Youseiki Suikoden

I don't have a huge amount to say about this OVA. It was well animated, I liked the characters. I have to say that I couldn't NOT see 'Gene Starwind' from Outlaw Star every time I looked at the main character. Must be a previous incarnation. The sound was a bit of a standout: whoever did the engineering did a great job creating a great ambiance. I don't generally notice the sound-scape unless it's particularly good or bad. Apparently this is based on a series of books, as a sort of teaser. If that's the case, then this did the trick in getting my interest up. I would like to know where the characters go from this point, and how the story plays out. Now that Tokyopop is out of the game, it seems an English language version is not likely, though. Tip: watch past the credits; there is a closing scene/teaser.

Rate 6 English Dubbed Story Unlikely 5 mix of characters battling evil. Mundane in some regard and not in others. Each character stands out differently from the other. If you are a Buddhist fan you will realize there is a far deeper connection they all share that what meets the eyes. An interesting story for sure. Although, not one that is superb. Art Nicely done. Perhaps it was just my version but ever now and there i kept seeing what appeared to be division lines in the video. A side effect or VHS tapes? Division lines, i am referring to what you see when an old TV with knobs starts to lose it's signal. Or for you younger ground see a crude example... "----" (idea being lines as shown with picture in play.) ------- ------ ------- Sound Each character had a good vocalist match Character Background was decent for all characters. Even some minor ones. Enjoyment If you need a testimony to more than meets the eyes or faith's cards in your life look no further. Glum as you might be right now but as long as your morals stay true who knows what awaits you if you can handle the wait.

A lot of similarly themed anime fall into obscurity for a reason. An earthquake destroys the city, everything falls into chaos, and some group comes together to save the day. The thing that separates this from all the meh stuff is the interesting ish and somewhat unique characters. The art is pretty damn good for 1993, and the animation is mostly smooth and nice looking. I think the background music was decent, as it didn't distract from the film like a lot of those 90s soundtracks do. The English dub also isn't half bad. There's not really any nudity, and violence is minimal, but I was interested in something other than shock factor, which says a lot about how this is written. I didn't love it, but it left me wanting more, like maybe a mini series or something

A Rambo clone, a drag queen, a yakuza nun, a militaristic priest, a suit-wearing samurai, reincarnation, exploding heads, religious mysticism...you'll get all that and more in a mere 45 minutes with this early '90s OVA that just flies by with a brisk pace, well-done animation and a decently satisfying ending. I can't deny that this is the Chinese food equivalent of entertainment, something that you'll forget all about and leave you hungering for more very quickly, but it's fun while it lasts and fits the criteria nicely if you're looking for a quick fix of anime excess from the good 'ol days.

Something that has always bothered me about old ova's is that they thrust us into a world of demons with no prior building to it. Of course this is a byproduct of the short time they have to display their ideas for a story. Suikoden has a very basic plot one that isn't too dissimilar from others released around the same time but it's a lot more grounded and thus enjoyable to watch. It's surprisingly well animated at times as well and with the pacing it doesn't feel like we move too fast or lag behind. It's a good way to kill some time if you have 45 minutes to spare!