss) though there's definitely old stuff that's disappeared since the original broadcasts; usually old and obscure gag anime. Stuff like Ganbare Gonbe, which has never been released on video after it's initial broadcast or super old Tatsunoko shows like Dokachin, which has maybe 2 or 3 episodes floating around due to them being getting special colorized VHD release but otherwise is lost to time. There's also situations of shows with missing episodes and such.
I recall reading a pretty informative article on this subject several years ago (It might been by Dan Ross) but I can't seem to find it. =/
Course you never know if some stuff will pop up. Like, other than a single VHS release (Which was just the first 7-8 episodes chopped up into a 60 min video), Galvion was pretty much unavailable for almost 30 years until it suddenly got a dvd release in 2013. =P
Space Runaway
Member
Next up on the "pile"
Hanappe Bazooka
Figured I'd give this a go since it's Go Nagai but I ended up getting more than I bargained for...
It's based on a comic by Kazuo Koike (Guy who wrote Lone Wolf and Cub) and was illustrated by Go Nagai. Despite being an OVA from 1992, the comic series ran from 79-82. So quite a belated anime adaption. I've never read the comic but as far as this OVA goes, what we have here is a pretty lewd sex comedy.
Basically we have the usual geek main character who is frequently bullied. He rents some cursed(?) porno tape and accidentally summons a pair of demons while jerking it because he wagged his dick in some specific direction on some special "once in a thousand years" day. He's granted the power to bone anyone he points his finger at and we get various goofball comedy based on this premise for awhile. Due to some "circumstances" he wants to get rid of the demons and then...well it gets odd and he ends up killing himself, which leads to the demons needing to rescue him from the afterlife in a pretty bizarre final act.
It's a somewhat amusing comedy with lots of visual gags and background cameos but the sexual aspects go far enough where it feels like it's only a few graphic insert shots away from being an actual porno. The script isn't too exciting so they definitely lean on the sex stuff to carry the OVA. There's also some random gore which is, well, why not. =P Also special mention to the ending theme, which is a pretty standard synth-pop-rock song of the era but if you're into that stuff then it's a pretty good one.
This was directed by Takamasa Ikegami who doesn't really have much to his resume, though he did direct the first AD Police Files OVA (The Phantom Woman), which I recall being the best looking of the bunch (It's been so long I should go ahead and rewatch those already), as well as being involved in the Bari Bari Legend OVAs which I've been meaning to watch, as 80s anime and motorcycles is usually a good combination. =P
This did get a US VHS release from ADV though I'm guessing it didn't do well as it ended up being one of ADV's releases that didn't get a DVD upgrade despite one being available. So the DVD release remains JP only for now.
It's entertaining as sex comedies go and you get some decent visuals (Can thank Fujio Oda for a lot of that) and Go Nagai designs. Not really something I'd go out of my way to watch unless it happens to spark your interest, otherwise stick to Devilman or whathaveyou. =P
Screenshots (That are safe to post, anyway)
Hanappe Bazooka
Figured I'd give this a go since it's Go Nagai but I ended up getting more than I bargained for...
It's based on a comic by Kazuo Koike (Guy who wrote Lone Wolf and Cub) and was illustrated by Go Nagai. Despite being an OVA from 1992, the comic series ran from 79-82. So quite a belated anime adaption. I've never read the comic but as far as this OVA goes, what we have here is a pretty lewd sex comedy.
Basically we have the usual geek main character who is frequently bullied. He rents some cursed(?) porno tape and accidentally summons a pair of demons while jerking it because he wagged his dick in some specific direction on some special "once in a thousand years" day. He's granted the power to bone anyone he points his finger at and we get various goofball comedy based on this premise for awhile. Due to some "circumstances" he wants to get rid of the demons and then...well it gets odd and he ends up killing himself, which leads to the demons needing to rescue him from the afterlife in a pretty bizarre final act.
It's a somewhat amusing comedy with lots of visual gags and background cameos but the sexual aspects go far enough where it feels like it's only a few graphic insert shots away from being an actual porno. The script isn't too exciting so they definitely lean on the sex stuff to carry the OVA. There's also some random gore which is, well, why not. =P Also special mention to the ending theme, which is a pretty standard synth-pop-rock song of the era but if you're into that stuff then it's a pretty good one.
This was directed by Takamasa Ikegami who doesn't really have much to his resume, though he did direct the first AD Police Files OVA (The Phantom Woman), which I recall being the best looking of the bunch (It's been so long I should go ahead and rewatch those already), as well as being involved in the Bari Bari Legend OVAs which I've been meaning to watch, as 80s anime and motorcycles is usually a good combination. =P
This did get a US VHS release from ADV though I'm guessing it didn't do well as it ended up being one of ADV's releases that didn't get a DVD upgrade despite one being available. So the DVD release remains JP only for now.
It's entertaining as sex comedies go and you get some decent visuals (Can thank Fujio Oda for a lot of that) and Go Nagai designs. Not really something I'd go out of my way to watch unless it happens to spark your interest, otherwise stick to Devilman or whathaveyou. =P
Screenshots (That are safe to post, anyway)
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Animeigo has announced Madox-01 kickstarter.
Metal Skin Panic: MADOX-01 Unobtanium Edition by Robert J Woodhead — Kickstarter
Metal Skin Panic: MADOX-01 Unobtanium Edition by Robert J Woodhead — Kickstarter
Happosai
Hold onto your panties
It looks pretty fun actually. I get how titles with similar storylines like "Junk Boy" never saw themselves out of the VHS era but ADV did release some turds on DVD prior to liquidation. They released NGE and I could get lynched for saying this but I would have preferred they release something like this instead of NGE. To late now, though. I'd like to find the JP release of this at some point but I imagine that's also oop.Next up on the "pile"
Hanappe Bazooka
Figured I'd give this a go since it's Go Nagai but I ended up getting more than I bargained for...
It's based on a comic by Kazuo Koike (Guy who wrote Lone Wolf and Cub) and was illustrated by Go Nagai. Despite being an OVA from 1992, the comic series ran from 79-82. So quite a belated anime adaption. I've never read the comic but as far as this OVA goes, what we have here is a pretty lewd sex comedy.
Basically we have the usual geek main character who is frequently bullied. He rents some cursed(?) porno tape and accidentally summons a pair of demons while jerking it because he wagged his dick in some specific direction on some special "once in a thousand years" day. He's granted the power to bone anyone he points his finger at and we get various goofball comedy based on this premise for awhile. Due to some "circumstances" he wants to get rid of the demons and then...well it gets odd and he ends up killing himself, which leads to the demons needing to rescue him from the afterlife in a pretty bizarre final act.
It's a somewhat amusing comedy with lots of visual gags and background cameos but the sexual aspects go far enough where it feels like it's only a few graphic insert shots away from being an actual porno. The script isn't too exciting so they definitely lean on the sex stuff to carry the OVA. There's also some random gore which is, well, why not. =P Also special mention to the ending theme, which is a pretty standard synth-pop-rock song of the era but if you're into that stuff then it's a pretty good one.
This was directed by Takamasa Ikegami who doesn't really have much to his resume, though he did direct the first AD Police Files OVA (The Phantom Woman), which I recall being the best looking of the bunch (It's been so long I should go ahead and rewatch those already), as well as being involved in the Bari Bari Legend OVAs which I've been meaning to watch, as 80s anime and motorcycles is usually a good combination. =P
This did get a US VHS release from ADV though I'm guessing it didn't do well as it ended up being one of ADV's releases that didn't get a DVD upgrade despite one being available. So the DVD release remains JP only for now.
It's entertaining as sex comedies go and you get some decent visuals (Can thank Fujio Oda for a lot of that) and Go Nagai designs. Not really something I'd go out of my way to watch unless it happens to spark your interest, otherwise stick to Devilman or whathaveyou. =P
Screenshots (That are safe to post, anyway)
Red Rackham's Revenge
Member
Do Animeigo tend to remove grain from their releases? If you pause the trailer at 1:34 and compare to the raw scan, the scan looks much better.
JunkerWoland
Member
So far, AnimEigo has not applied additional DNR to their Blu-ray releases, though the company did seek backers' opinions on the possibility of a DNR pass for Megazone-23 and were roundly rebuffed. For the MADOX trailer, video footage would have been taken from the DVD release and likely incurred further compression from Kickstarter's video player.
Also, the Kickstarter campaign addresses the DNR issue. The relevant portions are in bold.
The new transfer of MADOX was performed under the supervision of Director Aramaki at Tokyo Genzōsho from the original print of the film, and clocks in at almost 700GB of uncompressed 2K video. If the project reaches the second stretch goal, we will also perform a digital restoration pass on the film, doing additional color grading, dust and scratch removal, image stabilization, camera flicker reduction and splice removal. Film grain reduction will not be performed, as some of you have strong opinions about that...
If restoration is performed, both the original transfer and the digital restoration will be included on the disc. All additional work will be supervised by Director Aramaki.
kunonabi
Member
Anybody got some action/adventure anime films that aren't too out there? I had an interesting response to showing my dad a couple Ghibli films so I'm looking for something different. The slower, less plot focused stuff doesn't really hold his attention. Most of the stuff I own is too esoteric or out there and the action stuff tends to be series and not single films. He also doesn't like comedy so Lupin kind of went out the window. Well, that and it wasn't like the old Lupin films he used to watch. I explained that to him beforehand but thus is old people.
As of now the only thing I can think of is Golgo 13.
As of now the only thing I can think of is Golgo 13.
Happosai
Hold onto your panties
Do you think he'd be into Kawajiri-type movies (Biohunter, Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, Demon City Shinjuku, etc)?
kunonabi
Member
Might skew a little dark but some of those might work.
Red Rackham's Revenge
Member
That's good to hear. This one looks like all regions too. My Megazone order was cancelled because my region isn't covered by their license it seems. Bit of a bummer.
JunkerWoland
Member
That totally sucks about Megazone. Unfortunately, they need to abide by their license agreements. Just keep in mind, the set's discs are listed as region-free, so if you can find a secondary solution, AnimEigo's release will work in your player. Also, my apologies for pimpin' AnimEigo's release and not considering the shipping limitations.
Red Rackham's Revenge
Member
No need to apologize. It is what it is. I'll keep an eye out for it.
Happosai
Hold onto your panties
I'm watching Dragon Ball (the original series blue box Funimation release) with my wife. About 50 episodes in so far. So, regarding the North American release by Funimation -- were there episodes cut from the U.S. releases or certain scenes still missing from earlier cut versions of Dragon Ball in this release? Not sure if this is one you have some insight into
Space Runaway
or anyone else? I'm not asking about censors in the dub as you can easily pull up the original dialogue equivilant in the subbed version. I'm curious as certain episodes have odd edits in them making them appear as if things may have been cut from the original Japanese releases.
Space Runaway
or anyone else? I'm not asking about censors in the dub as you can easily pull up the original dialogue equivilant in the subbed version. I'm curious as certain episodes have odd edits in them making them appear as if things may have been cut from the original Japanese releases.infinitys_7th
Member
The ED popped up in my YouTube recommendations about a month ago. Fucking amazing.
Space Runaway
Member
The blue box releases should be fully uncut. The main issue with them is the image cropping due to Funimation zooming in the image for some reason.I'm watching Dragon Ball (the original series blue box Funimation release) with my wife. About 50 episodes in so far. So, regarding the North American release by Funimation -- were there episodes cut from the U.S. releases or certain scenes still missing from earlier cut versions of Dragon Ball in this release? Not sure if this is one you have some insight into
Also I didn't even know until today but Shunsuke Kikuchi died from aspiration pneumonia last week. He did a lot of great scores and he pretty was the sound of Dragonball/Z. RIP =/
Space Runaway
Member
Another obscurity - "TWD Express: Rolling Takeoff"
A short movie from 1987 based on the comic by Yuki Hijiri, creator of Locke and is directed by Kunihiko Yuyama who also directed Leda, GoShogun and 60 zillion Pokemon anime projects (Among many other works).
Basically, TDW (Tiger, Wolf, Dragon) Express are space transporters and kinda reminiscent of Ghostbusters in that they're a buncha peculiar schlubs. After a very Star Wars-y opening, the plot gets going and one of the crew happens upon/saves an "illegal humanoid" named Lina (And totally ditches the girl he's with doing so). He has the hots for her while the lead character Ken, who can turn into some beast-thing, doesn't want her around since she's trouble and all that and he also has issues with women due to a death in his past. Lina joins them but is eventually captured by her pursuers. Our heroes decide to rescue her, which is essentially them donning jetpacks and rocket launchers and attacking some organic space lab. They encounter a Wizard of Oz-ish villain that created Lina, though ultimately our heroes rescue Lina and eventually everything blows up.
This was released theatrically in a double bill with the original '87 MAPS movie (Also left to obscurity along with TWD), though production wise, while I wouldn't say it's low budget, it's in no way movie quality and pretty standard OVA fare outside of the last act, which uses most of the budget. Doesn't look bad or anything, just very much something you'd see on video. Music is pretty much a keyboard and guitar score, which is just fine by me (Blame videogames).
Another case where I'm not familiar with the source material but taken on it's own, this is a harmless but unremarkable movie. An easy and somewhat fun watch and when it's over you'll probably forget all about it. =P
As of now TWD Express is only available on VHS and LD and has never been subbed or even fansubbed, so raw Japanese is the only way to watch it. Though even if you don't know Japanese, despite missing out on some jokes and certain motivations, the plot is so straight forward pretty much anyone should be able to follow along. =P
A short movie from 1987 based on the comic by Yuki Hijiri, creator of Locke and is directed by Kunihiko Yuyama who also directed Leda, GoShogun and 60 zillion Pokemon anime projects (Among many other works).
Basically, TDW (Tiger, Wolf, Dragon) Express are space transporters and kinda reminiscent of Ghostbusters in that they're a buncha peculiar schlubs. After a very Star Wars-y opening, the plot gets going and one of the crew happens upon/saves an "illegal humanoid" named Lina (And totally ditches the girl he's with doing so). He has the hots for her while the lead character Ken, who can turn into some beast-thing, doesn't want her around since she's trouble and all that and he also has issues with women due to a death in his past. Lina joins them but is eventually captured by her pursuers. Our heroes decide to rescue her, which is essentially them donning jetpacks and rocket launchers and attacking some organic space lab. They encounter a Wizard of Oz-ish villain that created Lina, though ultimately our heroes rescue Lina and eventually everything blows up.
This was released theatrically in a double bill with the original '87 MAPS movie (Also left to obscurity along with TWD), though production wise, while I wouldn't say it's low budget, it's in no way movie quality and pretty standard OVA fare outside of the last act, which uses most of the budget. Doesn't look bad or anything, just very much something you'd see on video. Music is pretty much a keyboard and guitar score, which is just fine by me (Blame videogames).
Another case where I'm not familiar with the source material but taken on it's own, this is a harmless but unremarkable movie. An easy and somewhat fun watch and when it's over you'll probably forget all about it. =P
As of now TWD Express is only available on VHS and LD and has never been subbed or even fansubbed, so raw Japanese is the only way to watch it. Though even if you don't know Japanese, despite missing out on some jokes and certain motivations, the plot is so straight forward pretty much anyone should be able to follow along. =P
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Happosai
Hold onto your panties
This is a title I believe I ran across a rip of nearly 13-years ago when VEOH uploads of rare unsubbed anime was floating around for early video downloads. I figured releases like this never even made it as far as a European release. Kinda emphasizes the importance of having a Retro Anime discussion thread. People will otherwise just forget these titles ever existed but believe it or not, many who type these rare titles into an internet search get NeoGAF in search results. So, I figure we're one of the last places anywhere online discussing these old VHS OVAs.Another obscurity - "TWD Express: Rolling Takeoff"
A short movie from 1987 based on the comic by Yuki Hijiri, creator of Locke and is directed by Kunihiko Yuyama who also directed Leda, GoShogun and 60 zillion Pokemon anime projects (Among many other works).
Basically, TDW (Tiger, Wolf, Dragon) Express are space transporters and kinda reminiscent of Ghostbusters in that they're a buncha peculiar schlubs. After a very Star Wars-y opening, the plot gets going and one of the crew happens upon/saves an "illegal humanoid" named Lina (And totally ditches the girl he's with doing so). He has the hots for her while the lead character Ken, who can turn into some beast-thing, doesn't want her around since she's trouble and all that and he also has issues with women due to a death in his past. Lina joins them but is eventually captured by her pursuers. Our heroes decide to rescue her, which is essentially them donning jetpacks and rocket launchers and attacking some organic space lab. They encounter a Wizard of Oz-ish villain that created Lina, though ultimately our heroes rescue Lina and eventually everything blows up.
This was released theatrically in a double bill with the original '87 MAPS movie (Also left to obscurity along with TWD), though production wise, while I wouldn't say it's low budget, it's in no way movie quality and pretty standard OVA fare outside of the last act, which uses most of the budget. Doesn't look bad or anything, just very much something you'd see on video. Music is pretty much a keyboard and guitar score, which is just fine by me (Blame videogames).
Another case where I'm not familiar with the source material but taken on it's own, this is a harmless but unremarkable movie. An easy and somewhat fun watch and when it's over you'll probably forget all about it. =P
As of now TWD Express is only available on VHS and LD and has never been subbed or even fansubbed, so raw Japanese is the only way to watch it. Though even if you don't know Japanese, despite missing out on some jokes and certain motivations, the plot is so straight forward pretty much anyone should be able to follow along. =P
I can't say this one sparks any particular desire for me to jump out and download it. But I would probably change my mind after seeing it. Some of these titles do get fan subs. I doubt this one did but I find a lot of titles with French or Italian fan subs. The French ones...I can't decipher anything. But I understand Italian fairly well after learning Spanish as a second language.
I'm watching "Venus Wars" again, and it's amazing how the anime hasn't aged. The story, the music, the rhythm,etc, in short the work of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko had the chance to be transposed in OVA at the right time. There are a lot of elements that refer to the second world war, it's actually quite cool but not surprising if you read the manga. And, oh God, the attempt to destroy "only one tank" was so great.
And of course the animation which sums up a whole era...
And this beauty...
No, I mean this one:
Never watched this show, although I did read the manga a long time ago (and I forgot it). Old cel animation really shines in HD, doesn't it.
Ordered Bluray and got it today, will probably watch it over the weekend.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
I'd like to have a nice complete re-release of Dangaioh. Those original ovas were really good.
Space Runaway
Member
While not for subs, back in the day I used to frequently grab Italian and French dvd releases of stuff that had not yet been released in the US (And still unreleased in many cases) since they'd include the JP audio track and cost a fraction of JP import. And they were usually always complete sets while the JP dvds were always several very expensive separate releases. Although now I have a box of those and HK bootlegs which have become obsolete. =P
Yeah there's even a JP bluray they could bring over (Though the master for OVA 3 was lost so it was upscaled). The chopped up Manga dvd release is definitely not the way to watch it. Maybe the license is tied up in manner.
Happosai
Hold onto your panties
I kept a mult-regions blu-ray and DVD player just for foreign releases like that. Most aren't that high priced. I stopped collecting physical obsessively around 2015 and only buy about 6 remasters a year lately. Having everything mostly subbed though. I don't like having to import things from the U.S. (since I'm an American and it's still strange for me to be paying over $15 to ship a single disc + import fees when I used to pay $4 shipping on everything) and Mexico made a mess with nearly all their past/present anime releases. Off-topic but in Mexico anime was marketed back in the late-60's w/ dubs and on into the 70's. I'll say this -- they were getting more anime released in Mexico during the 70's than the U.S. but dubbing things to death. From the 1980's-present, Mexico stopped acquiring licensed anime and works on quick "made-at-home" Spanish dubs based on American English dub scripting. No one wants to watch Japanese w/ subs and I hear a lot of complaints that they simply won't watch it because they believe Spanish dubs are the best in the world and that Japanese women scream too much (in native audio). So, buying anime out here is basically buying a 3rd rate video transfer of a 3rd-partied U.S. anime release with a Spanish script based on the localized English scripts. It's not worth money and it doesn't seem the culture down here will ever budge on releasing subbed only anime with original titles.
Anyway, it would be nice to see more Manga DVD releases make it to blu-ray uncut. That of course means not transferring the manga release to B.D. ; simply the acquiring rights to said anime.