Ichigatsu ni wa Christmas

Orphan doesn't often do holiday releases and has never done a Christmas show, as best I can remember, so here's a first: the 1991 shoujo OVA Ichigatsu ni wa Christmas (A Christmas in January). This show has already been subbed, by OldCastle back in 2019. They used an "unknown Internet raw," so one of the team bought the Japanese laserdisc, and our media maven ripped it on the the Domesday Duplicator. The intent was to put the OldCastle script on a better raw, but the project never got any further than shifting the script to a raw... until recently. Perevodildo, in his relentless drive to clean out Orphan's translation backlog (and convert it to an editing/typesetting backlog stuck at me), translation checked the show and added the songs. After that, there were no more excuses for delay.

Ichigatsu ni wa Christmas started as a short story by Iwadate Mariko, published in Margaret magazine. However, it is not part of the Margaret video series, nor is it a typical girl-meets-boy, girl-loses-boy, girl-gets-boy shoujo. Instead, it's a character study of two rather damaged individuals who meet by chance, and after several misunderstandings, are able to help each other. It has a happy ending, sort of, but not the usual one. I wasn't very enamored of it on first viewing, but it grew on me when I checked it for release. It's a Christmas-season story that's not a Christmas story.

Fujioka Junsho is a college student and part-time shoe salesman, living at his father's temple. One day in December, a rather young-looking girl named Tateno Mizuki comes in, looking for boots. 

She runs Junsho ragged, deliberately trying on and rejecting many pairs, before settling on red boots that she tried on originally. By that point, Junsho is angry. He lies to her and says the store doesn't have the boots in her size. They part on mutually disdainful terms.

As it turns out, Mizuki lives next door, so other encounters follow, often heated. 

Junsho realizes that Mizuki is alone, lonely, and filled with loathing for everything, herself most of all. This makes Junsho realize that he must change his own detached, drifting state. He confesses to his childhood friend, Seiko, who has been waiting for him for many years. 

Their mutual joy is interrupted when Junsho discovers that Mizuki has contracted pneumonia in her unheated, unfurnished house. He and Seiko try to nurse Mizuki back to health, but she will have none of it. She has fallen in love with Junsho and, realizing that she can't have him, is determined to go her own way. That's enough spoilers.

The voice cast includes:

• Hayashibara Megumi (Mizuki) was arguably the most famous seiyuu of the 1990s. She starred 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, Rihoko in Ninku, and Miyokichi in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju. She also played a number of feline roles, including the title roles in the All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku and Hello Kitty franchises, as well as "lead cat" Iruinedo in Oruorane the Cat Player, an Orphan release. She played Marina in Ai to Ken no Camelot, Navi in Izumo (1991), and Clair in Hashire Melos!, also Orphan releases.
• Koyasu Takehito (Junsho) is reputed to be the most prolific voice actor currently active, with more than 365 roles under his belt. He played Doujima Gin in Shokugeki no Souma, Thirteen in Grimoire of Zero, Dio in Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, the title role in Master of Mosquitron, and Fool in Elegant Yokai Apartment Life. He starred as Izumi in Zetsuai and Bronze and appeared in Sanada 10, Kiss wa Me ni Shite, Yamato 2520, and Yuukan Club, all Orphan releases.
• Hidaka Noriko (Seiko) played Satsuke in My Neighbor Totoro, Minami (the female lead) in Touch, Akane (the female lead) in Ranma 1/2, Peter in Peter Pan no Bouken, Mrs. Yamada (the mother) in the first two Chii anime series, Near in Death Note, and Kikyo in the Inuyasha franchise. She also played Haruo in Senso Douwa: Yakeato no, Okashi no Ki, Yuuki in Boyfriend, Noriko in Yuukan Club, and Harumi in Mikeneko Holmes, all Orphan releases.
• Futamata Issei (Bouya, Junsho's co-worker) is best known for his roles as Godai Yuusaku in Maison Ikkoku, Akira (Chibi) in Urusei Yatsura, and Saburo in Sazae-san. He starred as Ippei in Ore no Sora and Yoshio in Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and he played Kouji Tanaka in Okama Hakusho, Ishida, coach's assistant, in One Pound Gospel, the psychopathic brother, Cross, in Hi-Speed Jecy, and mutliple characters in Fukuyama Gekijou, all Orphan releases.
• Fujimoto Yuzuru (Junsho's father) played the sympathetic Professor Hanagi in Al Caral no Isan, an Orphan release, and numerous other featured roles in a career that spanned 50 years.
• Hori Katsunosuke (Mizuki's stepfather) played Gaou in Hi no Tori: Karma Chapter, Saruta in Hi no Tori: Space Chapter, Ibikari in Kizuoibito, and Professor Xavier in X-Men, the TV series.
  

The director, Dezaki Satoshi, is the older brother of Dezaki Osamu and directed some of the Urusei Yatsura OVAs and movies, as well as Yume Kakeru Kougan, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Boyfriend, Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu, and Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, all Orphan releases.

Perevodildo translation checked the original OldCastle script; the revisions are extensive. ninjacloud fine timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raw is a Japanese laserdisc, ripped and encoded by an anonymous friend.

Ichigatsu ni wa Christmas is a Christmas show for people who find most Christmas shows treacly, sappy, or both. There's nary a "ho ho ho" or a "Tis the season" in sight. The two main characters are prickly, angry, and hard to like, and their journey, neither revelatory nor complete, seems possible if not totally plausible. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

 

In Memorian (Cat-Eyed Boy Episodes 7-8)

Between the Halloween release of Cat-Eyed Boy episodes 4, 5, and 6, and this Christmas release of episodes 7 and 8, the anime world lost two major contributors of particular relevance to this show: the author of the original manga, Kazuo Umezz, and the seiyuu who voiced Cat-Eyed Boy himself, Junko Hori; they were 88 and 89, respectively. Umezz Kazuo was best known as a horror mangaka, for works such as The Drifting Classroom and Cat-Eyed Boy, but his works span a far broader range: comedies such as Makoto-chan and science fiction such as My Name Is Shingo. Junko Hori voiced the title roles in the Ninja Hattori-san franchise, Rain Boy, Chinpui, and of course, Cat-Eyed Boy, and appeared in numerous other shows. They will both be missed.

These two episodes of Cat-Eyed Boy don't differ materially from the previous ones, except for the monster of the week. Cat-Eyed Boy is continuing his lonely journey to find his mother. He meets a kind woman or girl who befriends him and offers him comfort, reminding him of his mother. Then, the monster appears. Cat-Eyed Boy must fight and defeat the creature, often at great cost to himself and greater cost to his new-found friend(s).

• Episode 7 - The Nullface's Curse. Cat-Eyed boy saves a young woman named Misako from  a vicious dog. He also unknowingly unleashes a powerful spirit that had been locked in a tomb for centuries. The spirit looks like a stone soldier come to life

but is in fact the Nullface:

• Episode 8 - The Hellant. Cat-Eyed Boy meets Yae, a pilgrim visiting a spirit medium in hopes of talking to her deceased son. He goes along, to see if his mother is dead or alive. Both get what they want, but they must confront the resident spirit, the Hellant:

The credits, so carefully translated, only have room for five or six voice actors. Two are always Junko Hori (Cat-Eyed Boy) and Katsuhiko Ikeda (Narrator). The others in episode 7 are:

• Saiko Egawa (Misako) appeared in Mazinger Z, Reideen the Brave, and under her real name, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today.
• Kyoko Kano (Sumi) appeared in Yatterman.
• Seizo Katou (Nullface) played Jashinsai in Tengai Makyou, Admiral Putyatin in Bakumatsu Spasibo, Ii Naosuke in Hidamari no Ki, Abraham in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Norbert in Apfelland Monogatari, Hatsutori Juuzou in Kage, Billy Bones in Shin Takarajima, the old stationmaster in Sotsugyou: Graduation, Nanni Spannu in Tottoi, and Jeigan in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases. He had many other featured roles in the span of a 50 year career.

In episode 8:

• Saiko Egawa (Yae) - see above
• Michirou Okada (Hellant) appeared in Manxmouse and Kuroi Ame ni Utarete, both Orphan releases. He also played Ru Shako in the Armored Trooper Votoms franchise, the chief in the You're Under Arrest franchise, and the narrator in the Transformers movies.
• Aso Miyoko (Medium) played Fune Isano, the main character in Sazae-san, for 45 years, Cologne in the original Ranma 1/2 franchise, Pinako Rockbell in the original Fullmetal Alchemist, Melmo's mother in Fushigi na Melmo, the grandmother in Lucy May of the Southern Rainbow and Maegami-Taro, and Machiko's aunt in Maicching Machiko-sensei. She appeared in Bocchan, Nine, Blue Sonnet, and Yamatarou Comes Back, all Orphan release.
• Toshiko Sawada (Pilgrim A) appeared in Akado Suzunosuke, Appleseed, Akane Sasu Shoujo, Hello WeGo!, Judo Santa, and Zillions. She played Asuza's mother in Laughing Target, an Orphan release.

Once again, Skr was the driving force behind this release. He translated, timed, edited, typeset the credits, and encoded the show. kokujin-kun helped with translation checking. I did a little actual typesetting. Nemesis and Skr QCed.

I'm glad the team was able to get more Cat-Eyed Boy episodes out this year, both to honor its now departed principals and to keep up the momentum on this long project. You can get these episodes of Cat-Eyed Boy from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net. 

P.S. It's also CP Day, the anniversary of the passing our good friend and teammate, CP. He was a major contributor to many Orphan projects.

Happy Holidays from Orphan Fansubs

Well, it's that time of the year again. In the immortal words of Otis B. Driftwood, "Let joy be unconfined. Let there be dancing in the streets, drinking in the saloons, and necking in the parlor."

This year, uncharacteristically, Orphan will have several holiday-season releases. Not holiday-themed, just releases that are coming out around the holidays. This wasn't deliberate; a bunch of shows finished release checks in the last few days, so they'll dribble out over the holidays. I hope you'll enjoy them, or at least notice them.

In the meantime, stay safe, stay warm, and stay happy. "Stay sober" is too much to ask for.

OL Kaizou Kouza

Here's a ripe/overripe/rancid piece of Japanese misogyny from 1990, OL Kaizou Kouza (Office Lady Remodeling Course). The AniDB blurb attempts to cast it as a wacky comedy. It's not. At best, it's sarcastic. At worst, it's just bad. How offensive is it? Well, it's based on a monthly column from Weekly Gendai magazine called "Drop Dead! Stupid Office Ladies." The source gives the game away.

The premise of the OVA is that female office workers (derisively called "office ladies" or OL) don't know their place and don't act as subservient robots to the hardworking men who keep Japanese business humming. 

They want to have fun, keep normal hours, travel, and of course, get married to good-looking men with money. 

The OVA is divided into ten "chapters", and each chapter consists of several skits. There's no plot or through line, and most skits are punctuated by a condescending or outraged male narrator chastising the female characters for their actions.

The ten chapters are somewhat topic-focused. Roughly:

1. New employment.
2. The reception desk.
3. Daily work.
4. Beauty.
5. Money.
6. Love.
7. Recreation.
8. Travel.
9. Marriage.
10. Interactions.

A lot of the skits are funny, but I found it a long slog. This was compounded by the vast number of signs, almost all of which had to be motion tracked.

The script is 95% typesetting. Still, the OP and ED are energetic and funny.

Translation notes:

• "Long is the life, fall in love, office ladies!" This line in the OP/ED parodies an early 20th century song, "Short is the life, fall in love, maidens."
  
• FOB, FAS. These are incoterms, denoting the limits of a seller's responsibilities. FOB (free on board) means the seller's responsibility ends when the goods are loaded on a designated ship. FAS (free alongside ship) means the seller's responsibility ends when the goods are on the dock at the destination port. 
• "A ghost and a mutilated woman." The narrator uses the terms nobbera-bou, meaning faceless ghost, and kuchisaka-onna, meaning a female spirit with a slit mouth.
• "Tampon checker." He actually says "Anne checker." There is a Japanese brand of tampons named for Anne Frank.
  
  
  
  
  
• Book title "How to Marry an Elite Man." Literally, "a man of three highs," meaning high education, high income, tall.
• "You call me Tama, but my name is Tamamoshirosu." A parody of Tamamo Cross, a famous Japanese racehorse.
  
• "God bless consolation money!" In Japan, the spouse causing the divorce may have to pay consolation money to the other party for the breakdown in the relationship.
• Sakamoto Ryouma was a famous figure in the late Bakumatsu. A westernizer, he was assassinated by a pro-Shogun special force, the Mimawarigumi.

Thanks to Pervodildo and Uchuu for these notes.

As a sketch comedy, there are no named characters. The credited voice cast is quite small:

• Ishimaru Hiroya starred in Koiko Mainichi and gave a bravura performance as the "interpreter" dog Allegro in Bremen 4, both Orphan releases. He also played Rodimus Prime in the various Transformer TV shows, Sengoku Shunsuke in Cyber City Oedo 808, and Kabuto Kouji in the Mazinger Z franchise.
• Sasaki Yuuko played the title role in Desert Rose and Gilbert in Kaze to Ki no Uta SANCTUS. She played Sayoko in Aoki Honoo, Akiko/Keiko in Wolf Guy, Yuki in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, and Exper Jiff in Exper Zenon, and she appeared in Amaama to Inazuma, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and Yousei-ou, all Orphan releases.
• Ootsuka Houchu played Satou in the Ajin properties, Bookman in D.grayman: Hollow, Rob in Shinigami no Kuro Maid, Ziggy in Edens Zero, Tsurumi in Golden Kamuy, the announcer in Yawara!, and Ikezu Daisuke in Asatte Dance, an Orphan release.
• Utsumi Kenji is best known for his roles as Roah in Fist of the North Star, Kaioh in Fist of the North Star 2, and Senbei Norimaki in the Dr. Slump and Arale-chan franchise. He appeared as the village chief in Watt Poe and Alex Louis Armstrong in both versions of Full Metal Alchemist. He played the title role in Don Dracula and appeared in in Nora, Bavi Stock, Stop!! Hibari-kun!, Techno Police 21C, Sanada 10, and 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, all Orphan releases.
• Hoshino Mitsuaki played Carl in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, an Orphan release, and Ryuunosuke in Rescue Wings. He had featured roles in numerous other shows.
• Arikawa Tarou appeared in Blue Sonnet, Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, and Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, all Orphan releases.
  

OL Kaizou Kouza was Kamegaki Hajime's first directing assignment. He went on to direct many other projects, including Fushigi Yuugi, Air Gear, Ayashi no Ceres, Hanasakeru Seishounen, and several Lupin III movies/TV specials.

Like many recent Orphan projects, this one has a long backstory. Iri (I think) bought the VHS tape aeons ago. After encoding, it sat around for a long time and was eventually released as a raw. Perevodildo picked it up, translated it, and rough-timed it. ninjacloud fine-timed. I edited and typeset. Rezo and Uchuu QCed. The encoder was an anonymous friend. The source is a second-hand video tape; it was never released on laserdisc or digital media. You can understand why. There's a sequel, of sorts, Oji-san Kaizou Kouza. WOWmd is threatening to buy and encode it.

I can't really recommend OL Kaizou Kouza, although I hope you'll admire the typesetting. It reflects attitudes that I wish had changed and probably haven't. There's a tiny amount of sex and nudity, not enough to condemn (or redeem) it. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Naki no Ryuu - Hiryuu no Shou

It's rare that I am totally baffled by an anime, but this one managed to do it. A one episode OVA from 1991, Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu - Hiryuu no Shou (Flying Legend of Mahjong: The Calling Dragon Soaring Dragon Chapter) is half about mahjong and half about yakuza machinations. I found all of it impenetrable. I don't understand mahjong, and I had a hard time untangling the doings of the gangsters.

To make matters more confusing, Naki no Ryuu - Hiryuu no Shou (Mahjong Hishouden doesn't appear in the anime title, only on the box) is a remake of sorts of the the three volume 1988 OVA also called Mahjong Hishouden: Naki no Ryuu. Thus, it's missing the context and denouement of the longer story. Why was it remade? No idea. Different animation company, apparently. This one was done by Gainax, so at least it's stylish.

The show centers around a mahjong player known as the Calling Dragon. He is phenomenally lucky and always wins. His specialty is "calling": announcing how he will win before he has acquired the discarded tile he needs. (I think that's right.) Actually, his mahjong play is nothing to write home about, according to people who actually play, and he mostly sits around, smoking and looking cool:

He is so lucky that a yakuza named Kai Shouzou, head of a gang that's part of the Oudou Syndicate, wants to "acquire" the Dragon and his luck for the syndicate. 

The Oudou Syndicate is at war with the Miyoshi family. Shouzou starts hanging around where the Dragon is playing. During one of these games, Shozou is almost assassinated. He recovers but is confined to a wheelchair. Meanwhile, the Dragon has gone to ground, playing in anonymous Miyoshi gambling halls. Shouzou tracks him down while he's playing with the Miyoshi boss and kills all the Miyoshi players. Shouzou and the Dragon then play a climatic game to decide their fates. The Dragon wins, of course, but a Miyoshi underling appears and shoots the Oudo president, seriously wounding him. Shouzou succumbs to his wounds, and the Dragon is apparently free. But Shouzou has left his mission of revenge, and of acquiring the Dragon, to his underboss, Ishikawa. Another round of intrigue is about to begin.

Got that? All the Yakuza intrigues are interspersed with mahjong games where the Dragon trounces all comers from behind his cigarette (and sometimes his sunglasses too). There's some bloodshed, a bit of sex, and a whole lot of posturing and mahjong. As for the rest, read the manga or wait until we fansub the three-volume version. (Yeah, it's coming. Don't hold your breath.)

The voice cast includes:

• Ikeda Shuuichi (Dragon) played Char in Mobile Suit Gundam, Gilbert Durandal in Gundam Seed, Ulrich Kessler in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Alex in Dallos, and Azuma in Starship Troopers. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Jinnai Tatsuyuki (Kai) played Principal Kuno in the original Ranma 1/2 and Hans Hakase in the original Rurouni Kenshin.
• Kobayashi Kiyoshi (Narrator) is best known for playing Jigen in the Lupin the Third TV shows and specials since the inception of the franchise. He also played Sekai in Wild 7, Keiko in Okama Report, and Valhiss in Amon Saga, all Orphan releases.
• Kiyokawa Motomu (Miyoshi, rival gang boss) played Fuyutsuki Kouzou in the recent Evangelion movies, Walter Dornez in Hellsing Ultimate, Charles Auclair in the Nodame Cantabile franchise,  and Gouza in Ars no Kyojuu. He played a prophet in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from The Old Testament and Kosuke as an adult in Sensou Douwa: Boku no Boukuugou, both Orphan releases.
• Ishimori Takkou (Maruko, an Oudou Syndicate underboss) played Cesar in Perrine Monogatari and appeared inMikan Enniki, Usagi Drop, Akai Hayate, and Nagasaki 1945: Angelus no Kane. The last two are Orphan releases.
  
• Hazumi Jun (Murota, an underboss) played Nerigun in Ziggy Soreyuke! R&R Band, an Orphan release. He also appeared in DNA^2, Kemonozume, and the Guyver properties.
• Hosoi Shigeyuki (Sakurada, the Oudou president) played Gopp in Mobile Suit Gundam (the original series).
• Utsumi Kenji (Ishikawa, Kai's successor) played Roah in Fist of the North Star, Kaioh in Fist of the North Star 2, Senbei Norimaki in Dr. Slump and Arale-chan, the village chief in Watt Poe, and Alex Louis Armstrong in both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist. He appeared in Nora, Bavi Stock, Stop!! Hibari-kun!, Techno Police 21C, Don Dracula (title role), 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, and Sanada 10, all Orphan releases.

The director, Dezaki Satoshi, is the older brother of Dezaki Osamu and directed some of the Urusei Yatsura OVAs and movies, as well as Dioxin no Natsu, Yume Kakeru Kougan, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Boyfriend, and Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, all Orphan releases.

Iri bought the laserdisc for this eons ago but never got around to it. Perevodildo picked it up from Orphan's infinite backlog and translated it. He also did initial timing. Muzussawa, a new contributor to Orphan, consulting on the Mahjong terms and play. Paul Geromini, another new contributor, edited. I typeset and QCed. Eternal_Blizzard fine-timed and QCed. The raw is from a Japanese laserdisc, ripped on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded by an anonymous friend.

As you can probably tell, I'm not enamored of Naki no Ryuu - Hiryuu no Shou. It prioritizes style over substance, and it's about a game I find incomprehensible. Still, it has great style, and that counts for something. You can get your dose of pons, kans, and riichis from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net

Gakkou no Yuurei (School Ghosts), Volume 2

Starting with volume 2, Gakkou no Yuurei began including live-action segments. Why? No idea. Perhaps live-action is less expensive to make. However, I find it disconcerting, and the special-effects are unconvincing. 

As one of the QCs wrote, "Gotta say, this makes the Goosebumps TV show look like fine art."

Volume 2 includes quite a few short segments, both animated and live-action, and some longer stories.

1. "Girl Scrambling Up a Wall" (animated, short). A girl goes to the music room in a most unusual manner.
   
2. "Teke Teke and Bun Bun" (live action, short). Three boys investigate a basement that's off-limits for a good reason.
   
3. "Hair Tangled in the Horizontal Bar" (animated, short). The dangers of gymnastics.
   
4. "The Wrath of Kokkuri-san" (animated, short). Three girls try their hands at Kokkuri-san. They should have watched Ushiro no Hyakutaro first.
   
5. "Sealed Spirits" (live-action, short). A school toilet is off-limits, and not because Hanako-kun lives there.
   
6. "A Sticky Girl Laughs" (animated). Three girls discover a ghost who seemingly just wants to play.
   
   
   
7. "A Sad Father's Love Story" (live action). A piano teacher helps a deceased father who missed his daughter's ballet recital find peace.
   
   
   
   
   
8. "Yellow Hand" (animated, short). The severed hand of a girl killed in a traffic accident returns.
   
9. "A Ghost Holding a Baby" (animated, short). A girl is attacked by the ghost of a deceased mother.
10. "Late Night Locker" (live action, short). A schoolgirl is attacked by spirits while retrieving her homework.
    
11. "Boy Drowned in the Pool" (animated, short). A drowned boy tries to ensnare other swimmers.
    
12. "The Eternal Staircase" (live action, short). A teacher encounters a staircase that never ends.
    
13. "A Ghost Kicking Its Own Head" (animated). A boy killed in a sporting accident haunts the soccer field.
    
    
    
14. "The Spirit of the Music Room" (live action). The spirit of a suicidal pianist haunts the music room.

I liked "A Sad Father's Love Story" best, probably because it has a happy ending.

The show has separate casts for the live-action and animated segments. I didn't bother with the live-action actors. Some of the seiyuu in the animated segments include:

• Honma Yukari played Mikako in Kazu & Yasu Hero Tanjou, Ayu in Mermaid Forest, and Yugo in Project Arms.
  
• Yajima Akiko 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), all Orphan releases.
• Okamura Akemi played Nami in the One Piece franchise, Hinoe in the Natsume Yuujinchou franchise, Fio in Porco Rosso, Risa in Lovely Complex, Mayaya in Kuragehime, Shusui in Saiunkoku Monogatari, and Shiina in Tales of Symphonia, among many other roles.
  
• Hiramatsu Akiko played Nene Romanova in Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crash, Mekira in Ninku, Tom Kusanagi in Mikan Enikki, Konoe (the security maid) in Hanaukyo Maid Tai, and Miyuki in the You're Under Arrest franchise. She played Ninomiya, the police chief's reckless daughter, in Every Day Is Sunday, and Tano Keiko in Houkago no Tinker Bell, both Orphan releases.
• Hiyama Nobuyuki played Madarame in the Genshiken franchise, Viral in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Date in Lime-iro Senkitan, Murata in the Gundam Seed series, Kouyuu Li in Saiunkoku Monogatari, Shin in Cowboy Bebop, and Kiei in the Yu Yu Hakusho franchise. He also played Tokugawa Hidetada in the Sanada 10 special, Kain in Fire Emblem, Roddy in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, and King Penguin in Shirokuma Cafe, all Orphan releases.
• Watanabe Misa played Nefertiri in the One Piece franchise, Akeginu in Basilisk, Queen Beryl in Sailor Moon Crystal, and Nozomi in the World Trigger franchise.
  
• Takahashi Miki starred as Asami in Majo demo Steady (an Orphan release), but she is best known as a singer (she sang all the songs in the show). She had featured roles in MAPS (1994) and Tenamonyo Voyagers. She also appeared in Doukyuusei: Climax, an Orphan release.
• Masuda Yuki played Yuki in the two Ultra Nyan OVAs, both Orphan releases. She also played Yanagi in Flame of Recca, Yuri in the Sakura Wars shows, and Nami in La Corda d'Oro.
  
• Arakawa Tarou appeared in Blue Sonnet, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
  
• Miura Tomoko appeared in Project Arms and Reideen the Superior.
  
• Kuramochi Ryouko appeared in Gilgamesh and Naruto.
  
• Okamoto Akiko had a few other minor roles.
  
• Nomura Kenji plays Gorou in the current Ao no Miburo and Jinun in Sengoku Youko. Past roles included Tatsuuma Ushiyama in Golden Kamuy, , Reystov in The Faraway Paladin, Sol in Isekai de Mofumofu, Kugayama in Genshiken, Sanosuke in Peace Maker Kurogane, and Kunio in Tactical Roar.
  
• Ogihara Hideki played Toshiya in the Mahoromatic franchise, Ryouta in Soul Link, Ma-kun in Gravitation, and Yamane in the Major franchise. He appeared in two stories in Gakkou no Yuurei volume 1.

The animated segment director, Awai Shigeki, mostly worked in h-anime.

Because the series had been abandoned after one episode, Perevodildo translated volume 2 from scratch. ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and ImAWasteOfHair QCed. The caffeinated encoder chose "cafe au lait" as his pseudonym for this episode.

Ghost stories are always going to be a mixed bag, and this volume is more mixed than most. I miss the lack of tonal variation; the stories are always serious and downbeat. But if you want more ghostly doings, you can get this volume of School Ghosts from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Gakkou no Yuurei (School Ghosts), Volume 1

Gakkou no Yuurei (School Ghosts) is an anthology of ghost stories, mostly set at schools. Seven volumes were released between 1995 and 1999. Each volume has multiple, independent stories. Because there's no continuity between volumes, or even stories, Orphan will be releasing this show one volume at a time. The series is technically an orphan, because Flapsubs released one episode and then stopped.

This first volume was supposed to be released for Halloween, but Stuff Happened™. We ended up changing raws twice, first from the KPMP raw to a bespoke raw, and then to a second version of that raw to deal with the need for different frame rates in different sections. As a result, I redid the typesetting twice. The timing was tweaked very late in the process. So, for those reasons, this episode is being released post-election, when horror seems to be the order of the day.

The first volume of Gakkou no Yuurei has six stories:

1. "Forgotten Notebook." A late-staying schoolgirl is sent home by the janitor, forgets her notebook, and is killed by a train when she turns back for it. She returns later to get it...
   
   
   
   
   
2. "Batting Ghost." The ghost of a baseball coach who killed himself over an accident haunts the school baseball field.
   
   
   
   
   
3. "Cursed Summer Camp." A girls' basketball camp stays overnight at a converted hospital, only to find that the ghosts of former patients still linger.
   
   
   
   
   
4. "Night on a School Trip." Schoolgirls on a trip stay overnight an inn, where the seaside pavilion windows are nailed shut, for a reason.
   
   
   
   
   
5. "Hanako-san." A ghost inhabits the furthermost stall of the girls' bathroom. You can summon her, but you shouldn't.
   
   
   
   
   
6. "Red Eyes." The ghosts of dead warriors haunt the school chemistry lab. You really, really, REALLY mustn't look them in the eye.

Ghost stories don't appeal to me, but some of them are quite creepy. I was amused to see the story of Hanako-san, which is apparently a common urban legend in Japan.

Some translation notes:

• As Guardian Enzo points out in his informative essay, the Japanese have two words for ghosts: obake, the quasi-harmless spirits often found in Western popular media, and yuurei, the terrifying spirits of the restless dead. This show is most definitely about the latter.
• The song "You may pass, you may pass..." is from the Japanese children's game Touryanse. The song "Kagome, kagome" is from the Japanese children's game of the same name. Both are quite creepy, and both have appeared in other anime.

As an anthology series, the voice cast is huge, and online sources are no help. Using Google Translate, I did parse some of the voice credits, and Perevodildo filled in the rest. The cast contains many stalwarts from the 1990s.

Forgotten Notebook

• Iwao Junko (girl) played the title roles in Ayashi no Ceres and Devilman Lady, Tomoyo in Card Captor Sakura, Natsuko in Shin Cutie Honey, Tokiko in Key the Metal Idol, Mima in Perfect Blue, and Mika in Kakyuusei (1995), an Orphan release.
  
• Aono Takeshi (janitor) played Nurarihyon in every incarnation of GeGeGe no Kitarou through 2007, Billy Bones in Treasure Island, Bookman in D.grayman, Dracule in One Piece, Katsuhiko Masaki in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, and Shiro Sanada in the Yamato franchise. He also appeared in Bride of Deimos, A Penguin's Memories, Ginga Tansa 2100: Border-nen, Fire Emblem, Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Hashire Melos!, the three Sangokushi movies (as Guan Yu), Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, and Rain Boy, all Orphan releases.

Batting Ghost

• Ootsuka Houchuu (Coach Nagai) played Satou in the Ajin properties, Bookman in D.grayman: Hollow, Rob in Shinigami no Kuro Maid, Ziggy in Edens Zero, Tsurumi in Golden Kamuy, the announcer in Yawara!, and Ikezu Daisuke in Asatte Dance, an Orphan release.
  
• Neya Michiko (M) played the title character in Shin Cutey Honey, Emilia in Macross 7: Ginga ga Ore o Yonde Iru!, Rally in Gunsmith Cats, Barnett in Vandread, Mako in the Initial D franchise, and Nancy in R.O.D. She also played (Mesa, Eve's mother) in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve, Aya in Hidamari no Ki, and Lena in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases.
• Tsuboi Tomohiro (Matsumoto) played Shinpachi in the Hakuouki franchise, Ichirou in the Knights of Sidonia properties, Toshii Maeda in the Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings shows, and Shima in Zegapain.
• Ogihara Hideki (student; also Morita in "Red Eyes") played Toshiya in the Mahoromatic franchise, Ryouta in Soul Link, Ma-kun in Gravitation, and Yamane in the Major franchise.
  

Cursed Summer Camp

• Okamoto Maya (Chiko) played played Maya in the Burn Up! series, Harumi in The Irresponsible Captain Tylor franchise, Saiko in the Silent Mobius properties, female Akira in Mellow, and Puck in Yousei Ou. The last two are Orphan releases.
  
• Kanai Mika (Kanna) played the title role in the Licca-chan franchise, Normad in the Galaxy Angel franchise, Histoire in the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, Melonpanda in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise, Misato in Nana, Lotte in Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, and Hime in Bakuen Campus Guardress, an Orphan release.
  
• Ootaki Shinya (Mr. Takai) played Beat in Scoopers and Chiefson in Wolf Guy, and he appeared in Aoki Honoo, Elf ,17 and Hi-Speed Jecy. The last four are Orphan releases.
• Asaoka Natsumi (Captain) appeared in Blue Seed, Orphen, and Turn A Gundam.
  

Night on a School Trip

• Mitsuishi Kotono (Yukari; also Kumi in "Hanako-san" and Aki in "Red Eyes") played the title roles in Excel Saga, Birdy the Mighty, and the Maze TV and OVAs, Mink in Dragon Half, Katsuragi Misato in the Evangelion properties, Rosalia in the Angelique franchise, Kagura in the original Fruits Basket, Eri in Love Get Chu, and of course, Sailor Moon in the Sailor Moon franchise. She played the leads in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve and Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru, as well as Oshina in Hidamari no Ki, and appeared in Blazing Transfer Student, Nagasarete Airantou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Amano Yuri (Yumi; also Kaoru in "Red Eyes") played the title role in The Legend of Snow White, Julia in Daddy Long Legs, Kiyone in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, and Moemi in Video Girl Ai. She appeared as Lady Freeze in Bakuen Campus Guardress, Catherine in Okama Hakusho, Kuzunoha in Akuemon, Angie in Condition Green, Elthena in Eien no Filena, Kitagawa in Nozomi Witches, Noriko in Singles, and Yuko in St. Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, as well as multiple roles in Fukuyama Gekijou, all Orphan releases.
• Satoko Kifuji (Megumi; also Ai in "Hanako-san") - no information
  
• Mizutani Yuuko (Shoko; also Yuko Mizutani in "Red Eyes") played Pinoko in all the Black Jack properties, as well as Misako in Houkago no Tinker Bell, Hiromi in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Rika in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Lila in Eien no Filena, Anna in Inochi no Chikyuu: Dioxin no Natsu, and Dr. Uematsu Kikue in Yume Kakeru Kougen, all Orphan projects.
• Nishimura Chinami (Keiko; also Yuuko in "Hanako-san") played the title role in the Aria franchise, Chibusuke in Dragon Drive, Neko Musume in the 1996 version of GeGeGe no Kitarou, Mia in Kaleido Star, Rand in the Maze properties, Hydra in the UFO Princess Valkyrie franchise, and Koko in Zatch Bell.
  
• Tahara Aruno (Mr. Yasuda) appeared in Apfelland Monogatari, Bremen 4, Oz, Raiyantsuura no Uta, and Nozomi Witches, all Orphan releases, as well as Cowboy Bebop, Rurouni Kenshin, and Death Note.
  
• Shimaka Yuu (deputy manager) played Katagiri in Yawara! He appeared in Bagi, Kosuke-sama & Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu, Kasei Yakyoku, Apfelland Monogatari, Ushiro no Hyakutaro, and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Kobayashi Hiromi (Nakai) - no information.
  

Hanako-san

• Ootani Ikue (Hanako) provided the voice of Pikachu in in the Japanese, English, Spanish, and German versions of the Pokemon shows. She also played Mitsuhiko in the Detective Conan franchise and Tony Tony Chopper in the One Piece franchise. She appeared as the Fujiwara twins in Haruka Naru Toki no Naka de 2, Ann in Next Senki Ehrgeiz, and Sumire in Kiss wa Mi ni Shie, all Orphan releases.
• Yoshida Konami (Minako) (Ko) played the title roles in Asobo Toy-chan and Metal Fighter Miku and the lead in Idol Fighter Su-Chi-Pai. She appeared in Sensou Douwa: Kiku-chan to Ookami, Akuemon, Kiss wa Me ni Shita, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
  

Red Eyes

• Horiuchi Kenyuu (Takeda) played the title role in Guin Saga and Oscar in the Angelique franchise. He also played the lead role in Amon Saga and Raiyantsuuri no Uta, Ryuuichi in Aoko Honoo, Jin Akira in Wolf Guy, Nest in Eien no Filena, Kubota in Meisou Ou Border, Lid in Greed, Romus in Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: MISSING 99, and the refined son in Eguchi Hisashi no Kotobuki Gorou Show, all Orphan releases.

The director, Kashima Norio, also directed Dirty Pair TV, Refrain Blue, and Huckleberry Finn Monogatari.

ninjacloud really wanted to do this series and commissioned bespoke encodes of the episodes. Perevodildo translated checked the original Flapsubs subtitles; he also wrote a perceptive commentary on MyAnimeList. Perevodildo did the initial timing, and ninjacloud tweaked it for the new raw. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and ImAWasteOfHair QCed. The encoder wished to remain anonymous, but he labeled each episode with a caffeinated beverage; this episode's encoder credit is "Coffee".

 

So if you're looking for a spooky good time, you could do worse than pass 45 minutes with the ghosts of Gakkou no Yuurei. You can get this episode from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.