Ask John: Are There Any Fun Buried Treasures?

Question:
I almost feel like challenging Justin Sevakis to write Buried Treasure article not about a pathos anime and a Buried Trash not about a CPM title. He’s getting too predictable.

Answer:
Justin Sevakis’ Buried Treasure column for Anime News Network has done a commendable job of focusing attention on deserving but overlooked anime gems. I have no desire to compete with Mr. Sevakis’ thorough examinations of his selections. Rather, since the opportunity has been presented to me, I’d like to briefly suggest a few titles for Mr. Sevakis and other anime treasure hunters to consider unearthing.

An admirable aspect of the anime fan community is its eagerness to revere deserving works. Genuine lost treasures of anime aren’t numerous because the otaku community promotes awareness of such works through columns like Buried Treasure and casual fan discussions. So my suggestions may be considered more akin to buried semi-precious stones than genuine lost diamonds. Furthermore, as per the request, I’ll briefly nominate some overlooked worthwhile anime that fall into the action and comedy genres.

Presented in alphabetical, rather than any subjective qualitative ranking:

The 2003 (it’s really five years old, already!?) Air Master television series had an aborted American DVD release from Toei, but this fun action show has never achieved its deserved recognition. The character designs are, well, ugly. The humor is frequently dense. But Air Master’s strength lies in its stunning and exhilarating fight animation, which is far superior to anything in similar gal fighting anime including Tenjho Tenge, Ikkitousen, Fighting Beauty Wulong, and Zettai Shougeki.

When Bastard!! creator Kazushi Hagiwara and Sorcerer Hunters creator Akahori Satoru got together in 1993, the result was the chaotic but highly entertaining Bakuen Campus Guardress OVA series. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it’s got plenty of action, stylish design, and poop jokes.

The 1984 Birth OVA is available on domestic DVD, but most American anime fans have never given it a second glance, if they’re even aware it exists at all. Story and character development aren’t in abundance here. In fact, they barely appear at all. But this fast paced adventure exhibits the amazingly intricate hand drawn animation detail that simply doesn’t exist in contemporary anime.

Anime that’s old doesn’t automatically become good, and many vintage anime don’t have the ability to enthrall viewers used to contemporary anime. But with the involvement of talents including Osamu Tezuka, Gisaburo Sugii, and Yoshiyuki Tomino, the 1969 Dororo television series does hold up remarkably well. Although produced in black & white for budget reasons, the production uses its monochrome palate to its advantage to create creepy atmosphere and exciting, violent supernatural action that set the groundwork for modern swordsmen versus monsters titles like Onimusha, Devil May Cry, Jubei Ninpucho, Yotoden, and Yoma.

The 1983 Aura Battler Dunbine TV series is highly respected, but the 1988 Seisenshi Dunbine OVA series is not nearly as well remembered, despite being excellent in its own right. In many respects, the 3 episode Dunbine OVA series can be called the predecessor of Escaflowne, which alone should make the series worth seeking out.

Media Blasters has done an admirable job of preserving great little 80s and 90s OVA productions on American DVD. Mr. Sevakis has praised the Elf Princess Rane OVA series, available on Media Blasters’ DVD. The 1997 Detatoko Princess OVA series, also available from Media Blasters, is slightly less bizarre and not quite as old, but still very funny, which may make it more accessible for many viewers.

Media Blasters has also released a DVD of the 2000 OVA Karakuri no Kimi under the title “Puppet Princess.” This self-contained OVA has strong characterizations, a unique gimmick, and plenty of gruesome violence.

Appearing at the end of the 80s, the three episode Maryu Senki OVA series seems like an accumulation of everything that defined 80s anime: abundant style without much story, sleek character designs, gratuitous nudity, well animated martial arts, vicious ninjas, grotesque monsters, intensely graphic gory violence, and a willingness to conclude with an apocalyptically grim ending.

The 1998 Popolocrois Monogatari television series, based on the best selling Playstation RPG, resembles a children’s anime, but has enough character development and wonderful charm to be enthralling for viewers of any age. The 2003 sequel series also has its fans, but I’m especially partial to the first show.

The original self-contained 1995 Shadow Skill OVA, before it suffered the ignominy of increasingly inferior later anime installments, may have almost no story depth, but it does have attractive art design, plenty of gratuitous, bloody violence, and some of the finest martial arts action ever animated.

The 1992 Rumik World OVA The Supergal is a moderately enjoyable action comedy raised to the level of classic by its Jackie Chan movie styled “out takes” of mishaps and accidents that occurred during “filming” which roll during the OVA’s ending credits.

The 1988 Ten Little Gall Force likewise illustrates the comical goings on behind the scenes of the “filming” of the Gall Force trilogy. This playful parody is great fun for new viewers, and a must watch for Gall Force fans.

Today’s American anime fans are familiar with director Akiyuki Shinbo’s distinctive creativity through Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~, Lyrical Nanoha, Paniponi Dash, and Negima!? but his unique style is also very evident in the outstanding 1999 Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko television series that retained the cinematic style of the OVAs while adding much more character and story depth and development. (By the way, Akiyuki Shinbo also directed the Detatoko Princess OVA series.)

The 1998 Yoiko television series chronicles the daily life of innocent and naive fifth grade girl Esumi Fuuka, who happens to have the fully developed body of a college co-ed. This very amusing slapstick comedy is filled with nudity, sexual innuendo, and strange situational humor frequently involving Fuuka’s brother’s failed attempts at masturbation, and the minor tragedies that befall her sexually frustrated home room teacher.