Naki no Ryuu - Hiryuu no Shou

It's rare that I am totally baffled by an anime, but this one managed to do it. A one episode OVA from 1991, Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu - Hiryuu no Shou (Flying Legend of Mahjong: The Calling Dragon Soaring Dragon Chapter) is half about mahjong and half about yakuza machinations. I found all of it impenetrable. I don't understand mahjong, and I had a hard time untangling the doings of the gangsters.

To make matters more confusing, Naki no Ryuu - Hiryuu no Shou (Mahjong Hishouden doesn't appear in the anime title, only on the box) is a remake of sorts of the second episode in the three volume 1988 OVA also called Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu. Thus, it's missing the context that provided by the first episode, and the denouement provided by the third. Why was it remade? No idea. Different animation company, apparently. This one was done by Gainax, so at least it's stylish.

The show centers around a mahjong player known as the Calling Dragon. He is phenomenally lucky and always wins. His specialty is "calling": announcing how he will win before he has acquired the discarded tile he needs. (I think that's right.) Actually, his mahjong play is nothing to write home about, according to people who actually play), and he mostly sits around, smoking and looking cool:

He is so lucky that a yakuza named Kai Shouzou, head of a gang that's part of the Oudou Syndicate, wants to "acquire" the Dragon and his luck for the syndicate. 

The Oudou Syndicate is at war with the Miyoshi family. Shouzou starts hanging around where the Dragon is playing. During one of these games, Shozou is almost assassinated. He recovers but is confined to a wheelchair. Meanwhile, the Dragon has gone to ground, playing in anonymous Miyoshi gambling halls. Shouzou tracks him down while he's playing with the Miyoshi boss and kills all the Miyoshi players. Shouzou and the Dragon then play a climatic game to decide their fates. The Dragon wins, of course, but a Miyoshi underling appears and shoots the Oudo president, seriously wounding him. Shouzou succumbs to his wounds, and the Dragon is apparently free. But Shouzou has left his mission of revenge, and of acquiring the Dragon, to his underboss, Ishikawa. Another round of intrigue is about to begin.

Got that? All the Yakuza intrigues are interspersed with mahjong games where the Dragon trounces all comers from behind his cigarette (and sometimes his sunglasses too). There's some bloodshed, a bit of sex, and a whole lot of posturing and mahjong. As for the rest, read the manga or wait until we fansub the three-volume version. (Yeah, it's coming. Don't hold your breath.)

The voice cast includes:

• Ikeda Shuuichi (Dragon) played Char in Mobile Suit Gundam, Gilbert Durandal in Gundam Seed, Ulrich Kessler in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Alex in Dallos, and Azuma in Starship Troopers. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Jinnai Tatsuyuki (Kai) played Principal Kuno in the original Ranma 1/2 and Hans Hakase in the original Rurouni Kenshin.
• Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Narrator) is best known for playing Jigen in the Lupin the Third TV shows and specials since the inception of the franchise. He also played Sekai in Wild 7, Keiko in Okama Report, and Valhiss in Amon Saga, all Orphan releases.
• Kiyokawa Motomu (Miyoshi, rival gang boss) played Fuyutsuki Kouzou in the recent Evangelion movies, Walter Dornez in Hellsing Ultimate, Charles Auclair in the Nodame Cantabile franchise,  and Gouza in Ars no Kyojuu. He played a prophet in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from The Old Testament and Kosuke as an adult in Sensou Douwa: Boku no Boukuugou, both Orphan releases.
• Ishimori Takkou (Maruko, an Oudou Syndicate underboss) played Cesar in Perrine Monogatari and appeared inMikan Enniki, Usagi Drop, Akai Hayate, and Nagasaki 1945: Angelus no Kane. The last two are Orphan releases.
  
• Hazumi Jun (Murota, an underboss) played Nerigun in Ziggy Soreyuke! R&R Band, an Orphan release. He also appeared in DNA^2, Kemonozume, and the Guyver properties.
• Hosoi Shigeyuki (Sakurada, the Oudou president) played Gopp in Mobile Suit Gundam (the original series).
• Utsumi Kenji (Ishikawa, Kai's successor) played Roah in Fist of the North Star, Kaioh in Fist of the North Star 2, Senbei Norimaki in Dr. Slump and Arale-chan, the village chief in Watt Poe, and Alex Louis Armstrong in both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist. He appeared in Nora, Bavi Stock, Stop!! Hibari-kun!, Techno Police 21C, Don Dracula (title role), 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, and Sanada 10, all Orphan releases.

The director, Dezaki Satoshi, is the older brother of Dezaki Osamu and directed some of the Urusei Yatsura OVAs and movies, as well as Dioxin no Natsu, Yume Kakeru Kougan, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Boyfriend, and Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, all Orphan releases.

Iri bought the laserdisc for this eons ago but never got around to it. Perevodildo picked it up from Orphan's infinite backlog and translated it. He also did initial timing. Muzussawa, a new contributor to Orphan, consulting on the Mahjong terms and play. Paul Geromini, another new contributor, edited. I typeset and QCed. Eternal_Blizzard fine-timed and QCed. The raw is from a Japanese laserdisc, ripped on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded by an anonymous friend.

As you can probably tell, I'm not enamored of Naki no Ryuu - Hiryuu no Shou. It prioritizes style over substance, and it's about a game I find incomprehensible. Still, it has great style, and that counts for something. You can get your dose of pons, kans, and riichis from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net

Gakkou no Yuurei (School Ghosts), Volume 2

Starting with volume 2, Gakkou no Yuurei began including live-action segments. Why? No idea. Perhaps live-action is less expensive to make. However, I find it disconcerting, and the special-effects are unconvincing. 

As one of the QCs wrote, "Gotta say, this makes the Goosebumps TV show look like fine art."

Volume 2 includes quite a few short segments, both animated and live-action, and some longer stories.

1. Girl Scrambling Up a Wall (animated, short). A girl goes to the music room in a most unusual manner.
   
2. Teke Teke and Bun Bun (live action, short). Three boys investigate a basement that's off-limits for a good reason.
   
3. Hair Tangled in the Horizontal Bar (animated, short). The dangers of gymnastics.
   
4. The Wrath of Kokkuri-san (animated, short). Three girls try their hands at Kokkuri-san. They should have watched Ushiro no Hyakutaro first.
   
5. Sealed Spirits (live-action, short). A school toilet is off-limits, and not because Hanako-kun lives there.
   
6. A Sticky Girl Laughs (animated). Three girls discover a ghost who seemingly just wants to play.
   
   
   
7. A Sad Father's Love Story (live action). A piano teacher helps a deceased father who missed his daughter's ballet recital find peace.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Yellow Hand (animated, short). The severed hand of a girl killed in a traffic accident returns.
   
9. A Ghost Holding a Baby (animated, short). A girl is attacked by the ghost of a deceased mother.
10. Late Night Locker (live action, short). A schoolgirl is attacked by spirits while retrieving her homework.
    
11. Boy Drowned in the Pool (animated, short). A drowned boy tries to ensnare other swimmers.
    
12. The Eternal Staircase (live action, short). A teacher encounters a staircase that never ends.
    
13. A Ghost Kicking Its Own Head (animated). A boy killed in a sporting accident haunts the soccer field.
    
    
    
14. The Spirit of the Music Room (live action). The spirit of a suicidal pianist haunts the music room.

I liked "A Sad Father's Love Story" best, probably because it has a happy ending.

The show has separate casts for the live-action and animated segments. I didn't bother with the live-action actors. Some of the seiyuu in the animated segments include:

• Honma Yukari played Mikako in Kazu & Yasu Hero Tanjou, Ayu in Mermaid Forest, and Yugo in Project Arms.
  
• Yajima Akiko played the title role in Idol Densetu Eriko, Lemon in VS Knight Ramune & 40 Fresh, Takami in Geobreeders, Dorothy in The Big O, Pino in Ergo Proxy, Kogitsune in Natsume Yuujinchou, Mipple in the Futari wa Precure franchise, and the title roles in Shin-men and of course Crayon Shin-chan. She played Lesser Panda (Red Panda) in Shirokuma Cafe, Maijima Karen in Sotsugyousei, and Hikari in Kakyuusei (1995), all Orphan releases.
• Okamura Akemi played Nami in the One Piece franchise, Hinoe in the Natsume Yuujinchou franchise, Fio in Porco Rosso, Risa in Lovely Complex, Mayaya in Kuragehime, Shusui in Saiunkoku Monogatari, and Shiina in Tales of Symphonia, among many other roles.
  
• Hiramatsu Akiko played Nene Romanova in Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crash, Mekira in Ninku, Tom Kusanagi in Mikan Enikki, Konoe (the security maid) in Hanaukyo Maid Tai, and Miyuki in the You're Under Arrest franchise. She played Ninomiya, the police chief's reckless daughter, in Every Day Is Sunday, and Tano Keiko in Houkago no Tinker Bell, both Orphan releases.
• Hiyama Nobuyuki played Madarame in the Genshiken franchise, Viral in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Date in Lime-iro Senkitan, Murata in the Gundam Seed series, Kouyuu Li in Saiunkoku Monogatari, Shin in Cowboy Bebop, and Kiei in the Yu Yu Hakusho franchise. He also played Tokugawa Hidetada in the Sanada 10 special, Kain in Fire Emblem, Roddy in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, and King Penguin in Shirokuma Cafe, all Orphan releases.
• Watanabe Misa played Nefertiri in the One Piece franchise, Akeginu in Basilisk, Queen Beryl in Sailor Moon Crystal, and Nozomi in the World Trigger franchise.
  
• Takahashi Miki starred as Asami in Majo demo Steady (an Orphan release), but she is best known as a singer (she sang all the songs in the show). She had featured roles in MAPS (1994) and Tenamonyo Voyagers. She also appeared in Doukyuusei: Climax, an Orphan release.
• Masuda Yuki played Yuki in the two Ultra Nyan OVAs, both Orphan releases. She also played Yanagi in Flame of Recca, Yuri in the Sakura Wars shows, and Nami in La Corda d'Oro.
  
• Arakawa Tarou appeared in Blue Sonnet, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
  
• Miura Tomoko appeared in Project Arms and Reideen the Superior.
  
• Kuramochi Ryouko appeared in Gilgamesh and Naruto.
  
• Okamoto Akiko had a few other minor roles.
  
• Nomura Kenji plays Gorou in the current Ao no Miburo and Jinun in Sengoku Youko. Past roles included Tatsuuma Ushiyama in Golden Kamuy, , Reystov in The Faraway Paladin, Sol in Isekai de Mofumofu, Kugayama in Genshiken, Sanosuke in Peace Maker Kurogane, and Kunio in Tactical Roar.
  
• Ogihara Hideki played Toshiya in the Mahoromatic franchise, Ryouta in Soul Link, Ma-kun in Gravitation, and Yamane in the Major franchise. He appeared in two stories in Gakkou no Yuurei volume 1.

The animated segment director, Awai Shigeki, mostly worked in h-anime.

Because the series had been abandoned after one episode, Perevodildo translated volume 2 from scratch. ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and ImAWasteOfHair QCed. The caffeinated encoder chose "cafe au lait" as his pseudonym for this episode.

Ghost stories are always going to be a mixed bag, and this volume is more mixed than most. I miss the lack of tonal variation; the stories are always serious and downbeat. But if you want more ghostly doings, you can get this volume of School Ghosts from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Gakkou no Yuurei (School Ghosts), Volume 1

Gakkou no Yuurei (School Ghosts) is an anthology of ghost stories, mostly set at schools. Seven volumes were released between 1995 and 1999. Each volume has multiple, independent stories. Because there's no continuity between volumes, or even stories, Orphan will be releasing this show one volume at a time. The series is technically an orphan, because Flapsubs released one episode and then stopped.

This first volume was supposed to be released for Halloween, but Stuff Happened™. We ended up changing raws twice, first from the KPMP raw to a bespoke raw, and then to a second version of that raw to deal with the need for different frame rates in different sections. As a result, I redid the typesetting twice. The timing was tweaked very late in the process. So, for those reasons, this episode is being released post-election, when horror seems to be the order of the day.

The first volume of Gakkou no Yuurei has six stories:

1. Forgotten Notebook. A late-staying schoolgirl issent home by the janitor, forgets her notebook, and is killed by a train when she turns back for it. She returns later to get it...
   
   
   
   
   
2. Batting Ghost. The ghost of a baseball coach who killed himself over an accident haunts the school baseball field.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Cursed Summer Camp. A girls' basketball camp stays overnight at a converted hospital, only to find that the ghosts of former patients still linger.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Night on a School Trip. Schoolgirls on a trip stay overnight an inn, where the seaside pavilion windows are nailed shut, for a reason.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Hanako-san. A ghost inhabits the furthermost stall of the girls' bathroom. You can summon her, but you shouldn't.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Red Eyes. The ghosts of dead warriors haunt the school chemistry lab. You really, really, REALLY mustn't look them in the eye.

Ghost stories don't appeal to me, but some of them are quite creepy. I was amused to see the story of Hanako-san, which is apparently a common urban legend in Japan.

Some translation notes:

• As Guardian Enzo points out in his informative essay, the Japanese have two words for ghosts: obake, the quasi-harmless spirits often found in Western popular media, and yuurei, the terrifying spirits of the restless dead. This show is most definitely about the latter.
• The song "You may pass, you may pass..." is from the Japanese children's game Touryanse. The song "Kagome, kagome" is from the Japanese children's game of the same name. Both are quite creepy, and both have appeared in other anime.

As an anthology series, the voice cast is huge, and online sources are no help. Using Google Translate, I did parse some of the voice credits, and Perevodildo filled in the rest. The cast contains many stalwarts from the 1990s.

Forgotten Notebook

• Iwao Junko (girl) played the title roles in Ayashi no Ceres and Devilman Lady, Tomoyo in Card Captor Sakura, Natsuko in Shin Cutie Honey, Tokiko in Key the Metal Idol, Mima in Perfect Blue, and Mika in Kakyuusei (1995), an Orphan release.
  
• Aono Takeshi (janitor) played Nurarihyon in every incarnation of GeGeGe no Kitarou through 2007, Billy Bones in Treasure Island, Bookman in D.grayman, Dracule in One Piece, Katsuhiko Masaki in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, and Shiro Sanada in the Yamato franchise. He also appeared in Bride of Deimos, A Penguin's Memories, Ginga Tansa 2100: Border-nen, Fire Emblem, Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Hashire Melos!, the three Sangokushi movies (as Guan Yu), Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, and Rain Boy, all Orphan releases.

Batting Ghost

• Ootsuka Houchuu (Coach Nagai) played Satou in the Ajin properties, Bookman in D.grayman: Hollow, Rob in Shinigami no Kuro Maid, Ziggy in Edens Zero, Tsurumi in Golden Kamuy, the announcer in Yawara!, and Ikezu Daisuke in Asatte Dance, an Orphan release.
  
• Neya Michiko (M) played the title character in Shin Cutey Honey, Emilia in Macross 7: Ginga ga Ore o Yonde Iru!, Rally in Gunsmith Cats, Barnett in Vandread, Mako in the Initial D franchise, and Nancy in R.O.D. She also played (Mesa, Eve's mother) in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve, Aya in Hidamari no Ki, and Lena in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases.
• Tsuboi Tomohiro (Matsumoto) played Shinpachi in the Hakuouki franchise, Ichirou in the Knights of Sidonia properties, Toshii Maeda in the Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings shows, and Shima in Zegapain.
• Ogihara Hideki (student; also Morita in "Red Eyes") played Toshiya in the Mahoromatic franchise, Ryouta in Soul Link, Ma-kun in Gravitation, and Yamane in the Major franchise.
  

Cursed Summer Camp

• Okamoto Maya (Chiko) played played Maya in the Burn Up! series, Harumi in The Irresponsible Captain Tylor franchise, Saiko in the Silent Mobius properties, female Akira in Mellow, and Puck in Yousei Ou. The last two are Orphan releases.
  
• Kanai Mika (Kanna) played the title role in the Licca-chan franchise, Normad in the Galaxy Angel franchise, Histoire in the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, Melonpanda in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise, Misato in Nana, Lotte in Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, and Hime in Bakuen Campus Guardress, an Orphan release.
  
• Ohtaki Shinya (Mr. Takai) played Beat in Scoopers and Chiefson in Wolf Guy, and he appeared in Aoki Honoo, Elf ,17 and Hi-Speed Jecy. The last four are Orphan releases.
• Asaoka Natsumi (Captain) appeared in Blue Seed, Orphen, and Turn A Gundam.
  

Night on a School Trip

• Mitsuishi Kotono (Yukari; also Kumi in "Hanako-san" and Aki in "Red Eyes") played the title roles in Excel Saga, Birdy the Mighty, and the Maze TV and OVAs, Mink in Dragon Half, Katsuragi Misato in the Evangelion properties, Rosalia in the Angelique franchise, Kagura in the original Fruits Basket, Eri in Love Get Chu, and of course, Sailor Moon in the Sailor Moon franchise. She played the leads in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve and Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru, as well as Oshina in Hidamari no Ki, and appeared in Blazing Transfer Student, Nagasarete Airantou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Amano Yuri (Yumi; also Kaoru in "Red Eyes") played the title role in The Legend of Snow White, Julia in Daddy Long Legs, Kiyone in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, and Moemi in Video Girl Ai. She appeared as Lady Freeze in Bakuen Campus Guardress, Catherine in Okama Hakusho, Kuzunoha in Akuemon, Angie in Condition Green, Elthena in Eien no Filena, Kitagawa in Nozomi Witches, Noriko in Singles, and Yuko in St. Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, as well as multiple roles in Fukuyama Gekijou, all Orphan releases.
• Satoko Kifuji (Megumi; also Ai in "Hanako-san") - no information
  
• Mizutani Yuuko (Shoko; also Yuko Mizutani in "Red Eyes") played Pinoko in all the Black Jack properties, as well as Misako in Houkago no Tinker Bell, Hiromi in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Rika in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Lila in Eien no Filena, Anna in Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu, and Dr. Uematsu Kikue in Yume Kakeru Kougen, all Orphan projects.
• Nishimura Chinami (Keiko; also Yuuko in "Hanako-san") played the title role in the Aria franchise, Chibusuke in Dragon Drive, Neko Musume in the 1996 version of GeGeGe no Kitarou, Mia in Kaleido Star, Rand in the Maze properties, Hydra in the UFO Princess Valkyrie franchise, and Koko in Zatch Bell.
  
• Tahara Aruno (Mr. Yasuda) appeared in Apfelland Monogatari, Bremen 4, Oz, Raiyantsuura no Uta, and Nozomi Witches, all Orphan releases, as well as Cowboy Bebop, Rurouni Kenshin, and Death Note.
  
• Shimaka Yuu (deputy manager) played Katagiri in Yawara! He appeared in Bagi, Kosuke-sama & Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu, Kasei Yakyoku, Apfelland Monogatari, Ushiro no Hyakutaro, and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Kobayashi Hiromi (Nakai) - no information.
  

Hanako-san

• Ootani Ikue (Hanako) provided the voice of Pikachu in in the Japanese, English, Spanish, and German versions of the Pokemon shows. She also played Mitsuhiko in the Detective Conan franchise and Tony Tony Chopper in the One Piece franchise. She appeared as the Fujiwara twins in Haruka Naru Toki no Naka de 2, Ann in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, and Sumire in Kiss wa Mi ni Shie, all Orphan releases.
• Yoshida Konami (Minako) (Ko) played the title roles in Asobo Toy-chan and Metal Fighter Miku and the lead in Idol Fighter Su-Chi-Pai. She appeared in Sensou Douwa: Kiku-chan to Ookami, Akuemon, Kiss wa Me ni Shita, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
  

Red Eyes

• Horiuchi Kenyuu (Takeda) played the title role in Guin Saga and Oscar in the Angelique franchise. He also played the lead role in Amon Saga and Raiyantsuuri no Uta, Ryuuichi in Aoko Honoo, Jin Akira in Wolf Guy, Nest in Eien no Filena, Kubota in Meisou Ou Border, Lid in Greed, Romus in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99, and the refined son in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.

The director, Kashima Norio, also directed Dirty Pair TV, Refrain Blue, and Huckleberry Finn Monogatari.

ninjacloud really wanted to do this series and commissioned bespoke encodes of the episodes. Perevodildo translated checked the original Flapsubs subtitles; he also wrote a perceptive commentary on MyAnimeList. Perevodildo did the initial timing, and ninjacloud tweaked it for the new raw. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and ImAWasteOfHair QCed. The encoder wished to remain anonymous, but he labeled each episode with a caffeinated beverage; this episode's encoder credit is "Coffee".

 

So if you're looking for a spooky good time, you could do worse than pass 45 minutes with the ghosts of Gakkou no Yuurei. You can get this episode from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Man (Aoki Honoo v2)

Aoki Honoo is a one-shot OVA from 1989, based on a six-volume manga by Yanagasawa Kimio, a prolific mangaka who is almost unknown in the West. It was translated by Random Masters and released by ACR (Anime Classics Review), but the encode was hardsubbed and subsized (240p), which made it difficult to watch. In 2017, Orphan released a sofsubbed, "full SD" version based on a VHS rip. As I noted as the time, "The show has been released on Laserdisc but not on DVD. If we can find the Laserdisc, we'll do a second version." Now, thanks to WOWmd, the laserdisc has been found and encoded. Accordingly, Orphan is releasing a revised version with better video.

Aoki Honoo makes for uncomfortable viewing, for me. It is the story of a heel (viewed kindly) or a psychopath (viewed clinically) who claws his way toward the top over the bodies of his girlfriends. The main character, Kaizu Ryuuichi, is a high-school senior determined to escape from his small-town upbringing, achieve independence from his family, and become a major success. He systematically seduces and extorts money from a series of women, starting with a local hostess, Sayoko, and then the local rich girl, Naito Emi. 

When he gets to college, he continues his cold, calculating conquests. Throughout, he abandons or two-times his current girlfriend, whoever she is, when a more promising opportunity appears. Because Ryuuichi is so cold and calculating, it's difficult to understand why women fall under his spell. Perhaps this screencap offers an explanation: 

He has big hands, too.

One translation note. Ryuuichi's little sister Kaizu addresses him as onii-chan. In the original, this was translated literally, as "brother." But in English, use of a sibling relationship in direct address is uncommon, unless meant sarcastically, so in this version, Kaizu calls him by his name.

The voice actors all appeared in other Orphan releases:

• Horuichi Kenyuu (Kaizu Ryuuichi) played the title role in Guin Saga and Oscar in the Angelique franchise. He also played the title role in Amon Saga, Inlen in Raiyantsuuri no Uta, Jin Akira in Wolf Guy, Nest in Eien no Filena, Kubota in Meisou-ou Border, Lid in Greed, Romus in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99, Simon in Ai to Ken no Camelot, and the refined son in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.
• Andou Arisa (Naito Emi) starred in the title role of Eien no Filena and as Mako in Doukyuusei: Climax, both Orphan releases. She played Rosa in Makyuu Senjou and appeared in a number of h-anime, including Cream Lemon.
• Ikura Kazue (Kuroeda Keiko, a third-year conquest at university) is best known for the roles of Makimura Kaori in City Hunter, Toraou in Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru, Natsume Ryuunosuke in All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, and Leni Milchstrasse in Sakura Wars. She played Jiliora in Gude Crest and Hojo Masako in Genji, Part 1, and she also appeared in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki and 15 Shounen Hyouryuuki, all Orphan releases.
• Shou Mayumi (Kaizu Misao, Ryuuichi's little sister) played Minako in Bride of Deimos, Ayako in Kimami ni Idol, Gannet in Hoshi Neko Full House, Peggy in A Penguin's Memories, Yuko Kurita in the Oishinbo movie-length specials, and Baby Boar in Katte ni Shirokuma, all Orphan releases.
• Yoshida Miho (Sumibishi Hisayo, a first-year conquest at university) played "D-cup" Hiroko in Meisou-ou Border and appeared in Kiss wa Me ni Shite and Zetsuai: 1989, all Orphan releases. Her best known role is Afura Mann in the El Hazard franchise. She also appeared in a number of h-anime.
• Sasaki Yuuko (Sayoko, a hostess and Ryuuchi's long-term mistress) played the title role in Desert Rose and Gilbert in Kaze to Ki no Uta SANCTUS. She played Akiko/Keiko in Wolf Guy, Yuki in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, and Exper Jiff in Exper Zenon, and she appeared in Amaama to Inazuma, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and Yousei-ou, all Orphan releases.
• Ono Kenichi (Yamada) appeared in Akuemon, Bavi Stock, Botchan, Elf 17, Houkago no Tinker Bell, Ipponbouchou Mantarou, Wolf Guy, Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, and Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, all Orphan releases.
• Yokoo Mari (Naitou Fumie) played Battia in Outlanders, Fumio (the dorm mother) in the Shokugeki no Souma franchise, Mantarou's mother, Kayo, in Ipponbouchou Mantarou, Queen Felicia in Dragon Slayer, and Yuriko in Yuukan Club. The last three are Orphan releases.
• Ichijou Miyuki (Kaizu Toshiko, Ryuuichi's mother) played Akane in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Gizza in Tottoi (both Orphan releases), and Jody Rockwell in the Yawara! properties. She appeared in several Detective Conan movies.
• Nishimura Tomomichi (Ryuuichi's father) appeared as the narrator in YuYu Hakusho, Anzai-sensei in Slam Dunk, Shibaraku Tsurugibe in Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru, and Jamitov Hymem in Mobile Suit Z Gundam. He had a cameo as Don Dracula in Bremen 4 and appeared in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Goro Show, Eguchi Hisashi no Nantoka Naru Desho!, Fire Tripper, Fumoon, Hi-Speed Jecy, A Time Slip of 10,000 Years: Prime Rose, Tezuka Osasmu's Tales from the Old Testament, Wild 7, Wolf Guy, and Yamataro Comes Back, all Orphan releases.
• Saka Osamu (Emi's father) played Daisuke Aramaki in the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex franchise and Oohara in the Oishinbo properties. He appeared in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Sanada 10, Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Fire Emblem, Kasei Yakyoku, Oz, and the third Sangokushi movie, all Orphan releases.
• Ohtaki Shinya (Emi's brother) played Beat in Scoopers and Chiefson in Wolf Guy, and he appeared in Elf 17 and Hi-Speed Jecy; the last three are Orphan releases. He also appeared in a number of h-anime.
• Nakahara Shigeru (Kirioka, a high school student with a crush on Emi) played the title role in Arion, Trowa Barton in Gundam Wing, Fujiwara no Takamichi in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, and Kurama in Kyousogiga. He also played Hyakutaro in Ushiro no Hyakutaro, Fujiwara no Yukitata in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, Arikawa Yuzuru in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, and had featured roles in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Ai no Kusabi, Dragon Fist, Dokushin Apartment Doukudami-sou, Chameleon, and Neko Neko Fantasia, all Orphan releases.

The director, Ishikuro Noboru, had an extensive resume with a focus on sci-fi. His projects included Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Megazone 23, and Tytania.

The original script was by Random Masters. M74 transcribed and timed the subtitles from the ACR release. For this release, Perevodildo translation checked, and ninjacloud retimed. I edited and typeset both versions. bananadoyouwanna and M74 QCed the original. ImAWasteOfHair QCed this version. WOWmd ripped the laserdisc on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded it. The result looks much better than the first version. I cannot say the same of Ryuuichi's actions.

Aoki Honoo is competently made and focuses on a character type that is rare in modern anime. There's a lot of nudity and sex, so it's definitely NSFW. If you're interested in spite of that, or because of that, you can get it from the usual torrent sites or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net

Cat-Eyed Boy Returns! (Episodes 4-6)

Orphan brings you more 1970s thrills and chills: episodes four to six of Umezz Kazuo's 1976 horror series Youkaiden Nekome Kozou (Spirit Legend Cat-Eyed Boy, here just Cat-Eyed Boy).

When we last left our lonely but hopeful half-youkai, we had run out of source material. Only three episodes had been released on DVD. Skr and I got so frustrated about stopping that we chipped in to buy the laserdisc box set of Cat-Eyed Boy. These are the first episodes from that treasure trove.

Now, the laserdiscs are far from pristine. In fact, they look terrible - full of film blemishes and not stabilized. And they don't sound great either, with a lot of static on the audio track. But I think (and Skr agrees) that the roughness of the raws suits the material. After all, this is gekimation - hand-manipulated paper cutouts. A first-class video transfer based on remastered sources just brings out the primitiveness of the whole series. The laserdiscs make Cat-Eyed Boy look like a 50-year-old show, which is what it is, or rather, will be in 2026.

With more episodes to work from, the pattern of the show has become clear. At the start of each episode, Cat-Eyed Boy is continuing his lonely journey to find his mother. Often chased by ignorant country folk, he is befriended by a youngster or a motherly woman and offered kindness, even love. 

When his newfound friends are threatened by an evil youkai, he waxes wroth and defeats or disperses the villain. The youkai are:

• Episode 4 - the Kodama tree spirit, an ancient oak with a black heart that sucks the life out of its victims.

• Episode 5 - the Tear Witch and the Wailing Man, an ancient malevolent witch who lives on her victims tears, and her son, who eats the victims after they've been wrung dry.
  

• Episode 6 - the Beach Skull, the ghost of a deceased person who haunts the one they loved.
  

After defeating the baddies, Cat-Eyed Boy bids a fond farewells to his friends, if they survived. He then sets out on the next leg of his journey. Cue the preview.

Because of its episodic nature, Cat-Eyed Boy's core cast is just two voice actors:

• Junko Hori (Cat-eyed Boy) is best known as the voice of the protagonists in three Fujiko Fujio works, Obake no Q-tarou, Ninja Hattori-kun, and Chinpui. She also appeared in Wan Wan Chuushingura, Taiyou no Ouji: Horus no Daibouken, Rain Boy, Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, and Makoto-chan, all Orphan releases, as well as Moomin, Akage no Anne, Cinderella Boy, and Unico.
• Katsuhiko Ikeda (narrator) has no other voice-acting credits.

The rest of the voice cast varies from episode to episode. Episode 4:

• Koichi Kitamura (Kodama Tree Spirit) played Paolon, the intelligent spaceship in Hi-Speed Jecy, Professor, the wise old cat, in the Ultra Nyan OVAs, Honda Sadonokami Masanobu in the Sanada 10 special, and Coach Naoko in Nine and its sequels, and he appeared in Hidamari no Ki and Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou. All are Orphan releases.
• Mitsuyo Tobe (Yukio) appeared in Hoka Hora Kazoku, Teppei, and The Rose of Versailles, among others.
• Reiko Kimura (Yukio's Mother) appeared in several episodes of Cat-Eyed Boy, including episode 6, as Yoshie, and 7, as Katsuzo.
• Keiko Yokozawa (Yae) is probably best known for her starring role as Sheeta in Castle in the Sky. She played the title roles in Charlotte (1977), the Dorami-chan properties, and ESPer Mami, as well as leading roles in Plastic Little and Legend of Lemnear. She also played Pandora in Akuma-tou no Prince Mitsume ga Tooru and Yukari in Karuizawa Syndrome, both Orphan releases.

Episode 5:

• Hisako Kyouda (Tear Witch) played the witch in Adachigara and Minuet in Bremen Four, both Orphan releases. She played Taitsukun in Fushigi Yuugi, Magno Vivan in Vandread, Soukei in Inukami!, the father in Shouwa Monogatari, and numerous other roles in a career that has spanned more than 50 years.
• Reiko Katsura (Kasumi) appeared in Sazae-san and narrated Nichijou, in a career that has also spanned more than 50 years.
• Shin Aomori (Wailing Man) played Solomon in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament and Kurokawa in Meisou-ou Border, both Orphan releases. He played Basque Grand in both versions of Full Metal Alchemist and Gonzo in the currently airing Oi! Tonbo. He appeared in Perrine, Oishinbo, Sousei no Aquarion, the Dragon Ball franchise, and numerous other roles in a career that has spanned almost 50 years.

Episode 6:

• Toshihiko Utsumi (Beach Skull) appeared in Raccoon Rascal and Hit and Run.
• Michiro Okada (Rentaro) appeared in Manxmouse and Kuroi Ame ni Utarete, both Orphan releases. He also played Ru Shako in the Armored Trooper Votoms franchise, the chief in the You're Under Arrest franchise, and the narrator in the Transformers movies.
• Kaoru Ozawa (Noriko) appeared in Raccoon Rascal and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Once again, Skr was the driving force behind this release. He translated, timed, edited, typeset the credits, and encoded the show. kokujin-kun helped with translation checking. I did a little actual typesetting. (Skr thinks the signs should be done as \an8, because of how blurry the raws are, and he may be right.)  Nemesis, Rock_Lee-vk, and Skr QCed.

Cat-Eyed Boy is a long series for the current configuration of Orphan. Skr has a lot on his plate, so I don't know when more episodes will be available. Meanwhile, you can get this release from the usual torrent site or from channels #nibl or #news in irc.rizon.net.  

Kingdom of Chaos: Born to Kill

At long last, another orphan project completed! In this case, it's a four-part OVA from 2003-2004, Kingdom of Chaos: Born to Kill. It is based on an online browser game, Kingdom of Chaos: Spectral Force the Universe. The first two episodes were subbed by Anime-Blitz twenty years ago; then nothing. Orphan is pleased to bring you the complete series.

Reactions to the show have been mixed. The author of The Land of Obscusion blog quite liked it and called it the best of the Idea Factory shows. On the other hand, the translation checker/translator wrote, "I don't think I've ever seen a show whose ambitions were so disparate with its budget. It fits the bill of 'too big for its boots' perfectly." YMMV.

Kingdom of Chaos is set in the mythical continent of Neverland. Fract, the Generalissimo/Leader of the Nazi-like nation of Bjor, has conquered more than half the continent. He now has his eyes set on the agricultural nation of Orthozes, which had resisted conquest once before. Opposing Fract are an outnumbered army of knights and a ragtag band of mercenaries. The latter include an enigmatic stranger, Aide, who has lost his memory; a former Crimson Knight, Mara, who is disillusioned with her regiment; and an immensely strong beast-man, Dino, who is fighting to protect what remains of his family.

The mercenaries discover that Aide bears an uncanny resemblance to Fract. They formulate an audacious plan to utilize Aide's appearance in order to slip into Fract's camp and assassinate him. However, they do not realize that all of them are caught up in the even more outrageous plan of a powerful demon, Mugen (Infinite), to punish Fract for his misdeeds in this life, and the next... forever.

When I first edited the show, I found the visuals very off-putting. The palate is drear, the lighting is dark. A lot of CGI is used, and it's pretty obvious. The DVDs are letterboxed, so a lot of screen real estate is lost. But the lack of budget forces the show to concentrate on the mercenaries, their backstories, and their interactions. I found that quite interesting, and I liked the show better when I watched it during release checking..

A few notes:

• The lengthy prologue, repeated in all four episodes, states that Fract had tried to conquer Orthozes at the start of his career but had failed. As the story makes clear, it was Fract's father who tried and failed. Fract was strongly motivated by a desire to succeed where his father did not.
• Fract's title in Japanese is soutou, which can be translated as leader, supreme commander, generalissimo, or fuhrer. I've used generalissimo throughout.
• In the fourth episode, the demon introduces himself by saying "I am infinite." Mugen means infinite in Japanese, so it may be his name, his attribute, or both.
• The website for the game, shown in the title sequence, has vanished. Not even the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine has any of it.

The voice cast is small; the show is basically a three-hander (Mara, Dino, Aide/Fract).

• Suwabe Junichi (Aide/Fract) played Bonten in Amatsuki and Jae-ha in Akatsuki no Yona, both Orphan releases. He also played the titles roles in Cuticle Detective Inaba and Space Dandy, Fuuma in the later X properties, Archer in the Fate Stay/Night franchise, Ren in the Uta no Prince-sama franchise, Yaichirou in Uchouten Kazoku, Worick in Gangsta, and Hayama in the Shokugeki no Souma franchise.
• Nakai Kazuya (Dino) played Zapp Renfro in Kekkai Sensen, Ryuuji in the Ao no Exorcist franchise, Date Masamune in the Sengoku Basara franchise, Shizuki in the xxxHoLiC franchise, Zoro in One Piece, Hijikata in Gintama, Mugen in Samurai Champloo, and Moses Sandor in Tales of Legendia.
• Matsuoka Yuki (Mara) played Senoo Aoki in the Ojamajo Doremi franchise, Ayumu in Azumanga Daioh, Kanaka in Shigofumi, Evangeline in the Mahou Sensei Negima franchise, Lisa in Girls Bravo, Nana in Elfen Lied, and Inoue in the Bleach franchise.
• Shimomura Tomoharu (Mugen) appeared in Air Master and Sakura Taisen.
• Shindou Naomi (Leo, a ragamuffin who recruits Aide) had featured roles in Mai Hime, No Game, No Life, Appleseed XIII, Asobi ni Ikuyo, Driland, and Gaiking. She played Rappi in Minna Atsumare! Falcom Gakuen SC and Hiroki's Grandmother in Chuck Shimezou, both Orphan releases.
• Mannaka Yukiko (Kanon, Fract's squeeze) appeared in Scrapped Princess and Green Green.
• Hirotsu Yukiko (Dino's daughter) appeared in Air Master and Blue Drop.
  
• Ryuutani Osamu (narrator) appeared in Air Master and Persona 4.
• Saitou Kimiko (Cerona, Mara's former commander) played the title role in Snack Basue, Rem in Death Note, Marie in Dimension W, Sofia in Golden Kamuy, Muugi in Made in Abyss, Micchan in Migi & Dali, and Chieko in Princess Jellyfish.
  

The director, Katou Taisuke, also directed RUN=DIM, Generation of Chaos Next, and Kingdom of Chaos The Universe.

This project actually started as a result of a comment in the blog post for Nayuta. (Yes, boys and girls, I do read your comments, but don't expect any more requests to be filled.) I thought that finding a good set of raws might encourage someone (else) to finish the project. An anonymous friend found the ISOs, and a different anonymous friend encoded them. The result was published as an Orphan-raw. Then, Perevodildo took an interest in the show. techdamage transcribed the old fansubs for the first two episodes. Perevodildo checked them and translated the last two. He timed all four episodes. I edited and typeset (not much). Topper3000 and Uchuu QCed. The release includes 16 (!) untranslated extras and promos, all of them about the game rather than the OVA itself.

So Orphan has finished another orphan series, and it feels pretty... pretty good! Whether Kingdom of Chaos itself deserves that label is up to you, Dear Reader. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #new on irc.rizon.net.

Two on the Road

 After Heart Cocktail, Watase Seizou released three more anime OVAs based on his stories:

• 1987: Boku no Oldies wa All-Color (My All-Color Oldies)
  
• 1988: Chalk-iro no People (Chalk-Colored People)
  
• 1992: Two on the Road

Like Heart Cocktail, these OVAs never made it across the Digital Divide and are available only on VHS tape and laserdisc. (Oldies and Two aren't even listed in AniDB.) Unlike Heart Cocktail, they have minimal animation and no dialog. Like a silent movie (or A-Girl), they have constant music, and signs or intertitles provide the dialog. The signs conveying the dialog are set as ordinary subtitles; only actual signs have been typeset. 

Two on the Road is the longest of the three. It tells a continuous story about a couple, Akira and Yumi, who are colleagues at work.

They break up and find other partners. 

But something isn't right in the new arrangement, and the original lovers eventually get back together again. 

This happens over a prologue and twelve chapters, mostly titled with riffs on blue and white:

1. Blue White Day
   
2. Blue White Azalea
3. Blue Miss Moon
4. Swing White Fish
5. Lonely Blue Moon
6. Blue Your Back
7. Near and Far
8. Blue Horizon Blues
9. Blue White Christmas
10. Heart Break Road
11. Two on the Road
12. Happy Valentine Day
    

(The English is hardsubbed into the video, mistakes and all.) Each chapter is set to a bluesy ballad by the group BEGIN:

1. Love's Smoke
2. Glider
3. Sea-Roar in the Rear-view Mirror
4. White Fish and Blue Fish
5. Dance on the Sand
6. The Lost Waltz
7. Yearning for You
8. You
9. Blue Snow
10. Born on this Earth
11. In Place of Kindness
12. This Is Just the Beginning
    

Appropriately, much of the "action" is set in a music venue called Jim's Bar. I quite like the music, and the simple story is easy to follow.

Once again, this is a collaboration between DarkWispers, Orphan, and LonelyChaser. Darkonius translated. Yume translation checked. ninjacloud timed, both songs and "dialog." I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The source is a Japanese laserdisc, ripped on the Domesday Duplicator by an anonymous friend and encoded by Rezo. MartyMcflies provided vital coordination.

I must mention that the source is a mess, and it seemed impossible to get a decent raw out of it. One key problem was ringing. When that was stamped out, there were rainbows everywhere. Finally, with enough patience and enough filters, Rezo got a usable raw. It still has some ringing, but it's been tamped down quite a bit. The audio is FLAC from the laserdisc's digital track.

I must also mention that this is the "busiest" of the three shows. Boku no Oldies wa All-Color used English-language songs, which could be treated as background music. Chalk-Colored People had instrumental music. Here, both the songs and the "dialog" required subtitles. I found it a bit distracting to watch the different sets of words pass by at different rates, but I can't think of a better solution.

Two on the Road is the last of Watase Seizou's "musical manga," but it's not the last word on his works. Heart Cocktail Colorful is still out there, and perhaps, In the Fullness of Time™, we'll get to it. Meanwhile, you can get this show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #new on irc.rizon.net.