Summary: Orphan Wants You!

Fansubbing is a shrinking hobby. Simultaneous streaming has taken away the primary impetus that fueled fansubbing a decade ago (and also absorbed some of the resources into paid professional work). Like every other group that persists in subtitling old shows, Orphan needs more good people: translators and translation checkers, but also editors, typesetters, QCs, and encoders.

If you'd like to help out, and you know what you're doing, then please contact me on IRC. Due to the pandemic, I spend most of my time in front of my computer screen these days, so I'm easy to find during normal Eastern time zone (GMT-5) hours.

Let's get 2021 started with a bang (so the speak), with another really obscure OVA, 1990's Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro (Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - The Castle of Love). Despite the somewhat suggestive title, this is not hentai but a romantic comedy, albeit one that's a bit more sexually charged because the protagonists are adults, not high school students.

Our heroine is Mishiba Hiromi, office lady, wallflower, and (apparently) virgin. She pines for an adult romance, like those of her sophisticated colleague Kubo-san, but she seems to have no prospects. Then suddenly, she is more or less kidnapped and taken to the Castle of Love, a love hotel on Dougenzaka hill (colloquially known as Love Hotel Hill) in Shibuya. There, the handsome manager, Fujiwara Takuma, informs her that she is the daughter of the hotel's deceased founder and thus the heir to the property. He asks the flabbergasted young woman to become president of the hotel. Hiromi is inclined to refuse, until she finds out that the job comes with a beautiful suite in the hotel, as well as fine clothes and accessories.

Returning to work utterly transformed, Hiromi catches the eye of the office Lothario, Ootsuki-san. He promptly asks her out to dinner, gets her tipsy, and takes her to a love hotel for a bit of post-prandial hanky-panky. Fortunately, his hotel of choice is the Castle of Love, and Takuma intervenes to save Hiromi from a sticky situation. Then Mickey, the son of an American hotel magnate, builds a flashy new love hotel, the El Dorado, in the neighborhood and tries to poach Takuma to be its manager. Hiromi goes to the El Dorado to plead with Mickey to stay away from Takuma, but she ends up in another dicey situation. Takuma again shows up in the nick of time. Now, with all rivals cleared out, Hiromi and Takuma can acknowledge what's been obvious to the viewer from the outset: they belong together.

The voice cast includes:

• Shiozawa Kaneto (Takuma) played Kohei in Karuizawa Syndrome, Shin in Hiatari Ryoukou, Iason in Ai no Kusabi, Rock Holmes in Fumoon, Shiina in Chameleon, Sanzou in I am Son Goku, and Kurahashi Eiji in Nine, all Orphan releases. He also played Joe in Tokimeki Tonight, Yoshio in Miyuki, Takeshi in Touch, D in Vampire Hunter D, Narsus in the Arslan Senki OVAs, Rosario in Dragon Half, and Abriel senior in Crest of the Stars.
• Mizutani Yuko (Hiromi) played Pinoko in all the Black Jack properties, as well as Rika in Sei Michaela Gakuen Hyouryuuki, Lila in Eien no Filena, and Dr. Uematsu Kikue in Yume Kakeru Kougen, all Orphan projects.
• Katsuki Masako (Kubo) played Maroko in Gosenzosama Banbanzai and its movie version, Maroko, Mira in Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Queen Bee in Golgo 13: Queen Bee, and Tsunade (Fifth Hokage) in the Naruto franchise. She also played Arianna Wyszynska in Apfelland Monogatari, Kenbishi Yuuri in Yuukan Club, Hojo's lover in Sanctuary, Itchan's mother in Sensou Douwa: Tako ni Natta Okaasan, and Yamazaki's maintenance engineer Kiriko in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call, all Orphan releases.
• Seki Toshihiko (Ootsuki) was one of the leading male seiyuu in this period. He played the title role in Izumo, Riki in Ai no Kusabi, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, the gang leader Hiba in Wild 7, Yoshitarou in Mikeneko Holmes, Miroku in Yuukan Club, Chuuta in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, the fighter Nagase Jun in Akai Hayate, the unnamed protagonist of Oruorane the Cat Player, and Sara's younger brother Junichiro in Kasei Yakyoku, all Orphan releases. He also played Matsuda in the Yawara! properties, Sanzo in the Saiyuuki TV series, and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro.
• Shioya Yoku (Mickey) played Triton in the Umi no Triton TV series and movies, Ryouta in Slam Dunk, Jinpei the Swallow in Gatchaman, Cosmo Yuki in Space Runaway Ideon, and the title role in Kariage-kun. He also played numerous featured roles, including Zhuge Jun in the first Sangokushi movie, an Orphan release. He also did sound direction on many series.

The director, Imanishi Takashi, has many credits, including Capricorn, The Cockpit, The Violinist of Hamelin, Zegapain, Yamato 2199, and multiple series and movies in the Gundam franchise. 

Iri bought a second-hand laserdisc of this show. gamnark ripped it on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded it. Iri then translated and did initial timing; Yogicat fine timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Rezo QCed.

Milky Passion tells a complete story. It's not a teaser for another media property. I found it quite enjoyable. The show does include some nudity and sex; it's a 1990s OVA, after all, and it's set in a love hotel. If that doesn't discourage you - or if that does encourage you - you can download the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

HD raws of Nine have been floating around the web for a while now. They were streaming rips, and they were letter-boxed or pillar-boxed. I wasn't prepared to transplant Orphan's Nine subs to these raws without a re-encode to strip off the black borders. It took a while to find a willing encoder, and even longer to move the copious typesetting to the new raws. But at last it's done. Here is the first of the three Nine OVAs, Nine: Original-ban.

Of course, there are complications. Niimi's running skills attract the attention of Yasuda Yumiki from the track club. She thinks Niimi would make a great coach for her and an even better boyfriend. Yuri is being courted by Yamanaka Kentarou, a slightly older rock-star pitcher for rival Bunan High School. And Karasawa would also like to court Yuri, although Niimi, as the designated hero, has the inside track. You can get more details, including notes on the cast and staff, in the original blog post.

 Here's a high definition version of the second installment in the Nine trilogy, Nine 2: Koibito Sengen (Nine 2: Declaring Love). Once again, the raw is a 1080p web rip, downscaled to 720p with the black bars removed.

When we last saw our main characters, Niimi Katsuya and Nakao Yuri were beginning to see themselves as a couple, but Katsuya was being pursued by a rising track star, Yasuda Yukimi, and Yuri by rival Bunan's third-year pitching phenom, Yamanaka Kentarou. New complications arise in this episode, as Kentarou's younger brother Jirou joins the Seishuu baseball team and promptly falls for Yukimi.

For more information, see my blog post on the standard definition release.

Orphan's HD releases of the Nine saga reaches its end with the third installment, 1984's Nine: Kanketsuhen (Nine: Final). Niimi Katsuya, Karasawa Susumu, and Kurahashi Eiji are all third-years, as are Nakao Yuri and Yasuda Yukimi. The principal romantic relationships are set. Katsuya is paired off with Yuri, and Jirou-kun (a second-year) with Yasuda Yukimi. Katsuya's former romantic rival, Jirou's older brother Kentarou, has gone on to college or pro baseball and is out of the picture. Thus, Nine: Kanketsuhen focuses on some of the side characters, as well as the climax of Coach Nakao's decades-long quest to get to the holy of holies, the high school baseball championships at Koushien.

The Orphan staff is the same as the standard-definition release. Moho translated; laalg checked the dialog and signs; and Sunachan checked the songs. ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset; the typesetting had to be completely redone for the different color balance in the high-definition raw. BeeBee, Topper3000, and VigorousJammer QCed the original release; getfresh and Uchuu QCed this one. bananadoyouwanna downscaled a 1080p webrip to 720p and removed the pillar-box black borders.

Some translation notes:

• Takagi Youko pokes fun at Karasawa's weight by calling him Karabuta literally, "Kara-pig." I've localized the insult as a pun with "Kawa-sow-a," even though a "sow" is actually a female pig, because she caricatured him as a pig in Nine 2.
• Omaeda, the monster pitcher on Seishuu's Koushien rivals, mistakes "Seishuu" for "Seishu," a brand of sake. That's the key reason I added the "u" for long Japanese vowels (Seishuu, Kentarou, Jirou) throughout the show, even though Seishuu's team uniforms say "Seishu" in Roman letters. 
• Many of the signs at Koushien are parodies of real Japanese brands and companies. For example, KDY 電話 (KDY Telephone) is a joke on a real telecommunications company, Kddi.
  

For this release, I've typeset a few more of the Koushien signs, because laalg bothered to translate them all; I want to honor her contribution.

Sensou Douwa (War Tales or War Fables) was a series of TV specials by Shin-Ei Animation that ran annually from 2002 to 2009. In chronological order:

Orphan has already released The Boy and the Sea Turtle, The Cake Tree in the Ruins,and The Mother Who Became a Kite. Today, we're releasing Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi (The Tale of the Ginormous Whale That Fell in Love with a Little Submarine), and that brings us to the halfway point in the series.

Once again, the show draws upon a short story by Nosaka Akiyuki, but this time, the tone is somewhat different, a bit lighter. The human protagonist is a boy named Hayano Kota. Boys as young as 15 and 16 are being drafted into the Japanese navy, and Kota is training to be a pilot (presumably a kamikaze pilot). However, he's totally inept, and he ends up being transferred to a coastal-defense submarine. There he crosses paths with the other main character.

This second protagonist is not a human but a whale - specifically, a sei whale (sardine whale) that Kota names Kusuke. Sei whales are the third largest whale species, after blue whales and fin whales. Kusuke is a particularly impressive specimen, 20 meters long - and that's his problem. Female sei whales are supposed to be bigger than the males, but no female is as large as he is. As a result, he is lovelorn and lonely, scorned by the females who want mates that are smaller than they are, and scammed by dolphins and orcas that want him to stop eating all the sardines in the area.

Swimming to Rainbow Sea for the annual mating gathering of the sei whales, Kusuke encounters Kota's submarine and mistakes it for the object of his desire, a female sei whale that's bigger than he is. He starts courting "her", which involves vocalizing, bumping bodies, and generally playing. But the noise attracts American anti-submarine forces, and the mating game takes a potentially deadly turn - for the whale, for the submarine, or both.

Up until the last act, Chiisai plays like a comedy (hence, the playful translation of the title). Kusuke is dumb but earnest, convinced that he has finally found a mate. Kota, ping for a girl onshore, tries to convince himself that sacrificing his life for the glory of the Empire is the right path, but he really just wants to be friends with Kusuke and go home. But war is no respecter of the desires of either whales or humans, and the ending is somber.

The original story is much sparser than the anime. The whale is unnamed, and the only described human character is the sub captain. The story is set after the surrender, but the captain refuses to accept the news and tries to continue the war. That brings about a final hostile encounter with American naval forces, and the love-struck whale is caught in the crossfire.  

One historical note: Kota's submarine isn't an actual Japanese sub type. The original story describes the sub as "half again as long" as Kusuke, that is, 30meters, and the anime shows a crew of five. However, second-class Japanese subs were much longer (47 meters and up, with a crew of more than 25), and midget submarines were much smaller (under 10 meters, with a crew of only two). 

The voice cast has only a few well-known names:

• Takato Yasuhiro (Kusuke the whale) played Artemis in the Sailor Moon franchise, Gluttony in original Full Metal Alchemist, Russia in the Hetalia franchise, Kase-bake in GeGeGe no Kitarou (2007), and many featured roles, often as animals.
• Miura Tomu (Kota) has no other credits.
• Orikasa Fumiko (narrator) played Oseki in Hidamari no Ki (an Orphan release), Kuchiki Rukia in all the Bleach properties, Mikan in Atashinchi, Yuzuki in Chobits, Karin in the Stratos 4 properties, Ikuku in the Massagu ni Ikou OVAs, Aoba in Jinki Extend,
  Seras Victoria in both versions of Hellsing, Nicoletta in Restaurant Paradisio, Riza Hawkeye in the original Full Metal Alchemist, Lotte Yanson in Little Witch Academia, and the heroine Okonogi Yuuko in Dennou Coil.
• Kikuchi Yuumi (Kota's crush Yoshie) had only a few featured roles.
• Kusao Takeshi (the fast-talking Orca) played the lead roles in Junk Boy and Fujilog, the title role in Babel II, Trunks in the Dragon Ball Z franchise, Sakuragi in Slam Dunk, Lamune in NG Knight Lamume & 40, the teenaged Tezuka Osamu in Tezuka Osamu Monogatari, Daichi in Singles, and the icy director Kurume Kenjirou in Smash Hit!; the last three are Orphan releases. He is still active, appearing in the recent Major 2nd.
• Narita Ken (Dolphin B) played Sesshoumaru in the Inuyasha franchise, Seimei in Loveless, and Byakuroku (the snake demon) in Amatsuki, an Orphan release.
• Tahara Aruno (sub captain) appeared in Apfelland Monogotari and Bremen 4, both Orphan releases, among numerous other featured roles.
• Shioya Kouzou (instructor) played Kaji-kun in Stop!! Hibari-kun! (an Orphan release) and Konaki Jiji in GeGeGe no Kitarou (1996), among numerous featured roles.
  

The director, Yasumi Tetsuo, helmed more than half of the Sensou Douwa specials.

Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi is not as bleak as the previously released Sensou Douwa episodes, but it's still a sobering reminder of the toll war takes on willing participants and bystanders alike. This continues to be an outstanding series, best taken one episode at a time. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

In the deep, dark past, an animator named Itoso Kenji created a one-man show called Coluboccoro. He did the story, the planning, the animation, and the direction. By 2015, he had formed an animation company, Kenji Studio. They ran a Kickstarter campaign to spruce up Coluboccoro, lengthen it to 30 minutes, and put it out as a Blu-ray. Commie Subs picked up this version and released it. The project leader, herkz, was not impressed:

Today we bring you part four in our series “Killing Anime by Subbing Successful Kickstarter Projects”! That said, the video quality in about half the scenes was quite bad in a way that can’t really be fixed, and I feel bad for people who backed this. RIP.

Fast forward another few years, and Kenji revisited Coluboccoro yet again, replacing the voice actors, changing the ending song, and lengthening the show by another five minutes. Orphan is now releasing an English-subtitled version of the most recent release.

Coluboccoro is a sci-fi, eco-friendly fantasy set in some sort of rural future. The 14-year-old heroine, Suzu, is a descendent of a distinguished shaman who saved her people from catastrophe in the past. Suzu finds and grows a strange seed that turns into a sort of winged plant, Coluboccoro.

They set out on a journey to the Forbidden Grounds, to find out what really makes her world tick. She is opposed by the village elder, known only as Ji ("old man"), who harbors a Dark Secret. You can take it from there.

Coluboccoro 2019 reminds me of another one-man project, Waza no Tabibito. That also features a mahou shoujo heroine, argues single- (and simple-)  mindedly against technology, and is rife with cliches and anime tropes. The additions in the 2019 version of Coluboccoro are just padding. The animation quality is highly variable; the older sections stick out. All in all, not a brilliant result.

The new voice cast includes:

• Nishino Nanase (Suzu or "bell") is primarily a fashion model and idol. Her only other anime credit is One Piece Film: Gold.
• Hara Natsuko (Suika or "watermelon") played the title role in Ame-iro Cocoa: Side G and Ameratsu in Onigiri. She is also a model.
• Oomori Nichika (Coluboccoro) played Chiya in the Mahou Shoujo Nante Mou series, Yurina in the Jashin-chan Dropkick series, Mokuku in the Otono no Bouguya-san series, and Keito in Ame-iro Cocoa: Side G.
• Omigawa Chiaki (Mikoto, the tutor) played Maka Albarn in Soul Eater, Jun in Natsu no Arashi, Hotori in Soredemo Machi wa Mawatte Iru, Sassa Maria in Double-J, Elena Peoples in Eureka Seven Ao, Nazuna in the Hidamari Sketch franchise, Naomi in the Bungou Stray Dogs franchise, and Mutsumi in the Seitokai Yakuindomo franchise.
• Chafuurin (Ji) played title role in Barbapapa Around the World, Inspector Megure in the Detective Conan franchise, Scotch Jii-san in the Hello Kitty franchise, Isono in Sazae-san (since 2014), and Kamoda in Yawara! He also appeared in Jikuu Bouken Nuumamonjaa, Yamato 2520 and Izumo (1991), all Orphan releases.

The director, Itoso Kenji, is also responsible for Santa Company which, like Coluboccoro, has undergone revisions and expansions as funds became available.

The original subs were taken from Commie's release. Iri checked and revised them and translated the additional scenes and the new ending song. M74 timed. I edited; the original Commie typesetting and styling was retained. BeeBee and TougeWolf QCed. Skr found the raw, a 1080p web stream.

A note on the typesetting (or lack thereof). The additions in this version included a rather pointless argument between Suzu and her tutor about why certain Japanese condiments can take the "o-" honorific, denoting respected or higher quality, while others do not. Accompanying this exchange is a set of signs that wiggle, rotate, scale, and sheer. I couldn't figure out how to typeset them, nor could any other typesetter in the team. So for now, the signs are set with {\an8} notes. If anyone comes out with a decent-looking typeset for them, we'll do a v2.

You can probably sense that I wasn't all that impressed with Coluboccoro 2019, but YMMV. You can find it on the usual torrent site or download it from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

In previous posts, I've written about advances in technology that have enabled Orphan, and other fansub teams, to get more out of analog sources. These included:

• The Domesday Duplicator, which taps into a laserdisc player's laser and records the raw RF data, bypassing the player's aging analog electronics. The RF information is then processed in software.
• An uncompressed VHS capture setup, which eliminates compression artifacts from VHS capture cards and allows software to deal with VHS issues.

These improvements have produced noticeably better raws from analog sources and, as a result, a raft of re-issues of old projects.

Technology does not stand still, though, and improvements happen almost continuously, particularly in software processing. For example, ld-decode, the software for the Domesday Duplicator, is now on its sixth revision and has improved in every aspect. A continuous "diet" of rips from flawed laserdiscs has made the software much more robust against bit rot and other physical problems. The latest development allows direct decoding to YUV colorspace instead of RGB, skipping the RGB -> YUV conversion that was previously required. The software is also much faster. However, processing of CX-compressed analog audio still requires improvement.

Another fascinating development is the application of AI to anime. For decades, AI was a pipedream, and even today, it requires massive computing power. However, today's gaming computers are monsters: 8 to 32 cores, 16 to 64 threads, all the memory you can eat, and ultra-fast NVMe-based mass storage. Open source AI software is available. One of Orphan's encoders has been training an AI on hand-drawn anime from the 80s and 90s, and he is seeing substantial image quality improvements. On a commercial scale, AI is being used to produce better upscales of standard-definitions sources to HD.

Of course, there are severe limits; it's still early days. The underlying sources have to be free of mastering issues such as blended frames and interlacing issues. The technology can do cleanup when none is required or desired, so manual inspection of results remains a necessity. But the promise is there. Someday, it may be possible to undo the problems in even badly damaged sources.

One development remains tantalizingly out of reach: a "Domesday Duplicator" for VHS tapes. This would tap into the output from the helical scan playback head and then do all the decoding in software. It's a very complicated problem in both hardware and software, but it would get around some of the limitations in uncompressed capture, such as timing issues that require a Time Base Corrector. Hardware that would allow the tape to be "oversampled" as it is read might help even more.

Do all these improvements presage yet another round of Orphan re-releases? Thankfully, no. The initial jump in video quality from years-old Internet raw to Domesday Duplicator capture or uncompressed VHS capture was massive; just look at Meisou ou Border (VHS) or Al Caral no Isan (laserdisc) if you need convincing. Further improvements are more incremental, and they'll be applied to new releases, not old ones. Unless, of course, AI can someday undo all the frame blending in Amon Saga or Every Day Is Sunday... just kidding.

Sometimes, Orphan's path to a project is so convoluted that even I can't quite figure out how we got there. That's pretty much the case with the 1995 OVA Megami Paradise. Back in the "airlie days", when I was collecting obscure titles and putting them up on BoxTorrents (now BakaBT) to build up my ratio, I stumbled across Megami Paradise and offered it there. As was the case with other obscure shows, notably Hermes, Winds of Love, I didn't bother to watch it. It rested there, utterly forgotten, for more than a decade, until someone asked for the music from the show. By then, Intrepid had set up a media acquisition capability in Japan, so I bought the CD of the show, he ripped it, and I uploaded it. I figured that, while I was at it, I might as well buy the laserdiscs too, because the available rip was very old. So here we are. I've had to watch it now.

Megami Paradise is based on a role-playing game. It tells the story of a divine paradise, ruled by Mamamega (short for Mama Megami, Mother Goddess). It contains the Astrostar, which absorbs evil thoughts from Earth. When the Astrostar is full to bursting, Mamamega purifies it and then surrenders her role to a new Megamama. As the story open, just such a succession event is happening. The new Mamamega selects Lilith, a "summoning witch" (a witch who doesn't need a wand), as a shrine maiden and asks her to recruit two more. Lilith tries to recruit Juliana, a swordswoman, and Stasia, a musician, but they decline. Instead, Lilith ends up with Stasia's "little sister" Rurubell, a wannabe sorceress, just as Paradise comes under attack from Evil Forces bent on disrupting the succession. Can Lilith, aided by Rurubell and, reluctantly, Stasia and Juliana, fight off the hench(wo)men of Yamimama, the Dark Mother? And just who are Yamimama and her Yamimegas (short for Yami Megami, Dark Goddess) Pastel, Angela, Maharaja, and Rouge? Refugees from an 80s girl-band?

So yeah, the plot is pretty thin, and in any case, it takes a back seat to a frequent succession of upskirt pantsu shots and other ecchi fare, because Megami Paradise is the first collaboration between Studio Fantasia, director Nishijima Katsuhiko, and character designer Yamauchi Noriyasu, who would become famous (or notorious) for Agent Aika and Najica Blitz Tactics. Megami doesn't reach the heights (or depths) of Aika, but it's clearly a prototype for the formula used in the later shows. With views like this, who needs a plot?

 

The voice cast includes quite a few well-known names:

• Shiina Hekiru (Rurubell) played Elysse in Plastic Little, Hikaru in the Rayearth series, Asami in Seirei Tsukai, Fam in Hikyou Tanken Fam & Ihrlie, Rockman in the Rockman Hoshi ni Negai wo OVAs,  Alpha in the Yokohama Country Cafe OVAs,and Nene (the protagonist's perverted younger sister) in the Seitokai Yakuindomo franchise.
• Shiratori Yuri (Lilith) played the title roles in the Kiko Lala and Angelique franchises, Cherry in the Saber Marionette franchise, Aki in Boys Be..., and Hatoko in Angelic Layer. 
• Ogata Megumi (Juliana) played Sailor Uranus in the Sailor Moon franchise, Kurama in Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Akito in Kodomo no Omocha,Shinji in Evangelion, Yuugi in the first Yuugi-ou series, Kyuu in Detective Academy Q, Valkyrie in the UFO Pricess Valkyrie series, Itona in the Assassination Classroom series, and Makoto in Danganronpa. 
• Inoue Kikuko (Stasia) played Kasumi in Ranma 1/2, Chigusa in Kekko Kamen, Mizuho in Onegai Teacher and Onegai Twins, Yayoi in the Happy Lesson properties, Momozono Mei in Mouse, Maria in Gungrave, Emeraldas in Space Symphony Maetel, Belldandy in the Ah My Goddess franchise, Lust in Full Metal Alchemist, Goei in Ikkitousen, Eucliwood in the Kore wa Zombie franchise, and the mother in the Uchouten Kazoku series. She also played Shouta in The Girl from Phantasia, Narusawa in Doukyuusei 2, Doria in D4 Princess, and Mai in Hand Maid May,all Orphan releases. 
• Nagashima Yuuko (Angela) played Yuka in Kiss wa Me ni Shite, an Orphan release, and Hotaru's mother in the Non Non Biyori franchise. 
• Kobakashi Yuuko (Maharaja) played Nico Robin in the One Piece franchise, Rapier in Maze, Rin in Otaku no Seiza, Washuu in Tenchi Muyou, and Kikunosuke in Oedo ga Nemurenai!, an Orphan release. 
• Hikami Kyouko (Pastel) played Momoko in Wedding Peach, Momo in Ultra Nyan, and Sara in Hand Maid May. The last two are Orphan releases. 
• Watanable Kumiko (Rouge) played Shippou in the Inuyasha franchise, the title role in the St. Grog franchise, and Kyouko in the Working! franchise. 
• Tanaka Atsuko (new Mamamega) played Mauve in ACCA, the title role in Advancer Tina, Nena Hargen in Aika, Cassandra in Alexander, Dana in AWOL Compression Remix (an Orphan release), Caster in the Fate franchise, Motoko Kusanagi in the GITS franchise, Bynas in Ozma, Claudette in Queen's Blade, and Jagara in Wolf's Rain. 
• Katsuki Masako (previous Mamamega/Yamimama) played Maroko in Gosenzosama Banbanzai and its movie version, Maroko, Mira in Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, Queen Bee in Golgo 13: Queen Bee, and Tsunade (Fifth Hokage) in the Naruto franchise. She also played Arianna Wyszynska in Apfelland Monogatari, Kenbishi Yuuri in Yuukan Club, Hojo's lover in Sanctuary, Itchan's mother in Sensou Douwa: Tako ni Natta Okaasan, Kubo in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka, and Yamazaki's maintenance engineer Kiriko in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call, all Orphan releases.

The casting, by the way, gives away the biggest cliffhander in the OVAs, by making clear exactly who Yamimama is, or was.

The original subtitles were transcribed from ADV's R1 VHS tapes by rhford. Nemesis checked the translation; it has significant revisions. Yogicat timed. I edited and typeset (very few signs). For reasons I can't fathom, a large percentage of the QC team piled onto this one - BeeBee, Rezo, Topper3000, and Uchuu. (Perhaps the subject matter is appealing.) Intrepid encoded from a Domesday Duplicator rip of the Japanese laserdiscs. The laserdiscs included a digital audio track, so the encode uses FLAC audio. I've given up complaining.

Megami Paradise isn't Grade A 90s OVA fare, but it's not the worst, either. Although ecchi in places, it's much tamer than the Aika series. It won't leave a lasting impression, but it won't make you want to rip your eyeballs out. Basically, it's middling. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

One of Orphan's earliest Tezuka Osamu projects was the set of six OVAs known as the Lion Books:

The project took 18 months, from the middle of 2013 to the end of 2014. Except for Adachigahara and Akuemon, Orphan used existing raws from other teams. I've always been less than happy about the quality of those raws. Last month, I was able to purchase a complete set of the Lion Books R2J DVDs, and Orphan will be redoing the OVAs with new encodes.

Tezuka Productions started the Lion Books as a speculative project for a 26-episode TV series. When there were no takers, the project was shelved, and individual episodes were eventually released as OVAs. The Green Cat was actually completed before Dallos, but because there's no proof of its release date, Dallos (also a speculative TV project) is generally regarded as the first OVA.

The Green Cat (Midori no Neko) is one of two Lion Book OVAs based on a Tezuka Osamu manga. (The other is Adachigahara.) It tells a fanciful science fiction tale (tail?) about green cat-like creatures from outer space. As the story opens, Ban Shunsaku is a partner in a dry cleaning business with his friend Yuno. Their mundane existence is shattered when Susan the Gangster and her thugs burst in and take hostages. Susan is toting a green cat and seems to believe it makes her immune from capture. In the ensuing mayhem, Yuno is killed. With his dying wish, he asks Ban to care of his son, Sanbo. Then, the green cat deserts Susan, and so does her luck; she is killed in a shootout with police.

Intending to return to Japan, Ban drives across the country with Sanbo. He is spooked by an encounter with a UFO. In the aftermath, he finds that little Sanbo has acquired a green cat. On the trip to Japan, Sanbo and the cat disappear. Ban dedicates his life to tracking down Sanbo, a task which will take decades. He finds Sanbo, still with the green cat, racking up a fortune through increasingly shady means, while a mysterious Professor observes the pair. Ban must now rescue Sanbo from the cat and from his descent into outright criminality.

The Green Cat is the only Lion Book OVA that uses Tezuka Osamu's star system extensively. Ban Shunsaku is Higeoyaji, who appeared in many of the Love Will Save the World TV specials and the movie Metropolis. Sanbo is Rock Holmes, who was often used as a villain. Ben Heck, a criminal rival of Sanbo, is a minor character in the system. The voice cast reflects the recurring appearances of some of the characters:

• Tomita Kousei (Ban Shunsaku) played the same role (Higeoyaj) in the TV specials Fumoon, Marine Express, Ginga Tansa 2100: Border Planet, Tezuka Osamu Monogatari: Boku wa Son Gokuu, and Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken (all Orphan releases), the movies Jungle Tatei and Metropolis, and in several Astro Boy properties. He also played Watson in Sherlock Hound.
• Shiozawa Kaneto (Yuno Sanbo) played Takuma in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - The Castle of Love, Kohei in Karuizawa Syndrome, Shin in Hiatari Ryoukou, Iason in Ai no Kusabi, Rock Holmes in Fumoon, Shiina in Chameleon, Sanzou in I am Son Goku, and Kurahashi Eiji in Nine, all Orphan releases. He also played Joe in Tokimeki Tonight, Yoshio in Miyuki, Takeshi in Touch, D in Vampire Hunter D, Narsus in the Arslan Senki OVAs, Rosario in Dragon Half, and Abriel senior in Crest of the Stars.
• Nozawa Masako (Green) is a legend. She played the leads in 30000 Miles Under the Sea, The Adventures of Gamba, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry no Bouken, Billy Inu nan demo Shoukai, and Hey! Bumboo. She was Enma-kun in the original Dororon Enma-kun, Son Goku in the original Dragonball, and Kitarou in the 1968 and 1971 versions of GeGeGe no Kitarou, as well as Hakaba Kitarou. Even though her first role was in 1965, she is still active, appearing as Obaba in Ping Pong the Animation, Madame Curie in Marie & Gali, and of course, Medama Oyaji in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. She won a lifetime achievement award in 1997. She played the title role in Manxmouse, Lek in Cool Cool Bye, and Costar in 15 Shounen Hyouruuki, all Orphan releases.
• Takiguchi Junpei (Professor) brought his distinctive voice to the roles of Dr. Yamanado in Fumoon, Scratch in Techno Police 21C, the villainous king of Kanemacchi Castle in Grim Douwa: Kin no Tori, the Mouse Thief in Stop!! Hibari-kun!, and Dong Zhung in the first Sangokushi movie, all Orphan releases. He also played the Millennium Earl in D.grayman, John Trelawney in Treasure Island, and Dr. Laughton in Metropolis.
• Shima Shinsuke (Sanbo's father) played the Messenger in Amon Saga, an Orphan release, and Director Tanimura in the Oishinbo TV series and movies.
• Takizawa Kumiko (Susan the gangster) played Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (movie). She  was in several prior Orphan releases, playing Elena in Techno Police 21C and Kanako's mother in Boyfriend, and appearing in Fumoon, Makoto-chan, and Scoopers.
• Yada Kouji (Ben Heck) is best known as Dr. Gero in the Dragonball franchise. He appeared in A Penguin's Memories and the three Sangokushi movies, all Orphan releases.
  

The Green Cat was directed by the master himself, Tezuka Osamu.

The original subtitles were from Viki but needed additional work. convexity did the translation check. archdeco timed the original version; the new one required only minor tweaks. I edited and typeset both versions. CP and Saji QCed the original version; Nemesis and Uchuu QCed this version. Skr encoded from an R2J DVD.

It's a real pleasure to revisit the Lion Books after more than seven years. When I opened the new encode and watched the charming opening - when some of Tezuka Osamu's most beloved characters (Astro Boy, Unico, Princess Sapphire) jump out from the pages - I was once again swept up into the world of "the god of manga."The six Lion Book episodes show differing facets of his talent, but their short running time makes them more focused than the later, and longer, Love Will Save the World specials. Whether you downloaded the original release or not, I strongly urge you to get this one and rediscover the joys of Tezuka Osamu's shorter works. You can get The Green Cat from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

P.S. This time around, the files use the English rather than the Japanese titles. Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, after all.

One of Orphan's earliest Tezuka Osamu projects was the set of six OVAs known as the Lion Books:

The project took 18 months, from the middle of 2013 to the end of 2014. Except for Adachigahara and Akuemon, Orphan used existing raws from other teams. I've always been less than happy about the quality of those raws. Last month, I was able to purchase a complete set of the Lion Books R2J DVDs, and Orphan will be redoing the OVAs with new encodes. Here is the second episode, Rain Boy (Amefuri Kozou).

The first four Lion Books have a similar theme - the quest of a lonely boy for companionship and friends. While The Green Cat is mainstream science fiction, Rain Boy is more of a whimsical fantasy. Mouta lives in the mountains, the son of a teacher in a rural school. Once a month, he goes to a school in the "big city," where he is bullied by the locals as a country bumpkin. Wishing that he had a friend, he stumbles across a strange boy shaped like an umbrella, Rain Boy, who walks around under a personal rain cloud. Only Mouta can see Rain Boy, and the latter becomes Mouta's first friend.

Rain Boy is more than an imaginary companion, because he can act physically in the real world; perhaps he's a tsukomogami. He helps Mouta get a measure of revenge on the bullies, and he saves the local school from a fire. However, their adventures together are cut short when Mouta's family moves to the city. Only much later, when Mouta is a grown man with a child of his own, does he remember Rain Boy and a promise made but not fulfilled. The ending is bittersweet.

I want to mention the art direction, by Kobayashi Shichirou and Miyamoto Seiji. Rain Boy looks very different from The Green Cat, with cartoonish landscape, blocky designs for the human characters, and watercolor-like backdrops:

The voice cast includes:

• Hayami Shou (young Mouto) starred as Nanjou in Zetsuai: 1989 and Bronze: Zetsuai since 1989, and  as Kushinige Hodaka in Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru. He also played an angel in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, Iason's friend Raoul in Ai no Kusabi, Hojo in Sanctuary, Pat Leivy in Starship Troopers, Junoichi in Blazing Transfer Student, Exper Kain in Exper Zenon, and Seichii in Mikoneko Holmes. All of these shows are Orphan releases. 
• Hori Junko (Rain Boy) played the title roles in Shin Obake no Q-taro, Cat Eyed Boy, Chinpui, and Ninja Hattori-kun, young Rock in Wan Wan Chuushingura, and Bunrestu in Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Aono Takeshi (Moutou's father) played Nurarihyon in every incarnation of GeGeGe no Kitarou through 2007, Billy Bones in Treasure Island, Bookman in D.grayman, Dracule in One Piece, Katsuhiko Masaki in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, and Shiro Sanada in the Yamato franchise. He also appeared in A Penguin's Memories, Ginga Tansa 2100: Border-nen, Fire Emblem, Grimm Douwa: Kin no Tori, Hashire Melos!, the three Sangokushi movies (as Guan Yu), and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Gouri Daisuke (Bancho) played Hiromi in the Patlabor franchise. His made numerous featured appearances, including Fireball, Peter Pan no Bouken, Dragonball, and Kinnikuman, as well as Bavi Stock, Wolf Boy,Hi-Speed Jecy, Hidamari no Ki, and the three Sangokushi movies. The last five are Orphan releases.
• Nagai Ichirou (Azuki-arai) starred in numerous shows, playing grandfather Jigoro in Yawara!, the off-the-wall narrator in Gosenzosama Banbanzai!, Professor Hajime in Queen Millennia, and Happosai in the Ranma 1/2 franchise. He appeared in Manxmouse, Nora, Hidamari no Ki, Yuukan Club, Amon Saga, Botchan, Ipponbouchou Mantaraou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Mita Yuuko (one of the bullies) played the title role in Pokonyan, Posi in the Creamy Mami franchise, Kazuya in the Kimagura Orange Road franchise, Neko Musume in the 1985 iteration of GeGeGe no Kitarou, and Will in Robin Hood no Daibouken.
• Akiyama Runa (another of the bullies) played Pench Eliza in the Ginga Hyouryuu Vifam franchise.
  

Rain Boy was directed by Tezuka Osamu. It is one of two Lion Book episodes with an English dub tract; the other is Yamatarou Comes Back.

Moho Kareshi did the original translation, and convexity checked. Eternal_Blizzard timed. I edited and typeset; the typesetting is slightly revised for this release. CP and Calyrica did the original QC; Nemesis and Uchuu QCed this release. Skr encoded from an R2J DVD.

Rain Boy is another fine episode in the Lion Book series. You can download it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arurtha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

 

Tezuka Osamu directed.

convexity redid the original Viki translation, and the changes were extensive. Eternal_Blizzard timed the original release, and Yogicat retimed this one. I edited and typeset both releases. CP, Calyrica, and konnakude QCed the original release, and Nemesis and Uchuu QCed this release. Skr encoded the raw from an R2J DVD. Because of the improved image stability over the image release, I was able to typeset a few more of the coffee posters.

All six Lion Books begin with a credit sequence featuring some Tezuka Osamu's best-loved characters. Today's trivia quiz: can you name all the characters in the closing shot?

This release brings Orphan to the halfway point in the Lion Book series. You can download Lunn Flies into the Wind from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

One of Orphan's earliest Tezuka Osamu projects was the set of six OVAs known as the Lion Books:

The project took 18 months, from the middle of 2013 to the end of 2014. Except for Adachigahara and Akuemon, Orphan used existing raws from other teams. I've always been less than happy about the quality of those raws. Last month, I was able to purchase a complete set of the Lion Books R2J DVDs, and Orphan will be redoing the OVAs with new encodes. This is the fourth episode, Yamatarou Comes Back (Yamatarou Kaeru).

Yamatarou is a sentimental and slightly strange take on friendship, in this case between a brown bear cub and a class C62 steam locomotive. Yamatarou and his mother become stranded on floating ice when the ice pack they are on breaks up. The crew of a passing fishing vessel rescues them, but the mother bear does not survive. Yamatarou is sold to the owner of a rural sundries store, who chains him up and uses him to sell his "food" (fish) to the locals. Yamatarou is growing fat and despondent, his only companion a snarky local cat, when he is befriended by a passing steam engine. The engine, which Yamatarou calls C6, teaches the cub how to be strong and break free from his chain and then returns the cub to the wild. They have another, fateful encounter when Yamatarou has become an adult.

Moho Kareshi translated, and convexity did translation checking. Eternal_Blizzard timed the original; Yogicat timed this version. I edited and typeset both versions. CP, Calyrica, and konnakude QCed the original; Nemesis and Uchuu QCed this version. Skr encoded from an R2J DVD. The encode includes an English dub audio track. In this release, I've changed one of Moho's translation quirks (rendering short and long Japanese vowels the same way), so Yamataro in the original is Yamatarou in this version. That aligns the title with standard sources like AniDB.

(Key: DdD = Domesday Duplicator laserdisc rip. AIW7500 = uncompressed VHS rip. TLC = translation check)

However, without translators, these shows will remain stuck in the vaults, inaccessible to an English-speaking audience. Even Chameleon is stalled for lack of a translator to do the songs in the last three episodes.

So yes, this is a recruiting post for translators; but it's also a notice that Orphan is basically going into quasi-hibernation. We'll finish what we started, like the HD versions of the Sangokushi movies and the Sensou Douwa specials, but after that, releases are going to be much more sporadic, as scripts turn up.

If you are a translator, and one or more of these shows interest you, please get in touch with me by private message on irc.rizon.net. To my great annoyance, I have to be on Discord occasionally, but it's very sporadic.

Here's a wonderful example of the "wide-screen baroque" school of anime science fiction, the 1987 movie MAPS: Densetsu no Samayoeru Seijin-tachi (Maps: The Legendary Nomad Star Tribe), or just Maps for short. This first English release of the movie is a joint project between Inka-Subs and Orphan Fansubs.

At the outset, 16-year-old Tokishima Gen is over his head in a high-school soccer game, cheered on (or egged on) by his not-quite-girlfriend Kimizuki Hoshimi. Suddenly, a ginormous space ship shaped like a flying female figure (or a vintage Rolls Royce hood ornament) appears. The ship beams Gen up, as Hoshimi clings to his leg - and other parts of his anatomy - in a desperate attempt to keep him on the ground. Inside the ship, its statuesque captain, Lipmira Gweiss, informs Hoshimi that he is the legendary Mapman - a living map to a treasure, the Surging Light, hidden on Earth 200,000 years ago by the equally legendary Space Nomad Tribe.

While Gen is busy denying any knowledge of a map, Lipmira's ship is suddenly attacked by Captain Abe's "Space Patrol" cruiser. However, Abe is not part of the Space Patrol, but just another treasure seeker pursuing Mapman. After some hair-raising experiences, Lipmira, Gen, and Hoshimi turn the tables on Abe, who meekly accepts a role as cook on Lipmira's ship. Lipmira then reveals that she has deciphered the map, and the quartet set out to find the Surging Light. Of course, their quest will not be unopposed, because the Mythic Breed lurks in wait...

 

This bare synopsis cannot convey how delightfully goofy Maps is. Gen and Hoshimi are wonderfully mismatched. Captain Abe is basically a flake with a fantastically unrealistic view of his talents and prospects. There's one breathtaking (and often comic) escapade after another, leading to a galvanic final confrontation. And the conclusion is nicely open-ended, which is fitting, because the Maps manga, by Yuichi Hasegawa, filled 17 volumes.

The voice cast has many well-known veterans of 1980s anime, even in the smaller roles:

• Tsuru Hiromi (Lipmira Gweiss) debuted as Perrine in Perrine Monogatari. She went on to play Kashima Miyuki in Miyuki, Madoka in Kimagure Orange Road, Barge in Blue Sonnet, and Mikami Reiko in Ghost Sweeper Mikami. She also played Keiko in Hiatari Ryoukou, Nozomi in Nozomi Witches, Jill in A Penguin's Memories, Milk in Karuizawa Syndrome, UFO-chan in Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and big sister Shizuka in Tomoe's Run!, all Orphan releases. 
• Tanaka Mayumi (Tokishima Gen) made her debut at age 10 in Kimba the White Lion. She's probably best known for her roles as Pazu in Castle in the Sky, Giovanni in Night on the Galactic Railway, Kuririn in the original Dragonball, and of course, Monkey D. Luffy in every incarnation of One Piece. She also played Flene in Cool Cool Bye, Mit-sah in White Fang, Rocco the fox in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, and Son Gokuu in I am Son Gokuu: Tezuka Osamu Monogatari, all Orphan projects. 
• Minaguchi Yuuko (Kimizuka Hoshimi) is best known for Yawara!, her breakout and defining role. She debuted as Kii in Greed, an Orphan release, and starred in numerous other shows, including Bosco Adventure, Dragon Ball Z and GT, Sailor Moon, One Piece, and Alexander (Reign: The Conqueror). She played Frieda in Apfelland Monogatari, Saki in Singles, and Felicia in Oz, also Orphan releases. 
• Kamiya Akira (Abe Edinburgh) is best known for the title roles in the City Hunter properties, the Kinnikuman franchise, and Babel II. He played Kazamatsuri in Yawara!, Roy Focker in Macross, and Mendou in Urusei Yatsura. He also played Sergent Zim in Starship Troopers and Musakato Taira in Elf 17, and he stole the show as the lecherous robot Chiraku in Hoshi Neko Full House. All three are Orphan releases. 
• Watanabe Naoka (Tsukime) played the title role in Vampire Miyu and the Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu properties, Puar and Chichi in the Dragon Ball franchise, and Catty in the Gall Force series. She appeared in Neko Neko Fantasia, Yousei Ou, and Aoko Honoo, all Orphan releases. 
• Shibata Hidekatsu (Mibarihan) has been in anime almost fifty years. He played Baron Ashura in Mazinger Z, Kenzou Kabuto in Great Mazinger, Count Mecha in Galaxy Express 999, General Shadow in Kamen Rider Stronger, King Bradley in both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist, Backbeard in the 2007 iteration of GeGeGe no Kitarou, Nigira in Ushio to Tora (TV), and the Third Hokage in Naruto. He played Sun Quan in the second and third Sangokushi movies, Toujo in Tomoe's Run!, and Ling Changpu in Dragon Fist, all Orphan releases. 
• Onosaka Masaya (Calion) played Kubota Kazuhi in Nineteen 19, Shuntaro in Aika, Mihara Ichirou in Angelic Layer, Isaac in Baccano!, Zelos in Tales of Symphonia, J.D. in Neo Angelique, Leeron in Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagann, Takeshi in the Prince of Tennis franchise, Vash in Trigun, and a personal favorite, Azazel in the Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san series. He also played Calion in the 1994 Maps OVAs.
  

The director, Nishizawa Sususu, also helmed Hikaru no Go and Ouran Koukou Host Club, as well as the two most recent Nanatsu no Taizai series.

Maps was remade as a four-part OVA in 1994, and as is often the case, that version completely superseded the original. As a result, the 1987 movie was hard to find; it was only issued on analog media. For years, the standard raw was a VHS rip. The laserdisc rarely came up for sale and always at exorbitant prices. So this project happened through a series of fortuitous coincidences.

On one track, an old-anime fan who goes by the handle GouNoKen got in touch with Orphan about trying to do Maps. He bid on and won a used Japanese laserdisc of the movie and had it shipped to Intrepid, who ripped it on the Domesday Duplicator and encoded it. There it sat, for lack of a translator. On the other track, Yume in Inka Subs had started to translate the movie, using the available VHS raw. When TougeWolf of Inka began freelancing on Orphan projects, he brought the separate tracks together. Everyone rapidly agreed to a joint project, and this release is the result.

The staff credits reflect the interrelated work of the two groups:

• Translation - Yume
• Translation check - TougeWolf
• Timing - Yum, Yogicat
• Editing - TougeWolf, Collectr
• Typesetting - Collectr
• QC - Programming Dragon, Nemesis, Uchuu
• Encoding - Intrepid
• Laserdisc provider - GoNoKou

A harmonious and fun project it has been.

I hope you can tell that I like Maps: Densetsu no Samayoeru Seijin-tachi quite a lot. It's playful and exciting, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. You can get the movie from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

I bet you weren't expecting another episode of Chameleon. Frankly, neither was I. Even though laalg translation-checked all the remaining episodes years ago, I found the series so distasteful that I couldn't bring myself to work on it. Every couple of months, I'd plug away on a couple of minutes worth of dialog, rediscover why I loathed the series, and put it away. And then, without quite realizing it, I had finished editing episode 3. After that, it was only a matter of (the painful) mechanics to do the typesetting, QC, and release checks. So here we are.

Episode 3 ("The Hitman's Bonds of Brotherhood") continues the saga of pint-sized wannabe hood Yazawa Eisaku. Having survived two near-death encounters, first with the Shadow Dance gang and then with psychotic thug Kyuu Akio, Yazawa stumbles into deep yogurt yet again by attracting the attention of the ultra-violent Matsudo gang and its murderous leader, Matsuoka Eiji. Fortunately, he also attracts the attention of Mishima Jun, an even stronger fighter who is grateful to Yazawa for saving Kyuu in episode 2 (entirely inadvertently, I might add). 

Aided by former rival Shiina Yuji and pursed by Yuji's cross-dressing brother Yu, Yazawa dodges, weaves, lies, and flees to try and save himself from getting pounded into the pavement for the third time in three episodes. Laughs galore.

The voice cast includes some pretty famous names, although their fame comes from other roles:

• Nanba Keiichi (Yazawa) played Locke in Choujin Locke, Lundi in Honoo no Alpenrose: Jeudi & Lund, Uesugi in Touch, Schneider in Captain Tsubasa, and Junta in DNA2. He also played Hongou in Nozomi Witches, an Orphan release.
• Shiozawa Kaneto (Shiina Yuji) played Rock Holmes in Fumoon, Iason in Ai no Kusabi and the egotistic comic relief Shin in Hiatari Ryouko, all Orphan releases. 
• Yamada Eiko (Shiina Yu) played the title roles in Anne of Green Gables, Ginga Nagareboshi Gin, Aramis no Bouken, and Legend of Lemnear, as well as Jo in Little Women, Misaki in Captain Tsubasa, and Gozu in Hoozuki no Reitetsu. She appeared in Nora, the Sangokushi specials,  and the What's Michael? OVAs, all Orphan releases.
• Hirata Hiroaki (Mishima Jun). This was one of his very first roles. He went on to play Itsuki in the Kindaichi movies, Sa Gojou in Saiyuki and its sequels, Zaki in DearS, Jack in Moonlight Mile, Nantoka in Rita to Nantoka, Benny in Black Lagoon, Tiger in Tiger & Bunny, Vinsmoke in One Piece, Fujimoto in Ao no Exorcist, Kondou in Koi wa Ameagari no You ni, and Max Lobo in Bananafish.
• Yamaguchi Kappei (Matsuoka Eiji) played the lead character in the Detective Conan franchise, Ranma in the Ranma 1/2 franchise, Inuyasha in all the Inuyasha properties, Usopp in the One Piece franchise, Sakuma Ryuichi in Gravitation, Arslan in the first OVA series, and the title role in Mouse, among many others. He played Shibuya in Zetsuai 1989 and Bronze: Zetsuai Since 1989, and Tooru in Boyfriend, all Orphan releases.
• Tominaga Miina (Yazawa's crush, Hikaru) played Ritsu in Fruits Basket (2002), Persia in Magical Fairy Persia, Rollpanna in the Anpanman franchise, Misaki in Tsuritama, Muuma in Bavi Stock, Kamiya in Tokimeki Tonight, Karen in Yuukan Club, and Eri in Karuizawa Syndrome. The last four are Orphan releases.

The director for this episode, Matano Hiromichi, helmed other obscure works, including the Konpeki no Kantai franchise and Super Submarine 99.

Moho Kareshi did the initial translation; both laalg and Sunachan did translation check passes. (There are still unresolved issues, because the dialog is full of 80s slang and bad puns.) ninjacloud timed. I edited and typeset, with the greatest reluctance. TougeWolf, Uchuu, and VigorousJammer did QC. The raw is an ancient Internet rip (DivX505!), but there are no signs of original media on the second-hand market in Japan. I wouldn't spend the money to buy them anyway.

• Thank you, Turtle God! A perverted pun. The usual saying is "kami-sama hotoke-sama" (O God! O Buddha!). Yazawa says "kami-tama kitou-tama," literally "Turtle-balls! Turtle-head (glans)-balls!" Localize as you will.
• You're a blockhead! "Ishiatama" is literally "stone head," i.e., hard-headed.
• For stiff shoulders, try Pip. Pip is a brand of magnetic therapy medicine.

Admittedly, I'm very jaundiced about this series. I'm not in its target demographic. Many members of the staff find it hilarious and hope to do more "yankee" genre shows. So when will episode 4 be out? Will episode 4 ever be out? Don't hold your breath. The last three episodes still need their songs translated, and so far, no translator has volunteered for the job. So if you want to see the last three episodes, find a song translator for this show.

However, in the meantime, after a mere 3+ year delay, here is Chameleon 3. You can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Pink Noise was a series of unrelated OVAs issues by C.Moon, the "adult" label of Bandai Visual. It consisted of four titles:

1. Call Me Tonight (1986)
2. Gakuen Tokusou Hikaruon (1987)
3. Maryuu Senki, 3 episodes (1987-1989)
4. Body Jack (1987)
   

It's not clear what they had in common, except perhaps some sexually suggestive material (hence "Pink"). In Japan, they were only issued on analog media (VHS and laserdisc). Some encodes claim to be DVD sources, but they are probably based on laserdisc rips in a DVD ISO container.

Call Me Tonight, the first OVA in the series, was considered to be near-hentai when it was released. Today, it looks positively tame compared to shows like Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi. A hardsubbed English release from Toy-RC, based on a laserdisc rip, has been available for more than a decade. It's a fine effort, but it's showing its age. So when a laserdisc of Call Me Tonight showed up in one of Orphan's multi-disc purchases, I suggested redoing the show. And here it is.

Call Me Tonight centers around Natsumi Rumi, owner and occasional worker at Telephone Communication Madonna, a somewhat shady operation that seems to be a cross between a telephone sex business and an advice-for-the-lovelorn service. One evening, Sugiura Ryou calls up with a rather unusual problem: when he gets aroused and tries to masturbate, he has visions, and his room and clothing end up wrecked. Intrigued, Rumi meets him at a coffee shop to discuss his problem:

When she uses her undoubted sex appeal on Ryou, he turns into an out-and-out monster, with tentacles sprouting from his back, which indeed explains why his room and clothing get wrecked. Rumi, though, is undeterred and takes Ryou on a "desensitizing" tour of Tokyo's steamy nightlife, with results more comic than terrifying.

Ryou's transformations attract the attention of a fearless, muscular Yakuza group heiress named Nohara Maki and her shorter and more timid sidekick Hayata. They track Rumi and Ryou around the city and photograph Ryou's transformations. The photos intrigue Maki's sister, Nohara Oyuki, leader of a juvenile gang, who thinks that Ryou might be a monster in bed as well. Oyuki and her gang kidnap Rumi and Ryou. Oyuki seduces Ryou (successfully), and the gang tries to rape Rumi (unsuccessfully). Neither initiative turns out as planned, but again, the emphasis is more on comedy than violence. And in the end, Rumi does solve Ryou's problem.

The synopsis makes Call Me Tonight sound like a routine sexploitation show, and some reviewers have seen it that way. However, it's more than that, as Justin Sevakis pointed out in his Buried Treasure review on Anime New Network. There's a lot of satire about gender roles and what adolescence does to young men, and some sly digs at then-current trends in Japanese hentai anime, as exemplified in Urotsukidoji. As Justin wrote, it "almost plays like a sketch comedy send-up of common adult anime tropes." I found it to be a lot of fun.

The voice cast includes:

• Tamagawa Sakiko (Natsumi Rumi) played Shiori in Akai Hayate, Lar Lipp in Greed (both Orphan releases), Athena in Appleseed XIII, Tachikoma in GITS SAC, Kanoko in Shouwa Monogatari, Dotta in Sorcerer Hunters, Rouge in Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Masaki in Tenchi Muyo, Natsumi in the You're Under Arrest franchise, and Princess Suurya in Kamasutra.
• Toriumi Katsumi (Sugiura Ryou) played the male lead, Wakamatsu, in Miyuki. He appeared as Shigeru in Yume Kakeru Kougen and Ishmael in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, both Orphan releases.
• Ukai Rumiko (Nohara Maki) played Fraw Bow in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Rose in the Godmars franchise, and Kiyomi in Miyuki. She played Rachel in Dallos and Michelle in Ginga Tansa 2100-nen: Border Planet, and she appeared in What's Michael? 2, all Orphan releases.
• Seki Toshihiko (Hayata) was one of the leading male seiyuu in this period. He played the title role in Izumo, Riki in Ai no Kusabi, the hero Seitarou in Hoshi Neko Full House, the gang leader Hiba in Wild 7, Yoshitarou in Mikeneko Holmes, Miroku in Yuukan Club, Chuuta in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, the fighter Nagase Jun in Akai Hayate, the unnamed protagonist of Oruorane the Cat Player, Ootsuki in Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, and Sara's younger brother Junichiro in Kasei Yakyoku, all Orphan releases. He also played Matsuda in the Yawara! properties, Sanzo in the Saiyuuki TV series, and the title roles in Alexander (Reign the Conqueror) and Kaiketsu Zorro.
• Koujiro Chie (Nohara Oyuki) appeared in many featured roles.

The director, Okamoto Tatsuya, also did the screenplay and the storyboards.

Toy-RC's dialog translation was good and required little revision. The songs, on the other hand, were pretty far off in places. This was because the songs contain a large number of English words, which were sometimes misinterpreted as Japanese. Fortunately, the EP with the songs became available online in the last few years, and the rip included scans of the official lyrics. That helped a lot; in particular, it provided lyrics for the insert songs, which had not been translated. Still, issues remain. One line in the song Call Me Tonight says:

    夜は Mevious 不安めいて

Mevious? Your guess is as good as mine.

Toy-RC did the original translation. Yogicat transcribed and timed the dialog, and he also transcribed the kanji song lyrics. Various team members helped put the songs in shape. I edited and typeset. This release has a lot more typesetting than the Toy-RC version, but there are far too many signs in the background to do them all. Nemesis, TougeWolf, and VigorousJammer QCed. Intrepid encoded from a Domesday Duplicator rip of a Japanese laserdisc.

Unlike the Lion Books, Orphan doesn't intend to redo all the Pink Noise OVAs. For one thing, we don't have sources for half of them. They're either not available or for sale at exorbitant prices. So it's sheer luck that we're able to offer a new version of Call Me Tonight, the best of the bunch. You can get it from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Today, Orphan is releasing Tabi Suru Tobi Neko (The Journeys of the Jumping Cats). It's about... cats! Cute Cats Doing Cute Things™: Playing! Eating! Sleeping! Playing! Eating. Sleeping. Playing... Eating... Sleeping... Did I mention it's about cats?

Okay, there has to be some serious prose in this blog entry. This release is a segment of the 1989 movie Dayan to Tama to Tobi Neko to: Mittsu no Neko no Monogatari (Dayan and Tama and Jumping Cat: A Story of Three Cats). The movie had three segments: animated segments about Dayan and Tama, and live action segments from photographer Igarashi Kenta, who created the Tobi Neko (Jumping Cats) franchise. The live-action portion was shot on Aoshima in the Seto Inland Sea. It's known as "Cat Island", because the cat population now outnumbers the aging and decreasing human population. The cats have the run of the place. They always do; there, it's just more obvious.

The dialog was translated by tenkenX6, friend to his sister's cats Hailey and Sky. ninjacat timed. I edited and typeset, between my shifts as staff to my cats Pixel and Pumpkin. konnakude, long absent, tore himself away from his cats Angel and Marley to QC, along with (Kuro) Nemesis, who brought Mikan Enikki to the English-speaking world. The raws are full HD web rips by R-Raws; his ailurophile status is unknown. The rest of us are just hopelessly devoted.

So despite the release date (it's already April 1 by the UT standard), this is a serious project. The only surprise is that it's live-action rather than animation. (Orphan has done a few live-action titles before, but not many.) You can download the kitties from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Sensou Douwa (War Tales or War Fables) was a series of TV specials by Shin-Ei Animation that ran annually from 2002 to 2009. In chronological order:

• 2002    Umigame to Shounen (The Boy and The Sea Turtle)
• 2003    Tako ni Natta Okaasan (The Mother Who Became a Kite)
• 2004    Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi (The Tale of the Ginormous Whale That Fell in Love with a Little Submarine)
• 2005    Boku no Boukuugou (My Air Raid Shelter)
• 2006    Yakeato no, Okashi no Ki (The Cake Tree in the Ruins)
• 2007    Futatsu no Kurumi (Two Walnuts)
• 2008    Kiku-chan to Ookami  (Kiku-chan and the Wolf)
• 2009    Aoi Hitomi no Onnako no Ohanashu (The Girl with Blue Eyes)

Orphan has already released The Boy and the Sea Turtle, The Cake Tree in the Ruins, The Mother Who Became a Kite, and The Tale of the Ginormous Whale That Fell in Love with a Little Submarine. Today, we're releasing Boku no Boukuugou(My Air Raid Shelter). Saizen has already done Two Walnuts, so we're in the home stretch.

Boku no Boukkuugou is set in Midori Ward, Nagoya, during World War II. The Kasamatsu family, consisting of father Tetsuo, mother Tomoko, and only child Yusuke, are a typical Japanese family, hard-working and patriotic. As the war situation worsens, the government urges citizens to build air-raid shelters, so Tetsuo and Yusuke build a strong, roomy shelter under the house. Then, Tetsuo is drafted and sent to the Kwantung Army in China, leaving Yusuke, who is probably seven or eight, as the "man of the house."

In late 1944, after the fall of Saipan, American B-29s begin bombing Nagoya, targeting the Mitusbishi Aircraft Works as well as other industries and the port. Although the loss of life is far less than in Tokyo, the repeated raids put great stress on Yusuke. The boy retreats to the shelter and imagines that his father is there, comforting him and urging him on. Whether his father is killed in China, Yusuke refuses to accept it, clinging to the image of his father in the shelter. Eventually, his world collapses. Sixty years later, as an old man, when he sits in the park where his house and the shelter used to be, he still feels the trauma from those days.

The voice cast is small:

• Orikasa Ai (narrator) made her debut in Shoukoushi Cedie. She played the title role in Romeo no Aoi Sora, Fee in Planetes, Seguchi Touma (the record company president) in Gravitation, Quatre in Gundam Wing, and Ryouko in the Tenchi Muyo franchise. She also played Carrie in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Sara in Eien no Filena, Toryune in Al Caral no Isan,  Katchan's mother in Tako ni Natta Okaasan, and young Mars in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases.
• Kiyokawa Motomu (Yusuke as adult) played Kouzou in Evangelion and Norman Burg in The Big O.
• Ookubo Shoutarou (Yusuke as child) was 10 years old when he appeared in this show. He played Katchan in Tako ni Natta Okaasan and Takaya in Lupin III: Kiri no Elusive.
• Nobuo Tabita (Tetsuo) played Lumial in the Angelique franchise, Ken Wakashimazu in the Captain Tsubasa franchise, Randy in Fake, Sinistra in Kiddy Grade, the title role in Locke the Superman, and Dayon in Osomatsu-san. He appeared in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Condition Green, and Eien no Filena, all Orphan releases.
• Hisakawa Aya (Tomoko) has had a prolific career. She played the title roles in Mamono Hunter Youko, Voogie's Angel, and Iria: Zeiram, Skuld in the Ah! My Goddess franchise, Cerberus in Card Captor Sakura, Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon franchise, Yuki in Fruits Basket, Haruka in RahXephon, Youko in The Twelve Kingdoms, and Storm in X-Men. She starred as Mishima Misako in Yume Tsukai, Shana in Al Caral no Isan, Sonia in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, and Koneko in Ear of the Golden Dragon, all Orphan projects.

The director, Takeuchi Yoshio, also helmed the Oishinbo TV series and specials, as well as Botchan,Gorillaman, Harlock Saga, Shin Megami Tensai: Devil Children,  Night Head Genesis, and several of the Sensou Douwa specials.

As he's done for all the other Sensou Douwa releases, kokujin-kun translated Boku no Boukkuugou. Yogicat timed. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. Uchuu also researched the locale and the background to the bombings. The raw is a 480p webrip from UNEXT. Unfortunately, there's an onscreen text for the entire running time. The text is simply the series name and the episode title.

Boku no Boukkuugou is a little less of a gut punch than some of the other Sensou Douwa episodes - no children are killed, at least on screen. Nonetheless, it sensitively explores the terrible costs that war imposes on children, even if they emerge physically unscathed. You can get the show from the usual torrent site, or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.