It had to happen at some point, right? Eventually, a "Twelve Anime" list was going to hit twelve iterations, and it only makes perfect sense for it to happen on the 12th year of this blog. So do I have anything special to celebrate the 12th entry in the yearly license rescue list? After all, the number "12" has a lot of importance to it, as it's the smallest abundant number, the largest single-syllable number, is the number that time itself is effectively based around (both in seconds, minutes, hours, & days!), is the number of signs in both the Western & Chinese zodiac, has all varieties of relevance to various religions & mythologies, & is the total number of Earthly Branches. Surely there's some relevance to these twelve entries for this twelfth edition of "Twelve Older Anime That Deserve License Rescues"!!!!!!!!!!!! (That's twelve exclamation points, people)
Not really, but we can at least start things off with the "Most Dangerous" anime of all time.
There was once a time when M.D. Geist, short for "Most Dangerous Soldier Geist", was often cited as one of "The Worst Anime of All Time", though today it's honestly rather silly & even quaint to think of it like that; today, it's a roughly-produced anime take on violent 80s Hollywood action movies, warts & all. Still, there's no doubt that this 1986 OVA created by Koichi Ohata (though due to him only being 24 at the time, Hayato Ikeda was the credited director) & written by Riku Sanjo (who'd later see success with Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai & various Heisei Kamen Rider shows) wouldn't have achieved the notoriety it received if it wasn't for a single man: John O'Donnell, the founder of Central Park Media. At some point the boss of CPM found out about this OVA, likely from the legendary 1988 Gaga Communications anime reel (where it was titled "Thunder Warrior"), but O'Donnell seemingly became instantly smitten with M.D. Geist, releasing it on VHS & LD in 1992/1993, where it apparently became one of the earliest anime to ever enter Billboard's Top 10 video charts; CPM even made Geist himself (in full armor) the literal mascot to the U.S. Manga Corps label. With that kind of success, O'Donnell would then work with Ohata directly to create EVEN MORE GEIST, resulting in the 1996 trio of M.D. Geist: Director's Cut (which added in five minutes of new footage & rearranged some things), a comic book adaptation by Tim Eldred, & even an OVA sequel, M.D. Geist II: Death Force.
The apex of all of this was 2002's two-disc "Collector's Series" DVD release, which included too many extras to count on the second disc; Justin Sevakis goes into great detail regarding this stuff in his old Buried Garbage article from 2008. Unfortunately, CPM would eventually go out of business, and the last time ol' Geist saw physical release in North America was in 2009, when ADV released a (much pared-down) DVD containing both OVAs, after acquiring some of CPM's old catalog; just over a month later, ADV would announce its own liquidation. However, what's most interesting is that both CPM's 2002 re-release & ADV's 2009 release only included the Director's Cut of M.D. Geist from 1996, not the 1986 original, which only ever saw English release on VHS & LD. With what we've seen from Discotek & AnimEigo lately with the likes of newly HD-remastered releases of Project A-Ko & MADOX-01 (both of which where were also on that Gaga reel), I think it'd be really cool if one day we could see a truly "definitive" release of M.D. Geist, & by that I mean an HD remaster of the 1986 original, as well as the Director's Cut & Death Force. As much derision & ridicule John O'Donnell got from his staff over at CPM for his sheer love of the OVA (I'd argue a bit too much, from what Justin's article indicated), M.D. Geist does at least deserve one last moment in the limelight, and if it ever gets that chance it should be in the shiniest armor it can wear... before it gets covered in the blood & guts of anyone who tries to fight back against it.
"The Most Dangerous Ever", indeed.
Speaking of ADV Films in the year 2009! Yes, between the whole fiasco with Sojitz Corporation throughout the first half of 2008 & the final liquidation in September of 2009, ADV did still manage to release some anime, despite Sentai Filmworks having been established in October of 2008. Today, ADV still does exist as a sort of "zombie" label of the larger Section23 Films distribution umbrella, but only due to a technicality, as it seemingly has the perpetual rights to the Elfen Lied anime (and the OVA), the Lady Death animated movie, SiN: The Movie (last released in 2009), Chance Pop Session (last released in 2009), the original Kino's Journey TV anime (but not the later two short movies), & maybe even Samurai Gun (though its last release was in 2008), due to ADV being part of the actual production of those titles; ADV founder John Ledford is even listed as an executive producer for Kino 2003 & Samurai Gun. Recent BD releases of some of these titles still feature the ADV logo on them, over a decade after the company legally died; in fact, Elfen Lied just got re-released in 2021 by "Zombie ADV"!
Anyway, let's move on 2006's Kiba, a 51-episode TV series by Madhouse that was based on a trading card game produced by Upper Deck Japan & Aniplex, as it may likely be the last "new" anime that ADV Films ever licensed. The license was announced at Anime Boston 2008 & used as proof that "stories of ADV's demise have been greatly exaggerated". Kiba would then get added to Cartoon Network's Toonami Jetstream online video service (yes, legal anime streaming existed before Crunchyroll) later that July, though that would only last until January of 2009, when Toonami Jetstream was shut down. Just a week or so prior to Jetstream's shut down, though, ADV released the first half of Kiba via a dual-audio DVD boxset, with the second half coming out two months later in March, followed by a "Complete Collection" (i.e. both boxsets housed within a paper sleeve) in October, a month AFTER ADV's liquidation had started. Considering lead times & whatnot, that makes Kiba simultaneously the last release by the original ADV Films & the first release by the current "Zombie ADV" that exists today.
As for the show itself, it's I guess what one can call a "pre-modern isekai" (as it predates Sword Art Online's 2012 anime, which is what launched the isekai boom), as it's about Zed & Noah, two friends who get transported from their normal world to one filled with "Shard Casters" who can control beings called "Spirits" (i.e. the TCG connection), with Zed & Noah both becoming Casters themselves, & eventually rivals on opposite sides. While it didn't seem to be well received critically when ADV released it, I do remember it being relatively well received by viewers at the time when it was being fansubbed (one of my friends even cosplayed as Zed at anime cons for a couple of years), mainly due to the fact that director Hiroshi Koujina (who'd later direct Madhouse's Hunter x Hunter in 2011) & head writer Toshiki Inoue (who's worked on everything from Ushio & Tora TV to Galaxy Angel to even Kamen Rider Agito, 555, & Hibiki!) wanted to avoid falling into the usual TCG-based anime traps with Kiba; most notably, for example, was making character deaths an actual consequence of battle. In the end, I'd argue that Kiba was more a victim of just bad timing in North America, due to it essentially being ADV Films' last grasp at life & being tossed onto a streaming service that itself was already on death's door. Sure, Aniplex being a part of the production means that its chances at being license rescued are slim, but I think Kiba could arguably do better today than it ever could have back in 2009.
The second entry in the very first anime license list back in early 2011 was Tekkaman Blade II, which did eventually get license rescued, so I think it's finally time we cover the original TV series that was the sequel to. In the 90s, Tatsunoko Production decided it would try reviving some of its old properties from the 60s & 70s, with the end result being a bit of a mixed bag, though with some highlights. Arguably one of the stronger efforts was the very first one, 1992's Star Knight Tekkaman Blade, a complete reimagining of 1975's Tekkaman: The Space Knight. This reboot would go on to run for 50 episodes, twice that of the original, & be respectfully successful, receiving the aforementioned OVA sequel Tekkaman Blade II in 1994 (which was based around an initially attempted sequel that never entered production), as well as a trio of bonus shorts originally released with the "Crystal Box" laserdisc boxset in 1998. In 1995, Saban Entertainment licensed Tekkaman Blade & produced an edited dub for TV under the name Teknoman, one that reduced the amount of episodes down to 43 for content but otherwise told the full story; there's also an "International Version" that features some slightly different localized names.
In early 2006, Media Blasters announced that it had licensed both Tekkaman Blade & Teknoman's "International Version" for home video release, releasing the latter first throughout that same year across three dub-only DVD boxsets, before then doing the same, except sub-only, with the original Japanese version in 2007; the 1998 shorts were also included as extras. There would then be two different complete collections for Teknoman in 2008 & 2009, followed by a complete collection for Tekkaman Blade in 2010 that used a rarely-seen oval-esque design for the case; Discotek would later use the same case design in 2016 for IGPX. At the time of that original license rescue list, MB's complete collection wasn't even a year old, hence why I only included Blade II there (which MB head honcho John Sirabella admitted to never having any interest in licensing, for some reason), but since then there's been nothing for the original series, in terms of an English re-release. While Discotek did eventually license rescue Blade II in 2013, & then re-released it on Blu-Ray in 2016, no one's touched the original Tekkaman Blade. What's even weirder is that Blade II's Blu-Ray by Discotek was sourced from Japan's HD-remastered BD release from the start of 2016, which was a complete collection both Blade & Blade II, i.e. they weren't released separately over there! It's honestly kind of confusing that the sequel OVA is still in-print in North America, yet the original TV series hasn't been in print for more than a decade, and while Tekkaman Blade isn't exactly perfect, as there are some points where it does drag a little, it's still a really good series in its own right.
Maybe Discotek is just afraid of potentially having to re-edit Teknoman into existence so that it, too, can be given an HD-remaster.
A major factor when it comes to what anime I pick for these lists comes down to a single question: "Even if it's out-of-print, is it still readily available?". That played a big role in why I always hesitated in including this for a license rescue list, simply because part of it was so infamously available for cheap that I felt that it didn't make sense to include it for so long. Anyway, éX-Driver (yes, the "e" must be accented!) originally debuted as a six-episode OVA series conceived of by mangaka Kousuke Fujishima (Oh My Goddess!, You're Under Arrest) & produced by Bandai Visual, Dentsu, Actas, Genco, & Faith, with this being one of the earliest anime ever done by Actas. éX-Driver is also the first anime to ever have a theme song performed by anison supergroup JAM Project, & the first anime to be fully directed by Jun Kawagoe (Cyborg 009 [2001], Getter Robo Arc). Media Blasters would then license the OVA for English release in 2002, releasing it all across two dual-audio DVDs (& also dubbed VHS), and a "Perfect Collection" DVD boxset in 2003.
A little before MB released the OVA series in North America, though, éX-Driver had received a pair of follow-ups, namely a sequel titled éX-Driver: The Movie & a prequel production titled Nina & Rei Danger Zone (after two supporting cast members who are the stars here), with the two being shown together in theaters in Japan. However, while this pair of productions would later see release in North America in 2004, it wasn't by way of Media Blasters this time around, but rather Geneon Entertainment, likely because Geneon was owned by Dentsu after the company purchased Pioneer LDC (which included Pioneer Entertainment) back in 2003; at least Geneon made sure to use the same dubbing studio & cast as MB. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Geneon (read: Dentsu) seemingly though that éX-Driver, of all things, would be a massive hit (despite the OVA only doing "okay" for MB), so they produced a ton of DVDs for the "Movie+Danger Zone" double-pack.
How many, you ask? Well, anime fan "BigOnAnime" once took a screenshot from Right Stuf back in October of 2014 which revealed that the retailer still had 12,588 copies in stock(!), and remember that this was just over a decade after that release came out from Geneon!!! In fact, despite already being a "clearance" item by that point (i.e. it was being sold for mere dollars), it still took until only just last month (March of 2022!!) for Right Stuf to finally say that "eX-Driver The Movie DVD" was "No Longer Available"; whether they actually sold out or simply destroyed whatever was left is unknown, though. However, now that the dread specter of that old Geneon DVD looks to finally be gone, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing a license rescue for éX-Driver, ideally one that simply bundles all of the productions together into one HD-remastered release. The OVA series is honestly really good, and while The Movie is admittedly lackluster, Nina & Rei Danger Zone is an absolute blast to watch.
Over the course of two different license rescue lists, split up between a good number of years, I've covered an interesting little sub-series of anime releases: The Rumic World OVAs based on short manga by the legendary Rumiko Takahashi. These OVAs were released in North America back in the day by Central Park Media & Viz Media, but they weren't the only time the Eisner Hall of Famer's shorts were ever adapted into anime. Takashi has always loved making short stories while also making her longer, more iconic titles, and most of these stories make up their own series (of sorts), Rumic Theater, which effectively acts as a sort-of-sequel to Rumic World itself, which ran from 1978 to 1983. Ever since 1987, Takahashi has published one new short story in a Shogakukan-published magazine, usually (but not always) Big Comic Original, at some point or another, and as of this piece Rumic Theater totals five volumes, with the last one coming out back in 2019; Viz released the first volume in English back in 1996, when it was the only book out.
In 2003, though, it was decided to adapt 13 of her stories (from the two volumes that currently existed, at the time) into anime, but this time it would be in the form of a late-night TV series that aired on TV Tokyo during that Summer season; it was then immediately followed up by the Mermaid Forest TV anime as a "Season 2", of sorts. At Anime Expo 2004, Geneon Entertainment announced that it had licensed this series & would be release it under the name Rumiko Takahashi Anthology, which it would then do across four dual-audio DVD singles throughout 2005; Geneon would then follow up with Mermaid Forest, though dropping any association with Anthology. As was the style at the time (which, in retrospect, didn't help prevent the eventual crash of the market itself), almost immediately after the final DVD single came out, Geneon then released all of Anthology as a box set, instantly making anyone who bought the singles feel stupid for doing so. Regardless, I can totally see the logic Geneon had in licensing Rumiko Takahashi Anthology, as this was the period when InuYasha was at its most popular, since it was airing on Adult Swim at the time; certainly, the name cachet of Takahashi herself could sell anything... right?
Unfortunately, this bet would cost Geneon dearly. In one of the most legendary episodes of ANNCast back in 2009 (around 37:30), Chad Kime (formerly of Geneon) explained that Rumiko Takahashi Anthology was one of Geneon's worst-selling releases ever, selling literally in just the double-digits per DVD, while the first DVD "maybe sold about 300 units". But, hey, Kime also revealed that Psybuster sold less than 100 units back when Geneon released it, and Discotek wound up license rescuing that show; I know it was likely part of a package deal, but still. In all honesty, though, an anthology series like Rumiko Takahashi Anthology was never going to succeed in the days of anime being released via DVD singles, but in today's market of streaming & straight-to-boxset physical releases, I think it could do better. I mean, it wouldn't be hard to top Geneon's sales, at least.
It's been a LOOOOOOOONG time since an old Right Stuf release was on one of these license rescue lists, specifically the third one; in fact, it's been just shy of an entire decade since then! The prior entry covered a trio of anime that RS only ever released on VHS during the 90s, one of which has since been rescued, so let's move on to something that came out a little later, specifically something from the early 00s. Originally debuting in 1993, Soreyuke! Uchu Senkan/Go For It! Space Battleship Yamamoto Yohko was a light novel series written by Takashi Shoji & featuring art by Takashi Akaishizawa that would eventually wind up with 12 books released until 2001, plus a manga adaptation by Yoichi Kadoi than ran from 1995 to 1999 for 8 volumes; there was also a "Perfect Edition" of the light novels from 2010 to 2014 that included the finale. In 1996 the light novels would see an three-episode OVA adaptation by anime studio J.C. Staff & T-Up, which was directed by Akiyuki Simbo (his second time in the position, after 1994 TV series Metal Fighter Miku), and in 1997 a second trio of episodes were made with the same staff. Then, in 1999, Yamamoto Yohko would get re-adapted as a 26-episode anime TV series that astonishingly enough ran Sunday mornings on TV Tokyo affiliate TV Osaka, and even replaced Gasaraki. To hardcore fans of Akiyuki Simbo, Yohko TV is generally considered the first time he truly started showcasing his usual visual panache, as well as his penchant for sometimes darker storytelling, & has remained a cult favorite.
In 2001, Right Stuf licensed both of the OVAs, using the Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko name, & released them across a trio of dubbed VHS tapes, followed by a single dual-audio DVD that contained all six episodes. Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though Right Stuf's release of the Yamamoto Yohko OVAs were considered a success, as outside of a re-release in 2003 (the cover of which is seen above) it has never been touched again, even with Simbo himself becoming a very beloved director in his own right, especially once he started working more or less exclusively with anime studio Shaft in 2004; meanwhile, Yohko TV has never even been licensed for English release at all. Who knows, maybe it was just a little too soon for a Simbo anime to really find an audience yet (Media Blasters had released Metal Fighter Miku around the same time in 2001), and considering how prolific he's been ever since there's really been no need for a licensing company to go too far back into his catalog to keep fans fed, especially since most of the notable stuff that was missed the first time around (Natsu no Arashi!, Hidamari Sketch, & even Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei) has since been licensed & released (or about to be so, in Zetsubou's case).
However, you never know... Maybe one day someone in charge of licensing at a company will remember about Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko & give it another chance, and maybe even finally release "The Akiyuki Simbo TV Anime That Got Away".
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And that brings us to the end of Part 1 of the 12th license rescue list! Check back later this month for the second half... Which yet again will have little to do with the number twelve.
M.D. Geist (Original OVA) © 1986 Hiro Media/Production Wave
M.D. Geist: Director's Cut & II © 1996 Central Park Media Corporation/Koichi Ohata/Riku Sanjo/Nippon Columbia/Columbia Music Publishing
Kiba © Aniplex・Upper Deck・Dream Ranch・Madhouse・TV Tokyo・Dentsu
Tekkaman Blade © Sotsu・Tatsunoko Pro
éX-Driver (OVA) © Kousuke Fujishima・exd・Bandai Visual/Dentsu・Genco・Faith (Eps 1-3)/Actas (Eps 4-6)
éX-Driver (Movie & Danger Zone) © exd・Bandai Visual/Dentsu・Genco・Actas
Rumiko Takahashi Anthology © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan © 2003 Project Rumiko Takahashi Anthology
Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko © 2001 Taku Shouji・Takashi Akaishizawa・Yamamoto Yoko Seisakuiinkai/Kadokawa Shoten
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