Meisou-Ou Border v2

Orphan is releasing a second version of Meisou-Ou Border (Wandering Kings: Border, or something like that), with vastly improved video. This version is so different that I feel it should have an entirely new blog post, not just a rehash of the old one.

Meisou-Ou Border is based on a 14-volume seinen manga by Marley Carib and Tanaka Akio. Only the first three chapters are available in English. It tells the story of two drifters, Kubota and Hachitsuka, who return from the Middle East and choose to live on the margins of conventional society in Tokyo (the "border" of the title). The OVA, from Artland, relates the first four chapters of the manga. An unscrupulous documentary producer sends his minion, Hosoki, to lure Kubota and Hachitsuka down to Osaka with the promise of high pay. There are other fringe benefits, such as room, board, and paid female companionship. The producer places the two men as "innocent bystanders" in the middle of a yakuza gang war. They manage to hold their own, much to the producer's dismay, and then they drift back to Tokyo. The episode closes with an unrelated encounter between Hachitsuka and his former mentor, Jinnou, now a homeless man down on his luck - a stark lesson in the difficulties of leading an unconventional life in 80s Japan. The tone of the show is mostly comedic, even during the yakuza fight, but the ending is sad and elegiac.

The voice cast includes:

• Horiuchi Kenyuu (Kubota) has an extensive resume, including the title role in Guin Saga, as well as Jin Akira in Wolf Guy, Lid in Greed, Nest in Eien no Filena, and the refined son in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show; the last four are Orphan releases. He recently appeared in Sirius the Jaeger.
• Yara Yuusaku (Hachitsuka) played the destroyer captain in Zipang. He had many featured roles, appearing in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Eien no Filena, Hidamari no Ki, Nozomi Witches, both Sangokushi OVAs, Prime Rose, both What's Michael? OVAs, and Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.
• Genda Tesshou (Narrator) 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, Hebopi in Wild 7, rebel leader Oosukune in Izumo, and Rikiishi's trainer Kuroki and  Kirishima in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.
• Yamamoto Keiko (Hachitsuka's squeeze "Baba") is an industry veteran. She played Choromatsu in the original Osomatsu-kun, Sand Witch in all iterations of GeGeGe no Kitarou through 2007, and the title role in the Bakabon TV series.
• Masuoka Hiroshi (Hirokawa, the TV producer in Osaka) appeared several times in Tokimeki Tonight, an Orphan release. He is best known for Minami's father in the Touch franchise, Masuo in Sazae-san, Jam Ojisan in the Anpanman franchise, and Cyborg 005 in the early Cyborg 009 properties.
• Yoshida Miho ("D-cup" Hiroko, one of the Osaka sex workers) debuted in Touch. Her best known role is Afura Mann in the El Hazard franchise.
• Suzuka Chiho (Naomi, the other sex worker) debuted in Meisou-Ou Border. She had features roles in Lesson XX, Detective Conan, Cowboy Bebop, and Uchuu no Stellvia.
• Kitigawa Takurou (Hosoki) had featured roles in Pollyana, the Tenchi Muyo OVAs, Gantz, Monkey Turn, and Another.

The director, Ishiguro Noboru, was an industry veteran who directed several episodes of Animated Classics of Japanese Literature; he also worked on Mushishi (another Artland property) before his death in 2012. The musical score is good, but I can't find out anything about the composer.

Our intrepid media guru ripped this version from a VHS tape using Orphan's "new" All-in-Wonder 7500 lossless capture setup. The idea for using this ancient technology (the driver runs on Windows XP!) came from Suzaku in Live-eviL, who used it for the Yawara! Atlanta Special laserdisc capture. Accordingly, it's only appropriate that Suzaku encoded this show. (We are very grateful.) The results are amazing: no interlacing artifacts and no blended frames - in fact, one of the very best VHS encodes I've ever seen. Iri translated the show. ninjacloud timed and then retimed for the new raw. I edited and typeset. While the editing changes from the original are minimal, there is extensive additional typesetting, thanks to the improved video. Calyrica and Nemesis QCed the original release; VigorousJammer did a quick release check.

Meisou-Ou Border tells an intriguing story and left me hungry for more. Unfortunately, this is all we'll ever see on anime, and the manga scanlations stopped two years ago. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

The Audio Side

Although Orphan is a fansubbing group, the 'completionist' impulse that runs through the group's charter sometimes extends into other media. In particular, the team has acquired and released a number of soundtracks for its projects or prospective projects. Other enthusiasts have done a lot more, but finding and ripping soundtracks has become a notable sideline to Orphan's main fansubbing mission. For one thing, it's a lot easier to capture and encode audio, and it doesn't require translators or video encoders.

Most of the music has come from CDs, but there are other sources as well, including records and "dual track" laserdiscs. Here's a list of the ones I can remember.

• Alice in Cyberland OP-ED single. CD source.
• AWOL soundtrack. CD source. 
• Bakuen Campus Guardress music collection. CD source. 
• B.B. Fish soundtrack. CD source.
  
• Boyfriend music collection. CD source.
• Capricorn image album. CD source.
• Eien no Filena soundtrack. CD source. 
• Elf 17 image soundtrack. CD source.
• Fighting Beauty Wulong OP-ED collection. CD source. 
• Fukuyama Gekijou soundtrack. CD source.
• Genji, Part 1 soundtracks and image album. CD source.
• Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori OP-ED single. CD source.
• Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3: Kureniai no Tsuki soundtrack. CD source.
  
• Haruka Naru Toki no Naka de 3: Owari Naki Unmei soundtrack. CD source. 
• Hashire Melos ED single. CD source. 
• Heart Cocktail soundtrack collection. CD source. 
  
• Hidamari no Ki ED1 and ED2 singles. CD source.
• High Speed Jecy soundtrack. CD source.
• Kakyuusei (1999) soundtrack. CD source.
• Kiss wa Me ni Shite soundtrack. CD source.
• Kyouryuu Daisensou Izenborg music collection. CD source.
  
• Majo demo Steady image album. CD source.
• Majo demo Steady soundtrack. LD source. 
• Megami Paradise soundtrack. CD source. 
• Nana Toshi Monogatari. CD source.
  
• Next Senki Ehrgeiz OP and ED singles. CD source.
• Nozomi Witches soundtrack. CD source.
• Oedo ga Nemurenai! soundtrack. CD source.
• Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru soundtrack. CD source.
• POPS soundtrack. CD source.
• Project A-Ko 2 extended soundtrack. Laserdisc source.
• Purple Eyes in the Dark image albums. CD source. 
• Singles soundtrack. CD source.
• Stop!! Hibari-kun Songbook. LP source.
• Tomoe ga Yuku! music collection. CD source. 
• Waza no Tabibito soundtrack. CD source.
  
• YAMATO 2520 music collection. CD source.
• Yuukan Club ED1 single. CD source. 

Most of the work has been done in the material's country of origin, but Stop!! Hibari-kun! was done in the US, because none of the team's overseas members has a turntable. Sometimes it pays to be old.

Soundtracks are also available for many of Orphan's other projects as well:

• A-Girl soundtrack. CD source.
• A Penguin's Memory soundtrack. CD source.
  
• Ai no Kusabi music collection. CD source.
• Akai Hayate soundtrack. CD source. 
• Akatsuki no Yona music collection. CD source.
• Amatsuki music collection. CD source.
• Blazing Transfer Student soundtrack. CD source.
  
• Blue Sonnet. CD source. 
• Boku no Oldies wa All-Color OST. CD source.
  
• Bremen 4. CD source.
  
• Call Me Tonight theme songs. 
• Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99. CD source.
  
• Condition Green song collection. CD source.
• Cosprayers soundtrack. CD source.
• D4 Princess music collection. CD source.
• Dallos soundtrack. CD source. 
• Ear of the Golden Dragon music collection. CD source.
• Fire Emblem OST. CD source. 
• Hameln no Violin Hiki movie music collection. CD source. 
• Heart Cocktail soundtrack collection. CD source. 
• Heart Cocktail Again OST. CD source. 
• Hand Maid Mai music collection. CD source. 
• Hiatari Ryouko soundtrack collection. CD source.
  
• Hidamari no Ki soundtrack. CD source.
• Hoshi Neko Full House singles collection. CD source.
  
• Izumo (1991) soundtrack. CD source.
• Joker: Marginal City music collection. CD source.
• Karuizawa Syndrome soundtrack. LP source.
  
• Kindaichi movies 1 and 2 soundtracks. CD source. 
• Kosuke-sama & Rikimaru-sama - Konpeitou no Ryuu soundtrack. CD source.
  
• Mikeneko Holmes soundtrack. CD source. 
• Nagasarete Airantou music collection. CD source.
• Nine Memorial Album. CD source.
  
• Nora soundtrack. LP source.
• Oruorane the Cat Player soundtrack. CD source.
• Rainbow Signal: Hi-Fi Set. All songs from Hi-Fi Set albums Pasadena Park and Indigo. CD source.
• Sanctuary original soundtrack. CD source.
• Sangokushi TV specials soundtracks. CD source. 
• Sangokushi movies 1 and 2 soundtracks. CD source. (No OST for movie 3.) 
• Shirokuma Cafe music collection. CD source.
• Smash Hit! soundtrack. CD source.
• Sonic Soldier Borgman 2058 soundtrack. CD source.
• Sonic Solder Borgman: Madnight Gigs. All songs from Sonic Solder Borgman: The Last Gig of the World. CD source.
• Starship Troopers soundtrack. CD source.
• Techno Police 21C soundtrack. CD source. 
• The Tale of Princess Kaguya music collection. CD source.
• To-Y image album. CD source.
  
• Tokimeki Tonight background music. CD source.
• Yume Tsukai music collection. CD source.
• Zetsuai, Bronze, and Cathexis music collections. CD source.

These can be hard to find, because they're scattered among public and private trackers, forums, and IRC bots.

My wish list isn't very long, but my greatest wish is that all the "secret sharers" would make their stashes publicly available.

 
[Revised 16-Apr-2024]

Boyfriend OVA (Boyfriend v2)

As I mentioned in my original release post, the 1992 OVA/TV special Boyfriend had a complicated release history. It was released as a 110-minute OVA on two VHS tapes or one laserdisc. It was also released as an abridged, 94-minute TV special, on one VHS tape.

TOVA-1117 - TV special version 94 minutes
TOVA-1118 - OVA first half "The Encounter" 59 minutes
TOVA-1119 - OVA second half "The Promise" 51 minutes
TOLA-1131 - OVA first and second half, 110 minutes (laserdisc) 

Orphan's original release used the abridged TV version, as encoded from VHS tape by ARR. After a long delay, a team member was able to buy the laserdisc version. Accordingly, we're rereleasing Boyfriend, now a two-part OVA: The Encounter and The Promise.

As I wrote last year, Boyfriend is a fairly routine shoujo romance crossed with a sports anime. Yuuki, a girl with a weak heart, falls for Takatou, a rebellious but talented basketball player. Complicating matters, her childhood friend and quasi-fiancee, Nakatsugawa, is the coach of Takatou's basketball team. A player on the girls' basketball team, Mami, has a crush on Takatou. A rival from another basketball team, Akira, wants to best Takatou in both basketball and love. As the climactic championship game between Takatou's and Akira's teams approaches, Yuuki must undergo risky heart surgery to save her life. Will she survive her ordeal? Will the lovers be united? No points for guessing the right answers. 

The OVA version has a bit of additional content - a cold open and an additional scene between Yuuki and Takatou in each episode, as well as an additional verse for the ending song. They help with the continuity, particularly the added scene in the second episode, but their removal wasn't a deal-breaker. The real problem with the ARR VHS rip was the video and audio. The tape was stretched, or the player had wobble; in any case, the video occasionally lost tracking, and the audio had terrible pitch issues. The laserdisc is an enormous improvement. The video is a direct capture with the Domesday duplicator; the audio in an AAC encoding of the digital audio output.

The voice cast consists of well-known seiyuu of the era:

• Tsujitani Kouji (Takatou) 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, Shou in Condition Green, and Seishirou in Yuukan Club, all Orphan releases. His most recent role was in Kokkoku, which just finished.
• Hidaka Noriko (Yuuki) played Satsuke in My Neighbor Totoro, Akane (the female lead) in Ranma 1/2, Peter in Peter Pan no Bouken, Mrs. Yamada (the mother) in the first two Chi anime series, Near in Death Note, Kikyo in the Inuyasha franchise, and Noriko in Yuukan Club, an Orphan release. She is still active and recently appeared in Little Witch Academia.
• Inoue Kazuhiko (Nakatsugawa) 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, Kitten Smith in Starship Troopers, and Liu Bei Xuande in both Sangokushi OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Yao Kazuki (Sofue) is best known for his lead role as Dark Schneider in Bastard!! and his recurring role as Franky in One Piece. He also played Date Ikkaku in Akai Hayate, an Orphan release.
• Mizutani Yuuko (Yuuki's friend Aki) has many credits, including Pinoko in all the Black Jack properties, as well as Rika in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Lila in Eien no Filena, and Dr. Uematsu Kikue in Yume Kakeru Kougen, all Orphan projects.
• Yamaguchi Kappei (Takatou's teammate Ougi) has played the lead character in the Detective Conan franchise, Ranma in the Ranma 1/2 franchise, Inuyasha in all the Inuyasha properties, Kudou Shinichi in the Conan franchise, Usopp in the One Piece franchise, Sakuma Ryuichi in Gravitation, Arslan in the first OVA series, the title role in Mouse, and Shibuya in Zetsuai 1989 and Bronze: Zetsuai Since 1989 (both Orphan releases), among many others.
• Yokoyama Chisa (Mami) played the title roles in Galaxy Fraulein Yuna, Iron Virgin Jun, and the Sakura Taisen franchise, as well as Sasami/Pretty Sammy in the Tenchi Muyo franchise. She played Hu Si, the were-tiger, in Wolf Guy, an Orphan release.
• Touma Yumi (Hanyuu, the captain of the girls' basketball team) played the title roles in Emma: A Victorian Romance and Baby Felix. She has appeared in numerous shows, including Condition Green, Fukuyama Gekijou, and Eguchi Hisashi no Nantoko Nareudesho, all Orphan releases. 

Moho did the original translation, and laalg the original translation check. For the new version, Sunachan translated the additional dialog, ending verse, and signs. ninjacloud did the original timing and the fine timing on the new version. I edited and typeset throughout; the improved stability of the laserdisc version allowed for additional typesetting. BeeBee and VigorousJammer QCed the original release. Topper3000 checked the new version. Our intrepid raw hunter captured the laserdisc RF output with the Domesday Duplicator and decoded it. He also captured the digital audio as FLAC, because the audio decoding software is still a work in progress. Erik of Piyo Piyo Productions encoded the video, and I transcoded the FLAC audio to AAC. (No, we're not releasing FLAC audio for laserdiscs. Get real, dude.) This version is probably not definitive. The decoding software and encoding process has improved over the last few months, and it will continue to improve in the future.

You can get the Boyfriend OVAs from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net