OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Devil Hunter Yohko

The first anime licensed by ADV Films was also the first genuine magical girl OVA, Devil Hunter Yokho which ran for six-ish volumes from Madhouse. It was an original idea not based on any prior material, even though it did generate a one-shot manga along with the anime's conclusion. The entire concept was supposedly thought up as a collective idea by the madcap Madhouse bigwigs, which was just prior to the 90's magical girl boom, even two years before the Sailor Moon TV series. The first volume was borderline erotic horror, while the rest of the series implemented a higher level of action and fantasy elements. ADV gave this project one of their first dubs which took a while to cover the entire series that they already released on subtitled VHS. During the OVA's 6-year history, you can see how Madhouse's work improved from the beginning to last episodes.

Yohko Mano is another clueless horny teenager who is stupefied after learning she is the 108th generation Devil Hunter, the last of a long line of female demon slayers(before Demon Slayer was even a twinkle in someone's eye). Yohko's grandmother Madoka passes the torch to her after the evil Black Queen is being resurrected into the body of one of her schoolmates which she dispatches with her magical sword with a killer cleaver hilt. The next two chapters of the series are shorter presenting how she gets a sidekick in apprentice Devil Hunter Azusa and then having a brief isekai adventure. The fourth volume is uncommonly a collection of music videos, some featuring footage from the previous episodes, but also some original substance in a cute chibi number. The following episode has Yohko confronting her family's oldest threat, the time-controlling Tokima who has plagued her ancestors since the first Demon Hunter who Yohko meets due to temporal displacement which should've rewritten the entire history of her lineage. The final chapter doesn't have Yohko fending off another demon, but her identical cousin Ayako who is the granddaughter of Madoka's twin sister, along with her own clone of Asuza to assist her. The two competing Devil Hunters settle their rivalry after defeating another random demon.

Devil Hunter Yohko gained a small cult following during its run, possibly more over in America than in Japan as it tried to rival Buffy for the anime market. This unfortunately didn't transfer much into the new millennium. There isn't much character progression in it either with Yokho remaining the same hapless boy chaser throughout the entire series. The quality of animation evolves with each episode, even though this doesn't save the series from running in circles. It's a staple title of the 90s, but not precisely one that stands the test of time.