is an

anime 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 of ...

series based on

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a '' wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

series by Hitoshi Yoshioka, taking the title from its first volume. It was produced by some of Japan's larger studios, including

Big West The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacifi ...

Tatsunoko Productions 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 i ...

, King Records and VAP. ''Tylor'' consists of a 26-episodes TV series directed by

Kōichi Mashimo (born June 21, 1952) is a Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in a large number of the studio's works, for example, as a member ...

, and a sequel

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 of 10 episodes directed by Mashimo and Naoyuki Yoshinaga. The TV show premiered in Japan on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...

between January 25, 1993 and July 19, 1993, and was broadcast across Latin America by the television network, Magic Kids. Both series were broadcast across the United States by

AZN Television AZN Television (formerly called International Channel) was a cable TV channel which promoted itself as "the network for Asian America". It was run by International Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. The channel's progra ...

. ''Tylor'' is distributed across North America by

The Right Stuf International Right Stuf Inc. (formerly known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) is an American video publisher and distributor of video programming that specializes in Asian entertainment (anime and live action films). The company since 2022 is owned by ...

. Enterbrain published a 3-volume sequel manga miniseries in 2001 and 2002. The light novels and manga haven't been translated. A short anime series, titled and produced by

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

, aired from July 11 to September 26, 2017.

Plot

In a distant, highly technological future, Tylor, the title character, is a mysterious young man without a real purpose in life, a state of mind that is very hard to determine, and a knack for accidentally getting out of near-death situations with a childishly cavalier attitude. He sometimes does not even seem to realize when he is in danger, which is actually an asset to him on many occasions. Tylor stumbles his way into the United Planets Space Force and soon gains command of a destroyer after resolving a hostage dispute and saving a retired admiral. Despite being given a decrepit and underpowered ship (the Soyokaze), thanks to brilliant strokes of luck, Tylor manages to destroy a patrol group. This is quickly followed by a sneak attack on another patrol group, performed while Tylor was playing the role of a consummate, professional soldier. The admiralty, attempting to kill Tylor, present him with a medal modified with a device to trick the Raalgon fleet into believing the Soyokaze is an entire fleet. Tylor loses the medal in UPSF HQ, and the Raalgons destroy the admiralty's super-weapon instead. The Soyokaze is then sent to a demotion sector, despite the fervent hopes of its crew. There, Tylor and Yamamoto encounter the ghost of the former captain, who vanishes due to depression after seeing Tylor's behavior. The Admiral of the fleet, who actually drove the prior Captain to suicide, rescinds Tylor's demotion after seeing Tylor with the former captain's pipe, thinking he is now aware of the admiral's crime. Tylor is then captured by the Raalgon fleet, who plan to execute him to boost morale. After escaping his cell, Tylor encounters the Empress of the Raalgon, Azalyn, in plain dress, and spends the day entertaining her. She stops his execution, and his jailors implant microchip in his brain to control him. Meanwhile, the crew of the Soyokaze has been imprisoned by the brass. They manage to escape captivity and invade the Melva, the main Raalgon ship, to get Tylor back. During the fight, Tylor saves Azalyn from a bomb that her treacherous Prime Minister Wang had detonated to gain power for himself. Tylor is badly injured, and Azalyn tells the Raalgon that she is going with Tylor back to the Soyokaze in order to make sure he is all right. After the doctor saves Tylor, Azalyn returns to her people. Tylor then rendezvouses with the main fleet, where he is branded a traitor for letting Azalyn return. He is sentenced to death by a firing squad. However, Tylor convinces the brass that he can defeat the Raalgon, and they reluctantly allow him to take complete command. After coming to a stand-off with Dom, Tylor manages to spill no blood and stop the fighting for the time being. After the death of Admiral Hanner, whom Tylor had adored and talked with, Tylor becomes sullen and announces he will leave the military. Lieutenant Yamamoto is given command of the brand new ship, the Aso. In the final episode, the former crew of the Soyokaze, who are supposed to be on the Aso, join Tylor on the Soyokaze as they fly out into space. The two major powers in the story are the UPSF (United Planets Space Force) and the Raalgon Empire (the

extraterrestrials Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...

), who resemble humans with pointy ears and unusual haircolor). One of the largest points of dispute in the story is the competence of Tylor. Several characters say of Tylor, "I can't decide if he's an idiot or a genius." Whether he is a genius or an idiot is up to viewers.

Production

According to ''

The Anime Encyclopedia ''The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917'' is a 2001 encyclopedia written by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy. It was published in 2001 by Stone Bridge Press in the United States, and a "revised and expanded" edition ...

'' by

Jonathan Clements Jonathan Michael Clements (born 9 July 1971) is a British author and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Koxinga and Qin Shi Huang, as well as monthly opinion columns for ''Neo'' magazine. He is also the co-auth ...

and

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 o ...

: "The character yloris a cartoon version of Hitoshi Taira, the lazy protagonist of the 1962 live-action movie ''Japan's Irresponsible Age'' who was played by comedian

Hitoshi Ueki was a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and guitarist. He won six awards for acting.Hitoshi ...

. This popular

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

on Japan's salaryman culture featured a feckless individual who always managed to come out on top, advancing up promotional ladders when accidents befall his superiors or lucking into important business information simply by malingering and goofing off. The series and its theatrical spin-offs were revived in 1990, suspiciously close to the time when ''

Hummingbirds Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

''-creator Hitoshi Yoshioka would have begun work on this anime version."

Characters

is a mysterious, irresponsible man. Tylor, age 20, joined the United Planets Space Force for what he hoped would be an easy life. Originally assigned to the Pension department, he unwittingly foiled a terrorist plot to kidnap and kill a retired UPSF admiral when he tried to deliver a late check by hand. For saving the war hero's life, Tylor was promoted to Major and placed in command of the destroyer Soyokaze (the UPSF dumping ground for trouble makers and the unwanted). Tylor has, as his superiors have put it, 'The Devil's own luck' and usually can get out of any situation relatively unscathed, avoiding multiple assassination attempts and defeating enemy groups of vastly superior numbers. He is very laid back and does not really care for the rules, using his authority as captain to change whatever regulations seem too uptight for him. He is also easily led by his crew, who are able to convince him to allow them to wear comfortable clothes on watch, hold a swimsuit competition, and let the surgeon drink while on duty. The UPSF and the Raalgon Empire are constantly debating whether Tylor possesses the most brilliant military mind or whether he is just a lucky moron.
is a very strait-laced, by-the-book officer. Yuriko joined the UPSF to give her life structure and attempts to obey the rules in almost every situation. However, she, unlike Yamamoto, has no problem telling Tylor that he has done something wrong and will even resort to slapping him when he gets too far out of line. Yuriko also tries to downplay her gender, making herself a soldier first, and then a woman. This is a sore subject for her when someone comments about Tylor's obvious attraction to her looks, pointing out that she has never used her appearance to get ahead; an equally sore point for her is her budding attraction to him. Yuriko is one of the most rational and level-headed officers on the Soyokaze. While she is senior to Yamamoto, her speciality as an intelligence officer places her outside the chain of command.
is another very strait-laced, by-the-books military man. Yamamoto is the first officer on the Soyokaze and tried mightily to interject an air of professionalism to the outfit. Constantly enraged by Tylor's lack of discipline and his loose command of the troops, Yamamoto spends much of his free time in the medic's office taking tranquilizers and making use of the neuro-cleanser. Yamamoto sees Tylor for what he is, a bumbling fool, but is torn between the unwritten soldier's code of supporting and obeying your superior officer, and telling the UPSF brass what is REALLY going on. He is always on the lookout for a chance to get some form of command, hoping to get a ship of his own one day.
is the 16-year-old empress of the Holy Raalgon Empire. Azalyn is a child, forced into the unenviable situation of having to assume power of the empire once her parents are murdered. Prompted by her advisors, she gives the command to attack the UPSF (under the assumption that they were behind the assassination plot). Having not had a chance to be a child, Azalyn must now be strong for the entire empire, and it's a task that she is afraid of taking, but even more afraid of failing in.
is the commander of one of the Raalgon fleets. He speaks candidly with the Empress, in stark contrast to the bowing and scraping and lying of the rest of her court. Dom gains Azalyn's trust and becomes one of her more valued advisors. Dom is also very interested in Tylor, feeling that Tylor would be not only a worthy adversary, but also a challenge for anyone to decipher and defeat. It is Dom who assigned Harumi to spy on the Soyokaze's enigmatic captain, but even with the constant data coming in from his valued spy, Dom is still unsure whether Tylor really knows what he is doing or if he is just a fool.

Light novels

''The Irresponsible Captain Tylor'' is adapted from the series of light novels ''The Most Irresponsible Man in Space'' by Hitoshi Yoshioka and published under Fujimi Shobo's

Fujimi Fantasia Bunko is a light novel publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Fujimi Shobo, a brand company of Kadokawa Corporation. It was established in 1988 and is aimed at young adult male audience. Many light novels published under th ...

label. When the anime adaptation began, the series consisted of three trilogies and several side stories which are partly adapted by anime. Additional novel series followed, with ''The True Irresponsible Captain Tylor'' being a reprint of the original series with three volumes of new content. No light novels in the series have been translated.

The Most Irresponsible Man in Space

*''Series 1'' :1. ''The Irresponsible Captain Tylor'' (''Musekinin Kanchou Tylor'') :2. ''The Most Irresponsible Man in the Meiji Period'' (''Meiji Ichidai Musekinin Otoko'') :3. ''Wang Strikes Back!'' (''Wang no Gyakushuu'') *''Series 2'' :4. ''The Irresponsible Admiral Tylor'' (''Musekinin Gensui Tylor'') :5. ''Azalyn, Age 16'' (''Azalyn, 16-sai'') :6. ''Tylor's Big Turnabout'' (''Tylor no Daigyakuten'') *''Series 3'' :7. ''The Irresponsible President Tylor'' (''Musekinin Daitouryou Tylor'') :8. ''Wind Speed: 40 Light Years!'' (''Fuusoku Yon-Juu Kounen'') :9. ''The Eternally Irresponsible Man'' (''Eiennare Musekinin Otoko'')

The Most Irresponsible Man in Space Side Stories

:1. ''The Galactic Age of Irresponsiblity'' (''Ginga Musekinin Jidai'') :2. ''The Samurai of Space'' (''O-zora no Samurai'') :3. ''The Scarlet Lion'' (''Akaki Shishi'') :4. ''Rebellion on Ice Planet Horoshiri!'' (''Gentou Wakusei Horoshiri no Hanran'') :5. ''Hatori-kun Time'' (''Hatori-kun Taimu'') :6. ''My name is Yamamoto'' (''Waga mei wa Yamamoto'')

The Irresponsible Kids

:1. ''The Black Sun Belle'' (''Ankoku Taiyou Komachi'') :2. ''The Storm of "Why?"'' (''Why? no Arashi'') :3. ''Burning KISARA'' (''Moete KISARA'') :4. ''Time Guide'' (''Jisen Annai-jin'') :5. ''Galactic Marriage Story'' (''Ginga Yometori Monogatari'')

The Irresponsible Quartet

:1. ''Your Name is Machiko'' (''Kiminonaha Machiko'') :2. ''Angel / Disqualified'' (''Tenshi / Shikkaku'') :3. ''Cult Annihilation'' (''Jakyō Senmetsu'') :4. ''Decisive Battle! Rose Nebula'' (''Kessen! Barairo Seiun'') :5. ''Galactic Advocate'' (''Ginga Sansho'')

The Irresponsible Three Kingdoms

:1. ''Plot Triangle'' (''Bōryaku Toraianguru'') :2. ''Cold Trigonometric Function'' (''Tsumetai Sankakukansu'') :3. ''Flame Tricolor'' (''Honō no Torikorōru'') :4. ''Miracle Trinity'' (''Kiseki no Torinitī'') :5. ''Three Animals Advance'' (''San-biki Kaishingekio'') :6. ''Three Crows Appear!'' (''Sanbagarasu tōjō!'') :7. ''Three Crowns'' (''Mittsu no ōkan (Kuraun)'') :8. ''The Third Challenge!'' (''Shiren no sanbanshōbu!'') :9. ''Third Big Bang'' (''Sādo Bigguban'') :10. ''Shine! Tristar'' (''Kagayake! Toraisutā'')

The Irresponsible Apocalypse

:1. ''Financial Lightning'' (''Fainansu Denkōsekka'') :2. ''To Hurt'' (''To~uhāto'') :3. ''Double Prince'' (''Daburu Purinsu'') :4. ''Don't Win'' (''Katte wa Ikenai'') :5. ''Beyond the Grace'' (''Onshūnokanatani'')

The True Irresponsible Captain Tylor

:1. ''Enlistment'' (''Nyūtai'') :2. ''Struggle'' (''Funtō'') :3. ''Encounter'' (''Kaigō'') :4. ''Prisoner of War'' (''Ryoshū'') :5. ''Revival'' (''Fukkatsu'') :6. ''Triumph'' (''Gaisen'') :7. ''Sidestory Love and War Part 1'' (''Gaiden Ravu ando U~ō-jō'') :8. ''Sidestory Love and War Part 2'' (''Gaiden Ravu ando U~ō-ka'') :9. ''ReMix Lullaby to the Lion and the Eagle'' (''Shishi to Washi e no Rarabai'')

The Irresponsible Admiral Tylor

:1. ''Light'' (''Kashoku'') :2. ''Lost'' (''Shittsui'') :3. ''Rebellion'' (''Hangyaku'') :4. ''Return'' (''Kikan'')

Anime

The anime adaptation began as a 26-part TV series broadcast on

and ran from January 25 to July 19, 1993. All episodes were directed by

, and were produced by

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 i ...

. The OVA was a 10-part series released between October 1, 1994 and August 1, 1996. All episodes were directed between Mashimo and Koji Sawai, and were produced by Studio Deen. The story follows the career of Justy Ueki Tylor, a young man who decided to join the United Planets Space Force believing it will lead to an easy life. He later finds himself in command of his own spaceship, the ''Soyokaze'', where he finds himself at odds with his military enemy, the Raalgon Empire, and his own crew due to his laid-back manner. The TV series featured an opening and closing performed by Mari Sasaki: "Just Think Of Tomorrow" and "Downtown Dance" respectively. They, along with the rest of the soundtrack for both the TV series and OVA were released by AnimeTrax on June 5, 2001. The TV series was released in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Right Stuf Right Stuf Inc. (formerly known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) is an American video publisher and distributor of video programming that specializes in Asian entertainment (anime and live action films). The company since 2022 is owned by ...

first on VHS between October 21, 1997 and July 21, 1998, and was later released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

on January 30, 2001. The OVA was released on DVD between July 31 and September 25, 2001. The series was released as a

digitally remastered Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

thinkpak by Right Stuf's division Nozomi Entertainment, with the TV series released on May 26, 2009 and the OVA on August 28, 2009. The series was released on Blu-ray on October 5, 2021. A short anime series, titled and produced by

, aired from July 11 to September 26, 2017. It was streamed in English by Crunchyroll.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to both the TV series and the OVA were both released on CD by ADV Films and Right Stuf on June 5, 2001.

Manga

Set years after the OVAs, the manga ''Love & War,'' with a story by Hitoshi Yoshioka and artwork by Kotaro Mori, was published by Enterbrain in three volumes in 2001 and 2002. In it, Tylor is now a vice admiral and captain of the battleship ''Omi.'' This time he gets with his fiancée and political officer Lt. Cmdr. Yuriko Star and his staff officer and adjutant Cmdr. Makoto Yamamoto in a time travel adventure back into the past of Raalgon during the reign of Goza XV. The manga is unfinished, but Yoshioka adapted and finished the story as the first two side-story volumes of ''The True Irresponsible Captain Tylor'' reprint series in 2003 and 2004, with Mori again providing illustrations.

Notes and references

External links

''The Irresponsible Captain Tylor'' official English site
*
Yoshioka Hitoshi
in

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...

Novel release dates (in French)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Irresponsible Captain Tylor, The 1989 Japanese novels 1993 anime television series debuts 1993 Japanese novels 1994 anime OVAs 2001 Japanese novels 2001 manga 2002 Japanese novels 2009 Japanese novels 2012 Japanese novels 2017 anime television series debuts Anime and manga based on light novels Fujimi Fantasia Bunko Kadokawa Dwango franchises Light novels Parody anime and manga Seven (animation studio) Space opera anime and manga Studio Deen Tatsunoko Production TV Tokyo original programming