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Ushio is a relatively ordinary high school boy (with a rather big mouth)
in training to become a priest. Things are complicated one day when he discovers
a demon in his basement, pinned to a rock by a magic spear (the "beast spear").
Unfortunately, it develops that in opening the room where Tora (the name Ushio gives
the demon) is imprisoned, Ushio has attracted a wide variety of unpleasant supernatural
characters, and the only one around who can chase them away is—of course—Tora.
Tora, however, has other plans, and foremost among them is eating Ushio, who is a descendent of the original warrior that imprisoned him. Ushio is safe only as long as he keeps the beast spear handy. In spite of these conflicting agendas, the two eventually develop a remarkable friendship, and Ushio turns out to be a much more complex and sensitive person than he first appears.
One warning: because this series features many traditional demons and other unpleasant
beings from Japanese folklore, the violence and gore level can get quite high
at times (imagine Legend of Sleepy Hollow meets Nightmare on Elm Street). A
superb series, but not recommended for small children or the faint of heart.
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Oh! My Goddess (also known as Ah! My Goddess)
Now here is a series which really, truly, shouldn't work. The characters are just
too sweet and lovable to be real, the music is unrelentingly beautiful, and nobody
dies, is torn apart by mecha, or devoured by fiends from the underworld. The word
saccharine should come to mind. But it does work, and spectacularly. This just has
to be the most gorgeous thing ever put on cels. (The two original soundtrack albums
are also priceless gems for the J-Pop enthusiast.)
In case you don't know the story, Keichi, a "nice-guy" college student (and a bit of a "wimp," if you don't like nice guys), dials out for pizza while answering the phone for his absent dorm mates, and accidentally gets the Goddess Hotline instead. Before he can say "oops," the goddess Belldandy has arrived to take charge of his life (of course, since he isn't allowed to have women in the dorm, the first thing she does is inadvertantly get him kicked out of his housing). From there things move along at a gentle pace, but behind the scenes events are building towards an unexpectedly powerful climax.
Since the original OAVs appeared, this manga series has spawned a movie and two television seasons to date. Its appeal has not diminished with time.
Incidentally, this series has spawned the winner of my Least Significant Anime Issue Of
The Decade Award, the endless argument over whether it should be called Ah! My Goddess or
Oh! My Goddess (the former being a more accurate translation of the Japanese
manga's title,
the latter
being the U.S. distributor's preference). Don't bring this up on anime newsgroups, if you
know what's good for you.
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All-Purpose Cultural Cat-Girl Nuku-Nuku
Picture this opening sequence: a distinctly unbalanced scientist is on the run from
his vengeful wife (head of an armaments firm, naturally) with their son. In the back seat is a
stolen android. Minions of the wife pursue the two in a military aircraft, in the
process accidentally killing the child's newly-adopted cat. The father's
brilliant idea? Implant the cat's brain in the android. Sounds like it has all
the makings of a good old-fashioned Frankenstein horror flick, doesn't it?
Guess again. One of the looniest, most hilarious pieces of anime ever produced, this
should leave all but the brain-dead helpless with laughter again and again. The android,
now named Nuku-Nuku, has been reformed into the image of a purple-haired high school student
with a charmingly innocent personality (in fact, she's probably the only sane member
of the family). As usual, expect massive collateral destruction.
The U.S. distributor's
slogan for the series probably says it
best: Nine lives. Nine hundred horsepower. Need I say more?
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The unusual title for this series is due to the fact that it is in effect a "prequel"
to a live-action film (Zeiram). The plot is straightforward: a young bounty hunter (Iria)
seeks revenge when her older brother Gren is killed by a genetically engineered
monster (Zeiram). The lead character is exceptionally appealing, particularly when
she proves to be in way over her head. The animation is excellent, and the art work
downright stunning (many of the futuristic high tech machines have been designed
to remind one of classic Japanese prints). This is one you should ideally watch in one
sitting, in spite of the division into 6 episodes.
Incidentally, the DVD release of this OAV is a major bargain. Originally issued in
Japan as six separate laserdiscs (selling here for $50 to $70 each) and in the U.S. as three
full-price tapes with two episodes each, the DVD contains all six episodes for less than the cost
of a laserdisc. And the transfer is stunning.
Loosely based on a popular manga by Shirow Masumirow (Ghost in the Shell), the best description I've seen for this series can be summed up as "this-can't-possibly-be-good-for-me-but-I'm-laughing-anyways." Political correctness finds no home here, where "grenade golf" is the favored technique for interrogating suspects, the "evil" Puma Sisters (Anna and Uni) show more skin than skill, and the heroine's main squeeze is her mini-tank, Bonaparte. Set in a future where crime is utterly out of control, the last line of defense for the overtaxed police is the Tank Police, who have an alarming tendency to come up with innovative methods (usually involving the customary massive property destruction) for crime fighting. It's a real hoot but with unexpectedly poignant overtones near the end. (Be forewarned: strong language is present.)
A second OAV series (known in the U.S. as New Dominion Tank Police) was somewhat disappointing, though still entertaining. A relatively routine effort, it lacked the characterizations and deeper resonances of the first.
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