HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a 19-volume
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 Masahiro Shibata ( ja) which ran in ''
Hana to Yume , also known as , is a semi-monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Hakusensha on the 5th and 20th of every month. The magazine is B5-size, and always comes with or free supplements, such as drama CDs, pencil boards (shitajiki), manga ...
'' magazine from 1981 to 1987 as part of the '' Akai Kiba'' series of stories. A five 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 ...
series was adapted from the manga by
Mushi Production or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...
and released in 1989. The OAV series was licensed and released on VHS and LaserDisc in North America by
Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, hence ...
in 1990. A dubbed version was released on VHS by
Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyro ...
in 1997.


Characters

; : :Lan was in a plane crash with her parents just after she was born, and she was raised by wolves for five years. She possess the latent esper abilities which identify her as the "Crimson Fang". ; : :Sonnet is a 16-year-old esper cyborg soldier with silver hair (though it is blue in the OAV) who works as a scout for Talon. Her mother is Puerto Rican and her father is Russian, and she was raised in the slums of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. When she was about 13 years old, her latent esper abilities began randomly manifesting themselves, causing people to label her a "witch" or a "devil child", and this caused her mother to have to turn to prostitution for money. :She was tricked into believing her mother was going to be killed, which caused her latent esper powers to fully manifest. Because of this, she now works as a scout for Talon, mercilessly hunting down espers such as Lan. Her interaction and blooming friendship with Lan and others at the school, however, have caused her to remember her humanity and she begins to question her loyalties to Talon. She finally learns from Lan's boyfriend Bird what real love is. ; : :Dr. Merekes, a German scientist of Jewish descent, manages the cyborg division of Talon. He is a recognized authority in cybernetic engineering, and is the one responsible for Sonnet's and Bird's cyborg capabilities. While he is generally a cool-headed person, his growing parental love for Sonnet is his eventual undoing. ; : :A first year student at Seiryō Academy who looked up to Bird. He feels responsible for Ran's injuries, and thinks that her powers are caused in part by the blood transfusion she received. He is always helping her. ; : :Jin is a novelist. After learning about Talon after being involved in an incident with Lan, he supports her however he can. ; : :Often nicknamed Bird, he is a delinquent offered room and board at Seiryō Academy in exchange for working there in the dining hall. He was good friends with Lan, but Talon kills him. They then take his remains and turn him into the cyborg RX-606, and he seeks out Lan again. ; : :The daughter of Professor Onagara and a powerful esper whose abilities include
clairvoyance Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...
,
telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic W ...
, and
precognition Precognition (from the Latin 'before', and 'acquiring knowledge') is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future. There is no accepted scientific evidence that precognition is a ...
. Due to a fiery incident in her past, she is unable to see, hear, or speak due to the burns she received. She is currently an ally of Lan and intent on attacking Talon. ; : :Daisuke is the son of Jin Kiryuu and a student at Ōsei Academy. ; : :A student at Ōsei Academy. She works in the library and is Lan's best friend. She's been raised as a foster daughter by the Haibara family. She has a crush on Daisuke.


Others

*Dr. Kaburagi (
Miyoko Asō was a Japanese actress. She is best known for her role as the first voice of Fune Isono from 1969 to 2015 in the longest-running Japanese anime series ''Sazae-san'', which first aired in 1969. She was the voice of Dr. Pinako Rockbell in both ''F ...
) *Kyouko Sodeki ( Mari Yokō) *Tsunaga (
Kōzō Shioya is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Kagoshima Prefecture. He is represented by Aoni Production. His younger brother Yoku Shioya is also an actor and voice actor. Biography Filmography Television animation ;1980s *''Mobile Suit Z ...
) *Mikura (
Kōichi Kitamura , better known by the stage name , was a Japanese voice actor born in Osaka, Japan. Kitamura was employed by the talent management agency Mausu Promotion. He is known for dubbing roles played by Peter Cushing. He died on October 2, 2007 of pneum ...
) *Okano (
Seiko Nakano is a Japanese former voice actress. She has contributed to more than twenty films and television series since 1974 until 1990. Selected filmography References External links * * 1952 births Living people Japanese voice actress ...
) *Ina (
Issei Futamata is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Misawa, Aomori. He is best known for the roles of Skullomania ('' Street Fighter EX'' and '' Fighting EX Layer''), Yusaku Godai ('' Maison Ikkoku''), Chibi ('' Urusei Yatsura''), Kiyoshi Shusse ('' Hi ...
) *Yumi (
Yuko Minaguchi Yuko may refer to: * Yuko (judo) (''yūkō''), a score in judo competition * Yuko (Ukrainian band), a Ukrainian band * Yūko, a Japanese female given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Yuko, a Belgian band * Yuko people Yukpa is ...
) *Editor Kouji Kubo (
Kazumi Tanaka Kazumi ( ja, カズミ, かずみ) is a Japanese given name that can be given to either sex. Possible writings *和美, "peace, beauty" *一巳, "one, sign of the snake" *一美, "one, beauty" *一実, "one, truth" *和海, "peace, sea" *数魅, ...
) *Race Track Announcer (
Yukimasa Kishino is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan. He is also active in the theatrical entertainment field and is the chairman of his own theatrical group, ''Gekidan Kishino Gumi''. Some of the members of this group include ...
) *Researcher (
Hideyuki Umezu is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with 81 Produce. Biography Filmography Television animation ;1980s *''Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ'' (1986) – Nelmarsen *''Bravoman'' (1988) – Bravoman ;1990s *''Holly the Ghost'' (1991) – Kakaras ...
) *Guard ( Junji Kitajima) *Doctor (
Hiroyuki Satō , also credited as , is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He is represented by Aoni Production is a Japanese talent agency representing a fair number of voice actors and other Japanese entertainers. Voice ac ...
) *Squad Leader (
Hirohiko Kakegawa is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Biography Kakegawa was born on October 11, 1959, in Saitama Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University.''Talent Who's Who in Japan'', Section 92, VIP Times Inc., ...
)


Story

The opening credits for each episode show Sonnet's former life and give hints about her powers. In the battle between the two powerful espers, Sonnet starts to rediscover her humanity, while Lan has to fight to keep her humanity, and control the Crimson Fang powers. Sources:


OVA staff

*Director:
Takeyuki Kanda was an anime director for Sunrise who was known for directing '' Vifam'', ''The Ultraman'' anime, '' Kiko Senki Dragonar'' and the first six episodes of '' Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team''. He was also heavily inspired by Nicolas Roeg, Stanl ...
*Creator: Masahiro Shibata *Screenplays: Seiji Matsuoka, Kōichi Mizuide *Producer: Yukihiro Shino *Character Designs: Katsuichi Nakayama *Mechanical Designs: Masahito Yamashita *Storyboards: Yūichirō Yokoyama *Production:
Mushi Productions or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wi ...
*Production Cooperation:
Tatsunoko Production and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and " sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are ...
Sources:


Reception

The OVA series has been described as "a visual delight" which "harkens back to a simpler age, when the important thing was that the characters looked cute and the action looked cool", even though the "plot fits together, but only barely". While based on shōjo manga, the series contains intense and graphic violence, which is not typical for most shōjo works. The anime is considered "a little bit better than average, though it "doesn't feel finished", but it is "better than the vast majority of 'magical warrior series.


References


External links

* * *
Review by Justin Sevakis
as part of his Pile of Shame column at
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
{{Tatsunoko Production films 1989 anime OVAs Adventure anime and manga Central Park Media Hakusensha franchises Hakusensha manga Mushi Production Science fiction anime and manga Tatsunoko Production