Akuma Tou no Prince: Mitsume ga Tooru

Akuma Tou no Prince: Mitsume ga Tooru (The Three-Eyed One: The Prince of Devil Island) was aired in 1985 as part of NTV's "Love Will Save the Earth" telethon. It was the seventh of nine specials to draw on a Tezuka Osamu story and the only one produced by Toei Animation instead of Tezuka Productions. The other eight were:

1978: Hyakumannen Chikyuu no Tabi: Bander Book
1979: Kaitei Choutokkyuu Marine Express
1980: Fumoon
1981: Bremen 4 
1983: Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose
1984: Daishizen no Majuu Bagi
1986: Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet
1989: Tezuka Osamu Monogatari: Boku wa Songoku 

Akuma Tou no Prince is the only special that lacks a high-definition source.

Akuma Tou no Prince is based on Tezuka Osamu's manga character Sharaku, the Three-Eyed One. Sharaku is a descendant of a nearly extinct tribe of three-eyed humans that created an advanced civilization 50,000 years ago and then perished. When his third eye is covered, he is a childish eighth-grader who prefers the company of kindergartners and is frequently bullied at school. However, when his third eye is uncovered, he is a super-genius with a penchant for trying to conquer the world. He is guarded, unofficially, by an older high school girl name Wato Chiyoko, who is exasperated when he behaves like a toddler and terrified when he acts like a psychopath.

Sharaku and Wato-san, as she is always called, are a reference to Sherlock and Watson, but there's no detective work in this episode. Instead, Sharaku, Wato-san, and Inspector Unmei, who thinks he's the reincarnation of Beethoven, are lured aboard a derelict ship and shanghaied to a mysterious island. The captors are none other than neo-Nazis led by Hitler's granddaughter, Pandora. They seek the ultimate treasure of the three-eyed tribe, a weapon that will allow them to (dare I say it?) Rule The World. Pandora and her minions use Sharaku to unlock the path to the treasure, but he is, as one might imagine, three steps ahead of them. Fortunately, Wato-san is one step ahead of Sharaku, and all ends happily for the world, if not Pandora.

The voice cast includes:

• Fujita Toshiko (Sharaku) played the title role in Ikkyu-san, Rui in Cat's Eye, and Yawara's mother in Yawara! She also played cyborg 1019 in Oz, an Orphan release.
• Takashima Gara (Wato-san) played Hild in the Aa! Megami-sama franchise and Julia in Cowboy Bebop. She played Lingming in the Sangokushi OVAs, which Orphan released. She is still active, appearing in the most recent incarnation of Gegege no Kitarou.
• The late Kumakura Kazuo (Unmei) played Papa Panda in the Panda Go Panda movies, the wizard in The Wizard of Oz anime movie, and Shuijing in the Sangokushi OVA, an Orphan release. He died in 2015.
• Yanami Jouji (the mustachioed old man, in a cameo role as a much put-upon ramen cart vendor) 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. He appeared as Lump in Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Big Bird in Grim Douwa: Kin no Tori, and of course, Ibari in Stop!! Hibari-kun, all Orphan releases.
• Yokozawa Keiko (Pandora) 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.

The director, Serikawa Yuugo, is not well known.

Interestingly, the DVD release of Akuma Tou is apparently abridged (or edited or censored, your choice). According to Japan Wikipedia, the original show included a scene where a monster bird attacked the Kinmochi Clinic while Sharaku was watching Kinnikuman on TV. This scene is missing from the raw we have. (A tip of the hat to Gyumaoh for pointing this out, as well as ANN's name confusion about the seiyuu who played Wato-san.) That could explain why the special is only 85 minutes, when all the others are 90.

Moho Kareshi did the original script, and tenkenX6 checked the translation. ninjacloud timed, I edited and typeset, and Nemesis and VigorousJammer QCed. The raw is from heponeko and appears to be a DVD rip. It includes eyecatches at every commercial break (roughly every 12-13 minutes). In the Blu-ray Tezuka Osamu specials, the eyecatches have been removed.

Apparently, Tezuka Osamu didn't like Akuma Tou no Prince. The official web site complains that "more emphasis was placed on entertainment factors than on theme." That's certainly true; the usual environmental messaging is missing. But the helter-skelter plot and giddy twists are certainly mainstream Tezuka Osamu, and it is entertaining. You can get Akuma Tou no Prince from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net

Take Our Scripts, Please

I received a question on BakaBT about translating Orphan's scripts into other languages. Unfortunately, I deleted the question before I answered it, so I'll answer it here: feel free. You can use Orphan's scripts for translating to other languages; for muxing with other raws at different resolutions; or any other purpose you please. I'd request that you credit the subtitle source, if you include staff credits, but it's just a request.

All Orphan releases are softsubbed, and you can extract scripts, fonts, and chapter files from the releases themselves, using mkvmerge in the mkvtoolnix kit.

Kasei Yakyoku

Here's a rare bird, not just for Orphan, but for anime as a whole - a four-part josei OVA, 1989's Kasei Yakyoku (Nightsong of Splendor). Josei is probably the least common of the mainstream anime and manga genres - much less common than shounen, shoujo, seinen, minna, kodomo, or even BL. This is (I think) the first version in English, although it's possible that TechnoGirls released a version on VHS tape.

Kasei Yakyoku is based on a nine-volume manga by Hirata Makiko; the manga is not available in English. It is set in late Taisho Japan (1923), a period of political and social ferment. It focuses on a quartet of star-crossed lovers: Hasho Akiko, a daughter of a noble family; Uchida Sara, her maid since childhood; Saionji Kiyokuni, heir to a major banking family; and Ito Taka, a strongman in the Aoba yakuza group. Akiko is betrothed to Kiyokuni but chafes at the constraints of an arranged marriage based on financial considerations. Then Taka rescues her and Sara when their car breaks down in a bad part of Tokyo. As a result, Akiko decides to have an affair with Taka and tries to give Sara to Kiyokuni as a "consolation" gift. Taka sees through Akiko and will have nothing to do with her, and Kiyokuni turns down Sara, albeit with regret. Sara quits her maid's job and tries to make it on her own. However, she is not equipped to face the dangers of the Tokyo demimondaine. Taka rescues her, they fall in love, and then suddenly, it's September 1, 1923...

The summary makes Kasei Yakyoku sound melodramatic, if not downright soap operatic, and to some extent it is. But it's also a fascinating look at a time in Japan when society was undergoing rapid change, and new and old rubbed elbows uneasily. The characters are well fleshed out; there's not a one-dimensional stereotype in the bunch. There's nudity, sex, violence, and raw emotion. What's not to like? 

The voice cast includes many well-known names of 20th century anime:

• The late Nozawa Nachi (Taka) debuted in 1967. He played Lupin in the original Lupin III pilot film, Axel von Fersen in Rose of Versailles, Cobra in the Space Cobra franchise, as well as Black Jack in Marine Express and Bremen 4 and Takeru in Izumo (1991), all Orphan releases. He died in 2010.
• The late Mutou Reiko (Akiko) played the title role in Marvelous Melmo and Uran (Astro Girl) in the original Astro Boy. She played Countess Polignac in Rose of Versailles, and Queen Tasuka in One Million Year Trip: Bander Book (an Orphan release). Kasei Yakyoku was one of her last roles. She died in 2006. 
• Suzuki Hiroko (Sara) played the title role in The Adventures of Pepero and appeared in Peter Pan no Bouken and several other World Masterpiece Theater series.
• The late Ogawa Shinji (Kiyokuni) played Johnny's father in Starship Troopers and Douglas MacArthur in Junod, both Orphan releases, but I remember him best as the lecherous oji-san, Maestro Stresemann, in Nodame Cantabile. He died in 2015.
• Seki Toshihiko (Sara's younger brother Junichiro) was one of the leading male seiyuu in this period. He played the title role in Izumo, Riki in Ai no Kusabi, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, the gang leader Hiba in Wild 7, 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 the Yawara! properties, Sanzo in the Saiyuuki TV series, and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro.
• Tsujitani Kouji (Taka's colleague Saburou) played the title role in the Captain Tylor franchise and the lead role in the 3x3 Eyes OVAs. He also played Guy in Ai no Kusabi, Homare in Okane ga Nai, Shou in Condition Green, and Seishirou in Yuukan Club, all Orphan releases. His most recent role was in Kokkoku.

The show was directed by the the late Dezaki Osamu, younger brother of Dezaki Satoshi. Fittingly enough, Osamu got his start at Tezuka Osamu's Mushi productions and went on to direct many famous shows, including Ashita no Joe and its sequel, Ace wo Nerae and its sequel, the Black Jack OVAs and movie, and half a dozen Lupin III TV specials. To quote AniDB, "He was known for his distinct visual style, which made use of split-screen, stark lighting, and pastel freeze frames that he called 'Postcard Memories.' The latter was perhaps his most famous trademark and featured a process where the screen faded into a detailed "painting" of the simpler original animation. Many of techniques that he used became popular afterwards." He died in 2011.

The show poses a number of interesting translation problems.

• The title, Kasei Yakyoku, is rather ambiguous. The translator, weleaveshadows, used the English title suggested by TechnoGirls, Nightsong of Splendor, but Starlight Nocturne is equally valid.
• Some characters are referred to strictly by title rather than by name. The Aoba group boss is oyabun, rendered as "Boss" or "the boss." The proprietress of the Cafe Bistro is okami, rendered as "Ma'am" or "Madam."
• Taka's coterie use terms of familial respect. Junichiro and Sabu refer to Taka as aniki, respected elder brother, rendered by the anachronistic but locally appropriate "Bro." Taka calls Junichiro his ototobun, meaning a friend treated like a little brother.
• Akiko calls herself atarashii onna or "new woman." This was a feminist movement in Taisho Japan, seeking greater freedom and rights for women.

There are many historical references throughout the series. For example, the magazines that Junichiro is seen reading (Nihon Shonen and Shonen Club) are real boys' magazines of the time.The product advertising billboards also show actual 1920s products; for example, Sakura Beer. weleaveshadows has more notes on the show on her website.

Kasei Yakyoku had a tortuous path to release. Close to three years ago, Iri found some sub-par Internet raws and started to translate, but the awful raws and other opportunities caused the project to be shelved in 2016. While Iri searched for better raws, weleaveshadows of Iquix released her own version of episode 1. I reached out to her and suggested that Iquix and Orphan collaborate to finish the series. She agreed and translated the rest of the OVAs, but the project stalled again on availability of both raws and a translation checker. Finally, Iri located a VHS tape of the first two episodes and a laserdisc of the last two. After delays for shipping and encoding, these raws were ready. The show is a joint Orphan-Iquix release.

Iri translation checked episode 1 and part of 2; laalg translation-checked all four. Yogicat timed, I edited and typeset, and BeeBee and Topper3000 QCed. M74 encoded the first two episodes from the VHS tape rip, and Erik of Piyo Piyo productions encoded the last two episodes from a laserdisc. If we ever find a laserdisc of the first two episodes, we'll re-release them.

I quite liked Kasei Yakyoku. The OVAs tell a complete story, although clearly not the whole story that's in the manga. The ending feels like a good stopping point, with the central relationships and tensions defined but unresolved. And it's gorgeous to look at, particularly the episodes taken from laserdisc. If you'd like to watch Kasei Yakyoku, you can find it on the usual torrent site or download it from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

"The World Is Full of Bad Fansubs"

After almost every Orphan release, the nyaa comments section includes a couple of heartfelt pleas for Orphan to tackle other anime. Usually, these are untranslated shows or movies, but sometimes, they are works where the existing fansubs are deficient. I have already described how Orphan chooses projects. In this blog article, I want to explain why Orphan does not take requests to redo shows with existing fansubs.

Now, Orphan has occasionally resubbed shows with existing fansubs; examples include Nagasarete Airantou, Scoopers, Cosprayers, and Smash Hit. In all cases, the impetus for the project came from within the group. The reasons varied. One was the availability of new, improved source material. That justified a new version, and cleaning up the translation was just part of the process. Another was my personal desire for decent subs on a show I liked.

However, I've had to rein in my desire to fix bad subs. The simple reason is that there are too many of them, and life is too short. Unless the subs go with a title I really like and are the only version available, I have no reason to start a project to improve the subtitle quality. It's a better use of my time, and the group's time, to work on shows that have never been available in English. The existing subs may be awful, but at least an English version is available.

In the list of shows Orphan is working on or even considering, there are only two potential resubs of existing fansubs:

• Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru (a Margaret OVA). I'd like to finish the Margaret OVA set, and the existing version is a 240p VHS rip.
• Kashou no Tsuki. This OVA poses intriguing challenges to both a translator and an editor, because the main characters are androgynous. Thus, the choice and use of pronouns is very tricky.

So Orphan fans, I do see and understand your heartfelt pleas, but they will go unanswered. The backlog of untranslated shows is quite large, and another large shipment of unique laserdiscs will soon be leaving Japan for processing in the US. You will have to live with the subs you have... or fix them yourself. Gomen.

Izumo (1991)

No, not that one. And definitely not that one. Rather, it's this one, the first one, a two episode OVA from 1991. Izumo is based on a Tsuzuki Kazuhiko's four-volume manga from 1990. The manga has not been translated, but based on the drawings, the OVA covers some, but not all, of the first volume.

Izumo is a historical fantasy set in third century (i.e., mythical) Japan. It tells the story of Izumo, the young prince of Nakatsukuni. He's not very interested in studying, unlike his cousin Dekiru; instead, he wants to see the wider world. One day, a mysterious girl named Sanae shows up as a stowaway on an airship. Although nominally from Yamataikoku, she is actually from the Naga, a shadowy people possessing magical powers. Sanae is kidnapped by Takeru, a warrior from the rival kingdom of Akusa, and placed at the mercy of the evil witch Yomihime. Izumo, helped by an orphaned glider pilot named Navi, must now take up the sacred sword of his country, master its powers, and rescue Sanae. However, before that, he must defeat the reawakened eight-headed snake of legend, Yamata-no-Orochi.

I found Izumo very engaging and entertaining. It's beautifully drawn. The combination of Japanese myths (Yomihime, Orochi) and anachronistic technology (airships, gliders) contributes to the sense of remoteness and prevents the show from becoming an ordinary sword-and-sorcery fest. The leads are charming, and the other characters more than just plot drivers. Finally, it looks really good for an analog source.

The voice cast is stellar:

• Seki Toshihiko (Izumo) was one of the leading male seiyuu in this era. He played Riki in Ai no Kusabi, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, the gang leader Hiba in Wild 7, 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 the Yawara! properties, Sanzo in the Saiyuuki TV series, and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro.
• Shimazu Saeko (Sanae) played Madoka in Kimagure Orange Road, Yuri in the Dirty Pair franchise, Chocola in Don Dracula, and the title roles in Lunn Flies into the Wind and Bagi (both Orphan releases). She also had featured roles in the other Rumiko Takahashi series of the era, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, and Inuyasha.
• Hayashibara Megumi (Navi) was arguably the most famous seiyuu of the 1990s. She starred 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. She also played a number of feline roles, including including the title roles in the All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku and Hello Kitty franchises, as well as "lead cat" Iruinedo in Oruorane the Cat Player, an Orphan release.
• The late Nozawa Nachi (Takeru) debuted in 1967. He played Lupin in the original Lupin III pilot film, Axel von Fersen in Rose of Versailles, Cobra in the Space Cobra franchise, and Black Jack in Marine Express and Bremen 4 (both Orphan releases). He passed away in 2010.
• Sasaki Nozomu (Dekiru) starred as Tetsuo in Akira, Ebata in Genji Part 1, Ushio in the original Ushio to Tora, Urameshi in the Yu Yu Hakusho franchise, and Mello in Death Note. He played Taiga in Nagasarete Airantou, Hal in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, and Ling Fei-Long in Dragon Fist, all Orphan releases.
• Genda Tesshou (the rebel leader Oosukune) 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, Dog McCoy in Dallos, and Hebopi in Wild 7, all Orphan releases.
• The late Tsuru Hiromi (Sanae's friend Iyo) 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, Jill in A Penguin's Memories, and UFO-chan in Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, all Orphan releases. She died in 2017.
• The late Niimura Reiko, who gave a particularly chilling performance as Yomihime, was primarily a dramatic actress. Her anime roles included Master Keaton, Night on the Galactic Railway, and Senya Ichiya Monogatari, an Orphan release. She died in 2011.

(The translator, Sunachan, swears that Iyo is voiced by Hayashibara Megumi, one of her favorite seiyuu, and thus Navi must be Tsuru Hiromi, but I have to follow the credits as listed in the show.)

Izumo was directed by the legendary Yamamoto Eiichi, who directed the Animerama films Senya Ichiya Monogatari and Cleopatra (both Orphan releases), as well as Kanashimi no Belladonna, Odin, Oshin, and Tsuki ga Noboru made ni (also an Orphan release). Izumo and Tsuki were his last directing projects; his experienced directing hand shows. The music was by Koroku Reijirou, who wrote the scores for five of the six Lion Book OVAs.

Sunachan translated the show; Moho Kareshi did an initial version. ninacloud timed, I edited and typeset, bananadoyouwanna styled the songs, and Topper3000 and VigorousJammer QCed. The show was encoded from Japanese laserdiscs by Piyo Piyo Productions; it looks remarkably good for an analog transfer. The laserdiscs have an interesting backstory. Erik purchased them back in his VHS subtitling days but decided against working on them and sold the discs. Then, Iri found another set of discs on Yahoo Japan, bought them, and sent them to Erik for encoding. The circle of (analog) life!

I really like Izumo, and so do all of the staff that worked on it. Note that like many 80s and 90s shows (including Ranma 1/2 and Prime Rose), it includes some non-sexual nudity. You can get Izumo from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Domesday

The Orphan team has been expending a lot (too much) of its free cash buying analog media (VHS tapes and laserdiscs) in Japan and getting them transcribed to digital form. We really feel we're in a race against time. Magnetic tapes and optical disks have a finite lifespan. The phenomenon of laserdisc "bit rot" is well documented. Worse yet, Erik (of Piyo Piyo Productions) has had discs come apart during playback. The clock truly is ticking.

Up until now, the best way of transcribing a laserdisc has been to play it back on a high-quality player, capture the video with little or no compression, and do all the filtering, color correction, deinterlacing, etc. in software. The old ATI All-in-Wonder cards were ideal for this and are still highly prized by specialists. However, most of those cards only run under XP, and it's becoming harder to find and maintain an XP system, not to mention exceedingly dangerous to plug one into a network. USB capture devices usually have fairly crappy electronics. And no matter how the signal is captured, it has already been processed and distorted by the ancient (and often crappy) electronics in the laserdisc player itself.

Fortunately, Orphan and Piyo Piyo have not been the only groups pondering how to capture and preserve laserdiscs. A far more august body, the BBC, has been running a project to recreate the experience of its Domesday laserdiscs from the 1980s. An offshoot of that, the Domesday Duplicator project, is taking a novel approach to the problem of electronics distortion in the capture chain by removing most of the consumer electronics from the path. Instead, the laserdisc player's laser signal is captured as early as possible, while it is still RF. Direct RF sampling allows all information on the laserdisc to be duplicated (unlike conventional RGB sampling of the video output). The sampled RF is stored in a computer and then post-processed by highly sophisticated modern signal processing software. This results in images that are much clearer than anything the laserdisc player can produce on its own. (There are some examples on the Domesday duplicator site.)

[Side note: this is very similar to how the computer hobbyist community salvaged old 7-track magnetic tapes. Old magtape drives are difficult to find and harder to get working. The tapes themselves suffer from flaking of the magnetic media and also from "print through" (distortion of magnetization through exposure to the bits on the surrounding layers). To deal with this, the hobbyists mounted a more modern 36-track tape head on a board, with tape hubs controlled by precision stepper motors. The tape was stepped across the head in precise increments and oversampled both horizontally and vertically. The captured data was post-processed by modern software that applied not only local signal processing techniques but spatial compensation for data that would have been in adjacent layers, in order to account for print-through effects.]

After much agonizing (and searching of threadbare wallets), Orphan has decided to try creating a Domesday Duplicator capture capability in Japan. Up until now, we've had to ship laserdiscs to the US or elsewhere for transcription: a hazardous and expensive process. With an in-country capture capability, we can purchase used laserdiscs in Japan and have them shipped inside the country at much lower cost. And getting better lossless rips is an added bonus. We've already bought the laserdisc player, a reconditioned top-end unit. The next step is to buy the Domesday duplicator electronics. The signal processing software is, fortunately, Open Source and free.

As you can imagine, all this has put a serious financial drain on the team. Orphan has no fund-raising mechanisms: no ads on this website, no referrals to Amazon, nothing.There's no donation button anywhere. An anonymous benefactor helped buy the Hidamari no Ki DVD set, but that was a one-off. There's simply no cash to buy the duplicator itself. So if our fans (all six of you) are feeling generous and would like to help with this project, please let me know.