Is this supposed to be an oxymoronic title? This anime is in no way a comedy, it’s a horror suspense thriller. Based on a shorter manga released as part of the Rumik World series, Rumiko Takahashi’s tale of obsession, Laughing Target, would release into the anime world as a singular OVA in 1987. Prepare your bows and take aim as we investigate a complex tale of teenage romance.
There is something at least for me about Takahashi’s Rumik World anime adaptations. Often times I may not feel interested in 100+ episode TV series, even if they are popular. These are a large commitment and perhaps one day I will watch the likes of Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha, but for now I enjoy the pocket sized Rumik World OVAs and short run TV series including: Maris the Chojo, Fire Tripper and Mermaid Forest (sadly Mermaid Forest falls outside my pre-1990 limit so it won’t ever get written up, but it’s FANTASTIC!). And then there’s Laughing Target, a horror suspense thriller about obsession, which we will dive into right now!
School archery ace Yuzuru Shiga seems to have it all; he is great with a bow, has a steady girlfriend (Satomi) and has a loyal fan club within the high school archery club he is a part of. Yet apparently he also has a fiancée by the name of Azusa. Wait a minute, just a minute… this kid is in high school and the setting is present day Japan… arranged marriages in the modern world (for the late 80s), especially being in that age bracket? Bizarre. This of course upsets and confuses Satomi (obviously!), but to make matters more complicated the girl betrothed to Yuzuru is his cousin! … Whoa whoa, second red flag! lol
OK so here is the story… apparently Yuzuru and Azusa were betrothed as very small children to protect a family curse from coming out in the open that young Azusa was beginning to experience and was well known to her mother, Yuzuru’s aunt. Incest? No, not at all despite what it looks like so far. Apparently Azusa is either demonic, or is possessed by a demonic power that has a need to kill. This is then followed up by rat-like bacteria looking things that eat up the remains of the victim. Gross! Azusa would thus grow up extremely sheltered with almost zero human contact to hide her powers. She has only one thing on her mind, marry Yuzuru at all costs! And if someone else in her way, you become a victim… a target… but not a laughing one.
Upon the death of her mother, Azusa would move in with Yuzuru’s family and guess what happens? Satomi gets caught in the middle! Yuzuru’s stance on the arranged marriage was something he never took seriously, but that is not the case for the other party involved. Things are about to get messy and ugly as Yuzuru will have to take a stand to protect the one he truly loves! Laughing Target is perhaps one of the more complicated romantic triangles from 80s anime combining a forbidden subject matter with a dramatic suspense story. Dark and full of intrigue, this is my type of horror anime which concentrates more on the mood and characters instead of a gnarly bloodbath. And while this may not be my favorite of the Rumik World adaptations (that goes to Maris the Chojo and Mermaid Forest), Laughing Target is still a solid piece of work by one of manga and anime’s most beloved creators. My departing thought is this question, which is scarier… Azusa’s demonic power, or her obsession with her cousin?
Hi-Speed Jecy has been on my radar for quite a while and it’s not because it was some super popular title that I had missed. In fact I am surprised this never got a release here in the west where I live during the VHS era. It wasn’t recommended by anyone either, nor was it easy to come by for a longtime… I never had luck with a fansub either since that looked like the only avenue left to watch this one. I’ll give you a hint now, look at the characters! Look familiar, they do to me? Anime featuring character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto’s work are a must in my book, regardless of what it is. I loved his work since I was a kid (Macross/Robotech), can you blame me? Many of the so called ‘heroic’ designs are some of the most gorgeous and attractive examples of human rendering regardless of gender. Other examples include Orguss, Gunbuster, Gundam 0080 and Salamander… wait a minute, two of those I mentioned earlier as high class examples, seems quality anime share, great character designs 🙂
Spanning a dozen episodes, several acting as two parters, Hi-Speed Jecy follows the exploits of Jecy Moore, a young man who is after revenge toward the tyrannical clan known as Bismarck… they murdered his parents when he was a child in front of his eyes. He is most likened to a super hero in a way though nothing is much out of the ordinary for his powers except the man is very agile, not keen on weapons and can run, or move extremely fast. Oh, kind of like Sonic the Hedgehog speed? Yeah, but perhaps faster! Joining him is his sidekick, perhaps love interest, Tiana and a priest from the group Heartland, Falk Green, who is a crack shot with a gun. After all it is his mission to hunt down supposed malefic folk by shooting them with his nerve gun… sounds like a strange religion to me, yet how often do people kill for their concept of ‘God’? In any case he is a vital ally. … and then there is Paolon, our fourth protagonist who I will let you find out who that is… don’t worry you will find out in the later minutes of episode one 😉
Much like the roll call of OVAs I listed earlier I would put Hi-Speed Jecy into a similar category as Crusher Joe. Both are dramatic (more so Jecy), at times funny (more so Joe), action packed space opera that are fun and exciting. Both also began as novel adaptations. Hi-Speed Jecy and Crusher Joe also feature a quartet of differing heroic characters that play off each other. Jecy as a character study is a particular good one, his past and his major chip on his shoulder towards the clan of Bismarck are well represented in a few back story moments, including one whole episode. That being said a majority of the time we are essentially dropped into the middle of the action from the very beginning and asked to fasten our seatbelts and hold on tight, which to be honest… ain’t that bad an idea. Pass the popcorn!
There is just something about a space oriented sci-fi drama from the 1980s. Perhaps it’s nostalgia, or just the fact that I was spoon fed on it heavily as a kid, that it seems when unfamiliar good, or great, productions come into my view I kind of feel like I am at home. Jumpsuits, awesome hair, a synth-pop opening theme song (Please, Please Me no less, but not the Beatles song ), main characters with human flaws, it’s all beautiful. Though a product of another apparent time and place, Studio Pierrot’s work none the less (They do good work!), if you ask what keeps me going at looking at obscure anime, then Hi-Speed Jecy is just one answer I can give. Though my tastes have changed and expanded as I have matured, I always seems to find something to satisfy both the youth and adult in me, like Hi-Speed Jecy.
Often compared to the live action film Alien, Roots Search would not be my first choice for an anime based on the inspiration of a foreign invader out to massacre a crew on a spaceship. Gall Force: Eternal Story would be my first choice (though the alien invasion was not deadly in the end) and second Lily C.A.T., an anime I abhor due to the violence and misconfiguration towards a certain feline crew member. Both previous examples also have better writing and characters, but I wouldn’t expect anyone of these titles to win a batch of awards for excellence in those categories. Same goes for artwork and design, Roots Search is just downright ugly and sloppy. Of course maybe it could be the VHS transfer quality?… no. Perhaps it was a budget, or timing issue? I can’t say, but this one is not all that pretty to look at.
Roots Search: Shokushin Buttai X, Roots Search: Life Devourer X where to begin? A crew of four aboard a research station encounter a ship that magically came out of warp space and into their general vicinity. Aboard the Green Planet, the name of the ship (for real?… yes) is one surviving human and some kind of a gray alien thing that does not look all that inviting. They soon jettison the alien only to find like a boomerang, it comes back… and with vengeance on its mind. Literally it says to all of them that it plans to take them all out! Of course our stowaway from Green Planet also concours and tells the crew that it prays on their fears and attacks both physically as well as more importantly, psychologically.
Know what this means? Holy crap we got to get out of here? Exactly. Turns out the creature was sent by God to punish humanity and take out each and every one of us as punishment… dude your concept of God sure does not match up with how others see it. Nothing says division like politics and religion. One by one the crew fall prey to the violent attacks of the alien, thing, soldier of God… until we are left with two. The guy from Green Planet and the singular girl character who happens to have some abilities to see and read the future. In the most dire of circumstances these two end up falling for each other, professing love and kissing to seal the deal. After all they have a future together to live happy ever after… but aren’t you two in a life or death situation at the moment. Talk about an awkward date?
Spoilers galore, but I will leave it up to you to experience the last five minutes of this 45 minute OVA. You have total permission from me and maybe even a few others to just fast forward to the end and thank us all later. This is all I will say… talk about a twisted ending with no resolution. Roots Search starts off as a horror sci-fi suspense schlock fest and then suddenly adds a twist of romance into the closing stages, which totally makes sense. If they only included a unicorn into the production I would let Roots Search pass, but of course they didn’t. Um. what did I just watch?… scratch that… never make me watch this again, please! There are many anime classified as ‘bad’ that I think are brilliant and entertaining, The Humanoid, Twinkle Nora Rock Me!… even Odin: Photon Sailer Starlight has a certain charm to it, but Roots Search… not a chance.
The Classic Anime Museum 
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