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[Happosai]

The forgotten Guyver OVA - Guyver: Out of Control (Or Out of "Standardrized"...). Before the 89 OVA series that made it a cult hit in the west, there was this 1986 one-off OVA. It's basically an altered depiction of the first part of the story where Sho becomes the Guyver and ending with the battle with Guyver 2. A lot of the story is mostly the same, the most notable differences being Tetsuro beng outright omitted and Guyver 2 has been gender swapped to a female (And of course that means her becoming Guyver 2 must now resemble a tentacle rape scene). Also while the designs are largely the same as the comic and later OVA series, the lead characters are done in a very different style and are basically a proto-version of the look found in Dancouga.

It's a pretty entertaining OVA with a some nice animation, a soundtrack that sounds like a PC Engine CD shmup and decent action except....for some inexplicable reason, they decided to mega cheap out on the fight between Guyver 1 and 2, re-using scenes and replaying every action at least twice!


I don't know why they did this and when you watch the OVA, you don't really get the impression it was due to the production running into budget issues but more someone having a really, really bad idea on how to save a couple bucks. It does sort of ruin the final fight as the scene reusage starts to make the fight appear comical. Not unlike when they cheaped out on the final fight with M. Bison in the SF2V series.

Still...despite that it's really not a bad watch overall. As far as I can tell it remains only available on VHS and Laserdisc, so if one wants to watch it then maybe youtube it something.

Oh and for the gore freaks, the violence is depicted much more graphically than in the later OVAs

Spoiler

I'll look into it more. Nearly everything that never got released on DVD has a digital transfer floating around. It's not so much a lost OVA as more of forgotten. Seems that's the way 80's OVAs are now. Unless someone uploads them to a video sharing website; they nearly disappear altogether. I have a few I found back in 2008 which were sold in Japan under the name U-Jin (this is not the Tales of Seduction OVA which had a similar title). There's no fansub...direct Japanese. I made a thread awhile back about rare anime. This should have been mentioned there, seeing how popular Guyver became.

 

[Happosai]

Here's a question for everyone but I'm going to tag kunonabi M mortal ValiantTraveler Space Runaway Mobile Suit Gooch Ballthyrm Pejo

What anime retro/classic (you can list newer anime titles, too) anime have you watched in 2020?

Here's mine in a somewhat chronological order of watch but not necessarily by year of release:

First week of January: Started the year with the obscure OVA "Outlanders" subbed w/original Japanese audio. A bit risque but a great comedy sci-fi romance, too. My wife liked it, too.

In late January we decided to start watching the 7 boxsets recently imported from the States of Ranma 1/2. We watched all 161 episodes. If you like the characters, you'll enjoy watching beyond the second season/volume. Just a warning: there isn't a very clear story arc and it wasn't entirely the TV writers' fault for this. Rumiko was still making the Ranma 1/2 manga 4-years after the series got cancelled in 1992 and she never draws any strong conclusion (except in interviews about the series). I generally can't stand anime that spans beyond 12-26-episodes. This is the first time I've watched an anime of 161 episodes (I watched up to about 95 episodes of the original Dragon Ball). Last note. I was reading Western reviews on the Ranma 1/2 TV series. A lot of criticism coming from Americans about the length of the series and the character Happosai. I thought that people were just inept to understand the humor of characters like Happosai. When I created my GAF account in May 2020; I became Happosai to show that he's only half as obnoxious as fans made him out to be.

Prior to finishing Ranma my wife an I had watched the first 6 Tenchi Muyo OVA episodes on blu-ray. We finished watching the remainder of the Tenchi OVA from the early 90's in early April.

My wife had heard about "the Slayers" from the Spanish dubs that ran in Mexico. I had the boxset of the first three Slayers seasons made. So, in late April we watched: Slayers TV, Slayers Next, and Slayers Try. My wife likes all of them and I liked Slayers TV and Next the most. The battle scenes got kinda boring in Try...for me.

After Slayers ended...I really wasn't sure what to pick to that would hold the same interest with my wife. Not everything in my collection is going to have the same reception. Seeing as we have been watching Inuyasha alongside every anime in this list since we restarted the Tenchi OVA's; I remembered that the Ushio & Tora OVA had certain similarities to Inuyasha. So, Ushio and Tora it was. I think she liked up to about OVA 7. The conclusion episode of the OVAs is...meh...okay. Overall, I'd still watch the 1992 OVA to the 2015 reboot.

Ushio and Tora ended abruptly as OVAs usually do. So, I thought...maybe we should watch another series. So, I picked Blueseed (one I previously had on VHS and had only seen about 6 episodes of in the late-90's). It sounded interesting, so we started the DVD's from episode 1. Maybe it's because it takes itself very seriously or because I was suffering bad insomnia at the time; whatever the reason...we stopped watching after episode 3 of 26. I plan to watch it again when this pandemic ends. Seems that watching things without comedy or romance during this whole COVID mess...just makes serious anime titles hard to watch.

This was about late May or early June and we wanted to start another anime to watch as a secondary to the seemingly endless Inuyasha (which I'm still only into the 124th friggin' episode...I hate long series!). Anyway, I thought a good switch to something lighter would be the Tenchi Muyo TV series (titled in the U.S. "Tenchi Universe"). We took some breaks between episodes but eventually finished in late July. 26 out of 26 episodes...not bad...strong contender to OVA except less background given to the characters.

Around August 5th I decided to follow-up Tenchi with something similar and yet shorter and different. I dug out Photon:The Idiot Adventures OVA which advertises itself on the DVD box as "from the creators of Tenchi Muyo." It does look very Tenchi-ish but comes off way more comedic and more adult in content. It's 6 oddly timed episodes (the episodes run from 32-40 minutes each) and just finished the last episode last night. I recommend it and it was recently renewed by Discotek. If you like extreme sci-fi comedy...you'll like it. You only have to invest about 3-hours of your time to finish the full 6-episodes.

In conclusion: This is 2020 so far in anime. I'll be watching episode 125 of the Spanish dubbed Inuyasha tonight with my wife. I'm not really enjoying it anymore. The series switched directors (for the first time) after the 44th episode or so. Those first 44 Inuyasha episodes showed stronger character direction, not so bloody serious, and less frequent "let's fight for some random monster because...the jewel shards...or...Naraku!" Seems like the context has just been drained out of it and so has the little comedy that was there. If you have seen the full 6 seasons and/or the Final Act...please let me know if it gets better or worse. I'm not that big into anime that takes itself too serious unless it's something short like a movie or OVA.

To move on from here we plan to watch the following others this month until the end of the year: Dragon Half OVA, Geobreeders OVAs 1 & 2, DNA2 (DNA-squared...from the author of Video Girl Ai), Megazone 23, random classic anime movies, and planning on watching the Ranma 1/2 OVAs in December.

 

[Ballthyrm]

I watched Votoms because i had heard good things and was kind of in a Mecha binge

So i followed up by watching Macross 7 (definitively no the best Macross)

And rewatched Space Adventure Cobra (it used to be shown on French TV

Guy was rocking a gun arm before it was cool (still is)

 

[Happosai]

I watched Votoms because i had heard good things and was kind of in a Mecha binge

So i followed up by watching Macross 7 (definitively no the best Macross)

And rewatched Space Adventure Cobra (it used to be shown on French TV

Guy was rocking a gun arm before it was cool (still is)

VOTOMs is something great to watch and sometimes comes off better than Gundam to me.
By all means, watch anime recommended in this thread. Space Runaway recommended Riki Oh (which I didn't even know had an OVA) and I'll start watching it this Fall. I found an old transfer of it.

Macross goes in many directions. I last watched Macross Plus about 11-years ago.

Was the French release of Space Adventure Cobra uncensored? Add Crusher Joe the OVA and movie too!

 

[Space Runaway]

Here's a question for everyone but I'm going to tag kunonabi M mortal ValiantTraveler Space Runaway Mobile Suit Gooch Ballthyrm Pejo

What anime retro/classic (you can list newer anime titles, too) anime have you watched in 2020?

Very few:

God Mazinger
Cutie Honey '73
Mellowlink (In-progress)

I did finish up rewatching ZZ Gundam in Dec, which was still awful.

I do plan to tackle Dunbine, Govarian and Xabungle. I've had their blurays sitting around for a bit now.

First week of January: Started the year with the obscure OVA "Outlanders" subbed w/original Japanese audio. A bit risque but a great comedy sci-fi romance, too. My wife liked it, too.

While not as good, you may want to watch the Capricorn OVA, which aside from Outlanders was the only other Manabe comic to be adapted to animation.

Cripes my eyes. That's some serious image scrubbing and sharpening going on with that transfer.

To move on from here we plan to watch the following others this month until the end of the year: Dragon Half OVA, Geobreeders OVAs 1 & 2, DNA2 (DNA-squared...from the author of Video Girl Ai), Megazone 23, random classic anime movies, and planning on watching the Ranma 1/2 OVAs in December.

Definitely give MegaZone 23 priority. First two OVAs are great (Though the dramatic difference in character design and art style for OVA 2 can be jarring) with the first OVA being a fairly important release in anime. It also was adapted into the infamous Robotech: the Movie (With some brand new animation for the ending). =P

 

[lachesis]

Well, I've been watching forementioned Rose of Versaille for past few days. While I see the limitation of it being a shojo manga - that everything's based around girls feelings and men are either just tools or portrayed as a love object - I'm still strangely enjoying it very much. Over exaggerated drama, sometimes makes me chuckle - but also lets me to remember bygone era of such poetic lines...

Well, I hear that the author had no choice of making Oscar as a girl dressed as a man, because she just couldn't figure out how boys mind worked... and it shows. But I am really liking the Oscar character and can see why she was one of the few characters that was given real-life funeral by fans back in the days. (First one who got the funeral was Riki-ish from Ashita no Joe, and 2nd one being Oscar.)

I'm halfway thru - just past ep20 out of 40 eps - so I guess in a few days I will finish it.

As per the other oldies - I re-watched Galaxy Express 999 movie versions. I have very fond memory of the first movie - that my first crush (a Japanese girl, although she was 3yrs older than me at that time) loved the band Godaigo, and gave me the mixted cassette tape containing the theme songs of 999.





I've been also watching first Gundam Movie Trilogy from Gundam Info official Youtube Channel for Nth time. Always gets me into the mood of retro anime - and end up listening to bunch of other Gundam openings. (One of these days, will try to give another run at watching U.C. Gundams in chronological order...). but then again, I get sidetracked and end up listening all those Japanese 80's Citypop collections for endless hours. LOL...

 

[ValiantTraveler]

Here's a question for everyone but I'm going to tag kunonabi M mortal ValiantTraveler Space Runaway Mobile Suit Gooch Ballthyrm Pejo

What anime retro/classic (you can list newer anime titles, too) anime have you watched in 2020?

I haven't watched a lot of anime this year... I watched a few episodes of Turn A Gundam, Macross Do You Remember Love?, and rewatched the Sanctuary arc of Saint Seiya.

Turn A Gundam is a fun watch but I'm amazed by how the story takes its sweet time. That's almost impossible nowadays. I like how minor characters get ample screentime though. Basically it's 50 episodes of continuous misunderstandings and human stupidity.

The Macross movie is great, I understand better the impact it had. But it seems the later series retread the same ground over and over with some variations.

Saint Seiya is a classic, some fights are slow but the music is unparalleled and I'm a sucker for the Greek setting. There's nothing quite like the Kuramada brand of shonen.

I watched Votoms because i had heard good things and was kind of in a Mecha binge

So i followed up by watching Macross 7 (definitively no the best Macross)

And rewatched Space Adventure Cobra (it used to be shown on French TV

Guy was rocking a gun arm before it was cool (still is)

Cobra is S-tier anime and one of the many great works of director Dezaki. His style is instantly recognizable and hugely influential. I suggest you watch this comprehensive analysis of his directing style throughout his carreer:



They just don't make them like this anymore.

 

[Space Runaway]

Cobra is S-tier anime and one of the many great works of director Dezaki. His style is instantly recognizable and hugely influential. I suggest you watch this comprehensive analysis of his directing style throughout his carreer:



They just don't make them like this anymore.

Absolutely. Even Dezaki's minor foray into American cartoons yielded some nice results; in particular Mighty Orbots, which while not a good show, has incredible animation and direction for tv animation. I wanna say it's maybe the only (Non-Disney) 80s show where the animation lives up to the standard of the intro.

 

[Cannibalistic]

Created an account after lurking for years just so I could reply to this thread

Do any of you have any good recommendations for importing some of these anime movies or series into the US?

I've never seen Bio Hunter, Genocyber, Violence Jack, etc... but they look fantastic and I can't find anywhere to grab them. Or stream them for that matter...

 

[kunonabi]

I think my 2020 goes like this:

Lupin III part 1
Lupin III part 2
Lupin III: Fujiko Mine's Lie( absolutely fantastic)
City Hunter
Super Gals
My Hero Academia
Tokyo Godfathers (theatre release)
Spirited Away
My Next Life as a Villainess
Lovely Complex
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Magic Users Club
Cats Eye
Golden Boy
GoShogun
Crusher Joe the Movie
Demon City Shinjuku
Michiko & Hatchin
Sea Prince and the Fire Child
Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out

I think that's everything.

 

[ValiantTraveler]

Here's a question for everyone but I'm going to tag kunonabi M mortal ValiantTraveler Space Runaway Mobile Suit Gooch Ballthyrm Pejo

After Slayers ended...I really wasn't sure what to pick to that would hold the same interest with my wife. Not everything in my collection is going to have the same reception. Seeing as we have been watching Inuyasha alongside every anime in this list since we restarted the Tenchi OVA's; I remembered that the Ushio & Tora OVA had certain similarities to Inuyasha. So, Ushio and Tora it was. I think she liked up to about OVA 7. The conclusion episode of the OVAs is...meh...okay. Overall, I'd still watch the 1992 OVA to the 2015 reboot.

I enjoyed the Ushio to Tora reboot a lot, despite parts of the story being rushed if memory serves right, a highlight of 2015 for me. I loved how minor characters came back to join the big finale.

I never got around to watching Blue Seed and Ranma 1/2... at best I watched a few episodes on TV back in the day.

Outlanders, Tenchi Muyou... I only know these shows from old magazines.

By the way, I forgot to mention I'm rewatching Trigun, lol. The music is incredible.

And rewatched Space Adventure Cobra (it used to be shown on French TV

Guy was rocking a gun arm before it was cool (still is)

Are you French maybe?

The French opening was rad.

 

[Space Runaway]

Created an account after lurking for years just so I could reply to this thread

Do any of you have any good recommendations for importing some of these anime movies or series into the US?

I've never seen Bio Hunter, Genocyber, Violence Jack, etc... but they look fantastic and I can't find anywhere to grab them. Or stream them for that matter...

All three of those examples have US dvd releases. They're out of print but then so are the JP imports. You can still get the US releases on marketplace or ebay for hiked up prices(Actually it looks like Discotek is selling their remaining stock of Violence Jack on their official ebay account at retail price, so you may want to act on that).

The JP import versions of stuff like Violence Jack weren't released as collections in Japan and they were going for around $40 a piece even when they were in print. So the 2nd hand market prices for the US releases are probably cheaper at this time. For streaming, unfortunately I can't help you with that as I don't use any anime services. =/

 

[Cannibalistic]

All three of those examples have US dvd releases. They're out of print but then so are the JP imports. You can still get the US releases on marketplace or ebay for hiked up prices(Actually it looks like Discotek is selling their remaining stock of Violence Jack on their official ebay account at retail price, so you may want to act on that).

The JP import versions of stuff like Violence Jack weren't released as collections in Japan and they were going for around $40 a piece even when they were in print. So the 2nd hand market prices for the US releases are probably cheaper at this time. For streaming, unfortunately I can't help you with that as I don't use any anime services. =/

Ah, thanks! I'm so out of the loop on this stuff. I wasn't even familiar with Discotek.

 

[Space Runaway]

Ah, thanks! I'm so out of the loop on this stuff. I wasn't even familiar with Discotek.

Yeah Discotek has taken up the mantle for putting out retro titles.

There's a lot of stuff that came out in the dvd era under companies like CPM, US Manga Corps and whatnot which have gone oop and have yet to see a new release. Some some can still be found for cheap though.

 

[Happosai]

Yeah Discotek has taken up the mantle for putting out retro titles.

There's a lot of stuff that came out in the dvd era under companies like CPM, US Manga Corps and whatnot which have gone oop and have yet to see a new release. Some some can still be found for cheap though.

I think my 2020 goes like this:

Lupin III part 1
Lupin III part 2
Lupin III: Fujiko Mine's Lie( absolutely fantastic)
City Hunter
Super Gals
My Hero Academia
Tokyo Godfathers (theatre release)
Spirited Away
My Next Life as a Villainess
Lovely Complex
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Magic Users Club
Cats Eye
Golden Boy
GoShogun
Crusher Joe the Movie
Demon City Shinjuku
Michiko & Hatchin
Sea Prince and the Fire Child
Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out

I think that's everything.

Ah, thanks! I'm so out of the loop on this stuff. I wasn't even familiar with Discotek.

C Cannibalistic you joined GAF for the same reason I did, pretty much. I lurked for years and earlier in the year needed a grounded defense for classic anime. The only thing I could find where people were having a constructive argument/discussion on classic anime was via older NeoGAF threads. Still have those bookmarked. We're not just exclusive to retro anime, though. @SLoWMoTIoN created a much grander thread in communities which divulges into modern or current anime. So, if you're watching something newer...you'll get great info by submitting the right questions into that thread as well. Space Runaway seems to have pretty much said the most on what can be said of purchasing some of the older titles you mentioned after-market. Violence Jack is readily available through RightStuf (be warning...they can take over 3-weeks to ship), Amazon, or eBay. I recommend you find the U.S. release under Discotek. There was a partially censored DVD release of Violence Jack prior to the current DVD. GenoCyber and BioHunter...that's a little harder now, but not hopeless. GenoCyber was already falling into the over-priced range when I bought it. I got it in a set all by the same creator of M.D. Geist and Cybernetics Guardian. That set may be on eBay but it's likely inflated. BioHunter I've seen used copies range around $40 and up on Amazon. If that doesn't work...I see them usually get uploaded to YouTube every now and then.

kunonabi Amazing list. You watched all that or these are on a to-watch list?

Thanks everyone else and keep sharing your lists for this year. Keep sharing and submitting retro anime sub-topics to this thread. I'm off for the weekend!

 

[Cannibalistic]

C Cannibalistic you joined GAF for the same reason I did, pretty much. I lurked for years and earlier in the year needed a grounded defense for classic anime. The only thing I could find where people were having a constructive argument/discussion on classic anime was via older NeoGAF threads. Still have those bookmarked. We're not just exclusive to retro anime, though. @SLoWMoTIoN created a much grander thread in communities which divulges into modern or current anime. So, if you're watching something newer...you'll get great info by submitting the right questions into that thread as well. Space Runaway seems to have pretty much said the most on what can be said of purchasing some of the older titles you mentioned after-market. Violence Jack is readily available through RightStuf (be warning...they can take over 3-weeks to ship), Amazon, or eBay. I recommend you find the U.S. release under Discotek. There was a partially censored DVD release of Violence Jack prior to the current DVD. GenoCyber and BioHunter...that's a little harder now, but not hopeless. GenoCyber was already falling into the over-priced range when I bought it. I got it in a set all by the same creator of M.D. Geist and Cybernetics Guardian. That set may be on eBay but it's likely inflated. BioHunter I've seen used copies range around $40 and up on Amazon. If that doesn't work...I see them usually get uploaded to YouTube every now and then.

kunonabi Amazing list. You watched all that or these are on a to-watch list?

Thanks everyone else and keep sharing your lists for this year. Keep sharing and submitting retro anime sub-topics to this thread. I'm off for the weekend!

Hell yeah! Thanks for the recommendations. And yeah, always love seeing a thread like this pop up to remind me that there's plenty of 70s-90s anime I still need to check out.

There's a couple more contemporary series that i enjoy but nothing that rivals the earlier stuff.

 

[kunonabi]

kunonabi Amazing list. You watched all that or these are on a to-watch list?
[/QUOTE]

Watched all the movies and all of Lupin III part 1, MHA season 4, Eizouken, Golden Boy(rewatch), and Michiko & Hatchin(rewatch)

The other series I've just been bouncing in-between with Lupin III part 2 getting the most attention. I'm trying to clear my huge backlog so I've buckled down and am going series by series now. I also have the Revolutionary Girl Utena and Kimagure Orange Road Blu-ray sets to get to along with some other films/specials I picked up.

 

[Mobile Suit Gooch]

What anime retro/classic (you can list newer anime titles, too) anime have you watched in 2020?

Martian Successor Nadesico
Angel Links
Bubblegum crisis Tokyo
Trigun

 

[Happosai]

I hope Kimagure Orange Road's price holds out until I can buy it in late Fall. Seems like it went up. I used to spend a lot on anime but in recent years, I spend about $50 any big season. When a series jumps above $65...I usually go full cheapskate.

what do you think about the first Lupin series compared to two. Quite the change and series one Lupin isn't half as crazy as the Lupin from the original mangas.

 

[Happosai]

Martian Successor Nadesico
Angel Links
Bubblegum crisis Tokyo
Trigun

Let us know how Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo is. It's the only one in the franchise I've never seen.

 

[Happosai]

Hell yeah! Thanks for the recommendations. And yeah, always love seeing a thread like this pop up to remind me that there's plenty of 70s-90s anime I still need to check out.

There's a couple more contemporary series that i enjoy but nothing that rivals the earlier stuff.

I'd like help from those who frequent or are new to this thread to contribute sub-topics of retro anime. Space Runaway has like Kenny Lauderdale (the Youtuber) or higher experience with analyzing classic anime. I'm still surprise no one in this thread has brought up speculation about "the Lost OVA" Go Go Punch. I'm 98% convinced that it's just a tale from the internet and never actually existed.

 

[Space Runaway]

I'm still surprise no one in this thread has brought up speculation about "the Lost OVA" Go Go Punch. I'm 98% convinced that it's just a tale from the internet and never actually existed.

You mean Go For a Punch? I'm with you that shit's fake. =P

A lost anime I would like to see is the JoJo: Phantom Blood movie. Unfortunately it's stuck in limbo status due to A.P.P.P. having the rights pulled before any home release.

 

[Labolas]

Here's a question for everyone but I'm going to tag kunonabi M mortal ValiantTraveler Space Runaway Mobile Suit Gooch Ballthyrm Pejo

What anime retro/classic (you can list newer anime titles, too) anime have you watched in 2020?

Here's mine in a somewhat chronological order of watch but not necessarily by year of release:

First week of January: Started the year with the obscure OVA "Outlanders" subbed w/original Japanese audio. A bit risque but a great comedy sci-fi romance, too. My wife liked it, too.


Prior to finishing Ranma my wife an I had watched the first 6 Tenchi Muyo OVA episodes on blu-ray. We finished watching the remainder of the Tenchi OVA from the early 90's in early April.

My wife had heard about "the Slayers" from the Spanish dubs that ran in Mexico. I had the boxset of the first three Slayers seasons made. So, in late April we watched: Slayers TV, Slayers Nex

After Slayers ended...I really wasn't sure what to pick to that would hold the same interest with my wife. Not everything in my collection is going to have the same reception. Seeing as we have been watching Inuyasha alongside every anime in this list since we restarted the Tenchi OVA's; I remembered that the Ushio & Tora OVA had certain similarities to Inuyasha. So, Ushio and Tora it was. I think she liked up to about OVA 7. The conclusion episode of the OVAs is...meh...okay. Overall, I'd still watch the 1992 OVA to the 2015 reboot.

Ushio and Tora ended abruptly as OVAs usually do. So, I thought...maybe we should watch another series. So, I picked Blueseed (one I previously had on VHS and had only seen about 6 episodes of in the late-90's). It sounded interesting, so we started the DVD's from episode 1. Maybe it's because it takes itself very seriously or because I was suffering bad insomnia at the time; whatever the reason...we stopped watching after episode 3 of 26. I plan to watch it again when this pandemic ends. Seems that watching things without comedy or romance during this whole COVID mess...just makes serious anime titles hard to watch.

I have to say that I really grew out of Tenchi as a series. I used to love it while I was starting high school. The show should have been Ryoko as the main character. El Hazard I found was better.

Slayers is overall solid. I agree Try isn't as great as the other first two but is still solid. Try the OVAs when get a chance as well. I also recommend Gokudo it's very similar to Slayers.

Honestly I didn't even watch the Ushio and Tora OVA, I just watch the TV series that came out a couple of years ago. If that was indicative of the quality of the series as a whole then it's an excellent series. Far better than Inuyasha

Also I would say give Blue Seed another shot. It's a quality show. I had watched the series again a year or two back and I was surprised at how well it held up. It definitely has light hearted moments but then again I watched the dub.

 

[Happosai]

You mean Go For a Punch? I'm with you that shit's fake. =P

A lost anime I would like to see is the JoJo: Phantom Blood movie. Unfortunately it's stuck in limbo status due to A.P.P.P. having the rights pulled before any home release.

Post info on JoJo: Phantom Blood. That's something Discotek need to look into. Yes, I was in an anime forum awhile back and there would always be someone there asking us for information on Go for a Punch. It took me less-than 15-minutes using a database search to figure out it didn't exist under any title. They still claim it does exist and it was indie made! How many times was an 80's anime independently made? None that I'm aware of.

 

[Happosai]

I have to say that I really grew out of Tenchi as a series. I used to love it while I was starting high school. The show should have been Ryoko as the main character. El Hazard I found was better.

Slayers is overall solid. I agree Try isn't as great as the other first two but is still solid. Try the OVAs when get a chance as well. I also recommend Gokudo it's very similar to Slayers.

Honestly I didn't even watch the Ushio and Tora OVA, I just watch the TV series that came out a couple of years ago. If that was indicative of the quality of the series as a whole then it's an excellent series. Far better than Inuyasha

Also I would say give Blue Seed another shot. It's a quality show. I had watched the series again a year or two back and I was surprised at how well it held up. It definitely has light hearted moments but then again I watched the dub.

I agree about Tenchi. I saw most of the OVAs and TV the first time back in 2000 and I watch it again for nostalgia. It's not as great as I remembered.

Will definitely look into Gokudo. Kanzaka also made Lost Universe...is that any good?

inuyasha should have been made into a 12 episode series and it would have worked. Ushio and Tora (1992 OVA) could have handled a couple more episodes.

I do plan on giving BlueSeed a rewatch. It's just kinda something hard to watch while in lock-down.

 

[kunonabi]

I like the first OAV series and the first TV series but the rest of tenchi is a huge pass for me.

El-Hazard was always better.

Fun fact: El-Hazard is my favorite anime ever.

 

[Pejo]

great post

I actually have been catching up with 2000s-2010s anime lately, though I did just rewatch the Ruroni Kenshin series (subbed this time, only saw the dubbed originally). It's even better than I remembered it and the Japanese VAs really bring the characters to life in a much less cheesy way.

If the 2010s stuff counts, I literally just started watching Jojo's Bizarre Adventure like a week ago. It absolutely blew me away. This is going to sound bad, but I legitimately thought it was about a bunch of gay dudes that went around posing and slapping each other. The actual stories I've seen thus far have been really entertaining (I'm up to Jotaro), but I absolutely love how each "season" is a whole new cast. It's goofy, but also fun and well written surprisingly, and young Joseph is probably one of my favorite MCs in an anime in a really long time. I can't believe I put it off for so long.

 

[pramod]

Peak anime for me was Gunbuster, I pretty much haven't watched much anime since Gunbuster, just haven't found anything that can compare to its emotional highs and epic scope.

 

[Labolas]

I don't think I've seen any tv show that was as short as Gunbuster and be as fan-freaking-tastic as that was. Hell, there's shows were that hundreds and hundreds of episodes and don't come close to the emotional rollercoaster that was Gunbuster.

I agree about Tenchi. I saw most of the OVAs and TV the first time back in 2000 and I watch it again for nostalgia. It's not as great as I remembered.

Will definitely look into Gokudo. Kanzaka also made Lost Universe...is that any good?

inuyasha should have been made into a 12 episode series and it would have worked. Ushio and Tora (1992 OVA) could have handled a couple more episodes.

I do plan on giving BlueSeed a rewatch. It's just kinda something hard to watch while in lock-down.

Yeah I'm surprised they're still milking the Tenchi series for a while. A lot of the new series were straight up bad and a lot weaker than OVAs and older tv series.

I've seen only like 1 episode of Lost Universe, but my friend, who is a way bigger fan of Slayers, made through the series and said it wasn't that good.

Actually yeah that would have worked Inuyasha. That series really was dragging its feet in a lot of episodes. Ushio and Tora (the new series by Mappa) is solid and has a conclusive ending so I give it a watch if you're interested.

 

[NahaNago]

I think the only tenchi I don't have is that series where he was a teacher, I think. I kind of would like the series to focus on either someone else or go back to the past.

edit: a series covering tenchi's grandfather in the past would be nice.

 

[Happosai]

I don't think I've seen any tv show that was as short as Gunbuster and be as fan-freaking-tastic as that was. Hell, there's shows were that hundreds and hundreds of episodes and don't come close to the emotional rollercoaster that was Gunbuster.



Yeah I'm surprised they're still milking the Tenchi series for a while. A lot of the new series were straight up bad and a lot weaker than OVAs and older tv series.

I've seen only like 1 episode of Lost Universe, but my friend, who is a way bigger fan of Slayers, made through the series and said it wasn't that good.

Actually yeah that would have worked Inuyasha. That series really was dragging its feet in a lot of episodes. Ushio and Tora (the new series by Mappa) is solid and has a conclusive ending so I give it a watch if you're interested.

Seems like GunBuster really was one of those memorable titles and I regret not having purchased it while the price was still flexible.

I'll stick to first suggestion and check out Gokudo. I asked someone else able Lost Universe and got a similar reply. I ask people who have seen the anime because anime review sites (IMO) give some very misleading points to many anime.

I'll check out the newer Ushio & Tora. The reason I liked the manga and older OVA better was the art-style. It's been about 14-years or more since digital ink became a thing in anime and overtook most hand-painted cels. That digital inking mixed with added glow to modern anime is why it makes it hard for me to get into. Although, I was watching modern titles until 2007. The last modern series I watched and own is A Woman Called Fujiko Mine. It's the Lupin spin-off and can't be that old.

 

[kunonabi]

Peak anime for me was Gunbuster, I pretty much haven't watched much anime since Gunbuster, just haven't found anything that can compare to its emotional highs and epic scope.

I really need to grab the old VHS copies of Gunbuster. I can't stand the DVD release.

 

[Happosai]

I think the only tenchi I don't have is that series where he was a teacher, I think. I kind of would like the series to focus on either someone else or go back to the past.

edit: a series covering tenchi's grandfather in the past would be nice.

Never knew there was a Tenchi series where he was a teacher. I know that the popularity of the OVA has lead various Japanese studios to keep pushing out spin-off series. I watched Shin Tenchi Muyo (Tenchi in Tokyo) and GXP. Both didn't move me and I think I ended up selling them. The last of the movies I liked was the second one. The first was a little boring for me (Back to the Future-ish) but not bad. I literally remember Sam Goody placing the Tenchi Forever VHS on the wall of their check-out desk (like in 2000).

It would be nice if they gave more background on Yosho / Katsuhito. The thing is, they're not going to market something in the Tenchi universe without slapping "Tenchi Muyo" onto it the same way Disney slaps "Star Wars" onto the title of everything related. I remind people that there was one Star Wars ( the 1977 film) and the rest are sequels or prequels; same with Tenchi Muyo.

 

[Happosai]

I really need to grab the old VHS copies of Gunbuster. I can't stand the DVD release.

Both are hard to find right now at a price that doesn't go into the 100's. You'd think VHS would be more available now. Seems like they're scare and can still be overpriced. Eventually it will get a Western blu-ray release. The blu-ray releases people have shown me are the Japanese which are not subbed and are also pretty expensive. This needs a blu-ray release from Discotek the same way Viz Media needs to release Maison Ikkoku on blu-ray.

 

[NahaNago]

Never knew there was a Tenchi series where he was a teacher. I know that the popularity of the OVA has lead various Japanese studios to keep pushing out spin-off series. I watched Shin Tenchi Muyo (Tenchi in Tokyo) and GXP. Both didn't move me and I think I ended up selling them. The last of the movies I liked was the second one. The first was a little boring for me (Back to the Future-ish) but not bad. I literally remember Sam Goody placing the Tenchi Forever VHS on the wall of their check-out desk (like in 2000).

It would be nice if they gave more background on Yosho / Katsuhito. The thing is, they're not going to market something in the Tenchi universe without slapping "Tenchi Muyo" onto it the same way Disney slaps "Star Wars" onto the title of everything related. I remind people that there was one Star Wars ( the 1977 film) and the rest are sequels or prequels; same with Tenchi Muyo.

Had to look up the series as a teacher. It seems he was a student teacher and the series name is Ai Tenchi Muyo! Having the name tenchi muyo on the cover would be fine. I just think that having that name plus whatever you would actually name the series would be too long. They did make that series based off his younger brother and called it Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar so doing one on the grandfather is doable.

 

[Happosai]

I like the first OAV series and the first TV series but the rest of tenchi is a huge pass for me.

El-Hazard was always better.

Fun fact: El-Hazard is my favorite anime ever.

El-Hazard is great but I never finished it. I got up to about episode 11 of "the Wanderers." I never had it on DVD. Each series was 2, 4-VHS boxsets. The series I got into that many either black-listed or ignored was Maze: The Mega Burst Space. Maybe the anime just came at the wrong time. Usually Space Runaway knows the "whys?" in terms of Japanese productions being cut and such. Maze had 2 OVAs and a full 2 6-episode series that all ran about the same time as other hit anime like: NGE, The Slayers, and El-Hazard. I bought it after simply reading about it in the 90's. Found the whole series on 8-VHS and the OVAs on a separate VHS. Seeing the rise of leftist-ideology in media kind of makes Maze unsafe to show people today (it a lesbian character, a character that man say was trans, put women into armor); yet, the creators never did that to make it a P.C. friendly show (this was like 1996). I mean, Akira (male Maze) is about as offensive as the lead make character in Bastard. So, SJWs would get more offended by it than anything else. I thought the story dynamic was well-written and it fit well into the same universe as the Slayers.

 

[Cannibalistic]

Watched Kite (1998) last night for the first time and thought it was decent. The animation during the action scenes is where it shines, but it does look like that where most of the budget went.

I watched the Uncut version and I think having the majority of the sex scenes would have been better edited out. They don't really add to the story for me. Perhaps if they were shown from the POV of the main girl they would have been more interesting. Show her feeling weak or afraid during those scenes, and I think they'd resonate more. But as is they just seem like sex scenes for the sake of sex scenes. The creator admits as much given he had to include them to get the thing made, so I can't fault him.

Worth a watch though, because the action really is fantastic at times, and the ending is a well executed gut punch.

 

[Happosai]

Watched Kite (1998) last night for the first time and thought it was decent. The animation during the action scenes is where it shines, but it does look like that where most of the budget went.

I watched the Uncut version and I think having the majority of the sex scenes would have been better edited out. They don't really add to the story for me. Perhaps if they were shown from the POV of the main girl they would have been more interesting. Show her feeling weak or afraid during those scenes, and I think they'd resonate more. But as is they just seem like sex scenes for the sake of sex scenes. The creator admits as much given he had to include them to get the thing made, so I can't fault him.

Worth a watch though, because the action really is fantastic at times, and the ending is a well executed gut punch.

Kite was great but that's about what I remember are the action scenes. Especially when she kicks the guy in the stomach in a restroom and he vomits ramen noodles. The guy refused to die! She had to literally push him out of a high rise and crush him into a car below.

I had the uncut scenes and I think the writer/director (same guy who did the semi-pornographic Mezzo Forte) just added it as fan service. These were okay for assassin movies but Golgo 13: The Professional knocks it up a notch...

 

[Cannibalistic]

Kite was great but that's about what I remember are the action scenes. Especially when she kicks the guy in the stomach in a restroom and he vomits ramen noodles. The guy refused to die! She had to literally push him out of a high rise and crush him into a car below.

I had the uncut scenes and I think the writer/director (same guy who did the semi-pornographic Mezzo Forte) just added it as fan service. These were okay for assassin movies but Golgo 13: The Professional knocks it up a notch...

Ah nice, Golgo 13 is streaming on amazon so I planned to check that out soon.

 

[kunonabi]

what do you think about the first Lupin series compared to two. Quite the change and series one Lupin isn't half as crazy as the Lupin from the original mangas.

I enjoyed it quite a bit. It did some interesting stuff with Fujiko and Goemon and it was nice to see those elements that Part V built off of . The first half is very 60s but the latter half felt a little closer to series 2 than I was expecting. It probably still falls behind Part 2, Part 3, Part V, and Fujiko Mine me for but it was leagues better than Part IV as far as I'm concerned.

 

[sol_bad]

Have any of you guys seen Lensman?

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Ranma 1/2 is one of the big retro animes I haven't seen. How do you guys like it? Hows the dub?

 

[Happosai]

Have any of you guys seen Lensman?

Not only have I seen it but I still own the VHS and alternate copies. I'm a Kawajiri can and his influences shines out of the animation quite a bit. Brilliant film based on the Triplanetary / Lensman writings by E.E. "Doc" Smith.

 

[kunonabi]

Ranma 1/2 is one of the big retro animes I haven't seen. How do you guys like it? Hows the dub?

It's one of the best dubs ever and it pretty much makes the TV series worth watching since it butchers so many of the manga stories. Well, for the first couple seasons anyway.

 

[Happosai]

Ranma 1/2 is one of the big retro animes I haven't seen. How do you guys like it? Hows the dub?

Like it enough to have transformed my GAF account to Happosai.

There are 3 Ranma movies, an OVA of 11 episodes ( a later 12th OVA spin-off), and the TV series. This is an anime thread but it's based on Rumiko Takahashi's manga which was published in Shounan Sunday from 1987-1996. The TV series is great if you are already a fan. Most I've talked to have or will only watch the first 2 volumes (released as "seasons" in NA) and stop there. 7 DVD / blu-ray volumes were sold under Viz Video (later Viz Media) totaling 161 episodes. The first volume (18-episodes) follow the manga mostly...The remainder of the story contains elements from the manga but has new characters written in and sorta lacks an overall story arc. However, if you're a die hard fan...watch all 161. If not, watch the first 42 episodes.

The dub isn't bad but some characters are strangely cast in English (Principal Kuno who doesn't appear until the 55th or so episode is given a Jamaican accent although he's supposed to be Hawaiian). Voice actors for female Ranma and make Ranma make switches. The first female Ranma left the series after only 6-episodes and was replaced by a much better actress. Male Ranma was originally voiced by Sarah Strong and replaced (she left voice acting to sing) by Brian Ian Cox after episode 64. It's a Canadian dub used for most of NA (except Mexico which dubbed in Audiomax 3000) which was recorded by Ocean Group in Vancouver, B.C. If you watch the full series you will hear Ed, Edd, n' Eddy (the VAs for the Canadian cartoon Ed, Edd, n Eddy all worked in anime prior to voicing the Eds). It's not a bad dub but there are times where it's not great either. Try watching the first 18 episodes dubbed and rewatch them later subbed. Then decide if you prefer the original Japanese VAs (who are the best) or the dub.

short synopsis

Ranma ½

Ranma ½ can refer to: Ranma ½ (manga) - The original manga series created by Rumiko Takahashi. Ranma ½ (1989 anime) - The first anime adaptation of the manga. Consisting of Ranma ½ - The first season consisting of 18 episodes. Ranma ½ Nettōhen - Seasons 2-7 consisting of 143 episodes + 12 OVAs...

ranma.fandom.com

 

[kunonabi]

Japanese cast is ok but the chemisty between the English Kunou and Nabiki actors is just perfection.

And considering my username that obviously swings my allegiance.

 

[Happosai]

Japanese cast is ok but the chemisty between the English Kunou and Nabiki actors is just perfection.

And considering my username that obviously swings my allegiance.

You should change your emoticon to Kodachi or Tatewaki sometime. I was not aware that's where the Kuno came from in your screen name. Just like GAF can't escape Happosai...they apparently can't escape the Kuno's either. That's how a lot of anime was around that time. Unless it was an OVA or movie...series would tend to not to follow the manga. Then again, Rumiko isn't the best leader consider she went all over the place with the manga. My wife and I watched the 161 episodes earlier this year. Some episodes were 'meh' and others really stood out. They recreated Ranma entirely with the series but I must say if you haven't watched any or many episodes OmegaSupreme

Spoiler

The ending is not what fans wanted. It's better to accept that the last episode is a sort of conclusion but it's nothing to do directly with Ranma or Akane. Basically, Rumiko hadn't finished the manga in 1992 and Kitty was having many financial disputes with the production at that time. Without seeing a clear attempt to close the series from Studio Deen; Kitty cut funding and the series was cancelled after the completion of the two-part episode 160 & 161. Long story short, it's not Maison Ikkoku and tends to jump around a lot. However, it's fun and never tends not to get boring. The OVAs follow their own story and came after the TV series. Haven't watched the movies but I've been told the first 2 or 3 are good.

 

[Space Runaway]

I apologize if this was already brought up and I missed it but...

An interesting and forgotten movie from 1986 - Ai City.

How would I even describe this...It's a loose adaption from a short manga series. It begins with psychic powered characters on the run from the usual evil organization and then the plot kinda goes all over the place and to describe it further I'd just be laying out the movie. I'll just say the story is weird and it has a total bullshit ending that might make you feel like you wasted your time...

So why watch this or even bring it up? Basically due to the visuals and audio. It's directed by Koichi Mashimo who also directed the Dirty Pair Movie Project Eden, which released a mere few months after Ai City. As a result you get a lot of similarities in visuals, tone, music and overall style. The animation is generally very good and everything is photographed in very stylized ways, giving a great visual experience. Then you get a nice jazzy 80s synth soundtrack (Though some if the songs done in English are super cheesy). The story may be questionable but it's always moving along, there's lots of action and you get it all in a nice visual experience. It's not great but it's an easy and fun watch.

For whatever reason this remains VHS only in the US despite dvds and such being available in other regions. It's a lot better than a good amount of obscure stuff that found it's way to better media so I'm not sure why has been overlooked. Hopefully the US gets a decent release one day.

So will you like it? An easy test. If you enjoy the below scene then you'll have fun with the full movie

 

[Happosai]

I apologize if this was already brought up and I missed it but...

An interesting and forgotten movie from 1986 - Ai City.

How would I even describe this...It's a loose adaption from a short manga series. It begins with psychic powered characters on the run from the usual evil organization and then the plot kinda goes all over the place and to describe it further I'd just be laying out the movie. I'll just say the story is weird and it has a total bullshit ending that might make you feel like you wasted your time...

So why watch this or even bring it up? Basically due to the visuals and audio. It's directed by Koichi Mashimo who also directed the Dirty Pair Movie Project Eden, which released a mere few months after Ai City. As a result you get a lot of similarities in visuals, tone, music and overall style. The animation is generally very good and everything is photographed in very stylized ways, giving a great visual experience. Then you get a nice jazzy 80s synth soundtrack (Though some if the songs done in English are super cheesy). The story may be questionable but it's always moving along, there's lots of action and you get it all in a nice visual experience. It's not great but it's an easy and fun watch.

For whatever reason this remains VHS only in the US despite dvds and such being available in other regions. It's a lot better than a good amount of obscure stuff that found it's way to better media so I'm not sure why has been overlooked. Hopefully the US gets a decent release one day.



So will you like it? An easy test. If you enjoy the below scene then you'll have fun with the full movie

It looks worth watching based on visuals. Yes, it's a rare title for sure and needs a little push by fans to get a DVD or Blu-ray release. I saw the subs and thought "I know that language...kinda" Portuguese. I understand about 45% Portuguese, 65% Italian, and 95% Spanish. I live in Mexico, so I'm used to watching anime or old kung-fu movies subbed in Spanish.

 

[Space Runaway]

It looks worth watching based on visuals. Yes, it's a rare title for sure and needs a little push by fans to get a DVD or Blu-ray release. I saw the subs and thought "I know that language...kinda" Portuguese. I understand about 45% Portuguese, 65% Italian, and 95% Spanish. I live in Mexico, so I'm used to watching anime or old kung-fu movies subbed in Spanish.

On the plus side you can watch it in full on youtube with English subs and there are rips of the import releases with Eng subs as well. I would like to support an official domestic release though.

Also I was going to do a psychic "double feature" and touch on Locke The Movie as well but I realized its been so long since I'd last seen it that I'd have to rewatch it to talk about it in any kind of detail. Though at the very least I can say it's a good movie that's worth watching on blind recommendation and like Crusher Joe it was followed up by several OVAs which are nowhere near as good. Actually in Locke's case the ovas kinda suck. =P