Returning to the Scene of the Crime (Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki II)

A decade ago, Orphan subbed a borderline hentai show called Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki (St. Michael School Drifting Story), a convoluted time-travel OVA with multiple time travelers, alternate histories, nefarious plots, and too many twists and turns to be understandable. After two tries, I sort of threw up my hands about all the dangling plot threads and wrote, "These questions are answered in the sequel, Sins of the Sisters... maybe. Or maybe not." Well, as part of the ProxyMan project, Orphan has now subbed the 1994-1995 sequel OVA, Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki II (titled Sins of the Sisters for its R1 release). And the answer is... not. If anything, the sequel is more confusing than the original.

Let me try to summarize the events of the original OVA. The roots of the plot start during World War II, with a romance between a Japanese office, Karino Daisuke, and a well-born woman and mother named Yuki, who is mostly notable for having a star under her left breast. Yuki's daughter Yumiko falls in love with Daisuke. When she discovers that he is her mother's lover, she is heartbroken and becomes a nun.

Fast forward to the 1980s. Yumiko yearns to be seventeen again and in the arms of Daisuke. Somehow this summons him through time. He seduces her, and together they set in motion the "Michaela project." This involves setting up a strict Catholic school for girls that teaches singing, dancing, and martial arts to create a "Girls' Crusade." The girls think they are training to become members of the Takarazuka Review. In fact, Daisuke intends to take them back in time to become "comfort women" for the Japanese Army in the Second World War. This will somehow inspire the soldiers to greater heights of valor and turn the tide of battle.

Daisuke's and Yumiko's nefarious plot in turn summons the attention of fallen angel (and intersexual) Hans Heilner, leader of the failed 13th century Children's Crusade. Hans travels through time and enrolls at the school disguised as a girl, Mimura Aiko. 

Hans wants to take the Girls' Crusade back in time to defeat both the Church and God. It also attracts the attention of ninjas from the 17th century Shimabara Rebellion. They want to take the Girls' Crusade back in time to fight the Tokugawa Shogunate. So there are three sets of time travelers -  Karino Daisuke, Hans Heilner, and the Shimabara ninjas - all of whom want to use the Girls' Crusade for their particular cause. After some confusing action in the past, a new timeline emerges, in which the world is peaceful, free of both religion and nationalism - thanks to the unspecified actions of Hans/Aiko and the Girls Crusade. Cue the sequel.

St. Michaela Gakuen II purports to show how the new timeline came about. In some ways, it is simpler - the ninja time travelers who summoned the Girls' Crusade to Shimabara are nowhere to be seen. But in others, it's even more absurd. Yuki, who is now married to Gonza, her servant in the "dark history", dreams that the timeline is wrong and must be fixed so that she can be with Daisuke. 

She is opposed by the "Old Sage," who seems more like a Dr. Who Time Lord than a Japanese mystic. 

Yuki acquires near-divine powers and animates the corpse of Ikeda Rika, who was killed in the first series, and transforms herself into Aaron, another intersexual. Yuki/Aaron goes back in time to make sure that the Children's Crusade actually succeeds (and that Mimura Aiko never comes into existence). Aaron corrupts the Pope

and parts the Red Sea, thereby allowing the Children's Crusade to reach the Holy Land. But the children discover a Papal contract selling them all into slavery and turn back to attack Rome.

Aaron, now desperate, kills all of the Girls' Crusaders that she can.

Eventually, she kills both Hans/Aiko and the Pope, thereby somehow accomplishing what Yuki wanted to prevent. But the Old Sage adjusts the timeline a bit to bring back all the Girls' Crusaders that Aaron killed, as well as Hans/Aiko. The vanished ghost of Daisuke tells Yuki that the "dark history" which included the two of them cannot be restored. 

Aaron vanishes, Rika dies (again) in Hans/Aiko's arms, and the utopian world timeline is saved. 

But frankly, I'm even less sure about this sequel than the first OVAs. And the idea that defeating the Shogunate and the Papacy would eliminate history and nationalism is preposterous. The thirteenth century included many other massive power structures, including the Mongol Empire, the Khmer Empire, China, the Incas, and other regional empires. What were they: chopped liver?

I never thought of Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki as anything other than erotic trash. To my astonishment, it's actually a media mini-franchise. It started as a play in 1982; the play has been revived multiple times. It has also released as light novels, manga, and even a live-action movie. I found an online version of the play's script, but none of the others are available in digital form. As a "serious work," it deserves a few notes:

• The Children's Crusade was not an authorized crusade and may be an apocryphal conflation of historical and mythical events.
• In the R1 subs, the slave traders tell the children they'll be sold as slaves on the "Ivory Coast." This is an anachronism. In 1212, the slave trade was centered in North Africa's Barbary Coast. European traders had not reached the Bight of Benin. 
• The Pope at the time of the Children's Crusade was Innocent III. He was a powerful politician and Church reformer known for calling the Fourth Lateran Council, and not the secret libertine shown in the anime.
• The Pope says that Jerusalem had been recaptured by the Seljuk Turks. In fact, it had been recaptured by Saladin, a Kurd serving the Egyptian caliphate. 
• Amakusa Shirou was a Japanese Christian who led the Shimibara rebellion against the newly established Tokugawa Shogunate.
• Indra's net is a Buddhist metaphor for, among other things, the idea of Perfect Interpenetration in the universe.

One translation note. The R1 script uses "androgyne" for Hans and Aaron, but the first OVA series used "hermaphrodite."  The latter has been retained for consistency.

The voice cast includes:

• Matsui Naoko (Mimura Aiko, Hans Heilner) played Umemura Sayaka in Magma Taishi, Caterina in Tottoi, Efera in Gude Crest, Wato-san in Mitsume ga Tooru and Tezuka Osamu ga Kieta?!, and Lady Dola in Ai to Ken no Camelot, and she appeared in Hi-Speed Jecy and Every Day Is Sunday, all Orphan releases. She played the title role in Compiler, Uru Chie in High School! Kimengumi, Katsumi Liqueur in Silent Mobius, Run Run in Mahoujin Guru Guru, Roux Louka in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Suzuki Sonoko in the Detective Conan franchise, Juushimatsu in Osomatsu-kun (1988), Wendy in Peter Pan no Bouken, Marian in Robin Hood no Daibouken, and Matsu in Nobunaga no Shinobi.
• Watanabe Kumiko (Takemiya Kozue) played Shippou in the Inuyasha franchise, the title role in the St. Frog franchise, Kyouko in the Working! franchise, and Rouge in Megami Paradise, an Orphan release. 
• Onodera Mariko Onodera (Aoike Kumi) played Nana in Metal Fire Miku.
• Mizutani Yuuko (Ikeda Rika) played Pinoko in all the Black Jack properties, as well as Sumiko in Aoi Kioku, 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, Shoko in Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 1, and Dr. Uematsu Kikue in Yume Kakeru Kougen, all Orphan projects.
• Sasaki Yuuko (Hiraiwa Yuki aka Aaron) played the title role in Desert Rose and Gilbert in Kaze to Ki no Uta SANCTUS. She played Sayoko in Aoki Honoo, Akiko/Keiko in Wolf Guy, Yuki in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, and Exper Jiff in Exper Zenon, and she appeared in OL Kaizo Kouza, Amaama to Inazuma, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and Yousei-ou, all Orphan releases.
• Hikita Yumi (Yamato Watoko) played Imae Yuki in Magma Taishi, Mirei in Condition Green, Android 1026 in Oz, and appeared in Zetsuai: 1989, all Orphan releases.
• Yajima Akiko (Ooshima Mayumi) 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, Mary Bailey in Heavy, Maijima Karen in Sotsugyousei, and Hikari in Kakyuusei (1995), and Unico in Tezuka Osamu Works: Kyoto Animation Theater, and she appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 2, all Orphan releases.
• Konishi Hiroko (Iwadate) - see Chameleon 6
• Naka Hiroshi(Old Sage) played Daisuke in The Ghost in the Shell SAC 2045 series, Monkey D. Garp in One Piece, and Doc in Hellsing: Ultimate. and had featured roles in numerous shows, including After War Gundax X, Altair: A Record of Battles, BNA: Brand New Animal, Coppelion, Delicious in Dungeon, Zetsuai 1989, and Heavy. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Mizusawa Jun (Eiko, ep 2) payed Miyuki in Doukyuusei 2: Sostugyousei and Amy in Nessa no Wakusei, both Orphan releases.
• Sugawara Junichi (Gonza, Pope) appeared in numerous shows, including Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Knight, Ninja Cadets, Ninjo Scroll, Yawara!, Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru, Magma Taishi, Plastic Little, and Okane na gai! The last four are Orphan releases.
• Kosugi Juurouta (slave trader, ep1, Karino Daisuke, ep2) played Murakami Atsushi in Magma Taishi, Mochizuki Rokurou in the Sanada 10 special, Utsubushi in Amatsuki, Aizman in Bavi Stock, Takanesawa in Hiatari Ryouko, Daisuke in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Gisuke in Shadow, Dr. Bayfam in Joker, the yakuza leader in Ashita Genki ni Naare!, and a bit part in Hi-Speed Jecy, all Orphan releases, as well as Krest in Ariel, Fernand in Gankuutsou, Hertz in Marie and Gali, and Touji in Ninku.
• Nishihara Kumiko (Hagio Misayo) played Iris in the Sakura Wars franchise and Renko in Kujibiki Unbalance, both OVAs and TV series. She played Fhalei Rue in Ryokunohara Labyrinth and appeared in Kakyuusei (1995), Kosuke-sama Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu, Zetsuai 1989, Dragon Fist, Gakuu no Yuurei, Tenkousei, and Blazing Transfer Student, all Orphan releases.
• Kanai Mika (Johann) 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, Kanna in Gakkou no Yuurei volume 1, Noriaki, first son in Chocchan Monogatari, Tanaka Kumi in Tanjou: Debut, and Hime in Bakuen Campus Guardress. The last four are Orphan releases.
• Koorogi Satomi (Yayoi) played Chi in all versions of Chii's Sweet Home, Himawari (the baby sister) in Crayon Shin-chan, Menchi (the food pooch) in Excel Saga, and Kuki-sama in the Limeiro properties. She also played Yahoi in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Keiko in Sensou Douwa: Tako ni Natta Okaasan, and Tanaka Misa in Doukyuusei: Climax v2, all Orphan releases.
• Takano Urara (Sister Yumiko) played Marler in the Aa! Megami-sama franchise, Maria in the Sakura Wars franchise, Cocktail in Knights of Ramume, and Gloria in PriPara. She played Sushi Neko in Let's Nupu Nupu and Ken in Next Senki Ehrgeiz and appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei volume 6, all Orphan releases.
• Matsumoto Yasunori (Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, ep 1) starred as Guy in Heavy, Ichitaro in Ushiro no Hyakutaro, Akira in Mellow, Johnny in Starship Troopers, Kaname in Singles, and Tooru in Every Day Is Sunday, all Orphan releases. He was in numerous OVAs in the 1990s, including Houkago no Tinker Bell, Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Seikimatsu: Humane Society, Fukuyama Gekijou: Natsu no Himitsu, and Al Caral no Isan, also Orphan releases. Among his other notable roles were Wataru Akiyama in Initial D, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Gourry Gabriev in Slayers, Ryou in Sonic Soldier Borgman, and a personal favorite, Dick Saucer in Dragon Half.
• Amano Yuri (Miuchi Youko) (layed 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, the teacher in Tanjou: Debut, Tonto in the Blue Knight segment of Tezuka Osamu: Kyoto Animation Works, the Chinese whore in Shibuya Honky Tonk, Kate in Nessa no Wakusei, and Yuko in St. Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, as well as multiple roles in Fukuyama Gekijou and Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 1, all Orphan releases.

The director, Yamaguchi Yorifusa, specialized in gag anime, so this show is way outside his wheelhouse.

The original translation was done by Central Park Media. Perevodildo translation checked and timed, but he didn't change much. I edited and typeset. Paul Geromini and new (to Orphan) staffer imatu QCed. The raw is from ProxyMan and is encoded from a Japanese laserdisc. This show is the last Orphan/Okizari contribution to the ProxyMan project, for now.

Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki II didn't really need a new release, but in for a penny with the first OVAs, then in for a pound. I still don't know what's really going on, and the sex and nudity are not sufficient compensation for sitting through this. Still, it looks better than the R1 DVD, so if you'd like to admire the video, this is the version for you. Although it's an Orphan release like the first OVA, because it requires no censorship, it's still quite NSFW. Accordingly it's been torrented on the X-rated side of the usual site.

Kachikenee!

If two decades of working in anime taught me anything, it should have been, "Never say never." In the post on Trust, a 2025 Anime no Tane OVA, I wrote, "Actually, this is the end of our work on all instances of the Young Animator's Training Project." Now, less than three months later, here's another, Kacchikenee! (Much Obliged!), from the 2016 edition of Anime Tamago.

Kacchikinee! is basically a rom-com with time-travel trappings. The protagonist is the 17-year-old daughter of a temple priest in modern Tokyo, named Aiko. She's an aspiring artist. Unfortunately, her creations are labeled "original" - not a good thing in an art cram school. 

She is thinking about giving up when, out of nowhere, a man pops out of a well in the temple courtyard.

His name is Souji, and he insists that he is from Edo - Shogunate Tokyo - from 250 years in the past. Aiko doesn't believe a word of it and finds his incredulous responses to the modern world annoying. 

Things begin to change, though, when she discovers that he's an accomplished artist.

Further, he is connected to the unfinished sliding doors in the temple. He was supposed to add a Celestial Maiden, but he was inexperienced and never found the right inspiration for his drawing. 

No points for guessing who the inspiration turns out to be.

Still, the absurdities of the plot don't really interfere with the light atmosphere. It's a fine rom-com, with perhaps more com than rom.

The voice cast includes:

• Akaneya Himika (Aiko) played the title role in Izetta: the Last Witch. She played Lada in the PriPara franchise, Ritsuka in Dance with Devils, and Minoho in Katana Maidens.
• Kako Rion (Souji) played Tsuneto in the Cardfight!! Vanguard G franchise.
• Ootake Hiroshi (Juushoku, Aiko's grandfather, the temple priest) played Nezu in Akira, Dayon in the first Osomatsu-kun, 004 in the first Cyborg 009 movie, and Boss in the Mazinger franchise. He also played Fox in Shounen Jack to Mahou Tsukai, Vailly in Greed, Takeshi in Yukuguni no Ouji-sama, Michael in the What's Michael? OVAs, and Director Hiruta in Ojisan Kaizou Kouza, all Orphan releases.
• Shibahara Chiyako (Aiko's grandmother) played Liquid in Captain Bal, an Orphan release, and appeared in Nana, Nodame Cantabile, Bakugan, and Hyper Police. 
• Ai Ichitarou (Takefumi, Aiko's brother) appeared in Tiger & Bunny, Hyouka, and Happy ComeCome.
• Koga Aoi (cafe owner) played the title roles in Komi Can't Communicate and Mistress Kanan is Devilishly Easy, Chima in Fairy Gone, and Kaguya in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.
• Makiguchi Mayuki (Miwa, Aika's schoolmate) played Marin in 12-sai, Serena in Pokemon XY, and Yuuki in Beyblade: Metal Fury.
• Kajikawa Shouhei (Aika's teacher) played Magnus in the Bakugan franchise and Hien in Log Horizon.
• Ueda Yuuji (Souji's master back in Edo times) played Nakane Kisaburo in Ashita Genki ni Naare!, Johannes Krauser II in Detroit Metal City (OVA), Fuuma Yousuke in Wedding Peach, Sagara Sonosuke in Rurouni Kenshin, Tenkata Akito in Kidou Senkan Nadeseico, Keitarou in Love Hina, Makoto in Futari Ecchi, and Takeshi in Pokemon. He also voiced Shuichi in Arisa Good Luck, Takagi-kun in Let's Nupu Nupu, and Nanbara in Hand Maid May, and he appeared in Heart Cocktail Again, all Orphan releases.

The director, Yoshimura Fumihiro also directed Kumi to Tulip and the Jungle Emperor segment of Tezuka Osamu Works: Kyoto Animation Theater, an Orphan release.

This project happened because Darkonius was infuriated by a recent release of the OVA, done with AI. He did a new translation and asked if Orphan would finish it. I edited and typeset the script - the typesetting of a long text-message conversation was a a bit of a nightmare. 

Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raw was encoded by Ohys from an Animax broadcast. It is watermarked in a few places, but it's the only source available.

Kacchikenee! was fun - not world-beating or thought-provoking but appropriately comic and airy. I  enjoyed it quite a lot. Still, this is not the start of a new project to go back to the Young Animator corpus. But... one never knows, do one? Meanwhile, you can get the show from the usual torrent site. 

 

Knackered (Korogashi Ryota)

Knack was an anime company founded by former employees of Toei Douga and Mushi Productions. Despite the number of anime-industry notables who worked with Knack over the years (including Go Nagai, Ken Ishikawa, Kazuyuki Okasako, Masayuki Kojima, Tetsuro Amino, Shunichi Yukimuro, Yoshikata Nitta, and Fumio Ikeno), the studio developed a dubious reputation for the low quality of its productions, particularly in regard to animation quality, and for copying the premises of other, more popular shows. It struggled hard even to reach mediocrity, frequently resorting to ecchi comedy or softcore porn; its shows were often forgotten or stranded in analog format. So naturally, Orphan/Okizari has done a bunch of them:

• Shibuya Honky Tonk
• Asatte Dance 
• Bouken Shite mo Ii Koro
• Mellow
• Okama Hakusho 
• Lunatic Night (ep3)
• Submarine 707 (joint with M74) 

It's well documented that I have low tastes.

Korogashi Ryota (Rolling Ryota), a 3-part OVA released in 1990 and 1991, is in every way a typical Knack release: ecchi, sketchy, with lots of low comedy and grossly offensive humor. Based on a manga by Murata Hiroyuki, it tells the story of Takao Ryota, a fearsome biker turned bus driver, who uses his (publicly owned) vehicle to compete with and stomp on other current and former bikers who want revenge or just to raise hell.

He is supported by his long-suffering "younger brother" Ono Takashi and enjoys the explicit admiration of Umeko, Aki, Maruko and lots of other women.

There's no through story. Rather, each successive OVA was made to exploit the success of the previous one, until the series fortunately ran out of steam. The first episode is one long story; the second and third have three stories each. The action gets more outlandish and more explicit as the series proceeds; the third episode needs some censorship, which is deliberately prominent, a la Karakuri Ninja Girl.

• Ep1 - Ryota breaks all the rules to deliver a pregnant woman to the hospital. Afterward, he is challenged by members of the Panther biker gang. They kidnap Takashi to lure Ryota into an ambush. The episode includes a musical interlude.
  
  
  

  

  
  
• Ep2, "The Appearance of Konjac Sanji" - Sanji, a former biker, now working in his family's konjac business, uses his truck to challenge Ryota's bus.
  
  
  
  
  
• Ep2, "The Mysterious Sumo Wrestler" - A plus-sized woman, trained as a sumo wrestler, beats up everyone, until Ryota shows her the joys of sex.
  
  
  
  
  
• Ep2, "Hypnosis Is Scaaaary" - Risa, mama-san of the Sisters Snack Bar, hypnotizes Ryota to be her barkeep, masseur, and sex slave. Ryota's disappearance allows his rivals to run rampant.
  
  
  
  
  
• Ep3, "Otaki Appears" - Otaki, a former biker, tries to take over Ryota's and Takashi's women, only to be put in place by his own fearsome wife.
  
  
  
  
  
• Ep3, "When Sube Changes into a Swimsuit" - Two girls want Ryota to take them to the beach, but their swimsuit attire makes them a target for other bikers. Eventually, Ryota rescues them and gives them what they want.
  
  
  
  
  
• Ep3, "Clash" - Yoshimoto, another former biker, challenges Ryota by kidnapping Takashi's squeeze Miki. Ryota and his bus face off against Yoshimoto's armored car, with predictable results.

A translation note:

• In episode 1, Kawada thinks that Umeko's "idol Ryo-chan" is Ryotaro Sugi, a Japanese singer and actor, rather than Ryota. 

The voice cast is large and sometimes changed between episodes.

• Kosugi Juurouta (Takao Ryota - ep 1-2) played Murakami Atsushi in Magma Taishi, Mochizuki Rokurou in the Sanada 10 special, Utsubushi in Amatsuki, Aizman in Bavi Stock, Takanesawa in Hiatari Ryouko, Daisuke in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Gisuke in Shadow, Dr. Bayfam in Joker, the yakuza leader in Ashita Genki ni Naare!, and a bit part in Hi-Speed Jecy, all Orphan releases. He also played as Krest in Ariel, Fernand in Gankuutsou, Hertz in Marie and Gali, and Touji in Ninku.
• Ishimaru Hiroya (Takao Ryota - ep 3) starred as Abe George/Naoya in Shibuya Honky Tonk, played Sabu in Koiko no Mainichi and gave a bravura performance as the "interpreter" dog Allegro in Bremen 4, all  Orphan releases. He also played Rodimus Prime in the various Transformer TV shows, Sengoku Shunsuke in Cyber City Oedo 808, and Kabuto Kouji in the Mazinger Z franchise. 
• Kobayashi Yuuko (Mika, Ryota's girl) played Washu in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, Rapier in the Maze properties, Rin in Otaku no Seiza, and Benten in female guise in Oedo wa Nemurenai!, an Orphan release. 
• Kikuchi Masami (Ono Takashi, Ryota's "younger brother") starred as the lead in the Tenchi Muyo, Aa! Megami-sama!, and Comic Party franchises. He starred as Murakami Mamoru in Magma Taishi and played Iwayma Genzaburo in Princess Army, Terayama Suekichi in Asatte Dance, Makoto in Doukyuusei 2, Yukino Hiro in Houkago no Tinker Bell, and Taira no Kiyomori the younger in Genji, Part 1, and he appeared in Fukuyama Gekijou, all Orphan releases.
• Morimura Asuka (Yuki, Takashi's girl) was an AV actress. Her anime credits include Wakaba Miwa in Bouken Shite mo Ii Koro and Miki in Okama Report, both Orphan/Okizari releases. 
• Hirano Masato (Tajima, another biker - ep 1) played Zolf in Slayers and Dr. Gabou in Wonder Beat Scramble, and he appeared in numerous other shows, including Tomoe ga Yuku!, Blue Sonnet, Samurai Gold, Kimama ni Idol, and the second and third Sangokushi movies, all Orphan releases.
• Ono Kenichi (Tajima - eps 2-3) played Toujirou in Mikan Enikki, Shiro Shirota in Dai-Guard, Asurada in the Future GPX Cyber Formula franchise, and Touma in Dirty Pair Flash. He played Jack Redmond in Heavy, Abe no Yasuna in Akuemon, and Sugawara in Kindaichi movie 2, and he appeared in AWOL Compression Remix, Bavi Stock, Seikima II Humane Society, Wolf Guy, Shibuya Honky Tonk, and Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, all Orphan releases.
• Umezu Hideyuki (Yoshimoto, Tajima's buddy) played Akadama-sensei in Uchouten Kazoku and Uranos Corsica in Gangsta. He had featured roles in Shibuya Honky Tonk, Asatte Dance, Star Dust, Apfelland Monogatari, Blue Sonnet, Hashire Melos, Hi-Speed Jecy, Hidamari no Ki, Nana Toshi Monogatari, Neko Neko Fantasia, Singles, the What's Michael? OVAs, Yamato 2520, Genji, Part 1, Mellow, Ushiro no Hyakutaro, Heavy, and Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, all Orphan releases.  
• Oizumi Akira (Koji, the "okama biker") played Terayama Daikichi in Asatte Dance, Ichiji in Mellow, and Mama-rin in Okama Hakusho, all Orphan (and Knack) releases.
• Nakamura Daiki (Kawada, Komuro) played the title roles in Dangerous Jii-san Ja and Demon Beast Resurrection, Dayakka in Gurren Lagann, Seiji Date in Ronin Warriors, and Liu Bei in Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi. He also appeared in Shibuya Honky Tonk, Mikeneko Holmes, Condition Green, AWOL Compression Remix, and Sanada 10, all Orphan releases.
• Yamaguchi Ken (Henmi, leader of the Panther biker gang) appeared in Shibuya Honky Tonk, Asatte Dance, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, Yamato 2520, Hoshi Neko Full House, Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu!, and Condition Green, all Orphan releases.
• Mitsuishi Kotono (Aki, a waitress at the Sisters Snack Bar) 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 Imai Midori in Magma Taishi, Watanabe Yumi in Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai: Tsuyoshi no Time Machine de Shikkari Shinasai, Oshina in Hidamari no Ki, and appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei volume 1, Blazing Transfer Student, Nagasarete Airantou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Tomizawa Michie (Umeko, one of Ryota's female admirers) played Linna Yamazaki in Bubblegum Crisis/Crash, Matsuzaka-sensei in Crayon Shin-chan, the nameless Office Lady in Oruchuban Ebichu, Sailor Mars in Sailor Moon, Mihoshi in Tenchi Muyo, Airi Komiyama in Those Who Hunt Elves, and Emi Ogasawara in Ghost Sweeper Mikami. She also played Shitara Yuri in Let's Nupu Nupu and female Joker in Joker: Marginal City, both Orphan releases.
• Uemura Noriko (Maruko, the female sumo wrestler) played the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland and Nodame's mother in Nodame Cantabile. She appeared in Nayuta, Nozomi Witches, Stop!! Hibari-kun!, and It Rained Fire, all Orphan releases.
• Wakamoto Norio (Sanji, an antagonist from Ryota's past) played the title role in The Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas, Kan in the Hoozuki no Reitetsu franchise, Vicious in Cowboy Bebop, Cell in the Dragonball franchise, Katakuriko in the Gintama franchise, Oda Nobunaga in the Sengoku Basara franchise, Guren in Ushio to Tora TV, Shining Saotome in the Uta no Prince-sama franchise, and Oskar von Reuenthal in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He also appeared as Joshua Balboa in Plastic Little, Sakakibara in Sanada 10, Noa in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99, York Denman in Apfelland Monogatari, Major Thrauza in Yamato 2520, Denon in Amon Saga, the Tengenji underboss in Koiko no Mainichi, and the Narrator in Joker: Marginal City, all Orphan releases.
• Matsumoto Yasunori (Toshi, Panther gang member) starred as Guy Hyuga in Heavy, Ichitaro in Ushiro no Hyakutaro, Akira in Mellow, Johnny in Starship Troopers, Kaname in Singles, and Tooru in Every Day Is Sunday, all Orphan releases. He was in numerous OVAs in the 1990s, including Houkago no Tinker Bell, Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Seikimatsu: Humane Society, Fukuyama Gekijou: Natsu no Himitsu, and Al Caral no Isan, also Orphan releases. Among his other notable roles were Wataru Akiyama in Initial D, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Gourry Gabriev in Slayers, Ryou in Sonic Soldier Borgman, and a personal favorite, Dick Saucer in Dragon Half.
• Kojima Yuri (Maya, Ryota's niece) appeared in Fencer of Minerva and Fobia, among other roles.

Ochiai Masamune, director of the first two episodes, also directed Don Dracula, Bouken Shite mo Ii Koro, Asatte Dance, and the Naniwa Yuukyouden OVA series. The third episode was directed by Agawa Chouou, who has no other credits.

Perevodildo translated and timed. I edited and typeset. Paul Geromini and MartyMcflies QCed. ProxyMan supplied the R2J ISOs for the project. The encode was by an anonymous friend from the R2J ISOs. He wrote:

A rather fine source, all things considered, especially given the vintage of the source material... I was... able to reduce many of the frame blends from the source.... Otherwise I also reduced the aliasing and haloing more, though at the slight tradeoff of softening the image some and performed slightly less horizontal cropping. VFR was employed to preserve smooth motion of the scrolling credits... Interestingly, only the first episode includes a full opening, and I wasn't really expecting a traditional enka solo from such a program. 

So all in all, Korogashi Ryota is another typical Knack venture, fully of nudity and sex. It requires some censoring and is very much NSFW. For that reason, it's being released under the Okizari label. There are more untranslated shows in the Knack oeuvre, but enough's enough. You can get the show from the X-rated side of the usual torrent site.

But the Cat Came Back (Cat-Eyed Boy, Ep 13-14)

Orphan returns again to its intermittent releases of Cat-Eyed Boy; in this case, episodes 13-14. These episodes don't differ materially from the previous ones, except for the monster of the week. Cat-Eyed Boy is continuing his lonely journey to find his mother. In these episodes, he lends support to plucky young boys trying to fight a supernatural creature that threatens their family or village. To help his new-found friend, Cat-Eyed Boy must find, fight, and defeat the monster(s). But his triumph is short-lived, as he has to hit the road and continue his search.

Two reminders. First, Cat-Eyed Boy is done with gekimation, hand-manipulated paper cutouts paired with simple live-action special effects. Second, the episodes are from the laserdisc box set and are very primitive, with lots of grain, jittery images, noisy soundtrack, and film burn at scene changes. With those caveats, the episodes in this release are:

• Episode 13 - Wrath of the Stone Demon. Nobuo and his grandmother live in a remote village at the base of Mount Tengu. When a will-o'-the-wisp appears on the mountain, a white powder falls that puts everyone to sleep and eventually kills them. Nobuo sets off to find the source of the evil, so Cat-Eyed Boy rushes after him in support. They find a fallen goddess, who became a demon after a human stole her sacred mantle and is determined to be revenged on all humans.
  
  
  
  
  
• Episode 14 - Eerie! The Woman Who Lives in the Mirror. Sentaro's village is plagued by multiple murders. The victim is always drained of blood and nearly mummified. Sentaro believes it's caused by the Blood-Sucking Woman, who lives in abandoned houses. He goes to investigate a derelict inn and falls into the monster's clutches. Meanwhile, Cat-Eyed Boy finds a sick traveler who needs a place to rest and escorts him to the inn, placing everyone in peril.

The credits, so carefully translated, only have room for six or seven voice actors. Two are always Junko Hori (Cat-Eyed Boy) and Katsuhiko Ikeda (Narrator). The others in episode 13:

• Midori Kanbe (Stone Demon) appeared in Cat-Eyed Boy ep12.
• Yuji Shikamata (Nobuo) appeared in Raccoon Rascal and SPT Layzner, as well as Cat-Eyed Boy epidsode 10.
• Michiro Okada (Villager A) appeared in Cat-Eyed Boy episodes 9 and 11.

In episode 14:

• Midori Kanbe (Yukiko) appeared in Cat-Eyed Boy episodes12 and 13.
• Yoichi Mitsuhashi (Kazuhiko, Father) played Cygnus in the St. Seiya franchise, Naoki in Dragon Fist, and Ma Chao in Sangokushi 3. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Endo Yoshinori (Sentaro, Son) - no information.
• Michiro Okada (young traveller) appeared in Cat-Eyed Boy episodes 9, 11, and 12.

Once again, Skr was the driving force behind this release.For episodes 13 and 14, he checked Perevodildo's translation, edited, typeset, and encoded. I did additional editing and added a lot of typesetting in episode 14. Nemesis and Skr QCed.

So Orphan is pleased to bring you more Cat-Eyed Boy. You can get these episodes from the usual torrent site. See you again on Halloween, if not sooner!

  

Yukiguni no Oujisama

Here's a bit of an unlikely bird - not a black swan event, exactly, but not something I was expecting, either.

Yukiguni no Oujosama (The Snow Country Prince) was a 1985 movie, released for the Christmas season. It showed up one day in the Orphan staff Discord channel, translated, timed, typeset, and edited, with a pristine raw. It's a G-rated fairy tale about a timid boy in northern Hokkaido, who finds courage and self worth by caring for an orphaned juvenile swan. It's pretty far outside Orphan's usual habitats - not historic, like the Toei movies; not R-rated, like many 80s and 90s OVAs; not lost on analog media. So I found myself asking, "How did this happen?" - until I perused the AniDB entry more carefully.

Yukiguni is the brainchild of Ikeda Daisaku, Buddhist leader, author, educator - and the third president of Soka Gakkai, a Japanese religious movement (or cult, your choice). Soka Gakkai was founded in 1930, based on the teachings of a 13th century Buddhist priest, Nichiren, and his interpretation of the Lotus Sutra. It was banned for its pacifism and lack of respect for official (i.e., militarist) values during World War II. Its leaders were imprisoned, where the founder, Makiguchi Tsunesabura, died. Refounded after the war by Toda Josei and run by Ikeda after 1960, it is the largest of the Japanese new religious movements.

All this would be of peripheral interest except for one factor: Perevodildo, Orphan's prolific translator, is obsessed with Soka Gakkai. He is currently halfway through releasing Ningen Kakumei (The Human Revolution), a 20 episode hagiographic biography of Toda Josei. (I've been roped into QCing.) With that in mind, Perevodildo's interest in works by Ikeda becomes obvious.

So is Yukiguni no Oujosama religious propaganda, like the Happy Science films? The answer is no, at least not overtly. The film supports Buddhist values, but there's no lecturing or proselytizing. It's serious, family friendly, uplifting. Would it appeal to today's worldly-wise and cynical children, raised on video games, Pixar films, and the Internet? I don't think so, but I'm decades away from the target audience.

The protagonist is a young boy, perhaps 8 or 9, named Goichi. He lives with his sister Yuki, his parents, and his grandmother in Asahama, an impoverished fishing village in northern Hokkaido. 

Goichi hates the cold. 

With an exceedingly harsh winter at hand, he doesn't want to go outside to play, to the teasing amusement of other schoolboys.

Every year, swans from Siberia migrate to the inlet in Goichi's village for the winter. One day, an orphaned juvenile swan wanders into Goichi's yard, looking for food.

Goichi and Yuki try to befriend the swan. 

Then, Goichi is visited by the Prince of the Snow Country, who tells Goichi that he must find both the love and the courage to care for the swans. 

A dream perhaps? Goichi insists otherwise, and he redoubles his efforts to help the orphaned swan, now named Hanaguro ("black nose"). Goichi and Yuki begin finding food for the birds, clearing snow, and cracking the sea ice, so the swans will be more comfortable. Their efforts impress Goichi's classmates, and they pitch in to help.

But there will be many trials and setbacks before spring, when Hanaguro must be strong enough to fly back to its Russian feeding grounds. 

Will Goichi be able to find the courage to rise to all the challenges? Does the bear... Well, you get the idea.

The swans in the movie are probably whooper swans, which do indeed migrate from the Siberian taiga to northern Japan (and other locations) for the winter. They are large, noisy birds, among the heaviest avians that can fly. Their North American cousins, mute swans, are much quieter. Mute swans are also very territorial, so it would be very unusual to see an entire flock in close quarters in a single body of water, like this:

Further, the scene in which Hanaguro's mother is killed and carried off by a sea eagle is unrealistic. A sea eagle's sustained carrying capacity is 2-4 kg. A mature female whooper swan weighs 7-8 kg. (Mute swans are even heavier.) A sea eagle can kill a swan, but it would eat as much as it could where the swan fell.

The voice cast is as old school as the movie:

• Ikura Kazue (Goichi) 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, Kuroeda Keiko in Aoki Honoo, and Hojo Masako in Genji, Part 1, and she also appeared in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki and 15 Shounen Hyouryuuki, all Orphan releases. see Aoki Honoo v2
• Miura Masako (Yuki) appeared in Mock & Sweet, Showa Aho Zhoshi Akanuke Ichiban!, Watashi to Watashi, and ESPer Mami. She played Suni in Kimu no Juujika, an Orphan release.
• Tanaka Hideyuki (father) played Terryman in the Kinnikuman franchise and Rayearth in Magic Knight Rayearth. He also played Kuroyanagi Moritsuna in Chocchan Monogatari, Kusuri in Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko, Max in Dallos, Unno Rokurou in Sanada 10, Harmer in Al Caral no Isan, Sammy in Bavi Stock, Sawamura in Nozomi Witches, Ronron in Greed, Aoto in Oedo ga Nemurenai!, Katze in Ai no Kusabi, Minowa Takanari in Karuizawa Syndrome, Kazuhiko, Chiko's father in Ohoshi-sama no Rail, Ma Su, Fengji's lover, in Sangokushi movie 3, and an extra in Heart Cocktail, volume 5, all Orphan releases.
• Mutou Reiko (mother) played the title role in Marvelous Melmo and Uran (Astro Girl) in the original Astro Boy. She played Countess Polignac in Rose of Versailles, Akiko in Kasei Yakyoku, Touko in Bride of Deimos, and Queen Tasuka in One Million Year Trip: Bander Book. The last three are Orphan releases.
• Nakanishi Taeko (grandmother) played the grandmother in Yuki, Ryouko in Kuro ga Ita Natsu, Yuri in Kuroi Ame ni Utarete, Helen in A Penguin's Memory, Mrs. Bontempeli in Perrine Monogatari, and Liu Bei's mother in the first two Sangokushi movies, all Orphan releases. She had featured roles in Emma, Glass no Kamen (1984), Little Women, Queen Millennia, Ringing Bell, and Sailor Moon R.
• Yanami Jouji (Gen-san) played Ozora Ibari in Stop!! Hibari-kun!,  Akahatsu (Red Shirt) in Bocchan, Lump in Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Murphy in Maris the Choujo, the wine-loving Big Bird in Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, and the cart vendor in Akuma Tou no Prince: Mitsume ga Tooru, all Orphan releases. He narrated most of the Dragon Ball Z properties. He played Ittan Momen in several of the GeGeGe no Kitaro series and movies and Chuta Ban in all the Kyojin no Hoshi TV series.
• Ootake Hiroshi (Takeshi) played Tezuka-sensei in Fushigi na Melmo, Michael in the What's Michael? OVAs, Hamegg in Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken, the fox in Shounen Jack to Mahou Tsukai, and the principal in Don Dracula. The last four are Orphan releases.
• Sakaguchi Tetsurou (Takeshi's father) was an actor. His only other voice credit was the first Sangokushi movie.
• Nakahara Shigeru (Prince) 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 Jenkins in Nessa no Wakusei, and he had featured roles in Aoki Honoo, Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Ai no Kusabi, Dragon Fist, Dokushin Apartment Doukudami-sou, Chameleon, and Neko Neko Fantasia, all Orphan releases.
• Tanaka Ryouichi (schoolteacher) appeared in Barefoot Gen, Chibi Maruko-chan, Devilman, Koi Kaze, Vandread, Nine, and Dallos. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Yada Kouji (TV announcer) played Dr. Gero in the Dragon Ball franchise. He appeared in all the GeGeGe no Kitarou iterations through 2007, Haguregumo, Cat-Eyed Boy, Nine, and the Sangokushi movies. The last three are Orphan releases.
• Furukawa Toshio (policeman) played Kimball Kinnison in Galactic Patrol Lensman, Ataru in Urusei Yatsura, Kagege in Keroro Gunsou, Kai Shiden in Mobile Suit Gundam, Shin in Fist of the North Star, Shinohara Asuma in Mobile Police Patlabor, and Piccolo in Dragon Ball Z. He also played Inumaru in Maroko, Koganemaru in Maris the Choujo, Tree Kangaroo in Shirokuma Cafe, Prince Croyler in Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Ryotaro in Nayuta, the Spartan Dragon in Stop!! Hibari-kun! and Sally in Chiisana Koi no Monogatari, all Orphan releases.
• Miyauchi Kouhei (vet) played Earth in Magma Taishi, Aaron in Dragon Slayer Eiyuu Densetu, Jack Goldman in Condition Green, King Kaiser in Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Eddie in Nozomi Witches, Kogorou Shirachi in Stop!! Hibari-kun, the grandfather in Tsuki ga Noboru made ni, the judge in A Penguin's Memories, and Brigadier Hamilton in Techno Police 21C, and he appeared in the first two Sangokushi movies, all Orphan releases. He had a recurring role as Kame Sennin in the Dragon Ball franchise and played the mayor of Birdos in Watt Poe.
• Watanabe Misako (narrator) was a prolific movie and TV actress. She has no other anime credits.
  

The director, Katsumata Tomoharu, directed all three Sangokushi movies, Orphan releases, as well as many other Ikeda Daisaku projects.

Perevodildo translated, timed, and did most of the typesetting. Paul Geromini edited. I did some additional typesetting and QCed. Uchuu QCed as well. The raw source is one "WillySucker99," a single-use disguise for a well-known encoder. Frankly, if he didn't want to use his handle, plain old "anonymous" would have been fine. Orphan has lots of anonymous encoders; they're a shy lot.

I've been trying to keep a neutral tone about Yukiguni no Oujisama, out of respect for the other staffers who worked on it and liked it, but you can probably infer that I didn't care for it. It's sadly lacking in humor or shades of gray. It's earnest, and despite the importance of being earnest, a 90-minute movie needs variety in its tonalities to hold my interest. In any case, you can get the movie from the usual torrent site.

Animated Classics of Japanese Literature (batch)

Seishun Anime Zenshuu (translated as Animated Classics of Japanese Literature for its English release) is a 1986 anthology series that retells well-known stories from modern Japanese literature.

It's very much in the mold of its contemporaries, the World Masterpiece Theater series. Most of the 34 episodes are standalone, although there are a few two- and three-parters.

The show was licensed by Central Park Media, but the English version was left incomplete when CPM went bankrupt. Only twelve episodes were released on DVD. Orphan has now released them all.

• Episode 1: The Izu Dancer by Kawabata Yasunari. 
• Episodes 2,3: The Sound of Waves by Mishima Yukio.
• Episodes 7,8: Botchan by Souseki Natsume.
• Episode 10: The Dancing Girl by Ougai Mori.
• Episode 14: Growing Up by Higuchi Ichiyou.
• Episode 16: A Ghost Story by Lafcadio Hearn.
• Episode 20: Season of the Sun by Ishihara Shintarou.
• Episodes 25,26: The Harp of Burma by Takeyama Michio.
• Episode S1 (33): Student Days by Kume Masao.

The batch torrent is intended to replace nine individual torrents for ease of downloading. There is one revised episode, and two others have changes in their file names:

• Episode 1, The Izu Dancer, has minor revisions to typesetting and styling, to match later episodes.
• Episodes 2 and 3, The Sound of Waves, lacked the CRC in their file names.

A patch for episode 1 can be found here. Episodes 2 and 3 should simply be renamed to include their CRCs, as shown in the batch torrent.

The staff credits are the same throughout, more or less:

• Original subtitles - Central Park Media
• Translation check - Perevodildo (plus Muzussawa on Growing Up and kokujin-kun on A Ghost Story) 
• Timing - ninjacloud (plus Collectr for The Izu Dancer)
• Editing and typesetting - Collectr
• QC - Nemesis and Paul Geromini 
• Encoding - anonymous 

Animated Classics is a mixed bag, as most anthology series are. I liked A Ghost Story best, for its atmospheric take on a classic Japanese legend, followed by The Harp of Burma and The Sound of Waves. All of the adaptations are straightforward, without much flair. Accordingly, I find the 1980 TV special of Botchan better than this version; it has more humor, better character designs, and livelier animation.

This batch is the end of Orphan's efforts on Animated Classics for now; but experience has taught me never to say never. If decent sources surface for other episodes — for example, Japanese VHS tapes or, mirabile dictu, the R2J DVDs — we may come back to the series.

Meanwhile, thanks for watching.