Ryokunohara Labyrinth

Ryokunohara Labyrinth in a 1990 shounen-ai OVA. It centers on two boys, Imanishi Hiroki and Tokino Kanata, who have been best friends (and perhaps more) since childhood. 

One day, Hiroki is struck by a truck and apparently killed, but he then gets up, unharmed. Meanwhile, Hiroki's spirit is looking down on his body, utterly perplexed by what has happened. 

Is he alive or dead? And if he's dead, who or what is possessing his body? Kanata senses that something is wrong and discovers that Hiroki's body is possessed by an "evil spirit" (and a rather fetching one at that), Fare Ruu. 

Fare uses Hiroki's body to try to kill Kanata, and both boys fall into the ocean. Then, after some confusing adventures in other dimensions, Fare surrenders to Kanata's "light" and gives Hiroki back. They emerge from the ocean unscathed, to the amazement of their classmates, chastely holding each other. 

Got that? If it sounds confusing, it is, because it's just one episode from an immensely long series of novels by Hoshino Kana about Hiroki, Kanata, and their high school friends. All kinds of important background information is missing, such as the fact that Kanata is actually an alien. Further, the story is interrupted twice by longish music musical montages. The first traces the boys friendship, from youngsters to high school students. The second shows the boys, their friends, and their high school being transported through the galaxy on graduation day.

If it seems irrelevant, it is: it's taken from a totally different part of the novel series.

At this point, you're probably asking yourself, "Why did Orphan bother with this show?" My involvement with Ryokunohara Labyrinth started when the original fansub was posted on BakaBT back in 2011. The timing and editing so incensed me that I made my own personal resub. (This was years before I realized that trying to correct bad fansubs was an utterly futile effort.) Then, a few years ago, laserdiscs of Ryokunohara Labyrinth surfaced at reasonable cost. I thought that applying my resub to a better quality raw might be a good idea. But the structure of the show - with one isolated line playing over black video long after the show apparently ended - stumped the Domesday Duplicator software of the time, so nothing happened.

Fast forward to 2024. Updates to the DdD software solved the dangling line problem. Perevodildo agreed to translation check my script. ninjacloud timed. I edited again and added some typesetting. ImAWasteOfHair, Topper3000, and Uchuu QCed. The encode, by an anonymous friend, is a stack of three discs, to deal with rot in some of the sources. The digital audio track has been encoded as FLAC. Special thanks to Rezo for contributing a disc to the stack.

The voice cast includes two famous seiyuu as the leads:

• Seki Toshihiko (Imanishi Hiroki) 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, Bijomaru in Ai to Ken no Camelot, 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.
• Yamaguchi Kappei (Tokino Kanata) starred in the title roles of the Detective Conan franchise, the Ranma 1/2 franchise, the Inuyasha properties, the Arslan Senki TV series, and Mouse. He played Usopp in the One Piece franchise and Sakuma Ryuichi in Gravitation, among many others. He also played Cerrios in Dragon Slayer Eiyuu Densetsu, Shibuya in Zetsuai 1989 and Bronze: Zetsuai Since 1989, Matsuoka Eiji in Chameleon, and Tooru in Boyfriend, all Orphan releases.
• Nishihara Kumiko (Fhalei Rue) played Iris in the Sakura Wars franchise and Renko in Kujibiki Unbalance, both OVAs and TV series. She appeared in Kakyuusei (1995), Kosuke-sama Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu, Zetsuai 1989, Dragon Fist, Tenkousei, and Blazing Transfer Student, all Orphan releases.
• Tsukui Kyousei (Ijima Masayoshi, a friend) appeared in Nana Toshi Monogatari, Cherry no Manma, Meisou-ou Border, and Call Me Tonight, all Orphan releases.
• Shinohara Emi (Kiriko Olulora, a friend) played B-Ko in the A-ko properties and Sailor Jupiter in the Sailor Moon franchise. She appeared as Lady Manthrum in Hayou no Tsurugi, Yuri Onagara in Blue Sonnet, vulgar daughter Stephanie in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, Reiko in Akai Hayate, and Android 1025 in Oz, all Orphan releases.
• Anbe Atsushi (Takahashi Shuuchi, a friend) appeared in Ano Ko ni 1000% and Cherry no Manma, an Orphan release.
  
• Kimura Maki (Yoshikawa Fueko, a friend) also sings the ending theme. Ryokunohara Labyrinth is her only voice-acting credit.

The show is Kakinouchi Narumi's only directing credit. She is much better known as a mangaka (Vampire Princess Miyu) and a character designer (this show, among others).

This release also includes a short omake, "Special Appearance," that documents the stages of making the show. Part of it is set in Helsinki, Finland, and is called "Searching for Kunimoto," the composer of the songs and the score; no explanation why.

Ryokunohara Labyrinth is both innocuous and baffling. The shounen-ai content is very mild and amounts to little more than a bromance. The plot makes no sense. Hiroki and Kanata's friends are name-checked but have no real parts in the show. Still, this version looks a lot better than the VHS version that's been available up till now. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channel #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Nemurenu Yoru no Chiisana Ohanashi

Here's a charming all-ages OVA from 1992, Nemurenu Yoru no Chiisana Ohanashi (Little Stories for Sleepless Nights). It's based on a column by Hara Yuuko that ran in Monthly Kadokawa magazine. Hara is better known as the keyboard player/vocalist with the Southern All Stars.

Over its three volumes, Nemurenu Yoru tells twelve stories about a cat (named Cat) and his friends, also named generically: Rabbit, Bandit Cat, Bird, Squirrel, Star, Mr. Moon, etc. 

They have small adventures or just enjoy the pleasures of the days and nights.

1. Cat and Star
2. Bandit Cat's Clumsiness
3. Night of the Full Moon
4. The Flying Blanket
5. Riding the Whale
6. Gomotan
7. Ice Cream Souvenirs
8. Singing to Mr. Moon
9. Lovely Christmas Eve
10. Cat Man
11. Why Cat Has a Cat's Tongue
12. A Snow Spirit on a Snowy Day
    

It's pointless trying to provide a plot summary, because there is none, or even to summarize the individual stories. 

It's soothing and enjoyable, like a children's bedtime story (which it is), with simple animation and character designs. 

Voice-over narration by the original author, also very soothing, provides the framework for all the stories.

Translation notes:

• When Cat addresses the moon, Cat always calls him hisakata-sama, which is very respectful, so Mr. Moon.
  
• The bird that sleeps in Cat's guitar is a brown-eared bulbul (hiyodori in Japanese), even though the bird is colored green.
  

The seiyuu are not well known. Most have no other credits than the sequel Tomodachi de Iyou ne (Let's Be Friends), which itself only shows up in a few anime databases. I suspect that several of them are children; for example, Kikuchi Yuumi was eight years old when the show was made.

• Suzuki Hiroshi (Cat).
• Hara Yuuko (narrator) is a keyboard player, vocalist, and author.
  
• Inoue Aya (Rabbit).
• Aikawa Rikako (Bandit Cat) appeared in many children's series, including Doraemon, Kaiketsu Zorori, Pokemon, and Hamtaro.
• Kikuchi Yuumi (Star, Squirrel).
• Ezaki Reina (Bird) appeared in Pom Poko.
• Meguru Yuuichi (Moon) played Banana in Okama Hakusho and appeared in Izumo, both Orphan releases. She appeared in several h-anime as well.

The director, Oguma Kimiharu, also directed the Hiatari Ryouko movie, an Orphan release.

The origins of this project are lost in the haze of the past. Erik of PPP-Raws encoded the first two volumes from laserdiscs in his collection, but the third volume proved elusive. About four years ago, all three volumes showed up on Japanese second-hand media sites. They were purchased, ripped on the Domesday Duplicator, and encoded. Last year, ninjacat (ninjacloud) pretimed the first episode, but again, the project languished. Then Perevodildo picked up the project, translated all three episodes, and timed the second and third. I edited and typeset. ImAWasteOfHair, Nemesis, and Uchuu QCed. The encoding was done by an anonymous friend based on Domesday Duplicator laserdisc rips. The audio is FLAC, taken from the laserdiscs' digital audio tracks.

Nemurenu Yoru no Chiisana Ohanashi is not going to set the world on fire. As the title implies, it's bedtime stories for children - and for adults needing relief from the stress and angst of daily life. Either its charm works on you, or it doesn't (and you're probably spending too much time doomscrolling or on social media). It works for me. You can get the OVAs from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Seeding Bonanza!

Here's something extraordinary.

 

[M]-V is Orphan's one-man distribution team. He provides Orphan|Arutha, the IRC bot that serves (and stores) Orphan's entire output. His other bots serve dozens of other groups, including Saizen and SubsPlease.

 

Recently, after switching to new servers, [M]-V laboriously reseeded all the Orphan torrents on nyaa (and a few others of mine too). Thus, for the first time EVER, every visible Orphan torrent on nyaa is seeded. Thanks, [M]-V!

 

So, Orphan fans (all ten of you - our fanbase has grown!), if there are holes in your collection of Orphan releases, now's the time to fill them. The shows are all waiting. Get 'em while they're hot! And thank [M]-V by sending him some crypto to support his servers.

 

Nijuushi no Hitomi

Nijuushi no Hitomi (Twelve Sets of Eyes) is a 1980 TV special based on a perennially popular novel by Tsuboi Sakae. In addition to this anime, it has been made into a movie twice (1954, 1987) and into a TV drama no less than eight times. This is quite remarkable, considering its clear anti-war and anti-military views, which reflect the author's experiences before, during, and after World War II.

Ooishi Hisako is a newly graduated teacher. She comes to Shoudoshima, a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, to teach at an elementary school in a small village on an isolated cape. (It is called the Detached Classroom because it is separate from the main school complex on the island.) 

Despite encountering resistance from the conservative villagers - she rides a bicycle and wears Western clothes - she soon wins over her twelve first-year pupils with her cheerful demeanor and caring interest in them.

Over the course of six months, she becomes a favorite of the children and their parents. However, she is injured in a student prank and is unable to commute to the Detached Classroom. She transfers to the main school and promises her pupils that she will see them all again when they enter fifth grade.

Fast forward four years. Ooishi is reunited with her now fifth-year students. But the joy of seeing them grow and of taking them on a field trip to the wider world is shadowed by the darkening clouds of war. Japanese adventurism in China and military unrest at home is threatening a new global conflict. Ooishi, now married with a child, makes her distaste for war and the military clear.

This outspokenness brings her into conflict with the authorities, and for her own protection, she retires to be a homemaker, to the regret of her once-again bereft students.

The war has terrible consequences, for Ooishi and her students. Her husband is killed, and her youngest child dies in the deprivation and hunger of the war years. Half her students are killed, maimed, or driven to despair. But all is not lost. Post-war, one of her female students has become a teacher in her own right. She invites Ooishi to return to the Detached Classroom as a substitute teacher for a new generation of students. The concluding segment shows Ooishi, supported by her now teenage sons, reuniting with her surviving students to remember the past and look forward to better times.

The show combines animation and live-action. The segments in the post-war era are live-action, but everything else is animation. This helps to stylize the past; the animation has simple, child-like character designs which suggest happier times.

A few translation notes:

• The title translates literally as 24 Eyes. This sounds too much like a monster movie, so the translator used Twelve Sets of Eyes, per AnimeNewsNetwork.
  
• The "Mukden Incident" was a September, 1931 Japanese false-flag operation that provided the pretext for invading Manchuria and establishing the puppet state of Manchukuo in 1932.
• The "Shanghai Incident" was a January, 1932 clash in the Shanghai International Settlement, provoked by the Japanese military. It was intended to start a war with China, but after fierce fighting, a peace settlement was brokered by the Western powers.
• Inukai assassination. Following the "Shanghai Incident," Japan's Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi tried to reign in the Japanese military and stop further deployment of troops to China. He was then assassinated by a cabal of military officers, all of whom received light sentences for their crime.
• Ooishi is referred to as onago, a dated term for a woman, or onago-sensei, Woman Teacher.
  
• The students nickname Ooishi "Koishi," a pun on her name: koishi (小石) means small pebbles, ooishi (大石) means big stone.
• On their school trip to Shikoku, the fifth-years visit Kompira Shrine, the island's most popular shrine, and have lunch in Ritsurin Garden, which was built in 1745.
  

The voice cast includes:

• Baishou Chieko (Ooishi) starred as Sophie (young and old) in Howl's Moving Castle. She also played Sonya in Inochi no Chikyuu: Natsu no Dioxin, an Orphan release. She has mostly worked as a film actress, appearing in many of Yamada Youji's films since the 1960s.
• Naraoka Tomoko (Narrator) also narrated Oishin and played Yoshie in Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.
• Takahata Atsuko (Sanae, a student who becomes a teacher herself) played Kanoe in X the movie and had featured roles in Beyblade: Metal Fusion, Imaginary, and Psycho Driver: Soul Siren.
• Toda Keiko (Masuno, aka Macchan, another studnet) played the title roles in Fushigi ga Koala Blinky, Gegege no Kitarou (1985), and the Anpanman franchise, Hitomi in Cat's Eye, Iczer-2 in Iczer-One, Nina in High School Agent, Kiki in the Kiki no Lala series, Karara in Space Runaway Ideon, and Sophia in A Wind Named Amnesia. She also played Kate Jackson in Bavi Stock, Non in Karuizawa Syndrome, Kaoru in Ai to Ken no Camelot, and Eterna in Hoshi Neko Full House, all Orphan releases.
• Okamoto Mari (Misako, another student) played the title role in Hana no Ko Lunlun, Ai-chan in  Time Bokan Series: Yatterman, and aDorothy in The Wizard of Oz movie. She played Tomoko in Makoto-chan the Movie, Coda in Bremen 4, Prime Rose in Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, Rococco in Fumoon, and Haruka's mother in both Ultra Nyan OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Mitsuki Kiyotaka (Sonki, the smallest student in the class) also played Jim Hawkins in the Treasure Island TV series.
• Nagai Ichirou 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 Ore no Sora, Nayuta, One Pound Gospel, Rain Boy, Manxmouse, Nora, Hidamari no Ki, Yuukan Club, Amon Saga, Botchan, Ipponbouchou Mantaraou, Tengai Makyou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases
• Kimotsuki Kaneta played Yasu the bat in Don Dracula, and Sharaku in Marine Express and Bander Book, all Orphan releases. She also had recurring roles in the Doraemon, Soreike! Anpanman, and Galaxy Express 999 franchises.

The animated segments were directed by Yoshida Shigetsugu; he also directed the Lady Georgie TV series. The live-action segments were directed by Jissouji Akio, who lent his distinct visual style mostly to live-action movies with erotic themes.

Iri got the ball rolling on this and did an initial, incomplete script after ninjacloud pretimed the show. Perevodildo finished the script and added the numerous songs. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Rezo QCed. The source is a Japanese laserdisc, ripped on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded by an anonymous friend. The sound is recorded at too high a level and is somewhat distorted.

Nijuushi no Hitomi is a deceptively simple film with a very strong underlying message. It eschews the sledgehammer tactics of Kuroi Ame ni Utarete and many of the Sensou Douwa shows, but it still tells a powerful story about the waste and loss created by war. I recommend it highly. 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.

Late news: Perevodildo, the translator, and MartyMcflies, of LonelyChaser subs, have released an HD version, based on a 16mm film print, with the same dialog and simplified typesetting.

Later news: The 1954 live-action movie, which won numerous awards in Japan and is titled Twenty-Four Eyes in English, is available on DVD in the Criterion Collection.

 

Princess Army

Princess Army: Wedding Combat (to give it its full title) is a two-part OVA from 1992. It's a teaser for a 12 volume manga by Kitagawa Miyuki that has not been translated into English. The story concerns a 15-year old judoka named Aida Nonoka and the (many) boys in her life. Call it Yawara! Lite.

As the story opens, four-year-old Nonoka is being menaced by a bottle-wielding maniac. Just as the situation looks dire, an unknown boy executes a perfect Ippon Zeoi on the miscreant, disabling him. Fast forward eleven years. Nonoka, now 15, is the star of her family's judo dojo and the 18th strongest judoka in Japan. 

She is the center of hopeless adoration by all the boys in her circle: Hashiba Yuya (red hair), who has an obvious crush on her; Oda Shinobu (blonde hair), a piano-playing tsundere who stays aloof; Kumada Yoshimi (thick lips), who blushes at the site of her; Iwada Genzaburo (glasses), who can only stare at her silently; and her three brothers, the responsible Koji and the hopeless brocons Akira and Satoru. Only Tokugawa Tsutomo, a stereotypical gay pretty boy thrown in for comic relief, is immune to Nanoka's charms.

Into this situation walks Nonoka's courtesy uncle Ichijo Yuji and his tall, handsome, and arrogant son Hajime. 

When Nonoka's father was on his deathbed, he made Yuji promise to protect Nanoka and make her part of his family. 

Yuji interpreted this as marrying Nanoka to Hajime. Yuji has brought his son to Japan to arrange Hajime's betrothal to Nonaka and to take her back home to the Netherlands.

Nonoka's not sure about this idea. She doesn't want to leave home and thinks marriage is a bother. And it doesn't sit well with Nonoka's friends. First, she's only 15 (so is Hajime, despite his grown-up appearance). Second, they all kind of hanker after her themselves. 

Still, Koji, as the responsible adult in the Aida family, sees merit in the plan. Nonoka and Hajime are (almost) betrothed when Yuya bursts in and challenges Hajime to judo combat, with Nonoka's future as the prize. The rest writes itself.

Translation note: unlike in Yawara!, most of the judo terms have been translated, but I couldn't bring myself to use English equivalents for the most famous terms:

• Ippon Zeoi - Yawara's trademark shoulder throw.
• Ippon - a decisive win, when one opponent pins the other.

Ojii-san (Uncle, Grandfather, old man) is a courtesy title for any older family friend. In this case, it does not denote a blood relationship; Nonoka and Hajime are not related.

The voice cast includes many well-known seiyuu of the era:

• Yokoyama Chisa (Nonoka) played the title roles in Galaxy Fraulein Yuna, Iron Virgin Jun, and the Sakura Taisen franchise, as well as Sasami/Pretty Sammy in the Tenchi Muyo franchise. She played Hu Ssu, the were-tiger, in Wolf Guy, Flute in Hameln no Violin Hiki, and Mami in Boyfriend, all Orphan releases.
• Seki Toshihiko (Hashiba Yuya) played the title role in Izumo, Chuuta in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart Iro, 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, 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, Bijomaru in Ai to Ken no Camelot, 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.
• Hayami Shou (Ichijo Hajime) 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, Charles in Ai to Ken no Camelot, 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.
• Matsumoto Yasunori (Oda Shinobu) starred as Akira in Mellow, 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, Houkago no Tinker Bell, 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.
• Shibamoto Hiroyuki (Akira, Nonoka's brother) played Jim in the Spirit of Wonder OVAs. He appeared in Ai no Kusabi, an Orphan release.
• Shimada Bin (Koji, Nonoka's brother) played Ken Nakajima in the You're Under Arrest franchise and numerous other roles, as well as Konaki Jijii and Wally Wall in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. He appeared in Bride of Deimos, Okama Report, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, Fukyukayama Gekijou, Tomoe's Run!, Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, and Sangokushi, all Orphan releases.
• Tobita Nobuo (Satoru, Nonoka's brother) played Lumial in the Angelique franchise, Ken Wakashimazu in the Captain Tsubasa franchise, Randy in Fake, Sinistra in Kiddy Grade, the title role in Locke the Superman, and Dayon in Osomatsu-san. He starred as Kenichi in Houkago no Tinker Bell and appeared in Genji, Part 1, Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Condition Green, Eien no Filena, Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99, and Ore no Sora, all Orphan releases.
• Arimoto Kinryuu (Ichijo Yuji, Hajime's father ) had featured roles in numerous shows, including Psycho-Pass, Tokyo Ravens, Joshiraku, Chihayafuru, Un-Go, and Moonlight Mile. He played Ogata Kouan in Hidimari no Ki, an Orphan release.
• Kikuchi Masami (Iwayma Genzaburo) starred as the male leads in the Tenchi Muyo, Aa! Megami-sama!, and Comic Party franchises. He played Terayama Suekichi in Asatte Dance, Makoto in Doukyuusei 2, Yukino Hiro in Houkago no Tinker Bell, and Taira no Kiyomori the younger in Genji, Part 1, and he appeared in Fukuyama Gekijou, all Orphan releases.
• Shioya Kouzou (Kumada Yoshimi) appeared in GeGeGe no Kitarou since 1985, as well as dozens of featured roles. He also played Wildcat B in Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Tsunaga in Blue Sonnet, the Announcer in Nora, Kaji in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, a policeman in Dallos, a bodyguard in Elf 17, and multiple roles in Hi-Speed Jecy, all Orphan releases.
• Kashiwakura Tsutomu (Tokugawa Tsuyoshi) played Dew in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve, Cal in Ai no Kusabi, Genbu in Akai Hayate, Ranmaru in Chameleon, and Japheth in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases. He played the lead in Boku no Sexual Harassment and appeared in several other h-animes. He is also a sound director.

Sekita Osamu directed. He also directed U-Jin Brand, Gorillaman, Ghost Talker's Daydream, Ichigo 100%, and Cross Game.

The show was originally fansubbed by Anime-Fury, back in the airly days. Darkonius transcribed the hardsubs. Perevodildo translation-checked and timed. I edited and typeset. Intrepid and ImAWasteOfHair QCed. The raws are Domesday Duplicator rips of Japanese laserdiscs and were encoded by an anonymous friend.

Princess Army: Wedding Combat is a middling shoujo in every respect: nothing really stands out. Hajime is a preening Daddy's boy. Aida's coterie and her family are only cursorily developed. The issue of betrothal at 15 is simply ignored. At one point, Hajime bursts into Nonoka's bedroom and almost ravishes her. This is also ignored, except for a comment on how "well developed" Nonoka is for her age. I will concede that some of the jokes, mostly done with chibi characters, are pretty good, but it's thin gruel.

In short, if you want a show about a talented girl doing judo, watch Yawara! Still, if Princess Army: Wedding Combat sounds like your cup of barley tea, you can download it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

 

Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni

This has been on my wish list for a very long time: the 1992 TV special Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni (Across the Surging Times). It is based on Suzuki Kouji's award-winning 1991 novel, Paradise, which has been translated into English. Now, thanks to Perevodildo and other members of the Orphan team, the anime is available in English too.

Michite Kuru is a love story that spans millennia. [Spoilers follow.] It starts before recorded history, more than 10,000 years ago. Bogud and Fayau are lovers, belonging to the Tangad tribe in Mongolia. On his first solo hunt, Bogud fells a legendary red deer, which becomes his spirit animal. 

He carves a talisman of a red deer and gives it to Fayau to protect her. 

Despite that, they are separated by war. Fayau is carried away by a tribe of nomads who intend to cross the Bering Straights' land bridge to "a new world." 

Bogud swears to find her but is compelled to go south, via the sea.

In the present day, composer Leslie Mardoff and his producer Gilbert Griffith are exploring a deep cave in the desert. Leslie, who is a quarter Native American, is looking for inspiration for his next composition. 

Inexplicably, the notoriously media-shy Mardoff has agreed to an interview with a fledgling reporter named Flora. 

Mardoff wears a stone talisman of a red deer, passed down from his ancestors. Flora has a birthmark that resembles a red deer.

The story switches to a South Sea island during the Age of Discovery. Three English sailors, Channing, Tyler, and Jones, are marooned there.

Tyler tries to convince his colleagues to build a ship in order to escape, but Jones has fallen in love with a native girl, Laia, and wants to stay. The couple discovers a lost monument with an image of a red deer. 

This galvanizes the natives, who tell Tyler they will help, provided that the ship is large enough to take everyone and reach "the new world." Now tattooed with a red deer, Laia has a premonition of an impending disaster, and she, Jones, and the tribe barely escape with their lives.

Back in the present day, Flora, who bears a birthmark of a red deer on her arm, has a premonition that a massive earthquake is coming. When it hits the cave, Gilbert is killed, and Leslie is trapped underground, with a tsunami threatening to knock him off his precarious perch. But Flora arrives just in time to save him.

The meeting of Leslie and Flora completes the destiny of Bogud, Fayau, and the red deer, begun millennia before. Leslie is a descendant of Fayau and inherited her talisman. Flora is Bogud's descendant via Laia, and her birthmark reflects her ancestor's tattoo. [End spoilers]

Some notes:

• The land bridge from Siberia to Alaska was known as Beringia. The land bridge disappeared about 10,000 years ago. Only an exceptionally harsh winter, freezing the ocean and lowering sea levels, would have allowed nomads to cross on foot.
• Red deer are a real species, endemic in Europe and Asia. They appear in Paleolithic cave drawings, sometimes with spiritual connotations.
• Radiolaria, foraminifera, fusulinida are tiny fossil organisms that are often used in dating rock strata.
• The migration of Asian hunter-gatherers - the ancestors of today's Native Americans - into North America began during the Last Glacial Maximum (18,000 years ago or even earlier) or even earlier, when the Beringia land bridge existed.
  

The voice cast is large and consists mostly of well-known seiyuu of the era.

• Inoue Kazuhiko (Leslie Madoff) 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 Arthur in Ai to Ken no Camelot, 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 1, Hisui in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, and Kajiwara Kagetoki in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, all Orphan releases.
• Hazama Michio (Gilbert) began his career in 1963 with Astro Boy. He appeared in numerous anime, including his roles as Jacques' father in Hitomi no Naka no Shounen: 15 Shounen Hyouryuuki and Senator Dan Foster in Oishinbo: Japan-America Rice Wars, both Orphan releases.
• Katsuki Masako (Flora) 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 Utako in Mellow, 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.
• Sakakibara Yoshiko (Flora's editor) played Sybil in Black Magic M-66, Sylvia Stingray in Bubblegum Crisis/Crash, Sir Integra Hellsing in both versions of Hellsing, Paula in Condition Green, Kaoru in Karuizawa Syndrome, Melinda in Dallos, and Mimau in Greed. The last four are Orphan releases.
• Furumoto Shinnosuke (Bogud) starred as Hiro in H2, the title role in Junkers Come Here: Memories of You, and Akihiro in The Girl from Phantasia. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Hyoudou Mako (Fayau) had featured roles in Angel's Egg, Aquarion TV, Jungle de Ikou!, Macross Plus, Madlax, and RahXephon. She appeared in Hidamari no Ki, an Orphan release.
• Kataoka Tomie (Bogud's mother) played Blonda in Don Dracula, Tomeko in Meisou-ou Border, and appeared in Bagi, all Orphan releases.
• Yoshimura You (Bogud's father) appeared in Capricorn, Ranma 1/2: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China, and Tsuide ni Tonchinkan. He played Mansaku Kenbishi in Yuukan Club, an Orphan release.
• Nagai Ichirou (Tangad Elder) 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 Ore no Sora, Nayuta, One Pound Gospel, Rain Boy, Manxmouse, Nora, Hidamari no Ki, Yuukan Club, Amon Saga, Botchan, Ipponbouchou Mantaraou, Tengai Makyou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Tsujitani Kouji (the northern tribe's leader) played the title role in the Captain Tylor franchise and the lead role in the 3x3 Eyes OVAs. He also played Takei in Sotsugyou: Graduation, Honda in Bakuen Campus Guardress, Guy in Ai no Kusabi, Homare in Okane ga Nai, Shou in Condition Green, Saburou in Kasei Yakyoku, Kotarou in Genji, Part 1, and Seishirou in Yuukan Club, all Orphan releases.
• Nomoto Reizou (the northern tribe's shaman) appeared in Sugato Sanshiro, Fumoon, and Sangokushi movie 3, all Orphan releases, as well as Dokaben, Karasu Tengu Kabuto, Ninja Scroll, and Prince Planet.
• Tomiyama Kei (Channing) played the title roles in Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae, Roppou Yabure, and the original Tiger Mask, as well as Lingham in Genmu Senki Leda, Sir Jogo  in SF Saiyuuki Starzinger, Susumu in the Yamato franchise, and Wen Li in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He also played leading roles in Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Bremen 4, Sugata Sanshiro, the Sangokushi TV specials, and Yousei Ou, all Orphan releases. He won a posthumous Special Achievement Award in 2007.
• Genda Tesshou (Tyler) played Colonel Muto in Joker Game, Moloch in Yondemasu Azazel-san, Rei in the Urusei Yatsura franchise, Moguro Fukuzou in New Laughing Salesman,  and "Oyaji" in Mitsuboshi Colors. He also played Tamura in Ore no Sora, Akauma in Fire Tripper, Jin Kiryu in Blue Sonnet, Zigong in Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den, Paul Rusch in Yume Kakeru Kougen, Jim Hyatt in AWOL Compression Remix, Galbreath in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Baguda in Greed, the narrator in Akai Hayate and Meisou-ou Border, Dog McCoy in Dallos, Mayor Carlo in Inochi no Chikyuu: Natsu no Dioxin, Hebopi in Wild 7, Oosukune in Izumo, Miyoshi in Sanada 10, and Kuroki and Kirishima in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.
• Sugiyama Ryoichi (Jones) does not appear in any anime database.
• Hirai Nami (Laia) was a singer-songwriter. She sang the ending song. This was her only voice-acting role.
• Ootsuka Chikao (Captain Violet, who marooned the sailors) played Nezumi in the first GeGeGe no Kitaro series, Zenigata in the Lupin III pilot film, Goemon in Lupin III Part 1, Hook in Peter Pan no Bouken, Tora in the Ushio to Tora OVAs, Joseph JoeStar in the first JoJo's Bizarre Adventures OVAs, and Yoran Pailsen in the Armored Trooper Votoms franchise. He played the villain Yamada in Kosuke-sama Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu and appeared in several Tezuka Osamu TV specials, all Orphan releases.
• Ooki Tamio (Captain Victor, an American privateer) played Dr. Tenma in Tezuka Osamu Disappears, an Orphan release, as well as the 1980 version of Astro Boy, Darai Sem in Amon Saga and Ibuya in Hidamari no Ki (both Orphan releases), Aramaki in the GITS movies, and the title role in Planetarian: Hoshi no Hito.

The show was directed by Toriumi Hasayuki, one of the founders of Studio Pierrot. His directing credits include Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman, Hurricane Polymar, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, Area 88, and the first Ultraman series. 

I was attracted to this project in the distant past; hard to say why (although I'm a sucker for "reincarnation romance" anime). When a second-hand laserdisc became available in Japan, I bought it. Our local media maven ripped it on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded it. However, no translator was available, and Orphan eventually released it in raw form. Fortunately, Perevodildo picked it up. He translated and timed. He also found the English translation of the source novel, which helped fill in missing pieces of the plot. Yume translation checked (thanks, MartyMcflies). I edited and typeset (very little). ImAWasteOfHair, Topper3000, and Uchuu QCed.

So I'm quite chuffed that Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni is available to an English-speaking audience after more than 30 years. It has lively characters and a vast sweep that make its romance plot compelling, at least to me. 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.

Garden of Remembrance

Yamada Naoki is a modern anime auteur. She started at Kyoto Animation, where she became one of the youngest directors in its history, helming TV series including K-On and Tamako Market, and movies including Tamako Love Story, Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice), and Liz to Aoi Tori (Liz and the Blue Bird). In 2020, she went out on her own and directed several projects for Science Saru, including the TV series Heike Monogatari and the newly released movie The Colors Within. She's not yet 40.

Garden of Remembrance is an anime short just released in Japan. There is no dialog, just music and one song. The plot is abstract. Summarizing the program at the Annecy Film Festival, "In an untidy room, strewn with empty beer tins, empty wine bottles, and a half-empty glass of whisky, a girl is getting up and preparing herself for her day. YOUR morning starts.

One day, in town, YOU walk past THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND who is buying an Anemone I liked, and remembering that I liked them, YOU rush out to buy them. THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND displays the Anemone with care. 

One day, years after I died, YOU hear noise from the closet. Opening it, YOU see MY garden right in front of YOU. Overflowing emotions of ME and YOU. When exiting from the room of memories, a picture of the Anemone that YOU painted is displayed in YOUR new room."

Got that? You may not remember the plot, but you will remember the visuals: a riot of dazzling colors and designs. 

The action starts out repetitively: the girl's morning is shown seven times. However, the sequence gets faster each time, and the details vary slightly to show the passage of time: different T-shirts functioning as pajamas, different breakfasts and, because years are passing, not just days, different smartphones. 

The explosion of memories, when it occurs, jolts the film out of repetition into variability and even fantasy, accompanied by a melancholic song. It ends silently, on an up note... I think.

One translation note. The song includes this lyric:

I don't need a cucumber horse
Or an eggplant cow

This is a reference to Obon, the festival of remembrance for the dead. Participants carve a cucumber horse and an eggplant cow that allow the dead to come home and return, respectively.

Skr grabbed the video as soon as it started streaming in Japan. He timed and translated the song, typeset the credits, and asked me to typese all smartphone screens. Perevodildo and onkeikun checked the song translation. Skr and I QCed.

Orphan is a not a real-time, or even real-decade, fansubbing group, except when a broadcast or streamed short catches Skr's attention. When you watch Garden of Remembrance, you'll see why this one did. 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.