[Review] Kimagure Orange Road (revisited!)

I should point out that it was a very long time ago (well over a decade!)
that I first watched KOR, and that was only the VHS releases that AnimEigo
put out. I recently had the opportunity, therefore, to review these videos
and watch the TV series for the first time, an experience that cleared up
a few points and raised a whole lot more!

The name of the series doesn't really amount to very much, but many anime
fans of the older variety are very familiar with it and with its main
charas, namely Kasuga Kyosuke, Ayukawa Madoka and Hiyama Hikaru. A classic
story of a love triangle which sustains the series through 48 TV episodes,
8 OAVs and a movie or two, though the movies deal more with how said love
triangle resolves itself as the three grow up and realise that feelings
can be very powerful and inconvenient things!

It all starts when the Kasuga family moves into a particular suburb
(presumably of Tokyo) and, while climbing a stairway, Kyosuke sees a hat,
which he catches. This was how he met Madoka but, during his first days at
school, he discovered that this quiet, mysterious girl is actually
something of a delinquent! Not only that but he ends up attracting Hikaru
after she sees him perform an amazing feat in the gym where he manages to
throw a perfect loft shot from the opposite side of the gym! It seems that
the younger Kasuga family - that is Kyosuke and his twin younger sisters,
Kurumi and Manami, all inherited a mysterious power which, on the up side,
allows them to do amazing things from telekenesis to teleportation, even
time travelling but, on the down side, it is something they have to keep a
secret to avoid the inevitable unwanted attention, something which has
meant that Kyosuke has actually attended seven different schools!

It was fan pressure that eventually gave AnimEigo the excuse to release
the TV series following the success in America of the OAV/Movie set,
though the series came late to the UK, and then only on overpriced
(initially) VHS just as everyone was dropping the format and so many years
after it had been released stateside that most of the people that wanted
it had already got it one way or another! Of course, this is a series from
the late 1980s and it may not really appeal to the younger crowd and, with
the comparatively small market over here, a minority really is small!

AnimEigo's licence ran out in 2006, though a follow-up movie was released
to the US by ADV. I've not seen that yet, though I'll write more if and
when I do.

The TV series fills in a lot of gaps that the OAV series never even
addresses. It wasn't until I saw the TV series, for example, that I
realised that "Madoka the Pick" had a lot more back story to her,
including the whole delinquent thing. I'll admit that some of the episodes
dragged a bit, and that some of them were a little obvious, but it was
refreshing to see anime as it used to be done. OK, some of the animation
was a bit off, and some references were a bit dated, but I can live with
that. Overall, it was a real joy to see it all, from those bits I had
forgotten (Ushiko-san? wherefore art thou, Ushiko-san?) to those bits I
got to see for the first time. It's a shame that the series fared so badly
over here but then I've never been particularly enamoured of MVM's
marketing.

--
//\ // Chika <miyuki><at><crashnet><org><uk>
// \// Mitsuo... Menda... naha naha...

.... Death is proven to be 99.9% fatal to all laboratory rats.

Chika wrote:[color=blue]
> I should point out that it was a very long time ago (well over a decade!)
> that I first watched KOR, and that was only the VHS releases that AnimEigo
> put out. I recently had the opportunity, therefore, to review these videos
> and watch the TV series for the first time, an experience that cleared up
> a few points and raised a whole lot more!
>
> The name of the series doesn't really amount to very much, but many anime
> fans of the older variety are very familiar with it and with its main
> charas, namely Kasuga Kyosuke, Ayukawa Madoka and Hiyama Hikaru. A classic
> story of a love triangle which sustains the series through 48 TV episodes,
> 8 OAVs and a movie or two, though the movies deal more with how said love
> triangle resolves itself as the three grow up and realise that feelings
> can be very powerful and inconvenient things!
>
> It all starts when the Kasuga family moves into a particular suburb
> (presumably of Tokyo) and, while climbing a stairway, Kyosuke sees a hat,
> which he catches. This was how he met Madoka but, during his first days at
> school, he discovered that this quiet, mysterious girl is actually
> something of a delinquent! Not only that but he ends up attracting Hikaru
> after she sees him perform an amazing feat in the gym where he manages to
> throw a perfect loft shot from the opposite side of the gym! It seems that
> the younger Kasuga family - that is Kyosuke and his twin younger sisters,
> Kurumi and Manami, all inherited a mysterious power which, on the up side,
> allows them to do amazing things from telekenesis to teleportation, even
> time travelling but, on the down side, it is something they have to keep a
> secret to avoid the inevitable unwanted attention, something which has
> meant that Kyosuke has actually attended seven different schools!
>
> It was fan pressure that eventually gave AnimEigo the excuse to release
> the TV series following the success in America of the OAV/Movie set,
> though the series came late to the UK, and then only on overpriced
> (initially) VHS just as everyone was dropping the format and so many years
> after it had been released stateside that most of the people that wanted
> it had already got it one way or another! Of course, this is a series from
> the late 1980s and it may not really appeal to the younger crowd and, with
> the comparatively small market over here, a minority really is small!
>
> AnimEigo's licence ran out in 2006, though a follow-up movie was released
> to the US by ADV. I've not seen that yet, though I'll write more if and
> when I do.
>
> The TV series fills in a lot of gaps that the OAV series never even
> addresses. It wasn't until I saw the TV series, for example, that I
> realised that "Madoka the Pick" had a lot more back story to her,
> including the whole delinquent thing. I'll admit that some of the episodes
> dragged a bit, and that some of them were a little obvious, but it was
> refreshing to see anime as it used to be done. OK, some of the animation
> was a bit off, and some references were a bit dated, but I can live with
> that. Overall, it was a real joy to see it all, from those bits I had
> forgotten (Ushiko-san? wherefore art thou, Ushiko-san?) to those bits I
> got to see for the first time. It's a shame that the series fared so badly
> over here but then I've never been particularly enamoured of MVM's
> marketing.
>[/color]
I would recommend this to anyone who likes old-school romantic
animes. I had first watched this years ago, through Animeigo's
original OAV clamshell releases. When Animeigo had a clearance
sale on the DVDs prior to losing the license, I picked up the
entire set as well as Crusher Joe (which at the time they were
also losing). For me it did not disappoint.

As for the second movie, IMO it is good, but one, the dub
sucked (especially Hikaru's voice), and the character
designer was changed (Akemi Takada was the original anime
chara designer). To me it is not necessary to watch it unless
you found certain things unresolved in the three's relationships
at the end of the first movie.

On Aug 18, 10:22*pm, Relic <relic1...@ameritech.net> wrote:[color=blue]
> Chika wrote:[color=green]
> > I should point out that it was a very long time ago (well over a decade!)
> > that I first watched KOR, and that was only the VHS releases that AnimEigo
> > put out. I recently had the opportunity, therefore, to review these videos
> > and watch the TV series for the first time, an experience that cleared up
> > a few points and raised a whole lot more![/color]
>[color=green]
> > The name of the series doesn't really amount to very much, but many anime
> > fans of the older variety are very familiar with it and with its main
> > charas, namely Kasuga Kyosuke, Ayukawa Madoka and Hiyama Hikaru. A classic
> > story of a love triangle which sustains the series through 48 TV episodes,
> > 8 OAVs and a movie or two, though the movies deal more with how said love
> > triangle resolves itself as the three grow up and realise that feelings
> > can be very powerful and inconvenient things![/color]
>[color=green]
> > It all starts when the Kasuga family moves into a particular suburb
> > (presumably of Tokyo) and, while climbing a stairway, Kyosuke sees a hat,
> > which he catches. This was how he met Madoka but, during his first daysat
> > school, he discovered that this quiet, mysterious girl is actually
> > something of a delinquent! Not only that but he ends up attracting Hikaru
> > after she sees him perform an amazing feat in the gym where he manages to
> > throw a perfect loft shot from the opposite side of the gym! It seems that
> > the younger Kasuga family - that is Kyosuke and his twin younger sisters,
> > Kurumi and Manami, all inherited a mysterious power which, on the up side,
> > allows them to do amazing things from telekenesis to teleportation, even
> > time travelling but, on the down side, it is something they have to keep a
> > secret to avoid the inevitable unwanted attention, something which has
> > meant that Kyosuke has actually attended seven different schools![/color]
>[color=green]
> > It was fan pressure that eventually gave AnimEigo the excuse to release
> > the TV series following the success in America of the OAV/Movie set,
> > though the series came late to the UK, and then only on overpriced
> > (initially) VHS just as everyone was dropping the format and so many years
> > after it had been released stateside that most of the people that wanted
> > it had already got it one way or another! Of course, this is a series from
> > the late 1980s and it may not really appeal to the younger crowd and, with
> > the comparatively small market over here, a minority really is small![/color]
>[color=green]
> > AnimEigo's licence ran out in 2006, though a follow-up movie was released
> > to the US by ADV. I've not seen that yet, though I'll write more if and
> > when I do.[/color]
>[color=green]
> > The TV series fills in a lot of gaps that the OAV series never even
> > addresses. It wasn't until I saw the TV series, for example, that I
> > realised that "Madoka the Pick" had a lot more back story to her,
> > including the whole delinquent thing. I'll admit that some of the episodes
> > dragged a bit, and that some of them were a little obvious, but it was
> > refreshing to see anime as it used to be done. OK, some of the animation
> > was a bit off, and some references were a bit dated, but I can live with
> > that. Overall, it was a real joy to see it all, from those bits I had
> > forgotten (Ushiko-san? wherefore art thou, Ushiko-san?) to those bits I
> > got to see for the first time. It's a shame that the series fared so badly
> > over here but then I've never been particularly enamoured of MVM's
> > marketing.[/color]
>
> I would recommend this to anyone who likes old-school romantic
> animes. I had first watched this years ago, through Animeigo's
> original OAV clamshell releases. When Animeigo had a clearance
> sale on the DVDs prior to losing the license, I picked up the
> entire set as well as Crusher Joe (which at the time they were
> also losing). For me it did not disappoint.
>
> As for the second movie, IMO it is good, but one, the dub
> sucked (especially Hikaru's voice), and the character
> designer was changed (Akemi Takada was the original anime
> chara designer). To me it is not necessary to watch it unless
> you found certain things unresolved in the three's relationships
> at the end of the first movie.[/color]

I would recommend KOR classic except for one thing: Hikaru's original
voice. Seriously. Even AnimEigo posted on their website that the
sound of her voice was driving their translator insane. I'm down with
romantic comedies, but that drove me away from this one.

Watson.

Dave Watson wrote:[color=blue]
> On Aug 18, 10:22 pm, Relic <relic1...@ameritech.net> wrote:[color=green]
>> Chika wrote:[color=darkred]
>>> I should point out that it was a very long time ago (well over a decade!)
>>> that I first watched KOR, and that was only the VHS releases that AnimEigo
>>> put out. I recently had the opportunity, therefore, to review these videos
>>> and watch the TV series for the first time, an experience that cleared up
>>> a few points and raised a whole lot more!
>>> The name of the series doesn't really amount to very much, but many anime
>>> fans of the older variety are very familiar with it and with its main
>>> charas, namely Kasuga Kyosuke, Ayukawa Madoka and Hiyama Hikaru. A classic
>>> story of a love triangle which sustains the series through 48 TV episodes,
>>> 8 OAVs and a movie or two, though the movies deal more with how said love
>>> triangle resolves itself as the three grow up and realise that feelings
>>> can be very powerful and inconvenient things!
>>> It all starts when the Kasuga family moves into a particular suburb
>>> (presumably of Tokyo) and, while climbing a stairway, Kyosuke sees a hat,
>>> which he catches. This was how he met Madoka but, during his first days at
>>> school, he discovered that this quiet, mysterious girl is actually
>>> something of a delinquent! Not only that but he ends up attracting Hikaru
>>> after she sees him perform an amazing feat in the gym where he manages to
>>> throw a perfect loft shot from the opposite side of the gym! It seems that
>>> the younger Kasuga family - that is Kyosuke and his twin younger sisters,
>>> Kurumi and Manami, all inherited a mysterious power which, on the up side,
>>> allows them to do amazing things from telekenesis to teleportation, even
>>> time travelling but, on the down side, it is something they have to keep a
>>> secret to avoid the inevitable unwanted attention, something which has
>>> meant that Kyosuke has actually attended seven different schools!
>>> It was fan pressure that eventually gave AnimEigo the excuse to release
>>> the TV series following the success in America of the OAV/Movie set,
>>> though the series came late to the UK, and then only on overpriced
>>> (initially) VHS just as everyone was dropping the format and so many years
>>> after it had been released stateside that most of the people that wanted
>>> it had already got it one way or another! Of course, this is a series from
>>> the late 1980s and it may not really appeal to the younger crowd and, with
>>> the comparatively small market over here, a minority really is small!
>>> AnimEigo's licence ran out in 2006, though a follow-up movie was released
>>> to the US by ADV. I've not seen that yet, though I'll write more if and
>>> when I do.
>>> The TV series fills in a lot of gaps that the OAV series never even
>>> addresses. It wasn't until I saw the TV series, for example, that I
>>> realised that "Madoka the Pick" had a lot more back story to her,
>>> including the whole delinquent thing. I'll admit that some of the episodes
>>> dragged a bit, and that some of them were a little obvious, but it was
>>> refreshing to see anime as it used to be done. OK, some of the animation
>>> was a bit off, and some references were a bit dated, but I can live with
>>> that. Overall, it was a real joy to see it all, from those bits I had
>>> forgotten (Ushiko-san? wherefore art thou, Ushiko-san?) to those bits I
>>> got to see for the first time. It's a shame that the series fared so badly
>>> over here but then I've never been particularly enamoured of MVM's
>>> marketing.[/color]
>> I would recommend this to anyone who likes old-school romantic
>> animes. I had first watched this years ago, through Animeigo's
>> original OAV clamshell releases. When Animeigo had a clearance
>> sale on the DVDs prior to losing the license, I picked up the
>> entire set as well as Crusher Joe (which at the time they were
>> also losing). For me it did not disappoint.
>>
>> As for the second movie, IMO it is good, but one, the dub
>> sucked (especially Hikaru's voice), and the character
>> designer was changed (Akemi Takada was the original anime
>> chara designer). To me it is not necessary to watch it unless
>> you found certain things unresolved in the three's relationships
>> at the end of the first movie.[/color]
>
> I would recommend KOR classic except for one thing: Hikaru's original
> voice. Seriously. Even AnimEigo posted on their website that the
> sound of her voice was driving their translator insane. I'm down with
> romantic comedies, but that drove me away from this one.
>
> Watson.[/color]

I agree with Hikaru's original voice, but what makes that forgivable
is that Hikaru was apparently deliberately using that annoying, "cutesy"
voice in the belief that Kyosuke liked girls with a "cutesy" voice
(Madoka notwithstanding). This was demonstrated in her first appearances
(prior to the basketball shot) and her appearance near the end of the
first movie, when she reverted to her "real" voice.

For obvious reasons, this would have been impossible with the 2nd
movie's American dub, since non-anime fans wouldn't know what the
significance of the "cutesy" voice would be.

Let's just say that if I went out with a woman that talked in that
"cutesy" voice, I would unequivocally run to the hills...^_^

Relic wrote:[color=blue]
> Dave Watson wrote:[color=green]
>> On Aug 18, 10:22 pm, Relic <relic1...@ameritech.net> wrote:[color=darkred]
>>> Chika wrote:
>>>> I should point out that it was a very long time ago (well over a
>>>> decade!)
>>>> that I first watched KOR, and that was only the VHS releases that
>>>> AnimEigo
>>>> put out. I recently had the opportunity, therefore, to review these
>>>> videos
>>>> and watch the TV series for the first time, an experience that
>>>> cleared up
>>>> a few points and raised a whole lot more!
>>>> The name of the series doesn't really amount to very much, but many
>>>> anime
>>>> fans of the older variety are very familiar with it and with its main
>>>> charas, namely Kasuga Kyosuke, Ayukawa Madoka and Hiyama Hikaru. A
>>>> classic
>>>> story of a love triangle which sustains the series through 48 TV
>>>> episodes,
>>>> 8 OAVs and a movie or two, though the movies deal more with how
>>>> said love
>>>> triangle resolves itself as the three grow up and realise that
>>>> feelings
>>>> can be very powerful and inconvenient things!
>>>> It all starts when the Kasuga family moves into a particular suburb
>>>> (presumably of Tokyo) and, while climbing a stairway, Kyosuke sees
>>>> a hat,
>>>> which he catches. This was how he met Madoka but, during his first
>>>> days at
>>>> school, he discovered that this quiet, mysterious girl is actually
>>>> something of a delinquent! Not only that but he ends up attracting
>>>> Hikaru
>>>> after she sees him perform an amazing feat in the gym where he
>>>> manages to
>>>> throw a perfect loft shot from the opposite side of the gym! It
>>>> seems that
>>>> the younger Kasuga family - that is Kyosuke and his twin younger
>>>> sisters,
>>>> Kurumi and Manami, all inherited a mysterious power which, on the
>>>> up side,
>>>> allows them to do amazing things from telekenesis to teleportation,
>>>> even
>>>> time travelling but, on the down side, it is something they have to
>>>> keep a
>>>> secret to avoid the inevitable unwanted attention, something which has
>>>> meant that Kyosuke has actually attended seven different schools!
>>>> It was fan pressure that eventually gave AnimEigo the excuse to
>>>> release
>>>> the TV series following the success in America of the OAV/Movie set,
>>>> though the series came late to the UK, and then only on overpriced
>>>> (initially) VHS just as everyone was dropping the format and so
>>>> many years
>>>> after it had been released stateside that most of the people that
>>>> wanted
>>>> it had already got it one way or another! Of course, this is a
>>>> series from
>>>> the late 1980s and it may not really appeal to the younger crowd
>>>> and, with
>>>> the comparatively small market over here, a minority really is small!
>>>> AnimEigo's licence ran out in 2006, though a follow-up movie was
>>>> released
>>>> to the US by ADV. I've not seen that yet, though I'll write more if
>>>> and
>>>> when I do.
>>>> The TV series fills in a lot of gaps that the OAV series never even
>>>> addresses. It wasn't until I saw the TV series, for example, that I
>>>> realised that "Madoka the Pick" had a lot more back story to her,
>>>> including the whole delinquent thing. I'll admit that some of the
>>>> episodes
>>>> dragged a bit, and that some of them were a little obvious, but it was
>>>> refreshing to see anime as it used to be done. OK, some of the
>>>> animation
>>>> was a bit off, and some references were a bit dated, but I can live
>>>> with
>>>> that. Overall, it was a real joy to see it all, from those bits I had
>>>> forgotten (Ushiko-san? wherefore art thou, Ushiko-san?) to those
>>>> bits I
>>>> got to see for the first time. It's a shame that the series fared
>>>> so badly
>>>> over here but then I've never been particularly enamoured of MVM's
>>>> marketing.
>>> I would recommend this to anyone who likes old-school romantic
>>> animes. I had first watched this years ago, through Animeigo's
>>> original OAV clamshell releases. When Animeigo had a clearance
>>> sale on the DVDs prior to losing the license, I picked up the
>>> entire set as well as Crusher Joe (which at the time they were
>>> also losing). For me it did not disappoint.
>>>
>>> As for the second movie, IMO it is good, but one, the dub
>>> sucked (especially Hikaru's voice), and the character
>>> designer was changed (Akemi Takada was the original anime
>>> chara designer). To me it is not necessary to watch it unless
>>> you found certain things unresolved in the three's relationships
>>> at the end of the first movie.[/color]
>>
>> I would recommend KOR classic except for one thing: Hikaru's original
>> voice. Seriously. Even AnimEigo posted on their website that the
>> sound of her voice was driving their translator insane. I'm down with
>> romantic comedies, but that drove me away from this one.
>>
>> Watson.[/color]
>
> I agree with Hikaru's original voice, but what makes that forgivable
> is that Hikaru was apparently deliberately using that annoying, "cutesy"
> voice in the belief that Kyosuke liked girls with a "cutesy" voice
> (Madoka notwithstanding). This was demonstrated in her first appearances
> (prior to the basketball shot) and her appearance near the end of the
> first movie, when she reverted to her "real" voice.
>
> For obvious reasons, this would have been impossible with the 2nd
> movie's American dub, since non-anime fans wouldn't know what the
> significance of the "cutesy" voice would be.
>
> Let's just say that if I went out with a woman that talked in that
> "cutesy" voice, I would unequivocally run to the hills...^_^[/color]
Well I like Chika's review except for a couple of
failures to mention. #1 the music which is entirely
marvelous and #2 Madoka musicality and talent.
The 1st Movie "KOR:I Want To Return To That Day"
has some of the best lyrics and between that and Hikaru's
unfortunate situation it always tears me up emotionally.
Ano Sora o Dakishimete just racks me up.

In the second movie, "Shin KOR: Summer's Beginning"
Madoka's song for Kyosuke is just wonderful.

But I found all the songs for opening and closing as well
as the opening and closing animations just incredible.

The author only had it seems this one excellent story to tell and
his invention
flagged after Shin:KOR from the bit I have been able to read. But the
animation
and music add considerably to the manga while subtracting a good deal of
the original
story. I think it is a prime candidate for being redone, updated in
the 21st Century.

later
bliss -- C O C O A Powered... (at california dot com)

--
bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco

Ningen banji Human beings do
Samazama no Every single kind
Baka a suru Of stupid thing
--- 117th edition of Haifu Yanagidaru published in 1832

bobbie sellers wrote:[color=blue]
> Relic wrote:[color=green]
>> Dave Watson wrote:[color=darkred]
>>> On Aug 18, 10:22 pm, Relic <relic1...@ameritech.net> wrote:
>>>> Chika wrote:
>>>>> I should point out that it was a very long time ago (well over a
>>>>> decade!)
>>>>> that I first watched KOR, and that was only the VHS releases that
>>>>> AnimEigo
>>>>> put out. I recently had the opportunity, therefore, to review these
>>>>> videos
>>>>> and watch the TV series for the first time, an experience that
>>>>> cleared up
>>>>> a few points and raised a whole lot more!
>>>>> The name of the series doesn't really amount to very much, but many
>>>>> anime
>>>>> fans of the older variety are very familiar with it and with its main
>>>>> charas, namely Kasuga Kyosuke, Ayukawa Madoka and Hiyama Hikaru. A
>>>>> classic
>>>>> story of a love triangle which sustains the series through 48 TV
>>>>> episodes,
>>>>> 8 OAVs and a movie or two, though the movies deal more with how
>>>>> said love
>>>>> triangle resolves itself as the three grow up and realise that
>>>>> feelings
>>>>> can be very powerful and inconvenient things!
>>>>> It all starts when the Kasuga family moves into a particular suburb
>>>>> (presumably of Tokyo) and, while climbing a stairway, Kyosuke sees
>>>>> a hat,
>>>>> which he catches. This was how he met Madoka but, during his first
>>>>> days at
>>>>> school, he discovered that this quiet, mysterious girl is actually
>>>>> something of a delinquent! Not only that but he ends up attracting
>>>>> Hikaru
>>>>> after she sees him perform an amazing feat in the gym where he
>>>>> manages to
>>>>> throw a perfect loft shot from the opposite side of the gym! It
>>>>> seems that
>>>>> the younger Kasuga family - that is Kyosuke and his twin younger
>>>>> sisters,
>>>>> Kurumi and Manami, all inherited a mysterious power which, on the
>>>>> up side,
>>>>> allows them to do amazing things from telekenesis to teleportation,
>>>>> even
>>>>> time travelling but, on the down side, it is something they have to
>>>>> keep a
>>>>> secret to avoid the inevitable unwanted attention, something which has
>>>>> meant that Kyosuke has actually attended seven different schools!
>>>>> It was fan pressure that eventually gave AnimEigo the excuse to
>>>>> release
>>>>> the TV series following the success in America of the OAV/Movie set,
>>>>> though the series came late to the UK, and then only on overpriced
>>>>> (initially) VHS just as everyone was dropping the format and so
>>>>> many years
>>>>> after it had been released stateside that most of the people that
>>>>> wanted
>>>>> it had already got it one way or another! Of course, this is a
>>>>> series from
>>>>> the late 1980s and it may not really appeal to the younger crowd
>>>>> and, with
>>>>> the comparatively small market over here, a minority really is small!
>>>>> AnimEigo's licence ran out in 2006, though a follow-up movie was
>>>>> released
>>>>> to the US by ADV. I've not seen that yet, though I'll write more if
>>>>> and
>>>>> when I do.
>>>>> The TV series fills in a lot of gaps that the OAV series never even
>>>>> addresses. It wasn't until I saw the TV series, for example, that I
>>>>> realised that "Madoka the Pick" had a lot more back story to her,
>>>>> including the whole delinquent thing. I'll admit that some of the
>>>>> episodes
>>>>> dragged a bit, and that some of them were a little obvious, but it was
>>>>> refreshing to see anime as it used to be done. OK, some of the
>>>>> animation
>>>>> was a bit off, and some references were a bit dated, but I can live
>>>>> with
>>>>> that. Overall, it was a real joy to see it all, from those bits I had
>>>>> forgotten (Ushiko-san? wherefore art thou, Ushiko-san?) to those
>>>>> bits I
>>>>> got to see for the first time. It's a shame that the series fared
>>>>> so badly
>>>>> over here but then I've never been particularly enamoured of MVM's
>>>>> marketing.
>>>> I would recommend this to anyone who likes old-school romantic
>>>> animes. I had first watched this years ago, through Animeigo's
>>>> original OAV clamshell releases. When Animeigo had a clearance
>>>> sale on the DVDs prior to losing the license, I picked up the
>>>> entire set as well as Crusher Joe (which at the time they were
>>>> also losing). For me it did not disappoint.
>>>>
>>>> As for the second movie, IMO it is good, but one, the dub
>>>> sucked (especially Hikaru's voice), and the character
>>>> designer was changed (Akemi Takada was the original anime
>>>> chara designer). To me it is not necessary to watch it unless
>>>> you found certain things unresolved in the three's relationships
>>>> at the end of the first movie.
>>>
>>> I would recommend KOR classic except for one thing: Hikaru's original
>>> voice. Seriously. Even AnimEigo posted on their website that the
>>> sound of her voice was driving their translator insane. I'm down with
>>> romantic comedies, but that drove me away from this one.
>>>
>>> Watson.[/color]
>>
>> I agree with Hikaru's original voice, but what makes that forgivable
>> is that Hikaru was apparently deliberately using that annoying, "cutesy"
>> voice in the belief that Kyosuke liked girls with a "cutesy" voice
>> (Madoka notwithstanding). This was demonstrated in her first appearances
>> (prior to the basketball shot) and her appearance near the end of the
>> first movie, when she reverted to her "real" voice.
>>
>> For obvious reasons, this would have been impossible with the 2nd
>> movie's American dub, since non-anime fans wouldn't know what the
>> significance of the "cutesy" voice would be.
>>
>> Let's just say that if I went out with a woman that talked in that
>> "cutesy" voice, I would unequivocally run to the hills...^_^[/color]
> Well I like Chika's review except for a couple of
> failures to mention. #1 the music which is entirely
> marvelous and #2 Madoka musicality and talent.
> The 1st Movie "KOR:I Want To Return To That Day"
> has some of the best lyrics and between that and Hikaru's
> unfortunate situation it always tears me up emotionally.
> Ano Sora o Dakishimete just racks me up.
>
> In the second movie, "Shin KOR: Summer's Beginning"
> Madoka's song for Kyosuke is just wonderful.
>
> But I found all the songs for opening and closing as well
> as the opening and closing animations just incredible.
>
> The author only had it seems this one excellent story to tell and
> his invention
> flagged after Shin:KOR from the bit I have been able to read. But the
> animation
> and music add considerably to the manga while subtracting a good deal of
> the original
> story. I think it is a prime candidate for being redone, updated in
> the 21st Century.[/color]

I agree with the music. It was consistently well-done (some series in
the 80s really excelled in that department, like BGC IMO). The ShinKOR
movie was based on a short novel that I believe Matsumoto Izumi himself
wrote around 1994 or 5. I had the translated script I had printed up
about the end of 95 or early 96 from a person's website (ah, back in
the day when most websites could still be read by ascii script ^_^),
but I am not sure if I still have it (back then I was printing up
a lot of stuff, from translated scripts to fanfiction, but I had
to think of my poor dot-matrix printer...).

I would also love to see what could be done with newer animation,
but to be honest, while there are probably a lot of older fans
who remember the series with fondness in Japan, I am not
sure if there would be enough to get the project off the ground
there. I liked the manga as well, but given the art style, I
really couldn't see it getting published over here (I would
love it if Viz got off it's duff and finished Urusei Yatsura,
but given the poor sales over here, I don't see that happening
either...).

As for the ending of the first movie, one of my nieces just
got finished with Excel Saga and has lined my KOR discs for
her next view. I am not even gonna HINT at the ending....
[color=blue]
>
> later
> bliss -- C O C O A Powered... (at california dot com)
>
> --
> bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco
>
> Ningen banji Human beings do
> Samazama no Every single kind
> Baka a suru Of stupid thing
> --- 117th edition of Haifu Yanagidaru published in 1832
>[/color]

"Relic" <relic1980@ameritech.net> wrote in message
news:6Lrqk.18815$jI5.16744@flpi148.ffdc.sbc.com...[color=blue]
> Dave Watson wrote:[color=green]
>> On Aug 18, 10:22 pm, Relic <relic1...@ameritech.net> wrote:[/color][/color]
[color=blue][color=green]
>> Watson.[/color]
>
> I agree with Hikaru's original voice, but what makes that forgivable
> is that Hikaru was apparently deliberately using that annoying, "cutesy"
> voice in the belief that Kyosuke liked girls with a "cutesy" voice
> (Madoka notwithstanding). This was demonstrated in her first appearances
> (prior to the basketball shot) and her appearance near the end of the
> first movie, when she reverted to her "real" voice.
>
> For obvious reasons, this would have been impossible with the 2nd
> movie's American dub, since non-anime fans wouldn't know what the
> significance of the "cutesy" voice would be.[/color]

I wonder how much that affected the great waffler's eventual decision.

*Hikaru-chan defender since 1995, but still a Manami fan.

"Relic" <relic1980@ameritech.net> wrote in message
news:mXsqk.19673$89.160@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com...
[color=blue]
> I would also love to see what could be done with newer animation,
> but to be honest, while there are probably a lot of older fans
> who remember the series with fondness in Japan, I am not
> sure if there would be enough to get the project off the ground
> there. I liked the manga as well, but given the art style, I
> really couldn't see it getting published over here (I would
> love it if Viz got off it's duff and finished Urusei Yatsura,
> but given the poor sales over here, I don't see that happening
> either...).[/color]

I think it could be very dangerous to mess with KOR. As much as I love the
series, it was balanced almost perfectly to hide its weaknesses. Let's face
it, the story was rather trite, and in many cases severly contrived. It
worked more on the power of the characters than on plot. And the music
helped that along.

Any attempt to revisit the series could shatter that facade.

Although, if it's done, they had DAMNED well better use Akemi Takada for the
character designs.
[color=blue]
> As for the ending of the first movie, one of my nieces just
> got finished with Excel Saga and has lined my KOR discs for
> her next view. I am not even gonna HINT at the ending....[/color]

Akuma

In article <b8qqk.19664$89.4709@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com>, Relic
<relic1980@ameritech.net> wrote:[color=blue]
> I would recommend this to anyone who likes old-school romantic animes. I
> had first watched this years ago, through Animeigo's original OAV
> clamshell releases. When Animeigo had a clearance sale on the DVDs prior
> to losing the license, I picked up the entire set as well as Crusher Joe
> (which at the time they were also losing). For me it did not disappoint.[/color]

Glad to hear it.
[color=blue]
> As for the second movie, IMO it is good, but one, the dub sucked
> (especially Hikaru's voice), and the character designer was changed
> (Akemi Takada was the original anime chara designer). To me it is not
> necessary to watch it unless you found certain things unresolved in the
> three's relationships at the end of the first movie.[/color]

Strangely enough, and since writing that review, I have had a chance to
see the second movie, which I'll be writing about shortly.

--
//\ // Chika <miyuki><at><crashnet><org><uk>
// \// Mitsuo... Menda... naha naha...

.... Misspelled? Impossible. Error correcting modem!

In article <6gv1jdFhjssqU1@mid.individual.net>,
bobbie sellers <bliss@california.com> wrote:[color=blue]
> Well I like Chika's review...[/color]

Why, thank you!
[color=blue]
> ...except for a couple of
> failures to mention.[/color]

Oh. Oh well... ^_^;
[color=blue]
> #1 the music which is entirely marvelous...[/color]

Agreed.
[color=blue]
> ...and #2 Madoka musicality and talent.[/color]

I think this is partially covered by the fact that a lot of Madoka's
personality wasn't explained well enough by AnimEigo's original releases
of the OAVs and first movie. The closest they got was the double episode
about the band contest, and that seemed to assume foreknowledge. It's
another reason why I was glad to be able to see the TV series at last as
it filled in all sorts of gaps such as this one.

--
//\ // Chika <miyuki><at><crashnet><org><uk>
// \// Mitsuo... Menda... naha naha...

.... Air conditioners are like computers. They don't work if you open windows...