Kimu no Juujika (Kim's Cross)

Kimu no Juujika (Kim's Cross) is a 1990 movie based on the novel of the same name by Wada Noboru. It tells the story of Koreans forced into slave labor in Japan during the waning days of World War II. This is still a touchy subject in Japan, and the movie shies away from the worst excesses of the Japanese colonial regime, which included forcing Korean women into prostitution. Still, it's a forceful indictment of Japanese policy, wrapped in a story of spiritual redemption.

The story begins in 1944. The Kims are a family of tenant farmers barely scraping by. The father, Henju, must pay 70% of his crops as "rent" for what used to be his own family's farm. 

His wife, Gyeonja, older son, Jeha, and daughter, Sunni, all help with the subsistence farming. 

The Kims must use Japanese names instead of Korean ones. 

They are not allowed to learn their own writing (Hangul). 

But the younger son, Sehwan, wants more from life, in particular, an education. 

With the help of a local girl, Youngsoo, Sehwan sneaks off to the local church to learn Hangul, to read

and write via Bible studies, and to become a Christian. This worries his father, because the occupying Japanese regard Christianity with suspicion and as a source of resistance. When a local Christian is arrested by the authorities, Sehwan's father sends him across the mountains to become a blacksmith's apprentice. Shortly thereafter, Jeha is taken by a local press gang for forced labor in Japan.

Late in the war, Japan is very short of manpower. The authorities conscript upward of three million Koreans for forced labor in the homeland. Jeha is sent to work on an emergency project: digging an underground Imperial headquarters (and Imperial residence) out of the side of a mountain near Matsuhiro in Nagano, in case Tokyo is overrun in an American invasion.

Between 7,000 and 10,000 Koreans work on the project, and more than 1,500 die in the process.

Jeha survives, but he witnesses the brutality and indifference of the Japanese overseers first hand.

With the end of the war in August, 1945, work on the project ceases, but shortage of shipping forces Jeha to remain in Japan for a few months. As he explores the worksite, he finds evidence that his younger brother Sehwan had been brought to another part of the site. 

Jeha's quest to learn Sehwan's fate is the climax of the story.

The translator would be the first to admit that the spelling of the Korean names is uncertain, at best. For example, Jeha might be Jaeha or Jae-ha (the green dragon in Akatsuki no Yona). Sehwan might be Sewon or Se-won. At least the names are consistent throughout the subs.

The voice cast includes:

• Furuya Tooru (Jeha) 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 Kosaku in One Pound Gospel, 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.
• Nozowa Masako (Sehwan) is a legend. She played the title roles in The Adventures of Gamba, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry no Bouken, Billy Inu nan demo Shoukai, and Hey! Bumboo. She was Enma-kun in the original Dororon Enma-kun, Son Goku in the original Dragonball, and Kitarou in the 1968 and 1971 versions of GeGeGe no Kitarou, as well as Hakaba Kitarou. Even though her first role was in 1965, she is still active, appearing as Obaba in Ping Pong the Animation, Madame Curie in Marie & Gali, and of course, Medama Oyaji in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. She played the title roles in Manxmouse and The Green Cat, Isamu in Kaitei 3-Man Mile, Lek in Cool Cool Bye, Wolf in Kiku-chan to Ookami, Taira no Tokuko in Genji, Part 1, and Costar in 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, all Orphan releases. She won a lifetime achievement award in 1997.
• Miura Masako (Sunni, their sister) appeared in Mock & Sweet, Showa Aho Zhoshi Akanuke Ichiban!, Watashi to Watashi, and ESPer Mami.
• Kataoka Tomie (Gyeonja, their mother) played Bogud's mother in Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni, Blonda in Don Dracula, Tomeko in Meisou-ou Border, and appeared in Bagi, all Orphan releases.
• Kitamura Koichi (Henju, their father) played Honda Sadonokami Masanobu in the Sanada 10 special, Paolon, the intelligent spaceship in Hi-Speed Jecy, Professor, the wise old cat, in the Ultra Nyan OVAs, and Coach Naoko in Nine and its sequels, and he appeared in Hidamari no Ki and Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, all Orphan releases.
  
• Nakajima Chisato (Yoongsoo) played Mari in the Kinnikuman franchise and appeared in Nine, Nora, and Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko, all Orphan releases
• Takamori Yoshino (Sunja, a Korean girl in Japan who looks a lot like Yoongsoo) played the arch oujo-sama Sayaka in Yawara! and the twin roles of Juliet Douglas and Sloth in Full Metal Alchemist. She starred as TChika in Ohoshi-sama no Rail and appeared as Tomoko in Raiyantsuuri no Uta, Shouko in POPS, Princess Lichia in Amon Saga, Kyouko in Shiratori Reiko de Gosaizsamu!, and in Yousei Ou and the What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Yara Yuusaku (Yang, Jeha's strong coworker, a teacher) played the destroyer captain in Zipang. He had many featured roles, appearing in Kimama ni Idol, Hayou no Tsurugi, Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, Eguchi Hisashi no Nantoko Narudesho, Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Eien no Filena, Hidamari no Ki, Nozomi Witches, both Sangokushi OVAs, Prime Rose, the second Sangokushi movie, and both What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Maruyama Hiroko (Tesu, Jeha's frail coworker) played Peter in Alps no Shoujo Heidi, Mokku in Kashi no Ki Mokku, Kenta's mother in My Neighbor Totoro, and Baby Panda in Panda! Gopanda, as well as the title role in Robotan. She played Moko in Hitomi no Naka no Shounen: 15 Shounen Hyouryuuki, an Orphan release.
• Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Narrator) 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, Keiko in Okama Report, Valhiss in Amon Saga, and the Narrator in Naki no Ryuu '91, all Orphan releases.

The director, Yamada Tengo, has no other anime credits.

Perevodildo translated and timed the show; he gave it his highest accolate, "kino." Paul Geromini edited. I fine-timed and typeset (the typesetting is 90% of the script). ImAWasteOfHair and I QCed. WOWmd encoded from an R2J DVD. Because the encode is anamorphic, the diagonal signs in the moving maps may play incorrectly in some setups. They look okay in mine; YMMV.

I tend to agree with Perevodildo's assessment. It's much better than Ohoshi-sama no Rail, which focuses on the plight of Japanese colonists in Korea at the end of the war and glosses over the treatment of Koreans. The segment in which the Kim family is forced to take Japanese names really struck a cord. Late in my career, I managed a world-wide engineering group that included a team in China. When I made my first visit there, I was astonished to find that the company's HR department forced the Chinese engineers to take Western names. At the time (15 years ago), this was common practice for Western companies. I put a stop to it on the spot.

Kimu no Juujika is a fine movie, touching on a neglected and important subject. It's an important milestone for Orphan, too; except for me, the entire staff comes from the Discord side of the team. You can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Swearing Off Yakuza Shows

As I said in my previous post, Orphan is done with Yakuza shows, at least for a while. That means we won't be subbing Abe George Kattobi Seishun Ki: Shibuya Honky Tonk (familiarly known as Shibuya Honky Tonk), even though we commissioned a shiny new set of encodes from the R2J DVDs.

This is an anime version of Abe George's troubled adolescence and his run-ins with  yakuza.

However, the gangster argot is almost impenetrable. The scripts we have, though workable, would require specialized checking. In addition, the translator thought that the portrait of 50s Japan was romanticized. In the 1950s, Japan was impoverished, still reeling from World War II, and wracked by social unrest. Here, it looks more like London in the swinging 80s, with plenty of sex and violence to spice up the story.

The encode is by an anonymous friend and looks very nice.

So if you have a team that would like to take a run at this, feel free. Or if you're a translator with the experience (hopefully not personal experience) to handle Yakuza argot, get in touch. In the spirit of "Never Say Never Again," it's always possible that Orphan will return to this.

 

Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu

As I promised/threatened in my blog post about Naki no Ryuu '91, here is the predecessor three volume OVA, Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu (Flying Legend of Mahjong: The Calling Dragon), aka Naki no Ryuu '88. It tells the story of the nameless mahjong player and his numerous encounters with the Yakuza in greater detail than the '91 version.

The show centers around a mahjong player known as the Calling Dragon. He is phenomenally lucky and always wins. His specialty is "calling": announcing how he will win before he has acquired the discarded tile he needs. (I think that's right.) Actually, his mahjong play is nothing to write home about, according to people who actually play, and he mostly sits around, smoking and looking cool. 

He gets entangled with various Yakuza gangs, notably the Kai Group of the Kanto-based Oudou Syndicate. When the Oudou boss, Sakurada Michizo, is assassinated, the subgroups of the syndicate start fighting for supremacy, particularly the Kawachi group and two rivals within the Kai Group, underbosses Ishikawa and Motomiya.

Lurking in the wings is the Kyoto-based boss of western Japan, Kaitou Takeshi, who sees the infighting in the Oudou Syndicate as an opportunity to take control of the whole country.  

Somehow, the Dragon is the proxy or the prize for this gang warfare. Various gang chieftans want to "own" him for his luck or kill him to deny him to their opponents.

Episode 1 (no subtitle) covers the same territory as Naki no Ryuu '91: the assassination of Oudou Syndicate boss Sakurado Michizo and Kai Group boss Kai Shouzo, and the rise to power of underboss Ishikawa Takashi. Episode 2 (Soaring Dragon Chapter) covers the struggle, covert and overt, between Kaitou and Ishikawa for control of the Kanto region. Episode 3 (Dragon Wolf Chapter) covers Ishikawa's downfall. At the end, the Dragon is yet again looking down the barrel of a yakuza's pistol, his ultimate fate ambiguous.

I quite disliked this show. It's disjointed. The timeline jumps back and forth, with frequent flashbacks and recaps; it's difficult to keep track of the plot. (Episode 2 at least uses color to clarify the timeline: black-and-white for the present, color for the past.) The mystical connection the yakuza feel with mahjong and the Dragon's luck is intended to make some kind of profound statement, I think, but it's just pretentious. And most of all, the characters are unappealing. The Dragon is a cipher. The yakuza are crude, violent, and detestable; their brief strutting upon the stage and sudden exits make no impression, except relief.

The leading voice actors also appeared in the '91 version.

• Ikeda Shuuichi (Dragon) played Char in Mobile Suit Gundam, Gilbert Durandal in Gundam Seed, Ulrich Kessler in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Alex in Dallos, and Azuma in Starship Troopers. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Narrator) 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, Keiko in Okama Report, and Valhiss in Amon Saga, all Orphan releases.
• Jinnai Tatsuyuki (Kai) played Principal Kuno in the original Ranma 1/2 and Hans Hakase in the original Rurouni Kenshin.
• Utsumi Kenji (Ishikawa, Kai's successor) played Roah in Fist of the North Star, Kaioh in Fist of the North Star 2, Senbei Norimaki in Dr. Slump and Arale-chan, the village chief in Watt Poe, and Alex Louis Armstrong in both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist. He appeared in Nora, Bavi Stock, Stop!! Hibari-kun!, Techno Police 21C, Don Dracula (title role), 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, and Sanada 10, all Orphan releases.
• Andou Arisa (Dragon's girl) starred in the title role of Eien no Filena, as Naoito Emi in Aoki Honoo, and as Mako in Doukyuusei: Climax, both Orphan releases. She played Rosa in Makyuu Senjou and appeared in a number of h-anime, including Cream Lemon. 
• Ebara Masashi (Motomiya Haruki) appeared in Shakugan no Shana, Nodame Cantabile, Metropolis. He also appeared in Sanada 10, Blazing Transfer Student, Akai Hayate, Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den, Mikeneko Holmes, and Apfelland Monogatari, all Orphan releases. 
• Katou Seizou (Kaitou Takeshi) played Doushi Houki in Utsu no Miko the movie, Nanni Spannu in Tottoi, Jashinsai in Tengai Makyou, Admiral Putyatin in Bakumatsu Spasibo, Ii Naosuke in Hidamari no Ki, Abraham in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Norbert in Apfelland Monogatari, Hatsutori Juuzou in Kage, Billy Bones in Shin Takarajima, the old stationmaster in Sotsugyou: Graduation, and Jeigan in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases. 
• Yasuda Takashi (Kawachi Koichi, head of the Kawachi group) appeared in Belle and Sebastian, Pinnochio, and The Rose of Versailles, as well as Rain Boy, an Orphan release.
  
• Arase Nagahide (Murota Sakae, Kawachi's lieutenant) appeared in Tobira o Akete, an Orphan release.
• Inaba Minoru (Miyoshi Tatsuje) played Neptune in One Piece Log: Fish Man Island Saga, Dr. Garaki in Boku no Hero Academia, Bart Bagley in The Faraway Paladin, Tatsuma in The Morose Mononokean, Ham in Tezuka Osamu's In the Beginning: Stories from the Old Testament, and the High Priest in Izumo (1991), among numerous featured roles. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Sakurada Kazuko (Boss Sakurado's widow, ep2-3) appeared in Kasei Yakyoku, an Orphan release, and played Fujiko's mother in Yawara!

The director, Dezaki Satoshi, is the older brother of Dezaki Osamu and directed some of the Urusei Yatsura OVAs and movies, as well as Naki no Ryuu '91, Dioxin no Natsu, Yume Kakeru Kougan, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Boyfriend, and Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, all Orphan releases.

Perevodildo agreed to translate and time and soon regretted it. Muzussawa checked the mahjong terminology and play. Paul Geromini edited. Eternal Blizzard fine-timed, QCed, and double-checked the mahjong play. ImAWasteOfHair and Uchuu also QCed. I typeset and RCed. WOWmd ripped the raws. They're full of blended frames, so the tracking of moving signs doesn't work well in many places, but they're an improvement over previous rips, which were watermarked.

Perevodildo has now sworn off both mahjong and yakuza shows; I'm swearing off them too, at least for now. But if you'd like to see our last word (I sincerely hope) on those subjects, you can download  Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net

Condensed Anime Take 2 - Hashire Melos 1979

Just like Cello Hiki no Gauche, Hashire Melos is a beloved Japanese story. Written in 1940 by Dazai Osamu, known for the novels No Longer Human and The Setting Sun, Hashire Melos has been brought to the screen many times, both as a live-action drama and as an anime:

• 1955, an NHK TV drama starring Toshiro Mifune.
• 1979, TV Asahi, as the 19th episode of their animated TV series Heart of the Red Bird.
• 1981, Fuji TV, as an animated Nissei Family Special. The only copies of this found to date are the English dubs, subtitled "An Olympic Fable."
• 1992, Toei, an animated movie, subtitled by Orphan.
• 2006, NHK, a televised reading as part of their Terrebi Picture Book series.
• 2009, Nippon TV, as part of the animated Aoi Bungaku series.
• 2010, NHK, as part of the Dazai Osamu Short Story Collection.

In addition to the 1992 movie, I also worked on the 2009 series for Monokage.

This seems like plenty, but there's at least one more: another 1979 animated version, about the length of a TV episode, but totally different from the Heart of the Red Bird episode. (I have raws for both.) This second 1979 version is not included in the JP Wikipedia article on the story and only shows up with bare statistics on AniDB and MAL. Orphan is today releasing the first English subtitled version of this rarity.

The story is so familiar that it's not worth repeating. This version retains all the essential points - Melos's righteous and disastrous intervention against the king's tyranny; his plea for a short reprieve to attend his sister's wedding, with his friend pledged as a substitute victim; 

his troubles and doubts on the way back; his nick of time return to save his friend; and the king's change of heart in the face of such trust among men - but it is really condensed and simplified for younger viewers. For example, Melos' friend is simply named Friend, rather than Selentius, as in the story and all other versions. I felt the 1992 movie, at 102 minutes, was padded; but this version is Cliff Notes. It's very bland, like a children's version of Aesop's Fables.

The raw was shorn of its introductory and ending credits, so there is no information on the cast or the crew, beyond what's in AniDB. The director was Uchida Seiji, mostly known for photography. The production house was Gakken, which also created the highly condensed 1998 version of Cello Hiki no Gauche. They offer a DVD version at exorbitant prices to school and libraries only.

Once again, Perevodildo translated and timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Paul Geromini QCed. The raw, encoded by Omar Hidan from the now defunct streaming service GYAO!, is probably a VHS tape. 

I don't think Hashire Melos 1979 has much to recommend it. Watch the 1992 movie, or the Aoi Bungaku version, or just read the story. But if you want this version for your collection, you can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Reader's Digest Condensed Anime - Cello Hiki no Gauche (1998)

Some Japanese stories are so beloved that the have been made into an anime many times. One of them is Miyazawa Kenji's Cello Hiki no Gauche (Gauche the Cellist), with at least five anime incarnations:

• 1949: a 19-minute silhouette animation produced by Nichiei and directed by Tanaka Yoshitsugu.
• 1953: a 20-minute puppet animation produced by Nippon Eiga and directed by Morinaga Kenjiro.
• 1963:  a movie produced by Gakken Eiga Kyoku and directed by Matsue Jinbo. This version is not present in any anime database.
• 1982: a 65-minute movie produced by Oh Productions and directed by the legendary Takahata Isao
• 1998: a 20-minute OVA also produced by Gakken and directed by Morita Hiromitsu.

The anime databases attribute the 1953 version to 1963; JP and US Wikipedia claim they are separate shows. Although the 1963 and 1998 versions are both from Gakken, an educational publishing company, they can't be the same: the sieyuu in this version weren't even born in 1963.

In any case, Orphan is pleased to release the first English-subtitled version of the 1998 OVA. This is a "Reader's Digest Condensed Anime" version of the 1982 movie; even the character designs are similar. If you've seen the movie, you don't really need to watch this. On the hand if you have twenty minutes to spare, it's another opportunity to dip into Miyazawa's world and enjoy some wonderful music: Beethoven's Sixth Symphony (Pastoral) and two original compositions by Mamiya Michio: Indian Tiger Hunt and The Merry Coachman.

The title character, Gauche, is a diligent but mediocre cellist in a small town orchestra. The orchestra is preparing to play the Pastoral in ten days, but Gauche is struggling: according to conductor, lacks expressiveness, can't keep time, and is off-pitch. 

Gauche tries to practice at home, but he isn't making progress until he is visited on successive nights by four speaking animals:

1. A calico cat, who provokes Gauche into playing a dissonant but wild piece (Indian Tiger Hunt).
   
   
   
   
   
2. A cuckoo, who demands Gauche practice the "cuckoo" sound until he gets the intonation right.
   
   
   
   
   
3. A tanuki, who asks to practice drumming The Merry Coachman on Gauche's cello and points out that Gauche is always slow fingering his second string.
   
   
   
   
   
4. A mother mouse, who pleads with Gauche to save her sick baby by playing his cello with the baby inside; the vibrations apparently cure animals.

Having learned lessons about expressiveness, intonation, and rhythm, Gauche is able to be an integral part of the orchestra in a triumphal performance of the Pastoral. He even gets a solo encore, playing Indian Tiger Hunt to an impressed audience.

The voice actors in this version include:

• Kusao Takeshi (Gauche) played the lead roles in Junk Boy and Fujilog, the title role in Babel II, Trunks in the Dragon Ball Z franchise, Sakuragi in Slam Dunk, and Lamune in NG Knight Lamume & 40. He also played the teenaged Tezuka Osamu in Tezuka Osamu Monogatari, Daichi in Singles, the fast talking orca in Sensou Douwa: Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi, Leedyle/Ranka in Hayou no Tsurugi, Hisamatsu in Bride of Deimos, and the icy director Kurume Kenjirou in Smash Hit, all Orphan releases.
• Matsuno Taiki (calico cat) played the title role in the second Kindaichi movie (an Orphan release) as well as every subsequent show in the franchise. He starred in Exper Zenon, played Saki in Star Dust, and appeared in Fukuyama Gekijou and Chameleon, all Orphan releases. He played Kouga in Inuyasha and the title role in The Adventures of the Little Prince.
• Kisaichi Atsushi (cuckoo) played Timka in Angelique, Yuusuke in Green Green, and Aoba in Dramatical Murder.
• Ootsuke Mizui (tanuki) appeared in Slam Dunk, Android Ana Maico, and Trigun.
• Furuyama Ayumi (mother mouse) appeared in Let's Nupu Nupu, an Orphan release, Jungle wa Itsumo, and Ultra Maniac.
• Satou Masahiro (conductor) played the villainous Professor Jason in Al Caral no Isan, Yasuda in Ore no Sora, and Oboe in Hameln no Violin Hiki, allOrphan releases. He had numerous featured roles, appearing in the Dragonball, Dr. Slump, and Transformers franchises.

The director, Morita Hiromitsu, also directed Heart Cocktail, an Orphan release, as well as Thumbellina, Kobo-chan, and World of Narue.

This started as an idle discussion on Discord about earlier versions of Hashire Melos: the 1979 version, for which I had only seen a YouTube fragment; and the 1981 version, which has only been found dubbed in English. It turned out that a full raw of Hashire Melos 1979 was available, ripped by an Omar Hidan from a web stream on the now defunct GYAO! service. Looking at this other torrents, I found the 1998 version of Cello Hiki no Gauche, also ripped from GYAO! I thought it might make a "quickie" project for Orphan. Perevodildo agreed and translated. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Paul Geromini QCed. The source appears to be a VHS, although a DVD is available at exorbitant cost. As for Hashire Melos 1979... stay tuned.

Cello Hiki no Gauche 1998 won't replace the 1982 movie in anyone's collection, including mine, but it's a nice way to spend 20 minutes with some good music and good characters. You can download it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Tanjou: Debut

Tanjou: Debut (Birth: Debut) is a two-episode shoujo OVA from 1994. It was originally subbed in the VHS-fansub era. Its two stories revolve around a quartet of high school girls - Ito Aki, Tanaka Kumi, Fujimura Saori, Aida Sachiko - but appear to exist in alternate realities. In the first, Aki falls in love, and Saori is her rival; in the second, the first three are fast friends, and Sachiko is MIA. There's a hint, in the opening credits, that the girls are acting in TV dramas, but this isn't followed through. What is going on?

Fortunately, Japanese Wikipedia explains all. Tanjou: Debut is a derivative of a training simulation game about three wannabe idols (Aki, Kumi, and Saori). 

The player's objective is to guide all three to successful careers, either as individual artists or as a unit, in the face of multiple rivals. The OVAs add Sachiko as a fourth member of the team. 

In the OVAs, the four are appearing as themselves in independent teleplays, the first about teenage romance, the second about childhood loss. In the first, only Aki and Kumi are friends, and the others appear in the course of the story. The tone is mostly comedic, with a touch of heartbreak. 

In other words, it's okay. In the second, Aki, Kumi, and Saori are friends, and Sachiko, it turns out, died in childhood. The tone is melancholic, with a redeeming (and unbelievable) supernatural conclusion

It is breathtakingly superficial.

The principal voice actors have all appeared in other Orphan releases:

• Tominaga Miina (Ito Aki) played Ritsu in Fruits Basket (2002), Persia in Magical Fairy Persia, Rollpanna in the Anpanman franchise, and Misaki in Tsuritama. She also played Muuma in Bavi Stock, Kamiya in Tokimeki Tonight, Hikaru in Chameleon, Karen in Yuukan Club, Cresson in Star Dust, Eri in Karuizawa Syndrome, and Kaguya-hime in Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko, all Orphan releases. 
• Kanai Mika (Tanaka Kumi) played the title role in the Licca-chan franchise, Normad in the Galaxy Angel franchise, Histoire in the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, Melonpanda in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise, Misato in Nana, Lotte in Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Kanna in Gakkou no Yuurei volume 1, and Hime in Bakuen Campus Guardress. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Shiina Hekiru (Aida Sachiko) played Asami in Elementalors, Rurubell in Megami Paradise, and Elysse in Plastic Little, all Orphan releases, as well as Hikaru in the Rayearth series, Fam in Hikyou Tanken Fam & Ihrlie, Rockman in the Rockman Hoshi ni Negai wo OVAs,  Alpha in the Yokohama Country Cafe OVAs,and Nene (the protagonist's perverted younger sister) in the Seitokai Yakuindomo franchise. 
• Kasahara Hiroko (Fujimura Saori) played the title roles in Armitage III and Mahou Angel Sweet Mint, Maron in Assemble Insert, Nanako in Dear Brother, Ami in DNA^2, Fuu in the Rayearth properties, Tama in the Tama and Friends franchise, and Hinako in Ultimate Teacher. She starred as Seara in Baby Love and played Princess Shurain in Hayou no Tsurugi, both Orphan releases.
  

The first episode also includes some additional seiyuu:

• Amano Yuri (teacher) 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 Lady Freeze in Bakuen Campus Guardress, Catherine in Okama Hakusho, 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 and Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 1, all Orphan releases.
• Miyamoto Mitsuru (Mike) starred as Ibuki in Hidamari no Ki, an Orphan release. He also played Chihiro in After the Rain, Maiza in Baccano!, Roger Smith in The Big O, Steven Starphase in Kekkai Sensen, Ougai Mori in the Bungo Stray Dogs franchise, Hideo Tachibana in H2, Mizoguchi in Kaiju No. 8, Keiichi Nakagawa in the Kochikame franchise, Shirakawa in Piano, Itsuki in RahXephon, and Hubb in Wolf's Rain.
• Kazama Nobuhiko (manager) appeared in many shows, including Shinken Densetsu Tight Road and Spectral Force.

The director, Mochizuki Tomomi, has directed many other shows, including Ranma 1/2, Dirty Pair Flash, Fancy Lala, Princess Nine, Seraphim Call, and Porphy no Nagai Tabi.

I don't remember, or have suppressed, how this project got started. Perhaps I wasn't impressed by the existing subs. In any case, an anonymous friend found the R2J DVD ISOs and encoded new raws. I shifted the existing Mushin subs (themselves transcribed from an unknown VCD or even VHS tape) into place. Perevodildo translation checked. Paul Geromini edited. I fine-timed and typeset. ImAWasteOfHair and I QCed. IaWoH (to abbreviate) put me on the right track about the show by pointing out that the "original work" was credited to the same games company, Headroom, which was also behind Sotsugyou: Graduation and Sailor Victory, two shows where the same characters were used in radically different scenarios.

Tanjou: Debut is middling shoujo, but this version is an improvement over the previous ones. You can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko

And now the other shoe drops. Orphan presents the first English-subtitled release of the movie version of Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko (Prince of the Skies: Heaven Chapter). The movie, released in 1990 before the OVAs, is a teaser for the OVA series. It provides condensed versions of the first five episodes and previews of the remaining eight. Like most teaser anime, it is intended to leave the viewer wanting more. Fortunately, all of the Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko OVAs are fansubbed, using Odyssey Anime subtitles from the VHS era, and  arer eadily available.

Although Tenjou Hen is nominally a direct follow-on to Utsu no Miko, it looks very different. Yamazaki Noriyoshi replaced Inomata Mutsumi as character designer. Matsumoto Kenji replaced Kawamoto Shouhei as art director. As a result, Tenjou Hen's look very different; for example, Miko now has blue eyes instead of brown. 

The artwork is darker and muddier. This is not just the result of laserdisc source vs VHS source. The change of staff led to considerable aesthetic differences. Frankly, I prefer the appearance of the first movie.

Tenjou Hen overlaps the ending of Utsu no Miko by retelling Princess Kaguya's return to the Moon. Miko's desires to follow her and to attain the powers of a god inherent in his divine origin. This leads Master Ozuna to send Miko and his oni comrades Kusuri, Tsuri, Takara, and Kagami, along with the fallen god Kijimuna, on a journey to the heavens. There, Miko first encounters the god Rahu Asura, cast out after his daughter Shachi was kidnapped and raped by Taishakuten, king of the gods. 

Next, Miko visits the Moon, only to discover that Kaguya has forgotten him.

Now determined to confront Taishakuten and right the wrong done to Asura, Miko and Kijimuna travel to the Heaven of the 33 Gods, Taishakuten's stronghold. Miko challenges the king of the gods, but he is no match for Taishakuten and is defeated.

In retaliation, or because he mistook her for a swan (shades of Polly Von), Taishakuten kidnaps Kagami, Miko's wannable squeeze, and threatens her with the same fate as Shachi. 

 

And that's where the movie ends. Want to know more? Watch the OVAs. (Spoiler: Miko gets Kagami back in episode 11.)

A few translation notes, courtesy of Perevodildo's study of Buddhism.

• Taishakuten is the Japanese term for Śakra, the king of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven in Buddhism. Trāyastriṃśa is a tongue-twister and is translated as Heaven of the 33 Gods.
• Shachi, also known as Indrani, is the queen of the gods in Hinduism.

Except for Miko and Kagami, the voice cast is completely different from Utsu no Miko:

• Furuya Tohru (Utsu no Miko) 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 Kosaku  in One Pound Gospel, 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.
• Yamada Eiko (Kagami)  played Yamazaki Tarou in Okama Hakusho, Syril in Cool Cool Bye, and Vee in Al Caral no Isan, all Orphan releases, as well asTarou in the Captain Tsubasa franchise and numerous other featured roles.
• Tanaka Hideyuki (Kusuri) played Terryman in the Kinnikuman franchise and Rayearth in Magic Knight Rayearth. He also played Max in Dallos, Unno Rokurou in Sanada 10, Harmer in Al Caral no Isan, Sammy in Bavi Stock, Sawamura in Nozomi Witches, Ronron in Greed, Aoto in Oedo ga Nemurenai!, Katze in Ai no Kusabi, Minowa Takanari in Karuizawa Syndrome, Kazuhiko, Chiko's father in Ohoshi-sama no Rail, Ma Su, Fengji's lover, in Sangokushi movie 3, and an extra in Heart Cocktail, volume 5, all Orphan releases.
• Shioya Yoku (Tsuri) played the title roles in Kariage-kun and the Umi no Triton TV series and movies, Ryouta in Slam Dunk, Jinpei the Swallow in Gatchaman, and Cosmo Yuki in Space Runaway Ideon. He played Yuzuru in Laughing Target, Mickey in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Mizuki in Nayuta, and Zhuge Jun in the first Sangokushi movie, all Orphan releases.
• Horikawa Ryou (Takara) 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 starred as Shinya in Okama Hakusho and appeared in Chameleon, Hi-Speed Jecy, Lunn no Kaze, and the first two Sangokushi movies, all Orphan releases.
• Shibata Hidekatsu (En no Ozuna) played Baron Ashura in Mazinger Z, Kenzou Kabuto in Great Mazinger, King Bradley in both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist, and the Third Hokage in Naruto. He played Sun Quon in the Sangokushi movies, the hero's father in Dragon Fist, Funakoshi in Ushiro no Hyakutaro, Koimura, the Steel Elementalor, in Seirei Tsukai, and the voice of God in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Mita Yuuko (Kijimuna) played the title role in Pokonyan, Posi in the Creamy Mami franchise, Kazuya in the Kimagura Orange Road franchise, Neko Musume in the 1985 iteration of GeGeGe no Kitarou, and Will in Robin Hood no Daibouken. She appeared in Rain Boy, an Orphan release.
• Banjou Ginga (Teishakuten) played the title role in 80 Days Around the World with Willy Fog, Baloo in The Jungle Book, and chairman Nakiri Senzaemon in Shokugeki no Souma. He appeared in Gude Crest, Oruorane the Cat Player, Amon Saga, Ipponbouchou Mantarou, Sanada 10, and the What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Kashina Kazuhiko (Asura) played Roku in Haguregumo and Matsuda's editor in Yawara! He also appeared in Izumo, Meisou-ou Border, Akuma-tou no Prince: Mitsu Me ga Touru, the three Sangokushi movies, and the first Utsu no Miko movie, all Orphan releases.
• Tominaga Miina (Kaguya-hime) played Ritsu in Fruits Basket (2002), Persia in Magical Fairy Persia, Rollpanna in the Anpanman franchise, Misaki in Tsuritama, Muuma in Bavi Stock, Kamiya in Tokimeki Tonight, Hikaru in Chameleon, Karen in Yuukan Club, Cresson in Star Dust, Ito Aki in Tanjou Debut, and Eri in Karuizawa Syndrome. The last seven are Orphan releases.
  
• Yara Yuusaku (Fujiwara no Fuhito) played the destroyer captain in Zipang and Miyuki's father in Tokyo Godfathers. He had many featured roles, appearing in Nayuta, Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Eien no Filena, Elf 17, Hidamari no Ki, Nozomi Witches, Kimama ni Idol, both Sangokushi OVAs, the second Sangokushi movie, Prime Rose, Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, and both What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.

The director, Imazawa Tetsuo, directed the Sangokushi OVAs, Coo of the Far Seas, Candy Candy, and Montana Jones, among others.

Like many other Orphan projects that Perevodildo rescued from the vaults, the origins of this release are lost in the mists of time. I don't remember who bought the VHS tape or why; perhaps it was thought to be the first Utsu no Miko movie. In any case, an anonymous friend ripped and encoded it, and it was eventually released as a raw. This year, Perevodildo translated it, using the Odyssey Anime OVA subs as a base; he also timed it. ninjacloud fine-timed. I edited and typeset (very little needed there). ImAWasteOfHair, Paul Geromini, and Topper3000 QCed.

Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko the movie will give you a pretty good idea, in 80 minutes, of whether you want to invest six plus hours in the OVA series. (If you do, be prepared for rougher translations and early oughts styling.) If you want to try the Reader's Digest version instead, you can download the movie from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

 

Utsu no Miko

Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko (Heaven Chapter: Prince of the Skies), commonly called just Utsu no Miko, is a well-known OVA series, released in 13 installments between 1990 and 1992 and fully subtitled. Less well known is its prequel movie, actually titled Utsu no Miko (and unofficially subtitled Earth Chapter), released in 1989. Both are based on a series of light novels by Fujikawa Keisuke, published between 1984 and 1998. Orphan is pleased to present the first English-subtitled version of this movie.

Utsu no Miko is set in Japan's Asuka period, just after the Jinshin War in the late seventh century. It mixes mythical events with actual history, and supernatural characters with real ones. The hero is a divine or semi-divine creature born with a horn in his forehead. He is the son of the god of the northern sky. 

Because of his parentage, he becomes known as Utsu no Miko. He joins En no Ozuna's monks on Mount Kongo and trains as an Oni (demon), warriors who fight on behalf of the common people, along with his friends Tsuri, Takara, Kusuri, and Kagami. The last named has a crush on Miko.

The Imperial government, led by the sinister Fujiwara no Fuhito and his henchman, a renegade Oni with psychic (wizardly) powers named Karakuni no Hirotari, is trying to consolidate control over the countryside by oppression and violence. 

The bandit warlord Uokai and the Oni of Mount Kongo oppose Fujiwara and his minions. 

Miko tries to assassinate Fujiwara, but the attempt backfires. Fujiwara's soldiers attack Mount Kongo. To prevent a bloodbath, Ozuna surrenders himself as a hostage and is exiled to Izu no Shima.

As a result of Ozuna's departure, evil spirits in the old capital escape and run rampant. Fujiwara makes Miko an offer he can scarcely refuse: if he expels the spirits, his assassination attempt will be forgiven, and Ozuna's term of exile will be reduced. 

At the old capital, Miko and his friends dispel most of the spirits, but one is a fallen god, Kijimuna, who had hoped to create a country for spirits. 

This inspires Miko to organize a country for the landless peasantry, known as wanderers, inciting Fujiwara's wrath yet again.

But during the climactic battle, he crosses paths with the Moon Princess, Kaguya, whose flute playing entices and beguiles him, much to Kagami's dismay. 

When she departs for the heavens, he concludes that must realize the powers implicit in his divine origins. (Whether to bring peace to the land or to pursue Kaguya is not clear.) 

Cue the sequel series.

The use of the term Oni for the fighting monks of Mount Kongo is a bit confusing, because an actual oni has a horn on his forehead, just like Utsu no Miko. However, our hero is not a demon, even though he's known as one. Go figure.

The voice cast is large and distinguished.

• Furuya Tohru (Utsu no Miko) 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 Kosaku  in One Pound Gospel, 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.
• Yamada Eiko (Kagami)  played Yamazaki Tarou in Okama Hakusho, Syril in Cool Cool Bye, and Vee in Al Caral no Isan, all Orphan releases, as well asTarou in the Captain Tsubasa franchise and numerous other featured roles.
• Kinoshita Hiroyuki (Kusuri) played Ikuya in Ajin, Mugensai in Bakumatsu, Ken in Glasslip, Heizaemon in House of Five Leaves, and Fujimaki in Megalo Box.
• Yamadera Kouichi (Tsuri) played many leading roles, including Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop, Sukeroku in Shouwa Ginroku Rakugo Shinju, Ryouga in all the Ranma 1/2 properties, and the nameless hero of Otaku no Seiza. He played the title role in Hashire! Melos, Benten in Oedo ga Nemurenai!, Almarick Aswaer in Nana Toshi Monogatari, Happyaku in Wild 7, Chiryuu in Bakuen Campus Guardress, Matsu in Koiko no Mainichi, and Ryouan in Hidamari no Ki, all Orphan releases.
• Hamura Kyouko (Takara) played John in Peter Pan no Bouken and appeared in Starship Troopers, Toraemon, and Hitomi no Naka no Shounen: 15 Shounen Hyouryuuki, all Orphan releases.
• Ikeda Masaru (En no Ozuna) had major roles in Yatterman and Sakura Taisen. He appeared in Don Dracula, Bagi, Greed, Kasei Yakyoku, Every Day Is Sunday, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Techno Police 21C, Tobira o Akete, and the first Sangokushi TV special, all Orphan releases.
• Isobe Tsutomu (Karakuni no Hirotari) played Dutch in the Black Lagoon franchise, Vincent in the Cowboy Bebop movie, Harry in Gungrave, Ivan in King of Thorn, Dimsdale in Mardock Scramble, Inspector Runge in Monster, and Emperor Hadrian in Thermae Romae.
• Sakamoto Chika (Kijimuna) played Campanella in Night on the Galactic Railway, the title role in Tsuruhime, Nonoko in Tobira wo Akete, Tendonman in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise, and Agumon in the Digimon franchise. She appeared as Miko in Ohoshi-sama no Rail, Yasuda Yumiki in Nine, and Suzume's erstwhile love interest, Katagiri-kun, in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, all Orphan releases.
• Ishida Gentarou (Fujiwara no Fuhito) played Shikishima in Akira, Seijuurou in BIoHunter, Hanzui in Giant Robo, Wotan in Harlock Saga, Red Beard in Life of Guskou Budori, and Duke Red in Metropolis.
• Ikeda Shuichi (Uokai) played Char in Mobile Suit Gundam, Gilbert Durandal in Gundam Seed, Ulrich Kessler in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, the Dragon in Naki no Ryuu, Alex in Dallos, and Azuma in Starship Troopers. The last three are Orphan releases.
  
• Hidaka Noriko (Tatarame)  played Satsuke in My Neighbor Totoro, Minami (the female lead) in Touch, Akane (the female lead) in Ranma 1/2, Peter in Peter Pan no Bouken, Mrs. Yamada (the mother) in the first two Chii anime series, Near in Death Note, and Kikyo in the Inuyasha franchise. She also played Seiko in Ichigatsu ni wa Christmas, Haruo in Senso Douwa: Yakeato no, Okashi no Ki, Yuuki in Boyfriend, Noriko in Yuukan Club, and Harumi in Mikeneko Holmes, all Orphan releases.
• Shimamoto Sumi (Nayotake no Kaguya-hime) debuted as Clarisse in The Castle of Cagliostro. She starred as Sara in Princess Sara, Nausicaa in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Otonashi Kyouko in Maison Ikkoku, and Dayan in Neko no Dayan. She also played Shokupanman in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise, Tinkerbell in Peter Pan no Bouken, Antoinette in Reporter Blues, and Big Mama in Bakuretsu Hunter. She also played Sue in Maris the Choujo, Elice in Fire Emblem, Miss Akiko in The Girl with Blue Eyes, Suzuko and Suzu in Fire Tripper, the female lead in volume 3 of the original Heart Cocktail, the unnamed female lead in Heart Cocktail Again, and the mother in Kiku and the Wolf, all Orphan releases.
• Katou Seizou (Doushi Houki) played Nanni Spannu in Tottoi, Jashinsai in Tengai Makyou, Admiral Putyatin in Bakumatsu Spasibo, Ii Naosuke in Hidamari no Ki, Abraham in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Norbert in Apfelland Monogatari, Hatsutori Juuzou in Kage, Billy Bones in Shin Takarajima, the old stationmaster in Sotsugyou: Graduation, and Jeigan in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases.
• Kaneuchi Yoshio (Narrator) played President Gibson in Future War 198X, Dr Shikishima in Shin Tetsujin 28, Kouichi in Wonder Three, and the Japanese voice of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The director, Yoshida Kenji, has only one other credit, Cutta-kun Monogatari, which has pretty much vanished.

The impetus for this movie actually came from finding and ripping the sequel movie, Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko, which summarizes the first five volumes of the OVA series. (Orphan has released it as a raw.) Perevodildo translated and timed. ninjacloud fine-timed. I edited and typeset. ImAWasteOfHair, Paul Geromini, and Topper3000 QCed. The raw is an HD Kids Station rip from heponeko. It is watermarked and, frankly, it looks like an upscale. If we find a laserdisc source (there's no DVD or Blu-ray release), we'll do a second version.

Utsu no Miko didn't really grab me. It shows its light novel origins. The characters are flat. Utsu no Miko is brave, straightforward, and rather naive. Fujiwara no Fuhito is a villain who all but twirls his mustache. The presence of Princess Kaguya is an intrusion from another story and only confuses the plot. But it has lots of action, which helps, I guess. You can get the movie from the usual torrent site or from channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.