Anime of the Year 1990-IV Fall - Osu!! Karate-bu

I can highlight two borderline masterpieces - Osu!! Karate-bu and Chibi Maruko-chan Movie with original work always taking precedence over recurring one of equal score.

1. Magical★Taruruuto-kun まじかる☆タルるートくん [Toei Animation] (Finished 3/87) Tags: Gag Humor, School Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Ecchi Magical Taruruto-kun is a magical boy, fighting, and comedy TV show based on the manga of the same name by Tatsuya Egawa which ran in Weekly Shounen Jump. Not translated. Reminds Dash! Kappei by energy, so should be quite popular if translated, but yeah, 87 episodes. So perverted elementary school student accidentally summons a witch chibi and first tries to attract his favorite girl attention and does some pranks with the help of witch magic, then protects school from outer forces. Nothing super fancy, just a genki anime.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Pygmalio ピグマリオ  [Nippon Animation] (Finished 3/39) Tags: Shoujo Adventure, Fantasy  Coult, the prince of the kingdom of Loon, is living a happy life with his father King Stephan and many retainers. He is cheerful, bright, tender-hearted, and gifted by the god Aganade. Coult’s mother Galatea (the daughter of Aganade) married King Stephan. However, Medusa, the daughter of the evil spirit, was envious of her happiness and turned her into a statue together with many villagers when Coult was still a baby. In order to save the other villagers, Stephan pledged allegiance to Medusa, and was forced to promise to make Coult do the same on his 8th birthday. When the day arrives, Coult declares that he will defeat Medusa and revive the people who were turned into statues. He sets out on a long journey to search for the daughter of the evil spirit. Not translated. Boy since early childhood could lift a carriage with one hand, and it is the distinguishing feature of anime alongside Greek mythology. Looks really plain  and slow, to be honest. No outstanding characters are spotted either.   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. Mitsume ga Tooru 三つ目がとおる  [Tezuka Productions] (Finished 3/48) Tags: Adventure He is a little boy who has a terrible power. On his forehead is a third eye that, if open, releases extremely dangerous mystical energy that turns him into an evil sorcerer, bent on conquering mankind, and able to summon demons and wielding a red harpoon wand called Red Condor. To protect mankind from his terrible power, Sharaku is made to wear a bandage which seals his third eye. While his eye is sealed, Sharaku knows nothing of his true nature or his power, and does not remember his evil half's sinister attempts to conquer the world. Only ten episodes are translated, others are MTL'ed. It's true that initial movie was butchered pretty bad by Toei animation or whatever that made it into constant hitting against things silly comedy. I believe that Tezuka Productions even without Osamu made things right this time just like with Kimba White Lion, but the problem is that series repeat movie , and I have no desire to watch the similar story another time, it just lacks interest to me trying to overcome random traps and enemies while exploring tombs or whatever. Good thing that there are warnings for humanity this time and it's not silly anymore, but concept does not cut it for me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

4. RPG Densetsu Hepoi RPG伝説ヘポイ [Gallop] (Finished 3/50) Tags: Adventure, Fantasy The adventure of Hepoi, a hero of heporis, Ryuuto, the prince of Dragonia, Miiya Miiya a fairy looks like a cat, and Bunzaemon, a merchant, to defeat Dracunes, the King of dark side castles. Only six episodes are translated. Basically, another Dragon Ball imitator with chibi characters and silly funny enemies. That kills any possible seriousness in an instant, but there's also lack of conceptual comedy to attract anyone else but kids. Just another anime not tagged for kids as needed.    Overall Rating: 5/10

5. Karakuri Kengou Den Musashi Lord Musashi, the Samurai Lord からくり剣豪伝ムサシロード [Pierrot] (Finished 3/50) Tags: Mecha Action, Adventure It is the time of civil war. Zipangu is a country where people live together with gimmick warriors, a kind of super human robot. There, people and gimmick warriors struggle to seize power. Musashi, a Samurai gimmick warrior, departs to on a quest to become the best Samurai warrior. Musashi thrives in the series of battles, encountering with many heroes and villains including his lifelong rival, Kojiro, an expert swordsman. Later, Mushashi and Kojiro are sent by their General to escort the Princess, a granddaughter of the general. The princess is spoiled and difficult, so their journey becomes series of misadventures. Soon, they are caught up in a battle to seize control of the Country. Fantasy is the new mecha, but the two are still getting mixed for bizarre results. Too simple, as for me, in all regards.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Happyakuyachou Hyouri Kewaishi 八百八町表裏 化粧師 [Shin-Ei Animation] (Finished 3/16) Tags: Historical Drama Set in early 1900s Tokyo, its story is about a makeup artist named Kosannba. All the women desire to have their make up done by Kosannba because he is the best. He also manages to get intertwined into the lives of many women and proceeds to work out their various problems. Not translated. Sigh. I'm trying to find any reasons to watch this anime. First of all, it shows late Edo pretty well. Secondly, it's ecchi. Lastly, protagonist is kind of goofy and falls in all sorts of situations, usually linked to some girl somehow. One average story only takes 10 minutes. Concept might work, but not without translation for sure .   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Edokko Boy: Gatten Tasuke 江戸っ子ボーイ がってん太助 [Pierrot] (Finished 3/22) Tags: Detective, Martial Arts Comedy, Sports Tasuke, a student in a police academy, wanted to be the manager of the academy and arrest all criminals in Edo city. Tasuke is still eleven years old, but, he really wanted to get rid of criminals so the world will be a better place to stay in. Tasuke have three other friends; Omon and the other two. With them, they work together and that is the start of a funny and sometimes serious adventure. Not translated. I call such shows time fillers as concept is abstract and aimless, can't figure why should I even want to watch it in first place - those stale concepts are remnants of long past time. Anyway, lots of childish characters and chibi designs, lots of mediocre humor. Again, hello, Dragon Ball. I found no outstanding element that would catch my attention, so average.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Sanchoume no Yuuhi 三丁目の夕日 [Group TAC] (Finished 3/27) Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life Based on the same name slice of life manga by Saigan Ryouhei. Not translated. And SOL comedies are really difficult to perceive without translation. Basically, only half episodes are available in full. Characters aren't cute at all. Anime tries to target the same group of kids for first three episodes, but it lacks comedy. Afterward, just as in original, absolutely different citizens are targeted, which makes it very weird and confusing.   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Peach Command Shin Momotarou Densetsu PEACH COMMAND 新桃太郎伝説 [Knack Productions] (Finished 0/24) Tags: Adventure, Comedy A continuation of Momotarou Densetsu. I have no desire to continue with Momotarou adventures, so won't bother.   Overall Rating: 0/10

10. Mamono Hunter Youko Devil Hunter Yohko 魔物ハンター妖子 [Madhouse] (Finished 5/5) Tags: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural Yohko Mono is a regular girl making her way through high school--until she learns that she is the 108th successor to a line of warriors charged with defending the earth against demons. Eventually she must fight her ultimate battle against the demon who started it all. Series is mostly known for softcore fanservice, even in PCE games. Anime deserves at least Ecchi tag. Some mediocre action, lots of torn clothes and absence of coherent plot is what you can expect from this anime.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. Mad★Bull 34 Mad Bull 34 マッド★ブル34  [Magic Bus] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Detective Action Daizaburo Edi-Ban, a Japanese-American, joins New York City's toughest precinct, the 34th. On his first day he is partnered up with John Estes, called Sleepy by his friends and Mad Bull by his enemies, a cop who stops crime with his own violent brand of justice. Mad Bull makes no qualms about executing common thieves with shotgun blasts if they even pose a minor threat to him or anyone around them. Mad Bull also often steals from prostitutes and does incredible amounts of property damage while fighting crime. Mad Bull's unpoliceman-like behavior often puts him in hot water with his partner Daizaburo and the 34th precinct. However, despite how reckless or illegal these acts are, a good cause is always revealed (For example, Sleepy uses the money he steals from the prostitutes to fund a venereal disease clinic and a home for battered and raped women). Perrine Valley, a police lieutenant, joins Daizaburo and Sleepy later on to help them tackle more difficult cases involving the mafia and drug-running. Mad Bull 34 is inspired by the high-action buddy cop films of the '70s and '80s. This anime is often cited as one of the best from the trashy ones... well, I watched it with interest, but there's hardly any conclusion than can be made. Lots of gore, H, violence, humor and there's actual logic behind it. I liked it , but not to the level of masterpiece, of course.   Overall Rating: 6/10

12. Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor: New OVA 機動警察パトレイバー　NEW OVA  [Sunrise] (Finished 3/16) Tags: Detective, Mecha Comedy, Sci-Fi Special Vehicles Division 2 is back on duty, along with their Ingram Patrol Labor (Patlabor) robots. Using their courage as well as the Ingrams, Captain Goto's motley crew of officers battle crime in Tokyo city. They also deal with their personal lives, as well as the supernatural. I'm not into Patlabor as I don't consider characters interesting enough here, and without it all the interaction between them lacks interest as well. Without interesting characters there should at least be  interesting stories, but those are reserved for movies... It's definitely not Black Lagoon or GitS series, but nevertheless above average.   Overall Rating: 6/10

13. The Hakkenden The Hakkenden: Legend of the Dog Warriors THE 八犬伝 [Artmic] (Finished 6/6) Tags: Shounen Historical, Martial Arts, Mythology, Samurai Action, Adventure "During the blood-soaked feudal wars of Japan, the Awa clan faced certain extinction from a rival clan backed by demonic forces. Their clan's salvation becomes a curse when the family dog brings back the head of the enemy warlord but insists upon marrying the lord's daughter! This unnatural union bears fruit, but they are killed; and their eight unborn pups reincarnate as the eight Dog Warriors - The Hakkenden. The eight reincarnated souls travel their separate paths of violence and retribution, but slowly they come together as a formidable group representing the eight virtues of the bushido to slay the demons and redeem their clan!" After great opening episode show falls into averageness with very shallow logic behind actions. Would not call it historical with so many demons around. Story leaves much to be desired.   Overall Rating: 5/10

14. Violence Jack: Hell's Wind-hen バイオレンス ジャック 〜ヘルスウインド編〜 [Studio 88] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Gore Action, Drama, Horror The survivors of Kanto's Hell Earthquake built a new city and christened it "Hope Town". However, this peaceful town becomes a nightmare when it's raided by the motorcycle gang, "Hell's Wind". They abduct the women while the remaining townsfolk are left helpless against them. Meanwhile, a boy, Subaro, meets Jun. Jun's lover was previously murdered, and the duo help one another to fight against Hell's Wind. The battles are getting more and more difficult, but with the appearance of Violence Jack, the citizens seem to gain the upper hand against Hell's Wind. Third Violence Jack movie, which means a lot of trashy gore and H. Only if you liked previous parts.   Overall Rating: 4/10

15. Ranma ½: Nettou Uta Gassen らんま１／２　熱闘歌合戦  [Kitty Film Mitaka Studio] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Music Comedy A two-part music OVA series never released outside of Japan featuring the main Ranma 1/2 characters. They appear to be having a music contest at a local TV station. As everybody knows, these characters can't get along for more than three minutes and hilarity and hijinks ensue. Just ten songs sung by different characters. Nice.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Shuranosuke Zanmaken: Shikamamon no Otoko Sword for Truth 修羅之介斬魔劍 死鎌紋の男 [Magic Bus] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Historical Action, Supernatural, Suspense Shurannosuke Sakaki is a masterless samurai with a razor-sharp katana and a cold-hearted personality. Whenever you see the mark of two crossed scythes on his back, death is sure to follow. Because of his exceptional swordsmanship, Shurannosuke is hired by the Nakura Clan to rescue Princess Mayu from the Seki Ninja. In this mission, he must use his full potential to survive the Seki Ninja's notorious henchmen. Climax of the thought that action is everything, and coherent plot is not needed with good action.   Overall Rating: 4/10

17. Vampire Sensou Vampire Wars ヴァンパイヤー戦争 [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Super Power, Vampire Supernatural The rural American west is the setting for this OVA, in which a bizarre and brutal attack on a NASA base in Arizona attracts the attention of a French secret service agent, Monsieur Lassar, when a dead CIA agent is found floating on the Seine in Paris. Lassar is convinced that these two events are related, and sets out to prove it. His investigation leads him to film star Lamia Vindaw and a vampire cult that may be far more vicious and dangerous than its eccentric exterior makes it seem. Movie is very trashy, vampires bring a whole new level of nonsense here. Rather painful to watch.   Overall Rating: 3/10

18. New Dream Hunter Rem: Yume no Kishitachi NEW DREAM HUNTER 麗夢 夢の騎士達 [] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Ecchi Rem is an ordinary woman in our world but, in the world of dreams, she becomes a dream warrior, defending humanity from the evils there. When dream demons reach the waking world, she fights them with the help of her pets which transform into a tiger and wolf. It has not become better since 1985, still see zero point in watching it .   Overall Rating: 5/10

19. Osu!! Karate-bu Go!! Karate Club 押忍!!空手部 [J.C.Staff] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Shounen Martial Arts, School Tadashi Matsushita has recently entered the Kansai Fifth Technical High School and joined its notorious karate club. There he meets his captain, Yoshiyuki Takagi, an incredibly strong individual. Feared and respected throughout Osaka, Takagi is deep down an honorable and compassionate guy despite his violent endeavors. This is very close to Sakigake. Humor is good enough, so the main question for me is whether it falls into violence and survival completely like Sakigake or retains sanity and humor till the end. It ended with violence spike, but normal one, not exaggerated overcoming of absolutely murderous moves by superhumans. In the end I was able to enjoy it to some extent, so see no reason to deny it masterpiece status.   Overall Rating: 7/10

20. Majuu Sensen 魔獣戦線 [animate Film] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Action, Fantasy  13 scientists seek to tap genetic powers by creating a hybrid of man and beast. Years later, 13 of their children are embroiled in a battle to undo their handiwork, while Shinichi, the son of one of the scientists, teams up with Christian super-beings to save the world. I hate genetics and religion. Add to that gory trashy action, and things should become obvious.   Overall Rating: 2/10

21. Utsunomiko: Heaven Chapter 宇宙皇子 天上篇 [Toei Animation] (Finished 5/13) Tags: Mythology Adventure, Fantasy Delving into the humans' spiritual journey to the Celestial Realm of Buddha, UTSU NO MIKO follows five friends on their quest to bring peace to a corrupt and chaotic Earth. Born with a horn, Utsu no Miko found refuge on Mt. Kongo where he studies to become a God. But when the ruling imperial government seems to bring only devastation to the people, Miko and his friends venture on a 33-year quest to reach the Celestial Realm and meet the almighty Father of the North Star. Yet, the way is filled with danger, for the five humans intrude upon the world of immortals where the gods reign supreme. And, in order to reach their goal, Miko must first challenge them to battle. However, they soon realize that the gods too are not without flaws and earthly desires. And for Miko, the hope of rescuing his love (Kagami) leads to the realization that the world cannot exist without the balance of gods' tumultuous soul, and the humans' will to survive and to love. For, as one life ceases, another takes its place. And only when there is true peace can people finally see the face of God. I seriously don't see any value in this concept and its realization. People are getting oppressed... (by other people?), so let's go pester divines, and if they are linked to people oppression somehow or if they deliver harm to any of companions, let's take revenge on them... for some reason I'm not longing to see divines' asses kicked. I really did not like pace, development , absence of backgrounds at many moments, eternal dialogues of divines and companions. I've seen a much better execution of similar concept in Tezuka Osamu Gokuu no Daibouken.   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Circuit no Ookami II: Modena no Ken  サーキットの狼II モデナの剣 [Gainax] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen Racing The adventures of Ken Ferrari, a former racer and motor journalist with an appetite for women. Based on the manga by Satoshi Ikezawa. Not translated. Drawing is so horrible as if from 1970s. Some races, pantsushots and love hotels is all this anime can boast.   Overall Rating: 4/10

23. Notari Matsutarou のたり松太郎 [Mushi Production] (Finished 0/10) Tags: Combat Sports A teenage school dropout finds new meaning in life when he discovers sumo wrestling, heading off to Tokyo for the bright lights and training with an aging master of the sport. Not translated. Let's say honestly, this series is pretty much obsolete with Matsutarou anime released in 2014, so why even bother.   Overall Rating: 0/10

24. Super Real Mahjong: Mahjong Battle Scramble - Konran-teki Sento Mahjong 麻雀バトルスクランブル 混乱的戦斗麻雀 (スーパーリアル麻雀／麻雀バトルスクランブル)  [Datam Polystar] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Strategy Game Comedy, Fantasy, Ecchi Sequel of Super Real Mahjong. Mahjong-playing sisters Kasumi, Miki, and Shouko are sent to a world where mahjong tiles are currency. In order to return to their world, they must defeat a mahjong-playing rabbit who rules the land. Senseless running and fighting at ancient China, as expected. Ending has all the torn clothes and transformation scene into sentai.   Overall Rating: 4/10

25. Shin Karate Jigoku-hen 新・カラテ地獄変 [Studio Hibari, Deck] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Martial Arts Action A returning veteran and karateka from WW2 starts working for the yakuza, looking for a man strong enough to kill him. After becoming karate champion, he joins an Italian woman who is looking for revenge against the nazis who killed her family. Bitter anime that I consider to be so to show the post-war traumatic syndrome danger. No other value whatsoever.   Overall Rating: 3/10

26. Aries: Shinwa no Seizakyuu アリーズ -神話の星座宮- [Studio Zain] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shoujo Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural Based on the shoujo manga by Fuyuki Rurika. Not translated. Setting looks as pseudo-romantic worthless thing to me as normal school students get reincarnated into evil Greek gods and have to fight Zeus together with other reincarnated gods while waiting for girl's memory to come back ... and afterwards memory comes back and students become students again... seriously, what the hell. Such pretentious stupidity is possible only in shoujo.   Overall Rating: 3/10

27. Shiawase no Katachi Figures of Happiness しあわせのかたち [Production I.G] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Comedy A gag anime based on the manga of the same name. Not translated. Main characters are side-characters from Dragon Quest II, other characters are also usually insignificant characters belonging to some game franchise, overall from 26 games. But time is usually our days. Manga had 2 pages at first, 4 pages next, so only some short event can develop over those limits. Stages can be absolutely anything from space to beach , situations can be anything from confrontation against some baddie to just meeting some weirdos and fooling around. Translation could help, without it it's not recommended as gags are too absurd.   Overall Rating: 4/10

28. Oyone to Mattsan: Ai no Uta オヨネと松っっぁん愛の唄 [Victor Entertainment] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Music Romance A story set in the countryside of Japan. Two teens meet and slowly fall in love. Their relationship has difficulties developing as her father doesn't approve of the boy's request for her hand in marriage. Part of the OVA features a karaoke-style songs with lyrics present on-screen. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

29. Kaze no Na wa Amnesia A Wind Named Amnesia 風の名はアムネジア [Madhouse] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Action, Avant Garde, Drama, Sci-Fi Two years ago, a mysterious wind swept over the Earth without warning, taking everyone's memories with it. Not knowing their names or even how to speak, cars crashed, planes dropped from the sky, and society crumbled in an instant. One young man happens to wander into a military testing facility, where he meets Johnny, a young boy who underwent experimental memory enhancement treatment and could, therefore, still remember who he was. Johnny names the young man Wataru and teaches him everything that he can before his frail body fails him. Wataru sets out on a journey to see if he can find other people like him, and in San Francisco, he meets a mysterious silver-haired woman named Sophia, who refuses to speak about her past. Sophia says that she is heading to New York, and decides to travel together with Wataru. As the pair make their way across America, they learn about what has happened to the rest of society, and what the essence of humanity really is. A visually pleasant anime that - sadly - is just a mashed up travel anime like Kino no Tabi/Blue Blink in apocalyptic world. Very weak resolution and no even some thought behind it all.   Overall Rating: 5/10

30. Chibi Maruko-chan Movie ちびまる子ちゃん (1990) [Nippon Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shoujo School Comedy Chibi Maruko chan is the nickname of a sweetly obnoxious 9-year-old girl. She tricks her grandfather, ponders for hours over how to spend her allowance, and hates sitting next to ugly boys. She talks, feels and lives just as real kids do. As the second term commences, Maruko and her classmates return to their small groups. Maruko’s group includes two naughty boys and Maruko is forced to be one of their subordinates. She seems to face a lot of pressure at school. As the school’s athletic meet approaches, all the classmates are busy exercising. Maruko is no exception, although her laziness means that she is late sometimes. Maruko realizes that the two boys rival each other in everything they do, and that their friendship is deep and strong. I value comedy episodes of Maruko-chan more than lyrical ones. This is one lyrical one about bonding of two boys Oono-kun and Sugiyama-kun. Concentration was less than in the series, and there were only couple half-decent comedy commentaries, but ending more or less made it to the borderline masterpiece. Sadly, not higher.   Overall Rating: 7/10

31. Ajin Senshi 亜人戦士 [Magic Bus] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Fantasy, Sci-Fi In the year 2200 an interstellar war is held where the weapons most frequently used are the psychic capacities. The hero, Zero, son of an earthling and an extraterrestrial, the prince and last survivor of a clan of magicians. He will fight against the army of the Manjidara empire, whose forces are such as its head ambition to control the whole universe. Not translated. Esper in space... where have we seen that? Locke the Superman , including recent movie Lord Leon. Come on, protagonists look so much alike - both have short green hair. Personalities are also similar, but it's right for half of anime. Then how about pirate aesthetics and pirate sea ships ... in space? I saw here nothing but averageness.   Overall Rating: 5/10

32. Sensou ga Owatta Natsu ni 1945 Karafuto 戦争が終わった夏に 1945・樺太 [からふと] [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Historical Drama - Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

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