Wild 7

For a society as orderly and law-abiding as Japan, the anime-watching public seems to love shows where society in the grip of criminal "carnage" (to quote a recent so-called leader). The only solution seems to be a vigilante individual or special squad that acts as judge, jury, and executioner all at once. A.D. Police, Dominion Tank Police, Techno Police 21C, Joker: Marginal City... the list goes on and on. And here's another: the 1994 two-episode OVA Wild 7. 

The setting is a Japan overrun by well-armed, politically-connected criminals who commit crimes and massacres with impunity. To counter them, a prosecutor and a police captain recruit seven death-row criminals, commission them as inspectors, provide them with motorcycles and a hell of a lot of lethal weapons, and use them as assassins against culprits who are seemingly "above the law."

Wild 7 is based on a successful, long-running shounen manga by Mochizuki Mikiya. It ran from 1969 to 1979 and reflects the turbulence of late 60s Japan. The OVA tells the story of the Wild 7's fight to expose and exterminate a "great boss," who plans nothing less than an effective takeover of Japan. In the first OVA, they target the leader of a terrorist organization, only to find out that he is merely the "lizard's tail" of the shadowy boss behind the scenes. In the second OVA, they face down a rival gang formed by the enemy, as well as political machinations that threaten their very existence. Both episodes are filled with slam-bang action sequences, great motorcycle chases, shiny explosions, and lots of graphic violence. If you turn your mind off from considering the numerous holes in the underlying premise and the actual plot, it's quite a ride.

Each member of the Wild 7 has a unique background and skill.

• Hiba, the defacto leader, is a juvenile escapee from a reformatory and general hard case.
• Happyaku is a former pro baseball player who graduated to embezzlement and fraud.
• Ryougaku is an explosives expert and convicted bomber.
• Sekai is a former wild animal trainer.
• Chaashuu is a former professional chef who also cooked up drugs on the side.
• Oyabun is a former yakuza gang leader and convicted murderer.
• Hebopi is a former student protester who graduated to bombing and murder.

The voice actors for the Wild 7 were:

• Seki Toshihiko (Hiba) played Riki in Ai no Kusabi, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, Miroku in Yuukan Club, Chuuta in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, the fighter Nagase Jun in Akai Hayate, and the unnamed protagonist of Oruorane the Cat Player, all Orphan releases. He also played Matsuda in all the Yawara! properties, Sanzo in all the Saiyuuki TV series, and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro.
• Yamadera Kouichi (Happyaku) played many starring roles, including Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop, Sukeroku in Shouwa Ginroku Rakugo Shinju, Ryouga in all the Ranma 1/2 properties, the nameless hero of Otaku no Seiza, Melos in Hashire Melos!, and of course, Ryouan in Hidamari no Ki (the last two are Orphan releases).
• Yao Kazuki (Ryougaku) is best known for his lead role as Dark Schneider in Bastard!!, the love rival Sofue in Boyfriend, and his recurring role as Franky in One Piece. He also played Date Ikkaku in Akai Hayate, an Orphan release.
• Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Sekai) is best known for playing Jigen in the Lupin the Third TV shows and specials since the inception of the franchise.
• Anzai Masahiro (Chaashuu) debuted in White Fang (an Orphan release). He has had numerous featured roles since, including Cherenkov in Starship Troopers, also an Orphan release.
• Konto Yamaguchi-kun (Oyabun) is a comedian by trade. Wild 7 is his only anime credit.
• Genda Tesshou (Hebopi) played Colonel Muto in Joker Game, Moloch in Yondemasu Azazel-san, Rei in the Urusei Yatsura franchise, Moguro Fukuzou in New Laughing Salesman,  "Oyaji" in Mitsuboshi Colors, as well as Paul Rusch in Yume Kakeru Kougen, the loyal lieutenant Galbreath in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, the dragonman Baguda in Greed, the narrator in Akai Hayate, and Dog McCoy in Dallos, all Orphan releases.

Other featured roles include:

• Terada Minori (Kusanami, supervising captain of the Wild 7) played the villain Muska in Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky.
• Nishimura Tomomichi (Ooiwa, the villain of episode one) appeared in Aoki Honoo, Bremen 4, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, Fumoon, Starship Troopers, and Zetsuai: 1989, all Orphan releases. He is still active, appearing recently in Onihei, Fune wo Amu, and Koi wa Ameagari no You ni.
• Yanaka Hiroshi (Kuromatsu, the villain of episode two) is playing Shiba in the current revival of Piano and Gorou in the Free! franchise. He played Yuurakutei in Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinji and appeared in Noragami, Nanbaka, Terraformars, and Hidamari no Ki, the last an Orphan release.

The director, Egami Kiyoshi, has done other fine action series, including City Hunter '91 and Weiss Kreuz.

Sunachan translated the show. M74 timed it. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and VigorousJammer QCed. M74 encoded from some truly terrible DVDs. The source is a mess of blended frames and interlacing. As a result, the typesetting ranged from annoying to impossible. In some places, I've had to resort to the {\an8}Sign: methodology. Please be kind.

So if you like special police death-squads on the rampage against satanic criminals running amok, Wild 7 is probably your shot of rotgut. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.