Anime of the Year 1992-I Winter - Mama wa Shougaku 4 Nensei

What a slow start of the year. Can call just one anime decent, and that's Mama wa Shougaku 4 Nensei

1. Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman Blade Tekkaman Blade 宇宙の騎士テッカマンブレード [Tatsunoko Production] (Finished 3/49) Tags: Shounen Mecha, Military, Space Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi  Tekkaman Blade takes place in the year 2300 AD. On a certain moment, the Radam attack earth. A few months after the beginning of the invasion, a tekkaman appears, he calls himself Blade and with the help of the Space Knights, Blade starts to fight the radam. But there are a few things that Blade isn't telling about his past. I see it as very generic Aliens vs sentai mecha stuff with bigger focus on characters than usual even though characters themselves aren't likeable. Drama would only work for me if I had sympathy towards characters. Above average in the genre, but outsiders like me would be bored.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Mama wa Shougaku 4 Nensei Mama is Just a Fourth Grade Pupil ママは小学４年生 [Sunrise] (Finished 4/51) Tags: Childcare Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi Natsumi Mizuki is a 4th grader whose parents have gone to London. Her Aunt Izumi comes to live with her. Izumi is an aspiring manga writer who is trying to get her first big break, so she doesn't have time for a baby that appears out of thin air on Natsumi's first night alone. The baby's name is Mirai and her mother is *Natsumi*, but 15 years older. Somehow, Mirai had traveled back in time. Now the young Natsumi has to raise Mirai while trying to keep her 4th grade life from falling apart and keep Mirai-chan secret from everyone. She has the dubious help of Izumi and some baby-care gadgets from the future. Opening is an eternal hit, and it's watchable, I definitely watched more in the past. It has enough cuteness for the whole season. At the same time due to the concept there's a lot of crying and quarrelling, which is not pleasant to say the least. Also lacks humor or I did not make it far enough for it to shine.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Densetsu no Yuusha Da Garn 伝説の勇者ダ・ガーン [Sunrise] (Finished 3/46) Tags: Shounen Mecha Sci-Fi One day, the Earth was assaulted by a space pirate, Orbus. He aimed at Planet Energy, the life energy of the Earth. If several Release Points, where the Planet Energy concentrated, were attacked at once, the Earth would explode. When the first attack was made, Takasugi Seiji escaped into an old temple with his girl friend Kosaka Hikaru. Then, he received, Orin, a token of the leader of the Earth guardians, from the conscience of the Earth. By the power of Orin, the patrol car was turned into a Robot, Da Garn. As Sunrise part of the mecha series, it's trying to bring more of the same with different characters, so won't experiment. I even failed to find distinguishing features - just typical Sunrise mecha with typical genki protagonist. The fact that transformer is a police car is hardly an innovation. There's a minimal stamp of quality with characters and humor, but it's not enough anymore after so many similar works.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Hana no Mahoutsukai Mary Bell 花の魔法使いマリーベル [Production Reed] (Finished 3/50) Tags: Shoujo Adventure, Fantasy Mary Bell, a magical girl who looks like a girl around five years old, comes to the human world from a magical world called "Flower Magic World", and helps and encourages people. All characters are kids too young to attend school. It's super naïve. All the flowers and stars can just stop and some song can start occasionally... if it's a shoujo then a shoujo for kids.   Overall Rating: 4/10

5. Daisougen no Chiisana Tenshi: Bush Baby Bush Baby, Little Angel of the Great Plains 大草原の小さな天使　ブッシュベイビー [Nippon Animation] (Finished 2/40) Tags: Adventure, Drama When Jackie Rhodes, a british girl living in Kenya with her family, finds an ill animal called a Bushbaby, she adopts him, calls him Murphy and nurses him back to health. Murphy, Jackie, her family and their friends go on many adventures involving wild animals, poachers and more. But when Jackie's father is recalled to England, Jackie must leave her life in Africa behind. However, before she can go, Jackie, Murphy and Tembo, a friend of Jackie's father, go on one last adventure: they must cross the dangerous savannah to escape the poachers and corrupt police officers chasing them. Along the way, Jackie teaches the now domesticated Murphy to survive in the wild, so that, before she leaves, she can release him in his natural habitat. Partially subbed, but fully dubbed because only generic safe old works were bought and dubbed in the past. World theater series. As usual, I'm not impressed with just SOL about girl and wild animals from Africa.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Video Girl Ai 電影少女 VIDEO・GIRL・AI [Production I.G] (Finished 6/6) Tags: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Ecchi  After a crushing rejection, the heartbroken Youta Moteuchi trudges home. On his way, a dimly lit video store catches his eye, and he ends up purchasing a "video girl" tape meant to ease the hearts of lonely men. However, when he tries to play it in his broken VCR, a beautiful girl leaps out of his TV and lands on his bed. Calling herself Ai Amano, she looks like a golden opportunity for Youta to finally experience true love—that is, until her personality, now troubling thanks to the broken VCR, shows through. Despite her flaws, however, Ai wholeheartedly promises she will ensure Youta finds happiness and true love in his life. Video Girl Ai follows the daily life of a teenage boy and his pursuit of a fulfilling romance. With the help of his virtual guardian angel, Youta sets forth to find the girl of his dreams. The third anime with girl suddenly showing up at boy's room. Ecchi is only flashed like three times in all the episodes, so it's not real Ecchi. And as you can see from the number of episodes it can't be just fanservice situations. Instead, the favorite plot move is used for extension - love triangle, even love square. And only last episode has to do with video girl nature and existence. I found nothing special in it , again appeal to cuteness, emotions - immature stuff like that and immature dialogues.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Handsome Girl ハンサムな彼女 [J.C.Staff] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shoujo Showbiz Romance Hagiwara Mio is a 14-year-old TV actress who has gotten popular. One day on a set, she meets Kumagai Ichiya, who tells her that her acting "stinks." Mio is hurt by his comments, but she finds that she can't get Ichiya out of her mind. It turns out that Ichiya is a promising director, who directed a music video for Mio's friend Sawaki Aya, an idol singer. After the success of this music video, Ichiya is asked to direct a movie, and he wants Mio to be the heroine, because he feels that she is a "handsome" girl like the actresses of old. How will Mio cope with her feelings toward Ichiya? A large chunk of the small OVA are songs, so there's only time to get offended, then shoot some movie scenes, then overhear Ichiya and get offended again... then make peace again, the end. Not worth the time spent.   Overall Rating: 4/10

8. Kennel Tokorozawa ケンネル所沢 [Animation 21] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Pets, School Comedy, Ecchi Pet shop owner's daughter Chika Tokorozawa spends every waking hour with her dog, Rin Tin Tin, who repays her love by watching over her while she sleeps. Based on the manga in Young Sunday magazine by Maki Otsubo, who is better known in the manga world for Mr. Cinema. Wow, pervert dog with thoughts as protagonist... really brave. The whole anime is a one big bestiality running joke, so would be inappropriate for majority of viewers. But if you're fine with that or want to troll a friend, it can be of slightly higher score.   Overall Rating: 4/10

9. Babel Nisei (OVA) Babel II [J.C.Staff] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Mecha Action, Sci-Fi Life seems simple for Koichi, a young student, until he learns that he is the reincarnation of an alien protector who crashed onto the mantle of responsibility as"defender of the Earth", Koichi/Babel teams up with a trio of super-powered alien companions to battle the the dark forces of an evil cult leader. The war to save humanity takes Babel from the deserts of southern Asia to the upper east side of Manhattan and ultimately to a final showdown with "the master" in a hidden base nestled in the Swiss Alps. The action is fast-paced and deadly. The fate of the world rests in the ability of this courageous youth to tame his latent psychic power and use it to defeat the enemies of mankind. The old Babel series was purely horrible, I still get goose-skin when remember it. This one is more down-to-earth and has more extensive introduction or setting and characters. With a lot shorter length it's finally possible to sit through it now. Esper powers, exotic locations and giant beasts have always been in the core of Babel Nisei, but cringe has achieved a whole new level due to addition of mecha... I loathe this series so much.   Overall Rating: 4/10

10. Sequence シークエンス [Ashi Productions] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shoujo Romance, Sci-Fi Suffering from a crippling memory loss ever since an accident at the age of six, Toshiaki finds new hope, and a new mystery, when he is visited by a girl from his own future. Amnesia , deja vu , future premonition, time travel. The whole mystery gets explained around these terms over a longer time. Personally, I never got involved enough to care, but someone might.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. High School Jingi はいすくーる仁義 [J.C.Staff] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen Delinquents, Organized Crime Action, Comedy The impulsive Yakuza Jouji was ordered by his boss to teach at a misfit-filled school. He now has to settle the score with a fated rival while falling head over heels for a colleague in the process. Fighting (usually delinquents) is the main theme here and running after skirts is a secondary one. Nothing really outstanding.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. Shiritsutantei: Toki Shouzou Trouble Note - Hard & Loose 私立探偵・土岐正造トラブル・ノート　ハード＆ルーズ [Artland] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Action, Mystery  Based on the manga by Tsuchiya Garon (aka Marley Carib), art by Kawaguchi Kaiji, serialised in Action in the 80s. Toki Shouzou is a private detective. Despite all his best effort, he is not exactly overwhelmed by a big workload. Past his callous demeanor, Toki, deep down, cares about making the world a better place and readily accepts any small request. Toki cherishes a particular person, but is it mutual?... It's sort of daily routine of one cool manly detective with a bit of everything. The question is why we should watch it.   Overall Rating: 4/10

13. Ruri-iro Princess るり色プリンセス [Pierrot] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Shoujo Romance High school girl Ruri is dragged into a battle over the fate of the Pulsean Moon when the princess Leila sends assassins to dispense with her. Ruri's lover, Toru, is wounded protecting her, and Ruri must leave the real world behind and journey to the Pulsean Moon to save him. Based on the manga in Omajinai Comic by Mito Orihara, who also wrote the theme song. Not translated. It starts as a normal school shoujo, continues as a sort of magical girl and end with nothing as antagonist is still there, only immediate assassin threat is gone. It's shoujo to the bones in spirit, just with a needlessly more complex plot than usual .   Overall Rating: 5/10

14. Naniwa Yuukyouden なにわ遊侠伝 [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Organized Crime Action, Comedy Taido Kaimon is the leader of the Kinshu Group ganster syndicate in Kansai region. His gang is a cluster of wisecracking madmen, eternally running into trouble with the law, each other, and the local girls who give as good as they get. Not translated. As it comes with many old yakuza anime, it's Ecchi. Drawing is simple fitting 1970s, animation itself with eyes protruding a good 20 cm to express emotions is irritating. There are several different stories within OVA, like four. Humor is pretty silly to enjoy it. There will be several more same untranslated sequels of Naniwa Yuukyouden over a few years, but I'm not going to skip them all as concept of episodic comedy is not going to change.   Overall Rating: 4/10

15. Ishinomori Shoutarou no Rekishi Adventure 石ノ森章太郎の歴史アドベンチャー [Bandai Visual] (Finished 0/5) Tags: Historical, Samurai A two-part video series in which Dr. Teng (a researcher at the Time Institute) and his faithful kappa assistant Pasuke travel through time, first to the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) and then to the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima (1561). In the second installment, they then look in on the last stand of the Japanese underdog hero Yoshitsune in Hiraizu mi (1189) and then, after spending so much time on the Genpei War, suddenly leap several centuries into the future, to cover the first time Nobunaga Oda used firearms in battle, at Nagashino (1575) . A mixture of live-action and anime, described by Japanese sources as a "documentary with a touch of story," and presumably related in some way to Shotaro Ishinomori's multivolume manga history of Japan. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

16. Terajima-chou Kidan: Ginnagashi 寺島町奇譚 ぎんながし [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Historical Ten-year-old Kyoshi watches as a tramp transforms himself into a rich imposter at a stand-up bar in the Tamanoi district. Amusing tales from prewar Tokyo based on the 1968 autobiographical manga Strange Tales of Terajima and written by Yu Takita for the alternative magazine Garo. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

17. Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken Tachiagare!! Aban no Shito Dragon Quest Great Adventure of Dai! Disciple of Aban. ドラゴンクエスト　ダイの大冒険　起ち・がれ！！アバンの使徒 [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Action, Adventure, Fantasy The second Dragon Quest Dai no Daibouken movie. The story takes place between episode 18 and 19 of the TV series. First episodes were more impressive. As a filler happening between two episodes, it can't be a serious plot move. In the end it's just a mashup of going somewhere, fighting someone and recollection of the past. Maybe it hints something for those who watched the series, but outside it pretty much useless.   Overall Rating: 4/10

18. Sangokushi: Dai Ichi Bu - Eiyuu-tachi no Yoake 三国志 第一部 英雄たちの夜明け [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Historical The Yellow Turban rebellion that initiated the downfall of the ruling Han dynasty. At the start of the story, both Liu Bei, its eventual protagonist, and Cao Cao, its eventual antagonist, are minor players. Liu Bei is striving to find a way to bring order to a chaotic world. As he puzzles he way toward the correct course of action, he befriends two powerful warriors, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. Together, they take the Oath of the Peach Garden, to live and die together as warriors for justice. Meanwhile, Cao Cao is pondering how to fulfill his destiny as "a hero in a chaotic world or a villain in a peaceful one." Initially, power seems to belong to usurping warlord Dong Zhuo and his right-hand man, the hero Lu Bu. But the two soon fall out over a woman, and the resulting power vacuum gives Cao Cao his chance. Even though Lu Bu is the stronger warrior, Cao Cao has the devil's own luck on the battlefield. Liu Bei tries to stick to the right course, but he is just a minor piece on the giant chessboard of China's warring states. War rages up and down the country, with inconclusive result, thus setting the stage for the next two movies in the series. The start is Yellow Turban rebellion just as the start of Sangokushi TV series, so the natural question is whether one of these shows is made obsolete by the other. The fact is Dawn of heroes uses different images of characters that we got used to over the course of three shows. I don't like drawing style and showing many characters rather weak breaking the coolness. All it adds to the story is complexity - the girl Liu Bei promised to return to and save, the way Liu Bei got acquainted with each of his future generals, some additional meaningless characters to talk to... absolutely unimportant things like that. It also ends very early, maybe at a quarter of TV series content. My score can seem harsh for a definitely above average anime, but my estimation is based on its place in the series. And it only erodes the legacy formed by now while adding nothing worth mentioning.   Overall Rating: 4/10

19. Patchin shite! Obaachan パッチンして！おばあちゃん [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Drama The story takes place in Kanazawa and tells the story of Yasue, an old woman who suddenly became very ill, her whole body paralyzed. She is told by her doctor she only has two weeks to live... Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

20. Boyfriend  ボ～イ フレンド [Magic Bus] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shoujo Romance, Sports Takatou Masaki is the second youngest of four sons, and seemingly a delinquent by nature. His hot temper has put a wedge between himself and his strict father, gotten him kicked out of one school, and tossed him at a school notoriously horrible for the one thing he's truly good at, basketball. A chance encounter with the willful Yuuki Kanako may serve as a catalyst for change, as the indefinable connection she feels with him draws them together... I so hate these Korean suspense medical dorama when someone is on the brink of death each day. Here is a similar case as romance spawns from pity because of heart disease. Feels fake instantly due to this cheesing. If you can stand such a move, it sure deserves a higher score due to developed characters.   Overall Rating: 4/10

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