Arisa Good Luck

Here's a true bluebird: the 1999 one-shot OVA Arisa Good Luck. Last month, Tennouji, translator and proprietor of SakuraCircle, contacted me about doing this show. He had the DVD and a script but needed a team to do the back-end work. Would Orphan be interested? In a never-before-translated rare OVA starring the inimitable Horie Yui? You betcha! Tennouji sent over the ISO and his script, and off we went. After several viewings, maybe, just maybe, I understand what's supposed to be going on. I certainly understand why the OVA was lost in obscurity.

Nishizaka Arisa is an ordinary high school girl. She has a crush on ace basketball player Matsumoto Takayuki and decides to leave a confession note in his locker, asking him to meet her at the park after school. Her letter slips out of the locker into the briefcase of Hoshino Yuuki, delivery boy for a pizza shop named Pizza Shark. Little does she know (or care) that Pizza Shark is actually the local headquarters of an Evil Mastermind and his Minions™. The EM sends his minions to break up the date and kill Arisa in the process.

But little do they know that Arisa's siscon brother has been preparing for a confrontation with Evil. He has equipped Arisa with a magical(?) suit that turns her into a walking good luck charm. After Arisa transforms into a magi-girl, much to her embarrassment, she easily escapes every attack, knocking the Minions out in the process.

The EM is so impressed by her powers that he decides to kidnap Arisa's brother and extract the secret of the lucky suit. Arisa's brother is about to be dropped in the drink when Arisa, realizing that she'll never be able to get out of magi-girl outfit if her brother dies, shows up, ready for battle. Mayhem ensues, none of it believable, until Arisa's luck is victorious.

The seiyuu do their best with this nonsense:

• Horie Yui (Nishizaki Arisa), affectionately known as Hocchan, needs no introduction to anime fans. She started as Tooru in the original Fruits Baskets, Naru in Love Hina, Haruka in Kurogane Communication, Catherine in Sci-Fi Harry, Sakuya in Sister Princess, Ayu in Kanon, Eri in the School Rumble franchise, Cross Yuuki in the Vampire Night series, Tsubasa Hanekawa in the *monogatari franchise, Hoozuki in Otome Youkai Zakuro, Millhiore in the Dog Days franchise, Kouko in Golden Time, and a personal favorite, Yuuko in Inukami! She starred as Suzu in Nagasarete Airantou, an Orphan release.
• Ueda Yuuji (Shuichi, her brother) played Johannes Krauser II in Detroit Metal City (OVA), Fuuma Yousuke in Wedding Peach, Sagara Sonosuke in Rurouni Kenshin, Tenkata Akito in Kidou Senkan Nadeseico, Keitarou in Love Hina, Makoto in Futari Ecchi, and Takeshi in Pokemon. He also voiced Takagi-kun in Let's Nupu Nupu and Nanbara in Hand Maid May, both Orphan releases.
• Ichijo Kazuya (Toujo, the villain) played Raoh in DD Fist of the North Star and Zafira in the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise. He appeared in Kakyuusei (1995) and Doukyuusei 2, both Orphan releases, as well as other h-animes.
• Chiba Susumi (Hoshino Yuuki, the delivery boy) played Seiji in Cutie Honey Flash, Fujiwara no Sai in Hikaru no Go, and Kondou Isao in Gintama.
• Tsurunu Kyouko (Mirei, one of the minions) had only a few featured roles.
  
• Kozakura Etsuko (Touka, the other minion) played Ryou-Ouki in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, Youhei in the Chi's Sweet Home franchise, and Nanami in the Nanami-chan franchise.
• Ittou Miki (Toujo Maiko, the villain's wife) played Eiko in the Project A-Ko franchise, Reimi in the Burn-Up franchise, and Touko (Natsume's adoptive mother) in the Natsume Yuujinchou franchise. She appeared in Adachigahara, Chameleon, Greed, and Cool Cool Bye, all Orphan releases.

The director, Kageyama Shigenori, also directed Bavi Stock I, Hi-Speed Jecy, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases, as well as The Humanoid, Windaria, Kakyuusei 2, Himawari!, and numerous h-animes (under an alias).

Tennouji translated and timed. I tweaked the timing, edited, and typeset. Nemesis, Rezo, and Topper3000 QCed. Rezo encoded from Tennouji's R2J ISO. The source is a mess of blended frames, and there's not much Rezo could do about it.

Arisa Good Luck is a trifle, but any trifle starring Horie Yue has some redeeming qualities. You can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.