is a 1985

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series by

Masami Yuki , real name Shūji Satō (佐藤修司 ''Satō Shūji'', born December 19, 1957, in Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaidō), is a Japanese manga artist. Yuki graduated from Kutchan High School. He is a member of the artist group known as Headgear. In ...

(best known for his manga and anime series ''

Mobile Police Patlabor , also known as ''Patlabor'' (a portmanteau of "patrol" and "labor"), is a Japanese science fiction media franchise created by Headgear, a group consisting of manga artist Masami Yūki, director Mamoru Oshii, screenwriter Kazunori I ...

''). The main character is a young would-be

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

singer and high school student, Maron Namikaze, who has superhuman strength. She battles a

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...

organization, Demon Seed, which has been terrorizing

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. The manga was adapted into a 2 episode

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

in 1989. The series is a parody of Japanese pop culture. Three CDs were released: a single on September 20, 1989, an image soundtrack on October 25, 1989, and a concert CD March 5, 1990.

Plot

In near-future Tokyo, a group called the Demon Seed has been antagonizing the city with its thefts and giant robotic Power Suits. After various failed attempts against the Demon Seed, the Special Operations Anti-Demon Seed Team (five men in a downtown office) begins to look for an idol to pilot a robotic suit against the Demon Seed. A talent show is held; and after a particularly dull line-up of contestants, the extremely strong Maron Namikaze is discovered. She is fitted with a metal costume and sent to take the Demon Seed down, all the while having an idol singer career forced upon her.

Characters

*Maron Namikaze: The 13-year-old protagonist. She is very timid and nervous, but has been gifted with immense natural strength. Maron is trained to become a J-Pop idol and becomes popular enough to be entered for the Newcomer's Award in the music awards. For the American DVD release, Maron was claimed to be a high school senior, even in the subtitles. . *Chief Hattori: The leader of the Special Operations team, later Maron's manager and coach. He wrote and submitted the Idol Project plans when he was drunk, and later to his chagrin, it was approved. Hattori was slightly modelled after

's editor at the time. . *Dr. Ryouhei Shimokobe: The dwarf-sized researcher whom created Maron's costume. Before he knew the idol was a girl, he created a

Patlabor , also known as ''Patlabor'' (a portmanteau of "patrol" and "labor"), is a Japanese science fiction media franchise created by Headgear, a group consisting of manga artist Masami Yūki, director Mamoru Oshii, screenwriter Kazunori It� ...

-esque robot, which he later gave to the Demon Seed. He is very arrogant and proud of his work, soon becoming disgusted when Maron is converted into a singer instead of a fighter. . *Professor Kyozaburo Demon: The leader of the Demon Seed. Very confident with his work, he believes the group can spend as much money as they want, thinking they can get more at any time. However, he runs out of money to fix the Power Suits after Maron's first interference, and takes the Demon Seed into hiding for a few months. . *Kagiri Sonoba: An idol singer known for her provocative costumes. She gets into a one-sided rivalry with Maron after both girls turn out to be competing for the Newcomer's Award.

Music

The opening theme, , had lyrics by and was composed by Kyōko Matsumiya, was arranged by Kohei Tanaka, and had vocals by

Hiroko Kasahara is a Japanese voice actress, J-pop singer and stage actress. She sang the ending theme song of the PlayStation 2 role-playing video game ''Shadow Hearts'', titled ''Ending Theme ~ Shadow Hearts'', and the ending theme of the PC and PlayStation ...

, the voice actor for Maron. The first ending theme, , had lyrics and vocals by Kasahara, was composed by Matsumiya, and was arranged by Tanaka. The second ending theme, , had lyrics by and was composed by Matsumiyam was arranged by Tanaka, and had vocals by Kasahara. There were four

insert song is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening ...

s: *: Lyrics and composition by Matsumiya, arrangement by Tanaka, vocals by Kasahara *: Lyrics by Yoshiko Oga, composition and arrangement by Tanaka, vocals by

Maria Kawamura , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Setagaya, Tokyo. Kawamura is a freelancer and a former affiliate of Arts Vision. In 1991, she married manga artist Mamoru Nagano. Filmography Television an ...

*: Lyrics, composition, and vocals by Masayuki Yamamoto, arrangement by Tanaka *"Love & Power": Lyrics and composition by Matsumiya, arrangement by Tanaka, vocals by Kasahara

Album releases

Three albums were released through Warner Bros. Japan: *A theme song single titled was released on September 25, 1989 on

cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens ...

and as a CD single. *The was released on October 25, 1989. *The third album, , was released on March 25, 1990.

Reception

Helen McCarthy Helen McCarthy (born 27 February 1951) is the British author of such anime reference books as ''500 Manga Heroes and Villains'', ''Anime!'', ''The Anime Movie Guide'' and ''Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation''. She is the co-author of ...

in ''500 Essential Anime Movies'' stated that the OVA "remains an enjoyable bit of nonsense, with some of the biggest names on the anime scene on the crew list." McCarthy, Helen. ''500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide''. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 45. — 528 p. —

References

External links

* {{Masami Yuki 1985 manga 1989 anime OVAs Masami Yuki