Junkers Come Here: Memories of You

Stop me if you've heard the one about the talking dog...

Junkers Come Here and its sequel were novels by Kine Naoto. They featured a Schnauzer named Junkers, who could speak and also work miracles (limit three per family). The novels were made into a 1995 anime movie, Junkers Come Here. Despite critical acclaim, the movie was not a box-office success and was not released on home media for some time. Eventually, it received a DVD release in both Japan and North America. Today, it is readily available to an English speaking audience. 

Before the movie was released, there was a 1994 OVA entitled Junkers Come Here: Memories of You. It first aired as part of TV Asahi's drama series Kuni-sanchi no Witches. The OVA featured a completely different plot and characters than the movie or the novels. The only common element was Junkers and his abilities.

Memories of You centers around the four sisters of the Arimura family. Their mother disappeared on a trip to Paris, and their father died of a broken heart soon afterward. Now, eldest sister Haruka, 30, is the head of the household, having put her own hopes and plans on hold to raise her sisters. Next in line is Natsuno, an office lady in her 20s, obsessed with romance. Third is the nominal protagonist, Akimi, in middle school, undergoing the trials and tribulations of adolescence. Youngest is Fuyuko, 10, an elementary school student with no memories of her mother at all.

Akimi is trying to escape the constant teasing she gets at school when she encounters Junkers on a riverbank. When the dog starts a conversation, Akimi is gobsmacked. She takes the dog home to her sisters, who are skeptical or disinterested, until Junkers miraculously fixes a broken tree and swing. Natsuno wastes one of Junkers' miracles on her love life, and the family starts squabbling about the last one. Then, a TV news program reports about a "mysterious Asian fashion designer" in Paris. It's clearly their mother Misako, and the girls set off to France, Junkers in tow, to find her. There will indeed be one more miracle, although not the obvious one.

The four sisters were played by the actresses from Kuni-sanchi no Witches, so they are relatively unknown in the anime world. The other roles were filled by professional voice actors.

• Kuroki Hitomi (Haruka) worked in the Takarazuka Review and is primarily as a stage and screen actress.
• Tamura Shouko (Natsuno) is an actress and model.
• Hosokawa Fumie (Akimi) is a gravure model and singer.
• Oda Akane (Fuyuko) is a TV actress and yoga instructor.
• Furumoto Shinnosuke (Junkers) played the same role in the Junkers Come Here movie. He starred as Hiro in H2 and as Akihiro in The Girl from Phantasia, an Orphan release.
• Matsushima Minori (Misako) had a storied career, starting with early Tezuka Osamu series. She played Dororo in the 1969 version of Dororo to Hyakkimaru, Jim in Animal Treasure Island, the title roles in Akane-chan, Lucy of the Southern Rainbow, and Candy Candy, Shun's mother in Dallos and Peach (Pinoko) in Fumoon. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Hirose Masashi (Father) appeared in Al Caral no Isan, Dallos, Nora, Kage, Wolf Guy and Kageyama Tamio's Double Fantasy, all Orphan releases. 

The ending song is Happy Birthday by Kenjiro, a well-known tune available on YouTube. There are also some silent promos for the novels and the movie.

The director, Satou Junichi, helmed the Junkers Come Here movie, the Akuma-kun TV series and movies, Sailor Moon and several follow-on series, the Mahou Tsukai Tai TV series and OVAs, Gate Keepers, Kaleido Star, Aria and its sequels, Tamayura and its sequels, and numerous other well-known properties.

Iri translated the show, ninjacloud timed, and I edited and typeset. Nemesis, Topper3000, and Uchuu QCed. Intrepid ripped a Japanese VHS tape on his All-in-Wonder setup. The show was never released on laserdisc, let alone DVD.

Junkers Come Here: Memories of You is straightforward and heartfelt. It's easy to be cynical about it, but I found it a welcome dose of positive feelings in the midst of a seemingly endless stream of horrific events. Dogs are good for the soul, Junkers especially. 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.