Midnight Crazy Trail

Completing a triptych of Young Animator Training Project releases, Orphan presents Midnight Crazy Trail, from the Anime Tamago class of 2017. The other shows that year were:

• Red Ash: Gearworld, subtitled by multiple groups from a Blu-ray source
• Zunda Horizon, subtitled by multiple groups from a web source
• Charanpoland no Bouken, raw only from a web source

Midnight Crazy Trail is okay to watch, but it feels derivative, like a cross between Kiki's Delivery Service and Get Backers. And i'ts CGI, of the CGI-pretending-to-be-2D-animation school.

The story focuses on a young witch named Makina. She hates being a witch and having magic powers; she wants to throw away her grimoire and be a normal girl.  

On the night of the first full moon after she turns 16, she must go to the human world to be trained in magic and to prepare for marriage. She repeatedly attempts to destroy her grimoire, but it always resists. Then, she sees a vision of a special team destroying an arms shipment.

The team, Shout and Crunch, claim not to be thieves but garbage collectors: the Midnight Trash Throw Away-ers. Their garbage truck, the "Crazy Trail," has a massive incinerator, a crusher, and other tools for disposing of unwanted objects.

Once she's in the human world, Makina's placed under the tutelage of a senior witch named Dorothy.

Makina is supposed to learn clairvoyance and other skills, but instead she focuses on getting the Throw Away-ers to destroy her grimoire. They agree to try, provided she helps them on their next mission.

The mission succeeds, barely, thanks to Makina's help. However, the grimoire still resists destruction, so Makina insists that Crunch and Shout take her along for further adventures.

As I said, derivative. Makina is a Kiki clone, even having a cute familiar, a mole. The Throw Away-ers are the Get Backers turned upside down. It's engaging in places. Makina's attempts to "blend in" provide comedy, and the mission's action sequence is well done. However, in the end, it's just empty calories.

The voice cast include: 

• Uesaka Sumire (Makina) played the title role in Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san, the lead in Tearmoon Empire, Alisa in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Lum in the Urusei Yatsura reboot, Akira in Bucchigire!, Rika in Genshiken Nidaime, Sora in Papa no Iu Koto o Kikinasai!, Fubuki in Kantai Collection, Peach Maki in the Hoozuki no Reitetsu franchise, Aya in Tonikaku Kawaii, and Chuchu in Show by Rock!.
• Matsuda Kenichirou (Crunch) played Mink in Dramatical Murder, Shuuji in Bakuten!, the narrator and Bond Forger in Spy x Family, and the narrator and Thors in Vinland Saga.
• Matsuda Toshiki (Shout) played Kazuki in the Pretty Rhythm franchise, Chikara in the Haikyuu!! franchise, Ryuu in the Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei Bu franchise, Eijirou/Red Riot in the Boku no Hero Academia franchise, Mikado in the B-Project properties, Iori in the Idolish Seven franchise, Rei in the Ensemble Stars properties, and Kiyomitsu in the Touken Ranbu franchise.
• Fujita Masayo (Dorothy) appeared as Nene in Hyakko and K-344 in Star Wars: Visions.
• Hachisuke Tomotaka (Dorothy's husband) appeared in Donten ni Warau, Moyashimon Returns, Eldive, and Kokkoku. 

The director, Yusa Kazushige, later directed a series of shorts called Odoru Mowai-kun, which have not been subbed in English.

Once again, Perevodildo translated and timed; the show did nothing to alter his negative view of the Young Animator OVAs. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raw is a web rip from Ioroid. There's a fair amount of aliasing, to add to the video annoyance of the CGI.

So here's another Anime Tamago OVA: Midnight Crazy Trail from 2017. I can't recommend it wholeheartedly, but it's not bottom tier. 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.

 

 

 

Kicks and Punk

Post-COVID, the Young Animator Training Project was renamed from Anime Tamago ("Anime Egg") to Anime no Tane ("Anime's Seed"), and the length of the shows was reduced from  22-24 minutes to 7-10 minutes. No explanation was given. Perhaps the cost of producing a "throwaway" full-length anime episode had become too high.

In any case, the reduced length makes it more difficult to create a fleshed-out story. This is exemplified in Kicks and Punk, from the 2024 edition of Anime no Tane. It's set in a future in which advances in transportation have made walking unnecessary. (Nonetheless, people still look lean and fit.)

A sneaker fan(atic) named Nike(!) still runs everywhere, to the consternation of the robot traffic police.

Her goal is to get a new edition of sneakers from the legendary manufacturer "Dynamelos," which can only be obtained on the black market. She is saved from the police by a woman named Shelly Walter, daughter of the head of Fractal Walter, which created the current transportation system. 

Nike and Shelly over their shared love of sneakers. 

By unbelievable coincidence, Shelly is actually the head of Dynamelos and has the sneakers Nike craves.

And that's it.

As befitting a short about the joys of running in sneakers, the animation is very dynamic, with simplified character designs and vibrant colors. On the other hand, Nike's relentless genki enthusiasm wears out its welcome pretty quickly, and Shelly is more a plot contrivance than a character. Still, it's all over pretty quickly.

The voice cast is small and not well known.

• Ikuta Teru (Nike) played Futaba in the Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight properties, Natalia in Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Gekijou: Extra Stage, and Himawari in Edomae Elf. She has also appeared in film and stage productions. 
• Kimura Akiko (Shelly Walter) played the title role in the Rockman EXE franchise, Kisaragi in the Happy Lesson franchise, and Fey Rune in Inuzama Eleven Go: Chrono Stone, among many other roles.
• Matsumoto Kohei (Cyber Police) appeared in Bleach, Ergo Proxy, Valkyria Chronicles, and other shows.
• Masuda Kento (Clerk / Narration) has no other anime credits. 

The short was produced by Nippon Animation. The "chief" director was Kamiya Jun, who directed Blue Seed, The Third, Penguin no Mondai, Seikimatsu II: Humane Society, and The Girl from Phantasia; the last two are Orphan releases. The director was Ichimura Jinya, in his first directing role. He also did the storyboards.

Perevodildo translated and timed. He doesn't like the Young Animator shows. Frankly, Kicks and Punks illustrates why he has reservations. I edited and typeset; the hardest part was finding a font to match the opening title. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raw is from someone named jireh, about whom I know less than nothing.

Kicks and Punk is the last of the 2024 Anime no Tane shows to be subtitled. The others are:

• Pop Pop City, released with English subs and encoded by Toonshub
• Bridge: My Little Friends, subtitled by gugugaga
• Ephemere (Salteel, according to Wikipedia), subtitled by gugugaga

You can get Kicks and Punk from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Hello WeGo!

I've always had a soft spot for the Young Animator Training Project, which, over the years, has been known as Project A, Anime Mirai, Anime Tamago, and most recently, Anime no Tane. Each year's releases are a mixed bag, but I've usually found something to like. Anime Tamago 2019 had four shorts, three of which have already been translated:

• Chuck Shimezu (Orphan) 
• Captain Bal (Orphan)
• Toe! Space Attendant Aoi (Leon-Subs)

Thanks to the efforts of Darkonius and Perevodildo, Orphan is now pleased to release the last show from the 2019 crop, Hello WeGo!

Hello WeGo! is set against the backdrop of Japan's aging population and rural decline. To offset the diminished population outside the big cities, children use personal robots, called Mechatronics WeGo's, to get to and from school safely, perform chores, and of course, compete with each other. 

Satoru is an orphaned elementary school student living with his grandmother. His WeGo is old and beat up.

It compares unfavorably with the shiny new models owned by his rival Akira and others in his class.

Despite support and encouragement from his friend Nanami, Satoru gets increasingly depressed, ultimately refusing to compete in WeGo competitions. 

Then, mechanic Domon Genkichi, a friend of Satoru's grandmother, fixes up the battered robot (and maybe removes the safety stops).

Satoru realizes that he's surrounded by people who love and support him.

He faces up to his fears and the biggest challenge of all: jumping the Crevasse of Dread.

If this all sounds a bit generic, it is. There's none of the sly humor in Chuck Shimezu or the satire in Captain Bal. It's a straightforward story of a child facing his fears and overcoming them. The other children are not villains or bullies; even Akira is basically a good kid. As a result, the show has an obvious plot line and lacks tension. But the visuals are impressive, and the show leaves a pleasant aftertaste.

The voice cast includes several distinguished seiyuu:

• Tanezaki Atsumi (Satoru) starred as the title role in Sousei no Frieren, Asako in Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Chise in Mahou Tsukai no Yome, Anya in Spy x Family, Atsumi in Liz to Aoi Tori, and Tinasha in Untamed Memory. She also played Karash, the ferocious-tempered rabbit, in the Hoozuki no Reitetsu franchise, a particular favorite.
• Yuuki Aoi (Nanami) starred as the title role in the Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica franchise, Maomao in Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, Mina Tepes in Dance in the Vampire Bund, Jubee in the Hyakka Ryouran franchise, Tooru in A-Channel, Victorique in Gosick, Pastillage in the Dog Days franchise, Iris in recent releases in the Pokemon reboot, Hibiki in the Symphogear franchise, Tanya in the Yuujo Senki and Isekai Quartet franchises, Lotta in ACCA, Tsuyu/Froppy in the Boku no Hero Academia franchise, Diane in the Nanatsu no Taizai franchise, and the nameless lead in Kumo Desu ga, Nanika?
• Tamura Mutsumi (Akira) played the title roles in the Kobayashi-san no Maidragon franchise and Captain Bal (an Orphan release), Yuuki in the Ef properties, Inomata Ken in Anyamal Tantei Kiruminzoo, Kiyo in Asobi ni Iku yo!, Sonya in Kill Me Baby, Sayaka the maid in the Seitokai Yakuindomo franchise, Lux Arcadia in Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut, Lutz in Honzuki no Gekokujou, Beelzebub in Sand Land, and Yukiya in Karasu wa Aruji o Erabanai.
• Sawada Toshiko (Satoru's grandmother Michiyo) has played teachers, mothers, or grandmothers in numerous shows, including Maison Ikkoku,The Big O, Usagi Drop, the Magi franchise, Hinako Note, Laughing Target, and The Girl from Phantasia. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Shiba Chigeru (Domon Genkichi) played the narrator of Fist of the North Star, Shigeo in the Patlabor franchise, Megane in the Urusei Yatsura franchise, Ichidou Rei in High School! Kimengumi, Kuwabara Kazuma in YuYu Hakusho, Pilaf in the Dragon Ball franchise, and Buggy the Clown in One Piece. He played the title role in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call and appeared in Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai: Tsuyoshi no Time Machine de Shikkari Shinasai, Ai no Kusabi, Akai Hayate, Bagi, Condition Green, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Kitou Akari (Yuuki, a classmate) played Adachi in Adachi and Shimamura, Tsukasa in the Tonikaku Kawai properties, Nene in Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, Erika in Cuckoo no Iinazuke, Nezuko in the Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise, Mio in the Tsuki ga Michibiku properties, Kate in Shadows House, Eve in Birdie Wing, Kotoko in Kyokou Suiri, the title role in Mamekichi Mameko NEET, Hina in Okinawa de Suki ni Natta, and Suzune in Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou.
• Mano Ayumi (Maru, another classmate) played Natsune in Ballpark de Tsukamaeta, Alice in Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid, and Isabelle in Bara Ou no Souretsu.
• Tomita Miyu (Haruto, another classmate) played Otako in Oshiete! Galko-chan, Crimvael the Angel in Ishuzoku Reviewers, Rizu in the Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai properties, Riko in Made in Abyss, and Mickbell in Dungeon Meshi.

The show was produced by Wit Studio and directed by Masuyama Ryouji, who has since gone on to direct Blend S and Nier: Automata V1.1a.

Darkonius translated and timed the show, and Perevodildo translation checked. Both were baffled by the rural dialect used by the adults (either Yamagata or Shounai dialect), so there may be issues with those lines. I edited and typeset. The signs were extensive, and repetitions of some complex signs have been omitted. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raw is from Ioroid and is full HD.

The show exposed another incompatibility in the media tools world. If you are using madvr for rendering, instead of standard renderers, the signs won't appear to be the right colors. In addition, some "smoothing" of quick brightness shifts causes sign colors to change at a scene boundary. In short, if you are using madvr, disable it. With their default renderers, MPC-HC, mpv, and VLC all look correct. 

Hello WeGo! is middling, no denying that. Still, it's a wholesome take on how young children grow, and I'm glad the Anime Tamago "class of 2019" is now completely translated. 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.

Aoi Kioku

Aoi Kioku: Manmou Kaitaku to Shounen-tachi (Blue Memories: Boys, Colonizing Manchuria and Mongolia) is a 1993 movie about the "Youth Volunteer Army" of young Japanese boys. They were part of Japan's colonization of Manchuria (renamed Manchukuo) and Inner Mongolia during World War II. When the Soviets invaded on August 9, 1945, these "youth volunteers" were abandoned by Japan's occupying Kwantung Army and had to try escaping on their own. At first, the movie seems like an apologia for Japanese imperialism again China, with the invading Russians playing the bad guys. But it gradually shows its true colors, demonstrating that the real villains were the Japanese government and military, who used the boys as pawns.

The Kwantung Army was created in 1906 as the garrison for the treaty port of Kwantung, but it gradually grew independent of government control. In 1931, it staged the "Mukden Incident," providing an excuse to occupy Manchuria. In 1937, it staged the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident" to widen the war against China. As the Japanese government was taken over by militarists, the idea of a Japanese empire in Asia, the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity sphere, became official policy. It claimed to be uniting the "five races" of the area - Japanese, Koreans, Han Chinese, Manchurians, Mongolians - into one harmonious economic structure for the benefit of all. In fact, it was pure colonialism, backed by the might of the Japanese army. The non-Japanese groups, particularly the Han Chinese, bore the brunt of it.

The appeal of the colonization project to Japanese boys, especially from rural areas, was land. In pre-war Japan, arable land was owned by large landowners. The boys were promised land of their own if they would help "reclaim" land in Manchuria. That the land was already occupied by the natives and had been expropriated at gunpoint was not explained.

The movie focuses on a group of four boys - Kyota, Kenji, Yusuke, and Junpei - from an unnamed rural town in Nagano prefecture. They are typical adolescents of the time, high-spirited and patriotic, reflecting the propaganda instilled in them in the name of education. 

(Kenji's father, a teacher who tries to get them to think for themselves, is removed from his job as a security risk.) A new teacher, Mori, puts a hard press on them to join the Youth Volunteer Amy, to meet the school's quota. 

Kyota and Yusuke sign up enthusiastically, and Junpei reluctantly. However, Kenji has seen the cost of war first-hand - his elder brother has returned from military service in China minus a leg. 

He refuses altogether, nearly rupturing his friendship with Kyota. Kyota's family are aghast, but he sees Manchuria as an opportunity to get land of his own and support his family. After suitable training, the three boys are sent as "pioneers" to Manchuria. And pretty quickly, the wheels start to come off.

Compared to Japan, the environment in Manchuria is harsh and unforgiving. Kyota sees at first hand that, far from promoting harmony, the Japanese are oppressing the natives and stealing their land. 

Their "pioneering" quickly turns into military training, as threats from the natives and from the Soviet Union mount. Then, on August 9, with Hiroshima and Nagasaki destroyed and the war clearly lost, the Soviet Army invades. The vaunted Kwantung Army collapses, and the boys and the other colonists must flee for their lives.

But the Soviet Army's double pincer movement quickly envelops the province, and the Japanese are caught in a desperate struggle to survive.

As the outlook darkens, Kyota realizes that everything he's been taught - the glory of the youth "volunteers," the "harmony" of the five races, the invincibility of the Japanese military - is a lie.

In fact, the Kwantung Army was always something of a paper tiger. The Soviets had soundly defeated it in the undeclared border war of 1938-1939. This led the Japanese government to bring its renegade soldiers to heel and to sign the Soviet-Japanese Non-Aggression Pact. This in turned allowed the Russians to transfer their best Siberian soldiers eastward for the first Winter counteroffensive in 1941-42. As the war turned against Japan, its government siphoned off the best remaining Kwantung units for duty elsewhere. (Most of the units transferred to the Pacific theater were sunk by US submarines en route to their destinations.) By 1945, the Kwantung Army, although nominally more than 700,000 strong, was a hollow shell, with low-grade manpower and obsolete armor. They were no match for the battle tested Soviet armies, 1.5 million strong, with the latest tanks and artillery. The Soviets sent most of the Kwantung Army to Siberia as prisoners, interned large number of Japanese colonists, looted Manchuria for equipment and machinery, and raped Japanese and local women. Eventually, many of the Japanese were repatriated to Japan, at the insistence of the Nationalist Chinese government before its collapse, but quite a few died first. Young children who had been adopted by Chinese families were repatriated starting in the 1980s but faced discrimination for their accents. Women who had married Chinese men and birthed mixed-race children received the cold shoulder from the Japanese government, even to this day. 

For further reading:

• The Kwantung Army. 
• Resistance to the Japanese occupation of Manchuria (the "bandits" Kyoto mentions as one of the "five races") 
• The undeclared border war of 1938-1939. 
• The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, 1945, with some notes on Soviet war crimes.
• The repatriation of Japanese settlers. 
• Japanese orphans left behind in China. 

For those who really like to geek out about military matters, I recommend selected episodes of the podcast The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War, season 5:

• Episode 501 - the deadly impact of the American submarine campaign against Japanese troop shipments, including on the redeployment of the Kwantung Army to the Pacific theater.
• Episode 502 - the Mukden Incident.
• Episode 503 - the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. 
• Episode 506 - the war in China after 1937. 
• Episode 507 - the crucial battles of the undeclared border war.

The first four seasons are good too, but they're focused on the naval campaigns in the Pacific.

Some translation notes, courtesy of Perevodildo:

• "Iriyama folks" - probably this location in Nagano prefecture. 
• "type of collaboration... called yui" - see this article. 
• "Our Imperial ancestors have founded Our Empire..." - an excerpt from the Imperial Rescript on Education, which was read aloud at important school events.
• "What if the special police or military police overhear you?" -  The Special Higher Police (1911-1945), known as Tokkou; the Military Police, known as Kempeitai (1881-1945). Both worked on stamping out dissent.
• The sign for the Chinese uprising following the invasion is "Heaven and Earth Turned Upside Down!" I have rendered this as "The World Turned Upside Down!", the song supposedly played by the British Army during the surrender at Yorktown. 
• The opening song is Aikoku Kōshinkyoku, a patriotic song composed in 1937.
• The harvest song is Oborozukiyo, a traditional folk song. 
• The song of the "Youth Volunteers Corps" can be found here. 
• The ending song is Mozu ga Kareki de, composed for this movie.

The voice cast includes:

• Yamaguchi Kappei (Suzuki Kyota) played the title roles in the Detective Conan, Ranma 1/2, and Inuyasha franchises, Usopp in the One Piece franchise, Sakuma Ryuichi in Gravitation, and the title roles in the Arslan no Senki OVA series and Mouse, among many others. He played Shibuya in Zetsuai 1989,  Billia in Tottoi, Matsuoka Eiji in Chameleon, Nichol Hawking in Plastic Little, and Tooru in Boyfriend, and appeared in Shin Gakkou no Yuurei, all Orphan releases.
• Kusao Takeshi (Yoshizaki Kenji) played the lead role in 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 Ryohei in Junk Boy, the teenaged Tezuka Osamu in Tezuka Osamu Monogatari: I Am Son Goku, 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.
• Miki Shinichirou (Tanaka Junpei) played Kojiro in Pokemon, Fujiwara Takumi in Initial D, Urahara Kisuke in Bleach, Minamoto no Yorihisa in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, Shintarou in Lime-iro Senkitan, Bruce Wayne in Batman: Gotham Knight, Roy Mustang in Full Metal Alchemist (2009), Katze in Ai no Kusabi (2012), and Gintarou in Gingitstune. He also played Minamoto no Yoritada in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, Arikawa Masaomi in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, Johnny in Jikuu Bouken Nuumamonjaa, John Bishop in AWOL Compression Remix, and Cyber-X in Hand Maid May, all Orphan releases.
• Ishida Akira (Asakawa Yusuke) starred as Sasuke in Samurai Deeper Kyou, Chrno in Chrno Crusade, Howard in Uninhabited Planet Survive, Rion in Galerians: Rion, Komugi in Hen Zemi, and Arima in Princess Lover. He played Abe no Yasuaki in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, Gaara in the Naruto franchise, Shinichi in Nana, Athrun Zala in the Gundam Seed Destiny properties, Cho Hokkai in the Saiyuki franchise, Xellos in the Slayers franchise, Natori in the Natsume Yuujinchou franchise, Tsukasa in the Shokugei no Souma franchise, and Kuchiki in the Genshiken series. He played Gam in Magma Taishi, brother Oomori in Let's Nupu Nupu, Gordon in Fire Emblem, Takumi in Bakuen Campus Guardress, Abe no Yasutsugu in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, and Ridvan in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, all Orphan releases.
• Fukami Rika (Setsuko, a village girl that Kyota likes) played Spoor in the Crest of the Stars franchise, Myung Fang in Macross Plus, and Sailor Venus in the Sailor Moon franchise. She appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei, Raiyantsuuri no Uta, Tobira o Akete, Majo demo Steady, and Ear of the Golden Dragon, all Orphan releases. 
• Yajima Akiko (Shinji, Setsuko's brother) played the title role in Idol Densetu Eriko, Lemon in VS Knight Ramune & 40 Fresh, Takami in Geobreeders, Dorothy in The Big O, Pino in Ergo Proxy, Kogitsune in Natsume Yuujinchou, Mipple in the Futari wa Precure franchise, and the title roles in Shin-men and of course Crayon Shin-chan. She played Lesser Panda (Red Panda) in Shirokuma Cafe, Maijima Karen in Sotsugyousei, and Hikari in Kakyuusei (1995), and she appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei, all Orphan releases.
• Arimoto Kinryuu (Yoshizaki Seizou, Kenji's father) had featured roles in numerous shows, including Psycho-Pass, Tokyo Ravens, Joshiraku, Chihayafuru, Un-Go, and Moonlight Mile. He played Ichijo Yuji in Princess Army and Ogata Kouan in Hidimari no Ki, both Orphan releases.
• Munakata Tomoko (Yoshizaki Chiyo, Kenji's mother) played Trio's mother in Bremen 4, the Narrator and Yamataro's mother in Yamataro Comes Back, Takuto's mother in Zetsuai: 1989, all Orphan releases, Haru in Glass Mask (2005), and Annie Errol in Little Lord Fauntleroy.
• Miyamoto Mitsuru (Yoshizaki Keichi, Kenji's older brother) starred as Ibuki in Hidamari no Ki and played Mike in Tanjou: Debut, both Orphan releases. 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.
• Ikemoto Sayuri (Yoshizaki Fumiko, Kenji's sibling) played Mari in the Project A-ko franchise and appeared in Seikima II Humane Society, an Orphan release.
• Isobe Masako (Suzuki Masae, Kyota's mother) played Tilda Miller in Gozdilla S.P. She appeared in Letter Bee, Koi Sentom, Sensou Douwa: Aoi Hitomi no Onnako no Ohanashu, and Ear of the Golden Dragon. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Taguchi Takashi (Suzuki Tatsuyoshi, Kyota's father) played Harimao in Ashita no Joe 2, Ubito in Sword for Truth, and Coach Yamazaki in Nozomi Witches, an Orphan release.
• Hashi Takaya (Mori-sensei) played Spinx in the Akuma-kun movie, Gerry in Baki Hanma, Froi Tiedoll in D.Gray-man, Mordin in Dances with Dragons, Gustav Honda in Enen no Shouboutai, Tokugawa Sadasada in Gintama, Kagari in Ninja Kamui, Isami Kondo in Peacemaker, Duke Normandy in Princess Principal, Glud in Tide-Line Blue, and Tokai in Sanctuary, an Orphan release.
• Kanao Tetsuo (escape leader Sensei) played played Daishi in Concrete Revolutio, Kokuyo in Dr. Stone, Chad in Gangsta., Kouhei in The Great Passage, Yamazaki in Ghost Talker's Daydream, and Kunisaki in Magma Taishi, an Orphan release.
• Koyama Takehiro (volunteer group leader) played Kousuke in Demon Lord Dante and Kenichirou Senomiya in Robotics;Notes, and he appeared in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament and Nagasaki 1945: The Angelus Bell, both Orphan releases.
• Mizutani Yuuko (Sumiko, a girl Kenji befriends on the desperate retreat through Manchuria) played Pinoko in all the Black Jack properties, as well as Misako in Houkago no Tinker Bell, Hiromi in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Rika in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Lila in Eien no Filena, Anna in Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu, Shoko in Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 1, and Dr. Uematsu Kikue in Yume Kakeru Kougen, all Orphan projects.
• Kagawa Kyouko (Narrator) is a film actress and has no other anime credits.

The director, Dezaki Satoshi, should be a familiar name to readers of this blog; he directed numerous Orphan releases.

I don't know how I acquired the Aoi Kioku DVD ISO, but it had been sitting around a long time. When I mentioned it to Perevodildo, he was enthusiastic, so I asked a friend to encode it. Perevodildo then translated and timed. Paul Geromini edited. I typeset and QCed; True Noobow Gamer, a new contributor for Orphan, also QCed. The encoder wishes to remain anonymous; they usually do.

The DVD source is a mess. The encoder noted:

"Apart from usual fixes for footage like this (minor derainbowing, deblocking, anti-aliasing, dehaloing), I'm sad to report that whoever authored the disc wasn't paying very close attention. The source is rather severely field blended, meaning after IVTC is performed back to 23.976 progressive, some unsolvable ghosting remains in certain frame sequences, notably panning shots. It's not too distracting during normal playback, but I'd like to see this film with a nice clean remaster with proper gamma/color grading in HD someday, as many of the backgrounds are gorgeous."  

I agree. The existing DVD is badly marred by blending and interlacing issues, visible in every horizontal pan, so a remastered source would be very welcome. But I don't think it's likely. This movie is quite clear about its opposition to the mindless militarism of prewar Japan and its rejection of the Japanese excuses for the war in China. That wouldn't sit well with the increasingly nationalist modern Japanese governments. It would take a lot of courage to release a new version of this film. Courage is in short supply at media companies these days, world-wide.

This blog entry is unusually long, but I hope it's obvious that I, and everyone else who worked on Aoi Kioku, think that it's very good. You can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Tezuka Osamu Works: Kyoto Animation Theater

An attraction devoted to Tezuka Osamu's anime works opened in Kyoto, Japan in 1999. It featured a theater with a "300 inch" (25 foot) screen that showed newly created shorts as well as full-length theatrical anime movies. After it closed in 2011, the shorts became available on digital and physical media. Eventually, they were collected on a single DVD called Tezuka Osamu Works: Kyoto Animation Theater.  

Orphan is pleased to bring you the first English-subtitled release of this DVD.

Kyoto Animation Theater consists of eleven segments. Four were shown as "twin bills" of a famous Tezuka Osamu character paired with a chapter about the history of Kyoto. The other three were longer and were shown by themselves. All are preceded, and sometimes followed, by a linking commentary from the Hi no Tori (Phoenix), who acts as a mouthpiece for Tezuka's core beliefs in peace, love, and protecting the environment.

1. Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom): The Blue Knight. Astro Boy (Atom) tries to save the city from destruction when fellow robot Bluebone goes berserk over the wanton killing of his family.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Shinsengumi. A retelling of the Ikedeya Incident during the late Bakumatsu.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Princess Knight (Ribbon no Kishi). Princess Sapphire must pose as a boy to secure her family's succession to the kingship.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Benkei and Ushiwakamaru. The immensely powerful Genji samurai Benkei tries to protect Minamoto no Yoshitune, known in childhood as Ushiwakamaru (young bull), from the jealous wrath of his older brother Yoritomo. Tezuka's gag mascot, Hyoutan-tsugi, has a cameo in this segment.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Jungle Emperor (Jungle Taitei). Leo the white lion, emperor of the jungle, befriends a human-raised leopard cub named Paola, who has been accidentally freed when his cage falls out of his owners' car. (Despite the name, Paolo is definitely male, using the pronoun boku rather than watashi.)
   
   
   
   
   
6. Honnou-ji. A retelling of the assassination of Oda Nobunaga, known as the Honnou-ji Incident. The epigraph for the episode is from the Kouwakami version of Atsumori; Nobunaga quoted it frequently.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Saving Our Fragile Earth: Unico Special Chapter. Newly-born Unico discovers that the Earth has become uninhabitable, except for a human-tree hybrid named Tsubasa. Together, they must try to reverse mankind's terrible decisions that wrecked the environment.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Black Jack: Old Woman (or Grandma). Black Jack rescues a stranded couple whose mother is forever grasping for money. It turns out she is paying off a debt to another underground doctor. Hyougan-tsugi makes another appearance.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Capital Transfer to Heian. A retelling of the transfer of the Imperial Capital to Heian-kyo, the original name for Kyoto.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom): The Last Day of the Earth. Atom befriends a scrapped robot named Bem on a planet of junk and brings her back to Earth. When Bem's planet suddenly sets a collision course with Earth, Bem must choose between survival and the needs of her new home.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Phoenix (Hi no Tori): Hagoromo Chapter. Zuku is a vicious bandit, known as the Demon of Mt. Horai for robbing and killing travelers. When he finds a young woman with a beautiful, shimmering cloak, he is moved to spare her and to build a new life with her. But painful circumstances force him back to banditry, and he is consumed by demons. Only then does the young woman learn that the story is not about him, but her.

These shorts were created between 1999 and 2004 and are thus posthumous; Tezuka Osamu died in 1989. Nonetheless, they mostly reflect his characters, values, and animation style. There's some great slapstick in the Princess Sapphire and Jungle Emperor segments. The otherwise preachy Unico segment has some fanservice. On the other hand, the linking animation of the Phoenix was done with "state of the art" CGI and looks like it came out of an 8-bit video game. The same clip is used multiple times, with different narration.

Each episode had its own voice cast and staff, so the credits are complicated:

1. Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom): The Blue Knight

• Shimizu Mari (Atom) starred as Atom in Tetsuwan Atom (1963, 1980) and movies, Mars in Jetter Mars, Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island TV, Adam Nasenkopf in Marine Express, Atom in Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken, and Tezuka Osamu's mother in Tezuka Osamu Monogatari: Boku wa Son Gokuu. The last three are Orphan releases.
• Morikawa Toshiyuki (Bluebone) 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 delinquent student Fuwa in Mellow, Kazuma in Bakuen Campus Guardress, and 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.
• Motoi Emi (Uran) played Kumiko in Dokyuusei and Doukyuusei 2 Special: Sotsugyousei, an Orphan release, little Yamada in Chibi Maruko-chan since episode 1425(!!), and Chouen in the Koihime Musou franchise.
• Katsuta Hisashi (Dr. Ochanomizu) played the same role in Tetsuwan Atom (1963, 1980, 2003), the Tetsuwan Atom movies, Fumoon, and Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken, as well as Dr. Nasenkopf in Marine Express; the last three are Orphan releases.. He also played Louis XV in Rose of Versailles.
• Ootomo Ryuuzaburou (Lamp) played Flatwoods Monster in DAN DA DAN, Suit Man in Himawari Too!!, Crocodile in One Piece, Hakim in Planetes, and Nebuchadnezzr in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament: In the Beginning, an Orphan release.
• Ooki Tamio (Dr. Ross) played  Aramaki in the GITS movies, the title role in Planetarian: Hoshi no Hito, Dr. Tenma in the 1980 version of Tetsuwan Atom and Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken, Darai Sem in Amon Saga and Ibuya in Hidamari no Ki. The last three are Orphan releases.
• Yamada Miho (Maria) (Narusawa Misako) played Melmo's mother in Fushigi na Melmo, Atosuryua in the Banner of the Stars series, and Minami in Comic Party. She played Narusawa in SotsugyouseiI and appeared in Sanctuary, both Orphan releass.
• Amano Yuri (Tonto) 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, the teacher in Tanjou: Debut, and Yuko in St. Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, as well as multiple roles in Fukuyama Gekijou and Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 1, all Orphan releases.

Directed by Kuwabara Satoshi, who also directed Black Jack, Black Jack 21, Black Jack Final, Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken, The Cafe Terrace and Its Goddesses, and Adachi and Shimamura.

2. Shinsengumi - no cast credits available, also directed by Kuwabara Satoshi.

3. Princess Knight (Ribbon no Kishi)

• Touma Yumi (Sapphire) played the title roles in Emma: A Victorian Romance and Baby Felix, and Urd in the Aa! Megami-sama franchise. She appeared in numerous Orphan releases, including Sotsugyou: Graduation, Boyfriend, Condition Green, Fukuyama Gekijou, Tezuka Osamu ga Kieta?!, Gude Crest, and Eguchi Hisashi no Nantoko Nareudesho.
• Chafurin (Duke Duralumin) played the title role in Barbapapa Around the World, Inspector Megure in the Detective Conan franchise, Scotch Jii-san in the Hello Kitty franchise, Isono in Sazae-san (since 2014), and Kamoda in Yawara! He also appeared in B.B. Fish, Coluboccoro (2019), Jikuu Bouken Nuumamonjaa, Yamato 2520, Ohoshi-sama no Rail, the Sanada 10 special, and Izumo (1991), all Orphan releases.
• Maruyama Eiji (King) played the Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland, Steiner in Chrno Crusade, Cao Fusheng in Fighting Beauty Wulong, and Tarueru in Perrine. He appeared in Maris the Choujo, an Orphan release.
• Yamada Miho (Queen): see the first segment.
• Kakegawa Hirohiko (Sir Nylon) played Jody's fiance in Yawara!, Eddie in Armitage III, Moses in The Golden Laws, Hisao Seki in Ningen Kakumei, and Dracule Mihawk in One Piece. He appeared in Izumi 91, the Sangokushi movies, Starship Troopers, and Tomoe ga Yuku!, all Orphan releases.
• Miyata Kouki (Franz) played Suzaku no Rei in Saint Beast, Daisuke in Major, Ken in Kyou Kara Maou!, Kouta in the Baka to Test franchise, Shimon in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, Akifumi in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, Musashibou Benkei in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3: Kurenai no Tsuki, and Badger, Sea Otter, and Squirrel Mama in Shirokuma Cafe. The last three are Orphan releases.
• Kumagaya Niina (Tink) played Unipuma in New Dominion Tank Police, Tomomi in Doukyuusei 2: Sotsugyousei, and a student in Exper Zenon. The last two are Orphan releases.

Directed by Nishida Masayoshi, who also directed Allison & Lillia, Jiisan Baasan Wakagaeru, and Kakushite! Makina-san!!

4. Benkei and Ushiwakamaru

• Miyata Kouki (Minamoto): see the third segment.
• Murozono Takehiro (Benkei)  played Antonio in Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu, an Orphan release, and had featured roles in numerous shows, including the Macross 7 franchise, Vampire Miyu, Fullmetal Panic, Hanada Shounen-shi, Monster, and Tsurune.

Also directed by Nishida Masayoshi.

5. Jungle Emperor

• Tsuruno Kyoko (Leo) played Eris in Gear Fighter Dendoh, Kurusu in Guardian Hearts, Yuka in Kaikan Phrase, and, as Mifuyu Hiiragi, the title role in I Dream of Mimi.
• Ootani Ikue (Paola) provided the voice of Pikachu in in the Japanese, English, Spanish, and German versions of the Pokemon shows. She also played Mitsuhiko in the Detective Conan franchise and Tony Tony Chopper in the One Piece franchise. She appeared as the Fujiwara twins in Haruka Naru Toki no Naka de 2, Ann in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, and Sumire in Kiss wa Mi ni Shie, all Orphan releases.
• Matsuo Ginzou (Tommy) played Doka in Biriken, Danbei in Cutie Honey Flash, Kuwagata in Inspector Fabre, Hemu Hemu in Nintama Rantaro, and Smoker in One Piece.
• Aizawa Masaki (Bubu) played Dragon in Enen no Shouboutai S3, Master in Inukami!, Bob Skylum in Moonrise, Wiper in Once Piece, Shouryuu in The Twelve Kingdoms, and John H Watson in Undead Murder Farce.
• Nishimura Tomohiro (Coco) played IR in Corrector Yui, the tanuki patriarch in Pom Poko, Hess in the Saber Marionette franchise, Amano Jaku in the Urotsukidoji franchise, Namekuji-neko in Alice SOS, Corkus in Berserk 97, Edward T Maclegan in Condition Green, Shibuki in Seirei Tsukai, Gon in Fire Tripper, Bunji in Koiko no Mainichi, and a delinquent in Laughing Target. The last five are Orphan releases.

Directed by Yoshimura Fumihiro, who also directed two Anime Mirai OVAs, Kacchikenee and Kumi to Tulip.

6. Honnoji - no cast credits available. Also directed by Yoshimura Fumihiro.

7. Saving Our Fragile Earth: Unico Special Chapter

• Yajima Akiko (Unico) played the title role in Idol Densetu Eriko, Lemon in VS Knight Ramune & 40 Fresh, Takami in Geobreeders, Dorothy in The Big O, Pino in Ergo Proxy, Kogitsune in Natsume Yuujinchou, Mipple in the Futari wa Precure franchise, and the title roles in Shin-men and of course Crayon Shin-chan. She played Lesser Panda (Red Panda) in Shirokuma Cafe, Maijima Karen in Sotsugyousei, and Hikari in Kakyuusei (1995), and appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 2, all Orphan releases.
• Takato Yasuhiro (Tsubasa) played Artemis in the Sailor Moon franchise, Gluttony in original Full Metal Alchemist, Russia in the Hetalia franchise, Kase-bake in GeGeGe no Kitarou (2007), and Kusuke the whale in Sensou Douwa: Chiisai Sensuikan ni Koi wo Shita. 
• Banjou Ginga (Yokuno, Desire Spirit) 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 Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko, Gude Crest, Oruorane the Cat Player, Amon Saga, Ipponbouchou Mantarou, Sanada 10, and the What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Shinohara Emi (Goddess) played B-Ko in the A-ko properties and Sailor Jupiter in the Sailor Moon franchise. She appeared as Yuri Onagara in Blue Sonnet, vulgar daughter Stephanie in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, Reiko in Akai Hayate, Lady Manthrum in Hayou no Tsurugi, a newscaster in Junk Boy, and Android 1025 in Oz, all Orphan releases.
• Kumagaya Niina (Nishikaze, Time Fairy) played Unipuma in New Dominion Tank Police, Tomomi in Doukyuusei 2 Special: Sotsugyousei, and a student in Exper Zenon. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Kasahara Rumi (Water Fairy) played Shizuka in Dai-Guard, Pastel in Fortune Quest, Nina in Debutante Detective Corps, Kyoko in the Hell Teacher Nube franchise, Misao Amano in Magical Girl Pretty Sammy, Kanako in Princess Nine, and Koumi in Sakura Diaries.
• Asagami Youko (Sphinx) played Saeko Nogami in the City Hunter franchise and its spin-off, Angel Heart, Selene in Queen Millennia, Mrs. Hudson in Sherlock Hound, Mori Yuki in the original Yamato franchise, Amesis in Yamato 2520, and the female lead in Heart Cocktail, volume 4. The last two are Orphan releases.

Also directed by Nishida Masayoshi.

8. Black Jack: Old Woman

• Ootsuka Akio (Black Jack) played the title roles in most of the Black Jack properties, Magma Taishi, Blade, and Montana Jones. He also played Gozo in the Aika franchise, Batou in the Ghost in the Shell franchise, the villain All for One in Boku no Hero Academia, and Nyanko Big in one memorable episode of Tada Never Falls in Love. He played Kenneth Guildford in Nana Toshi Monogatari, George in Condition Green, the narrator in Fire Emblem, Nobunaga the boss crow in Ultra Nyan 2, Zilu in Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den, Gale in Dragon Slayer Eiyuu Densetsu, and Black Jack in Tezuka Osamu Disappears, all Orphan releases.
• Mizutani Yuuko (Pinoko) played Pinoko in all the Black Jack properties, as well as Misako in Houkago no Tinker Bell, Hiromi in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Rika in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Lila in Eien no Filena, Anna in Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu, Shoko in Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 1, and Dr. Uematsu Kikue in Yume Kakeru Kougen, all Orphan projects.
• Kyouda Hisako (Yoshiko) played Minuet in Bremen 4, the Witch in Adachigahara, and the maid in Lunn Flies into the Wind, all Orphan releases. She also played  Kiyo in Botchan (1986), Sawa in Mermaid Forest, Tama in Mushishi, Obaba in Nausicaa, Darkness in Peter Pan, Yoshi Tamazaki in Showa Monogatari, Rin in the Stratos 4 properties, and Magno Vivan in Vandread.
• Watanabe Misa (Ritsuko) played Akeginu in Basilisk, Eriko in Gilgamesh, and Mattsu in Mattsu to Yama to Moburi-san. She appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 4, an Orphan release.
• Suzuki Takuma (Yoshiro) played Hisao in Bad Boys, Fatton in Bottom Biting Bug, Shinjiro in Cromartie High School, Yuu in Daa! Daa! Daa!, and Colbert in the Zero no Tsukaima franchise. She appeared in Nagasarete AirantouI, an Orphan release.
• Kamei Yoshiko (Mrs. Jindai) played the title role in Rerere no Tensai Bakabon, Gema in the Di Gi Charat franchise, and Nyan in Ultra Nyan: Hoshizora kara Maiorita Fushigi Neko, an Orphan release. She has had featured roles in Magical Meow Meow Taruto and Tiger and Bunny.

The director, Okada Kazuo, mostly did art direction, including for Magma Taishi, Black Jack, Akuemon, Harbor Light Story, and other segments in this anthology.

9. Capital Transfer to Heian - no cast credits available. Also directed by Nishida Masayoshi.

10. Astro Boy: The Last Day on Earth

• Shimizu Mari (Atom) - see chapter 1
• Katsuta Hisashi (Dr. Ochanomizu) - see chapter 1
• Tamagawa Sakiko (Bem) Tplayed Natsumi Rumi in Call Me Tonight, Shiori in Akai Hayate, Lar Lipp in Greed, and Shoku the armorer in Genji, Part 1, all Orphan releases. She also played Athena in Appleseed XIII, Tachikoma in GITS SAC, Kanoko in Shouwa Monogatari, Dotta in Sorcerer Hunters, Rouge in Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Masaki in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, Natsumi in the You're Under Arrest franchise, and Princess Suurya in Kamasutra.
• Nishimura Tomomichi ("Scrubbing Brush")  appeared as the narrator in YuYu Hakusho, Anzai-sensei in Slam Dunk, Shibaraku Tsurugibe in Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru, and Jamitov Hymem in Mobile Suit Z Gundam. He had a cameo as Don Dracula in Bremen 4 and appeared in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Goro Show, Eguchi Hisashi no Nantoka Naru Desho!, Fire Tripper, Fumoon, Hi-Speed Jecy, A Time Slip of 10,000 Years: Prime Rose, Tezuka Osasmu's Tales from the Old Testament, Wild 7, Wolf Guy, Aoki Honoo, and Yamataro Comes Back, all Orphan releases.

Also directed by Nishida Masayoshi.

11. Phoenix: Hagoromo

• Kobayashi Tetsuo (Zuku) does not appear in any anime databases.
• Saitou Eri (Toki) played Nikora in Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch, Towa in Super GALS!, and Tiore in Triange Heart: Sweet Songs Forever.
• Tanaka Atsuko (Phoenix) played Mauve in ACCA, Nena Hargen in Aika, Cassandra in Alexander: Reign the Conqueror, Caster in the Fate franchise, Motoko Kusanagi in the GITS franchise, Bynas in Ozma, Claudette in Queen's Blade, and Jagara in Wolf's Rain. She also played the nameless female lead in Heart Cocktail Again, Yuri in Nemure Omoigo, Sora no Shitone ni, new Mamamega in Megami Paradise, and Dana in AWOL Compression Remix, and she appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 3, all Orphan releases

Also directed by Nishida Masayoshi.

These complications also extend to how Kyoto Animation Theater appears in the standard anime databases. AniDB and ANN have seven separate entries, reflecting how the films were shown in the Kyoto theater, while MAL has eleven separate entries, for the individual episodes.

• Astro Boy: The Blue Knight + Shinsengumi: AniDB, ANN, MAL1, MAL2
• Princess Knight + Benkei and Ushiwakamaru: AniDB, ANN, MAL1, MAL2
• Jungle Emperor Leo + Honnou-ji: AniDB?, ANN, MAL1, MAL2
• Unico Special Chapter: AniDB, ANN, MAL
• Black Jack + Capital Transfer: AniDB, ANN, MAL1, MAL2
• Astro Boy: Last Day: AniDB, ANN?, MAL
• Phoenix Hagoromo: AniDB, ANN?, MAL

They're also classified as movies rather than OVAs, because they originally appeared in a theater. I do not look forward to getting this release listed.

To facilitate viewing the segments as separate films, I have created eleven "play chapter" files, named "nn. <segment name>.mkv". If you place these in the same directory as the complete anime, and if your media player supports ordered chapters, these files will play the named segment and nothing else.

This show has been in the works for seven years or more. The original raw dates back to 2018. Various attempts at translation over the years foundered on lack of expertise or lack of time. This year, at last, Yume created a usable translation for ten of the eleven segments; Iri's previously released translation was modified for the Black Jack segment. Yume and ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. M74 encoded the workraw from the R2J DVD before he retired from fansubbing. An anonymous friend did the released encode.

Tezuka Osamu Works: Kyoto Animation Theater shows off the breadth of Tezuka Osamu's style, from slapstic comedy to overt sentimentalism. There's no continuity among the segments, so the viewer can dip in and out as desired for a ten or fifteen minute diversion. I enjoyed the whole thing, although I did find the Unico chapter preachy and the Phoenix' commentary a bit sententious. You can get this release from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.