DAYS OAD

Back in 2016, Orphan subbed DAYS: Touin Gakuensen, the second set of DAYS OADs and the next step in the Seiseki High School soccer team's quest for a championship. However, Touin Gakuensen was preceded by another set of OADs that, in the usual mode of such offerings, were comic side stories to the main series. Our translator was not interested in the first set of OADs, and Orphan turned the raws over to Saizen, a sports-oriented fansub team, in the hope that Saizen had the resources to work on them. There they languished for six years. Now, joint work by Orphan and Saizen have brought these OADs to the English-speaking world.

If you're not familiar with DAYS, it's a 24-episode series broadcast in 2016. It tells the story of the Seiseki High School soccer team in general and of Tsukamoto Tsukushi in particular. Tsukushi is weak and shy, a target for bullies, but he falls in with eccentric soccer genius Kazama Jin and decides to join the Seiseki team. Despite his lack of talent, his dogged determination and overwhelming energy help propel him to soccer success and the team to a winning season.

This set of OADs is set at seaside training camp over the summer. In the first episode, everyone takes a break from training to pursue girls on the beach. 

They run into their rivals from Sakuragi High School and end up playing in a beach soccer competition.

In the second episode, the gang is back in their hotel room. They play a Grand Pauper (Daihinman) card game tournament. 

In each round, the loser has to role a gigantic die and accept some sort of "Truth of Dare" penalty.

It's all played strictly for laughs, with the individual characters' eccentricities at the fore. Tsukamoto and Kazama mostly act as foils for the other characters.

The voice cast is a "Who's Who" of contemporary Japanese seiyuu:

• Yoshinaga Takuto (Tsukushi) starred in Beatless and as Kariya in Hinomaru Sumo.
• Matsuoka Yoshitsugu (Jin) starred as Souma in all the Shokugeki no Souma franchise, the hero Bell in the Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru properties, the male lead Sorato in Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, and numerous other leading roles.
• Namikawa Daisuke (Mizuki, the Seiseki captain) played Takeru in the Freedom OVAs, Tokunaga in the just-completed Gurazeni, Tooru in Haikyuu!!, Italy in the Hetalia franchise, Hisoka in Hunter x Hunter (2011), and my personal favorite, the demon-summoning detective Akutabe in the Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san franchise. He also appeared in Sangokushi 2 and Cosprayers, both Orphan releases.
• Ise Mariya (Ubukata, the Seiseki manager and strategist) starred as Killua in Hunter x Hunter (2011), Reg in Made in Abyss, Stocking in Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, and Eco the dragon girl in Dragonar Academy, among many other leading roles.
• Ono Daisuke (Kimishita, a Seiseki midfielder) is one of the most famous current seiyuu. He has starred as Erwin in the Shingeki no Kyojin franchise, Handa in Barakomon, the demonic butler Sebastian in the Kuroshitsuji franchise, Kyouma in Dimension W, Midorima in the Kuroko's Basketball properties, Sinbad in the Magi properties, and too many other roles to mention. He was wonderful as Llama in Shirokuma Cafe, an Orphan release; you should listen to his ending song, Lamambo (Llama Mambo).
• Miyano Mamoru (Ooshiba, the goofy Seiseki forward) seems to be everywhere in modern anime. He starred as Light in Death Note, Kei in Ajin, Eiji in Antique Bakery, Osamu Dazai in Bungou Stray Dogs, Rin in the Free! franchise, Reinhard von Lohengramm in the recent TV version of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Shotaro in Skip Beat, the hero Riku in Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~, and many more. And he played Crested Porcupine and Alpaca in Shirokuma Cafe.
• Sakurai Takahiro (Usui, Seiseki's co-captain) starred as Mitsuya in the marvelous Fune wo Amu, the unfortunate Kazuhito in Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou, Misaski in the Junjou Romantica franchise, Reigen in Mob Psycho 100, and of course, Polar Bear himself in Shirokuma Cafe. (His ending song is also not to be missed). He played Atsumu in AnoHana, Suzaku in the Code Geass franchise, Yu Kanda in D.grayman, Guice in the Zero no Tsukaima properties, Bernhard in Maria the Virgin Witch, and many other great roles.
• Yasumoto Hiroki (Inohora, Seiseki's goalkeeper) starred as Hoozuki in the Hoozuki no Reitetsu series, Germany in the Hetalia franchise, and the bear in Kumamiko.  He played the hero's wingman Bonba in the Himouto shows, the antagonist Yuuri in Megalo Box, Kinjo in the Yowamushi Pedal franchise, and many other roles.
• Shimono Hiro (Haibara, a Seiseki defender) starred as Hiro in ef: A Tale of Memories, Jin in Kannagi, Tetsu in Cencoroll,  Haruka in Yosuga no Sora, Ryuuji in Dragon Crisis, Hayao in 30-sai no Hoken Taiiku, You in Ben-tou, Seki in Tonari no Seki-kun, Zeno, the Yellow Dragon, in Akatsuki no Yona,, Jean in ACCA, Popuko in Pop Team Epic, and numerous other show.
• Toyonaga Toshiyuki (Nakajin Shou) starred as the title character in Yuuri!! On Ice, Mikado in the Durarara!! franchise, Ayumu in Zettai Shounen, Shun in Kimo to Boku, and Heisuke in Bucchigiri!
• Ishikawa Kaito (Nitobe Testsura, a Seiseki center back) played Garcia in Terra ForMars, Ledo in Seusei no Gargantia, Genos in One Punch Man, Tobio in the Haikyuu!!franchise, and the title role in Kyoukai no Rinne.
• Yoshino Hiroyuki (Kurusu, a Seiseki midfielder) starred as Tokai in VanDread, Pete in Ginban Kaleidoscope, Zed in Kiba, Heisuke in the Hakuouki franchise, Meow the cat in Space Dandy, and Mametoro the dog in the Massugu ni Ikou OVAs.
• Seki Tomokazu (Indou Kaoru, from Sakuragi) played Keisuke in the Initial D franchise, Kenji in the original Pokemon, Ken in Weiss Kreuz, Kyou in the original Fruits Basket, Rentarou in Futakoi Alternative, Tanaka in Genshiken, Ryuuki in Saiunkoku Monogatari, Dee in Fake, Shinya in the Psycho-Pass properties, GIlgamesh in the Fate/Stay franchise, Morimura Tenma in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, and Suneo in many Doraemon movies. He also played Taira no Katsuzane in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, Minamoto no Kurou Yoshitsune in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, and Yamaoka Tetsutarou in Hidamari no Ki, all Orphan releases.
• Hanae Natsuki (Narukami Shuuji, from Sakuragi),starred as Tanjirou in the Kimsetsu no Yaiba franchise, Makoto in Tsuki ga Michibuku, Hiroshi in Odd Taxi, Miko in Sabakui Bisco, Ryou in Love All Play, Haruichi in Ace of the Diamond, Shuichi in Gleipnir, Pineapple in Fruit Brains (an Orphan release), and the title roles in Vanitas no Karte, Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid, and Appare Ranman, among numerous other lead turns.

These OADs were directed by the series director, Uda Kounosuke, who also helmed another soccer series, Ginga e Kickoff.

I think Sunachan bought these OADs. She certainly bought the Touin Gakuensen OADs, and both sets of OADs were encoded at the same time. Eventually, Yume translated the show. kokujin-kun translation checked. ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset. Topper3000 and Uchuu QCed. bananadoyouwanna encoded. This is a joint Orphan-Saizen project.

The DAYS OADs are trifles, but they're fun and go by in a flash. With this release, all of the DAYS anime has been subtitled.  You can get this set of OADs from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

 

One Pound Gospel

Takahashi Rumiko is best known for her long-running manga and anime series, like Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, Inuyasha, and Kyoukai no Rinne, but I love her shorter works. They showcase her talent for creating characters and comedy. Few are as good as One Pound Gospel, a 1988 OVA derived from her four volume manga of the same name. It was a pleasure to work on and a pleasure to watch.

One Pound Gospel (1 Pound no Fukuin) tells the story of Hatanaka Kosaku, a promising young boxer undone by his gargantuan appetite, particularly for street food. 

As a result of gorging out, he has had to move up from flyweight, where he debuted, to bantamweight - an increase of 14 pounds, or 13%. As a result, he is fighting bigger and stronger opponents, and his promising start has turned into a losing record.

After another loss, he finds himself down, out, and hungry in front of a church. There, a novice nun named Sister Angela spies him sitting bereft on the steps and assumes he is homeless. 

She feeds him, only to discover that he is well known for cadging food. This fateful meeting brings Sister Angela into Kosaku's life. She encourages him to try for a comeback and supports him - and scolds him - as necessary.

She becomes an ally of Kosaku's coach, Mokuda, in his increasingly desperate efforts to get Kosaku to shape up. Eventually, Kosaku gets a shot at redemption in a match with Amakusa Jiro, an Olympic champion just turned pro. While there are undertones of romance - Kosaku is clearly smitten with the pretty young novice - in this part of the story, at least, Sister Angela remains true to her vocation. For the rest, you'll have to read the manga, which is fully translated.

The voice cast is terrific:

• Furuya Tohru (Kosaku) played the lead male roles in Kimagure Orange Road and Sailor Moon, the title roles in Casshern Sins and Kyojin no Hoshi, and recurrent roles in the Dr. Slump, Dragonball, and Mobile Suit Gundam franchises. He also starred as Niimi in Nine, Kosaku in Stop!! Hibari-kun, Beat, aka the Rabbit, in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: Missing 99, and the title role in Bavi Stock, all Orphan releases.
• Tsuru Hiromi (Sister Angela) debuted as Perrine in Perrine Monogatari. She went on to play Kashima Miyuki in Miyuki, Madoka in Kimagure Orange Road, and Mikami Reiko in Ghost Sweeper Mikami. She also played Sara in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve, Sonnet Barge in Blue Sonnet, Fengji in the third Sangokushi movie, Keiko in Hiatari Ryoukou, Nozomi in Nozomi Witches, Jill in A Penguin's Memories, UFO-chan in Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, Milk in Karuizawa Syndrome, Kiyomi, the motorcycle rider, in Sotsugyou: Graduation, Asuza in Laughing Target, and big sister Shizuka in Tomoe's Run!, all Orphan releases.
• Shiozawa Kaneto (Amakusa Jiro) played the title role in To-Y, Orochimaru in Tengai Makyou, Shin in Hiatari Ryoukou, Iason in Ai no Kusabi, Rock Holmes in Fumoon, Shiina in Chameleon, Sanzou in I am Son Goku, Kouhei in Karuizawa Syndrome, 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 OVA, Rosario in Dragon Half, and Abriel senior in Crest of the Stars. 
• Nagai Ichirou (coach Mokuda) 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 Rain Boy, Manxmouse, Nora, Hidamari no Ki, Yuukan Club, Amon Saga, Botchan, Ipponbouchou Mantaraou, Tengai Makyou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Futamata Issei (Ishida, coach's assistant) 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 Kouji Tanaka in Okama Hakusho, and the psychopathic brother, Cross, in Hi-Speed Jecy, and he appeared in Fukuyama Gekijou, all Orphan releases.
• Tatsuta Naoki (Tabuchi, Kosaku's sparring partner) played Oolong in the Dragonball franchise, the Cat Bus in My Neighbor Totoro, and Beta in New Dream Hunter Rem. He appeared in every GeGeGe no Kitarou series since 1985 and in Amon Saga and Wolf Guy, both Orphan releases. 

The director, "Saki Makura", is an alias for Dezaki Osamu, who needs no introduction to readers of this blog. (The "postcard memories" throughout the show are a dead giveaway.) 

The OP and ED, "Cry No More" by Hamada Mari, is an absolute banger. The OST was never released, but the OP/ED and insert songs can be found on Hamada Mari's album, "Love Never Turns Against."

No translation notes, but the staff found a few plot-driven inaccuracies. About the scene where Kosaku confesses to Sister Angela about eating five yakitori, Perevodildo noted, "Nuns can't hear confession." About the climactic fight, Topper3000 noted, "As the resident sports fan, I would be remiss not to point out that Kosaku would have been immediately disqualified as soon as he headbutt Amakusa in the stomach." Details matter, guys.

The original subs are from the Viz R1 release, now out of print, via Melonsubs. Perevodildo translation checked. ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis, Rezo, and Topper3000 QCed. The raw is a stack of three Japanese laserdiscs, ripped on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded by Orphan's anonymous media maven. (The laserdisc is better than the DVD.) The audio is digital and encoded as FLAC.

This release brings to an end Orphan's work with Takahashi Rumiko's 1980s OVAs. Mermaid Forest and Mermaid Scar were licensed in R1 and released on DVD; we won't be working on them. I've enjoyed all four of the OVAs, but One Pound Gospel is the best. Whether you've seen it before or not, download this vesion and enjoy it (again). You can get the release from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #new on irc.rizon.net

Mellow

Another year, another ecchi OVA about cross-dressing from Knack. This time it's 1993's Mellow, which is based on a manga by Kasahara Rin that has not been translated. Like Okama Hakusho, it poses its share of problems, although for very different reasons.

The premise revolves around a brother and sister, both named Haijami Akira. They are descended from a long line of teachers, and their father's will mandates that they continue the tradition and become teachers. Otherwise, their inheritance is forfeit. The sister has assumed the burden of becoming an educator, but the brother has other plans.

As the story open, Akira (m) is running down a street in Osaka, chased by gangsters.

He has been caught in flagrante delicto with a yakuza boss's daughter. The boss is demanding an anatomical sacrifice; you can guess which part. Akira (m) escapes and returns home to Tokyo. He tries to borrow 500,000 yen to go abroad from the family servant, Ichiji, who is the executor of the family trust. But while Akira (m) was dallying, Akira (f) suffered a horrible breakdown from getting dumped by her boyfriend and is too depressed to teach.

Ichiji offers the loan, provided that Akira (m) cross-dresses as his sister and starts her job as a teacher while she recovers her composure. Akira (m) agrees readily - too readily. He needs money to escape and a hiding place in the meantime. And so, disguised as his sister, he becomes a high-school English teacher. (All this m/f stuff is too boring, so our "hero" will be plain Akira from now on.)

Akira, in female dress, starts teaching English. He has no training, and the only English he knows is from an American girl he lived with a few months back. What could go wrong? 

He tangles with student after student - a delinquent student, a suicidal student, an English-fluent transfer student, a hostile student with a mommy complex, a malingering student with a crush on the busty PE teacher. In each case, he gets the better of the encounter by letting his natural cunning and repressed rage run rampant. The OVA ends with Akira, still disguised as a woman, rescuing the PE teacher from an aggressive Lothario. They end up very friendly. 

What happens after that? Read the manga.

Mellow seems like a typical, not (too) offensive comedy featuring a cross-dressing male character. It has a some (female) nudity and (heterosexual) sex, like many 80s and 90s OVAs. So you might ask, where are the problems? They're all in the language: the story depends on subtle nuances of Japanese, both written and spoken.

Let's start with the title: 女郎, romanized right on the VHS box as Mellow. It's actually pronounced "merou," and it means "bitch." 女郎 is a multi-purpose insult against women; an alternate reading is "jorou," meaning "prostitute." Then, the two Akiras use different spellings of their name: male Akira is 日明, while female Akira is 晶. When Akira writes his name on the blackboard at school, he uses the masculine form and has to erase the "dangling bits" to make it feminine.

There are lots of puns and references in the story.

• When Akira writes the masculine form of his name, one of the students exclaims, "Akira? Like in Meada Akira?" Maeda Akira was a pro wrestler and a mixed martial-arts fighter.
• When Akira recites the English alphabet to demonstrate his readiness to teach, he follows up ABCDEFG with "You do H to her so that she does I!" This is based on a proverb, "After sex (ecchi or H) comes love (ai or I)."
• When the English-proficient student has asked a series of difficult questions in English, Akira curses her out with "Hey, bitch! I'll stab you in the butthole  and get your shit out and clean you up! You are my hostile. Want me to murder your butt again? Huh?!" The Japanese "translation" in subtitles is even worse. "I'll stick my hand up your asshole and mess up your guts, and do you want me to tell you about vagina cooties? You chronically full-throttle girl, want me to kiss your flapping vagina? Huh?" It doesn't make much sense in either language.
• Fuwa dismisses Fukatsu's illness, he thinks, "He just wants to ogle some D-cups." Japanese bra sizes are different; these would be C-cups in the US.
  
• When Akira dismisses Fukatsu's illness, he says, "A stomachache! More like a sonic belch!" This is a pun: "haraita" is stomachache, while "kataharaita" means absurd.
• When Akira plunks himself down on the infirmary bed, he says, "Dusukoi!", the cry used by sumo wrestlers as they enter the ring.

In addition, there's quite a bit of Kansai- and yakuza-dialect, often difficult to follow.

The voice cast includes:

• Matsumoto Yasunori (Haijima Akira, male) starred as Johnny in Starship Troopers, Kaname in Singles, and Tooru in Every Day Is Sunday, all Orphan releases. He was in numerous OVAs in the 1990s, including Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Seikimatsu: Humane Society, Fukuyama Gekijou - Natsu no Himitsu, and Al Caral no Isan, also Orphan releases. Among his other notable roles were Wataru Akiyama in Initial D, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Gourry Gabriev in Slayers, Ryou in Sonic Soldier Borgman, and a personal favorite, Dick Saucer in Dragon Half.
• Okamoto Maya (Haijima Akira, female) played played Maya in the Burn Up! series, Harumi in The Irresponsible Captain Tylor franchise, Saiko in the Silent Mobius properties, and Puck in Yousei Ou, an Orphan release.
• Ooizumi Akira (Ichiji) appeared in Asatte Dance, Cat's Eye, and Korogashi Ryouta. He played Mama-rin in Okama Hakusho, an Orphan release.
• Morikawa Toshiyuki (delinquent student Fuwa) took over the role of dad Nohara Hiroshi in the Crayon Shin-chan franchise. He played lead roles in Gallery Fake, Yami no Matsui, Kyou Kara Maou, and numerous other shows. He's also a regular in Orphan's releases. He played the lead role in Ear of the Golden Dragon, Wolf Guy, and Nozomi Witches, as well as Inspector Kendo in the Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo series. He delivered a scene-stealing performance as Panda Mama in Shirokuma Cafe. He also appeared in Al Caral no Isan, Akai Hayate, Dragon Fist, Kiss wa Mi ni Shite, Blazing Transfer Student, and Wild 7.
• Katsuki Masako (busty PE teacher Utako) 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, Yamimama in Megami Paradise, and Yamazaki's maintenance engineer Kiriko in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call, all Orphan releases.
• Akimoto Yousuke (Principal Ikebe) played Ookubo Sagaminokami Tadachika in Sanada 10 and appeared in Apfelland Monogatari, Genji, Part 1, Wild 7, and Dokushin Apartment Dokidami-sou, all Orphan releases. as well as Stratos 4, Sisters of Wellber, Princess Lover, The Sacred Blacksmith, and Black Summoner.
• Umezu Hideyuki (Vice-Principal Noboru) played Akadama-sensei in Uchouten Kazoku and Uranos Corsica in Gangsta. He had featured roles in Star Dust, Apfelland Monogatari, Blue Sonnet, Hashire Melos, Hi-Speed Jecy, Hidamari no Ki, Nana Toshi Monogatari, Neko Neko Fantasia, Singles, the What's Michael? OVAs, Yamato 2520, Genji, Part 1, and Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, all Orphan releases.
• Okiayu Ryoutarou (suicidal student Yamazaki)  starred as the title roles in Gambler Densetsu Tetsuya, Toriko, and Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun, Mitsui Hisashi in Slam Dunk, Matsura Yuu in Marmalade Boy, Jinnai Katsuhiko in the El-Hazard franchise, Nueno Meisuke in the Hell Teacher Nube series,Samejima Ranmaru in Kizuna, Souma Shigure in Fruits Basket (2003), Berserker in Fate/Zero, Hideyoshi in Sengoku Basara, and Atsushi in Recorder to Ransel. He also played Takao-san in Let's Nupu Nupu, Abel in Fire Emblem, Gion in Okane ga nai!, Akram in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2 (a repeat of his role in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou), and Hakuryuu in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, all Orphan releases.
• Shimamura Kaori (English-proficient student Kumiko) appeared in Hanaukyo Maid Team: La Verite and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation.
• Fujiwara Keiji (hostile student Fumio) took over the role of Dad in Crayon Shin-chan. He played 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 Hidamri no Ki, Yoshitoki in Genji, Part 1, and the title role in Uchuu Neko: Mardock no Bouken, all Orphan releases.
• Sakurai Toshiharu (malingering student Fukatsu) played Hanson in Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and Innocentius VII in Arslan Senki TV. He appeared in Akai Hayate and Exper Zenon, both Orphan releases.
• Yanada Kiyoyuki (yakuza underboss Bito) played Takenori in Slam Dunk, Gateau Mocha in Bakuretsu Hunter, and Kuroinu the black cat in Chii's Sweet Home. He appeared in Nanatoshi Monogatari. Hidamari no Ki, Hayou no Tsurugi, Exper Zenon, Akai Hayate, Nozomi Witches, and Ai no Kusabi, all Orphan releases.

The director, Kogure Teruo, also directed Okama Hakusho and Lunatic Night for Knack.

I don't know where the VHS tape came from or why we bought it; best not to think about it. Moho Kareshi did the initial translation. Perevodildo translation-checked, with extensive changes. ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Rezo QCed. Orphan's anonymous media maven encoded. The source is a mess, with lots of blended frames. The show was never released on laserdisc or digital media, a common outcome for Knack's OVAs.

So here's Mellow. It's excessive, ecchi, and reasonably funny. 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.

Fruit Brains

This one is literally hot off the presses - well, hot off the airways. Fruit Brains (Kudamonou) appeared on a Japanese variety show a few nights ago.  It's so new that it doesn't appear in any anime database.

The title is a portmanteau on kudomono (fruit) and nou (brains). The anime consists of three two-minutes skits, with basically the same structure. Orange and Pineapple are in Hong Kong, Ancient Egypt, Outer Space. Orange is trying to accomplish something - watching a drug deal go down, taking a break from work, trying to defuse a bomb outside a space station - while Pineapple pesters him with pointless and increasingly obscure questions. 

Eventually, Orange goes ballistic, calling Pineapple a "fruit brain.". They both peel down their skins to expose their brains and launch into a dance number with the locals - the subjects of the stakeout, Egyptian laborers and gods, astronauts and aliens. 

Orange's task is forgotten, with the expected results. Stir and repeat.

Skr saw this on TV a few nights ago. It tickled his funny bone, so he captured it, translated, timed, and typeset. I edited and QCed. Nemesis and banana QCed. This is Orphan's first and only approximation of what fansubbing must have been like in the Good Old Days, when groups competed to see how quickly they could release subbed versions of the latest anime.

There are no credits, but Skr found out some information, mostly on Twitter. The show was animated by Shin-Ei Animation, a venerable studio responsible for many major works, including the Doraemon franchise, the Crayon Shin-chan franchise, the Oishinbo properties, the Laughing Salesman series, and the Sensou Douwa (War Fables) specials, an Orphan release. The writer, Utsumi Terako, has written several notable shows, including Sarazanmai and Ryman's Club. The production company, Lapin Track, was involved with many good recent shows, including Sarazanmai, Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suri, Skip to Loafer, and Undead Girl Murder Farce. And then there are the seiyuu...

• Tsuda Kenjirou (Orange), he of the gravelly voice, starred as Matoba in Cop Craft, Nicholas Brown in Gangsta., Manji in Blade of the Immortal (2019), Nina in the ACCA properties, Johnny Bolt in Super Crooks, and Tatsu in The Way of the Househusband. He has had numerous featured roles over the last 20+ years and appeared in Hidamari no Ki, an Orphan release.
• Hanae Natsuki (Pineapple), the "it" seiyuu for juveniles, starred as Tanjirou in the Kimsetsu no Yaiba franchise, Makoto in Tsuki ga Michibuku, Hiroshi in Odd Taxi, Miko in Sabakui Bisco, Ryou in Love All Play, Haruichi in Ace of the Diamond, Shuichi in Gleipnir, and the title roles in Vanitas no Karte, Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid, and Appare Ranman, among numerous other lead turns.

An incredible pedigree for such a short set of skits.

For viewers who are as baffled as Orange by Pineapple's set of questions, here is quick answer sheet, with references.

Hong Kong

• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. A set of islands in the southern Caribbean Sea.
• Soursops. A tropical fruit.
• Pachycephalosaurus. A dinosaur famous for having a large, bony dome on top of its skull, up to 25 cm (10 in) thick, which safely cushioned its brain.
• Zuppa di Pesce. Itallian seafood stew.
• Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. The capital of Sri Lanka.

Ancient Egypt

• Thousand-Tailed Fox's Sake Cups. Popular name for microstoma aggregatum, a cup fungus from Hokkaido.
  
• Grímsvötn. A volcano in Iceland.
• Hornussen. An indigenous Swiss sport.
• Ryugu-no-Otohime-no-Motoyui-no-Kirihazushi. The "longest word" in Japanese. It means a type of seaweed known in English as eel grass.
• Patlican Imam Bayildi. A Turkish stuffed eggplant dish.

Outer Space

• Kelvin-Heimholz Instability Clouds. Wave-like clouds that appear in unstable air.
• Waldspirale. An apartment house in Darmstadt, Germany.
• Hairless hairy crab. The crab genus glabropilumnus.
• Unonoctium. A transuranic element, now known as Oganesson, atomic number 118.
• The Trulli of Alberobello. A UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Italy.
  

So enjoy your New Year with an appropriately silly/crazy Japanese short anime. You can get Fruit Brains from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net. Happy New Year!

2023 in Review

A year of retreads and repeats, none of them good: War in Ukraine. War in the Middle East. Covid, flu, and RSV. Donald Trump and Joe Biden running for President. I want my year back.

Orphan Fansubs

Orphan's output this year was lower and included lots of reissues, continuing a trend that started with the pandemic. Joint projects with the back catalog kairetsu flourished. One lengthy series, Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, was finished, and an orphan series, Shinshaku Sengoku Eiyuu Densetsu Sanada Juu Yuushi The Animation (aka Sanada 10), was redone and completed.

1. Tengai Makyou: Ziria Oboro Hen. A delightful fantasy OVA set in an alternate Japan. Interesting characters, plus lots of comedy and action.
   
2. Doukyuusei: Climax v2. A new version of the ecchi OVA. ProxyMan bought the DVDs, so...
   
3. Sotsugyousei v2. A new version of the ecchi OVA. ProxyMan again.
4. Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, the last five episodes and the batch torrent. The series strayed into New Testament territory at the end, to please its sponsor, the Vatican.
   
5. Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori full HD. This reissue was my "rehab" assignment after being down and out with Covid for a month. It is absolutely delightful. Go watch it.
   
6. Shinshaku Sengoku Eiyuu Densetsu Sanada Juu Yuushi special. This release was a test to see if it would be possible to finish the Sanada 10 TV series. It is a stand-alone tale and, because it's complete, better than the TV show.
   
7. Noel's Fantastic Trip, DVD (wide-screen) version. A wonderful children's environmental fable, full of color, songs by Iruka, and Easter eggs for adults. A joint project with LonelyChaser.
   
8. UTOPA full HD. Another reissue in full HD. I liked this sci-fi OVA more the second time around. 
9. Noel's Fantastic Trip, LD (full-frame) version. Requested by MartyMcflies because of its unretouched soundtrack and somewhat larger video frame. A joint project with LonelyChaser.
   
10. Wan Wan Chuushingura full HD. A third full HD reissue. This 60s Toei cartoon is delightfully goofy, entertaining for children without talking down to them.
    
11. Shinshaku Sengoku Eiyuu Densetsu Sanada Juu Yuushi. This was Orphan's major series for the year. The first nine episodes were reworked DigitalPanic/AonE subs. The last three were original. When completed, the show was still an orphan: there was supposed to be a second season, but it was never made.
    
12. Heart Cocktail. This six-episode OVA was a joint project with DarkWispers and LonelyChaser. It consisted of short vignettes about love - started, stopped, lost, found. It suited me down the ground: a show about adults, clear-eyed and not overtly sentimental, yet profoundly optimistic.
    
13. Dallos Blu-ray. Why not? Fourth time's the charm.
    
14. Maken Liner 0011 Henshin Seyo! This reissue used a full HD web rip and BlueFixer's (Iri's) subs. One of the more awkward of the early Toei cartoons, with too much narrated exposition and too little character development.
    
15. Genji, Part One. An absolute mind-fuck, based on a sci-fi manga that was never (and never will be) completed. Part romance, part samurai flick, part sci-fi, with a little bit of BL thrown in.
    
16. Cat-Eyed Boy (1976) ep3. This was the last episode released on DVD, so it was supposed to be the end of the project. Afterward, Skr and I bought the laserdisc box set, so perhaps there will be more "gekimation" in the future.
    
17. Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu. This docu-drama about the dioxin spill in Seveso, Italy, was appropriately alarming but not altogether dramatically compelling.
    
18. Raiyantsuuri no Uta. A wonderful movie about trauma, isolation, and the redeeming power of human interaction.
19. Okama Hakusho. A comedy about gender confusion and the gay scene in Japan. NSFW but not (quite) hentai.
20. Ai to Ken no Camelot: Mangaka Marina Time Slip Jiken. A time-travel adventure in which a young mangaka, Ikeda Marina, and her bishie friends travel to Camelot to save it from civil war.
21. Uchuu Neko: Mardock no Bouken.  Four short episodes about Mardock the space-going cat and his pal, Lt. Chuui. Charming, with cats. 'nuff said.
    

My personal favorites included Tengai Makyou, Heart Cocktail, and Noel's Fantastic Trip. Plus, I was really pleased to have finished Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, as well as Sanada 10, orphaned more than a decade ago..

A big shout-out to new translator Perevodildo, who helped drive several long-stalled projects to completion. Skr, tenkenX6, Iri, and purpleparrotkin also made major translation contributions. I want to thank the Arutha foundation, which has hosted all of Orphan's releases on IRC. The timing regulars, ninjacloud and Yogicat, and the QC regulars, Nemesis, Uchuu, Rezo, and Topper3000, continue to carry the bulk of the group's projects in their respective fields. Rezo and Intrepid run media acquisition and encoding and are very active. But whether mentioned or not, every staff member has contributed to the work this year.

The Audio Side

Orphan released one additional soundtrack this year, the Genji, Part One music collection.

 
Work for Other Groups

Some old, some new.

• Frozen-EviL. I continued to edit the slow-moving Blu-Ray version of Yawara!
  
• Saizen. In a sudden burst of energy, Saizen finished the Laughing Salesman specials. I QCed the Sand Land promo. I also finished editing Baby and Me, although the episodes have only just started to trickle out.
  
• Inka kairetsu. I typeset the Danguard Ace movies, all of the Tekkaman TV series, the "hard" signs in Shounan Bakusouzoku, and the first eight episodes of Starship Girl Yamamto Yohko. I will be calling in favors next year...
  

I will miss Moguro Fukuzo. I strongly suspect he's going to have the last laugh.

Favorites of 2023

I'm not an anime critic, so I don't try to compile a "best of" list for the anime year. Instead, I'm listing my favorites of the year and why they kept me interested all the way through.

In alphabetical order:

• AI no Idenshi. A thought-provoking look at AI and robotics, done with great integrity and without sensationalism. I really want more, because the underlying mangas have not been translated.
• Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu. This was a great year for romcoms, and none delved more deeply than this examination of the unlikely friendship (or perhaps more) between a popular girl and a deeply introverted boy. Second season starting soon. Yay!
• Jijou wo Shiranai Tenkousei ga Guigui Kuru. This comedy about a relentlessly genki elementary school boy and the ultra-shy object of his attention could be considered a romcom too. No second season, alas.
  
• Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia. Another terrific romcom about a mismatched pair of lovers. Second season in 2024. Yay!
  
• Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi. More romcom hi-jinks, with characters supposedly descended from Japanese mythological creatures.
• Mairimashita! Iruma-kun S3. Thank goodness this isn't a "top ten list." This comedy was the salvation of my Saturday mornings.
  
• Pluto. Tezuka Osamu and Urasawa Naoki and Maruyama Masao, oh, my. Sky high expectations met and exceeded.
  
• Revenger. This violent show ought to be quite outside my wheelhouse, but it made compelling, and ultimately tragic, viewing, with its violence in service to the underlying message.
• Rurouni Kenshin. The grand-daddy of battle shounen returns in a new, faithful, altogether excellent adaption. While I prefer the sort-of goofy early Kenshin to the later, more serious version, I will continue to watch, that I will. And be sure to check out the Takarazuka Review's Rurouni Kenshin the Musical...
  
• Tomo-chan Is a Girl! More romcom, very well made, with sharply delineated characters, great gags, and a conclusive ending.
• Undead Girl Murder Farce. Another mystery series, with terrific kinetic energy. It needs a follow-on, through, and probably won't get it.
  

Sousou no Frieren and Kusuriya no Hitorigoto would both have made the list, but they continue into next year.

 

It was a toss-up between it and Tomo-chan. I watched Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu. Yes, it's a trifle, but it has a human-sized talking cat. Of course I'd like it. I also really enjoyed the second tranche of Nights with a Cat. I recognize my own cantankerous critter in its devious dark eyes.

Looking Ahead

Orphan ended 2023 by clearing its backlog of active projects, but several new ones are getting started. Translation remains the key bottleneck, but every sort of skill is in short supply. Volunteers are always welcome.

Meanwhile, thanks, everyone - both team members and fans. Have a happy and safe 2024.