Anime of the Year 1990-III Summer - Mainichi ga Nichiyoubi

The only borderline masterpiece I can call in Summer 1990 is Mainichi ga Nichiyoubi 

1. Robin Hood no Daibouken The Great Adventures of Robin Hood ロビンフッドの大冒険 [Tatsunoko Production] (Dropped 3/52) Tags: Historical Adventure, Romance A variant of Robin Hood in which all the principal characters are teenagers. Several centuries ago in Nottingham County, a cruel and greedy baron by the name of Alwine ordered the destruction of the Huntingtons' castle—from the fire of which Robin and his cousins, Will, Winifred and Barbara, miraculously escaped. The youngsters sought shelter in Sherwood Forest, where, thanks to the wise guidance of the hermit better known as "Friar Tuck," they managed to face the difficulties of a life in the wilderness as as well as they could; however, in the forest there lived a fearless group of young bandits, led by Little John. Their first encounter with Robin and his cousins was at first rather stormy, as the two groups fought for the destiny of a young, noble maiden named Marian who had fallen into the hands of the bandits during an ambush. Their bitterness, however, rapidly lead the way to friendship, and Robin and John later realized they were all victims of the same fate. The youngsters thus mutually decided to help one another. Baron Alwine was not merely enemy of the Huntingtons—in fact, a couple years earlier he had forced Little John and his gang to seek protection in the forest to avoid forced labour. He would later seek Marian Lancaster for the secret carved on a cross the girl wore as symbol of her family line. The girl was to be adopted by the shady Bishop Herfort—Alwine's accomplice—who sought to attain the Lancaster's wealth. With all their strength, Robin and his friends were then compelled to fight against the baron's troops, led by Gilbert—a dangerous and fearless knight. When Winifred and Marian were then imprisoned in the castle's dungeons, our heroes tried in every way possible to enter until their ardour was finally rewarded with success. Thanks to his noble heart and heed for danger, Robin became rapidly known as the protector of the poor and oppressed. Beloved and highly esteemed not only by the villagers, but also and especially by the sweet and beautiful Marian he was. The boy who never parted from his loyal, magical bow, endlessly engaged in dangerous and unthinkable missions. First Huckleberry , then Sawyer, then Peter Pan , and now finally Robin Hood adventures - I see them as links of one chain. Robin Hood has more recognizable characters and overall more interesting setting than Peter Pan , so it's a bit more enjoyable... not for me though. For me it's just a childish fantasy on famous story with zero interest in the plot.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Karasu Tengu Kabuto カラス天狗カブト [KSS] (Dropped 3/39) Tags: Historical Action, Adventure, Drama 500 years ago in the Tensho Era of Japan, a man was born who defied the will of a demon; a man who had gods of good on his side; a man destined to battle evil....his name was Kabuto. Somehow, Kuroyasya Douki, the vile Black Night Demon, escaped his prison in hell and returned to the earthly plane to wreak vengeance on the family-line of Kabuto. None can escape his deadly magic and masterful skills with the blade; however, the gods of the North, West, East, and South band together to help Kabuto stand for Justice. With the questionable help of a diabolical talking sword that his own father forged, Kabuto may live another day to see his own sons born.... The first bell rings when no Studio and only producer is known. Story suffers from constant change of place and perspective until the band gathers up and most of lack of explanation. As action pretty average, as for me.   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. A-Ko The Versus Project A-ko: Uncivil Wars -Ko The VS [ヴァーサス] [Studio Fantasia] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Super Power Action, Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi A-ko and B-ko are bounty hunters in an untamed world. When a young heiress, C-ko, falls out of the sky and into their hair, they find themselves battling space pirates and galactic police. Turns out the high-pitched, hungry C-ko holds a secret—the spirit of an ancient evil—and is the center of a plot to destroy the universe! I was so happy when A-Ko tetralogy finished with Finale OVA, and here we go again. This alternative setting when C-Ko goes from everyone's beloved into some heir and eternal rivals A-Ko and B-Ko becoming partner bounty-hunters does not add credibility. Grey side and Blue side confuses even worse. I can't find anything good in this spin-off.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Nineteen 19  [Madhouse] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama, Romance 19-year-old Kubota is ready to find a girlfriend. The perfect chance arises when he meets Masana Fujisaka, his first love, in a club. She's just broken up with her longtime boyfriend and is surprised to run into Kubota, who sees that the perfect opportunity has just arisen. Not bad romantic anime with some strange homo moves and cool music, yet very straightforward due to short 40-minutes length.   Overall Rating: 6/10

5. Bouken! Iczer 3 Iczer Reborn 冒険！イクサー３ [AIC, Darts] (Finished 6/6) Tags: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi In deep space a battle wages between the forces of good and evil and the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance. The evil Neos Gold dispatches her invading forces towards Earth with only one aim: the total destruction of all mankind. Now it's up to Iczer 3 (the younger sister of Iczer 1) to defend the Earth from the deadly armada of Neos Gold, with only the Earth's single remaining battle cruiser on her side. But don't count her out; what Iczer 3 lacks in experience she makes up for in all-out enthusiasm. The most memorable thing about Iczer-1 was yuri and ecchi, and now both these elements and toned down. Good job making another somewhat unique franchise totally unremarkable.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Riki-Oh 2: Horobi no Ko Riki-Oh 2: Child of Destruction 力王2 「滅びの子」 [Magic Bus] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen Martial Arts, Super Power Action Child of Destruction is the sequel to the RIKI-OH OVA Wall of Hell. Child of Destruction tells us more of Riki's past, as we flash back to his childhood to learn the terrible fate of his mother and how he himself was taken away from his twin brother Nachi during a game of hide-and-seek, with Nachi's plaintive cry of "Are you ready yet?" haunting him through the years. Riki has a six-pointed star emblazoned on his hand, while Nachi has a swastika on his, the significance of which go unexplained. Riki finds himself in the town of Misaki, dotted with illegal nuclear power plants and run by a religious fanatic military organization called "God's Judgment." He is taken prisoner and made to fight in gladiatorial matches in a sprawling arena. He finds his brother, whose special powers have given him the name of "Savior," but his reunion with his resentful sibling turns sour rather quickly. Part 2 is much gorier than Part 1, with Riki smashing his fists into numerous soldier opponents with far less restraint. Just another story resembling the first movie. But all those exploding body parts and evil aniki make it look more and more like Hokuto no Ken, and that's a very bad comparison in my understanding.   Overall Rating: 4/10

7. Mainichi ga Nichiyoubi 毎日が日曜日 [Production I.G, Group TAC] (Finished 6/6) Tags: Detective Comedy, Romance Yumi Takeshita is a cheerful lady who recently joined the police force of the Tawagoto precinct. When she was still a middle school student, she was saved from being hit by a truck thanks to a stranger. Several years later, she meets her savior once again while performing her first arrest attempt. He is a magician named Tohru Ichidaiji and Yumi is charmed to finally meet him. As a police officer who is assigned to several odd tasks, she will keep asking for the help of the handy Tohru. Quite nice comedy with lots of clever parody. I could enjoy it only a little, but it's just what borderline masterpiece score is for.   Overall Rating: 7/10

8. Fuuma no Kojirou: Seiken Sensou-hen 風魔の小次郎 聖剣戦争篇  [animate Film] (Finished 6/6) Tags: Shounen Martial Arts Action, Fantasy Hakuo Gakuin used to be a prestigious high school, and famous for martial arts. However, because its rival school; Seishikan, has been cowardly luring it's superior students, Hakuo was going to decline. In order to recover from the situation, the acting principal of Hakuo; Hojo Himeko, sends Yagyu Ranko to the Fuma Village in search of the famous Fuma ninja clan for assistance. The leader of the Fuma sent Kojiro to Hakuo, there he faces the notorious Yasha clan who fights for Seishikan lead by Asuka Musashi. Soon Kojiro's comrades arrive and an all-out ninja war postponed for 500 years begins between the 2 clans.  The plot is a mere excuse for two factions to clash. Lots of repetitive sword fights with obligatory special skill. This anime looks like writer tried to describe an average shounen action anime and just put it to the screen .   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Hengen Taima Yakou Karura Mau! Sendai Kokeshi Enka 変幻退魔夜行 カルラ舞う！ 仙台小芥子怨歌 [-] (Finished 6/6) Tags: Shoujo Horror Shoko and Maiko Ougi are apparently two ordinary schoolgirls in pursuit of graduating and having fun. Shii-chan is the more serious while Mai-chan is more fun-loving. In reality, the two sisters are powerful exorcists from the Karura temple. Each wields half the power... Shii-chan can "see" the spirits, and Mai-chan can banish them. This is a spooky series with heavy emphasis on traditionally Japanese occult themes. Had a prequel in 1989, so everyone should have made an opinion about this horror exorcist anime already.   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. 100% A Hundred Percents  [Nippon Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama  A pretty 22-year-old girl leaves university and gets her dream job as a TV newscaster, only to discover that life is tough at the top. Adaptation of the "Young Action" manga by Michio Yanagisawa. Not translated. An OK newscaster SOL. Some rivalry, sex harassment and fooling around. There's no global aim except just gaining success at work, and with 50 minutes it's hard to flesh out characters, so can't say it was super interesting for me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. Ai to Ken no Camelot: Mangaka Marina Time Slip Jiken 愛と剣のキャメロット まんが家マリナ タイムスリップ事件  [Ashi Productions] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Marina meets beautiful boys in a SF Fantasy based in Medieval England. It's either shoujo or josei for sure since it's a reverse harem with bishounens of different kinds of nudity (ever wanted to see a scene of a boy washing in a shower? you will anyway in this OVA). Don't expect a good story here.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. Lemon Angel YJ-ban レモンエンジェル（ＹＪ版） [MI] (Finished 2/2) Tags: School Romance Adaptation of the Lemon Angel manga serialized in Young Jump magazine. Not translated. I was surprised not to see even Ecchi tag, but as expected it should be here as corresponding situations with nudity happen from the very start. There's hardly anything good in both stories.   Overall Rating: 4/10

13. OL Kaizou Kouza OL改造講座 [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life Inspired by Drop Dead! Stupid Office Ladies, a column in Monthly Gendai magazine. Old fart version saw light in 1989, and this office lady variant follows same structure - many sketches. Again, looks good, but in dare need of translation.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. Tengai Makyou: Jiraiya Oboro-hen 天外魔境 自来也おぼろ変  [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Adventure, Fantasy Based on the first Tengai Makyou game, that initially came out in 1989 as one of the first titles for NEC's PC Engine CD-ROM. Zipang country is enjoying peace nowadays after ancient sealing of demon destroyer Masakado by three fire clan heroes. Nowadays a foreign sect tries to revive Masakado and establish military dominance over Zipang. Protagonist Jiraiya is a descendant of almost vanished fire clan. He needs to find two fire clan heroes to prevent Masakado awakening.  Not translated. Unlike previous horrible anime made to pair with the game super real mahjong, this time anime is based on a game that came out a year before, so it's an absolutely normal anime with 96 minutes length. Anime has good character design and directorship. It's funny enough , but development is absolutely serious without usual shounen dips. Very decent movie, with translation it would sure be a success.   Overall Rating: 6/10

15. City Hunter: Bay City Wars シティーハンター ベイシティウォーズ [Sunrise] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Action, Comedy, Mystery A new island resort has been built in Tokyo bay, and it is run by one of the world's most powerful super computers. The City Hunter gang has been invited to the grand opening party, but only Miki & Kaori have gotten there. Soon, they and the rest of the party goers are taken hostage by an exiled South American dictator called General Gillium. Now it's up to Ryo and Umibozu to free the hostages, and prevent Gillium's daughter from using the super computer to launch a nuclear attack on the USA. 42 minutes means it's just a paired episode. Still, with jokes placed right and fast-paced action it's still one of the best representatives of the series.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. City Hunter: Hyakuman Dollar no Inbou シティーハンター 百万ドルの陰謀  [Sunrise] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Action, Comedy, Mystery Beautiful American Emily O'Hara offers the City Hunter (Ryo Saeba & Kaori Makimura) one million dollars to protect her from a man named Douglas. Ryo & Kaori take the job, but things are not quite what they seem. The real target just might be Ryo, but it's unclear who wants Saeba dead. Can only compare it with Bay City Wars OVA, and this comparison is not in current title favor, so lower score.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. "Eiji" 「エイジ」 [Production I.G, animate Film] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Comedy, Drama, Sports  Legendary boxer Keijiro Akagi's second son, Eiji, is a high school dropout and the world's worst rock guitarist. Though his father and elder brother are both boxers, he hates the sport but suddenly takes an interest in it when he meets the local champion's little sister. I like a lot of elements of this anime - aesthetics, humor, usage of music (cuz music itself is just slightly better than noise), conversations, so it's definitely above average. With boxing kicking in humor mostly disappears , but there's enough momentum in the story to finish on a decent note.   Overall Rating: 6/10

18. Pink Mizu Dorobou Ame Dorobou Pink: Water Thieves Rain Thieves ピンク みずドロボウあめドロボウ [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Action, Comedy, Fantasy The plot is about a young girl named Pink who is a bandit in the desert who steals water from the Silver Company. A lot of humor and action is packed in 32 minutes. Not suitable for me, but I acknowledge it's above average.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. Tenjouhen: Utsunomiko 天上編・宇宙皇子 [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mythology Adventure, Fantasy Prequel of Utsunomiko. Not translated. I rated Utsunomiko as average, and this one does change initial impression.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Kimu no Juujika キムの十字架 [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Historical Drama Based on the novel by Noboru Wada. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

21. Fujiko Fujio A no Mumako 藤子不二雄Aの夢魔子 [Shin-Ei Animation] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Horror, Supernatural Based on the horror novel by Fujio (A) Fujiko. I was misleaded by 30 minutes length and one episode, but it's rather three episodes each 10 minutes long . Concept is similar to Laughing Salesman, but done worse, with strange comedy that's hardly appropriate here. Very messy .   Overall Rating: 4/10

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