Rain Boy v2

One of Orphan's earliest Tezuka Osamu projects was the set of six OVAs known as the Lion Books:

1	The Green Cat	1983
2	Rain Boy	1983
3	Lunn Flies into the Wind	1985
4	Yamatarou Comes Back	1986
5	Adachigahara	1991
6	Akuemon	1993

The project took 18 months, from the middle of 2013 to the end of 2014. Except for Adachigahara and Akuemon, Orphan used existing raws from other teams. I've always been less than happy about the quality of those raws. Last month, I was able to purchase a complete set of the Lion Books R2J DVDs, and Orphan will be redoing the OVAs with new encodes. Here is the second episode, Rain Boy (Amefuri Kozou).

The first four Lion Books have a similar theme - the quest of a lonely boy for companionship and friends. While The Green Cat is mainstream science fiction, Rain Boy is more of a whimsical fantasy. Mouta lives in the mountains, the son of a teacher in a rural school. Once a month, he goes to a school in the "big city," where he is bullied by the locals as a country bumpkin. Wishing that he had a friend, he stumbles across a strange boy shaped like an umbrella, Rain Boy, who walks around under a personal rain cloud. Only Mouta can see Rain Boy, and the latter becomes Mouta's first friend.

Rain Boy is more than an imaginary companion, because he can act physically in the real world; perhaps he's a tsukomogami. He helps Mouta get a measure of revenge on the bullies, and he saves the local school from a fire. However, their adventures together are cut short when Mouta's family moves to the city. Only much later, when Mouta is a grown man with a child of his own, does he remember Rain Boy and a promise made but not fulfilled. The ending is bittersweet.

I want to mention the art direction, by Kobayashi Shichirou and Miyamoto Seiji. Rain Boy looks very different from The Green Cat, with cartoonish landscape, blocky designs for the human characters, and watercolor-like backdrops:

It's very effective.

The voice cast includes:

• Hayami Shou (young Mouto) starred as Nanjou in Zetsuai: 1989 and Bronze: Zetsuai since 1989, and  as Kushinige Hodaka in Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru. He also played an angel in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, Iason's friend Raoul in Ai no Kusabi, Hojo in Sanctuary, Pat Leivy in Starship Troopers, Junoichi in Blazing Transfer Student, Exper Kain in Exper Zenon, and Seichii in Mikoneko Holmes. All of these shows are Orphan releases. 
• Hori Junko (Rain Boy) played the title roles in Shin Obake no Q-taro, Cat Eyed Boy, Chinpui, and Ninja Hattori-kun, young Rock in Wan Wan Chuushingura, and Bunrestu in Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Aono Takeshi (Moutou's father) played Nurarihyon in every incarnation of GeGeGe no Kitarou through 2007, Billy Bones in Treasure Island, Bookman in D.grayman, Dracule in One Piece, Katsuhiko Masaki in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, and Shiro Sanada in the Yamato franchise. He also appeared in A Penguin's Memories, Ginga Tansa 2100: Border-nen, Fire Emblem, Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Hashire Melos!, the three Sangokushi movies (as Guan Yu), and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Gouri Daisuke (Bancho) played Hiromi in the Patlabor franchise. His made numerous featured appearances, including Fireball, Peter Pan no Bouken, Dragonball, and Kinnikuman, as well as Bavi Stock, Wolf Boy, Hi-Speed Jecy, Hidamari no Ki, and the three Sangokushi movies. The last five are Orphan releases.
• Nagai Ichirou (Azuki-arai) starred in numerous shows, playing grandfather Jigoro in Yawara!, the off-the-wall narrator in Gosenzosama Banbanzai!, Professor Hajime in Queen Millennia, and Happosai in the Ranma 1/2 franchise. He appeared in Manxmouse, Nora, Hidamari no Ki, Yuukan Club, Amon Saga, Botchan, Ipponbouchou Mantaraou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Mita Yuuko (one of the bullies) played the title role in Pokonyan, Posi in the Creamy Mami franchise, Kazuya in the Kimagura Orange Road franchise, Neko Musume in the 1985 iteration of GeGeGe no Kitarou, and Will in Robin Hood no Daibouken.
• Akiyama Runa (another of the bullies) played Pench Eliza in the Ginga Hyouryuu Vifam franchise.
  

Rain Boy was directed by Tezuka Osamu. It is one of two Lion Book episodes with an English dub tract; the other is Yamatarou Comes Back.

Moho Kareshi did the original translation, and convexity checked. Eternal_Blizzard timed. I edited and typeset; the typesetting is slightly revised for this release. CP and Calyrica did the original QC; Nemesis and Uchuu QCed this release. Skr encoded from an R2J DVD.

Rain Boy is another fine episode in the Lion Book series. You can download it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arurtha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

 

The Green Cat v2

One of Orphan's earliest Tezuka Osamu projects was the set of six OVAs known as the Lion Books:

1	The Green Cat	1983
2	Rain Boy	1983
3	Lunn Flies into the Wind	1985
4	Yamatarou Comes Back	1986
5	Adachigahara	1991
6	Akuemon	1993

The project took 18 months, from the middle of 2013 to the end of 2014. Except for Adachigahara and Akuemon, Orphan used existing raws from other teams. I've always been less than happy about the quality of those raws. Last month, I was able to purchase a complete set of the Lion Books R2J DVDs, and Orphan will be redoing the OVAs with new encodes.

Tezuka Productions started the Lion Books as a speculative project for a 26-episode TV series. When there were no takers, the project was shelved, and individual episodes were eventually released as OVAs. The Green Cat was actually completed before Dallos, but because there's no proof of its release date, Dallos (also a speculative TV project) is generally regarded as the first OVA.

The Green Cat (Midori no Neko) is one of two Lion Book OVAs based on a Tezuka Osamu manga. (The other is Adachigahara.) It tells a fanciful science fiction tale (tail?) about green cat-like creatures from outer space. As the story opens, Ban Shunsaku is a partner in a dry cleaning business with his friend Yuno. Their mundane existence is shattered when Susan the Gangster and her thugs burst in and take hostages. Susan is toting a green cat and seems to believe it makes her immune from capture. In the ensuing mayhem, Yuno is killed. With his dying wish, he asks Ban to care of his son, Sanbo. Then, the green cat deserts Susan, and so does her luck; she is killed in a shootout with police.

Intending to return to Japan, Ban drives across the country with Sanbo. He is spooked by an encounter with a UFO. In the aftermath, he finds that little Sanbo has acquired a green cat. On the trip to Japan, Sanbo and the cat disappear. Ban dedicates his life to tracking down Sanbo, a task which will take decades. He finds Sanbo, still with the green cat, racking up a fortune through increasingly shady means, while a mysterious Professor observes the pair. Ban must now rescue Sanbo from the cat and from his descent into outright criminality.

The Green Cat is the only Lion Book OVA that uses Tezuka Osamu's star system extensively. Ban Shunsaku is Higeoyaji, who appeared in many of the Love Will Save the World TV specials and the movie Metropolis. Sanbo is Rock Holmes, who was often used as a villain. Ben Heck, a criminal rival of Sanbo, is a minor character in the system. The voice cast reflects the recurring appearances of some of the characters:

• Tomita Kousei (Ban Shunsaku) played the same role (Higeoyaj) in the TV specials Fumoon, Marine Express, Ginga Tansa 2100: Border Planet, Tezuka Osamu Monogatari: Boku wa Son Gokuu, and Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken (all Orphan releases), the movies Jungle Tatei and Metropolis, and in several Astro Boy properties. He also played Watson in Sherlock Hound.
• Shiozawa Kaneto (Yuno Sanbo) played Takuma in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - The Castle of Love, Kohei in Karuizawa Syndrome, Shin in Hiatari Ryoukou, Iason in Ai no Kusabi, Rock Holmes in Fumoon, Shiina in Chameleon, Sanzou in I am Son Goku, and Kurahashi Eiji in Nine, all Orphan releases. He also played Joe in Tokimeki Tonight, Yoshio in Miyuki, Takeshi in Touch, D in Vampire Hunter D, Narsus in the Arslan Senki OVAs, Rosario in Dragon Half, and Abriel senior in Crest of the Stars.
• Nozawa Masako (Green) is a legend. She played the leads in 30000 Miles Under the Sea, The Adventures of Gamba, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry no Bouken, Billy Inu nan demo Shoukai, and Hey! Bumboo. She was Enma-kun in the original Dororon Enma-kun, Son Goku in the original Dragonball, and Kitarou in the 1968 and 1971 versions of GeGeGe no Kitarou, as well as Hakaba Kitarou. Even though her first role was in 1965, she is still active, appearing as Obaba in Ping Pong the Animation, Madame Curie in Marie & Gali, and of course, Medama Oyaji in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. She won a lifetime achievement award in 1997. She played the title role in Manxmouse, Lek in Cool Cool Bye, and Costar in 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, all Orphan releases.
• Takiguchi Junpei (Professor) brought his distinctive voice to the roles of Dr. Yamanado in Fumoon, Scratch in Techno Police 21C, the villainous king of Kanemacchi Castle in Grim Douwa: Kin no Tori, the Mouse Thief in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, and Dong Zhung in the first Sangokushi movie, all Orphan releases. He also played the Millennium Earl in D.grayman, John Trelawney in Treasure Island, and Dr. Laughton in Metropolis.
• Shima Shinsuke (Sanbo's father) played the Messenger in Amon Saga, an Orphan release, and Director Tanimura in the Oishinbo TV series and movies.
• Takizawa Kumiko (Susan the gangster) played Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (movie). She  was in several prior Orphan releases, playing Elena in Techno Police 21C and Kanako's mother in Boyfriend, and appearing in Fumoon, Makoto-chan, and Scoopers.
• Yada Kouji (Ben Heck) is best known as Dr. Gero in the Dragonball franchise. He appeared in A Penguin's Memories and the three Sangokushi movies, all Orphan releases.
  

The Green Cat was directed by the master himself, Tezuka Osamu.

The original subtitles were from Viki but needed additional work. convexity did the translation check. archdeco timed the original version; the new one required only minor tweaks. I edited and typeset both versions. CP and Saji QCed the original version; Nemesis and Uchuu QCed this version. Skr encoded from an R2J DVD.

It's a real pleasure to revisit the Lion Books after more than seven years. When I opened the new encode and watched the charming opening - when some of Tezuka Osamu's most beloved characters (Astro Boy, Unico, Princess Sapphire) jump out from the pages - I was once again swept up into the world of "the god of manga." The six Lion Book episodes show differing facets of his talent, but their short running time makes them more focused than the later, and longer, Love Will Save the World specials. Whether you downloaded the original release or not, I strongly urge you to get this one and rediscover the joys of Tezuka Osamu's shorter works. You can get The Green Cat from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

P.S. This time around, the files use the English rather than the Japanese titles. Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, after all.

Megami Paradise

Sometimes, Orphan's path to a project is so convoluted that even I can't quite figure out how we got there. That's pretty much the case with the 1995 OVA Megami Paradise. Back in the "airlie days", when I was collecting obscure titles and putting them up on BoxTorrents (now BakaBT) to build up my ratio, I stumbled across Megami Paradise and offered it there. As was the case with other obscure shows, notably Hermes, Winds of Love, I didn't bother to watch it. It rested there, utterly forgotten, for more than a decade, until someone asked for the music from the show. By then, Intrepid had set up a media acquisition capability in Japan, so I bought the CD of the show, he ripped it, and I uploaded it. I figured that, while I was at it, I might as well buy the laserdiscs too, because the available rip was very old. So here we are. I've had to watch it now.

Megami Paradise is based on a role-playing game. It tells the story of a divine paradise, ruled by Mamamega (short for Mama Megami, Mother Goddess). It contains the Astrostar, which absorbs evil thoughts from Earth. When the Astrostar is full to bursting, Mamamega purifies it and then surrenders her role to a new Megamama. As the story open, just such a succession event is happening. The new Mamamega selects Lilith, a "summoning witch" (a witch who doesn't need a wand), as a shrine maiden and asks her to recruit two more. Lilith tries to recruit Juliana, a swordswoman, and Stasia, a musician, but they decline. Instead, Lilith ends up with Stasia's "little sister" Rurubell, a wannabe sorceress, just as Paradise comes under attack from Evil Forces bent on disrupting the succession. Can Lilith, aided by Rurubell and, reluctantly, Stasia and Juliana, fight off the hench(wo)men of Yamimama, the Dark Mother? And just who are Yamimama and her Yamimegas (short for Yami Megami, Dark Goddess) Pastel, Angela, Maharaja, and Rouge? Refugees from an 80s girl-band?

So yeah, the plot is pretty thin, and in any case, it takes a back seat to a frequent succession of upskirt pantsu shots and other ecchi fare, because Megami Paradise is the first collaboration between Studio Fantasia, director Nishijima Katsuhiko, and character designer Yamauchi Noriyasu, who would become famous (or notorious) for Agent Aika and Najica Blitz Tactics. Megami doesn't reach the heights (or depths) of Aika, but it's clearly a prototype for the formula used in the later shows. With views like this, who needs a plot?

The voice cast includes quite a few well-known names:

• Shiina Hekiru (Rurubell) played Elysse in Plastic Little, Hikaru in the Rayearth series, Asami in Seirei Tsukai, Fam in Hikyou Tanken Fam & Ihrlie, Rockman in the Rockman Hoshi ni Negai wo OVAs,  Alpha in the Yokohama Country Cafe OVAs,and Nene (the protagonist's perverted younger sister) in the Seitokai Yakuindomo franchise.
• Shiratori Yuri (Lilith) played the title roles in the Kiko Lala and Angelique franchises, Cherry in the Saber Marionette franchise, Aki in Boys Be..., and Hatoko in Angelic Layer. 
• Ogata Megumi (Juliana) played Sailor Uranus in the Sailor Moon franchise, Kurama in Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Akito in Kodomo no Omocha,Shinji in Evangelion, Yuugi in the first Yuugi-ou series, Kyuu in Detective Academy Q, Valkyrie in the UFO Pricess Valkyrie series, Itona in the Assassination Classroom series, and Makoto in Danganronpa. 
• Inoue Kikuko (Stasia) played Kasumi in Ranma 1/2, Chigusa in Kekko Kamen, Mizuho in Onegai Teacher and Onegai Twins, Yayoi in the Happy Lesson properties, Momozono Mei in Mouse, Maria in Gungrave, Emeraldas in Space Symphony Maetel, Belldandy in the Ah My Goddess franchise, Lust in Full Metal Alchemist, Goei in Ikkitousen, Eucliwood in the Kore wa Zombie franchise, and the mother in the Uchouten Kazoku series. She also played Shouta in The Girl from Phantasia, Narusawa in Doukyuusei 2, Doria in D4 Princess, and Mai in Hand Maid May, all Orphan releases. 
• Nagashima Yuuko (Angela) played Yuka in Kiss wa Me ni Shite, an Orphan release, and Hotaru's mother in the Non Non Biyori franchise. 
• Kobakashi Yuuko (Maharaja) played Nico Robin in the One Piece franchise, Rapier in Maze, Rin in Otaku no Seiza, Washuu in Tenchi Muyou, and Kikunosuke in Oedo ga Nemurenai!, an Orphan release. 
• Hikami Kyouko (Pastel) played Momoko in Wedding Peach, Momo in Ultra Nyan, and Sara in Hand Maid May. The last two are Orphan releases. 
• Watanable Kumiko (Rouge) played Shippou in the Inuyasha franchise, the title role in the St. Grog franchise, and Kyouko in the Working! franchise. 
• Tanaka Atsuko (new Mamamega) played Mauve in ACCA, the title role in Advancer Tina, Nena Hargen in Aika, Cassandra in Alexander, Dana in AWOL Compression Remix (an Orphan release), Caster in the Fate franchise, Motoko Kusanagi in the GITS franchise, Bynas in Ozma, Claudette in Queen's Blade, and Jagara in Wolf's Rain. 
• Katsuki Masako (previous Mamamega/Yamimama) played Maroko in Gosenzosama Banbanzai and its movie version, Maroko, Mira in Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Queen Bee in Golgo 13: Queen Bee, and Tsunade (Fifth Hokage) in the Naruto franchise. She also played Arianna Wyszynska in Apfelland Monogatari, Kenbishi Yuuri in Yuukan Club, Hojo's lover in Sanctuary, Itchan's mother in Sensou Douwa: Tako ni Natta Okaasan, Kubo in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka, and Yamazaki's maintenance engineer Kiriko in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call, all Orphan releases.

The casting, by the way, gives away the biggest cliffhander in the OVAs, by making clear exactly who Yamimama is, or was.

The original subtitles were transcribed from ADV's R1 VHS tapes by rhford. Nemesis checked the translation; it has significant revisions. Yogicat timed. I edited and typeset (very few signs). For reasons I can't fathom, a large percentage of the QC team piled onto this one - BeeBee, Rezo, Topper3000, and Uchuu. (Perhaps the subject matter is appealing.) Intrepid encoded from a Domesday Duplicator rip of the Japanese laserdiscs. The laserdiscs included a digital audio track, so the encode uses FLAC audio. I've given up complaining.

Megami Paradise isn't Grade A 90s OVA fare, but it's not the worst, either. Although ecchi in places, it's much tamer than the Aika series. It won't leave a lasting impression, but it won't make you want to rip your eyeballs out. Basically, it's middling. 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.

Technology Continues to March On

In previous posts, I've written about advances in technology that have enabled Orphan, and other fansub teams, to get more out of analog sources. These included:

• The Domesday Duplicator, which taps into a laserdisc player's laser and records the raw RF data, bypassing the player's aging analog electronics. The RF information is then processed in software.
• An uncompressed VHS capture setup, which eliminates compression artifacts from VHS capture cards and allows software to deal with VHS issues.

These improvements have produced noticeably better raws from analog sources and, as a result, a raft of re-issues of old projects.

Technology does not stand still, though, and improvements happen almost continuously, particularly in software processing. For example, ld-decode, the software for the Domesday Duplicator, is now on its sixth revision and has improved in every aspect. A continuous "diet" of rips from flawed laserdiscs has made the software much more robust against bit rot and other physical problems. The latest development allows direct decoding to YUV colorspace instead of RGB, skipping the RGB -> YUV conversion that was previously required. The software is also much faster. However, processing of CX-compressed analog audio still requires improvement.

Another fascinating development is the application of AI to anime. For decades, AI was a pipedream, and even today, it requires massive computing power. However, today's gaming computers are monsters: 8 to 32 cores, 16 to 64 threads, all the memory you can eat, and ultra-fast NVMe-based mass storage. Open source AI software is available. One of Orphan's encoders has been training an AI on hand-drawn anime from the 80s and 90s, and he is seeing substantial image quality improvements. On a commercial scale, AI is being used to produce better upscales of standard-definitions sources to HD.

Of course, there are severe limits; it's still early days. The underlying sources have to be free of mastering issues such as blended frames and interlacing issues. The technology can do cleanup when none is required or desired, so manual inspection of results remains a necessity. But the promise is there. Someday, it may be possible to undo the problems in even badly damaged sources.

One development remains tantalizingly out of reach: a "Domesday Duplicator" for VHS tapes. This would tap into the output from the helical scan playback head and then do all the decoding in software. It's a very complicated problem in both hardware and software, but it would get around some of the limitations in uncompressed capture, such as timing issues that require a Time Base Corrector. Hardware that would allow the tape to be "oversampled" as it is read might help even more.

Do all these improvements presage yet another round of Orphan re-releases? Thankfully, no. The initial jump in video quality from years-old Internet raw to Domesday Duplicator capture or uncompressed VHS capture was massive; just look at Meisou ou Border (VHS) or Al Caral no Isan (laserdisc) if you need convincing. Further improvements are more incremental, and they'll be applied to new releases, not old ones. Unless, of course, AI can someday undo all the frame blending in Amon Saga or Every Day Is Sunday... just kidding.

Ohoshi-sama no Rail

I'm not sure how I feel about the 1993 movie Ohoshi-sama no Rail (Rail of Stars). Based on a 1983 autobiographical novel by Kobayashi Chitose, it tells the story of a Japanese family's escape from Russian-occupied Korea after the end of World War II. It doesn't overdo the perils the Japanese faced, and it gives some exposure to the plight of the Koreans under Japanese occupation. It's a good movie, well made, but it still seems like an apologia, glossing over the oppression of Japanese rule by focusing on a likeable Japanese family and, in particular, its children.

The story focuses on the Kobayashi family, who live in a city near the Yalu River in what is now North Korea. The father, Kazuhiko, runs a coal business. The mother, Masako, tends to the family - daughters Chitose (Chiko) and Michiyo (Miko) - with the help of a Korean nursemaid, Ohana. They lead a privileged life until the Pacific War breaks out; their affairs go downhill rapidly after that. The father is drafted, his business closes, and the family must move in with Masako's parents. Baby sister Miko contracts typhoid and dies. Ohana is let go following an accident that was actually Chiko's fault. Chiko's Korean acquaintances become surly, and some of the boys leave to join the resistance.

As the war winds down, Kazuhiko is invalided out after a long illness. Following the Japanese surrender, the Russians occupy the northern half of Korea, and the oppressed Koreans take control. The Kobayashis are turned out of their house and lodged in one room of an apartment building. They want to return to Japan, but the prospects for repatriation are poor and get worse. They decide to escape to the American zone of occupation, where there will be greater opportunities for getting to Japan. They must traverse several hundred kilometers of hostile and harsh terrain to reach safety, with only the stars to guide them.

The main story is framed by a stage performance; the lead actress is, apparently, Chiko as an adult.

As I said, the Korean side of the story is given some airtime. One of Chiko's schoolmates is a Korean boy, Yong-il, who is bullied for refusing to take a Japanese name and to speak Japanese instead of Korean. The Koreans who seize the Kobayashi house bitterly recount how the Japanese occupiers stole Korean property, buildings, and businesses. A village chief that the family meets during its flight tells how the Japanese rounded up the young men (presumably for forced labor) who haven't been heard from since. However, the story is slanted to keep the viewer's sympathy with the Kobayashis, who are front and center, rather than the far more numerous, nameless Korean victims..

A note on geography. The movie uses the geographic names from the time of the story. The modern equivalents are:

• Ouryokukou River - the Yalu River.
• Andong (city in Manchuria) - Dandong.
• Shin Gishu - Sinuiji.
• Heijou - Pyongyang.
• Sarin - Sariwon.
  
• Kaishu - Haeju.
• Kaijou - Seoul.
  

The bridge connecting Dandong and Sinuiji was built in 1911 and partially destroyed during the Korean War. Four spans on the Chinese side survived and are now a tourist attraction. The bridge was built for railway traffic, so the carriage ride across it shown in the movie is probably imaginary.

Because Orphan has done so many shows from the 1980s and 1990s, it's not surprising that the voice cast has appeared in many of the group's releases:

• Takamori Yoshino (Chiko) played the arch oujo-sama Sayaka in Yawara! and the twin roles of Juliet Douglas and Sloth in Full Metal Alchemist. She also appeared as the romantic rival Shouko in POPS, Princess Lichia in Amon Saga, and in Yousei Ou and the What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Sakamoto Chika (Miko) played Campanella in Night on the Galactic Railway, the title role in Tsuruhime, Nonoko in Tobira wo Akete, Tendonman in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise, and Agumon in the Digimon franchise. She appeared as Yasuda Yumiki in Nine and Suzume's erstwhile love interest, Katagiri-kun, in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, both Orphan releases.
• Tanaka Hideyuki (Kazuhiko, Chiko's father) played Terryman in the Kinnikuman franchise and Rayearth in Magic Knight Rayearth. He also played 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, and Ma Su, Fengji's lover, in Sangokushi movie 3, all Orphan releases.
• Han Keiko (Masuko, Chiko's mother) starred in numerous World Masterpiece Theater adaptations, playing Becky in Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Annette in Alps Story: My Annette, Meg in Little Women, and Nancy in Pollyanna. She played Queen Promethium in Queen Millennia and its numerous spinoffs and sequels, as well as Luna in the Sailor Moon franchise. She appeared as Eiko in Kuroi Ame no Atarete and Lihua in the Sangokushi specials, all Orphan releases.
• Maruo Tomoko (Ohana) played Anita in Hi-Speed Jecy and Kumi Aoike in Sei Michaela. She also appeared in What's Michael? OVA 2. All are Orphan releases.
• Ogata Kenichi (Takeshi, Chiko's grandfather) played the put-upon father in Gosenzosama Banbanzai and Maroko, Suzuki in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance call, as well as Smee in Peter Pan no Bouken, the crooked casino boss in Okane ga Nai! (an Orphan release), the Hong Kong chef in Yuukan Club (also an Orphan release), and, most recently, Gran Torino in Boku no Hero Academia. However, he's best known to me as the voice of Ranma 1/2's Sataome Gemna, whose alter ego - the grumpy panda - is my avatar on most anime forums.
• Suzuki Reiko (Shigeko, Chiko's grandmother) usually played elderly women. She appeared as Matsuda's mother in Yawara!, Megabaa in Dennou Coil, Jakotsu-baba in the 2007 version of GeGeGe no Kitarou, Kyousuke's grandmother in the Kimagure Orange Road franchise, and old lady Honke in My Neighbor Totoro. She also appeared in Tsuki ga Noboru made ni and Eguchi Hisashi no Nantoko Narudesho!, both Orphan releases.
• Chafurin (village chief) played title role in Barbapapa Around the World, Inspector Megure in the Detective Conan franchise, Scotch Jii-san in the Hello Kitty franchise, Isono in Sazae-san (since 2014), and Kamoda in Yawara! He also appeared in Coluboccoro (2019), Jikuu Bouken Nuumamonjaa, Yamato 2520 and Izumo (1991), all Orphan releases.
• Miyazaki Issei (Yong-il) made his debut as Gen in the Barefoot Gen movies. He starred as Uchida in Rescue Wings and had featured roles in Azuki-chan, Bomber Man & Bidaman Bakugaiden, and X the Movie. He also played Takeshi in POPS, an Orphan release.
  

The director, Hirata Toshio, was an anime pioneer. He joined Toei Douga in 1960 as an "in between" animator, graduated to key animation at Mushi Productions with Senya Ichiya Monogatari (an Orphan release), and took his first directing job on Tanpen Unico. Other directing credits include Chiisana Koi no Monogatari, Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori (both Orphan releases), and Barefoot Gen II. Sakata Kouichi composed the score; he also did the music for Oshin, Tottoi, and the Animated Classics of Japanese Literature anthology series.

The original subtitles are from ADV's R1 VHS release. They were checked and extensively revised by Iri and new staff member TougeWolf. Yogicat timed. I edited and typeset. BeeBee, TougeWolf, and Uchuu QCed. Intrepid encoded from an uncompressed VHS capture. The raw has some flaws, including interlacing artifacts and one broken frame, but the movie has never been released on digital media or even on laserdisc.

So here's a new and improved version of Ohoshi-sama no Rail. You can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Coluboccoro 2019

In the deep, dark past, an animator named Itoso Kenji created a one-man show called Coluboccoro. He did the story, the planning, the animation, and the direction. By 2015, he had formed an animation company, Kenji Studio. They ran a Kickstarter campaign to spruce up Coluboccoro, lengthen it to 30 minutes, and put it out as a Blu-ray. Commie Subs picked up this version and released it. The project leader, herkz, was not impressed:

Today we bring you part four in our series “Killing Anime by Subbing Successful Kickstarter Projects”! That said, the video quality in about half the scenes was quite bad in a way that can’t really be fixed, and I feel bad for people who backed this. RIP.

Fast forward another few years, and Kenji revisited Coluboccoro yet again, replacing the voice actors, changing the ending song, and lengthening the show by another five minutes. Orphan is now releasing an English-subtitled version of the most recent release.

Coluboccoro is a sci-fi, eco-friendly fantasy set in some sort of rural future. The 14-year-old heroine, Suzu, is a descendent of a distinguished shaman who saved her people from catastrophe in the past. Suzu finds and grows a strange seed that turns into a sort of winged plant, Coluboccoro.

They set out on a journey to the Forbidden Grounds, to find out what really makes her world tick. She is opposed by the village elder, known only as Ji ("old man"), who harbors a Dark Secret. You can take it from there.

Coluboccoro 2019 reminds me of another one-man project, Waza no Tabibito. That also features a mahou shoujo heroine, argues single- (and simple-)  mindedly against technology, and is rife with cliches and anime tropes. The additions in the 2019 version of Coluboccoro are just padding. The animation quality is highly variable; the older sections stick out. All in all, not a brilliant result.

The new voice cast includes:

• Nishino Nanase (Suzu or "bell") is primarily a fashion model and idol. Her only other anime credit is One Piece Film: Gold.
• Hara Natsuko (Suika or "watermelon") played the title role in Ame-iro Cocoa: Side G and Ameratsu in Onigiri. She is also a model.
• Oomori Nichika (Coluboccoro) played Chiya in the Mahou Shoujo Nante Mou series, Yurina in the Jashin-chan Dropkick series, Mokuku in the Otono no Bouguya-san series, and Keito in Ame-iro Cocoa: Side G.
• Omigawa Chiaki (Mikoto, the tutor) played Maka Albarn in Soul Eater, Jun in Natsu no Arashi, Hotori in Soredemo Machi wa Mawatte Iru, Sassa Maria in Double-J, Elena Peoples in Eureka Seven Ao, Nazuna in the Hidamari Sketch franchise, Naomi in the Bungou Stray Dogs franchise, and Mutsumi in the Seitokai Yakuindomo franchise.
• Chafuurin (Ji) played title role in Barbapapa Around the World, Inspector Megure in the Detective Conan franchise, Scotch Jii-san in the Hello Kitty franchise, Isono in Sazae-san (since 2014), and Kamoda in Yawara! He also appeared in Jikuu Bouken Nuumamonjaa, Yamato 2520 and Izumo (1991), all Orphan releases.

The director, Itoso Kenji, is also responsible for Santa Company which, like Coluboccoro, has undergone revisions and expansions as funds became available.

The original subs were taken from Commie's release. Iri checked and revised them and translated the additional scenes and the new ending song. M74 timed. I edited; the original Commie typesetting and styling was retained. BeeBee and TougeWolf QCed. Skr found the raw, a 1080p web stream.

A note on the typesetting (or lack thereof). The additions in this version included a rather pointless argument between Suzu and her tutor about why certain Japanese condiments can take the "o-" honorific, denoting respected or higher quality, while others do not. Accompanying this exchange is a set of signs that wiggle, rotate, scale, and sheer. I couldn't figure out how to typeset them, nor could any other typesetter in the team. So for now, the signs are set with {\an8} notes. If anyone comes out with a decent-looking typeset for them, we'll do a v2.

You can probably sense that I wasn't all that impressed with Coluboccoro 2019, but YMMV. 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.

Sensou Douwa: Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi

Sensou Douwa (War Tales or War Fables) was a series of TV specials by Shin-Ei Animation that ran annually from 2002 to 2009. In chronological order:

• 2002    Umigame to Shounen (The Boy and The Sea Turtle)
• 2003    Tako ni Natta Okaasan (The Mother Who Became a Kite)
• 2004    Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi (The Tale of the Ginormous Whale That Fell in Love with a Little Submarine)
• 2005    Boku no Boukuugou (My Air Raid Shelter)
• 2006    Yakeato no, Okashi no Ki (The Cake Tree in the Ruins)
• 2007    Futatsu no Kurumi (Two Walnuts)
• 2008    Kiku-chan to Ookami  (Kiku and the Wolf)
• 2009    Aoi Hitomi no Onnako no Ohanashu (The Tale of the Blue-Eyed Girl)

Orphan has already released The Boy and the Sea Turtle, The Cake Tree in the Ruins,and The Mother Who Became a Kite. Today, we're releasing Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi (The Tale of the Ginormous Whale That Fell in Love with a Little Submarine), and that brings us to the halfway point in the series.

Once again, the show draws upon a short story by Nosaka Akiyuki, but this time, the tone is somewhat different, a bit lighter. The human protagonist is a boy named Hayano Kota. Boys as young as 15 and 16 are being drafted into the Japanese navy, and Kota is training to be a pilot (presumably a kamikaze pilot). However, he's totally inept, and he ends up being transferred to a coastal-defense submarine. There he crosses paths with the other main character.

This second protagonist is not a human but a whale - specifically, a sei whale (sardine whale) that Kota names Kusuke. Sei whales are the third largest whale species, after blue whales and fin whales. Kusuke is a particularly impressive specimen, 20 meters long - and that's his problem. Female sei whales are supposed to be bigger than the males, but no female is as large as he is. As a result, he is lovelorn and lonely, scorned by the females who want mates that are smaller than they are, and scammed by dolphins and orcas that want him to stop eating all the sardines in the area.

Swimming to Rainbow Sea for the annual mating gathering of the sei whales, Kusuke encounters Kota's submarine and mistakes it for the object of his desire, a female sei whale that's bigger than he is. He starts courting "her", which involves vocalizing, bumping bodies, and generally playing. But the noise attracts American anti-submarine forces, and the mating game takes a potentially deadly turn - for the whale, for the submarine, or both.

Up until the last act, Chiisai plays like a comedy (hence, the playful translation of the title). Kusuke is dumb but earnest, convinced that he has finally found a mate. Kota, pining for a girl onshore, tries to convince himself that sacrificing his life for the glory of the Empire is the right path, but he really just wants to be friends with Kusuke and go home. But war is no respecter of the desires of either whales or humans, and the ending is somber.

The original story is much sparser than the anime. The whale is unnamed, and the only described human character is the sub captain. The story is set after the surrender, but the captain refuses to accept the news and tries to continue the war. That brings about a final hostile encounter with American naval forces, and the love-struck whale is caught in the crossfire.  

One historical note: Kota's submarine isn't an actual Japanese sub type. The original story describes the sub as "half again as long" as Kusuke, that is, 30 meters, and the anime shows a crew of five. However, second-class Japanese subs were much longer (47 meters and up, with a crew of more than 25), and midget submarines were much smaller (under 10 meters, with a crew of only two). 

The voice cast has only a few well-known names:

• Takato Yasuhiro (Kusuke the whale) played Artemis in the Sailor Moon franchise, Gluttony in original Full Metal Alchemist, Russia in the Hetalia franchise, Kase-bake in GeGeGe no Kitarou (2007), and many featured roles, often as animals.
• Miura Tomu (Kota) has no other credits.
• Orikasa Fumiko (narrator) played Oseki in Hidamari no Ki (an Orphan release), Kuchiki Rukia in all the Bleach properties, Mikan in Atashinchi, Yuzuki in Chobits, Karin in the Stratos 4 properties, Ikuku in the Massagu ni Ikou OVAs, Aoba in Jinki Extend, Seras Victoria in both versions of Hellsing, Nicoletta in Restaurant Paradisio, Riza Hawkeye in the original Full Metal Alchemist, Lotte Yanson in Little Witch Academia, and the heroine Okonogi Yuuko in Dennou Coil.
• Kikuchi Yuumi (Kota's crush Yoshie) had only a few featured roles.
• Kusao Takeshi (the fast-talking Orca) played the lead roles in Junk Boy and Fujilog, the title role in Babel II, Trunks in the Dragon Ball Z franchise, Sakuragi in Slam Dunk, Lamune in NG Knight Lamume & 40, the teenaged Tezuka Osamu in Tezuka Osamu Monogatari, Daichi in Singles, and the icy director Kurume Kenjirou in Smash Hit!; the last three are Orphan releases. He is still active, appearing in the recent Major 2nd.
• Narita Ken (Dolphin B) played Sesshoumaru in the Inuyasha franchise, Seimei in Loveless, and Byakuroku (the snake demon) in Amatsuki, an Orphan release.
• Tahara Aruno (sub captain) appeared in Apfelland Monogotari and Bremen 4, both Orphan releases, among numerous other featured roles.
• Shioya Kouzou (instructor) played Kaji-kun in Stop!! Hibari-kun! (an Orphan release) and Konaki Jiji in GeGeGe no Kitarou (1996), among numerous featured roles.
  

The director, Yasumi Tetsuo, helmed more than half of the Sensou Douwa specials.

As with previous episodes, kokujin-kun translated, and Yogicat timed. Skr provided the evocative English title. I edited and typeset. BeeBee, Nemesis, and Uchuu QCed. The standard-definition raw is a webrip. It's marred by an onscreen text for the entire running time. The text is simply the series name and the episode title, but the title is long and therefore distracting. I have no idea why it's there.

Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi is not as bleak as the previously released Sensou Douwa episodes, but it's still a sobering reminder of the toll war takes on willing participants and bystanders alike. This continues to be an outstanding series, best taken one episode at a time. 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.

Nine: Kantetsuhen HD

Orphan's HD releases of the Nine saga reaches its end with the third installment, 1984's Nine: Kanketsuhen (Nine: Final). Niimi Katsuya, Karasawa Susumu, and Kurahashi Eiji are all third-years, as are Nakao Yuri and Yasuda Yukimi. The principal romantic relationships are set. Katsuya is paired off with Yuri, and Jirou-kun (a second-year) with Yasuda Yukimi. Katsuya's former romantic rival, Jirou's older brother Kentarou, has gone on to college or pro baseball and is out of the picture. Thus, Nine: Kanketsuhen focuses on some of the side characters, as well as the climax of Coach Nakao's decades-long quest to get to the holy of holies, the high school baseball championships at Koushien.

In the first vignette, Coach Nakao (Yuri's father) uses a minor hospital stay to motivate the happy-go-lucky third-years to buckle down and try for Koushien. In the second, Susumu, who has mostly been a comic wingman to Katsuya, takes center stage, as a prolonged batting slump draws the attention (and eventually, the affection) of budding manga artist Takagi Youko. In the third, a mixup about a bottle of shampoo causes the ever-doubting Katsuya to wonder if Eiji is a romantic rival for Yuri's affections. And finally, the team reaches the hallowed halls of Koushien, fulfilling the coach's dream and providing an appropriate climax to the series. For more information, see my blog post on the standard-definition release.

 

The Orphan staff is the same as the standard-definition release. Moho translated; laalg checked the dialog and signs; and Sunachan checked the songs. ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset; the typesetting had to be completely redone for the different color balance in the high-definition raw. BeeBee, Topper3000, and VigorousJammer QCed the original release; getfresh and Uchuu QCed this one. bananadoyouwanna downscaled a 1080p webrip to 720p and removed the pillar-box black borders.

Some translation notes:

• Takagi Youko pokes fun at Karasawa's weight by calling him Karabuta literally, "Kara-pig." I've localized the insult as a pun with "Kawa-sow-a," even though a "sow" is actually a female pig, because she caricatured him as a pig in Nine 2.
• Omaeda, the monster pitcher on Seishuu's Koushien rivals, mistakes "Seishuu" for "Seishu," a brand of sake. That's the key reason I added the "u" for long Japanese vowels (Seishuu, Kentarou, Jirou) throughout the show, even though Seishuu's team uniforms say "Seishu" in Roman letters. 
• Many of the signs at Koushien are parodies of real Japanese brands and companies. For example, KDY 電話 (KDY Telephone) is a joke on a real telecommunications company, Kddi.
  

For this release, I've typeset a few more of the Koushien signs, because laalg bothered to translate them all; I want to honor her contribution.

Looking back on all three episodes, it's clear that Nine is not a typical sports shounen; rather, it's a romcom with a baseball foreground. Nine lacks the typical shounen hero's determined rise to the top in the face of adversity, and the humorless focus on building the team and achieving victory. Here, getting to Koushien is just another incident in high school life, and the boys are much more interested in having a good time, and in girls, than in becoming champions. For Niimi, Karasawa, and Eiji, baseball is fun; it's not an obsession.

Unless actual Blu-rays are released, this concludes Orphan's work on Nine. It's a charming series, invoking the innocence of high school sports and romance in simpler times.You can get Nine: Kanketsuhen HD  (and the other two HD episodes) from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.