Here we are, June 2nd in Australia, and the final day of my second OVA Week!
It's a fair volume of work, I guess, but I like doing these, so I'll fire up another themed week in the future. I hope before the end of the year, since there was a rather large gap between this one and the original 😀
- An animated film or series made for release on video, rather than for broadcast/theatrical screening
- Generally, high budgets that can mean visual qualities are better than a typical television series
- No fixed length, nor broadcast time-constraints when it comes to storytelling
- To some extent, created outside regulation – and so they have a reputation for 'anything goes' when it comes to restricted content
- Often (but certainly not always) based on original scripts, rather than being adaptations
- Long wait times between episodes/installments for some OVAs
- First OVA to be described as such was 1983's Dallos from Mamoru Oshii
- The ONA (Original Net Animation) is an obvious more modern equivalent
California Crisis: Gun Salvo (1986) Tsuigeki no Juka
When searching for OVAs for these posts, sometimes I go for the somewhat famous, or at the very least, I take notes on some quite well-known ones. (Like Darkstalkers, due to appear in OVA Week 3).
And sometimes I seek out something I've never heard of, based on just a thumbnail.
Something about California Crisis seemed to have a bright/City Pop feel that caught my attention, and when I found it, I was pleasantly surprised.
Especially by the flat, sort of neon visual style, which vaguely brought Redline to mind – though I don't believe that either the art director or the character designer here, were involved in the racer from 2009.
No matter.
For this OVA, it feels like there was a lot of detail put into the settings, but I can't speak to their accuracy, having never visited California in the mid-1980s 😀
Still, if you like the art style seen in the screencaps here, this could be for you.
There are also some exciting car chases – including 'pickup vs helicopter', among others. In fact, a lot of the 40-something minute film is a chase, as the main characters try to keep a mysterious (magical?) bowling ball from everyone who wants it.
What about the plot specifically? Well, a lot is left to the imagination in terms of context and specific motives – especially regarding the extremely abrupt ending, where the MacGuffin turns out to be exactly that.
Spoiler:
There is a smashed-egg moment in the film, one that kinda brought Angel's Egg to mind, but I think I'm stretching for a connection, there.
Anyway, getting back to the California Crisis itself to finish up now, if you're someone interested in the era or the visual style, then I think this is worth hunting down. However, don't expect a satisfying plot, nor characters who act all that rationally.
Instead, however, you'll get some great animation, distinctive visual style and some fun songs, too.
3 Stars
Here's a quick example of art that appears on some City Pop albums, and which feels like a clear influence on the OVA, being one of Tatsuro Yamashita's releases (art by Eizin Suzuki):
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