Forum - View topicThe Mike Toole Show - Let's Talk It OVA
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Kosaka
Posts: 239 |
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My favorite Tenchi is the 13 OVAs from the 1990s. I also liked Tenchi Universe, but to a lesser extent.
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taster of pork
 Posts: 594 Location: My House |
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I recently watched Dragon Century and really enjoyed it. Really wish they had made more.
Last edited by taster of pork on Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:01 am; edited 1 time in total |
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pachy_boy
Posts: 1323 |
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He does choose in the Tenchi in Love 2 movie, or Tenchi Forever if one goes by the original Pioneer release title, which is itself the final cap-off chapter to the Universe storyline. While not entirely direct, the answer's there nonetheless and both characters know it in the final scene. |
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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I had an awesome time watching Debutante Detective Corps. The girls' fights with the terrorists attacking their school was hilarious to watch and was full of no-holes-barred action. I just wish the anime studio of this show made at least one more episode, but I think they were running on a tight budget making it...
But I am thankful of the fun that I had watching DDC. 
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Surrender Artist
 Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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I love OVAs. I enjoy watching even bad ones from way back when; they have a sort of 'historical artifact' quality that makes them fascinating. I could plead to nostalgia too; OVAs on Saturday Anime were a large part of turning me down the dark path that I now walk upon. Some, though, aren't worth it. Burn-Up was really boring (and not very sexy... what gives?) and the less said of anything that Kōichi Ōhata inflicted upon the world, the better.
When the column mentioned The School Supergirl Corps, I thought it meant Debutante Detective Corps, but The Gakuen Chōjo-tai is indeed something else altogether. I'm pleased to see Key the Metal Idol be mentioned. I like that series a lot, the first thirteen episodes are fantastic. It's just a shame that it collapses in the last two, which are 'feature length', the first of which has a few nifty images, but is principally two of the characters sitting on a bench explaining the plot. (At least they're not drinking coffee) I think that it's very much worth watching even so, but one should brace oneself for disappointment. Even so, just reading about this makes me wanna watch it again. (I've been getting a lot of that lately) The subject of OVAs with TV adaptations brings to mind the odd case of Birdy the Mighty. There's an OVA from the nineties, adapted from a manga that ended unfinished in the eighties, then there's a television series from a few years ago adapted from what seems to be a second try at the manga. In this case, mercifully, neither's a stinker. The OVA, directed by Yoshiyaki Kawajiri and written in party by Chiaki J Konaka, is pretty good. In an amusing twist, the voice of Birdy in the English dub is Alex McCord, who later went on to be a professional awful human being on The Real Housewives of New York. The television series, Directed by Kazuki Akane and written by Hiroshi Ohnogi, is great, especially the fantastic second season. The Hell of it in both cases is that they end by finishing the immediate story arc, but leave the larger plot unresolved. That sucks in both cases, because Birdy is cool as Hell and I wish that there were more of her adventures animated. (I'd kill for an English release of the manga too) I keep meaning to ask Masao Maruyama how the OVA came to be as the manga had been aborted eight years before the first OVA episodes was released, but I'm terrified that it will be a stupid or futile question. (Other people seem to have no trouble asking stupid, futile questions, but I have standar... *sigh* crippling social anxiety) A really obscure release from the nineties that I like is The Weathering Continent, which the encyclopedia deems a 'movie', but the distinction is a little fuzzy anyway, so I'mma mention it. It was directed and written by Kōichi Mashimo, who also directed The Irresponsible Captain Tylor and the 'girls-with-guns' trilogy that began with Noir. It's very Kōichi Mashimo, with a moody atmosphere, slow pace and slightly opaque storytelling. It's adapted from a larger series of fantasy novels, but stands pretty well alone. (It also benefits from a respectable English dub directed by Michael Sinterniklaas and Sean Schemmel) Another rather obscure one is Sukeban Deka, which was released in the United States by ADV. Very few people seem to have heard of it and last I checked, it's hard to find the listing on Amazon, with the live-action versions creating a lot of 'interference', although it's not really expensive or rare. It's the story of a juvenile delinquent girl who is released from prison on the condition that she work for the cops by fighting crime with a yo-yo. It's pretty entertaining and has some extra relevance now because it's referenced by Kill la Kill. Ryuko Matoi is very much a tribute to characters like Saki Asamiya. And don't forget Assemble Insert, which is a short, sweet and silly little OVA that CPM brought over. I happened upon it more or less by chance, but ended up pretty fond of it. There's a good Buried Treasures column about it. |
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trilaan
 Posts: 1054 Location: Texas |
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I gotta get back to reading that manga(also own the TV anime.
I have that on DVD, didn't think it was too obscure, though. But I could still be in my late 90's/early 2000s mentality.
I could never forget it, it is lots of fun. |
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Taskforce
Posts: 72 |
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I forgot about that one earlier. I agree, a good OVA worth the watch. What about these... Phantom Quest Corp.. What could have been if this were made into a TV series instead of 4 OVA. A Pioneer release that is long out of print and a very fun watch. Magic User's Club. A must watch for the classic anime fan that hasn't seen it. There is a TV series, but just like Tenchi and other 80's and 90's favorites the OVA actually came first. A staple of the early Media Blasters days, and the show that probably put them on the map of many anime fans. Gestalt. Which came out here long before the manga finally reached our shores. A manga I bought based solely on this OVA. This is still in print according to TRSI. And don't forget Hyper-Doll: Mew & Mica The Easy Fighters. This isn't one of my personal favs but many fans did enjoy it. These are a few more that haven't been mentioned that any fans of the era should check out. And finally, someone mentioned Burn-Up before. That had to be one of the worst dubs I have ever had the displeasure of hearing. When the girl was crying in one scene, I couldn't stop laughing because it was so bad. The show is a LOT more bearable subbed but it still wasn't a terrific find for sure. |
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treatment
Posts: 149 |
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Also, not sure if Mike mentioned it, but these three OVAs have had the bestest and perfect english-dubbing ever.
nice, but I'm personally more partial to the much-better insert song and the episode itself... <3 |
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CoreSignal
 Posts: 727 Location: California, USA |
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These are some of my favorite OVAs as well, because they really show off the potential of the OVA format; shows where the creators aren't restricted by tv regulations and audiences, and (sometimes) near-movie quality animation. I really miss the days when OVAs where a place where creators could go a little crazy. Nowadays, most OVAs are just extra bonus episodes for tv series, oh well. |
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vanfanel
 Posts: 1242 |
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Me too. This is an awesome discussion. I believe "Weathering Continent" was released in theaters on a double bill with one of the "Silent Moebius" movies back in the day. Both of those are absolutely gorgeous-looking. "Weathering Continent" is actually a huge novel series; the movie is based on the second book. I guess they're considered light novels, though I don't believe the term was in use when the series started. I saw "Phantom Quest Corps" for the very first time recently. It was one I'd somehow always missed before. Some good fun there, and wide open for continuation if they ever wanted to make a TV series. Never seen "Wolf Guy," but I know about the Kazumasa Hirai novels. Maybe putting "From the author of Harmagedon!!" on the cover could help sell it to the English-speaking world...or maybe not
I think I've seen "19" at some point, and I know I've seen "Desert Rose." "El Hazard" didn't grab me until the end of the first OVA series, and that ending was like a bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam that saved the whole thing. I never saw any of the sequels. "Tenchi" ..... ah, Tenchi. The OVAs were top notch productions with great design work, great music and art. I liked the "Universe" TV series when it came out, but when I watched a few eps again some years ago, I realized I'd moved on. OTOH, it does have an ending. Loved the first movie, liked the second one, wasn't quite on-board with the third. Not sure what version I'd say is best, though; I only saw the OVAs once, and that was well over a decade ago. Last edited by vanfanel on Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:34 am; edited 1 time in total |
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vanfanel
Posts: 1242 |
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And one thing about "Video Girl Ai" -- Yota Moteuchi is one of a very, very few "ordinary student" type protagonists in this kind of show that I could actually believe the heroine might fall for.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18187 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Heh. Agreed. Anyways, always glad to see Key the Metal Idol brought up, as it's a true outlier as anime projects go; it's an original effort that doesn't much resemble anything that came before or after it. The first of its two movie-length wrap-up OVAs does, admittedly, get bogged down in exposition, but it is conceptually fascinating and thought-provoking, as well as a subtle but pretty damning condemnation of the way the Japanese music industry worked at that time. (And the way it sounds, things haven't changed much in 20 years.) In a retrospective sense, its last episode is also one of the earliest examples you'll find of the common modern-day practice of using social media connections to generate hype for a performer. As for Iria, yeah, I got introduced to that one via Sci-Fi and picked up the gorgeous-looking limited edition metal box release when it came out several years ago. Have always felt that she stacks up as one of the better female action heroines out there. And agreed that 3x3 Eyes was a major omission given its popularity, but so were Gunsmith Cats, Ruin Explorers, and Bastard!!. Mike had to choose a few to highlight, though, and I have no objections to the ones he chose. (Maybe he'll do a Part 2 on this eventually to highlight some of the others?) |
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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Youta's actually not a "horny teen" or nosebleeder or anything else extreme-comedy by nature, he was just...wandering into the video store because he was depressed over losing his girl. Otherwise, he is a pretty nice guy, and not too deep down, either. (And yes, first-time children's authors DO think their books will "change the world". A few of us got a knowing laugh out of that.  )
Although I can remember when some early dub-phobic fanatics, who thought Trish Ledoux was the antichrist, were waging entire Petition-Online jihads against VGAi, because Viz had changed Moemi's dialogue in the first episode, given her character a different reason for liking the other boy, and made her seem more shallow. Someone else will have to fill in the history here, I don't even remember what it was. 
(Although, as mentioned in the Shinesman thread, Coastal Carolina on Animeigo's Oh My Goddess was up there with bestest and perfect OVA dubbing too.) |
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KutovoiAnton
 Posts: 942 Location: Vladimir, Russia |
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Best 80th-90th OVA series? Easily "Legend of the Galactic Heroes".
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I suppose it's difficult to think of it as an OVA since it's 110 episodes long, and it also aired on TV, but yeah, it was an OVA, so yeah, good point. |
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