Review of Otogi Zoshi: Vol. 5 Crossing Boundaries

Introduction

The penultimate volume of Otogi Zoshi arrives, and Manga UK`s economy drive continues, presenting UK fans with another anorexic disc. We may have been spoilt with the first three volumes, packed with copious extra features, but when you boil it all down, it`s only the story that matters, right?

Otogi Zoshi is a 26 episode series that has an interesting premise. It`s a story told over a thousand years with the first half set during the Heian period of Japanese history, while these final thirteen episodes are set in the modern day. Coming from the powerhouse behind Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex that is Studio I.G., this is a tantalising title. With the Heian arc concluded, we shift to modern day Tokyo, where all the main characters have been reincarnated. For the last year since the disappearance of her brother Raiko, Hikaru has been struggling to come to terms with his loss, and to make ends meet has opened her house to lodgers. Among her tenants are photojournalist Tsuna, fortune-teller Urabe, and playboy Sadamitsu, who lives with his adopted son Kintaro. Tokyo is being beset with strange supernatural occurrences, and they all seem to revolve around Hikaru, her missing brother and a strange figure in a dark coat who seems to know her. This fifth volume takes us 4 episodes closer to finding out what`s going on.

18. Ueno
A dream of flowers in flames haunts Hikaru, and looking again at her brother`s photographs, she sees the same images there. Urabe recognises the location and points them to Ueno. With Tsuna in tow, the three of them head there to investigate, but it seems as if Hikaru`s dreams are coming true. The park there is caught up in a conflagration, and Hikaru finds herself drawn into another place, another time. Her rescuer is unexpected though, the red haired stranger.

19. Shibuya
Tsuna`s next assignment is to Shibuya`s transport terminus, where ATM machines have been acting strangely. Hikaru tags along, as it seems that all these supernatural occurrences have something to do with her brother. There is an urban myth about a strange white dog that wandered into a local shrine, and who reappears every full moon. And of course, while Tsuna is oblivious, Hikaru has a full-fledged paranormal encounter.

20. Azabu
A girl named Ibaraki shows up with a package for Tsuna. The next day, Tsuna dons a suit and goes out for the day, saying he`s got private business. It`s the perfect reason for Hikaru and Sadamitsu to sneak out after him to see what he is up to. A secret meeting with Ibaraki and an older gentleman leads to crossed wires, leaving Hikaru thinking that Tsuna`s pending wedding is in jeopardy. Fortunately Urabe knows of a place in Azabu where a lucky charm may be found.

21. Ikebukoro
Tsuna decides to investigate Raiko`s disappearance on his own, not wanting to get Hikaru`s hopes up. He follows another photograph trail to a park in Ikebukoro, where he simply vanishes. With Tsuna nowhere to be found, Hikaru must turn to the red-haired stranger for help.

Video

Otogi Zoshi is presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio and while compression artefacts are scarce, the transfer is clear, sharp and colourful. There is still moiré and shimmer over fine detail though. The animation, as you would expect from Production I.G is something quite special. For the modern era, all the characters have had a makeover, Hikaru has short hair and given the heat wave, has a preference for suitably brief clothing, Tsuna settles for jeans and a T-Shirt, while Sadamitsu looks like a pimp. There is once again a degree of stylisation, posterized photographs represent real life locations, but there is a greater degree of familiarity with the modern character and world designs. The animation seems to have gained a degree of fluidity over the Heian arc as well.

Audio

You can choose between DD 2.0, DD 5.1 and DTS soundtracks in both English and Japanese. I chose the Japanese 5.1 track and it`s a fairly decent surround track, with perhaps a slightly aggressive use of the rears. The English surround track is a tad more subdued by comparison, and as usual with recent anime releases, the dub is professional and easy to listen to. It`s all change for the themes, and the new opening is a catchy little tune that has the characters singing along to it in the opening sequence. The end theme of episode 13 now ends all the episodes. The incidental music has also changed from traditional to contemporary, although it still suits the story well.

Dubtitles bad, translated subtitles good. I`m tired of rehashing this, so if you want to see me rant again, click on practically any review of Manga`s releases for 2007. For reasons of their own, they have switched to subtitles that follow the English dub for all their dual language titles. Fortunately in Otogi Zoshi`s case, the English dub appears to be a pretty close translation of the Japanese, so you don`t end up losing major plot points in the text, the captions are fairly well timed whichever soundtrack you listen to, and the only complaint is that onscreen text goes by without translation.

Features

The extras got left behind in Region 1. I seriously thought we were past this nonsense by now. Contain your excitement when I tell you of the trailers you can peruse.

Conclusion

Volume 5 of Otogi Zoshi starts and ends strongly, so at least it leaves with a good impression. It does have a bit of a slump in the middle though. We`re still solidly in the modern era, and just as before the show`s outlook has changed. Whereas the Heian arc was one long narrative, this half of the series is firmly episodic, with more than a passing nod to the X-Files. Hikaru`s brother Raiko is missing, so she joins freelance journalist Tsuna in investigating various supernatural occurrences around Tokyo that seem to be tied in to her brother. Each occurrence takes place in a different part of the city, and pays reference to another urban myth, or ghost story.

We begin with a strong episode that promises much. There is the initial dream that spurs Hikaru into investigating some odd photographs of burning flowers. It leads her to Ueno, where she gets pulled into another time, paying reference to the end of the Heian arc. It falls down to the red-haired stranger to rescue her when Tsuna is unable to. He offers to tell Hikaru what is going on, and we`re all poised for the revelations that will move the story up a gear. It doesn`t happen though, and the series is left spinning its wheels for the next two episodes.

Shibuya is another interesting delve into the supernatural, with a little known shrine and a mysterious ghost story to fill twenty minutes, and once again the red-haired stranger shows up, tantalising but never fulfilling. But the entertainment level diminishes for the following episode, Azabu. We enter a strange rom-com world, where everyone gets the wrong end of the stick about Tsuna and his friend Ibaraki, and rush to find a lucky charm to make his wishes come true. Given the dark and mysterious tone of the series, this story comes totally out of left field, and even with the requisite moment of weirdness as Hikaru passes through another fracture in space and time, it still sits out of place with the rest of the series.

It`s down to the final episode to reenergize things again, with Tsuna`s vanishing in Ikebukoro prompting Hikaru to seek out the stranger that has been helping/hindering her from finding her brother, and straightforwardly ask for his help. Finally we get the revelation that we have been waiting for. It`s the most obvious of secrets of course, the stranger is the reincarnation of Mansairaku, the one main character who we hadn`t encountered by name thus far. Given the original Mansairaku`s relationship with Hikaru, his motivations and actions have to be questioned. And we leave the episode on something of a poised note, as Mansairaku`s revelation unleashes a torrent of memories for Hikaru.

My disappointment with Manga continues. Otogi Zoshi is a series that really works well with its extra features. Just as the background of the Heian arc was filled in with historical lectures, the real life locations and urban myths of the Tokyo arc could use some fleshing out. We don`t get those extra features, Region 1 does. Anchor Bay a.k.a. Starz Media and Manga UK remind me of Ford and Jaguar. Ford buys Jaguar and applies its mass production ethic and sense of economy to the speciality marque. Then eyebrows are raised when the final product no longer feels special.

Once again, if you are a fan of Otogi Zoshi, and want the full treatment, then you`ll have to import. You`ll also get the translated subtitles. I must stress that the dubtitles that we get in the UK aren`t anywhere near as bad as they could have been. They`re certainly no Tokko. And if all you are interested in is how the story pans out then this barebones release will suffice. But I feel that the UK release of Otogi Zoshi has lost that sense of exclusivity it had with the first half of the series.