Nemurenu Yoru no Chiisana Ohanashi

Here's a charming all-ages OVA from 1992, Nemurenu Yoru no Chiisana Ohanashi (Little Stories for Sleepless Nights). It's based on a column by Hara Yuuko that ran in Monthly Kadokawa magazine. Hara is better known as the keyboard player/vocalist with the Southern All Stars.

Over its three volumes, Nemurenu Yoru tells twelve stories about a cat (named Cat) and his friends, also named generically: Rabbit, Bandit Cat, Bird, Squirrel, Star, Mr. Moon, etc. 

They have small adventures or just enjoy the pleasures of the days and nights.

1. Cat and Star
2. Bandit Cat's Clumsiness
3. Night of the Full Moon
4. The Flying Blanket
5. Riding the Whale
6. Gomotan
7. Ice Cream Souvenirs
8. Singing to Mr. Moon
9. Lovely Christmas Eve
10. Cat Man
11. Why Cat Has a Cat's Tongue
12. A Snow Spirit on a Snowy Day
    

It's pointless trying to provide a plot summary, because there is none, or even to summarize the individual stories. 

It's soothing and enjoyable, like a children's bedtime story (which it is), with simple animation and character designs. 

Voice-over narration by the original author, also very soothing, provides the framework for all the stories.

Translation notes:

• When Cat addresses the moon, Cat always calls him hisakata-sama, which is very respectful, so Mr. Moon.
  
• The bird that sleeps in Cat's guitar is a brown-eared bulbul (hiyodori in Japanese), even though the bird is colored green.
  

The seiyuu are not well known. Most have no other credits than the sequel Tomodachi de Iyou ne (Let's Be Friends), which itself only shows up in a few anime databases. I suspect that several of them are children; for example, Kikuchi Yuumi was eight years old when the show was made.

• Suzuki Hiroshi (Cat).
• Hara Yuuko (narrator) is a keyboard player, vocalist, and author.
  
• Inoue Aya (Rabbit).
• Aikawa Rikako (Bandit Cat) appeared in many children's series, including Doraemon, Kaiketsu Zorori, Pokemon, and Hamtaro.
• Kikuchi Yuumi (Star, Squirrel).
• Ezaki Reina (Bird) appeared in Pom Poko.
• Meguru Yuuichi (Moon) played Banana in Okama Hakusho and appeared in Izumo, both Orphan releases. She appeared in several h-anime as well.

The director, Oguma Kimiharu, also directed the Hiatari Ryouko movie, an Orphan release.

The origins of this project are lost in the haze of the past. Erik of PPP-Raws encoded the first two volumes from laserdiscs in his collection, but the third volume proved elusive. About four years ago, all three volumes showed up on Japanese second-hand media sites. They were purchased, ripped on the Domesday Duplicator, and encoded. Last year, ninjacat (ninjacloud) pretimed the first episode, but again, the project languished. Then Perevodildo picked up the project, translated all three episodes, and timed the second and third. I edited and typeset. ImAWasteOfHair, Nemesis, and Uchuu QCed. The encoding was done by an anonymous friend based on Domesday Duplicator laserdisc rips. The audio is FLAC, taken from the laserdiscs' digital audio tracks.

Nemurenu Yoru no Chiisana Ohanashi is not going to set the world on fire. As the title implies, it's bedtime stories for children - and for adults needing relief from the stress and angst of daily life. Either its charm works on you, or it doesn't (and you're probably spending too much time doomscrolling or on social media). It works for me. You can get the OVAs from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro v2

Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro (The Murder Ticket Is Heart-Colored) is a 1990 standalone OVA based on a series of young adult novels for women by Yamaura Hiroyasu. Orphan released the show in 2016. We're happy to release an updated version with improved video.

Satsujin Kippu tells the story of Nagare Seiko, a teenage girl who has been temporarily suspended from her private high school in Tokyo for defending a friend from bullies. She decides to take advantage of this involuntary vacation by taking a trip to Nagasaki with her black-and-white cat, Gonbei. On the train down, she meets a handsome young man, a guitarist name Takano Kyouichirou, only to learn that he had apparently been murdered days earlier. 

 

She also encounters Misora Chuuta, a brash youngster who is clearly interested in her – an interest she doesn't reciprocate – and an older man, unnamed, who helps her when she's in trouble. Seiko repeatedly crosses paths with Chuuta as she tours Nagasaki, despite repeated attempts to give him the brush off. Eventually, Seiko gets involved in a murder mystery concerning a prominent local family, the Totsugawas. Reluctantly accepting Chuuta's help, she works to unravel the twin mysteries of the ghostly guitarist and the Totsugawa family. 

Satsujin Kippu is not a particularly deep mystery, and the solution comes out of left field, but it observes the rules of classical mystery fiction. (This allows the viewer to guess who the criminal is long before the main characters do.) Seiko makes a spunky heroine, never falling into tropes such as the maiden in distress or the tsundere. Chuuta is sufficiently eccentric to make him both interesting and suspicious. There's a lot more comedy and ghostly doings than clues and gore, so the result is a pleasant diversion for all ages (one brief nude scene aside). And besides, it has Gonbei, a cat that's rather talented: at one point, he gives Chuuta the traditional Japanese raspberry, the akanbe (pulling down one's lower eyelid and sticking out one's tongue).

 

The voice cast includes:

• Seki Toshihiko (Chuuta) played the title role in Izumo, Riki in Ai no Kusabi, Raiel in Hameln no Violin Hiki, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, the gang leader Hiba in Wild 7, Miroku in Yuukan Club, the fighter Nagase Jun in Akai Hayate, Hayata in Call Me Tonight, Ootsuki in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Junichiro in Kasei Yakyoku, Shouji, the guitar player, in To-Y, Bijomaru in Ai to Ken no Camelot, and the unnamed protagonist of Oruorane the Cat Player, all Orphan releases. He also played Matsuda in the Yawara! properties, Sanzo in the Saiyuuki TV series, Mousse in Ranma 1/2, and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro.
• Matsuoka Miyori (Seiko) has a thin resume. She is best known for playing Fa Yuiry in the Gundam franchise.
• Shimada Bin (Kyouchirou) played Ken Nakajima in the You're Under Arrest franchise and numerous other roles, as well as played Konaki Jijii and Wally Wall in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. He appeared in Okama Report, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, Fukyukayama Gekijou, Tomoe's Run, and Sangokushi, all Orphan releases.
• Doi Mika (Totsugawa Misako) 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, and multiple roles in Kage, all Orphan releases.
• Sawaki Ikuya (Gonbei) played Gooley in the Dirty Pair franchise. He also played 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, as well as bit parts in Dallos, Heart Cocktail, and Chameleon, all Orphan releases.

The director, Sugiyama Taku, started at Tezuka Osamu's Mushi Productions, where he was Art Director for Sen'ya Ichiya Monogatari. He directed a number of other movies and TV series, including Hi no Tori 2772 and Bosco Daibouken.

Some translation notes:

 

• Japanese Blue Trains were long-distance sleeper trains, nicknamed for the color of their cars. They were replaced by the Shinkansen (bullet trains).
  
• 3-kyu in Aikido. Aikido has two basic skill levels, kyu and dan. Within each level are grades, expressed by numbers. Kyu and dan are sometimes referred to as white belt and black belt, but other colors are used as well.
• Urakami Cathedral (St. Mary's Cathedral in Urakami) was built in 1895, when the long-standing ban against Christianity in Japan was lifted. It was completely destroyed in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945 and rebuilt in 1959 on its original site.
• The Nagasaki Peace Park abuts Urakami Cathedral. It contains a 10-meter tall sculpture, pictured in the anime, by local sculptor Seito Kitamura.
• The Dutch Slope (oranda-zaka) is a hillside residential area of Nagasaki where Dutch merchants settled in the second half of the 19^th century.
• Hinoki cypress bath. Hinoki cypress is a slow-growing Japanese tree. Its high quality wood is lemon-scented, light pinkish-brown, with a rich, straight grain, and is highly rot-resistant.
• Amakusa Shirou. He led an uprising of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Tokugawa shogunate in 1637. He also featured in two other Orphan releases, Samurai Spirits and Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki
  
• Sannomaru means "third enclosure."

The original version used an anonymous Internet raw. Iri translated the show and did the initial timing. Yogicat did the detailed timing, I edited and typeset, and Redac and Xenath3297 did QC.This version stemmed from WOWmd's kind offer to rip his Japanese laserdisc on the Domesday Duplicator and then encode the result. It has many fewer blended frames as well as improved detail. This allowed for a bit more typesetting. I also took the opportunity to clean up some CPS issue in the original. Nemesis RCed this version. It has Opus audio, whatever that is. I thought Opus was a penguin in Bloom County.

Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro is a lighthearted mystery caper, with more comedy and romance than thrills and chills. I thoroughly enjoyed it both the first time and this time, and I hope you will too. You can get this version from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Uchuu Neko: Mardock no Bouken

So here's Orphan's holiday release, the 2016 short series Uchuu Neko: Mardock no Bouken (The Adventures of Mardock the Space Cat). This set of four shorts appeared on YouTube but remained sadly untranslated... until now.

The show is very simple. Mardock the cat and his mouse friend, Lt. Chuui ("Squeak"), are drowsing in the sun when they suddenly find themselves flying through space in a rocket.

In each episode, they land on a strange planet:

1. The Planet of Sweets - A queen bee is sick of the sugary treats that are the only food available on her planet.
2. The Planet of Canyons - An overly protective mama eagle refuses to let her children fly because the canyon walls are too narrow.
3. The Planet of Anthills - Ants mindlessly follow the worker in front of them, with no respite.
4. The Planet of Fireflies - A firefly thinks she is all alone because she sees no other lights on her dark world.

Mardock and Chuui solve the major problem, make sure the inhabitants will be okay, and fly off to the next planet. Stir and repeat.

The primary voice cast is famous:

• Fujiwara Keiji (Mardock) played the dad in Crayon Shin-chan, Maes Hughes in Fullmetal Alchemist, Kenchirou in Antique Bakery, Hannes in Shingeki no Kyojin, Shirou in Blue Exorcist, Nue in Karas, Hinahono in Magi, and Shigure in Ushio to Tora TV. He played Hattori Hanzo Masanari in Sanada 10, Gentaku in Hidamari no Ki, and Yoshitoki in Genji, Part 1, all Orphan releases.
• Yamashita Daiki (Chuui) starred as Deku in Boku no Hero Academia. Tetsurou in No Guns Life, and Naoto in Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san, among many recent leading roles.

The bit parts in the episodes also have distinguished seiyuu:

• Asakura Azumi (queen bee, ep 1) played Asia in the High School DxD franchise, Emerada in The Devil is a Part-Timer franchise, and Kumin in the Chunibyou demo Koi ga Shita! franchise.
• Kaida Yuko (mother bird, ep 2) played Angelica in The Ancient Magus' Bride, Consort Ah Duo in The Apothecary Diaries, Ryoumou Shimei in the Ikkitousen franchise, Isabella in Yakusoku no Neverland, and Tsukuya in Gintama.
• Uchiyama Yumi (fledgling, ep 2) starred as Rudeus in the Mushoku Tensei franchise and played Takashima Rei in the Ace of the Diamond franchise, Mare Bello Fiore in the Overlord franchise, and Kazami Shun in the Bakugan franchise. She also had cameos in Shirokuma Cafe, an Orphan release.
• Mizuhashi Kaori (fledgling, ep 2) played Ai Aino in the Aria franchise, Minami in the Baka to Test to Shoukanuu franchise, Sara in the Futakoi series, Miyako in the Hidamari Sketch franchise, and Ogiue in Genshiken.
• Umehara Yuichiro (worker ant, ep 3) starred in the title roles of Goblin Slayer and Young Black Jack. He also played Yufuin En in the Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! series, Usui in Revenger, Horikita in the Classroom of the Elite series, and Siegried in The Legend of the Galactic Heroes reboot.
• Nakajima Yoshiki (worker ant, ep 3) played Seimei in Bakumatsu, Uei You in the Dr. Stone franchise, Serge Tova in Fairy Gone, and Suzuru in Mononogatari.
• Nakamura Shugo (worker ant, ep 3) appeared in Blue Lock, Eternal Boys, OPUS COLORs, and TsukiPro the Animation.
• Tomita Miyu (firefly, ep 4) starred as Riko in Made in Abyss and Crim the fallen angel in Interspecies Reviewers. She played Nijino Yume in the Aikatsu franchise, Flora in Isekai Nonbiri Nouka, Iino Miko in the Kaguya-sama: Love is War franchise, and Ogata Rizu in Boku-tachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai.

The director, Inabi Daiki, was in charge of the Fuusen Inu Tinny shorts as well.

I started the project by timing the four episodes; that's about my limit as a timer. Skr translated and decoded the voice credits. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. Everyone liked the series; the only real criticism was that there weren't enough episodes. The official trailer has been included for completeness; it is not translated.

So from all the cat fanciers at Orphan Fansubs, happy holidays. You can pick up Uchuu Neko: Mardock no Bouken from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Toei's Kitten

Several major themes run through Orphan's releases: rescuing shows stranded on the wrong side of the Digital Divide; rescuing shows abandoned by other groups (orphans); and the works of Tezuka Osamu. But there's are minor themes as well. One of them is cats, and another is the early works of Toei Douga, the pioneering Japanese animation studio. Orphan has released Saiyuuki, Wan Wan Chuushingura, Horus: Prince of the Sun, and Kaitei 3-man Mile, among Toei's feature-length films, and we'd like to do more. Today, we're releasing a double feature, a pair of short Toei cartoons from the late 1950s that are part of both themes: Koneko no Rakugaki (The Kitten's Doodles) and Koneko no Studio (The Kitten's Studio), from animator Mori Yasuji. Both feature an artistically-inclined kitten and a pair of mice antagonists/sidekicks. Doodles is black-and-white, without dialog; Studio is in color, with some dialog.

With a cat as protagonist and mice as adversaries, I was expecting a Japanese version of Tom and Jerry, but the Konekos doesn't resemble standard 1950s Hollywood fare. For one thing, both are longer - about 15 minutes vs the Hollywood standard of 8. For another, there's no real violence. The kitten bosses around the mice, and the mice tease the kitten, but they're all just having a good time.

In The Kitten's Doodles, the kitten is penciling doodles on the white wall of Grandpa Bear's house, much to the displeasure of the owner. The doodles come to life, and kitten and mice have a slapstick chase on trains and in automobiles (no planes).

In The Kitten's Studio, the kitten is trying to direct the mice in a samurai epic. Out of frustration with the ineptitude of the mice and the totally antiquated movie-making equipment, the kitten creates an automated studio with robot actors. With a little help from the mice, matters get totally out of hand.

In the tradition of Hollywood cartoons, all the voices are done by a single seiyuu, Nakamura Meiko. She played the title roles in Uchuujin Pipi and Shounen Jack to Mahou Tsukai, among other roles in early anime productions.

This project is Skr's brainchild. He found the high-definition TV streams (both are remastered), encoded, translated, typeset, and did the initial timing. I did a bit of timing and additional typesetting, as well as editing on Studio, and QC. Nemesis and Uchuu also QCed. The images are fairly wobbly, so the signs, although simple, all had to be motion tracked. (Skr also found this tweet, which clarifies that the kitten is named Miko and is doodling on Grandpa Bear's house.)

These short films are simply wonderful: gentle, humorous, and inventive. With the world engulfed in pandemic and war, they're a welcome break. You can download The Kitten's Doodles and The Kitten's Studio from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #new on irc.rizon.net

 

 

Tabi Suru Tobi Neko

Today, Orphan is releasing Tabi Suru Tobi Neko (The Journeys of the Jumping Cats). It's about... cats! Cute Cats Doing Cute Things™: Playing! Eating! Sleeping! Playing! Eating. Sleeping. Playing... Eating... Sleeping... Did I mention it's about cats?

Okay, there has to be some serious prose in this blog entry. This release is a segment of the 1989 movie Dayan to Tama to Tobi Neko to: Mittsu no Neko no Monogatari (Dayan and Tama and Jumping Cat: A Story of Three Cats). The movie had three segments: animated segments about Dayan and Tama, and live action segments from photographer Igarashi Kenta, who created the Tobi Neko (Jumping Cats) franchise. The live-action portion was shot on Aoshima in the Seto Inland Sea. It's known as "Cat Island", because the cat population now outnumbers the aging and decreasing human population. The cats have the run of the place. They always do; there, it's just more obvious.

The narrator is Tsutsumi Yukina. Her only other anime credits are Kirara in Talentless Nana and a bit part in Tsugu Tsugumomo.

The dialog was translated by tenkenX6, friend to his sister's cats Hailey and Sky. ninjacat timed. I edited and typeset, between my shifts as staff to my cats Pixel and Pumpkin. konnakude, long absent, tore himself away from his cats Angel and Marley to QC, along with (Kuro) Nemesis, who brought Mikan Enikki to the English-speaking world. The raws are full HD web rips by R-Raws; his ailurophile status is unknown. The rest of us are just hopelessly devoted.

So despite the release date (it's already April 1 by the UT standard), this is a serious project. The only surprise is that it's live-action rather than animation. (Orphan has done a few live-action titles before, but not many.) You can download the kitties from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

The Green Cat v2

One of Orphan's earliest Tezuka Osamu projects was the set of six OVAs known as the Lion Books:

1	The Green Cat	1983
2	Rain Boy	1983
3	Lunn Flies into the Wind	1985
4	Yamatarou Comes Back	1986
5	Adachigahara	1991
6	Akuemon	1993

The project took 18 months, from the middle of 2013 to the end of 2014. Except for Adachigahara and Akuemon, Orphan used existing raws from other teams. I've always been less than happy about the quality of those raws. Last month, I was able to purchase a complete set of the Lion Books R2J DVDs, and Orphan will be redoing the OVAs with new encodes.

Tezuka Productions started the Lion Books as a speculative project for a 26-episode TV series. When there were no takers, the project was shelved, and individual episodes were eventually released as OVAs. The Green Cat was actually completed before Dallos, but because there's no proof of its release date, Dallos (also a speculative TV project) is generally regarded as the first OVA.

The Green Cat (Midori no Neko) is one of two Lion Book OVAs based on a Tezuka Osamu manga. (The other is Adachigahara.) It tells a fanciful science fiction tale (tail?) about green cat-like creatures from outer space. As the story opens, Ban Shunsaku is a partner in a dry cleaning business with his friend Yuno. Their mundane existence is shattered when Susan the Gangster and her thugs burst in and take hostages. Susan is toting a green cat and seems to believe it makes her immune from capture. In the ensuing mayhem, Yuno is killed. With his dying wish, he asks Ban to care of his son, Sanbo. Then, the green cat deserts Susan, and so does her luck; she is killed in a shootout with police.

Intending to return to Japan, Ban drives across the country with Sanbo. He is spooked by an encounter with a UFO. In the aftermath, he finds that little Sanbo has acquired a green cat. On the trip to Japan, Sanbo and the cat disappear. Ban dedicates his life to tracking down Sanbo, a task which will take decades. He finds Sanbo, still with the green cat, racking up a fortune through increasingly shady means, while a mysterious Professor observes the pair. Ban must now rescue Sanbo from the cat and from his descent into outright criminality.

The Green Cat is the only Lion Book OVA that uses Tezuka Osamu's star system extensively. Ban Shunsaku is Higeoyaji, who appeared in many of the Love Will Save the World TV specials and the movie Metropolis. Sanbo is Rock Holmes, who was often used as a villain. Ben Heck, a criminal rival of Sanbo, is a minor character in the system. The voice cast reflects the recurring appearances of some of the characters:

• Tomita Kousei (Ban Shunsaku) played the same role (Higeoyaj) in the TV specials Fumoon, Marine Express, Ginga Tansa 2100: Border Planet, Tezuka Osamu Monogatari: Boku wa Son Gokuu, and Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken (all Orphan releases), the movies Jungle Tatei and Metropolis, and in several Astro Boy properties. He also played Watson in Sherlock Hound.
• Shiozawa Kaneto (Yuno Sanbo) played Takuma in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - The Castle of Love, Kohei in Karuizawa Syndrome, Shin in Hiatari Ryoukou, Iason in Ai no Kusabi, Rock Holmes in Fumoon, Shiina in Chameleon, Sanzou in I am Son Goku, and Kurahashi Eiji in Nine, all Orphan releases. He also played Joe in Tokimeki Tonight, Yoshio in Miyuki, Takeshi in Touch, D in Vampire Hunter D, Narsus in the Arslan Senki OVAs, Rosario in Dragon Half, and Abriel senior in Crest of the Stars.
• Nozawa Masako (Green) is a legend. She played the leads in 30000 Miles Under the Sea, The Adventures of Gamba, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry no Bouken, Billy Inu nan demo Shoukai, and Hey! Bumboo. She was Enma-kun in the original Dororon Enma-kun, Son Goku in the original Dragonball, and Kitarou in the 1968 and 1971 versions of GeGeGe no Kitarou, as well as Hakaba Kitarou. Even though her first role was in 1965, she is still active, appearing as Obaba in Ping Pong the Animation, Madame Curie in Marie & Gali, and of course, Medama Oyaji in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. She won a lifetime achievement award in 1997. She played the title role in Manxmouse, Lek in Cool Cool Bye, and Costar in 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, all Orphan releases.
• Takiguchi Junpei (Professor) brought his distinctive voice to the roles of Dr. Yamanado in Fumoon, Scratch in Techno Police 21C, the villainous king of Kanemacchi Castle in Grim Douwa: Kin no Tori, the Mouse Thief in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, and Dong Zhung in the first Sangokushi movie, all Orphan releases. He also played the Millennium Earl in D.grayman, John Trelawney in Treasure Island, and Dr. Laughton in Metropolis.
• Shima Shinsuke (Sanbo's father) played the Messenger in Amon Saga, an Orphan release, and Director Tanimura in the Oishinbo TV series and movies.
• Takizawa Kumiko (Susan the gangster) played Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (movie). She  was in several prior Orphan releases, playing Elena in Techno Police 21C and Kanako's mother in Boyfriend, and appearing in Fumoon, Makoto-chan, and Scoopers.
• Yada Kouji (Ben Heck) is best known as Dr. Gero in the Dragonball franchise. He appeared in A Penguin's Memories and the three Sangokushi movies, all Orphan releases.
  

The Green Cat was directed by the master himself, Tezuka Osamu.

The original subtitles were from Viki but needed additional work. convexity did the translation check. archdeco timed the original version; the new one required only minor tweaks. I edited and typeset both versions. CP and Saji QCed the original version; Nemesis and Uchuu QCed this version. Skr encoded from an R2J DVD.

It's a real pleasure to revisit the Lion Books after more than seven years. When I opened the new encode and watched the charming opening - when some of Tezuka Osamu's most beloved characters (Astro Boy, Unico, Princess Sapphire) jump out from the pages - I was once again swept up into the world of "the god of manga." The six Lion Book episodes show differing facets of his talent, but their short running time makes them more focused than the later, and longer, Love Will Save the World specials. Whether you downloaded the original release or not, I strongly urge you to get this one and rediscover the joys of Tezuka Osamu's shorter works. You can get The Green Cat from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

P.S. This time around, the files use the English rather than the Japanese titles. Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, after all.

Mikeneko Holmes no Yuurei Joushu

Another purrfect adventure from Orphan Fansubs, the 1992 OVA Mikeneko Holmes no Yuurei Joushu (Calico Cat Holmes and the Lord of the Haunted Castle). It has mystery, adventure, hints of perverse doings, and, of course, a problem-solving calico cat. What more could you want?

Mikeneko Holmes is based on Akagawa Jirou's popular book series about a hapless detective named Katayama Yoshitarou. He lives with his sister Harumi, an aspiring actress, and their cat Holmes, which has a sixth sense when it comes to solving mysteries. Harumi has just appeared in a lurid melodrama about an incestuous brother and sister who come to a tragic end. At the after party, the acting troupe's vamp, Minako, turns up dead. Whodunit? Was it the director, Yasaka Yukari, or her imperious brother and troupe underwriter, Yasaka Seiichi? Was it the lead actor, Udagawa Kazuto, or the seemingly naive friend, Mizuta Mako? Could it even have been Yoshitarou's colleague (and Harumi's wannabe boyfriend), Ishizu? No one seems to be able to unravel the mystery until Holmes takes matters into his own paws and leads Yoshitarou and Harumi to the solution.

Like most mystery short stories, characterization takes a back seat to plot mechanics. The major players are briefly sketched, but there's no serious character development or exploration. Overly devoted brothers and sisters are a recurring theme, but that's mostly for atmospherics. The explanation doesn't hold water, but then again, neither can Holmes.

The voice cast includes:

• Seki Toshihiko (Yoshitarou) was one of the leading male seiyuu in this period. He played the title role in Izumo, Riki in Ai no Kusabi, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, the gang leader Hiba in Wild 7, Miroku in Yuukan Club, Chuuta in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, the fighter Nagase Jun in Akai Hayate, the unnamed protagonist of Oruorane the Cat Player, and Sara's younger brother Junichiro in Kasei Yakyoku, all Orphan releases. He also played Matsuda in the Yawara! properties, Sanzo in the Saiyuuki TV series, and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro.
• Hidaka Noriko (Harumi) played Satsuke in My Neighbor Totoro, Akane (the female lead) in Ranma 1/2, Peter in Peter Pan no Bouken, Mrs. Yamada (the mother) in the first two Chi anime series, Near in Death Note, and Kikyo in the Inuyasha franchise. She also played Yuuki in Boyfriend and Noriko in Yuukan Club, both Orphan releases.
• Nakamura Daiki (Udagawa) played Keith Winter in Condition Green and Chris Sheldon in AWOL Compression Remix, both Orphan releases. He also played the title roles in Dangerous Jii-san Ja and Demon Beast Resurrection, Dayakka in Gurren Lagann, Seiji Date in Ronin Warriors, and Liu Bei in Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi.
• Ebara Masashi (Ishizu) played Might Guy in Naruto, Bolt Crank in Eat-Man, Alastor in Shakugan no Shana, Sebastian Viera in Nodame Cantabile, and Hamegg in Metropolis. He also played the referee in Blazing Transfer Student and Tanzou in Akai Hayate, both Orphan releases.
• Hayami Shou (Seiichi) starred as Nanjou in Zetsuai: 1989 and Bronze: Zetsuai since 1989, and Kushinige Hodaka in Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru. He also played an angel in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, Iason's friend Raoul in Ai no Kusabi, Hojo in Sanctuary, Pat Leivy in Starship Troopers, and Junoichi in Blazing Transfer Student. All these shows are Orphan releases.
• Doi Mika (Yukari) 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 Rosa in Seikima II Humane Society, Captain Deladrier in Starship Troopers, and multiple roles in Kage, all Orphan releases. 
• Adachi Shinobu (Mako) played Rabi in Madou King Granzort, the title roles in Calimero and Jagainu, Tom (Sawyer) in Huckleberry Finn, Kayra Su in Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, and Chou of Benten in Usagi-chan de Cue. She also played Amanda Kessler in AWOL Compression Remix, an Orphan release.

The director, Kitajima Noboyuki, had a long career at AIC as a character designer and animation director.

Once again, Mikeneko Holmes is Iri's brainchild. He found a VHS tape on the second-hand market and translated the show. Yogicat (of course) did the timing. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and BeeBee QCed. Our intrepid raw hunter make an uncompressed rip of the tape and encoded the result. It looks quite decent. Special thanks to Puto, who translated the last verse of the ending song, which was in Brazilian Portuguese. I took a bit of editorial license with his wording, to make it fit the Japanese verses better, but I hope he'll forgive m.

So here's a diversion for all you ailurophiles in these dark times, Mikeneko Holmes no Yuurei Joushu. You can find it on the usual torrent source or download it from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Update: I missed an obvious typo during release checking. There will be a v2 release, but in the meantime, you can get a patch here.

Ultra Nyan (Theatrical Version)

When Orphan released Ultra Nyan: Hoshizora kara Maiorita Fushigi Neko, I thought that the encode looked a bit washed out. I asked the team to look for the laserdisc, in order to make a new encode. Eventually, it was found, purchased, shipped to the United States, and encoded. We've created a new release based on the new encode, only... it's letterboxed. And therein lies a tale.

When home video, in the form of VHS tape, first emerged in the 1970s, content providers found themselves with a dilemma. Television content worked fine on the 4:3 (640 x 480) TVs of the day, but widescreen movies could not be displayed in their theatrical aspect ratios. The industry came up with two solutions, neither satisfactory - letterboxing, in which the movie was displayed with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen; and pan-and-scan, in which the focus was moved around to put the "essential" part of a scene on the full TV screen. Letterboxing reduced the size of the image, sometimes unbearably; pan-and-scan created extraneous camera motion and deleted parts of the original scenes.

An alternate solution was Open Matte. Films were shot on 4:3 (standard 35mm) film stock, but the shots were framed for 1:85:1 projection. In theaters, the top and bottom were cropped out by mattes in the film projector, but for VHS (and later, laserdisc) release, the full frame could be used. This process introduced complexity into the film-making process, because the director and cinematographer had to ensure that nothing extraneous, like mics or cables, showed up in the full frame, but it facilitated home video releases without letterboxing and without loss of shot detail. Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and James Cameron's Terminator 2 were made with Open Matte. Eventually, technology solved the problem. DVDs could display widescreen films (up to 1.85:1) without letterboxing. Large widescreen TVs became standard. Open Matte was no longer needed. The full-frame versions of Open Matte films were filed away, and only the widescreen,theatrical versions are available on digital home video or digital streaming.

While Open Matte was used in movies, I had never heard of it being used in anime... until now. Ultra Nyan, and its successor, Ultra Nyan 2, were shown in theaters on twin bills with widescreen, live action Ultraman movies. The Ultra Nyan cartoons were drawn for Open Matte. In their theatrical release, they were shown matted, in widescreen. For home video, though, Ultra Nyan was released in full-frame on VHS tape but widescreen on laserdisc.

The streaming version was full-frame too (that's the source for the original release). Ultra Nyan 2 was released in full-frame on all home video media. Why the inconsistency? I haven't the slightest idea.

All of this begs the question: which version is "right"? The answer is, they both are. The widescreen version is what theatergoers saw; the full-frame version is what was drawn. Obviously, there's more information in the full-frame release:

but the theatrical audience didn't know that. Personally, I like the full-frame version better, because it's consistent with Ultra Nyan 2, but the new, widescreen version has more vibrant colors and better cropping. Pick your poison.

For this release, I transposed the original script to the new raw, tweaked the timing, and redid the typesetting. I've eliminated some line breaks and split a few lines so that more lines fit in the letterbox area and don't overlap the video. Overlap lines have been moved to the letterbox area at the top. BeeBee did a quick release check, and of course, Erik of Piyo Piyo Productions encoded from a Japanese laserdisc. For voice credits and the other staff credits, see the original release post.

Interestingly, the re-release of classic Japanese anime on Blu-ray has created a new version of the letterboxing debate. When 4:3 shows are remastered, the media creators have two choices. They can maintain the original aspect ratio, using vertical letterboxing or "pillarboxing" (black bars to the left and right of the frame); or they can crop the video to match the aspect ratio of a widescreen TV. The latter could be viewed as a modern form of Open Matte, except that the shows were not made with matting in mind. Cropping chops off parts of the screen that were intended to be seen. Most anime fans object very strongly to cropping, but some Japanese content companies continue to do it, so strong is their aversion to letterboxing.

So if you'd like to see anime Open Matte in action, you can get the widescreen (and the fullscreen) version of Ultra Nyan: Hoshizora kara Maiorita Fushigi Neko from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.
 

Ultra Nyan 2: Happy Daisakuse

Nyan, Haruka, and the whole human and feline gang return for a second adventure in 1998's Ultra Nyan 2: Happy Daisakuse (Ultra Nyan 2: Great Happy Operation or Happy Battle). Like the first Ultra Nyan, this is technically a movie, because it was shown on a twin-bill with yet another Ultraman movie, Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna Light Star Warriors. And in a somewhat surprising development, this installment is wittier (and better) than the first.

This time around, Nyan, Momo, Anko, Kosuke, and the Professor are challenged for control of their territory by a flock of angry crows, led by boss crow Nobunaga.

The crows have been driven from the countryside by habitat loss and moved to the city, where Nobunaga has become enamored of discarded lunches from Haruka's cram school. However, he becomes more and more irritable and itchy, just as the students at the school start suffering from allergies, eczema, and other ailments. He leads his crows into battle against the cats, and their aerial attacks are difficult to withstand, even though the local cats get help from Ryuuji the wandering minstrel cat, who is the newly returned father of Anko's kittens, and even from some friendly Dobermans.

It turns out that in pursuit of "building brains from the inside," the cram school has been adding more than a hundred "nutrients" (i.e., chemicals) to its lunches, afflicting humans and crows alike with allergic reactions. Fortunately, Haruka decides to emulate Nyan and go on a mostly fish diet; this cures her. With the help of a violence-averse crow named Goemon, Ultra Nyan, Haruka, and friends must find a way to cure the crows of their allergies and prevent the outbreak of an interspecies war. Not surprisingly, it ends well, but it's unusual to see a kodomo anime that mentions both habitat destruction and food adulteration.

The core cast is unchanged, but this episode has at least one distinguished newcomer:

• Ootsuka Akio (Nobunaga) starred as Black Jack in all of the Black Jack properties. He played the title roles in Ambassador Magma, Blade, and Montana Jones, 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 George in Condition Green and the narrator in Fire Emblem, both Orphan releases. He is currently appearing in both Golden Kamuy and Karakuri Circus.
• The late Naya Rokurou (Ryuuji) had featured roles in Batman: Gotham Knight, Eureka Seven AO, Fake, and Zatch Bell. He played Masato in Neko Neko Fantasia, an Orphan release. He died in 2014.
• Bandou Nyoki (Goemon) has had numerous featured roles, including Captain Tsubasa, Madlax, Monster, and Rescue Wings. His most recent appearance was in the fifth Natsume Yuujinchou series.
• Kouda Naoko (Ramnmaru, Nobunaga's right hand crow) had featured roles in Hidamari no Ki, an Orphan release, Monster, and Shigofumi.

Sunachan translated the show, and ninjacloud timed it. I edited and typeset. BeeBee and Topper3000 QCed. banandoyouwanna encoded from an R2J DVD. (It's a bit big, but I'll rail about the topic of encode sizes some other time.) It's odd that Ultra Nyan 2 was released on DVD but Ultra Nyan, released only a year earlier, was not.

You can get Ultra Nyan 2 from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Ultra Nyan: Hoshizora kara Maiorita Fushigi Neko

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... Ultra Nyan! Yes, Orphan Fansubs once again delves into its feline obsession to bring you the first of two OVAs about Ultra Nyan, the interstellar cat come to Earth from planet Felis to spread a message of interspecies peace and harmony. First up is 1997's Ultra Nyan: Hoshizora kara Maiorita Fushigi Neko (Ultra Nyan: The Mysterious Cat that Descended from the Starry Sky, or something like that). It's labeled a movie, even though it's only 30 minutes long, because it was released theatrically, as part of a twin bill with Ultraman Zeas 2 Superman Great War: Light and Shadow.

Ultra Nyan is a kodomo (all ages) tale about a young girl named Haruka and the cats in her neighborhood: the Professor, an elderly gray cat; Momo, a lovely Persian; Anko, a plump calico mama-cat with two kittens, and Kosuke, a greenish Siamese. Haruka doesn't have a cat, because she lives in an apartment complex that forbids them. One day, she finds a stray and names it Nyan (the Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat's meow). 

Little does she know that her stray is actually Ultra Nyan, who has come from outer space with mysterious powers to share happiness with Earth... well, with Earth's cats, actually. Together with her friends and the town's cats, Haruka and Ultra Nyan must foil the plans of a couple of dastardly cat-nappers. Everything ends happily, of course, as G-rated cartoons generally do.

The voice cast includes:

• Kamei Yoshiko (Nyan) is probably best known for playing the title role in Rerere no Tensai Bakabon and Gema in the Di Gi Charat franchise. She has had featured roles in Magical Meow Meow Taruto and Tiger and Bunny.
• Oshitani Mei (Haruka) appeared in only a few other shows, including Junkers Come Here.
• The late Kondou Reiko (Kosuke) also had relatively few credits, including Lupin III Part 3 and Ninku. She died in 2007.
• The late Kitamura Koichi (Professor) played Paolon, the intelligent spaceship in Hi-Speed Jecy, and appeared in Hidamari no Ki and Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou; all are Orphan releases. He also died in 2007.
• Sadaoka Sayuri (Anko) appeared in many shows, including Wolf's Rain, Detective Conan, Tiger and Bunny, Kuroshitsuji, and Usagi Drop.
• Hikami Kyoko (Momo) played the title role in Hello Kitty, the female lead in Sakura Diaries, and one of the three leads in Wedding Peach. She also played Cyberdoll Sara in Hand Maid Mai, one of Orphan's first releases.

The director, Tokita Hiroko, has numerous other directing credits, including Hiatari Ryouko, Yawara!, Miracle Girls, Mizuiro Jidai, and Yami no Mitsui.

This project was a bit of a bluebird, triggered by finding second-hand media for both Ultra Nyan movies on Yahoo Auctions. For this first one, though, we're using ARR's release as a base while we wait for a laserdisc of the show to be shipped from Japan. Sunachan checked and corrected ARR's translation, ninjacat (well, ninjacloud) fixed up the timing, I edited and typeset, and VigorousJammer and new staffer Topper3000 did QC. We'll release a second version when Erik of Piyo Piyo Productions receives and encodes the laserdisc.

So here's a lightweight bonbon for all the cat fanciers in Orphan's audience (and on its staff). You can get Ultra Nyan: Hoshizora kara Maiorita Fushigi Neko from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Oruorane the Cat Player

Oruorane the Cat Player (Neko Hibi no Oruorane), a 1992 OVA, is a charming sleeper that has languished in totally undeserved obscurity. Thanks to Orphan and Piyo Piyo Productions, it is now available to a wider audience.

The story is set in a vaguely European city in the mountains. The protagonist is an unnamed young man (he's only identified as "boku" - me - in the credits), an unemployed cellist. His orchestra has just disbanded. Without a job or prospects, he wanders the streets, intending to get drunk. He stumbles across a cat that is fond of alcohol and the cat's mysterious owner, an old man (a wizard, possibly) named Oruorane. The old man has taught his three cats - Inruinedo, Malet, and Shofuren - not only to drink but to sing in beautiful harmony. The young man learns to "play" a cat, and the two humans and three cats hold a concert on Christmas Eve. Then, Oruorane and his cats go their way, and the young man returns to his hometown, presumably to start over.

The charm of the show lies not in its plot, which is admittedly slight, but in its storytelling. The visuals are luminous (the animation is by J.C. Staff), and the cat concert is a riot of color and music. We never learn very much about the young man or Oruorane, and the mystery of the singing cats is never explained. However, this show doesn't require explanations; it just needs to be experienced.

The voice cast includes veterans and stars.

• Seki Toshihiko (the protagonist) should be quite familiar to readers of this blog. He appeared as Riki in Ai no Kusabi, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, Miroku in Yuukan Club, Chuuta in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, and the fighter Nagase Jun in Akai Hayate, all Orphan releases. He also played Sanzo in all the Saiyuuki TV series and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro. 
• Ginga Banjou (Oruorane) is a veteran voice actor. He played the title role in 80 Days Around the World with Willy Fog, Baloo in The Jungle Book, and Tohtsuki chairman Nakiri Senzaemon in the Shokugeki no Souma series. He also appeared in the two What's Michael? OVAs, both Orphan releases.
• Hayashibara Megumi (Iruinedo) was arguably the most famous seiyuu of the 1990s. She played other feline roles, including the title role in the All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku franchise and the title role in the Hello Kitty properties. However, she's much better known for her star turns as Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop, Ayanami Rei in Evangelion, Rune Balot in the Mardock Scramble movies, Rebecca in One Piece, Lina in the Slayers franchise, female Ranma in Ranma 1/2, and Miyokichi in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju.
• Orikasa Ai (Malet) made her debut in Shoukoushi Cedie. She also played Toryune in Al Caral no Isan and Sara in Eien no Filena, both Orphan releases, Seguchi Touma (the record company president) in Gravitation, Quatre in Gundam Wing, and Ryouko in the Tenchi Muyo franchise.
• Naka Hiroshi (Shifuren) has mostly had featured roles; his most recent was as Tada's grandfather in Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinoi.

Oruorane is based on a manga by Yumemakura Baku. He's probably best known for the manga Kurozuka. He also wrote the Chimera and Amon Saga mangas, as well as the screenplay for Boku wa Son Gokuu, an Orphan release. The OVA was directed by Nishikubo Mizuro. He also directed Miyuki and Giovanni's Island, as well as Purple Eyes in the Dark, an Orphan release. The background music is appropriate and evocative. The songs are in English.

Iri got the ball rolling by buying the laserdisc of Oruorane at a Japanese auction. He sent it, via Skr, to Erik of Piyo Piyo productions, who encoded it. Moho Kareshi did the initial translation. laalg translation checked. ninjacat - er, ninjacloud - timed. I edited and typeset (nothing difficult). Nemesis and Iri did QC.

I'll leave the final word to Erik: "This anime is a thing of beauty and wonder, and I cannot recommend it enough. It is short and to the point, wasting no time and not wearing out its welcome." So what are you waiting for? Run, don't walk, to get Oruorane the Cat Player from the usual torrent sites, or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Bremen 4 (Blu-ray)

With the release of the 1981 TV special Bremen 4, Orphan and M74 have completed their high-definition survey of Tezuka Osamu's feature length anime movies for NTV's annual telethon. The eight Tezuka Production specials were:

1978: Hyakumannen Chikyuu no Tabi: Bander Book
1979: Kaitei Choutokkyuu Marine Express
1980: Fumoon
1981: Bremen 4 
1983: Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose
1984: Daishizen no Majuu Bagi
1986: Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet
1989: Tezuka Osamu Monogatari: Boku wa Songoku

The 1985 special, Akuma Shima no Prince – Mitsume ga Touru, was based on a Tezuka Osamu character but was produced by Toei Animation. It has not been released in high-definition. Maybe someday...

Bremen 4 seems to have an official subtitle, Angels in Hell, although that does not appear in the anime itself. It tells the story of four animals - a cat named Coda, a donkey named Largo, a dog named Allegro, and a chicken named Minuet. 

(That's either a very big cat or a really small donkey.) The four are stranded or abandoned when their peaceful country is conquered by ruthless, Nazi-like invaders. Wandering the countryside, the animals save the life of a visiting alien, Rondo. In return, she gives them devices that transform them into humans. In this form, they become musicians, bringing some joy to their war-ravaged land. Eventually, they come to the attention of the invader's commander, Karl Presto. He falls in love with Coda in her human form, but she and her friends reject his overtures and, returning to animal form, help the resistance to fight the invaders. Eventually, the villains are defeated and peace returns.

Bremen 4 was the last of the TV specials that made heavy use of Tezuka's Star System, although the stars made cameo appearances in the later specials. The villainous, Wagner-loving commander, Karl Presto, is Rock Holmes, returning to his usual role as a heavy. Presto's father, an even more heinous warmonger, is Lamp, the guy with the candle on his head. Duke Red plays Count Lento, the hapless (and soon posthumous) leader of the invaded country. Ban Shunsaku is Adagio, the manager of a puppet theater who also leads the resistance. Black Jack is a mysterious figure who cares for the orphans of war. Astro Boy appears in a musical sequence, Don Dracula is an announcer at a concert, and Unico and Leo have cameos in the final triumphant march of the animals.

Okamoto Mari (Coda the Cat) played the female leads in Fumoon, Prime Rose, and The Wizard of Oz movie. The incomparable and now sadly deceased Tomiyama Kei (Largo the Donkey) stole the show as the wicked witch in Grim Douwa: Kin no Tori, an Orphan release. Kyouda Hisako (Minuet the chicken) has had a long career, with some unusual roles, such as the father in Shouwa Monogatari. Ishimaru Hiroya gave a bravura performance as the "interpreter" dog Allegro, speaking Donkey, Chicken, or Cat as required. He also played as Rodimus Prime in the various Transformer TV shows. Tomita Kousei and Nozawa Nachi reprised their roles as Ban Shunsaku and Black Jack, respectively, from Marine Express.

The eight specials exemplify Tezuka Osamu's style - the wandering plots, the use of anachronisms for humor, the obvious fanservice (in Bremen 4, Rondo's cleavage defies gravity). I think the later specials were better, with tighter plots and less overt preaching, but they're all very watchable. (Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet remains my favorite.) They also make me more forgiving of Tezuka's earlier Mushi Production movies, the so-called adult cartoons Cleopatra and Sen'ya Ichiya Monogatari. There's a lot of continuity between the Animerama releases and the later specials; the former just have a lot more fanservice. While Tezuka Osamu could work in a much more serious vein (Hidamari no Ki, Hi no Tori), he reveled in the possibilities that his lighter works allowed.

This subtitles for this release were professionally translated. Yogicat transcribed them, and M74 timed them. I edited and typeset (not much). Nemesis and Calyrica did QC. M74 encoded from a BDMV provided by Beatrice Raws. I'm truly grateful to them for sharing their source material. The source material has a a variety of video mistakes. In one scene, the background disappears; in another, the foreground characters. Transitions are rough, and mouth movements are sometimes poorly animated. Still, this is the best source out there.

You can get Bremen 4, and all the other Orphan (or M74) HD releases of the Tezuka Production TV specials, from the usual torrent sources or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.