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Damn is the opening theme with Chika Sakamoto (who also voiced the titular character) truly infectious. Some anime is so obscure they get almost completely forgotten, and Ranpou unfortunately falls into that category. When I'd checked hashtags for this on instagram when I originally saw an episode (that I now know was ep. 11) back in 2018, zero posts came up. Not until trying the tag in hiragana did I find anything, and even then there were few. Ranpou the Flying Warped Boy (or Rampoo) was a 21 episode series originally aired on Fuji Television in 1984, about a handsome teenager who's turned into ... a short perverted blonde haired menace by a UFO. Why? Because fuck it. And inevitably, hilarity ensues. No home releases in any country to my knowledge, though the full series can now be found online. Raw I might add. Not that it matters all that much, because the sight gags are numerous, and it's quite frankly hilarious. So now that I've seen the full series, I can say this thing is pure slapstick lunacy that I truly enjoyed. A genuinely fun show that deserves an official release. Or at the very least, just not to be forgotten. So seek it out for some Stooges level cartoonish gag comedy. And that end theme is pretty damn good too.

Produced by Sunrise, and based on Katsuhiko Hotta's manga of the same name, Obatalian (aka Obattalion, or Obatarian based on Japanese youtube comments), is a 1990 tv movie about the comedic misadventures of a pushy old lady and the affect she has on those around her. While it was produced as a movie, it's structured like random episodes of a show edited together, giving it an anthology feel. There isn't a story per se, rather segments that feature the main character, with no real bearing on what came before or after. While certainly silly, as it follows a particular "obatalian" in her day to day ... life, it's at least grounded in a way. With the exception of the final segment (which is all kinds of wtf), the movie doesn't reach Ranpou levels of slapstick ridiculousness, but there's still fun to be had. And considering it's based on a gag comic strip, the art style reflects that, having a simplistic cartoony vibe that suits it well. As is no surprise, there isn't an English sub or dub, so I watched this raw, and my Japanese isn't exactly the best, but I still enjoyed it well enough. Not entirely sure if I'd recommend this, but if goofy SOL stuff is your jam, then I suppose this little known flick may be to your liking. If not, then go ahead and give this a pass.

Gatchman is...fine. This 3 episode OVA update of the 1970s original Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a decent enough effort. The character designs by Yasuomi Umetsu are solid (though I admittedly like the original series art more), and it is pretty action packed with fluid animation. The story is par for the course, alien invaders and all that, but it moves along at a brisk pace. My biggest issue is trying to give Gatchaman a darker tone. It works at times, particularly when non costumed characters are on screen. But the second the Ninja Teams or villains show up in costume...well, it's just silly and ... doesn't work. I guess after 8Man After and Casshan: Robot Hunter, this sort of update was inevitable at the time. While it does have a "wtf" ending, I'd say it's worth checking out if you have an affinity for '90s anime or want to see early Yasuomi Umetsu.

Watching Transformers anime is always a fun and interesting time for me since I usually have no context for what I'm seeing. Such was the case here with Transformers Zone, which was by all accounts fine. I don't fault this 1990 OVA for being strange or anything since that's really on me for not being familiar at all with the particular toyline it was based off of. While it has a plot that doesn't vibe with the knowledge of Transformers I have from my childhood, it's still a rather ok viewing experience. The mechanical designs definitely look like cool action figures, with the art and ... animation being generally nice. Much like the previous Tranformers OVA I watched, there's a decent amount of action here for being under 30 minutes, so it's never boring. Not sure if I'd recommend this necessarily, but if you grew up with the American Transformers show, watching the ones made for the Japanese market is an experience. Plus there's that brain. Weird.

What an interesting sight this 1989 short by Nobuhiro Aihara is to me. Beginning with still shots of nails before they move via stop motion, it gives way to an assault of morphing b&w ink shapes before eventually becoming an array of ever changing forms and patterns of color. Psychedelic is used to describe this in the synopsis, and I'd say that's pretty apt. The soundtrack (which is credited to RA') has a haunting melody with a slow tempo breakbeat that adds much to the surreal multicolored trip of a short film. The music reminded me Future Sound of London or Autechre, giving this brief ... 4 and a half minutes short the feel of something I'd have seen on MTV's AMP back in the mid/late '90s. I can only imagine what viewing this post rave in those days would've been like. An odd little avant-garde piece of animation that I really enjoyed for what it is, and is worth a look if psychedelic imagery is up your alley. No LSD required.

Reviewing anime I've only seen raw is an interesting task, but here I go doing so again. MAPS: Densetsu no Samayoeru Seijintachi is a 1987 OVA that's the first adaptation of the manga Maps (another 4 episode series would be released in 1994), and is a rather goofy space adventure that follows a hyperactive teenage boy and his girlfriend as they're beamed aboard an interesting looking spaceship by a blue haired alien, as the boy holds the key to the location of a much coveted map.

The vast majority of the characters are super over the top in their actions, with loud voice acting to ... match, which could be annoying to some. As noted, this is goofy. The blue haired alien (who's blonde in the original manga and 1994 OVAs), is reserved and stoic for reasons I won't spoil. She's also the badass of the story, though the fact she is harmed by damage done to the ship is an odd choice. The animation is pretty ok, and the art is fair. Not the type of stuff that wows me about anime of this era, but it isn't bad either. I did like the design of the hero and main villain ships. One being very angelic, and the other nightmarish. MAPS: Densetsu no Samayoeru Seijintachi isn't what I'd call a hidden gem in the sea of '80s OVAs, but it is kinda fun, if ultimately a little bit forgettable.

This 1986 OVA only released in Japan is incredibly nostalgic to me, yet completely strange and unfamiliar. Opening with footage from early G1 episodes, after about 7 or so minutes gets into the original OVA story. This is about where things get odd to me. While it largely features Transformers I recall from childhood, the whole Scramble City plot (which is unique to Japanese Transformers continuity) is peculiar. Add to that I saw this raw (which is better than fan commentary like on the Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary dvd), and it made for interesting viewing. Nevermind my confusion of when in the timeline this ... takes place.

The art and animation style is what one would expect of Transformers tv circa 1986. Don't expect to be blown away by a Transformers: The Movie level presentation, but it's decent all things considered. This exists to advertise the Scramble City toy line after all. The story moves fast, trying to get as many action figures on screen as possible for the many battles that take place in this brief 23 minute video. They definitely don't want the viewer to get bored. There are a few surprises I guess, and it ends on a cliffhanger that I believe was never resolved. But I'm guessing kids were supposed to get their grubby mitts on Scramble City toys, and play out the conclusion themselves.

After crashing a ridiculous intergalactic martial arts tournament being held by the eccentric prince Masukata Taira (or Muscat Tyler as I've seen throughout the internet), the sometimes winged superhuman protagonist Ruu battles the perpetually mech suit wearing K.K. for the prize of touring the galaxy with the aforementioned prince. Ultimately both Ruu and K.K. accompany Taira, and hilarity ensues as they get into hijinks on a planet that's vaguely Middle Eastern.

This 1987 OVA is predictably light on plot, with most things occurring for no other reason than for the sake of goofy humor. The art and animation is serviceable though, and Elf 17 is rather ... cute and fun in its own way. The elf Ruu is positively '80s, and the fact K.K. never gets out of his mech suit is amusing. He freakin sleeps in the thing. And keep an eye out for the blink and you'll miss cameos from the likes of Chewbacca, Jabba the Hut, and Lum from Urusei Yatsura in the crowd of the opening tournament scene. Which isn't to say this thing is some kind of laugh riot, because it's not. It's pure '80s silliness that is rather hit and miss on the jokes.

I guess one could file this under "useless anime" if they were so inclined. But let's be perfectly honest here, this is an OVA that's a few seconds shy of 30 minutes, expecting a well crafted story and deep character development from it is like expecting a coherent plot from an Italian horror movie. You're just not gonna get that. Which isn't to excuse its shortcomings, but understanding that goes a long way to being able to just sit back and be entertained by the lunacy that you're about to behold. There's certainly worst ways to kill time after all.

I truly believe the 1980s OVA boom was the greatest time for anime. But despite that era churning out amazing stuff, there's the inevitable duds. So enter 1987's Hell Target. It's about a group of space travelers who go to the dubiously named planet Inferno II in order to find a missing ship, and run afoul psychic illusion casting space demons with plans of targeting Earth to turn it into hell. It's their hell target. They actually say that. I watched this back to back with the similarly themed Roots Search (which featured a psychic illusion casting vagina mouthed alien...or space demon...or god, who knows), ... and while both are silly fun, I can also say largely forgettable. With just passable art, decent enough animation, and a meh story, there really just anything terribly memorable about Hell Target. The thing I remember most is when it came down to the final two crew members, the man bangs the rightfully hysterical woman to calm her down. His actual post coitus words to her were "are you calm now?" Hell Target keeps it classy. I can't imagine how this ever could've been forgotten.

This 1987 OVA is about some survivors on a post-apocalyptic world trying to find some jewels or something, and there's aliens maybe, and giant mechs...because it's the '80s. Honestly, I don't really know what it's about, I saw it raw, and kinda thought it was more fantasy until the mechs came into play. This is one of the great many old school anime I've never heard of that I tend to find while doing some digging, and this I discovered within the last month or so. It's got a typical art and animation style one would expect of '80s anime, so looks good enough, even ... if it was somewhat dull initially (again, I saw it in the original language with no subtitles, so I missed a lot story wise I'm sure). Once the mecha action starts though, it's highly entertaining and looks great, so that's clearly where a lot of the money went. Not the best the '80s OVA boom has to offer, but fun enough if you're looking for some way under the radar old school anime.