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.

Tistou Midori no Oyayubi

Tistou Midori no Oyayubi (Tistou of the Green Thumbs) is a 1990 movie, based on a beloved French children's novel by Maurice Druon. It tells the story of a boy, Titsou. He's the son of a rich factory owner, but he has no aptitude for book learning. 

Instead, his father sends him to work with the family gardener, known as Mr. Mustache. There, Tistou discovers that he has an extraordinary ability, "green thumbs": whatever he touches sprouts flowers, even if there is no soil or seeds.

(He can also communicate with his pony, Gymanstique.) 

As he travels around his home town of Mirepoil, he applies his thumbs to whatever he encounters - the town prison, the slums, the town hospital, and his father's armaments factory. 

He thereby changes his world for the better, even to the point of stopping a war. It's all too good to last, but the ending is metaphorical and optimistic rather than tragic.

The movie captures the book's tone of magic realism, balancing gracefully between a slice-of-life family story and a fairy tale. Long stretches have no dialog and rely strictly on visuals. The movie looks beautiful, with a pastel palette and watercolor-like backgrounds.

No attempt is made to explain Tistou's capabilities or his effect on his world; miracles are to be experienced, not analyzed. It's a lovely film, airy and insubstantial as cotton candy, and quite moving. The translator, Perevodildo, gave it his highest compliment, calling it "kino." (Yeah, I had to look it up in the Urban Dictionary too.)

A few translation notes:

• The pony's name, Gymnastique, is from the original French book. The English translation uses Gymnast, because the actual translation, Gymnastics, would be a fairly strange name for a horse. Here, the French has been left untranslated.
• Several characters with "foreign accents" mangle Tistou's name. The Japanese script uses "Chichi," but the book uses "Tisti," and that's used here.
• The factory manager's name, Trounadisse, seems like a riff on "trou d'indice" or "missing the point," because the character's orderly and rigid outlook makes him miss the point of Tistou's gift. The English book translation uses Tornbull.

The voice actors were mostly drawn from the world of films, rather than anime:

• Yamase Mami (Tistou) has only a few anime credits - Princess Peach in Super Mario Brothers: Peach-hime Kyuushutsu Daisakusen and Kayoko in the What's Michael? TV series.
• Ootaki Hideji (Mr. Mustache) mostly appeared in live-action films and TV shows.
• Yamamtoto Kei (father) played Jutaro in Band of Ninja, Mr. Gogetz in Dog of Flanders, Lt. Inoue in Harp of Burma, and Kurosawa in the first Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo movie, an Orphan release.
• Wakamura Mayumi (mother) appeared in many TV shows but has no other anime credits.
• Ishizaka Kouji (narrator) narrated Manxmouse, an Orphan release, as well as Call of the Wild: Howl, Buck, and the Zenki series.

The director, Tanno Yuuji, was a planner and producer. His only other anime directing credit was Bunna yo Ki kara Oritekoi, which has not been translated.

Tistou Midori no Oyayubi has never been released on digital media, so when a Japanese laserdisc version came up for sale, WOWmd snapped it up. He ripped it on his Domesday Duplicator and then encoded it. The encode is quite large, in order to preserve all the lovely details of the artwork. Perevodildo translated and timed. I edited and typeset (not much to do there). ImAWasteOfHair, Nemesis, and Paul Geromini all QCed. WOWmd chose to encode the first and second side of the laserdiscs separately, because they have slightly different frame sizes. This has happened before; Orphan's first version of Hashire! Melos was encoded in two pieces for the same reason. Perhaps, like that show, a single complete raw will be available sometime in the future.

This blog entry has been rather short, not because Tistou Midori no Oyayubi is undeserving, but because it basically speaks for itself: a charming, self-contained fairy tale about a child's goodness overcoming the evils of the real world. It's just what we need in these dark times, and I recommend it highly. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.