This Week in Anime

What is Cyber City Oedo 808?

Nicky
We've got a lot of time to kill before we tackle anything new, and the extremely fabulous hardboiled cyber squad from the future might be the only ones who can handle the job. Just added to RetroCrush for premium subscribers, we have the early 90s three-part OVA Cyber City Oedo 808!

Style is a big factor in the direct-to-video era of anime, and Cyber City Oedo is pleasantly full of it. It's got full marks. All the things we love when we think of 80s and 90s action sci-fi flicks. Big cities, big hair, and electronic pop tunes.

The opening features a fantastic power ballad that's sure to feel like a throwback to when things were more neon.

It's stunning how well it pulls off its main objective while pulling other cultural influences of its time. It shares a lot of qualities with anime produced during the economic bubble period when serious well-budgeted violent standalone anime flourished, but it still sounds and looks goddamn cool. Characters dodge bullets and fall out of the sky to catch criminals without a second thought.

I will note that there are a lot of bright and fast flashing lights, so people who are sensitive should tread cautiously.

Cyber City Oedo 808 was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who directed and wrote a lot of seminal films and OVAs of the era. He's the original creator of the hyper-violent Ninja Scroll, made his directorial debut with Lensman: Secret of The Lens, and later directed Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and Birdy the Mighty. All of which are still recognized works. He doesn't direct as much nowadays but having started as an animator at MushiPro before it shut down in 1972 and still getting storyboard credits as recently as 2021, that's a pretty big career!

I previously brought up the bubble era, 1986 to 1991, when the Japanese economy was so good they could toss all the money they wanted at animators to draw cool vehicles and somebody's guts getting eviscerated. But part of what made stuff from this era look SO GOOD isn't just the money but the freedom, time, and stability to develop the talents of multiple artists. So much of 80s cyberpunk anime only works thanks to the attention to detail that brings the setting and characters to life, like these insane depictions of advanced analog technology.

It's pretty clearly dystopian when risking your life for The Man beats being sentenced to a life in solitary space confinement. It plays into the hard-boiled stuff where none of them quite play by the rules. They're the right amount of competent yet cool scumbag ex-criminals that they're fun to watch. Sengoku comes off as pretty punk, and Merrill and Gabimaru, nicknamed Benten and Goggles, respectively, have their quirks and charms as a cold killer and a genius hacker. They are keenly aware of their circumstances as tools and don't hold back expressing displeasure about it.

Benten is even voiced by the late Kaneto Shiozawa, who used to be prolific at voicing cool, intelligent dudes before he died in 2000.

I love his truck-house library. I'm jealous. Backgrounds and art direction go a long way here. What sold me on Goggles is how he's the most determined to be free ASAP. The scene where he watched his target trigger his collar, trying to get it off in hopes of escape, was a harrowing and great use of color and light for suspense.

It's also playing into some samurai tropes with the implication that Hasegawa is a bit of a feudal lord, as in previous times as cities and populations grew, so did the amount of crime. Using ex-cons for labor became a practice. Some of the names have a historical theme, and the big man looks rather imperial. It sounds strange for your futuristic setting, but it's not, given this is the same dude that made Ninja Scroll. Plus, it's a neat comparison of periods of growth throughout history. While bringing in greater goods increased the quality of life, like stability and convenience provided by technology, it can also lead to greater evils.

My brain can't NOT read or hear that as MOCOS (Spanish for snot/mucus).

Someone can send me a guinea pig car-shaped tissue box cover as soon as possible, and we'll talk.

It's sick, and MOLCOS's design and how it moves are downright freaky because it wouldn't be a dystopian cyberpunk without a bit of technological horror. I wouldn't say the setting of the world in Cyber City Oedo is super defined, but there's enough there to make you go "whoa." I equally enjoyed how the first episode goes from a standard search for a criminal hacker to somewhat supernatural when it turns out the target was a murdered employee whose spirit invaded the system as a form of vengeance using a bunch of wires to hoist his corpse.

This also led to one of the most ahem liberal dub clips. It was the only context I had for this show before going in. Still a badass line in the sub, though.

The nickname Benten stems from the Goddess of Eloquence, Benzaiten (also known as the Buddhist Sarasvati). She is known to be associated with beauty, wisdom, and the arts, so it makes sense that our pretty boy would end up with the most abstract one while also feeling like the most indulgent. People who know me may have also determined that very little could make me displeased about having a beautifully drawn man on my screen. Benten is a character up my alley, and I'm glad we got more of him than just being violent and having a pretty face.

All the more reason to make me re-watch Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and the best use of the setting imo.

But also, there are many great lines and moments throughout all three OVAs, and it doesn't stop them from being some of the coolest shit you've ever seen. Ever wanted to know what it looks like when you try to kill a vampire with an airlock?

I'll follow up and say that I'm usually apprehensive about how old OVAs depict violence and women for pure shock value. While it could be better since most of the women introduced die, it never distracted me from the story. It doesn't have a huge emphasis on suffering. Even the few ultra-violent moments don't linger too long to ruin the tone, which is a feat considering the reputation of some of Kawajiri's other stuff.

I find it all to be a statement of how well-paced and engrossed Cyber City Oedo is at presenting its own story. It's trying to be cool, glamorous, and enjoyable, but it takes itself seriously enough so that none of the ridiculously bright flashiness gets in the way of actual viewing. My eyes were fixated the whole time, like watching a singular star. Each episode has its concept and characters and is laser-guided by the dedication to the atmosphere.

As the bubble economy would pop the year after the last episode release, consider Cyber City Oedo as a pinnacle product of that former period of prosperity.

Trends in fashion and music may change, but having a good time with the boys remains timeless. Cyber City Oedo 808 stuck around for over three decades so that I could watch it. Let's help it stay a little longer. 'Til next time!