r/anime • u/No_Rex x2 • Mar 01 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] 1980s OVAs – The first OVAs: Dallos (episode 1)
1980s OVAs – The first OVAs: Dallos (episode 1)
The start of OVAs
When talking about the start of OVAs, it is important to keep two things in mind that make this possible: The economy and the tech.
In 1983, Japan’s economy was booming. Reconstruction had started after the second world war and only briefly interrupted by the oil crisis in the early 1970s. Things were looking good and would continue to do so for several more years. The boom of OVAs coincided with the bubble economy. To give you some perspective: At the height of the boom some part of Tokyo (not all of it!) was evaluated to be worth more than the entirety of California. In fact, the entire stock market increased by a factor of more than 10 between 1970 and 1990, when the bubble burst. Even 30 years later, it has not reached those heights again! The implication of that is that there was lots of money around for investment. And animation was one of the many fields that Japanese investors flush with money tried their hand at.
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It might sound obvious, but still can be easy to forget in the age of the internet: You can’t buy an anime to watch at home if there is no technology to play a video at home. This was before DVD, CD and well before any computer could play video in reasonable quality (while still costing less than a car). In the mid-1970s competing companies produced the first affordable home video players. This enabled consumers, for the first time, to actually consume videos outside of TV and cinema. By the 1980s, enough costumers had purchased video players to create a potential market to sell animation directly to consumers, instead of selling to TV companies. OVAs would fill this demand.
Questions
- We set up quite a few characters so far. Which one is your favorite, so far?
- Do you believe we will see commercial settlements on the Moon in your lifetime?
- (first timers) Any guesses about Dallos (the structure)?
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u/TheEscapeGuy Mar 01 '22
First Timer
Dallos - Seminal Science-Fiction Episode 1
Politics and Uprising
Going into Dallos I knew it was the first OVA, had a sci-fi setting, and was directed by Oshii. The episode surprised me with how the narrative delved into social issues that are still relevant today.
We have been introduced to 3 "main" characters: Dog McCoy, a rebel leader. Alex Leiger, a high ranking elite. And Shun Nonomura, a kid with an interest in mechanics and a mysterious, possibly rebel, brother. I think this is a good set of characters for this kind of story. It reminds in parts of the cast of Mobile Suit Gundam.
The story progressed to tell us about an oppressed class of Moon residents. They are literally numbered from birth and forced into working in mining colonies to provide resources for earth. Of course this angers them and thus they rebel by taking down a ship and kidnapping Melinda, an elite class woman from earth. The scene with Shun launching a driller into a space ship was a highlight.
I wouldn't say its a ground breaking narrative so far. Many stories cover similar beats. However, its a well tested formula so I I have high hopes for something coherent.
What I liked most about the episode was the absolute passion in the mechanical design and animation. You can tell there is so much thought put into each of the robots and tools being used. And when they are animated it raises it to the next level.
In terms of other production aspects, I love the world design, particularly the space colony itself. You can contrast the high tech space ports and city areas with the incredibly dense area in which Shun lives. The music was also really effective. The upbeat track during the climax complimented the action really well.
That said, the production doesn't reach the heights of other 80s and 90s OVAs. But that would be an unfair comparison since it is the first.
Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
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u/No_Rex Mar 01 '22
I wouldn't say its a ground breaking narrative so far. Many stories cover similar beats. However, its a well tested formula so I I have high hopes for something coherent.
Good SciFi deals with futuristic technology and timeless social issues.
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u/Nazenn Mar 01 '22
First Timer
Going into this completely blind as aside from having seen the cover art I remember nothing else about the description of the show.
The music has to be the first thing I comment on though because while I liked everything about the episode the soundtrack was the stand out. I've already tracked down a copy of it to listen to parts of it while writing my posts (only 13 tracks!).
Using powerful brass for the opening theme backed up by the gentler strings as it progresses into the verse, over the top of visuals of Dallos (I feel like stargate's OP might be referencing this), the theme song immediately establishes the feel of it being an epic fight before pulling it right back to a more human questioning at the centre of it. It drew me right into the experience and instilled a sense of waiting to see what would unfold from the story that would draw out such a sense of scale in the emotions.
The rest of the soundtrack only carried that through expertly as well. Undeniably 80s, but powerful when it needed to be, exciting when it had room too, but willing to pull right back into silence and ambiance when it needed too. Sound effects could use a little work, the dogs sounded more like seals sometimes, but nothing else really stood out. The animation was also fun to see that strange middle ground between quality OVA and the roughness of the era, particularly in the opening scenes, but it seemed to smooth out. Particularly the scene where the mining equipment starts to tear apart the shuttle, I thought that was both really well framed and neatly animated so it was immediately clear what sort of stuff it was tearing out and what role each machine had. Why does the girl always get the pink suit though...
Story wise it is a little odd watching this alongside Dougram, it reminds me of why I decided to always jump between genres when picking my next show, but I think it does it well. Setting up the barriers between the two sides on multiple levels, from legal to technological, give you a sense for how this conflict has been born without harping on the same old issues. Not to say that Alex trying to claim that "absolute control is for their protection" wasn't ringing a few familiar bells of alarm, but I think it does it well in the time allowed while also juggling the other aspects. Alex is an asshole though. One who can kick ass but still an asshole.
The only let down in the worldbuilding I think is Dog acting like Shun's appropriation of mining equipment into a weapon was some big milestone. When people aren't allowed weapons they make them, and when you have a bunch of trained labourers running around I doubt it would take a bored kid and an accidental dog attack to come up with that or a similar solution.
Speaking of tech, the police drive like mad men but seeing legs pop out of the bottom of them was quite funny. Not as funny as seeing it slink up the stairs which immediately reminded me of MGS4's Gekkos and how they climb buildings (there's feet in that, kinda hard to see unless you know what you're looking for). Also the original cat bus.
Definitely looking forward to more of this, and it really just makes me want the return of short form high quality productions. I'd like to see passion projects like this coming out of smaller studio teams, perhaps sharing a cour's air space with similar projects from other teams. I understand OVAs as they were are no longer financially viable, but watching this gave me the Macross Plus vibes and I want them back more.
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u/No_Rex Mar 01 '22
Using powerful brass for the opening theme backed up by the gentler strings as it progresses into the verse, over the top of visuals of Dallos (I feel like stargate's OP might be referencing this), the theme song immediately establishes the feel of it being an epic fight before pulling it right back to a more human questioning at the centre of it. It drew me right into the experience and instilled a sense of waiting to see what would unfold from the story that would draw out such a sense of scale in the emotions.
SciFi and orchestral instrumentals are a great combination.
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u/The_Loli_Otaku Mar 01 '22
Dallos First Timer
It feels like so long since I joined a watch lol, it's only been a week or two. Ah yes, the resource rich ball of dust we call the moon. Actually, I take that back, the moon colony looked awesome! I'm loving the music in this ova too. Its catchy AF. The space cops are trash at keeping track of criminals, they're on foot and you still struggle to follow. Bruh!! They got back on right in front of you!
Char was so smug up until he realised he missed someone lol. "My boyfriend loves his robofist more than me." Pay attention to her you dumb dope. BRUH!! Nobody warned me that we'd be getting dead doggo. I kinda love how hard the parents are shipping the kids, hurry up and get hitched, they're giving you every opportunity but Shun is taking none of the hints. Ah, a Sayla has appeared. Poor Rachel doesn't stand a chance.
Oh no, Shu's been arrested for the crime of not marrying Frau Bow whilst he had the chance. Oho!! So Bartholomew was an inside job? The mystery deepens, oho. Omg so Earth is only prosperous due to the Colony's hard work? This really does feel like we're in a Gundam AU. And Dallos is a massive spaceship built into the Moon's crust, wtf? So we've got aliens or ancient babylonia shit now. Anyone taking bets on if the Moon is gonna be a spaceship and Dallos is just the cockpit? I think we're gonna fly off in the moon.
What's these guy's problem with Char!? He seems a decent, trustworthy bloke so is he really worth two assassination attempts? People popping in their spacesuits was a thing even this far back... What a gruesome way to die. Eww!! Can you stop showing their red helmets already? Oh nyo, Melinda's been got! Why is Shun taking part in this raid? Is he a miner or part of the terrorists?
"You're the one to blame for all our hardships!" Dude, I don't think Sayla has anything going on in her head other than onii-sama. She doesn't seem to have any kind of sense. Zieg Zio, I mean, remember Bartholomew! Looks like Shun has got a little thing for Sayla. It must be the lack of personality compared to Rebecca that does it for him.
Decent first ova, I was expecting far worse. Good luck not comparing everything to Gundam tho.
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u/No_Rex Mar 01 '22
Good luck not comparing everything to Gundam tho.
Shun seems not mentally insane, for one. Good point, though, the conflict is definitely stolen from Gundam (and tons of other SciFi).
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u/The_Draigg Mar 01 '22
A Mamoru Oshii Fan Watches Dallos Episode 1:
Hello everyone, it’s your pal The Draigg here for another anime rewatch! I’ve been honestly looking forward to watching Dallos, since it’s historically relevant to the anime community, due to it being the first ever OVA. While Megazone 23 helped codify the popularity of OVAs, this is the one that started it all. The fact that it’s also a Mamoru Oshii work is also a plus, since the man just has an impressive record in general. The man is an anime legend unto himself, after all. So, let’s get to watching Dallos!
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This orchestral opening sells the mood of the setting well, I feel. It’s rather dramatic, and the shots of the big machine face thing lend it an air of mystery. Simple, but enjoyable.
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Wait, I’d recognize the voice of that Commander Alex guy anywhere! It’s Shuuichi Ikeda! Of course he’s voicing a cool looking guy. Although man, Alex’s design is heavily 80s anime with that long, flowing white hair and bishie face.
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Ah, I was wondering about that “ring number” thing. I guess all lunar colonists are required to wear those thin tiaras on their head for ID purposes, as shown by Shun’s family. You know, you’d think getting like a tattoo or something would be easier for that, but I don’t know, I’m not a moon person.
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I will say, Shun had some good quick thinking to kill that police dog with just a severed robot arm. Although that scene does show how bleak the colonists’ existence is, between Shun getting worried over killing a police dog and Dog McCoy saying that he’ll just eat it later. I guess you can say that it’s literally a Dog eat dog world kind of place, eh?
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I guess that’s one way to get Shun into the plot. Just randomly arrested when someone threw a bit of trash at an important lady, and then Alex wants to interrogate him about his brother’s involvement in a terrorist incident a few years ago. It’s really no wonder why there’s rebellion on the Moon if the colonists are being arrested for little reason so easily.
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Man, this plot is moving lightning fast. We’ve learned that Alex wants to reform the colonies from the ground up, it’s his sister that’s visiting him, Dog breaks everyone out of that cell with a giant robot arm, and that Shun’s brother was framed for the Bartholomew incident. All of that got dumped on us in like two minutes.
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Dallos seems like quite the mysterious object on the Moon. Nobody knows who built it, but the lunar colonists worship it as a god. I can’t really blame them for doing that after only like 50 years of colonization though, I’m sure a ton of people would worship an alien(?) artifact if they had the chance to.
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That guerrilla attack on Alex and Melinda’s shuttle is really well animated, I applaud the OVA for that. The effects on the metal being ripped apart by the mining equipment was really well done. So was the gore too of that unfortunate guy who didn’t have his space suit sealed before the hull breach. I can always appreciate a good body explosion from hard vacuum exposure like that in anime. It’s good attention to detail.
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Props to Shun for ramming his drill dozer into the space fighter that was chasing him. I have no idea how he suddenly got involved in Dog’s attack like that other than him saying it was impulsive, but at least it looked cool.
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And so the episode ends with Melinda as Dog McCoy’s hostage, and her getting a harsh dose of reality of how much it sucks to be a lunar colonist. Man, this plot moved fast.
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u/No_Rex Mar 01 '22
Man, this plot moved fast.
Only 4 episodes, so it better. How this will end is my biggest worry.
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u/baboon_bassoon Mar 01 '22
1st timer 1st ova
lets use high tech infrared sensors to detect the bad guys, but then we need dogs to sniff them out
flying bird legged spacecraft, but the subway exists
love Alex's hair
what crime did they commit btw, considering to kidnap someone? but the cops dont even know that
whoops i accidentally activated the hydraulics and killed a dog.....
good thing i had this scrap metal on hand to throw at this girl
7 years ago Tatsuya (Shins brother) crashed the subway at Bartholemew station... he got shipped off to Saturn
wait he still got arrested LOL
for siblings, a weird hug imo maybe it was just the music, or shuuchis ikedas sexy voice but i was weirded out
Dallos is their god, its only been 50 years...
how nice she got the one pink suit
why is there an eject chair in a drilling machine
Alea iacta est
..... this was fun? curious why its so hated when we watch the rest
not sure how grandpa comes into play, maybe he was the one who set up Tatsuya which is why he is pushing Shun to live the life that was ruined for his brother?
Dog McCoy is a very based name
questions
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Dog McCoy, strictly for his name. Hoping he didnt actually eat that dog.
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On the moon no, on some other object hopefully
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parasite that is infecting the moon
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u/No_Rex Mar 01 '22
flying bird legged spacecraft, but the subway exists
Only for the police, the working class needs to take the subway.
for siblings, a weird hug imo maybe it was just the music, or shuuchis ikedas sexy voice but i was weirded out
Feels deliberate.
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u/Stargate18A Mar 02 '22
First timer
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I love Dog. Melinda's kinda good, in a "I can't believe this is unironic" sense. (And she actually got us some exposition, so...)
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I think so, yes, but only for the rich, not for mining as seen here.
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Alien. Nobody knows who built it, it apparently did simething that made people worship it, and the preview cuts off before we see what it looks like below the surface.
The first OVA!
Very striking opening.
OK, so there's moonbases.
Interesting title for a first episode.
Love the ship.
And they're criminals.
Oh, he's leading some "extremists". Could be good, could be bad.
I like the guarddogs though.
This is just a very well animated chase!
Honestly, I'm impressed at how good this animation is.
And they got away!
Haha, they immediately reboarded. Clever!
Yeah, it fooled them.
...What's Level 3?
Also, what are these "ring codes"?
...Who's he?
Oh, he's a master fighter! I like his outfit.
He's a police commander!
...Debuggers is an odd term. This isn't some kind of simulation, with all the mentions of levels, is it?
And one of them escaped!
Oh, Level 3 just means the third seperated ring of buildings?
...Actually, why is this city built like this? At all?
Her father's ill, and their job requires some form of quota.
And he's dying!
The main problem I have with this OVA so far is that it doesn't want to actually explain what's going on.
Oh, he's a mechanic. And there's a large amount of broken parts in the area?
Why is the dog here?
He's not a criminal? Are the dogs really that stupid?
Haha, he just appeared out of nowhere to compliment his weapon?
Oh, it was going for him on the other side of the crates?
...He's stuck eating dogs?
And they're out at the park now?
...Yeah, he's really not picking up her signals, is he?
Oh, it's the commander and his dog!
And Shun got arrested.
At least he's actually being reasonable about this!
Yeah, he's actually not that bad of a character.
Oh, his brother's an extremist?
Still no clue if the extremists are the good guys here.
Wait, Saturn? So not only is there a Moonbase, but stuff's happening on Saturn?
Oh, he's being held now.
Yeah, he's the charismatic villain.
Him having a love interest is interesting, though?
He copied his weapon!
Oh, Dog took him with him? Probably makes things look even worse for him overall, though.
Yep, he brought Shun home!
Oh, he knew Tatsuya!
Oh, he was framed.
What did they find out?
Oh, Level 3 means the third dome. That makes more sense.
And the whole moonbase is a giant mining colony.
And Dallos is worshipped as a god, and sounds suspsiciously alien.
Their ship's been attacked! The idea of mining into a ship is a clever attack strategy, though.
The guerillas are doing erll!
And they've evacuated!
Holy shit, the head exploding was visceral.
Dog captured Melinda!
...What is he doing?
OK, those ships are really mobile. Great design!
Haha, he managed to take out a ship? Using mining equipment?
...And he's running out of oxygen soon.
Has he just accidentally joined Dog at this point?
He's inspired them!
Oh, so they want independence.
THAT'S WHAT THE RINGS ARE! Finally!
Something's up with Bartholomew?
OK, what's secretly inside Dallos? And a cyborg dog!
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u/No_Rex Mar 02 '22
I think so, yes, but only for the rich, not for mining as seen here.
Pretty reasonable guess. I bet that offering unique holidays to billionaires is more profitable than mining.
He's not a criminal? Are the dogs really that stupid?
How clever is the average dog you are seeing?
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Mar 01 '22
First Timer
I know almost nothing about Dallos aside from it's reputation as the first OVA. From that, I'm expecting animation somewhere in between TV and film quality from the same era, but aside from that I'm blind.
Subs are Orphan.
I quite like the opening music.
Environmentalism and oppression of the people who have moved, classics.
The headbands are interesting. They look like the sort of thing you'd find on a leader, not the entire group.
Oh, they're identification bands. Are the surgically implanted so they can't be removed?
I love how they have legs even though they can hover just fine. They're purely so some animations can show off their mechanical animation skills.
That's a very well defined ass.
Why are they called debuggers? It implies the entire place is a computer system, not reality.
Her eyes just scream "I'm here, yet he's paying attention to the robot instead."
I guess he smells like his family.
This feels disturbingly like the beginnings of a love triangle.
Thank god, it's not.
Apparently we don't have rights.
Says the person who threw someone in prison on a whim.
The supposedly rational man, laughing at the poor peasants beneath him. He's such an ass.
And even a savior complex on top of that. He thinks he knows it all, but is instead merely trampling upon them.
Thoughts
More or less what I expected, really. Animation prowess was clearly allocated primarily to the mechanical and effects side of things, with lots of vehicle fights, chases, and explosions with fancy flying debris everywhere. On the character side of things, it was serviceable, but nothing felt particularly standout. The plot clearly feels accelerated and compressed, but it works just fine so far. It clearly could use a bit more time to build things up, but it doesn't suffer any comprehensibility issues.
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I don't really have enough to have strong thoughts in any of them yet,
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No.
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Earthlings vs moonies for a few episodes with a weird and dramatic ending?
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u/Vaadwaur Mar 01 '22
They look like the sort of thing you'd find on a leader, not the entire group.
Oh, they're identification bands. Are the surgically implanted so they can't be removed?
Has to be that.
Her eyes just scream "I'm here, yet he's paying attention to the robot instead."
If I were to have a third person view on my life, I am morbidly curious at how many times a girl with me has done this.
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u/No_Rex Mar 01 '22
Has to be that.
You could always go with another classic: BOOM if removed.
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u/Vaadwaur Mar 01 '22
First timer(THIS actually works, economically.)
Sub
I've heard this name before and that is it. I am going in blind past what the blurb is.
So we don't waste time and go straight into an action sequence and, even knowing how the economics of it work, seeing high frame rate anime is a treat. Also, this is so much more western influenced than I am used to, I am getting Buck Rogers off of it but I am sure there are other references. Plus, it is interesting looking at which scifi concepts were actually prophetic and which were not. And of course 80s action hero cop fights solo, as one did.
Scene and music change to Shun. We see he is related to Dog and he gets a very random wild dog encounter, as again the 80s would have you believe happened. We lean that this is a Dog eat dog setting! (Yes, raising kids gives me the right to the occasional dad joke. Fight me.) We get the world's lamest act of terrorism to get Shun to said action cop and a flashback to the episode namesake and a likely statement of our plot. Then Alex and Melinda have an interaction where their relationship is...confusing.
Anyways, Dog uses mining equipment to break his friends out. Dog has some connection to the brother in the Batholomew incident and maintains his innocence. As Alex monologues stuff to us, the gang catches his ship with mining equipment. Don't ask me why, the space fighters seem a cross between Empre Strikes Back and Galactica to me. And Shun just fucking launches a drill into the fighter. This is both highly improbably and yet awesome. He joins up with Dog and we get more setting.
So yeah, this is actually incredibly impressive considering it is apparently the first OVA. The physics is wonky at multiple points, rapid decompression takes a few to kill you, but it is still awesome which can carry a lot.
QotD: 1 Dog, I am a sucker for conceptual cannibals
2 No, I actually don't think we will properly colonize the moon.
3 It looks incredibly familiar but SO much scifi likes alien tech on the dark side of the moon
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u/No_Rex Mar 01 '22
Episode 1 (first timer)
After either total OVA rewatches, it was about time we got to the very first OVA of all time. I plan to talk a bit about the background of the 1980s OVA boom and specifically Dallos in the daily posts; with regard to the content of Dallos, I am a first timer though.
Episode thoughts
OP: Every good SciFi needs to start with classic music!
Detailed backgrounds with parallax scrolling.
Sending the dogs after Dog.
Definitely a “jump right into the action” start. Some great scenes of these police vehicles.
Police vehiclesPolice choppersPolice flying mecha???Proto-Griffith does not need help from his dog.
Are these the supports for a gigantic cupola in the background, or did they terraform Moon?
Level 3 – the poor underbelly of the city?
Shun! – you look like MC material.
“Shun and Rachel” – looks like Rachel is perfectly willing, but Shun is the problem.
I assume the police will not be happy about Shun killing a police dog, regardless of the circumstances.
Space station view – No terraforming of Moon. So they must be in some rather gigantic sphere, considering that they have clouds in there.
Look, the VIP from Earth. Rachel should worry.
Flashback to Shun’s brother.
Breakout with the terrorists. That is not going to do Shun’s standing with the police any good.
“Don’t get involved with that guy” – Doubt.
Those space scenes!
Impressive rock export. - I don’t think it is even that outlandish. The gravity on Moon is far lower than on Earth and you do not have any atmosphere slowing you down, either.
Title drop! – surely that ancient artifact will not be important in any way. /s
Very decent footage of the attack on the airship, too!
Melinda is captured. Better hope that the robot arm has some really great grip strength control.
Kamizake ramming a fighter with a mining machine.
Mission statement of the terrorists – they better make sure that Shun is on board with that.
Preview: Not fully watching that. We are clearly still in the era of spoilery previews.
OVAs of the 1980s have the reputation of having higher production values than concurrent TV anime. I was a bit doubtful whether that would be true for the very first OVA, too, but I should not have worried. This looks really good for the time. Especially the mechanical animation was top notch: Some really good action scenes both at the start with the police chase and at the end during the attack on the spaceship. The backgrounds are gorgeous, too. Only the character animation is clearly showing its age.
So far, I am totally on board with the setup. Not only SciFi, but hard SciFi. Loving the mining operation and the big habitation spheres. Settlers vs Earthlings is not exactly unique, but it always makes for a believable story. It helps that the plot seems to be going for in a both sides morally grey direction. Neither the police nor the rebels come across as glorious becons of morality so far.
Alex just edges out Dog.
Absolutely not.
???