Now Viewing: megazone_23Tag type: Copyright A four part (though the last two parts are both labeled part 3) cyberpunk mecha action OVA that was released from March 9, 1985 to December 22, 1989. The title is meant to be read as Megazone Two Three not Twenty-three. It is set in an unnamed Japanese city during the 1980s. Yahagi Shogo is a teen biker who becomes interested in and starts a relationship with an aspiring singer named Takanaka Yui who turns out to be good friends with his friends Yumekano Mai and Murashita Tomomi. Shogo's female friends are all interested in breaking into the entertainment industry and they are all big fans of the immensely popular idol singer Tokimatsuri Eve. Shogo and his friends soon get into deep trouble with the military once Shogo’s friend Nakagawa Shinji shows off a unique motorcycle he managed to get ahold of that has a distinct Bahamut label on it. Unfortunately, this motorcycle is actually a military secret and government agents are dispatched to retrieve the motorcycle and keep the public in the dark. The agents kill Shinji but Shogo manages to escape by using the bike, which he eventually discovers can transform into a humanoid mecha. Despite the danger he’s now in, Shogo refuses to surrender the bike/mech to the military and decides to avenge Shinji by digging into the secrets that the military is so afraid of leaking out. Shogo soon discovers that the world that he and his friends live in and the idol singer Eve are not what they appear to be . . . Each OVA episode has its own director and animator who bring their own distinct styles to the series resulting in each part of the OVA having a different art style even though the episodes are part of one narrative. However, Eve is always drawn by Mikimoto. The first episode was directed by Ishiguro Noburo with characters designed by Mikimoto_Haruhiko and Hirano_Toshihiro. The second OVA was directed by Itano_Ichiro with characters designed by Umetsu_Yasuomi, who also acted as the chief animation director for this episode and the rest of the series. The third episode was directed by Yatagai Kenichi with characters designed by Kitazume_Hiroyuki, who also designed the characters for the fourth episode. The fourth episode was directed by Aramaki_Shinji. Despite each episode having a different animator, writer Hoshiyama Hiroki wrote the script for the entire series. The mechs are designed by Aramaki_Shinji and the soundtrack is composed by Sagisu Shiro. The OVA is unusual for both halves having a different set of characters; the two halves of part 3 are set many years after the first two parts. The only character who appears in every episode in the series is Eve and Shogo. It, especially the second episode, is also notable for being quite violent and featuring some sex scenes and nudity. It was originally intended to be a TV series, but the original sponsors withdrew their support in the middle of production. In response, the animators edited the footage they had already produced into one movie length episode that became the first episode of the OVA. After the episode was released, the creators decided to turn the series into a multipart story so the original release of the first episode lacks the ‘Part’ subtitle. The OVA can be considered to be a spiritual successor to the original Macross TV series and quite a few staff members who worked on Macross, such as Ishiguro Noburo, and Mikimoto Haruki and Itano Ichiro, worked on this OVA as well. The series also has similar concepts as Macross such as a humanoid mech that can transform into a vehicle and an idol singer who is meant to represent peace. Carl Macek, who was responsible for incorporating the original Macross into Robotech, also localized the OVA for North American audiences. He edited the footage of the first episode and combined it with the anime The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross to form Robotech: the Movie. The OVA has been dubbed in English multiple times. The series has many pop cultural references to both other anime and Western media scattered throughout the series. Most of the references come in the form of small background details. The Matrix notably has a similar premise to Megazone 23. Both feature a setting that appears to be the present day, but turns out to be an elaborate simulation formed by an advanced computer program. In reality, both series are set in the distant future and a major war is going on in the background which the protagonist is initially unaware of. Although the Wachowskis were heavily influenced by anime when making The Matrix, they state that their franchise was not influenced by this OVA. The cast and mecha have appeared in the Super Robot Wars crossover games. Cast: Main Characters: Yahagi_Shogo Takanaka_Yui Tokimatsuri_Eve Narahara_Ryo Takahaka_Eiji Supporting: Yumekanou_Mai Murashita_Tomomi Nakagawa_Shinji B.D. Lightning_(Megazone_23) Gutz Cindy_(Megazone_23) Lieutenant_Shiratori Bishop_Won_Dai Yacob_Halm Crossover: Super_Robot_Wars Other Wiki Information Last updated: 04/08/14 7:59 PM by jojosstand This entry is not locked and you can edit it as you see fit. |
     
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