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| a very 90's VHS cover. |
However, ten years later, in 1993 Bandai Visual & Mainichi Broadcasting System premiered the 6 episode OVA series on December the 5th. Written and directed by Fumihiko Takayama, Super Dimension Century Orguss 02 Takes place 200 years after the time oscillation bomb is set off by Kai Katsuragi & Olson in the last episode of the original series. However, there some unexpected "leftovers" left across earth, leading into political tension and mistrust between the two rival nations of Zafran and Revillia who decide to declare war on each other. Each nations solution: to gain possession of Decimators, the same ancient robots of war that nearly ended all life on the planet 200 years before. As the war ensues and the leaders of both nations become reluctant to surrender, only the desperate plan of Lean, a young cadet, and Nataruma, a psychically gifted young woman, to alter the timeline of events 200 years before stands the chance between humanity's survival or absolute destruction.
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| The original Orguss, as seen in the first episode. |
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| Back to action after 200 hundred years buried in the past? |
SDC Orguss 2 is essentially about Mecha. At least, the first time you see it, you can clearly notice how important are these mysterious "Decimators" (the Mecha from the original series plus a couple of surprises) The first three episodes move quite slowly making it a bit hard to relate to the new characters, or at least to the few of them we get to know in the first half of the series. So, there are two rival kingdoms fighting each other to obtain the most decimators they can find in order to overpower the opposing force. The first episode, while not showing a lot of background info on the main characters, it does deliver the Mecha fan service fans of the original series would relate to easily: Loads of Orguss orgroids below the sea, and ready for a little fix and then some quick heroic battles.
Orguss 2 is as much about ideas and allegory, and making you think as it is about entertaining you with cool stuff. So the fact it's got this interesting carte blanche for ideas with all the time-bending, mecha-excavating, future-crashing setup that's gone on makes it a bit aggravating when you realise there's not enough time to really play with the ideas properly in only six episodes. It does develop, but not a great deal. Then again, maybe it's best that it doesn't overstay its welcome by pushing the idea too far; because the original series did have 36 episodes where they still weren't able to explain a few things leading into a rushed ending we fans, would like to forget it was that rushed. Anyway, the sequel does take its time to develop the full story by episode four, and perhaps, if I was one of the producers, I would have chosen to start the story right after the main arch develops. Essentially because this sequel is aimed at fans of the original series, while trying with very little interest, to attract newcomers.
The original Super Dimension Century Orguss dealt with the effects of a "Space Time Oscillation Bomb"
which caused four parallel universes to overlap, putting Japanese
fighter pilot Kei Katsuragi into an altered earth where he finds himself
in the company of a ship full of Emaan, a humanoid race with lots of
pretty girls with whom he has lots of adventures. There was a lot of
mecha combat in the Gundam and Macross styles. However, Orguss 02 also aims for the big battle but with a 90's approach rather than trying to imitate the 80's style.
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| An insane royalty. |
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| A royal idiot that's not. |
The high points of Orguss 02 are many, the most obvious of which is the gorgeous character designs by none other than Haruhiko Mikimoto, revised by Toshihiro Kawamoto.
Intricately detailed and very shiny, their combined design work has the
mature look that separates them from those Mikimoto did in the early
80s. I for one, can say the animation is really good - as you might expect from relatively early-period JC Staff - clearly better than contemporary TV standards, and the design work in particular is very well executed, giving distinct looks to each distinct aspect/era/system of technology; it's always clear where things are, who people are, what things belong to which place or time. The look is particularly notable as, just for once, nothing is a clear pastiche of any single world culture. Elements from everywhere are pulled together for the rival cultures, but visual themes like architecture and machinery are consistent, creating a pretty convincing and original atmosphere. Character design is pretty good too; the Revilian royals in particular are appropriately opulent, decadent and memorable, with the real stand-out being the queen, whose revealing robes of state immediately prompted me to think of her as Princess Breasts.
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| Manning, copied directly from Macross? |
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| Have you seen this decimator? |
The series, although it features very few characters, provides good characterization to most of them. The main male protagonists are relatively unremarkable to look at, but well-rounded and developed in terms of personality. Lean is something of an archetype, a young hero making good after he is thrust into someone else's fight, but is pleasingly bright and resourceful. Manning is a direct copy of Roy Fokker from SDF Macross, meaning he's a charismatic, womanizing, rather ruthless officer who manages to constantly be genuinely unpredictable without seeming nonsensical or even particularly contradictory. I changed how I felt about him rather a lot across the series, which to me is the mark of genuine and well-realized character development. Nataruma, the female protagonist, is also a finely crafted character, a strong female character who is genuinely strong and independent, as opposed to the more common type who is ostensibly independent but frequently needs a man to rescue her. Nataruma and Lean, who spend a lot of the series together, complement each other well. Behind these three, a number of less prominent characters are also well crafted. Voice acting is good across the board, with special mention going to Sakakibara Yoshiko as the aforementioned Princess Breasts (actually called Miran, but never mind), who gives the role a superbly dangerous stillness.
Action wise, Orguss 02 is surprisingly nasty. However, not in a gory way, although some of it is rather gruesome, but in terms of the rules of the world. Oddly, having rewatched it recently I was struck by how similar it is, in a limited sense, to Game of Thrones. Sure, it's not got such a huge ensemble of characters, and in place of the unremitting medievalness there are mecha with axes and lasers, but the brutality of the characters and their general level of malice and malevolence, plus the internecine plotting, the epicly dysfunctional and depraved families, the sharply observed gaps between noble opulence, military severity and common desperation - it's all in there. Only two opposing sides here, but plenty of factions within them, easily enough to keep things relatively surprising. Perhaps a big difference is that while Game of Thrones tends to make human suffering rather incidental, not a lot more than a yardstick of what its characters want and how far they go to get it, it's really foregrounded here. The suffering of people in general because of war, and due in particular to the unworldly attitudes of those in authority, is kind of the main point. Come for the mecha fights and sexy blue-haired cover girl, stay for the realistically portrayed firestorms, intra-community betrayal, battlefield triage, nukes and chemical weapons.
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| Lean, the archetypal hero. |
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| Nataruma is the secret connection with the original series. |
Now the big question: Would fans that never heard of the original series enjoy Orguss 2? The answer is, yes. However, being a fan of the original series will enhance the enjoyment for sure, since not having any idea will somehow diminish the emotional qualities from episodes 4,5 and 6. Moreover, it'd be hard to relate to "the legacy" Colonel (a character returning from the original series) has been working so hard to keep, while creating a new Time Oscillation bomb to aid the two factions at war come to a peaceful end before they destroy the whole planet. In addition, discovering Nataruma is the only offspring of Key & Mimsi's son won't mean a thing to you, and let's not mention that grand finale! So yeah, having seen the original series will definitely make it a more pleasant experience. If that's not your case, this may pass as a pretentious story with characters that only become likeable after three episodes have passed. Moreover, I'd say this sequel somehow helps us understand the rushed ending of the original while seeing how other alternate realities and/or different worlds were affected by the apparent "course correction" Key Katsuragi & Olson were supposed to accomplish once they understood their importance as the chosen ones. Orguss 02 offers a kind of elseworlds story, a what if world where the past has been changed by strange robots from the future, a future that is unclear whether it will happen or not once Lean & Nataruma activate the new time oscillation bomb, so in a way, seeing Orguss 02 is not mandatory even for hardcore fans of the original series, where everything was pretty much explained and solved by the time the series ended.
Beyond all the action and suspense, there's an inherent sadness to Orguss 02, a maturity that was missing in the original. Where the old TV series seemed almost gleeful in its depiction of war, Orguss 02 has a sense of inevitability and regret. Lean really has no desire to be in a war, and it's hard to think of any of the participants in the battles -- even Lt. Manning -- as anything other than the pawns of an abusive political structure. Though Zafran has echoes of Germany, there is little to suggest that there is any more significant wrongdoing on their side than there is on the Revillia side. By the midway point of the series, Lean has lost interest in fighting, if he had any to begin with. He must simply get back home.
Beyond all the action and suspense, there's an inherent sadness to Orguss 02, a maturity that was missing in the original. Where the old TV series seemed almost gleeful in its depiction of war, Orguss 02 has a sense of inevitability and regret. Lean really has no desire to be in a war, and it's hard to think of any of the participants in the battles -- even Lt. Manning -- as anything other than the pawns of an abusive political structure. Though Zafran has echoes of Germany, there is little to suggest that there is any more significant wrongdoing on their side than there is on the Revillia side. By the midway point of the series, Lean has lost interest in fighting, if he had any to begin with. He must simply get back home.
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| Orguss 02. |
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| Orguss 02 flight mode. |
If there's any significant flaw in Orguss 02, it's the music, a bizarre, shrill and discordant soundtrack by Torsten Rasch. It's annoying to the point of distracting in parts. Luckily, the dub improves things a bit by recutting the background music
with some of the better tracks. The awful opening and ending themes
from the first four episodes are also replaced with the cool, yet still
inventive Hiroe Ueda
vocal tracks from the last two episodes. It's such a gigantic
improvement that if you listen to the English audio first, you're in for
a terrible shock when you switch to the Japanese.
SDC Orguss 02 was originally released in VHS tapes in three volumes ( 2 episodes per tape) and later Manga Entertainment released a DVD (two volumes with 3 episodes each) of Orguss 02 back in 2003, but it was only in print for about a year and a half before going out of print. It's hastily produced -- the copyright line is wrong, and the subtitles... well, these are some of the strangest subtitles of any DVD in my collection. They don't appear to be dubtitles, but anyone that knows Japanese can tell you that they're incredibly inaccurate, and have more to do with the dub rewrite than what's being said in the show's original dialogue. To take a wild guess as to what happened, it's as if Manga didn't have the original translation anymore, and rather than re-translate from scratch, they had an intern transcribe and rewrite the dub script to make it SEEM like a real translation. The DVD is obviously out of print, and finding a copy make take some time. However, I don't recommend it for the reasons already stated.
However, on November the 1st, 2013, the Blu-ray box release from SF anime presents the series in a glorious HD remastered version that includes the complete 35 episodes from the original 1983 series and the 6 OVA episodes from Orguss 02, plus subtitles created by actual professionals! The box set also comes with a 48-page archive book featuring the art of both series as well as some liner notes (Japanese language only). The special features come with: ORGUSS MEMORIAL VOL1 Momu no Yume, ORGUSS MEMORIAL VOL2 Chojiku Athena, the opening with prologue, creditless opening & ending, opening & ending for overseas, and the TV ads promoting the box set release. So, if you could get your hands on this HD babe, go for it! and don't let the US$437.53 price tag stop you! Moreover, good luck on finding an original copy, because it's sold out since the day it came out, and not even CDJapan has copies left. Dear God, first world problems!
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| The Mü mecha have also been found. |
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| Gigantic! |
Knowing that reading is a rare practice from more civilized times, here you have it, the Super Dimension Century Orguss 02 episode by episode summary:
1. Fool's Choice
Zante and Lean are salvage operators and mechanics, working on restoring Decimators for the Rivilian military, and they're currently lifting a squad of such machines from the seabed. When Zafrin forces attack, Lt Manning of the Rivilian Imperial Guard arrives to help speed things up, but it's too late. Zante and Lean manage to get one of their Decimators operational, and Lean manages to pilot one into battle, but he can't save his friend and mentor. Back in the city of Geran, Zante's funeral is interrupted by a bank official looking to foreclose on his business, putting his grieving widow and daughter out on the street. Lean wants to help, but it's only when Manning suggests joining the army that there is a glimmer of hope. The Imperial Guard is the cushy life says Manning; you can take years worth of salary in advance, and get rich off the mayhem that wars generate. They don't know that the Rivilian leaders are preparing for the final war against their traditional foes.
2. Where Angels Fear to Tread
Lean and Manning get ordered to undertake a spy mission into Zafrin territory, a small mining town called Kosmar. It says mining town on the map, but it's actually a major source of the Zafrin's Decimator forces, and Manning would like to liberate a few. While they sneak in, major upheavals occur in Rivilia when the old, moderate king Mendez dies. His youngest son Siplay dons the crown and the moderate faction in the court is ruthlessly silenced. War seems inevitable, but Zafrin has already learned of this and have ordered a mobilisation of their forces. When Manning and Lean arrive in Kosmar, they find a heavily militarised town with the army searching frantically for a mysterious girl. Manning orders Lean to stay in their hotel room, while he goes to take a look around. While Manning investigates the Zafrin's new city sized Decimator, Verifer, Lean gets a knock on the door. It's the fugitive girl, looking for a place to hide, and she's just found a Rivilian spy she can blackmail.
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| I was there. |
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| Legendary Key & Mimsi. |
The girl's name is Nataruma, although Lean has to work to get that much information from her. It's an alliance made at the point of a gun, as the two have no choice but to work together to make their escape. It isn't made easy by her frosty attitude, but as they travel, events in the outside world outpace them. Diplomacy between Zafrin and Rivilia breaks down, in no small part due to the belligerency of the regent Kerachi, who foresees an easy victory over Zafrin. War is declared, even though Manning has returned with news of the Zafrin's Decimator. When Lean and Nataruma get to the border, they're caught up in the fighting, but suddenly a Decimator appears which is like nothing ever seen before. It also appears that Nataruma has powers beyond those even of the most powerful Seekers
4. Searcher
They've made it back to Rivilia and the city of Geran, and Lean finds Nataruma a safe haven with Zante's widow and daughter, although Toria doesn't take too kindly to the foreign girl in their midst. Lean's regretting ever having joined the Guard, and he has a couple of choice words for Manning when he gets back to barracks. Meanwhile, the giant Zafrin Decimator is on the march, destroying all in its path in its inexorable surge towards Geran. 3 weeks and it will be knocking at the gates of the city, and all will be lost. The only clue that the Rivilians have is the strange girl that the Zafrin army was so desperately searching for, and seeing as the Zafrin search continues, it's possible that she has crossed the border. When wanted posters of Nataruma go up in the city, Toria makes a regrettable decision. Lean realises that he can't be a soldier anymore, and embarks on a suicide mission to rescue Nataruma.
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| Beautiful artwork. |
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| The brilliant blu-ray box. |
There is a new king in Rivilia, and with the support of Manning, Perion has consolidated his power, and reversed Kerachi's idiotic decisions. Unfortunately, it turns out that Perion is a whole different brand of idiot. Leon and Nataruma have been rescued, although they have difficulties coming to terms with what it is that has helped them. Cornel is a robot, one that has been watching and waiting for 200 years. The Decimators, the wars, the destruction, all stem from a Space Time Bomb that detonated centuries previously, and Cornel feels that he is responsible for repairing the damage. To that extent, he has constructed another Space Time Bomb that will undo what the first did, and restore all the dimensions to their rightful order. He needs help though; he needs Nataruma and her unique abilities.
6. Those Who Wait For Tomorrow
Nataruma is the one being that can fathom the universe, and guide Cornel into making the correct repairs. The trouble is that all of a sudden Nataruma's powers are being interfered with. Perion has discovered a Decimator of his own, a gargantuan device that dwarfs even the Zafrin Verifer. Liboh was the ultimate weapon created in the original war, and it can literally destroy the world. The problem is that before long it drives its pilot insane, and the combination is unstoppable.
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| The VHS tape collection. |
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| The DVD collection. |
Here's the opening for episodes 1,2 and 3:
Here's the opening for episodes 4,5 and 6:
The original western VHS opening:
The original western VHS ending:
The weird bonus mini documentary featured in the VHS edition:
The Blu-Ray box TV ad:
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