Bronze: Zetsuai ~ Since 1989

Bronze: Zetsuai ~ Since 1989 is the 1996 sequel to the pioneering BL OVA Zetsuai 1989, which Orphan released earlier this year. It brings the story of singer Nanjou Kouji and soccer prodigy Izumi Takuto to some sort of stopping point, although the manga goes on for another twelve volumes without reaching much of a conclusion. The release of Bronze concludes Orphan's project to "spruce up" the classic BL OVAs with modern encodes, checked translations, and softsubs.

Like Zetsuai, the tone of Bronze is emotionally overwrought and operatic. As the OVA opens, Izumi is going off to Italy to try his soccer skills against better players. Nanjou, in despair, gets into a near-fatal motorcycle accident and is hospitalized in a coma. When Izumi returns, his rage goads Nanjou back to consciousness, but the latter has lost his voice from the trauma. Deprived of his career, Nanjou is carried off to his family to become the heir to his late father's martial arts school. Nanjou's friend and manager, Shibuya, conspires to bring the two lovers back together again, in the hope of shocking Nanjou out of his silent state. And then... As I said, operatic, although rather more soap opera than grand opera.

Unlike Zetsuai, Bronze was released on DVD. The aspect ratio (700 x 527) is narrower than standard 4:3, because there were substantial black margins on each side. Although the voice cast is the same for the two OVAs, almost everything else changed - the animation house (Madhouse to Production I.G.), the director (Endou Takuji to Kawasaki Itsurou), the music composer (Kawai Kenji to Ootani Kou),and the character designer (Aoki Tetsurou to Kise Kazuchika). The most noticeable difference is that the characters look even taller, thinner, and more elongated.

Continuing the tradition of Cathexis - a set of Zetsuai anime music videos that Orphan released last year - Bronze includes its own AMV, Cliff. It's yet another emotional ballad set to homoerotic imagery. It includes shots of the manga author, Minami Ozaki, looking pensive or yearning, along with some heavy breathing (whose is not specified). This is the first time the AMV has been released as part of a fansub.

For Bronze itself, the original script is by Lupin Gang Anime. Sunachan went over it with a fine-tooth comb and marked it up extensively. M74 timed; I edited and typeset; Calyrica and VigorousJammer QCed. M74 encoded from an R2J DVD. The AMV has the same credits, except that the translation is from the Internet, credited to Evol Siren.

At a distance of more than twenty years, it's easy to dwell on the faults of Zetsuai and Bronze and hard to remember the impact they had when they were first released. You can get Bronze from the usual torrent sites or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Techno Police 21C

I've wanted to do a subtitled version of 1982's Techno Police 21C for quite a while, although not since 1982. A dubbed version has been available for several years, but it's a VHS source, and I had my doubts about the accuracy of the English script. Fortunately, Erik of Piyo Piyo Productions had the Japanese laserdisc, so off we went.

Techno Police 21C (the 21C stands for 21st century) is a sci-fi action flick about crooks and police. Centinel (sic) City has been overrun by criminals who use giant machines to commit crimes. To counter them, the police form a unit called the Techno Police, which uses advanced robots (called Techroids) in partnership with human officers. Kyousuke Mibu, a Highway Patrol officer best known for destroying his motorcycles, is drafted into this new force. His partner is a flying, skating Techroid called Blader. His colleagues include Kaoru Kousaka, partnered with a brute strength Techroid called Vigorous (and mispelled as Vigorus in the bonus section), and Elena Fubuki, partnered with a scanning and analysis Techroid called Scanny. (Scanny has a shapely female form, because, why not?) Together, they must combat a criminal gang that first robs an impregnable bank and then hijacks an advanced heavy tank with a mind of its own. Kyousuke's best weapon is his instinct, but will that keep him alive in the face of heavy weaponry, dastardly villains, military intervention, and general mayhem?

In short, Techno Police 21C is good fun. It starts fast and keeps the pedal to the metal almost all the time. The story was the debut work of Suzuki Toshimitsu, who went on to create other sci-fi and action shows such as Bubblegum Crisis, Bubblegum Crash, and A.D. Police. (The script itself is credited to five different people.) The voice cast includes:

• Yasuhara Yoshito (Kyousuke) played Scarecrow in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (TV), Ranze's father in Tokimeki Tonight (which Orphan finished), and Louis XVI in The Rose of Versailles.
• The late Utsumi Kenji (chief of Techno Police) played the title role in Don Dracula and again in Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned, Norimaki Senbei in the Dr. Slump franchise, Alex Louis Armstrong in all the Fullmetal Alchemist properties, Dr. Zachariasen in Nora, an Orphan release, and numerous other roles.
• Takizawa Kumiko (Elena) played Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (movie). She also appeared in Scoopers, an Orphan release.
• Ikeda Masaru (Kaoru) got his start in the 1970s and had numerous lead and featured roles, usually as father or authority figures. He played the police chief in Every Day Is Sunday, an Orphan release.
• The late Takiguchi Junpei (Scratch, the criminal with the distinctive voice) played the villainous king of Kanemacchi Castle in Grim Douwa: Kin no Tori and the Mouse Thief in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, both Orphan releases.
• The late Aono Takeshi (Crime, the other criminal) played Masaki Katsuhiko in the Techni Muyo franchise, Bookman in the original D.grayman, and the leader of the Crazy Group in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, an Orphan release.
• Oobayashi Ryuusuke (Blader) played Ranma's father in the Ranma 1/2 franchise. He also appeared in Yuukan Club, an Orphan release.
  

Moho Kareshi translated the dialog, and Sunachan translated the songs. laalg checked the translations and filled in some of the military and naval jargon. ninjacloud timed; I edited and typeset. Nemesis and VigorousJammer did QC. Erik encoded from his own Japanese laserdisc. The encode includes a ten-minute bonus showing the "state of the art" 1985 CGI used in designing the Techroids and providing detailed technical specs. It's a hoot.

The show is not set in Japan, despite the Japanese names for the police officers. All the signs are in English, for example, and the crooks and the military baddie have western names or nicknames. Accordingly, western name order has been used and honorifics  removed. This presents some problems. "Kaoru" is an androgynous name, and Kousaka is reluctant to say it, often trailing off his introductory sentences. That doesn't work as well if Kaoru comes first. Kyousuke responds by calling Kousaka "Kaoru-chan," rendered as "little Kaoru," to try to convey the joke. Kyousuke also calls Elena "Elena-chan," rendered as "Elena baby," a mark of condescension that Blader (who is still learning how to speak) mimics. Kyousuke calls Blader "Blader-san," rendered as "Mr. Blader," until he learns that Blader is a robot; after that, it's plain "Blader." All "-kun" honorifics are dropped.

Even if you've watched the English dub, you'll enjoy this subtitled version; and if you haven't, go get Techno Police 21C from your usual torrent site. You can also get it from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Update: just as we released Techno Police 21C, a Blu-ray edition went on sale in Japan. It's insanely expensive ($130) because it includes a Blader action figure. However, if any fan really wants to see this movie with much better video, it's only a matter of money...

Sangokushi (1985)

The Japanese are obsessed with chaotic parts of their history, like the Sengoku and the Bakumatsu, both of which have been the subject of numerous anime, movies, TV shows, manga, books, and games. However, they appear equally fascinated with a chaotic era in Chinese history, the fall of the Han dynasty, aka the Three Kingdoms period (184 AD to 280 AD). There have been numerous Japanese adaptations of the history of that period, Records of the Three Kingdoms, or of the famous novel based on it, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but none is as famous as the 60-volume manga Sangokushi by Yokoyama Mitsuteru. The manga in turned spawned two TV specials (OVAs) in the 1980s, and a 47-episode TV series and three movies in the 1990s. Orphan is proud to present the first of the two TV specials, Sangokushi (1985). We plan on releasing the second TV special,  Sangokushi 2 (1986), and the three movies. The TV series will have to wait for a group with more patience and stamina.

Sangokushi is set in the waning days of the Han dynasty. Central rule has disintegrated, and the land is controlled by multiple warlords. Wei is nominally ruled by the Han emperor, but power really belongs to his ambitious chancellor, Cao Cao Mengde. Wu, a state south of the Yangtze River, is ruled by Sun Quan Zhongmou. Liu Bei Xuande is a warrior from a small state. While Cao Cao is governed by ambition and Sun Quan by pride, Liu Bei aspires to build a just state and to serve the people. Clearly, he's the hero of the story.

This movie-length TV special opens with Liu Bei under attack by Cao Cao's forces and in danger of capture. His only hope is to find a strategist whose knowledge and wiles can offset Cao Cao's far superior military power. He eventually finds the sage he's looking for, Zhuge Liang Kongming. With the strategist's help, Liu Bei escapes Cao Cao's net and flees to Wu. There he proposes an alliance to Sun Quan. Kongming convinces Sun Quan that he and Liu Bei can defeat Cao Cao, despite their numerical disadvantage in troop strength. Aided by Sun Quan's sister Lihua, with whom Liu Bei has fallen in love, the allies prepare to confront Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs. And then... but that would be telling.

Like the live-action movie Red Cliffs, which covers many of the same events, Sangokushi is full of larger-than-life warriors who easily defeat tens, hundreds, or even thousands of enemies. These warriors - even the female ones - strike heroic, manly poses and declaim in heroic, manly dialog. There is no time for introspection, second thoughts, or character development. Liu Bei starts as saintly, Cao Cao as ambitious, and Sun Quan as irascible, and they remain exactly as they started. Well, it avoids confusion.

The anime has many exciting action scenes, both mass battles and individual duels, and they're beautifully done, with fluid animation and clear direction. The voice cast includes many familiar names:

• Inoue Kazuhiko (Liu Bei Xuande) played Yamaoka Shirou in Oishinbo and Yuki Eiri in Gravitation, but I know and love him best as the irascible, sake-swilling Nyanko-sensei in the Natsume Yuujichou properties. He also played Ryousuke in Daishizen no Majuu Bagi and Kitten Smith in Starship Troopers, both Orphan releases.
• The late Tomiyama Kei (Zhuge Liang Kongming) is another familiar name. His versatility landed him leading roles in Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Bremen 4, Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, and Yousei Ou, all Orphan releases.
• Hirano Fumi (Princess Lihua) starred as Lum in the Urusei Yatsura franchise. She also played Tsugumi in Stop!! Hibari-kun, an Orphan release.
• Ikeda Masaru (Sun Quan Zhongmou) starred in Yatterman and had numerous featured roles.
• Yamada Eiko (Yu Jin, Cao Cao's stalwart woman warrior) played the title roles in Anne of Green Gables and Legend of Lemnear, as well as Jo in Little Women. She appeared in What's Michael? and Chameleon, both Orphan releases.

The actor who played Cao Cao seems to have no other credits. The director, Imazawa Tetsuo, helmed Coo of the Far Seas and Utso Miko. (He also directed the first Happy Science film, Hermes: the Winds of Love, but we'll overlook that one.) The music is by the late Watanabe Takeo, who also scored many 70s and 80s TV series, including Perrine, Heidi, Nobody's Boy Remi, Dog of Flanders, Lady Georgie, and the original Mobile Suit Gundam.

Sangokushi is Iri's brainchild; he's translating the TV specials and the movies. Sunachan checked the Chinese names and places. M74 timed the show. Lann094, a new member of the team, edited; I typeset. bananadoyouwanna, VigorousJammer, and I all did QC. (banana also styled the ending song.) Skr provided the raw, which is a direct 1080p webrip and looks quite nice, although it is probably upscaled. (This is Orphan's first 1080p release, I believe.) There is a brief bit of nudity - it's a 1980s OVA, after all - but by and large, it's SFW.

So buckle up for an exciting ride through ancient China, with the assurance that even more historical adventures are on the way. You can get Sangokushi (1985) from the usual torrent sites or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou

Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou (Singles Apartment Dokudami-sou) is a very ecchi, not to say rather sketchy, three-part OVA from 1989. It was one of the very first laserdiscs that ics- ripped when he joined Orphan; it was encoded more than two years ago. However, no translator wanted to touch the material. Getting a subtitled version seemed hopeless, so Orphan released it in raw form last September. Then intrepid translator Moho Kareshi surfaced after his 18-month-long marathon translating all 136 episodes of the Oishinbo TV show. He said he was ready to help clear up Orphan's backlog, and he chose Dokushin as his first project. Accordingly, Orphan can now bring you this long-neglected show, although this just might be an instance of the old adage, "Let sleeping dogs lie."

Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou chronicles the so-called life of Hori Yoshio, apartment house resident and horny schlub. Yoshio has no talents, no prospects, and no apparent goals, except to get drunk and get laid. His appearance is undistinguished, and his personal hygiene is very questionable. (He tends to drool from his nose and mouth at the sight of a pretty girl.) 

The three OVAs provide five unrelated episodes from Yoshio's life:

• UFO-chan. A pretty but mentally deficient young woman, who thinks she came from the sky, takes up residence in Yoshio's room. Yoshio is torn between his desire to sleep with her and his wish to protect her, sometimes simultaneously. This episode is double length.
• Death Trap. Yoshio meets Shinobu, a beautiful a woman who thinks that her sexual partners are cursed to die within a week. Yoshio proves more than willing to test the curse, with near-fatal results.
• Charge! Adventures of the Okutama Explorers! On a camping trip with his friends Rokuta and Hiromi, Yoshio stumbles over a nubile and willing young woman, who is not at all what she seems to be.
• Tokyo Lullaby. Yoshio "assists" two young lovers by setting the boy up with another woman and persuading the girl to take a job at a brothel.
• Visitor at Midnight. Yoshio has an unexpected visit from his childhood crush. Their romantic tryst takes a supernatural turn.

The stories are definitely NSFW, full of nudity and sex. The first, UFO-chan, is the skeeviest of the bunch, as Yoshio and his buddy have no compunction about trying to take advantage of a mentally deficient girl and are only thwarted (repeatedly) by adverse circumstances. It is also too long. The others work better. In all the episodes, Yoshio ends up getting his just desserts.

Because of the episodic nature of the show, the voice cast is extensive:

• Futamata Issei (Yoshio) is best known for his roles as Godai Yuusaku in Maison Ikkoku, Akira (Chibi) in Urusei Yatsura, and Saburo in Sazae-san. He also played the psychopathic brother Cross in Hi-Speed Jecy, an Orphan release. He recently appeared in Gurazeni.
• The late Tsuru Hiromi (UFO-chan) debuted as Perrine in Perrine Monogatari. She went on to play Kashima Miyuki in Miyuki, Madoka in Kimagure Orange Road, Barge in Blue Sonnet, and Mikami Reiko in Ghost Sweeper Mikami. She also played Nozomi in Nozomi Witches and Jill in A Penguin's Memories, both Orphan releases.
• Ikura Kazue (Shinobu) had leading roles in the City Hunter and All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku-Nuku franchises. She also played Kuroeda Keiko in Aoki Honoo, an Orphan release.
• Takada Yumi (Yumi the barkeeper) played Yoshinaga-sensei in many of the Crayon Shin-chan movies and Ayeka in the Tenchi Muyo franchise. She also appeared as Saya and Monmo in Cosmic Fantasy and Purinpurin in Hoshi Neko Full House, both Orphan releases.
• Anzai Masahiro (Rokuta) played appeared as Cherenkov in Starship Troopers, an Orphan release.
• Yamaguchi Ken (Hiromi) appeared in Yamato 2520, Hoshi Neko Full House, and Condition Green, all Orphan releases.

The music tends to be comic honky-tonk, befitting the tone, but the ending songs by The Hero Band are fairly bluesy, reflecting Yoshio's prospects.

A few translation notes: 

Episode 1:

• "New squeeze." Yoshio uses kore (これ - "this") reversed (れこ) with a raised pinky, indicating a girlfriend.
• "Get it on with her." Osamu uses manko (まんこ - "pussy") reversed (こーまん), indicating sex.
• "I want to eat shabu-shabu." Yuuho mistakes shabu (amphetamines) for shabu-shabu (hot pot).
• "A-A chestnut and a squirrel?" A pun on kuritorisu (clitoris) and kuri to risu (chestnut and squirrel).

Episode 2:

• Shinobi describes herself as a bad luck fortune, like the o-mikuji visitors draw at Shinto festivals.

Moho Kareshi translated the dialog and signs. Sunachan translated the songs and checked a few lines (under duress). laalg did a much more extensive check and provided more translation notes. Yogicat timed; I edited and typeset. VigorousJammer and Calyrica did QC; M74 encoded. ics- ripped the show from his own laserdisc collection.

So if you're ready for a dip in the slimy end of the pool, you can get Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou from the usual torrent sites or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Oruorane the Cat Player

Oruorane the Cat Player (Neko Hibi no Oruorane), a 1992 OVA, is a charming sleeper that has languished in totally undeserved obscurity. Thanks to Orphan and Piyo Piyo Productions, it is now available to a wider audience.

The story is set in a vaguely European city in the mountains. The protagonist is an unnamed young man (he's only identified as "boku" - me - in the credits), an unemployed cellist. His orchestra has just disbanded. Without a job or prospects, he wanders the streets, intending to get drunk. He stumbles across a cat that is fond of alcohol and the cat's mysterious owner, an old man (a wizard, possibly) named Oruorane. The old man has taught his three cats - Inruinedo, Malet, and Shofuren - not only to drink but to sing in beautiful harmony. The young man learns to "play" a cat, and the two humans and three cats hold a concert on Christmas Eve. Then, Oruorane and his cats go their way, and the young man returns to his hometown, presumably to start over.

The charm of the show lies not in its plot, which is admittedly slight, but in its storytelling. The visuals are luminous (the animation is by J.C. Staff), and the cat concert is a riot of color and music. We never learn very much about the young man or Oruorane, and the mystery of the singing cats is never explained. However, this show doesn't require explanations; it just needs to be experienced.

The voice cast includes veterans and stars.

• Seki Toshihiko (the protagonist) should be quite familiar to readers of this blog. He appeared as Riki in Ai no Kusabi, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, Miroku in Yuukan Club, Chuuta in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, and the fighter Nagase Jun in Akai Hayate, all Orphan releases. He also played Sanzo in all the Saiyuuki TV series and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro. 
• Ginga Banjou (Oruorane) is a veteran voice actor. He played the title role in 80 Days Around the World with Willy Fog, Baloo in The Jungle Book, and Tohtsuki chairman Nakiri Senzaemon in the Shokugeki no Souma series. He also appeared in the two What's Michael? OVAs, both Orphan releases.
• Hayashibara Megumi (Iruinedo) was arguably the most famous seiyuu of the 1990s. She played other feline roles, including the title role in the All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku franchise and the title role in the Hello Kitty properties. However, she's much better known for her star turns as Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop, Ayanami Rei in Evangelion, Rune Balot in the Mardock Scramble movies, Rebecca in One Piece, Lina in the Slayers franchise, female Ranma in Ranma 1/2, and Miyokichi in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju.
• Orikasa Ai (Malet) made her debut in Shoukoushi Cedie. She also played Toryune in Al Caral no Isan and Sara in Eien no Filena, both Orphan releases, Seguchi Touma (the record company president) in Gravitation, Quatre in Gundam Wing, and Ryouko in the Tenchi Muyo franchise.
• Naka Hiroshi (Shifuren) has mostly had featured roles; his most recent was as Tada's grandfather in Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinoi.

Oruorane is based on a manga by Yumemakura Baku. He's probably best known for the manga Kurozuka. He also wrote the Chimera and Amon Saga mangas, as well as the screenplay for Boku wa Son Gokuu, an Orphan release. The OVA was directed by Nishikubo Mizuro. He also directed Miyuki and Giovanni's Island, as well as Purple Eyes in the Dark, an Orphan release. The background music is appropriate and evocative. The songs are in English.

Iri got the ball rolling by buying the laserdisc of Oruorane at a Japanese auction. He sent it, via Skr, to Erik of Piyo Piyo productions, who encoded it. Moho Kareshi did the initial translation. laalg translation checked. ninjacat - er, ninjacloud - timed. I edited and typeset (nothing difficult). Nemesis and Iri did QC.

I'll leave the final word to Erik: "This anime is a thing of beauty and wonder, and I cannot recommend it enough. It is short and to the point, wasting no time and not wearing out its welcome." So what are you waiting for? Run, don't walk, to get Oruorane the Cat Player from the usual torrent sites, or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Every Day Is Sunday

Mainichi ga Nichiyoubi (Every Day Is Sunday), a six-episode OVA from 1990 to 1992, is another show that's been percolating for a long time - in this case, more than two years. The project started when I noticed that Erik, of Piyo Piyo Productions, owned the Japanese laserdiscs. I thought that if he ripped them, I could spruce up the existing subs (from Kodocha Anime) for a better release, because the Kodocha raws were ancient Divx4 AVIs at low bit rates. Had I But Known™ what I was letting myself in for, I would have shelved the whole idea.

The problem is not the series itself. Mainichi ga Nichiyoubi is a light-hearted slapstick comedy about rookie 22-year-old policewoman Takeshita Yuumi and her love interest, itinerant magician Ichidaiji Tooru. The episodes are standalone capers during which Yuumi's awesome physical abilities and Tooru's cunning sleights-of-hand combine for adventures, with (or desite) help from another rookie policewoman, Ninomiya Shiho (the Chief's granddaughter), and idol Maijima Sarasa, Yuumi's childhood rival. Nothing is taken very seriously. Even when Yuumi's virtue seems imperiled by a villain, the mood is comedic rather than menacing. It's very entertaining.

And the problem is not the series title, although it's commonly given as Everyday Is Sunday. In his torrent, Erik pointed that this is total Engrish. "Everyday" is an adjective, meaning "ordinary" or "commonplace." Mainichi actually means "daily" or "every day." Erik blamed the original English translators, but in fact, the problem goes right back to the anime itself:

(If they meant to use "seems" rather than "is," the title would need to be Every Day Seems like Sunday.) AniDB and friends will never fix it, but the English title should be Every Day Is Sunday.

No, the problem is the encode - blended frames everywhere. That makes tracking moving signs a nightmare, and this series has a lot of signs, all hand-drawn, of course, and many of them in motion. I gradually came to understand why Kodocha typeset so few of them. I considered going back to the Kodocha raws, which have fewer artifacts, but in addition to the ancient codec and low bit rates, they're overcropped. So I blundered on. Some of the signs are set with {\an8}Sign says... because nothing else worked.

All the lead seiyuu are veterans with long careers. Matsumoto Yasunori (Tooru) got his first starring role as Johnny in Starship Troopers, an Orphan release. He was in numerous OVAs in the 1990s, including Seikimatsu: Humane Society and Al Caral no Isan, both Orphan releases. Among his 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. He is still active, appearing in Violet Evergarden in 2018. Itou Miki (Yuumi) played Eika in Project A-Ko, Reimi in Burn Up, and Touko (Natsume's foster mother) in the Natsume Yuujinchou franchise. She is currently appearing in FLCL Alternative. Hiramatsu Akiko (Ninomiya) played Nene Romanova in Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crash, Tom Kusanagi in Mikan Enikki, Konoe (the security maid) in Hanaukyo Maid Tai, and Miyuki in the You're Under Arrest franchise. Matsui Ikeda (Sarasa) played the title role in Dream Hunter Rem and its sequels, Rei (the protagonist's rival) in Idol Densetsu Eriko, Wendy in Peter Pan no Bouken, and Aiko in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, an Orphan release, and its sequel. Ikeda Masaru (Chief) got his start in the 1970s and had numerous lead and featured roles, usually as father or authority figures. His most recent appearance was in 2017's Knight's & Magic.

The OP and ED are quite nice. The OP is bouncy, in keeping with the slapstick nature of the series; the ED is pensive, a more serious reflection on the ambiguous relationship between Yuumi and Tooru. The longest versions are in the first two episodes; the last four abbreviate both the opening and closing sequences. There are different OP and ED animations in each pair of episodes. I have not found a copy of the soundtrack, alas.

The original subtitles were by Kodocha Anime. tenkenX6 checked episodes 1 through 4, and laalg episodes 5 and 6. They added quite a few signs. Yogicat retimed to the new raws. I edited and typeset (and typeset and typeset and typeset...) Calyrica, bananadoyouwanna and VigorousJammer did QC. The encodes are by Piyo Piyo Productions from Japanese laserdiscs. It may be possible do better on the frame-blending issues. If anyone comes up with an improved raw, I'll consider a new version. Or in view of all the typesetting, maybe not.

A few translation notes:

• Tawagoto, the precinct where the show is set, means "nonsense" or "silly talk."
• Tooru is from western Japan and uses "-han" instead of "-chan." 
• Ep1. "Sefure Apartments." Sefure means "sex friend" (a friend with benefits).
• Ep2. "Miss High Legs Contest." High legs are a type of bathing suit cut to make the wearer's legs look longer.
• Ep3. In Japan, school failure notices say "Cherry blossoms fall," because "fall" sounds like "fail."
• Ep3. "Ground fighter" means lying down judo and wrestling techniques.
• Ep3. Miyazawa Rie was a famous actress and singer of the day.
• Ep4. The parade costumes are based on the ancient tale "Journey to the West," with Sarasa playing the Priest, the Chief playing the monkey (Son Gokuu), Yuumi playing the pig (Cho Hakkai), and Tooru playing the kappa (Sa Gojou).
• Ep6. "Suntona" is a parody of "Stona," "Kyolepion" of "Kyoleopin," both Japanese over-the-counter medications.
• Ep6. The newspaper office sign is Shuukan Mainichi, or Daily Weekly. 
• Ep6. Another background sign is "Nitional," a parody of the Panasonic "National" brand. This couldn't be typeset due to frame blending.

So here's a nearly family-friendly slapstick comedy series that almost everyone can enjoy. ("Nearly" and "almost" because there are a couple of topless scenes.) You can get the show from the usual torrent sites or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net

Mea culpa: At the last minute, I added signs at the very end of episodes 2, 4, and 6 giving the production or marketing credit to Takuma Communications. It should be Tokuma Communications, of course.  I'm not going to fix it; they should never have been added so late in the process. Lesson learned.

Kaguya-hime: Taketori Monogatari

So... Princess Kaguya hentai. Because...well, why, Japan?

The idea of subbing the 1987 hentai OVA Kaguya-hime: Taketori Monogatari (Princess Kaguya: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter) has been floating around for two years, ever since a raw turned up. I commissioned a script from an h-anime translator, but this OVA actually has a plot, drawn directly from the folktale, and a fair amount of complicated, non-hentai dialog. (It even includes poems in kobun, or old Japanese.) Accordingly, it stayed on the shelf until another translator was willing to check the script. Now, it's ready to be released on an unsuspecting world that is only familiar with Princess Kaguya through Isao Takahata's masterpiece Kaguya-hime no Monogatari.

Kaguya-hime: Taketori Monogatari is not a masterpiece or anything near it, but it's not the otaku fap-bait that modern hentai anime has become. It has a plot, the sex scenes aren't fetish-of-the-month, and there's even some erudition about the origin of Japanese idioms. The story is carried through from the discovery of Kaguya-hime in a glowing bamboo shoot to her tearful departure for the Moon. The principal change from the folk tale is that the full moon doesn't make Kaguya melancholy, it makes her horny, with predictable consequences.

From what I can tell, Kaguya-hime: Taketori Monogatari was never released on laserdisc, let alone digital media. The only raw is a truly awful VHS rip. If the artwork needed censorship, the lack of definition and the frequent encoding defects in this raw make it unnecessary. No better copies have surfaced, either encoded or on the VHS second-hand market, so I think that WYSIWYG. If you find a better raw or an actual tape, please let me know.

There are no credits in the raw, other than a production credit to Tokyo Studio, so I don't know anything about the cast or staff. Tokyo Studio has no other releases, although there's an announcement at the end of Kaguya-hime about an anime of Yuki-onna (The Snow Woman); apparently, it was never made. The narrator's voice is very familiar, but I'm no expert at identifying seiyuu by voice alone. On the other hand, the opening and closing theme, played under jerky live action shots of a real bamboo forest, is an oriental spin on the second movement of Rodrigo's famous Concierto de Aranjuez. I guess the mountains of Spain and the bamboo forests of Japan are spiritual cousins. Who knew?

This is an Okizari release, rather than an Orphan project, so there are no staff credits. Frankly, I've forgotten who did the original translation, and everyone else who worked on it declines to be identified. The raw is from eMule; no credits there either. If you're interested in this twist on the classic folk tale, you can find it on the usual (h-)torrent sites or download it from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.