If there was nearly a theme to this batch of reviews, it would be titles that have been rescued by Eastern Star / Discotek, since they've increasingly been the main source of my anime-hunting of late - though it surely says something that even many of their releases have become increasingly hard to find. On the one hand, it's easy to understand why they wouldn't be fighting to keep some of this stuff in print; presumably the sales for, say, an unfinished OVA from 1994 aren't exactly in the millions. But on the other, it would be lovely to recommend these knowing somebody might actually be able to track them down with ease. At least there are still reasonably priced copies floating about, and that also stretches to our odd-title-out, Melty Lancer, which is very definitely out of print but not too difficult to find.
As to whether you should bother, and whether those Eastern Star releases deserved to be saved or to languish in perpetual obscurity, here's what I made of Mighty Space Miners, Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers: Legend of the Inferno Armor, Melty Lancer, and Lupin the Third: Tokyo Crisis...
Mighty Space Miners, 1994, dir: Umanosuke Iida
Mighty Space Miners is probably the best OVA you'll never get to see the end of. And isn't that a conundrum? Is it better to watch something that's half finished but utterly fantastic, or is the potential trauma of two episodes of excellence and a cliff-hanger that won't ever be resolved too off-putting to warrant the risk?
I'll come back to that question, but first I probably ought to tell you what we have here, before I rush off into any more hyperbole. Mighty Space Miners is a bit like a more ambitious Gravity - and okay, yeah, that hyperbole break didn't last very long, but it's a fair comparison, and these fifty minutes certainly cram in more narrative than that (admittedly excellent!) ninety minute feature did. The most Gravity-esque plotline concerns teen hero Nanbu, whose pilot's exam gets severely disrupted when a decommissioned military satellite decides to go rogue and take a pot-shot at his home, the adapted asteroid Tortatis. Nanbu, as the only child born in space to have survived infancy, has a certain natural advantage, and he certainly needs any edge he can get amid the spiralling series of disasters that ensue when his ship is damaged. But his problems are nothing to what's happening back on the severely damaged Tortatis station, especially since both its corporate owners and the Japanese government seem willing to wash their hands of the incident without so much as trying to rescue any of the survivors.
If that sounds like a lot to cram into fifty minutes, it's actually not the half of it. Somehow, that running time tells various compact stories and introduces a large cast of persuasively complex characters, but among Mighty Space Miners' many accomplishments is some breakneck storytelling that manages to feel thrillingly urgent and concise rather than rushed or compressed. Nanbu gets most attention, and earns it, coming across as both an exceptional problem-solver under extreme stress and a believable kid who doesn't really know what the hell he's doing past the next ten seconds or so. But the rest of the cast are nearly as appealing, even those whose arcs are cut off before they've had a proper chance to get going.
Which brings us back to that opening question, and yes, there's no getting around the fact that Mighty Space Miners is seriously, agonisingly incomplete. Nothing about the fate of Tortatis gets resolved, and so far as we have any reason to believe, most of those we meet are exceedingly likely to die a horrible death in the near future. Some stuff does get wrapped up to a degree: Nanbu's own little mini-plot, which absorbs so much of the running time, thankfully mostly ties itself off. Still, for the narrative alone, it would be tough to recommend this. Personally I'd add on a point or two for the surprisingly realistic sci-fi, that being something that crops up in anime with disappointing rarity; indeed, the science-fictional world-building is in itself rather fantastic. But ultimately, the deciding factor if you're considering giving this a go is how much you're a fan of quality animation, because on that score, Mighty Space Miners is absolutely stunning. I mean, it's safe to assume that the reason its creators never reached the end is because they blew the whole damn budget on two episodes, that's how good it looks. And if you're anything like me, a gorgeously animated fifty minutes of cracking sci-fi with well-developed characters, a surplus of imagination, and an entire movie's worth of skin-of-the-teeth crisis management is worth a punt, even in the knowledge that there's no resolution to look forward to.
I'd like to admire the second Samurai Troopers OVA for its attempts to broaden the series' mythos and take it somewhere new by setting a good portion of the story in Tanzania and introducing a black antagonist (who's, notably, not a villain as such), because if there's one thing pre-twenty-first century anime was dire at, it was representation. And honestly, I think the intentions here probably were admirable: Mukala, the antagonist in question, receives a terrific visual design, the more so when he gets to armour up later on, and proves more than a match for our heroes, trouncing them at every opportunity with his awesome giant boomerang. So it's a shame that I spent almost the entire running time of these four episodes with a nagging voice in the back of my mind asking, "Wait, isn't this still pretty racist, though?"
And yes, it is, so on that front anyway, it's a case of points for trying but points lost for not trying a fair bit harder, and in general for not making Mukala an actual character rather than a largely speechless automaton - or making Tanzania feel less like a bunch of mud huts in the middle of nowhere. But there I'll leave the matter, and move onto the remainder of Legend of the Inferno Armor, which, thank goodness, is ambitious in ways that are unambiguously positive. Mukala might be underdeveloped, but the plot that's wrapped around him is a welcome surprise: I noted in my review of the first OVA that I'd like to see a bit more substance this time around, and it's certainly delivered. Indeed, this feels less like an isolated story, more like an attempt to push the existing narrative forward in meaningful ways, or even to shunt it onto a more interesting track. And even though I don't actually know what that narrative was because I've never seen the series, I still found that awfully appealing.
Basically, what Legend of the Inferno Armor does is what I personally would most like something of this ilk to do: it digs deep into an existing property and finds ways to complexify and problematize it. I don't know what the explanation for why our heroes can conjure mystical suits of armour was in the TV series, but here it takes a decidedly dark turn, and that's emphasised by the arc that one character undergoes, wherein he suddenly realises he doesn't actually want to spend the rest of his life fighting just because of some arbitrary twist of fate. In its own way, what's on offer here feels almost as dramatic an upending of its chosen formula as Neon Genesis Evangelion would be six years later: indeed, you might well find yourself shouting "Cye, get in the magical samurai armour" before the end.
With that said, there's maybe not quite enough plot to fill the nearly two-hour running time. Still, even if there are points when the pace could do to pick up a little, it's rarely a hardship: Legend of the Inferno Armor has had a slight but noticeable visual upgrade from the first OVA, to the point where it mostly looks rather fine, the copious action scenes are engaging, and the story is busy and mysterious enough that it's easy to ignore the points when it slows to spin its wheels. None of that edges this up into mind-blowing territory, perhaps because, as much it's pushing at its envelope, it's still basically coming from a formulaic place; but regardless, the attempts to do something different and meaningful with what could easily have been thoroughly disposable are definitely appreciated. It's a real shame more couldn't have been made of the potentially fascinating Mukala, and that the representation of Africa falls back on such musty stereotyping, but those are the only real blots on an otherwise well above par title.
1999 is, I think, my least favourite year for anime, a fact I'm sure I've mentioned often enough. At the end of the twentieth century, computer-assisted animation and CGI were tools few knew how to get the best out of, understandable given their relative newness, and the result was often anime that all too evidently betrayed its roots. However, I mention this not because Melty Lancer falls into that category - I mean, it does on occasions, because that's just 1999 for you - but because director Takeshi Mori does a damn sight better job of exploiting the advantages of the nascent technology while minimising its obvious flaws than the majority of his peers. Not only does the six-part OVA frequently look terrific, it looks terrific in ways that couldn't have been accomplished a handful of years earlier, making good use of CG and complex camera movements without being obnoxiously show-offy and often employing washes of digital colour that provide a gorgeous, neon-soaked hew. It's that rare turn-of-the-century title that doesn't feel visually compromised, but actually looks good in ways that couldn't have been brought about without computers, and hats off to Mori for that, as well as his generally imaginative direction and solid construction of action sequences. Granted, the character designs are distinctly generic and of their time, but that aside, Melty Lancer is attractive enough that its visuals are invariably an asset.
And yes, the fact that I'm leading off by discussing the animation does mean there's a "but" coming, because it's fair to say that nothing else here works on anywhere near the same level. Still, I don't want to go too far down that route, because, at the very least, there's a fair degree of storytelling ambition happening, and that's something I'm always in favour of. I think it's fair to say that Melty Lancer's problems largely result from being a video game tie-in, though if you're more familiar with Western than Eastern media, that will immediately paint a slightly unfair picture. Japan, in general, has a much better handle on cross-media storytelling, and also a greater inclination to exploit its potential, and it's apparent that everyone involved viewed Melty Lancer not as a trashy cash-grab spin-off but as an opportunity to take advantage of some complex preestablished setup and world-building.
Which is commendable, for sure, but it would be nice if more of that setup and world-building was there on the screen. The result, without any knowledge of the games, is tricky to follow from the off and winds up somewhere awfully near to incomprehensible. Again, I hate to bitch at a property for not playing safe, but by the last episode, I had basically no clue what the precise nature of the ultimate conflict was, or how all the involved parties fit in, or how the eventual universe-saving solution actually worked. And it didn't help that, rather than having anyone who stands out as a protagonist, the show goes to great pains to spread the love between its various one-note characters, all of whom are perfectly acceptable and some of whom are quite fun but none of whom are interesting enough to care much about. This isn't a problem in the earlier episodes, which tell discreet stories and give everyone clear mini-plots to busy themselves with, but when they're all thrust together, it's that bit more of an issue.
And there are other issues, depending on your tastes and your tolerances for this sort of thing; I've seen reviews that grumble about how all-over-the-place the tone is, but honestly, if random bursts of silly comedy amid a mostly serious story wind you up, you perhaps oughtn't to be watching vintage anime in the first place. Me, I found the anything-goes approach of a show that merrily threw magical girls and mech fights and spaceship battles and high-concept sci-fi and daft humour into one baffling stew quite charming, and up until the last couple of episodes, I was mostly won over by Melty Lancer. It definitely doesn't stick its landing, but if you're going to go off the rails, better to do it by being pretty and bewildering than by being ugly and boring, I suppose.
Having watched enough of these that I'm beginning to lose count, I feel I'm getting a fair grasp on what it takes for a Lupin the Third movie to work. Of course, there are no hard-and-fast rules, since some of the best films in the franchise are the ones that upend the formula in ways large or small, but still, it's safe to say that the average successful Lupin adventure gets to be that way by nailing a few crucial details. Strong action set pieces are pretty much vital, the more loopy and convoluted the better, and in large part for that reason, this isn't a series that can afford to stint too much on its animation: in particular, getting those archetypal core character designs wrong is sure to throw a spanner in the works. For that matter, it's almost essential that any given plot finds interesting things to do with all of its central cast, and this has blighted many an otherwise decent Lupin film. Generally, Zenigata or Fujiko are the ones to suffer, but it's not uncommon for Goemon and Jigen to be left out in the cold either.
Funnily enough, what seems to be least important is a good plot, and that's handy when it comes to Tokyo Crisis, because that's the one point on which it really falls down. When it comes to all of the above, it's a winner: its action is consistently excellent, we're back to a level of quality animation that wouldn't disgrace a cinema screen, the characters all look right without looking dated, and everybody has meaningful business to get on with. Goemon and Jigen are reduced to comic relief roles, but that's to the film's benefit, and the moment in which they're finally allowed to stop clowning and start kicking ass is a particular delight, while Fujiko probably fares worst, since she fades into the background after the midway point, but at least it's not yet another episode where she's shacked up with the villain of the week; though Tokyo Crisis feints briefly in that direction, it's only to set up a rug-pull. But primarily it's the bumbling but oddly noble Zenigata who steals the show, and for those of us who like Zenigata more than they like Lupin, that's always a treat. I'm willing to believe he actually gets more screen time, and is certainly more interesting and well-developed in the scenes he has, and that the film even gifts him a cute sort-of romance is the icing on the cake.
Admittedly, none of this is exactly new, and there are even specific details of Zenigata's arc that we've seen elsewhere. Really, that goes for pretty much everything in Tokyo Crisis: it feels more like a victory lap than an attempt to do anything daring. That's fine - mostly it's more than fine - but there is that plot I mentioned, and while it's terrific for what was clearly its intended purpose, as a frame upon which to hang all the action and character work and other excellence, in its own right, it's rather bland. There's a treasure hunt that dwindles to nothing and a villain with an evil plot that could have been copy and pasted from most any action movie inside or out of anime in 1998, and it doesn't exactly matter, especially not while you're watching, but it does leave a slight and unfortunate sense of dissatisfaction. That certainly doesn't spoil one of the better Lupin the Third movies I've seen - and maybe it's a hint that you simply can't have everything in one place when it comes to Lupin - but it does mean that, for all that many of its individual elements are fantastic, what they add up to is merely very good indeed.
-oOo-
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