ANI-MOVIES, *Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Anime pioneer Mamoru Oshii created this anime film as part of his shared universe known as the Kerberos saga largely centered on his manga series, Kerberos Panzer Cop, an alternate universe version of Japan where a heavily-armed special police unit exits to maintain order. This slightly derailed history is a dystopian reality where the government has a larger grip on the citizens. So, basically like a retro version of George Orwell's 1984, but with less resources to simultaneously watch the masses. Oshii's political intrigue views are fairly apparent in his take on Ghost In The Shell which made a standard cyberpunk manga into an intense intrigue saga blended with existentialism. However, Oshii let animator Hiroyuki Okiura take over as director on this anime chapter of his ongoing arc.

In post-WWII Japan, the 1950s are a troublesome time for Japanese citizens as the government's overzealous efforts to make their nation a financial empire causes severe uprising between classes. This gives rise to an anti-terrorist task force that works with the public security police. Kazuki Fuse is special unit soldier who fails to stop a female bomb courier from blowing herself up, and is such demoted by being sent back to the academy for training. Fuse learns that the suicide bomber had a sister that he feels obligated to apologizing to, but the young woman named Kei is secretly working with the public security in a plot to take down the special unit, using Kuse as a sacrificial lamb to take the fall in the following scandal. After rescuing Kei from the staged bomb exchange, Kuse reveals that he's a part of a secret society within the special unit called the "Wolf Brigade", and seek to eliminate the underhanded members of public security.

Jin-Roh was first released in 1999, and created with a fairly obvious Red Riding Hood backdrop to it, and Oshii had tried for over 5 years to have it made, but was given the Ghost In The Shell movie to direct instead. This might be why Hiroyuki Okiura was given the task of taking over production that was put out by Bandai Visual. This eventually lead to enough to success that a Korean live-action adaption was recently unleashed to equal praise. There have been numerous other chapters of the Kerberos saga adapted to multi-media life novels, radio drama, and other animated shorts, much of which has yet to be given and English release. Bandai Entertainment originally put out Jin-Roh on DVD in the early 2000s, and later on re-released on DVD and Blu-Ray through Discotek Media. The dub was handled by the Ocean Group, so if you're familiar with most of the 90s Viz Media dubs, you should get a nostalgic rush in this romantic but tragic action/drama.

Happy 80th Birthday, Bugs Bunny!

OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Blue Submarine No. 6

Based on a late 60s manga by Satoru Ozawa, Blue Sub 006 as its called was made into a 4-episode OVA series at the turn of the century by former Gainax studio, Gonzo. The manga was updated by Ozawa in the mid-90s, which prompted the anime adaptation, which took on a completely new approach to releasing anime in America at the time by Bandai Entertainment.

In a Waterworld-like post-apocalyptic Earth, the fanatical Dr. Zorndyke shifts the planet's poles, causing massive flooding around the world killing billions, and then the mad scientist creates a race of human/animal hybrids and living aquatic battleships to wipe out the rest of humanity. The remaining surviving forces unite with a plan to nuke Zorndyke's army with the advanced new submarine labeled Blue 6. Hayami is an ex-mariner asked to be part of the program by the orphaned ensign Kino, and reluctantly agrees, but becomes ensnared in a strange relationship with one of Zorndyke's creation, the quiet mermaid Mutio. Hayami is reunited with the Blue 6 crew after one of the sentient battleships communicates to him Zorndyke's intent to test humanity when pushed to the brinke, leaving Hayami and Kino to have a final confrontation with the mad scientist whose death could result in the end of all life.

Bandai had a strange release with the English adaptation of Blue Submarine No. 6. Firstly, the dub wasn't done by their regular group of voice actors from Bang Zoom Entertainment, but instead Coastal Studios which handled all of Animeigo's dubs. The other is that at the time most OVAs were released in either VHS or DVD with at least two episodes each, but Bandai decided to instead put it out with one episode per volume, meaning you had to get four different tapes/discs to collect the entire series. There was a special edition on Cartoon Network that was released in an abridged version known as the Toonami Cut, but a bunch of the nuances are left out(including the mermaid boobs!). The OVA was directed by Mahiro Maeda, who later went onto do anime like Gankutsuou and Last Exile, all of which captured the blending of traditional animation with CGI models. The original animation does seem dated by today's standards, but doesn't deprive your average viewer of what was at the time a real game changer.

ANI-MOVIES, *Robot Carnival

One of the first full-length anime anthology films, Robot Carnival came out in 1987 at the dawn of cyberpunk anime. Rounded out by the APPP studio, which had previously done the first Project A-Ko installment, this production was several segments done by 8 different animators., each one done with the theme of robots or other mechanized creations.

The opening and closing segment was a comedic wraparound by Katsuhiro Otomo, about a year before his the premiere of the Akira motion picture. Set in an alien desert, unsuspecting poor townsfolk are crushed and attacked under the huge tank treads of the titular "Robot Carnival", a large mobile platform with dancing alien maidens and destructive fireworks, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.

The second segment is Franken's Gears by Koji Morimoto who founded Studio 4C. A mad scientist creates a large hulking mismatched robot who mocks his makers movements, which unfortunately collapses on the old man, killing him.

Star Light Angel is a more shoujo-type short by Gundam character designer Hiroyuki Kitazume. Two girls spend the day at a robot-themed amusement parks, where one of them turns out to be dating the other's boyfriend. The distraught damsel goes through a nightmarish roller coaster where she is attacked by a giant mecha, but gets rescued by a noble bishounen robot.

Presence is one of the only two portions with actual dialogue, and was animated by Yasuomi Umetsu, most known for creating Kite. A family man secretly creates his own lovely teenage android, but becomes shocked when she shows signs of actual thinking. Scared at what this might mean, he demolishes his fembot, but is later visited by the robot's spirit as his own personal Grim Reaper.

Deprive is a strait up action movie trailer by director Hidetoshi Ōmori, which seems like a more macho version of Star Light Angel. Earth is assaulted by alien robots, and a lone cybernetic soldier goes to rescue his true love from the evil overlords. Very much done in the spirit of anime like Casshan.

The most enigmatic one of all the features is Cloud by Manabu Ohashi. Here, a robot boy carries on wandering, all while the history of mankind plays on the background. This was done in a sketchy technique, making it seem like a series of single illustrations.

A Tale of Two Robots is a steampunk farce of giant robot anime by Hiroyuki Kitakubo, who went on to do the original Blood: The Last Vampire movie. In late 1800s Japan, an egotistical genius creates a large mecha to take attack the citizens, but his plans are thwarted by five teenagers with attitude and their mobile parade float.

The last installment is Nightmare by Takashi Nakamura, who had plenty of experience with TV hits like Yatterman. A mystic but mechanized entity starts creating robotic monsters, all being orchestrated by his scarlet-caped herald. A drunken businessman who passed out during the takeover awakens to be chased around town on his scooter by the manhunter machines.

Robot Carnival is a pinnacle in the history of anime creation. The various takes on the standard subject matter of robots shows how imaginative different animators can be, taking it to different genres like fantasy, romance, and horror. The film was first put out dubbed by Streamline Pictures on VHS, but wouldn't be finally put on Blu-Ray and streaming decades later under Discotek's mission to revive retro anime. Assemble this perfect package film for a mind blowing experience!

Japan is getting ready for the 2020 Olympics

What to do to people who won't put on the damn masks!

ANI-MOVIES, Belladonna Of Sadness

The final entry in the "Animerama" trilogy by Mushi Production was the only one not to be done by Osamu Tezuka. Animerama was a series of adult-themed animated films from 1969-1973, although this film, Belladonna Of Sadness, features a good portion of it not in actual moving pictures but instead still shots, done in an early motion comic approach. It was directed by Eiichi Yamamoto, who worked on previous Tezuka productions like Astro Boy and Kimba. Yamamoto took this mature fantasy story and blended it with some serious psychotronic visuals, like you'd expect to watch this while listening to music from Woodstock. The story was based on La Sorcière, a 19th Century report on witchcraft and archaic arts.

Taking place in France during the Middle Ages, Jean and Jeanne are two young lovers get married, but the greedy king asks for her virginity to cover their wedding tax. Thus, Jeanne is raped by most of the nobility, and sent back abused to Jean. The battered wife is tempted by a small spirit who promises to help her in exchange for an ethereal sex exchange. Jeanne is able to use the magic into starting a new trade as a merchant, being one of the only ones in the village able to pay the insane taxes. This gets the attention of the king, who makes Jean the tax collector, which gives Jeanne a reputation as a revered figure dressed in green. The jealous queen has a servant attack her, tearing her outfit, which confusingly causes the villagers to run her out of town. Jeanne is revisited by the spirit who turns out to be Satan, and grants her even more power. With her dark magic, Jeanne unleashes a plague on the land, but convinces those infected that she has the cure with a belladonna flower. The villager begin worshiping her, and this further infuriates the queen, who sees her demise after her servant makes a pact with Jeanne for her love. The king sends Jean to convince Jeanne to join the royalty, but Jeanne refuses saying she wants the whole world instead. Jeanne is then burnt at the stake, while Jean is killed trying to save her. This sparks the villagers into their eventual contempt with the monarchy, which eventually becomes The French Revolution, seeing Jeanne as the eternal spirit of liberty.

The actual animated scenes in Belladonna Of Sadness are exceptional for the early 70s, but most creative were the tripping out montages which were normally done for sequences of sexual tension, to full out orgies. This still shot illustration maintain the flow of the story good enough while being backed up by convincing voice acting. It is not for younger audiences, but can't totally be seen as explicit "hentai" either, which is a concept that wouldn't really reach anime on a regular basis until around the mid-80s. There are some exceptional character designs, that appear to be what might have influenced illustrators like Yoshitaka Amano(Final Fantasy), so you can view this and understand where the more mature-themed anime got their start from.

Cause every girls crazy about a sharp dressed ape.

OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Dallos

Going back to the very first OVA ever made, Dallos premiered at the dawn of the VHS era, which considering how much both video players and tapes went for back then was considered a hefty penny, meaning getting the entire 4-part series could have cost some kids a whole year's worth of allowance. Pioneered by Mamoru Ooshi(who later would direct Ghost In The Shell)and Gatchaman animator Hisayuki Toriumi based this sci-fi epic on a Robert Heinlein novel about a lunar civil war. Anime studio Peirrot cut their teeth with their long career in the home video market with this 1983 release.

Set at the end of the 21st Century, mankind has long colonized the Moon, supplying Earth with precious minerals. However, the residents called Lunarians work under a strict government, and a group lead by the rebellious "Dog" seeks to free the workers from their harsh conditions. The resistance's belief in an uncovered alien structure called Dallos is what furthers their cause. New generation Lunarians like Shun and Rachel are drawn into the fight, while the Earth security leader Riger tries to free his love from the rebels. The moon government gets military backing from Earth, as the moon residents modify their drilling equipment into battle mechas, all while Dallos itself acts as a neutral party caught in the middle of the conflict.

The idea of class warfare in space was already covered in anime like Mobile Suit Gundam, but Dallos shows how everyday futuristic hardware is remade into weapons of destruction. An abridged collected edition of the entire series was later released in Japan, and then dubbed into American markets titled Battle for Moon Station Dallos. The complete OVA is now available on DVD through Discotek, and various streaming services, but only in the original Japanese format. There are numerous elements used in Dallos you can see used in future anime like Macross and Bounty Dog, so its worth a watch for the foundation of several science-fiction titles both in Japan and the rest of the world.

Goons. Hired goons.

ANI-MOVIES, *The Point

Hippie-strings songwriter Harry Nilson decided to take his 1970 album titled The Punch and make it not only into a musical story, but also as a full-length animated made-for-TV movie. Fred Wolf(best known for later animating the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)put his production company of Murakami-Wolf Films into making it for ABC in early 1971, which up until then their studio had word on shows like The Flintstones, and several short movies, plus the first Yogi Bear film. The adapting of the album is a profoundly trippy experiences that ranges up on the same level of Yellow Submarine as movies to get stoned by.

Similar to The Princess Bride, the plot is narrated by a father reading a bedtime story to his son. Set in a strange town where everyone has a point on their head, a boy named Oblio is born with a non-pointed head. He wears a pointed cap to fit in, but the spoiled son of the town's Baron looses to him in a ring toss(done with triangles), and gets his father to have Oblio and his loyal dog Arrow banished for being different from everyone else. Oblio travels to a place called the Pointless Forest, and encounters all manner of strange creatures. A living rockman, a walking tree, a trio of bouncing women, and a large bird. The weirdest of them all is the tri-faced Pointed Man, a three-headed mismatched conundrum constantly disregarding everything that Oblio seems to learn from each of his experiences. Oblio eventually comes to the realization that everything in life does have a "point" to it, but doesn't require them to be pointy in appearance. After this epiphany, Oblio and Arrow return to the pointed kingdom and reveal that he had developed an actual point on his head. This causes everyone to suddenly have their heads become rounded, equalizing all the citizens.

The movie features most of the music and several interludes of Harry Nilson's album, most of which serve as a complete break from the narration and turn into their own music numbers, one of which highlights bizarre hybrids of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck with their girlfriend counterparts. Even the movie is intended for children, there's great numbers of inner dialogue that were intended for an older audience. The cast include legendary voice actors like Paul Frees, June Foray, and Lenny Weinrib. The strange thing though is the rotating actors they had doing the voice of the narrator, which first had Dustin Hoffman, and later Alan Thicke. The final video and recent DVD/Blu-Ray release has Ringo Starr filling in the role, which eventually lead the veteran Beatle to doing kids shows like Thomas The Tank Engine. The Point is a artistic but memorable look into American counterculture.

ANI-MOVIES, *Adieu Galaxy Express 999

Coming out in the same year that the TV anime version ended, Aideu, Galaxy Express 999 is a direct sequel to the original 1979 anime movie adaptation. Rintaro returns to direct this conclusion to the sprawling space opera, with even more dramatic twists and turns that seriously deviated from the prime source material. Released two years after the first Galaxy Express 999, this acted as a foundation for several other Leijiverse titles, while still maintaining its own continuity.

Set a few years later, Tetsuro is still on Earth helping out the remaining human resistance against the bouncing ninja troopers of the Machine Empire. He gets a message from Maetel to board 999, and all his comrades pay the price for getting him on the train. The train's new waitress Metalmena seems to show contempt for Tetsuro as he gets off at the planet La Metal, the birthplace of the Machines. Tetsuro helps out the local resistance, and finally reunites with Maetel. The 999 is stopped by the mysterious Ghost Train, ran by the Machine's black knight known as Faust who seems to know alot about Tetsuro's past. Maetel and Tetsuro arrive at the Great Andromeda, where the Machine Empire set up their new forces, lead by the disembodied spirit of Queen Promethium. The new energy source for the Machines is in fact the energized essence of living people, sent to their dooms in a mechanized Auschwitz, which Tetsuro is able to completely destroy with just a few random laser blasts. Just as Great Andromeda's main power factory is destroyed, an out of nowhere planet-destroying force known as Siren the Witch manifests and begins to slowly devour the planet like a localized black hole. Captain Harlock and Emeraldas appear to help Tetsuro and Maetel get the surviving humans on board 999, while we learn Faust's connection to Tetsuro(which anyone who saw The Empire Strikes Back a year prior to this should have no problem figuring out).

Adieu is a visual spectacular for the time of its release. The major drawback in this sequel is that it goes over a bunch of material that the first film already covered. The major difference here is Tetsuro's larger step into manhood, while still showing contempt for all things mechanized. Also, despite the fact that the sequel is about the same runtime as the original, there are several moments when you realize the sequel could have ended, but a new plot complications shuffles on in, like the Galactus-like Siren pulling a deus ex machina on the enemy homeworld. Aside from the increase in animation quality, Adieu is a considerable retread of its predecessor.

ANI-MOVIES, *Galaxy Express 999

Being one of the first ever motion pictures taking place in the "Leijiverse", Leiji Matsumoto's manga series of Galaxy Express 999 first stated out as a sci-fi manga in 1977, followed by an anime TV series in 1978. This 1979 film was a retake on the first season of the TV series along with its own original conclusion, as the series hadn't yet concluded. Most of the Leijiverse titles include Captain Harlock, Queen Emeraldas, and Cosmic Warrior Zero. This movie combines some of those elements from given corners of the Leijiverse, and was directed by Rintaro, who later went on to do other anime movie adaptations such as X and Metropolis. An edited version of the film was first released in English by movie legend Roger Cormen in 1980, but later the complete film was put out as The Signature Edition in 1996 by Viz, and then put on DVD and Blu-Ray by Discotek Media.

Tetsuro is an orphan boy on Earth in the future which is monopolized by the Machine Empire(no relation to the Power Rangers!), and struggles to gain access to the space train called the Galaxy Express to take him to the empire's homeworld where he can get a mechanized body to live forever. Tetsuro befriends a blonde woman named Maetel who bares a strong resemblance to his dead mother, and helps him get onboard the train as they both journey to the end of the line. Their trip has them coming across the evil cyborg Count Mecha who killed Tetsuro's mother, and encounters with Harlock, Emeraldas, and Tochiro(that would later get their own origin movie in Arcadia Of My Youth). The duo finally reach the end of the line, which is called Planet Maetel, as its revealed that Maetel herself is the daughter of the Queen Promethium, and had her mind put into a clone of Tetsuro's mother. Maetel plans to use a special pendant housing the electronic soul of her father to destroy Planet Maetel, all while Harlock and Emeraldas attack the Machine Empire forces. Tetsuro and Maetel escape and go back to Earth after Tetsuro decides to live life as a human as Maetel departs back on the Galaxy Express.

The movie had a direct sequel that came out two years later acting as its own original continuation to the first film, as well as a prequel OVA and TV series. The story itself does has some pacing problems as its a compilation of plot points from the first part of original story sporting its own tied up ending. The animation was done by Toei who already had 20 years of production success prior to this movie, and their experience comes through in this spectacular production. It's a visually gorgeous space opera, which does suffer from continuity hiccups, but still makes for an exceptional landmark in anime history.