Uchuu Neko: Mardock no Bouken

So here's Orphan's holiday release, the 2016 short series Uchuu Neko: Mardock no Bouken (The Adventures of Mardock the Space Cat). This set of four shorts appeared on YouTube but remained sadly untranslated... until now.

The show is very simple. Mardock the cat and his mouse friend, Lt. Chuui ("Squeak"), are drowsing in the sun when they suddenly find themselves flying through space in a rocket.

In each episode, they land on a strange planet:

1. The Planet of Sweets - A queen bee is sick of the sugary treats that are the only food available on her planet.
2. The Planet of Canyons - An overly protective mama eagle refuses to let her children fly because the canyon walls are too narrow.
3. The Planet of Anthills - Ants mindlessly follow the worker in front of them, with no respite.
4. The Planet of Fireflies - A firefly thinks she is all alone because she sees no other lights on her dark world.

Mardock and Chuui solve the major problem, make sure the inhabitants will be okay, and fly off to the next planet. Stir and repeat.

The primary voice cast is famous:

• Fujiwara Keiji (Mardock) played the dad in Crayon Shin-chan, Maes Hughes in Fullmetal Alchemist, Kenchirou in Antique Bakery, Hannes in Shingeki no Kyojin, Shirou in Blue Exorcist, Nue in Karas, Hinahono in Magi, and Shigure in Ushio to Tora TV. He played Hattori Hanzo Masanari in Sanada 10, Gentaku in Hidamari no Ki, and Yoshitoki in Genji, Part 1, all Orphan releases.
• Yamashita Daiki (Chuui) starred as Deku in Boku no Hero Academia. Tetsurou in No Guns Life, and Naoto in Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san, among many recent leading roles.

The bit parts in the episodes also have distinguished seiyuu:

• Asakura Azumi (queen bee, ep 1) played Asia in the High School DxD franchise, Emerada in The Devil is a Part-Timer franchise, and Kumin in the Chunibyou demo Koi ga Shita! franchise.
• Kaida Yuko (mother bird, ep 2) played Angelica in The Ancient Magus' Bride, Consort Ah Duo in The Apothecary Diaries, Ryoumou Shimei in the Ikkitousen franchise, Isabella in Yakusoku no Neverland, and Tsukuya in Gintama.
• Uchiyama Yumi (fledgling, ep 2) starred as Rudeus in the Mushoku Tensei franchise and played Takashima Rei in the Ace of the Diamond franchise, Mare Bello Fiore in the Overlord franchise, and Kazami Shun in the Bakugan franchise. She also had cameos in Shirokuma Cafe, an Orphan release.
• Mizuhashi Kaori (fledgling, ep 2) played Ai Aino in the Aria franchise, Minami in the Baka to Test to Shoukanuu franchise, Sara in the Futakoi series, Miyako in the Hidamari Sketch franchise, and Ogiue in Genshiken.
• Umehara Yuichiro (worker ant, ep 3) starred in the title roles of Goblin Slayer and Young Black Jack. He also played Yufuin En in the Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! series, Usui in Revenger, Horikita in the Classroom of the Elite series, and Siegried in The Legend of the Galactic Heroes reboot.
• Nakajima Yoshiki (worker ant, ep 3) played Seimei in Bakumatsu, Uei You in the Dr. Stone franchise, Serge Tova in Fairy Gone, and Suzuru in Mononogatari.
• Nakamura Shugo (worker ant, ep 3) appeared in Blue Lock, Eternal Boys, OPUS COLORs, and TsukiPro the Animation.
• Tomita Miyu (firefly, ep 4) starred as Riko in Made in Abyss and Crim the fallen angel in Interspecies Reviewers. She played Nijino Yume in the Aikatsu franchise, Flora in Isekai Nonbiri Nouka, Iino Miko in the Kaguya-sama: Love is War franchise, and Ogata Rizu in Boku-tachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai.

The director, Inabi Daiki, was in charge of the Fuusen Inu Tinny shorts as well.

I started the project by timing the four episodes; that's about my limit as a timer. Skr translated and decoded the voice credits. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. Everyone liked the series; the only real criticism was that there weren't enough episodes. The official trailer has been included for completeness; it is not translated.

So from all the cat fanciers at Orphan Fansubs, happy holidays. You can pick up Uchuu Neko: Mardock no Bouken from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Ai to Ken no Camelot

Some anime is great; some is awful. And some just leaves you scratching your head, not in confusion (like Genji, Part 1), but in bemusement. What have I just watched? Or Why was it ever made? That was my reaction to the 1990 movie Ai to Ken no Camelot: Mangaka Marina Time Slip Jiken (A Camelot of Love and Swords: Mangaka Marina's Time Travel Adventure). It's another rarity, available only on VHS.

The movie opens like a segment of Yuukan Club. Hibikiya Kaoru, a beautiful and wealthy young woman who dresses as an elegant and wealthy young man, has invited her best friends to her birthday party in Tokyo. As a present, they must being an answer to the question, "What is love?" The invitees include four bishounen:

• Charles de Hardy, a brilliant, and rich Frenchman
• Kazuya Francois Laurencin Kurosu, Charles' childhood friend
• Danjo Toichiro Munekage Shizuka, the 30th head of the famous Danjo family, a swordsman
  
• Kirk Francis Lucas, a police detective
  

And there is one more invitee: Marina Ikeda, a self-admitted "third-rate mangaka." She is short, frumpy, and always hungry, wears big glasses, and has the outgoing personality of an anime genki girl. How she became a valued friend to all these people is not explained in the movie; perhaps you have to read the 13 Hitomi Fujimoto 13 "Mangaka Marina" light novels that precede it.

Just as the friends are starting to answer Kaoru's question, and Marina is chowing down on a poultry leg the size of her head, the lights go out. Marina is pinned down by a gigantic claw, which turns out to be the foot of Logne, the guardian dragon of House Pendragon. Logne begs Marina to deliver a message to her master, Arthur Pendragon, and then drags Marina, with the rest of the crew in tow, through time and space to Camelot in sixth century Britain. The journey is too much for Logne, and she dies, leaving Marina to nurture her egg. Marina promptly drops the egg, and a baby dragon emerges. It imprints on Marina as her mommy. Then Arthur's troops arrive.

Camelot is beset by civil war, because no one has been able to withdraw Excalibur from its stone and claim the throne. Logne's message leads Marina to believe that Arthur will succeed during a forthcoming solar eclipse, provided he has the sword's sheath. She sets out to find it but is waylaid by minions of the evil Lady Dola, who wants the throne for herself. Marina and her friends set out to retrieve the sheath, but Lady Dola, now a demon, shows up during the eclipse, intending to steal the sheath again, kill Marina, and claim Excalibur. Will Dola, doing her best Emperor Palpatine impression, succeed? Can Arthur prevent this dastardly outcome? And will Marina ever get something to eat?

As I said, a real head-scratcher. The relationship between Marina and the bishies; between Kaoru's party and the journey through time; and our world and the events in Camelot; is non-existent or arbitrary or both. Perhaps you had to read the book(s) to fill in the missing pieces; or perhaps you had to be there. But the anime moves quickly, has some good comedy and action sequences, and doesn't outstay its welcome.

The voice cast includes many familiar names:

• Hayashibara Megumi (Marina) 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, Rihoko in Ninku, and Miyokichi in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju. She also played a number of feline roles, 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. She played Navi in Izumo (1991) and Clair in Hashire Melos!, also Orphan releases.
• Inoue Kazuhiko (Arthur) starred as Yamaoka Shirou in Oishinbo, Yuki Eiri in Gravitation, the title role in Cyborg 009, Gorou in Moonlight Mile, Tachibana no Tomomasa in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, and my favorite role, the irascible, sake-swilling Nyanko-sensei in the Natsume Yuujichou franchise. He also played Ando Shiro in Dioxin no Natsu, Saiki Haruka in Tobira o Akete, Iori in Tomoe's Run!, Kanuma Hayate in Akai Hayate, Ryousuke in Daishizen no Majuu Bagi, Kitten Smith in Starship Troopers, Liu Bei Xuande in both Sangokushi TV specials, Ayako in Lunn Flies into the Wind, Nakatsugawa in Boyfriend, Jinpachi Nezu in Sanada 10, Katsuhiko in Hiatari Ryouko, Minamoto no Yoshitsune in Genji (Part One), Hisui in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, and Kajiwara Kagetoki in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, all Orphan releases.
• Nanba Keiichi (Kirk) played the title role in Choujin Locke, Lundi in Honoo no Alpenrose: Jeudi & Lund, Uesugi in Touch, Schneider in Captain Tsubasa, and Junta in DNA2. He also starred as Eizawa in Chameleon, Kujou Kazuomi in Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru, Hongou in Nozomi Witches, and gave an over-the-top performance as Roll the vengeful wizard in Girl from Fantasia, all Orphan releases.
• Toda Keiko (Kaoru) played Hitomi in Cat's Eye, Iczer-2 in Iczer-One, Blinky in Fushigi ga Koala Blinky, Kitarou in Gegege no Kitarou (1985), Nina in High School Agent, Kiki in the Kiki no Lala series, Anpanman in the Anpanman franchise, Karara in Space Runaway Ideon, Sophia in A Wind Named Amnesia, Kate Jackson in Bavi Stock, Non in Karuizawa Syndrome, and Eterna in Hoshi Neko Full House. The last three are Orphan releases.
• Hayami Shou (Charles) starred as Nanjou in Zetsuai: 1989 and Bronze: Zetsuai since 1989, and Kushinige Hodaka in Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru. He also played an angel in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, Kuya in Genji, Part 1, Aju in Hayou no Tsurugi, Exper Kain in Exper Zenon, Iason's friend Raoul in Ai no Kusabi, Hojo in Sanctuary, Pat Leivy in Starship Troopers, Junoichi in Blazing Transfer Student, Shargan in Gude Crest, and Seichii in Mikoneko Holmes. All of these shows are Orphan releases.
• Seki Toshihiko (Bijomaru) played the title role in Izumo, Riki in Ai no Kusabi, Raiel in Hameln no Violin Hiki, 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, Hayata in Call Me Tonight, Ootsuki in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Junichiro in Kasei Yakyoku, Shouji, the guitar player, in To-Y, 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, Mousse in Ranma 1/2, and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro.
• Matsui Naoko (Lady Dola) played Efera in Guide Crest, Wato-san in Mitsume ga Tooru and Tezuka Osamu ga Kieta?!, and appeared in Hi-Speed Jecy and Every Day Is Sunday, all Orphan releases. She played the title role in Compiler, Uru Chie in High School! Kimengumi, Katsumi Liqueur in Silent Mobius, Run Run in Mahoujin Guru Guru, Roux Louka in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Suzuki Sonoko in the Detective Conan franchise, Juushimatsu in Osomatsu-kun (1988), Wendy in Peter Pan no Bouken, Marian in Robin Hood no Daibouken, and Matsu in Nobunaga no Shinobi.
• Horiuchi Kenyuu (Simon, Dola's henchman) played the title role in Guin Saga and Oscar in the Angelique franchise. He also played the title role in Amon Saga, Inlen in Raiyantsuuri no Uta, Ryuuichi in Aoko Honoo, Jin Akira in Wolf Guy, Nest in Eien no Filena, Kubota in Meisou Ou Border, Lid in Greed, Romus in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99, and the refined son in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.
  
• Matsuoka Youko (Cologne, the baby dragon) played the title role in Huckleberry Finn Monogatari and the 1990s iteration of GeGeGe no Kitarou. She played Ralph in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, Kosuke in Kosuke-sama Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu, and the unnamed boy in Tsuki ga Noboru made ni, all Orphan releases.

The director, Ishii Fumiko, has only one other directing credit, Licca-chan Fushigi na Mahou no Ring.

Iri bought the VHS tape. purpleparrotkin translated. ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset (not much). Topper3000 and Rezo QCed. Another team member encoded. The movie has never been released on digital media.

So follow mangaka Marina and her elite band of bishies to Camelot, as she searches for love, adventure, and more things to eat. You can get Ai to Ken no Camelot from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Okama Hakusho (Okama Report)

This one needs warning labels: Borderline hentai! Outdated stereotypes! Nudity! Sex, mostly gay, some straight, some consensual, often not! Watch at your own risk! So it's an Okizari release.

Okama Hakusho (Okama Report) is a three-part OVA from 1991-1992. It's based on Yamamoto Hideo's manga of the same name about gender confusion and the gay scene in Japan. Because Hachimitsu Scans translated the manga completely, I thought it would be a lighthearted gender-bender. However, as the Hachimitsu team delicately phrased it, "There certainly are some controversial elements in this manga, and it may not be for everyone." Or to put it differently: when you're working on the only "comedy" from the author of Ichi the Killer, you've stepped in deep yogurt.

Okama Shinya is a second-year college student, longing for love but basically drifting through life. At a party, his friends get him sloshed, dress him in drag, and take pictures. To everyone's amazement, Shinya is surprisingly attractive as a girl - so attractive, in fact, that he falls in love with "her" when shown the pictures from the party. In order to meet "her", Shinya's friend (exploiter) Tanaka takes him to a gay bar, Maurice, and has a professional cross-dresser (okama), Yamazaki Tarou, make up Shinya's face and hair.

When Shinya realizes that his love is actually himself in drag, he is both appalled and intrigued. He goes to work at Maurice as an okama, calling himself "Catherine." He quickly becomes a favorite of the owner, Mama-rin, and the customers as well. While dressed as Catherine, he meets and falls in love with a first-year co-ed at his college named Miki, who is almost Catherine's twin.

The two become fast friends, but Shinya wants to be Miki's friend (and lover) as a man. However, Miki already has a boyfriend and is preparing to sleep with him for the first time. Can Catherine sabotage Miki's relationship without giving herself away? Can Shinya, as a guy, find a way to become Miki's new boyfriend? And can Catherine/Shinya fend off Tarou's increasingly aggressive advances?

This summary makes Okama Hakusho sound like a gender-confused romantic roundelay, but there are lots of problems with the show. It starts with the title's use of okama (pot), a Japanese derogatory term originally denoting the passive partner in anal sex, which became a derogatory term for cross-dressers; the closest English analog would be "faggot." (For a discussion about Japanese LGBT terms, see this article.) It continues with the portrayal of gay life in Japan. In Okama Hakusho, every gay man is an okama. Rather than the camp chic displayed by drag queens in the US, most of the okama in Okama Hakusho are portrayed as unattractive. They are also shown as sexual aggressors against unsuspecting or unwilling men: Tarou basically rapes Shinya/Catherine at one point. All this is played as "comedy," which only makes it worse. It's not only bad sexual politics, it's bad comedy too. There are more laughs in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, and a more sympathetic portrait of an okama in Okane ga nai!

The dialog also presents issues. A lot of the language is either explicit or highly suggestive, filled with slang terms and puns for body parts and sex acts. The argot is dated and hard to parse. For example, how should okama be translated? The show uses the term interchangeably for cross-dressers, transgender women, and homosexual men. Three different translators pulled their hair out about it, and editing it was no easier. Ultimately, the term was left untranslated.

The controversy actually began with the manga itself. According to Wikipedia,

Its title is a parodic reference to "Gay Report", a report published by the LGBT rights group Japan Association for the Lesbian and Gay Movement (also known as OCCUR), noted as the first large-scale survey of gay life in Japan conducted by gay men. OCCUR protested Okama Report for containing what it argued were stereotypical and inaccurate depictions of LGBT people, particularly its failure to distinguish between gay male sexual orientation and transgender gender identity. In response, publisher Shogakukan ceased publishing collected tankoubon editions of the manga, discontinuing the release of the series after two volumes.

Perhaps that's why the OVA series simply stops, even though the manga had been completely serialized by the time episode 3 was produced.

The voice cast is quite distinguished:

• Horikawa Ryou (Shinya) played Shutendou in Shuten Douji, Vegeta in Dragon Ball, Naoto in Slow Step, Anthony Brown in Candy Candy, Reinhard in LOGH, Tadao in Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Kai in Kizuna, and Andromeda in Saint Seiya. He also appeared in Chameleon, Hi-Speed Jecy, Lunn no Kaze, and the first two Sangokushi movies, all Orphan releases.
• Amano Yuri (Catherine) played the title role in The Legend of Snow White, Julia in Daddy Long Legs, Kiyone in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, and Moemi in Video Girl Ai. She appeared as Kuzunoha in Akuemon, Angie in Condition Green, Elthena in Eien no Filena, Kitagawa in Nozomi Witches, Noriko in Singles, and Yuko in St. Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, as well as multiple roles in Fukuyama Gekijou, all Orphan releases.
• Morimura Asuka (Miki) was an AV actress. Other anime credits include Bouken Shite mo Ii Koro and Korogashi Ryouta.
• Futamata Issei (Kouji Tanaka) is best known for his roles as Godai Yuusaku in Maison Ikkoku, Akira (Chibi) in Urusei Yatsura, and Saburo in Sazae-san. He played the main character, Yoshio, in Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou and the psychopathic brother, Cross, in Hi-Speed Jecy, and he appeared in Fukuyama Gekijou, all Orphan releases.
• Ogata Kenichi (Inoue, president of a business) played the put-upon father in Maroko, Suzuki in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance call, the crooked casino boss in Okane ga Nai!, the Hong Kong chef in Yuukan Club, Chichi's father in Chiisana Koi no Monogatari, and the Narrator/Lord of Kaga in Oedo wa Nemurenai!, all Orphan releases. He also played Smee in Peter Pan no Bouken and 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. 
• Shimada Bin (Lily, former pro wrestler) played Ken Nakajima in the You're Under Arrest franchise and numerous other roles, as well as played Konaki Jijii and Wally Wall in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. He appeared in Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, Fukyukayama Gekijou, Tomoe's Run, and Sangokushi, all Orphan releases.
• Gouri Daisuke (Mimi, former JSDF soldier) played Yamazaki Hiromi in Patlabor. He had numerous featured roles. He appeared in Condition Green, Bavi Stock I, Hashire Melos, Rain Boy, all three Sangokushi movies (Xiahou Dun), Submarine 707R, Tokimeki Tonight, Wolf Guy, Hi-Speed Jecy, Hidamari no Ki, and Kage, all Orphan releases.
• Yamada Eiko (Yamazaki Tarou), played Syril in Cool Cool Bye and Vee in Al Caral no Isan, both Orphan releases, and Tarou in the Captain Tsubasa franchise, as well as numerous other featured roles.
• Ouizumi Akira (Mama-rin) had prominent roles in Dame Oyaji and Bouken Shite mo Ii Koro.
• Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Keiko, a yakuza turned okama) is best known for playing Jigen in the Lupin the Third TV shows and specials since the inception of the franchise. He also played Sekai in Wild 7, an Orphan release.
• Meguro Kousuke (Banana) appeared in Kage and Izumo, both Orphan releases.
  

The director, Kogure Teruo, directed the slapstick gross-out OVA Mellow as well as several h-anime. There is no information on the scriptwriter.

The video quality is so-so. The source is used VHS tapes, and there are lots of artifacts. (The show was never released on laserdisc or digital media.) The first episode intersperses live-action scenery shots with the animated sequences, perhaps to convey the locale without the need to animate it.

Okama Hakusho, like many recent projects, has taken a long time. First, it took several years to find all three VHS tapes. Moho Kareshi translated the dialog initially, but it was another two years before Perevodilldo came on board and revised it substantially. I edited and typeset, as usual. The timer, song translator, QCs, and encoder refused to be associated with the result and are anonymous. Because the show includes nudity and sex, gay and straight, consensual and not, it's very NSFW. You've been warned, if the Okizari label was not a sufficient clue.

I'm not going to offer any apologies for Okama Hakusho. I'd like to believe it's a relic of another era, but Japanese anime is filled with gay-bashing to this day. You can get the series from the usual torrent site as well as IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.