Phantom Yuusha Densetsu

Phantom Yuusha Densetsu (Phantom Hero Legend) in a 1991 OVA based on a novel series by Takeshima Shou. It's one of those pseudo-non-fiction, ripped-from-the-headlines thrillers, like those of Tom Clancy or Frederick Forsyth. It's also a very typical 90s OVA, filled with action, sex, and violence - in the same vein as Sanctuary, but nowhere near as good.

The hero, Yazawa Takao, is a former JSDF fighter pilot. He was seriously injured when his F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed. After recovering, he resigned from the service.

He's approached by an old friend, Matsuki, who now edits Air Journal magazine.

Matsuki has a photo of an F-4 Phantom attacking rebels in El Salvador, where no F-4s are supposed to be.

He asks Yazawa to meet the photographer, Taniguchi, and investigate.

In El Salvador, Yazawa finds out that the jet came from Japan. Before he can dig deeper, he becomes the target of David Hunter, a sadistic CIA operative. 

Hunter tracks Yazawa into the jungle and almost succeeds in killing him. Yazawa flees back to Japan and the loving arms of his squeeze, Kikumiya Sachiko, but he's far from safe.

Hunter flies to Japan and teams up with Sawada, an agent of Japanese Cabinet Intelligence. 

Hunter tracks down Sachiko, kidnaps her, and holds her hostage in order to capture Yazawa. 

He then rapes her, murders her, and frames Yazawa for the killing. But his plan to stage Yazawa's suicide goes awry, leaving Yazawa alive, alone, and thirsting for revenge. How does a fighter pilot take revenge? You can imagine.

The historical context for this show is the 1980s civil war in El Salvador, in which the US Reagan administration backed a military junta against leftist rebels. This resulted in some of the worst massacres and war crimes of the era, including the murder of Archbishop Romero, and the rape and murder of a group of American nuns. The show posits that the US administration wanted to send military jets to the junta and ran a covert, CIA-based operation to facilitate it. In fact, supersonic fighter jets would have been fairly useless for jungle warfare. The US sent helicopters and ground support aircraft instead.

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

• Tanaka Hideyuki (Yazawa Takao)played Terryman in the Kinnikuman franchise and Rayearth in Magic Knight Rayearth. He also played the father in Yukiguni no Oujisama, Kuroyanagi Moritsuna in Chocchan Monogatari, Kusuri in Tenjou Hen: Utsu no Miko, 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.
• Umezu Hideyuki (Matsuki) played Akadama-sensei in Uchouten Kazoku and Uranos Corsica in Gangsta. He had featured roles in Korogashi Ryota, 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, Heavy, and Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, all Orphan releases.  
• Sawaki Ikuya (Sawada) played Gooley in the Dirty Pair franchise. He also played Maruyama in The Harp of Burma, Captain Marco in Tottoi, Gonbei the cat in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, 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, and the Kaiser in Apfelland Monogatari, and he appeared in in Nessa no Wakusei, Growing Up, Dallos, Heart Cocktail, and Chameleon, all Orphan releases.
• Kouda Naoko (Kikumiya Sachiko) played Marionella in Techno Police 21C, Manjiro's mother in Hidamari no Ki, and Ranmaru in Ultra Nyan 2, all Orphan releases.
• Ikeda Shuuichi (David Vincent)  played Char in Mobile Suit Gundam, Gilbert Durandal in Gundam Seed, and Ulrich Kessler in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He also played Toyotaro Ota in The Dancing Girl, Alex in Dallos, Azuma in Starship Troopers, and the Dragon in both versions of Naki no Ryuu, all Orphan releases.
• Genda Tesshou (Iwaoka, Yazawa's navigator) 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 Suzuki in The Harp of Burma, Don Bailey in Heavy, 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.
• Sugawara Junichi (Pilot) appeared in numerous shows, including Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Knight, Ninja Cadets, Ninjo Scroll, Yawara!, Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru, Magma Taishi, Plastic Little, Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki II, and Okane na gai! The last five are Orphan releases. 
• Suzuki Kiyonobu (Taniguchi) appeared in Growing Up, Akai Hayate, Bagi, Exper Zenon, and the Hiatari Ryoukou movie, all Orphan releases. He played Festa in Fang of the Sun Dougram, Dalph in Gordion the Warrior, Kotaro in The Kabocha Wine, and Reese in Sylvanian Families: Mini Stories.
• Sasaoka Shigezou (Turner, a US embassy staffer in El Salvador) played the title role in God Mazinger, King Aleph in Magical Hat, and the villain Mr. X in Scoopers. He played Jakov in Magma Taishi and appeared in Dragon Slayer Eiyuu Densetsu, Sanctuary, Sugata Sanshiro, and Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Ootaki Shinya (Leader) played Beat in Scoopers. He appeared in Shibuya Honky Tonk, Aoki Honoo, Wolf Guy, Elf ,17, Hoshizora no Violin, Gakkou no Yuurei volume 1, Nessa no Wakuesei, The Harp of Burma, and Hi-Speed Jecy, all Orphan releases.
• Arakawa Tarou (Soldier) appeared in Magma Taishi, Blue Sonnet, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Naka Yousuke (Douglas) appeared in 21 Emon, Doraemon, Kentoshi, and Ninku. He played Furune in Izumo and Oaki Kakichi in Bakumatsu no Spasibo, bothOrphan releases.

The director, Dezaki Satoshi, also helmed Aoi Kioku, Naki no Ryuu (both versions ), Natsu no Dioxin, and other shows, many quite famous.

One translation note: the show includes shots of CRTs with English-language messages. The Japanese text corresponding to these messages is actually quite different and has been translated accordingly. 

The OP and ED are by a hard rock band, Kyan Marie and Medusa, and are primarily in Engrish. Fortunately, I was able to buy the album they came from ("Burning Blood") and get the lyrics from the enclosed booklet. Without them, the songs would be gibberish, and even with them, they mostly are.

Phantom Yuusha Densetsu had been in the back of my mind ever since Gou no Ken sent me his VHS rip, in the hope that Orphan might eventually do something with it. Meanwhile, another group put out a release - hardsubbed and upscaled, a total disaster. Eventually, I persuaded Perevodildo to translate and time it. Paul Geromini edited. I typeset and QCed. VigorousJammer also QCed. Because the raw is VHS and therefore shaky, every sign had to be motion tracked or done as a top-of-screen note. The show has never been released on Laserdisc or digital media.

As a VHS rip, Phantom Yuusha Densetu has many funky features. There's a long lead-in and a very long lead-out, both of which have been cut out with ordered chapters. In addition, there are three promos: for Takeshima Shou's novels; for the Go Nagai World OVAs; and for Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories. The last includes a song that doesn't appear in the Gundam 0083 OVAs themselves. It's a prototype version of Miki Matsubara's Back to Paradise. It can be heard at 1:50 in GxG Unit, a VHS only OVA that was an early version of episode 1 of Gundam 0083. (Thanks to ProxyMan for this research.)

Phantom Yuusha Densetsu is a decent ride, but the disproportion between the lone hero and the forces arrayed against him makes the outcome quite unbelievable. The VHS video is not the best, but this version stands head and shoulders above the one that was out there before. Note that the show has sex and nudity, as well as violence, and is thus NSFW. Raise your hand if that discourages you. No? Well then, you can get the show from the usual torrent site.