Musekinin Kanchou Tylor OVA

The sequel to the tv series is just a notch below the tv series.

I won't go to far into the show, my review for this OVA would almost be the same for the tv series. It again follows Captain Tylor. At the beginning of the show the crew of the destroyer all have been reassigned. Then adventure ensues as a unknown enemy appears.

As I stated in my review for the series this is a show I recommend and think everyone will enjoy.

Well, how to begin... Let me start by words that this OVA was rather disappointing. It isn´t bad, NO ! I enjoyed it quite a bit but, I enjoyed the original series a lot more and once I watched this I just felt like this OVA should get a second title: The deleted Scenes or The Alternative version. Why ? Let me explain...

Story: 6-7/10
The story of the OVA is set after the happenings of the original series but you´ll rarely get the feeling it really is taking place after everything because except some small differences the whole OVA looks more like something that didn´t ... fit into the original story rather than its continuation. Testimony to this argument is the fact that only a half of the entire OVA has actually something to do with the story and its “continuation”. The other half can be described with one word: “filler”. Approximately 5 of the 10 episodes are fillers portraying individuals in either everyday life or describing their backgrounds. It´s not necessarily bad, but it kind of confuses the whole feel of the entire OVA. Were they trying to continue the story or bring depth to the characters? Looking at the OVA one might think both but that proves to be not the smartest solution if you ask me. The OVA would be a lot better if they went only with one of the two possibilities and concentrate on it, rather than having both but each being half-assed. The worst part of it all is the fact that like the original series, even the OVA ends with a cliff-hanger but unlike the original where the ending could be interpreted as a kind of “open ending”, the end of the OVA literally demands another season that would continue where the OVA left off (but let´s be frank, the possibility of there ever being a continuation is nearing absolute zero so the OVA leaves a certain feel of incompletion thus disappointment).

Characters/Art/Sound: 8/10
Aside from the story, not much has changed. The characters kept most of their traits (with some changes here and there but nothing major) and even the sound and graphic quality remained on the pretty much same level considering how old the show actually is. Even the humour remained. Maybe not so much of it as in the original but you still can find yourself smiling at some parts.

Enjoyment: 7-8/10
Since I liked the original to the point of giving it a 9/10 I was really happy to see the old faces of Tylor and co. once again. Despite the problems I had with the story the anime proved to be not that bad as a whole but due to its nature I just couldn´t bring myself to like it as much as I did the prequel. In short, the OVA is enjoyable but don´t expect too much.

Overall: 7/10
Due to the rather weak story (and the way it ends) the OVA is far from home when it comes to comparing it to the original series but as the saying goes: “It still could have been worse”. It isn´t bad or anything but it definitely could have been better in more aspects than one. If you liked the original you might probably like even the OVA with its ups and downs and if you won´t put too much hope in it you might find it to be a not so good but still nice sequel.

Re-watchability: 2/5
(5)- Anywhere, anytime, as many times as you like!
(4)-Definitely worth seeing more than 3 times…
(3)-Once for regular viewer, 2 (or even 3) times for a fan.
(2)- Seeing once is more than enough.
(1)- Impossible to even reach the end…

This OVA is probably worth watching for Tylor fans, and anyone generally interested in classic anime, but one should be prepared for disappointment. The first episode sets up high hopes of more galactic intrigue and shenanigans, but the plot takes a nosedive right after the first episode, squandering the majority of this series in banal filler. At the very end, the plot threads set up at the beginning resume (in a jumbled way), and things seem to be finally heading towards a satisfying climax, only to be cut off right before the critical action begins. It's a frustrating conclusion to a mixed series.

Why would I ... say it's worth watching, then? The most obvious selling point is the production value. Even through all the filler episodes, the art and animation are beautiful. The sombre orchestral soundtrack evokes a more serious, cinematic feeling. The real problem is the writing and direction. I want to know why they decided to put these amazing resources of production into filler, rather than following the plot. I have a feeling that this was a sort of experimental vision, to try and create something more serious and reflective in the Tylor story world. Perhaps it was with the best of intentions, but I feel that this vision sacrificed a lot of the core things that make Tylor work as a story. Tylor himself barely appears in the OVA. If he were a real actor, and not paint on a cel, I'd think they had some kind of contract dispute with him, forcing them to tell side stories about the other characters and put the main story on ice.

I think my frustration comes from this having some sparks of greatness in it. Maybe the best way to watch this would be to look at it like an art book, or a series of sketches, creative possibilities. There are some neat moments in the OVA, even if it doesn't come together as its own story. In terms of narrative satisfaction, probably the best thing to do would be to watch the movie-length first episode, then pretend that nothing else was ever made after that. In that sense it's much like the second season of Twin Peaks: a strong beginning that carries on important plot threads that then dissolve into confusing filler that leads to an unsatisfying finale. Well, that undersells this OVA, because even with all its flaws, the last four episodes were better than the travesty of Twin Peaks Season 2.

Maybe a better analogy would be something like The Thief And The Cobbler. There are seeds of a story here and flashes of brilliance, bogged down by poor vision of one kind or another. Like that much-abused film, this OVA needs a fan edit to clarify the real story whose bones are sketched out but never fleshed out. Unfortunately, any fan edit would need to also somehow produce some new scenes to bring the story to a climax. So it's most likely only going to exist in the imagination, unless some divine combination of fine retro animation and fan patronage can be achieved.

Come to think of it, now, there are a lot of parallels from the time period this was made. Nadia had an even more notorious second arc, and even though that show pulled things together in the end, it never recovered fully from the damage its filler arc did to itself. 3x3 Eyes is another very cool early 90s anime with a fantastic first act and a very shaky second act. Is this some kind of lesson from the 90s anime scene? That to achieve such heights, we have to be willing to accept failure? If so, it's worth it to have these failures, since the high points are so transporting, so unique, so special.