On the Malleability of H-anime: The ProxyMan Project

The handle ProxyMan has cropped up several times in this blog as a source of rare anime, both mainstream (Shibuya Honky Tonk, Dragon Slayer Eiyuu Densetsu: Ouji no Tabidachi) and hentai (Kakyuusei 1995, Lunatic Night 3). The scope of his work is far larger than the tiny fragment that has been released by Orphan (or Okizari). He has been systematically collecting hentai anime from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. His analyses show that material created in Japan is often substantially altered for Western markets, and not always in the ways one might expect.

Now, it's no secret that commercial media like anime has never been treated as sacrosanct in the West. Japanese cartoons were not merely dubbed for American audiences; they were often folded, spindled and mutilated, with the Japanese original being viewed merely as visual source material. Thus, Toei's 1960 Saiyuuki was redone as Alakazam the Great, 1961's Anju to Zushio Maru as The Littlest Warrior, and so on. Macross was dubbed, edited, and rewritten into Robotech. Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom became Astro Boy, with deletions and changes that greatly upset the author. Even Miyazaki's revered 1984 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind was chopped to pieces to create the mid-80s Warriors of the Wind, which remained in circulation until a faithful dub appeared in 2005. After that, Miyazaki put a no-edit clause in his overseas licenses, but that did not stop Miramax from "adapting" rather than translating Princess Mononoke. (Hint: watch it with Japanese audio and English subs to get Miyazaki's original intent.)

Other changes would be done in the name of localization or catering to local market requirements. Some series basically received new scripts. The R1 release of Crayon Shin-chan is crude, raunchy comedy, but as the dedicated work of my colleague Skr at BuriBuri has demonstrated, the US scripts translate the Japanese scripts only by happenstance. In other cases, the artwork was changed to match target demographics. The original Japanese version of Maze is an ecchi boob-fest, with lots of topless girls. In the North American version, aiming at a PG rather than R rating, the bare breasts are all covered up. Because the North American version was the only version to get a DVD release, and the original series masters are considered lost, how Maze was meant to look was not known in the West until the Japanese laserdiscs were found and ripped.

The cavalier stance of overseas licensors toward originals is even more obvious with hentai (or borderline hentai) releases. Most people think that the distinction between Japanese hentai and Western versions is removal of censorship, but that's only part of the story. Japanese R- and X-rated anime receive all sorts of alterations, not just decensoring. In some cases, explicit material has been removed to turn a hentai release into softcore. In other cases, explicit material has been added to make a softcore release into hardcore. Scenes or even whole episodes have been removed because of sensitivities in target markets. As a result, some titles that the R1 market knows in one guise looked very different in Japan. This is where ProxyMan's work in collecting and comparing editions has proved its worth. Some examples follow.

1. Turning softcore material into hardcore. Nessa no Wakusei and Dragon Knight Gaiden were borderline stories, with nudity, sex, and fetish material, but nothing explicit. For the US market, Five Ways interpolated some badly done 1-3 second explicit scenes. This in turn became the DVD release in both countries. The Japanese laserdiscs have the original, R-rated versions.
2. Turning hardcore material into softcore.  Fencer of Minerva, volume 1, had an explicit scene of the heroine being violated by enemy (female) warriors. It was the only explicit scene in all five volumes, so it was removed in the US and Spanish editions. It can still be seen, censored, in the Japanese laserdisc, and uncensored in the French edition. Something similar was done in Dragon Rider, volume 2.
3. Catering to local requirements. All hentai in Japan is distributed in censored form, with the "naughty bits" obscured by mosaics or other effects. Unless this was done for comic effect, as in Karakuri Ninja Girl, the R1 releases are uncensored. But other deletions were imposed, particularly because of concerns about underage (2-D) characters in sexually explicit material. Japanese characters, both male and female, are often drawn to look young, which is problematic. Sometimes they are stated to be young, which is really problematic. So the second volume of The Maiden Diaries was never released in R1, because the female protagonist is clearly underage. Inju Seisen (Twin Angels) and La Blue Girl had various scenes cut because characters looked too young.

Now, I'm not trying to defend the "artistic integrity" of ecchi or hentai anime or to second-guess the changes that were made in the licensing process. These shows were throwaways, intended for entertainment, titillation, and profit. Local laws must be observed. But personally, I prefer to watch Japanese anime, of any variety, the way it was made. I prefer Saiyuuki to Alakazam the Great. I prefer Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind to Warriors of the Wind. And the same applies to ProxyMan's trove.

In support of his efforts, Orphan and related groups like Blasphemboys will be redoing some  of these shows, with ProxyMan's raws and updated translations and typesetting. Not all of them - just enough to illustrate the transformations and gyrations. Blasphemboys has already released Dragon Knight and Dragon Knight Gaiden, using the Japanese laserdiscs. Gaiden doesn't have the Five Ways explicit interpolations, so both are R-rated.

Blasphemboys' hentai label, Muzu'sNudes, has just released Nankyoku 28 Gou (in R1, Mail Order Maiden 28). According to ProxyMan, "The US release cut out a 2-3 second shot of sex probably because it was the most explicit scene in the OVA, however, they left a screencap of it in the credits." Orphan/Okizari has a few titles in the works as well.

Consider the ProxyMan project a Christmas present to the fans. Well, no one was willing to work on Santa Company: Christmas no Himitsu anyway.

Ashita Genki ni Naare!

The firebombing of Japan's cities is less well-known than the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but they caused heavy loss of life and enormous property damage. From March, 1945 onward, American B-29 heavy bombers conducted night raids with napalm bombs on Japan's cities, which were mostly built of wood and burned rapidly. The first raid, in Tokyo on March 9-10, killed more than 100,000 people, destroyed 16 square miles of the city, and left more than one million people homeless. 

Further raids in May and June on Tokyo and other cities eventually destroyed one-seventh of Japan's total urban area and killed upward of 250,000 people. Attacks on smaller cities continued up until the end of the war.

Ebina (nee Nakane) Kayoko was twelve years old when the raids began.  

She had been evacuated to the countryside, but she lost six of her seven other family members in the Tokyo raid.  She became an essayist and writer. Her works inspired two anime movies: 1991's Ushiro no Shoumen Daare (Who's Left Behind?) and 2005's Ashita Genki ni Naare! ~Hanbun no Satsumaimo~ (Tomorrow Will Be Better! Half a Sweet Potato). The former was fansubbed several years ago, but the latter had not been, until now. Orphan is pleased to release the first English-subtitled version of this movie.

Ashita Genki ni Naare! is less a recounting of the raid and its immediate consequences than a sad study of the plight of orphan children immediately after the war. Kayoko is shuffled to her Aunt Yoshi, who resents her as an extra mouth to feed and uses Kayoko's surviving family possessions as a source of funds. 

Kayoko's surviving brother, Kisaburo, tries to eke out a living with other war orphans in the postwar black market, 

but the yakuza monopolize commerce and push everyone else out, by lethal means if necessary. 

Kayoko eventually despairs and is only saved by an encounter with a demobilized Japanese soldier, who shares a precious sweet potato with her and demonstrates that there is still good left in humanity.

The movie touches on several themes that rarely, if ever, get much play in Japan. In the aftermath of catastrophe, Japanese families closed rank and gave little thought, or help, to outsiders. (This theme, discussed at length in John Dower's Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, is also at the root of Grave of the Fireflies.) Further, the yakuza used defeat to fill the void left by collapsing governmental authority, often with open tolerance from the American occupiers.

The comparison with Grave of the Fireflies is instructive. Grave is a great movie, a tragedy that wrecks the viewer with understated artistry. Ashita Genki, on the other hand, is best described as sincere. Ebina Kayoko is openly and vehemently anti-war. The movie makes a straightforward case for peace. Still, I don't think I'd call it art.

The movie has four extras and, unusually for Orphan, they're translated too:

• Extra 1 is the trailer.
• Extra 2 is two15 second promos.
• Extra 3 is staff comments at the premiere.
• Extra 4 is the author's comments.

The voice cast combines professional seiyuu and amateurs. The professional cast includes:

• Ueto Aya (Nakane Kayoko) is primarily a singer.
• Doi Mika (Nakane Yoshi, the wicked aunt) played the title roles in Angel Cop and Explorer Woman Ray, Hayase Misa in the Macross franchise, the empress (Lafiel's grandmother) in the Crest of the Stars saga, Tabitha in the Zero no Tsukaima properties, Eclipse in Kiddy Grade, the narrator in Mushishi, and Nanase in Natsume Yuujinchou. She appeared as Yukari in Mikeneko Holmes no Yuurei Joushu, Rosa in Seikima II Humane Society, Captain Deladrier in Starship Troopers, Hagar and Elizabeth in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, Totsugawa Misako in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, and multiple roles in Kage, all Orphan releases.
• Ueda Yuuji (Nakane Kisaburo) played Johannes Krauser II in Detroit Metal City (OVA), Fuuma Yousuke in Wedding Peach, Sagara Sonosuke in Rurouni Kenshin, Tenkata Akito in Kidou Senkan Nadeseico, Keitarou in Love Hina, Makoto in Futari Ecchi, and Takeshi in Pokemon. He also voiced Shuichi in Arisa Good Luck, Takagi-kun in Let's Nupu Nupu, and Nanbara in Hand Maid May, and he appeared in Heart Cocktail Again, all Orphan releases.
• Yamaguchi Kappei (Shimamoto Tatsuyoshi aka Tacchan, Kisaburo's protector in the black market) 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 Suzuki Kyota in Aoi Kioku, 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.
• Uran Sakiko (Osawa Kazushige) played, Miko in After School Midnighters, Marumaro in Blue Dragon, Wendy in Cinderella Boy, Kitu in Gon, Runa in Ozma, Setsuno in Toriko, and Raphael in Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san.
• Yoshinaga Sayuri (Narrator)  also narrated Buddha: The Great Departure and played Tatsuya in Taro the Dragon Boy.
• Higasayama Tsugumi (Osawa Yuriko) played Tsugumi in Aquarion, Otome in Pani Poni Dash, and Margaret in Project Blue Earth.
• Suyama Akio (Shinji, one of Kisaburo's gang) played Nile in Beyblade, Tom Benson in Element Hunters, Hatsuhara Soma in Fruits Basket, Patrick in Galaxy Angel, Ichiro Ogami in the Sakura Taisen franchise, Mike in Shibuya heart Hachi, and Hie in Wolf's Rain.
• Ishikawa Shizuka (Shigeo, another member of the gang) played Kamui in the Cardfight!! Vanguard franchise, Eimi Ooba in the Comic Party franchise, and Chinatsu in Refrain Blue.
• Katou Nanae (Tecchan, another member) played the title roles in Croquette!, Noramimi, and Princess Tutu, Makoto Korusaki in Inazuma Eleven GO, and Miki in the Shugo Chara franchise.
• Takagi Reiko (Noboru, another member) played Sei in Black Blood Brothers, Kahoko in La Corda D'Oro, Nobunaga in Haruka Nogizaki's Secret, Risa in Kujibiki Unbalance, Kaolla Su in Love Hina, Maki in Minaki-ke, and Tadase in the Shugo Chara franchise.
• Morikawa Toshiyuki (Demobilized Soldier)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, Damekko Doubutsu, 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, Bluebone in Tezuka Osamu Works: Kyoto Animation Theater, and Inspector Kendo in the Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo series. He delivered a scene-stealing performance as Panda Mama in Shirokuma Cafe and also appeared in Al Caral no Isan, Akai Hayate, Dragon Fist, Kiss wa Mi ni Shite, Blazing Transfer Student, and Wild 7.
• Tsumura Makoto (Aiko, another gang member) appeared in Bakumatsu no Spasibo and Ultra Nyan Hoshizora, both Orphan releaes. She played Takato in Digimon Tamers, Kimihiro in Hikaru no Go, Wakame in Sazae-san from 2005 on, and Ai in Submarine 707R.
• Kawasaki Eriko (Shizue, Kayako's good aunt from Numazu) played Miyuki in All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku and Mike in Those Who Hunt Elves.
• Ooguro Kazuhiro (Shizue's husband) had small parts in Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Ao no Exorcist, Hellsing, and Tegami Bachi.
• Kosugi Juurouta (yakuza leader) played Murakami Atsushi)  in Magma Taishi, Mochizuki Rokurou in the Sanada 10 special, Utsubushi in Amatsuki, Aizman in Bavi Stock, Takanesawa in Hiatari Ryouko, Daisuke in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Gisuke in Shadow, Dr. Bayfam in Joker, and a bit part in Hi-Speed Jecy, all Orphan releases, as well as Krest in Ariel, Fernand in Gankuutsou, Hertz in Marie and Gali, and Touji in Ninku.

Ebina Kayoko's real family supplies the voices for the remaining Nakane family members who died in the raid. The director, Takeuchi Yoshio, helmed many shows, including Cat's Eye, Space Cobra, Oishinbo and its two specials, Tengai Makyou, Ipponbouchou Mantarou, and The Mother Who Became a Kite.

The DVD ISO for Ashita Genki ni Naare! had been knocking around for a while, and I finally secured an encode in June. The encoder noted:

The DVD was a very clean source which IVTC'd well. Other than some light dehaloing, only minor debanding was applied for certain scenes... The anamorphic widescreen film fills almost the entire video frame of the DVD picture, which is why it only required slight black border cropping & resizing to 864x486 (16:9 DAR). Meanwhile DVD Extras 01, 02, & 04 were similarly widescreen, but forcibly letterboxed into an anamorphic 4:3 frame; hence the need for some significant vertical cropping and resizing which resulted in their 16:9 resolution output being a bit smaller @ 736x414.

Extra 03 was recorded using camcorder video and was traditional 4:3 footage, so it resolves to a 720x540 resolution. Also Extras 03 & 04 both being video-capture live-action were deinterlaced to full 59.940 fps to retain smooth motion, and a portion of the interview in Extra 04 was inserted into the movie promo of Extra 02, hence it was encoded as VFR.

With raws in hand, Perevodildo translated and timed the movie and four extras that came with it. Paul Geromini timed. I typeset and QCed. Uchuu also QCed. The encoder wishes to remain anonymous.

Ashita Genki ni Naare! shines a bright (and mostly unfavorable) light on postwar Japan, a subject rarely seen in anime. The movie and its extras are available from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha i channels #nibl or #news in irc.rizon.net.

 

Orphan at 15

Orphan Fansubs turned 15 in September. I missed it completely, just like I did its ten-year anniversary, but better late than never.

In that blog post, I recounted the impetus for the group's creation and its early history. It has morphed almost continuously since its founding, from an initial focus on finishing incomplete series to an expanded focus on shows trapped on the wrong side of the Digital Divide, as well as cats, the works of Tezuka Osamu, and anything else that catches the team's fancy. After more than 400 projects, the group is as active and productive as ever, thanks largely to an infusion of new blood from the kairetsu of back-catalog groups that hang out on Discord. 

When one of the team's current translators told me that he grew up watching Orphan's releases, I was touched - and astonished - but it also made me wonder: what makes an Orphan release? At the outset, that was easy. The subs and encodes came from other sources; I did the editing, the typesetting, sometimes the QC or timing, as well as the release checking. But over the years, that has mostly changed. Orphan's been blessed with many talented and productive translators. Experienced timers took that task away from my incompetent fingers early on. Encoders have allowed Orphan to use "primary sources" for its encodes. Multiple eagle-eyed QCs have checked the releases. Now, even some of the editing and typesetting is done by other team members. So what's the difference between, say, an Orphan release and a Discord-keiretsu release that uses exactly the same people for translation, timing, editing, typesetting, QC, and encoding?

The answer is final approval. It's not an Orphan release unless I sign off on it. If that makes me more like "Inspector 12" in the Hanes underwear commercials than anything else, so be it. "It doesn't say Orphan until I say it says Orphan." I want everyone who works on an Orphan release to be proud of it. That includes me as well.

I'm glad that Orphan is going strong, but, as Clint Eastwood presciently remarked, "A man's got to know his limitations." Ten years ago, Orphan could knock off a 50-episode series like Shirokuma Cafe. Even a couple of years ago, we could do a 26-episode series like Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament. Nowadays, I'm much more cautious. I don't have the stamina for prolonged projects. One season - twelve or thirteen episodes - is the limit. Mostly, I prefer smaller projects, like movies and OVAs. Fortunately, there are still lots of those.

The last five years have included so many good releases that adding another "Top 5" or "Top 10" list to the original blog seems impossible. Instead, I'd point to themes: World War II movies and series like Kimu no Juujika, Hoshizora no Violin, Aoi Kioku, Chocchan Monogatari, Natsufuku no Shoujo-tachi, and the Sensou Douwa specials; the continuing work on Tezuka Osamu's oeuvre, including Tales from the Old Testament, Magma Taishi, and Kyoto Animation Works; the extended Sangokushi project of movies and TV specials; the Takahashi Rumiko OVAs; the works of Watase Seizou, including Heart Cocktail, its sequels, and other manganime; and the many Young Animator's Training Project OVAs. Other standouts have been Tistou Midori, Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni, Hameln no Violin Hiki, and MAPS. The team even finished a few orphans: Sanada 10 and Kingdom of Chaos: Born to Kill.

The last five years have included productive collaborations on joint projects, with Inka, DarkWispers, LonelyChaser, Saizen, and others. Orphan and the other back catalog teams have amorphous boundaries, which is just fine. The staff has evolved constantly; that's fine too. The current crew is as good as any I've worked with. Thank you all for joining and sticking with Orphan.

What does the future hold for the group? Mostly a focus on anime's past. We're redoing Animated Classics of Japanese Literature, from 1986, where sources are available. I'd like to do more of the early Toei Douga features, many of which now have remastered sources. There's the rest of Cat-Eyed Boy, hopefully from the remastered DVD box that comes out in 2026. Anything with actual cats. You know the drill. I dream of subbing Tezuka Osamu's first color anime series, 1969's Gokuu no Daibouken, but at 39 episodes, that's a bridge too far.

I'll close by acknowledging and thanking Orphan's audience. I know it's not large, but it has been both attentive and supportive. I'm glad that Orphan's releases help to lighten these dark times, at least for some. We'll try to keep it up for a while longer.

P.S. Skr's group, Buriburi, just turned ten. Congratulations, and onward to more Crayon Shin-chan! 

The Izu Dancer

Seishun Anime Zenshuu (translated as Animated Classics of Japanese Literature for its English release) is a 1986 anthology series that retold well-known stories from modern Japanese literature. It's very much in the mold of its contemporaries, the World Masterpiece Theater series. Most of the 34 episodes were standalone, although there were a few two- and three-parters. The show was licensed by Central Park Media, but the English version was left incomplete when CPM went bankrupt. Only twelve episodes were released on DVD:

• Episode 1: The Izu Dancer by Kawabata Yasunari. 
• Episodes 2,3: The Sound of Waves by Mishima Yukio.
• Episodes 7,8: Botchan by Souseki Natsume.
• Episode 10: The Dancing Girl by Ougai Mori.
• Episode 14: Growing Up by Higuchi Ichiyou.
• Episode 16: Kaidan: The Song of Hoichi by Lafcadio Heran.
• Episode 20: Season of the Sun by Ishihara Shintarou.
• Episodes 25,26: The Harp of Burma by Takeyama Michio.
• Episode S1 (33): Student Days by Kume Masao.

I first encountered Seishun Anime Zenshuu through Medgirl's rip of the R1 DVDs. After correcting the timing, I started rounding up other episodes, which came from a variety of sources, including YouTube rips. The English version of episode 30, The New Story of Touno, has never been found; Japanese Wikipedia indicates that it was omitted from the initial home video releases.

I always felt that the series deserved better than the R1 DVD rips, with their ancient encodes and bad R1 timing. I bought the available DVDs on Ebay and, after an untoward delay, got them encoded and translation checked. Orphan will be releasing them one story at a time, that is, nine releases in total. I would like to do the whole series, from R2J DVDs preferably. I know they exist, but years of searching have failed to turn up any copies. Even Japanese VHS tapes are rare, but if we find any, we'll do those stories too.

The first story is The Izu Dancer, based on the novella by Kawabata Yasunari. It's a deceptively simple story and has been filmed at least six times. The protagonist, Mizushima, is a 20-year-old student. During summer break, he is walking the Izu peninsula to cheer himself up. He encounters a family of traveling entertainers; the youngest is 14-year-old Kaoru, a dancer.

He is smitten and finds excuses to travel with the family for a few days. He would like to get closer to Kaoru,

but her mother realizes that the social gap between a Tokyo student and an uneducated dancing girl is too great to be bridged.

She gently pushes them apart. Eventually, the student returns to Tokyo, with mixed emotions. 

The script is straightforward and spare. It's difficult to capture the nuances of the story, and beyond the protagonist's inner monologue, the anime doesn't really try. One oddity: there are, in effect, two narrators. There's an overall framing narration, provided by a female voice actor; but the protagonist's inner monologue also narrates part of the story. The framing narration is rendered in a distinct style (blue outline), and the protagonist's narration is provided as thought (normal outline, italics).

The animation is straight out of the World Masterpiece Theater playbook: beautiful depictions of country scenes and awkward character designs. The Izu Dancer frequently cuts between the rural countryside and closeups of Karou, to emphasize her natural and unforced beauty. 

The voice cast includes:

• Kamiya Akira (Mizushima) is best known for the title roles in the City Hunter properties, the Kinnikuman franchise, and Babel II. He played Kazamatsuri in Yawara!, Roy Focker in Macross, and Mendou in Urusei Yatsura. He also played Abe Edinburgh in MAPS, young Kiro in Nayuta, Sergent Zim in Starship Troopers and Musakato Taira in Elf 17, and he stole the show as the lecherous robot Chiraku in Hoshi Neko Full House, all Orphan releases.
• Shimamoto Sumi (Kaoru) debuted as Clarisse in The Castle of Cagliostro. She starred as Sara in Princess Sara, Nausicaa in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Chocchan in Chocchan Monogatari, Otonashi Kyouko in Maison Ikkoku, and Dayan in Neko no Dayan. She also played Nayotake no Kaguya-hime in Utsu no Miko the movie, 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.
• Komiya Kazue (Chiyoko, Kaoru's mother) played Youshi in Giant Robo and Gin Rei, Jeanie in Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, Maam in Synduality: Noir, Mutan in Tekkaman, Ran in Urusei Yatsura, Chigusa in Hiatari Ryouko, and Alice in White Fang. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Tsukayama Masane (Eikichi, Kaoru's father) played Washizu in Akagi, Kouichirou in Crystal Triangle, Zouken in Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel, Leo in Jungle Emperor Leo (1997), father in Lady Georgie, Scarface in Millennium Actress, Gold Roger in One Piece,and the  title role in Ulysses 31.
• Ogata Kenichi (paper merchant) played the put-upon father in Maroko, Suzuki in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance call, the crooked casino boss in Okane ga Nai!, the Hong Kong chef in Yuukan Club, Chichi's father in Chiisana Koi no Monogatari, the business chief in Okama Hakusho, Tadinori Tachimi, the Terayama family lawyer, in Asatte Dance, and the Narrator/Lord of Kaga in Oedo wa Nemurenai!, all Orphan releases. He also played Smee in Peter Pan no Bouken and Gran Torino in Boku no Hero Academia. However, he's best known to me as the voice of Ranma 1/2's Sataome Gemna, whose alter ego - the grumpy panda - is my avatar on most anime forums.
• Imai Kazuko (Otatsu) played Calpurnia in Cleopatra, an Orphan release. 
• Takamura Akiko (Old Teahouse Woman) played Grandma Ayanokouji in 3x3 Eyes, Obaa-chan in Doraemon: Obaa-chan no Omoide, and Mama Moomin in New Moomin. 
• Kiuchi Midori (framing narration) narrated multiple episodes in this series.

The overall director for the series was Kurokawa Fumio, who also directed Princess Sara and Little Women for World Masterpiece Theater. The director for The Izu Dancer was Takasuka Katsumi, who directed episodes for Doraemon, Galactic Patrol Lensman, and Blue Sonnet, an Orphan release.

The original subs were from the CPM R1 release. Perevodildo translation checked. I retimed (this one only - ninjacloud is doing the rest), edited, and typeset. Paul Geromini and Nemesis QCed. The encoder wishes to remain anonymous. He noted:

A surprisingly clean IVTC back to 23.976 fps without blended frame for material of this age and sourcing. That said, one can see the filmstock master was showing it's age at the time of this DVD set's release with plenty of dirt spots and celluloid damage around the edges visible during scene transitions that would require professional restoration of the physical negatives if we were ever so fortunate. Also the fact that the DVD volumes were a mixture of various episodes and not in any real order made labeling them a bit confusing.

Believe it or not, I did apply some denoising to reduce source artifacts even if it doesn't look like it [did much to] grain and texture detail in testing. Some dehaloing, derainbowing, and significant anti-aliasing were also applied along with grain matching of the darker scene areas. See the comparison sets above. I think the results are an appreciable step-up from Medgirl's encode in regards to lineart and texture detail retention as well as some slight extra vertical resolution via less cropping. 

CPM's remastering includes hardsubbed translations for some of the Japanese credits. They are incorrectly timed and don't line up with the Japanese credits, but as hardsubs, they can't be fixed. That's one reason, among many, why I would like to find a Japanese source.

I'm glad that Orphan is revisiting these stories from almost forty years ago. You can get The Izu Dancer from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

 

 

Heavy

Orphan has done a couple of shows about boxing already: Takahashi Rumiko's 1989 OVA One Pound Gospel and the 1992 three-part OVA Nozomi Witches. We're now releasing another, the 1990 movie Heavy. All three tell the story of the rise of a boxing champion and the unlikely mentors or helpers who started him along his journey. One Pound Gospel and Nozomi Witches have splashes of comedy and romance to lighten the story. Heavy, on the other hand, is unremittingly serious, almost grim..

Heavy is based on an eight volume manga by Murakami Motoka. It has never been translated into English. The protagonist is Guy Hyuga, a karate fighter living with his father in Harlem, New York City. 

The streets are violent, his school is violent, and his neighbors are thugs and whores. Dr. Alex Gordon is a sports physiologist. He's dying of cancer and is haunted by a dream about a champion-level fighter of his creation. 

One night, Gordon is caught up in a swirl of people going to see a "Champion Fight" to settle a dispute between two high schools. Guy is his school's "champion" and promptly demolishes his opponents conventional wrestling moves. Suddenly, Gordon is seeing the champion of his dreams, in the flesh.

Gordon tries unsuccessfully to convince Guy to become a boxer when they witness a local gang raping Lily, a street girl. 

Gordon rushes to help and nearly gets himself killed. Only Guy's intervention, which maims Billy, one of the gang members, saves them all. The gang vows revenge and eventually put Guy's father in a coma. In desperate need of funds, Guy agrees to Gordon's proposition.

Gordon wants to recruit a famous trainer, Lucky Roman, to train Guy. But Lucky is a flamboyant cross-dresser, dying of AIDS, and is ostracized by everyone. He only agrees to help after experiencing Guy's skills at first hand. 

The training regimen is hard, but Guy's a natural athlete and a natural fighter. Gordon draws on past friendships to get guy a boxing license and sets up a debut fight against Don Bailey, a Harlem brawler and neighborhood favorite. 

The odds are loaded against Guy - hostile crowd, devious opponent, no prior experience - but the rest writes itself.

Despite the underdog status of everyone involved - Gordon and Lucky are terminally ill, Guy is a stranger both in this country and his city, Don Bailey is trying to carve out a living for his family - I didn't find Heavy engaging. Gordon's cancer and Lucky's AIDS diagnosis are props, and their characters lack depth. Guy is a Japanese good guy victimized by US discrimination. Lily is primarily there for eye candy. The portrait of African-Americans is more than a little racist. And the denouement, culminating in a heartfelt plea by Don's little sister that soothes the anger of a murderous crowd, is unbelievable. Still, the story moves along briskly, with a mix of melodrama and violence. But it's tonally flat and downbeat.

The voice actors include many of the usual suspects for Orphan releases.

• Matsumoto Yasunori (Guy Hyuga) starred as Ichitaro in Ushiro no Hyakutaro, Akira in Mellow, Johnny in Starship Troopers, Kaname in Singles, and Tooru in Every Day Is Sunday, all Orphan releases. He was in numerous OVAs in the 1990s, including Houkago no Tinker Bell, Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Seikimatsu: Humane Society, Fukuyama Gekijou: Natsu no Himitsu, and Al Caral no Isan, also Orphan releases. Among his other notable roles were Wataru Akiyama in Initial D, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Gourry Gabriev in Slayers, Ryou in Sonic Soldier Borgman, and a personal favorite, Dick Saucer in Dragon Half.
• Takayama Minami (young Guy) starred as the title roles in Kiki's Delivery Service and Space Girl Yamamoto Yohko, and, most famously, played Conan Edogawa in the more than 1000 episodes, OVAs, movies, and specials of the Detective Conan franchise. She played Kuroyanagi Meiji in Chocchan Monogatari, Yuu in Cosmic Fantasy, and Emi in Genji, Part 1, all Orphan releases.
• Naya Gorou (Dr. Alex Gordon) played Koichi Zenigata in Lupin III, Juzo Okita in Space Battleship Yamato, Shocker in Kamen Rider, Yupa in Nausicaa, Schott in Hashire! Shiroi Ookami, King Magma VII in Kaitei 3-man Mile, Weedon Scott in White Fang, and Yamaarashi in Botchan; the last four are Orphan releases. His deep voice provided the narration in Shinzou Ningen Casshern, Vampire Miyu, Golden Boy, the original Dororo, and other shows.
• Tsuru Hiromi (Lily) debuted as Perrine in Perrine Monogatari. She went on to play Kashima Miyuki in Miyuki, Madoka in Kimagure Orange Road, and Mikami Reiko in Ghost Sweeper Mikami. She also played Sawamoto Aki in Junk Boy, Sara in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve, Sonnet Barge in Blue Sonnet, Fengji in the third Sangokushi movie, Keiko in Hiatari Ryoukou, Nozomi in Nozomi Witches, Jill in A Penguin's Memories, UFO-chan in Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, Milk in Karuizawa Syndrome, Kiyomi, the motorcycle rider, in Sotsugyou: Graduation, Asuza in Laughing Target, Sister Angela in One Pound Gospel, and big sister Shizuka in Tomoe's Run!, all Orphan releases.
• Ikeda Masaru (Ryuu Hyuga, Guy's father) had major roles in Yatterman and Sakura Taisen. He appeared in Utsu no Miko, 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.
• Genda Tesshou (Don Bailey) played Colonel Muto in Joker Game, Moloch in Yondemasu Azazel-san, Rei in the Urusei Yatsura franchise, Moguro Fukuzou in New Laughing Salesman,  and "Oyaji" in Mitsuboshi Colors. He also played Tyler in Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni, Tamura in Ore no Sora, Akauma in Fire Tripper, Jin Kiryu in Blue Sonnet, Zigong in Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den, Paul Rusch in Yume Kakeru Kougen, Jim Hyatt in AWOL Compression Remix, Galbreath in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Baguda in Greed, the narrator in Akai Hayate and Meisou-ou Border, Dog McCoy in Dallos, Mayor Carlo in Inochi no Chikyuu: Natsu no Dioxin, Hebopi in Wild 7, Oosukune in Izumo, Miyoshi in Sanada 10, and Kuroki and Kirishima in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.
• Yara Yuusaku (Lucky Roman) played the destroyer captain in Zipang. He had many featured roles, appearing in Tooyamazakura Uchuuchou: Yatsu no Na wa Gold, Kimu no Juujika, 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.
• Yajima Akiko (Mary Bailey) 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 Unico in Tezuka Osamu Works: Kyoto Animation Theater, and she appeared in Gakkou no Yuurei, volume 2, all Orphan releases. 
• Umezu Hideyuki (boxing license clerk) played Akadama-sensei in Uchouten Kazoku and Uranos Corsica in Gangsta. He had featured roles in Shibuya Honky Tonk, Asatte Dance, Star Dust, Apfelland Monogatari, Blue Sonnet, Hashire Melos, Hi-Speed Jecy, Hidamari no Ki, Nana Toshi Monogatari, Neko Neko Fantasia, Singles, the What's Michael? OVAs, Yamato 2520, Genji, Part 1, Mellow, Ushiro no Hyakutaro, and Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, all Orphan releases.  
• Sawaki Ikuya (referee) played Gooley in the Dirty Pair franchise. He also played Kentaro in Ushiro no Hyakutaro, Samuel Hunter in Wolf Guy, Masayoshi Hotta in Hidamari no Ki, Barry in Joker: Marginal City, Alan in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve, Itakura Shirouemon in Sanada 10, the Kaiser in Apfelland Monogatari, Gonbei the cat in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, and multiple role in Shibuya Honky Tonk, as well as bit parts in Dallos, Heart Cocktail, and Chameleon, all Orphan releases.
• Ono Kenichi (Jack Redman, Guy's training opponent) played Toujirou in Mikan Enikki, Shiro Shirota in Dai-Guard, Asurada in the Future GPX Cyber Formula franchise, and Touma in Dirty Pair Flash. He played Abe no Yasuna in Akuemon and Sugawara in Kindaichi movie 2, and he appeared in AWOL Compression Remix, Bavi Stock, Seikima II Humane Society, Wolf Guy, Shibuya Honky Tonk, and Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, all Orphan releases.
• Hirose Masashi (Jack's trainer) appeared in Tengai Makyou, Al Caral no Isan, Dallos, Nora, Kage, Shibuya Honky Tonk, Wolf Guy, Junkers Come Here: Memories of You, and Kageyama Tamio's Double Fantasy, all Orphan releases.
• Shioya Kouzo (Billy, gang member) appeared in GeGeGe no Kitarou since 1985, as well as dozens of featured roles. He also played Kumada in Princess Army, Wildcat B in Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Tsunaga in Blue Sonnet, the Announcer in Nora, Kaji in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, a policeman in Dallos, a bodyguard in Elf 17, and multiple roles in Hi-Speed Jecy, all Orphan releases.
• Kojima Toshihiko (Commissioner Gaston) appeared in Laughing Target and Eiyuu Banka Koushi Den, both Orphan releases.
• Narahashi Miki (Ronnie) played Hanako in the Chibi Maruko-chan franchise and Misae in the Crayon Shin-chan franchise. She appeared in Asatte Dance and St. Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, both Orphan releases.

The director, Ishiguro Noboru, was an industry veteran who directed several episodes of Animated Classics of Japanese Literature. He also worked on Mushishi (another Artland property), Hoshi Neko Full House, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and Tytania.

An internet raw for Heavy had been banging around the Orphan archives for years, but the project didn't really get started until WOWmd encoded a new raw. Perevodildo translated and timed, Paul Geromini edited, I typeset, VigorousJammer and I QCed. WOWmd's encode is based on his Domesday Duplicator rip of the Japanese laserdisc.

So here's another "all Discord" Orphan project - all the contributors hang out on Discord rather than IRC. Although Heavy didn't resonate with me, I'm glad that it's now available to an English-speaking audience. You can get the movie from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net