BEING UPFRONT: A Pictorial Guide to Bodacious Women in Anime--Page 9 (R-S)

R.O.D (READ OR DIE)
Nancy Makuhari (Code Name: Miss Deep)

In this three-OVA series, The Royal British Library's Division of Special Operations agent and world's cutest bookworm Yomiko Readman (Code Name: The Paper; on the right in the above right picture) retrieves rare books for fun and for profit (and for the sheer love of the printed word, natch). In a mission she is given to find out who is responsible for re-animating "ijin" (great people, of historical note) with the goal of taking over the world, she encounters an odd librarian-type (pictured right) who is seeking the rare book she is also after, but Yomiko's tenacity wins. Later on it turns out that the same woman is actually her new partner, the secretive "Miss Deep," who is called this because of her ability to pass through solid matter like walls and ceilings. Gee, Sarge, you don't think it might also be because of something else, do you? That nice exotic outfit not only allows for greater suntanning capability, but, as the (brightened and contrasted pretty wickedly to show detail) capture above shows, much movement. The manga creators may have been trying to encourage more people to read proper books with this, and that's great. I hope they succeed; I like to read (and write, obviously), but, unfortunately, I get sleepy after not very much of it (and, to add insult to injury, I prefer subtitled anime). However, given the choice between picking up a book or picking up Miss Deep, I think we all know what I'd choose. Yes--the option that I can definitely stay up for.

The official

RAHXEPHON
Cathy McMahon
Buxom Blonde American in a Cowboy Hat #3. In 2012, Ayato Kamina is a quiet and artistic high school student leading a pleasant life in Tokyo Jupiter, drawing and painting. All this is changed when the city is attacked while he's on a subway train. While trying to seek help for his friends, Ayato is swept away by a strange woman who leads him to a secret underground base. Housed in it is an egg which hatches a giant winged robot called RahXephon, which, it turns out, he has to the ability to pilot to help defend the city against a race of aliens known as the Mu, who are not only attacking the city, but infiltrating and controlling it. After finding out that his life (and some of the people he knows, like his mother) is not what it seems, he settles into his new role as the newest pilot of the the organization TERRA, who are battling the Mu. TERRA is joined early in the series by one of ace pilot Elvy Hadhiyat's old wingmates, 23-year-old 2nd Lieutenant Cathy McMahon. Going under the callname "Ja Ja Uma" ("crazy horse"), she's definitely cut to fit the American stereotype, from arrogant attitude (as fellow team member Jean-Patrick Shapplin finds out while he's innocently trying to listen to some classical music) to aggressive build. You see Ayato finding out about that in the above right picture, when she finds out about his drawing ability during a beach party and excitedly offers to model for him. She's so minor a character that there's really no info about her online that I can find, but she's about the only fan service in RahXephon. If you feel like a lot of elements in this were lifted wholesale from Neon Genesis Evangelion--from the basic setup to the Rei-Ayanami-like Quon Kisaragi to the first movie that largely refries TV series footage--well, I think you're dead-on right. However, this doesn't carry the weight of Hideaki Anno's neuroses and pretensions, the characters are largely likeable, and the plot is cranked to brain-melt by tons of events, characters and their relationships, not by religious imagery, so this is highly recommended if you like Evangelion--or might have liked it, if only it wasn't so heavy.

If you can read Japanese you can check out the official websites hosted by production company

RANMA ½ (4th OVA) Hinako Ninomiya Miss Hinako is a teacher brought into Furinkan High to teach English--and keep the students in line. She looks (and acts) like a young girl in kind of baggy clothes a good lot of the time, but get a little too hard to handle around her and she will drain your energy from you (usually with a ¥5 coin) and blast it right back at you in the form of a fireball. This process also causes her body to turn into her full-size (and quite voluptuous) adult form. Sorry, Shampoo and Nabiki fans, but judging by what I've seen, she is the best candidate for this guide. NOTE: As nice as they are, I didn't include Atsuko "Knockerjima" Nakajima's wigged-out female character designs in the Nihao My Concubine movie (especially of Ranma-chan herself) in the main guide because I feel that they're an exception to the standard Ranma ½ character design, in which size differences are noticeable and things just aren't blown up as much. I might just get it together and give 'em a spot in Honourable Mentions, though.

Visit the

RECORD OF LODOSS WAR (Jpn: LODOSS TO SENKI) Pirotess Lodoss War is a popular series influenced by role-playing games, complete with fantastic medieval setting. Like all RPGs, you have to have good guys and bad guys at different levels. Pirotess is a dark elf, a front-line fighter who totally contrasts with female lead/good elf Deedlit in many ways, including build and presentation, but has much in common with her as well, including being in love with Ashram (the bad guys' equivalent of male lead Parn), who is also not quick on returning affections. The left picture was compiled (roughly) from her upward-pan first scene. Yep, one for the RPG players, all right. The person who nominated Pirotess was a bit concerned that I might not include her, since the series in general, and her role in particular, could be considered too serious for this page. Now, serious is good and everybody should own one, but I did find it a bit funny that, during her battle scene in her debut episode (right picture), her chest seemed to fill out a little more. Huh? Do anime women release estrogen at the same time as adrenalin? This could be something for the Anime Laws of Physics. dmoz has a lot of Lodoss War pages, which doesn't include a Shrine to Ashram and Pirotess. It's got a lot of spoilers (and broken pages, the last time I checked), so, hey, let's be careful in there. English-version videos (sub VHS/dub VHS/bilingual DVD set that is now remastered to not suck; look for the red packaging, not the pink) are available from U.S. Manga Corps.

REI REI (Jpn: UTSUKISHIKI SEI NO DENDOSHI REI REI) Kaguya Rei Rei is an OVA series based on the manga by Toshimitsu Shimizu (801 TTS Airbats/Aozora Shoujotai), about Missionary of Love Kaguya's efforts to keep the Moon close to the Earth by helping out romantically-troubled young people on Earth. However, I don't think the original Japanese mythological tale of the bamboo cutter that Kaguya's name was taken from was anywhere near as wild as this. She is a kind and caring person, but also has a sharp sense of daring, as her interactions with the people she takes under her care shows. While her chest size and movement is notable, it's their functions that make them stand out. For one thing, she can see the thoughts and memories of both young men and women by cradling their head in her bosom. They also play a large part in the Second Night OVA (part two of the Soft Cel release), where Freud 101 comes into play. All in all, this is one of the few hentai titles that gives you a nice dose of WAFF with your jollies, which I wish more did. I might add that the original box cover made it look like tentacle porn; don't believe it. The aforementioned Second Night has a brief tentacle scene in it, but it's tame compared to the likes of Urotsukidöji, is used to illustrate a part of Satoshi's (the lad with the nosebleed in the still) psyche, and is literally cut short by her manservant Pipi.

Could anyone

RUNE SOLDIER (Jpn: MAHOU SENSHI LOUIE/LOUIE THE RUNE SOLDIER)
Melissa (left); Genie
In this fantasy/action/comedy TV series, a trio of young women (cleric Melissa, warrior Jeannie and thief Merill) seek a sorceror to help them in their quests, and they hear about Louie. When they meet with him, what they find is a wine- and woman-loving cementhead who is just scraping by in his magical studies (he's still in the academy by the grace of his father being the headmaster), and depends more on his fists than his magic to get things done. Melissa, who is very devout in her faith, is placing a lot on finding her "hero," who she dreams of being a tall and handsome man; too bad that that the signs are pointing towards him being Louie! Genie (ADV Films' spelling; I prefer "Jeannie," but if this is correct, then so be it) is arguably the toughest one of the group--I wouldn't want to be on the business end of her sword or a fist powered by those impressive biceps--but no one told the character designer that muscular women's breasts usually flatten out as they minimize their body fat. Good thing dH). Plenty of action drives this series, but the relationships between the characters (and the ensuing comedy) is its saving grace.

Since this series came out a few years ago, the only sign of official Japanese website is this "we did it" by

SABER MARIONETTE J
Saberdolls Luchs, Tiger and Panther (left picture, left to right); Bloodberry (BWH: 95/60/88cm (37"/24"/35"))
(Source: Josh's Page o' Redheaded Anime Females!)
Saber Marionette J is a great comedy with occasional very touching moments, screenwritten by Satoru Akahori. The story is based in a future world called Terra 2, where women don't exist, and feminine robots called Marionettes are built to fulfill women's roles in society. A young man from Japones named Otaru Mamiya awakens three Marionettes that each contain an "otome-kairo" (virgin/maiden circuit), which enables them to have the complex emotions that human beings have, takes them in and takes care of them as if they were real people. After the energetic, childlike Lime and the demure, intelligent Cherry, we meet Bloodberry, who is the most mature and aggressive of the three. She's almost constantly coming on to Otaru, which doesn't make the more innocent but equally-smitten Lime and Cherry very happy, or Otaru very comfortable. The villain of the series is Faust, the ruler of Germania, who wants to take over the rest of Terra 2 and sends his own otome-kairo-equipped Panzer-tank-named Saberdolls Tiger, Luchs (German for "lynx") and Panther to do his dirty work for him. We find out that they only obey Faust because they are in love with him, but he doesn't care about anything but conquering, much to their dismay. Their equivalents in the original Saber Marionette R OVAs were called Sexdolls (although you don't see them doing anything resembling sex in it!), and the Saberdolls' costumes reflect those origins. An extra added bonus is a Marionette contest, which all involved enter and Tiger particularly makes herself known (although I also have to give them props for the choice of Panther's outfit; not showy, but a nice nod to fans of older anime). The TV show was 25 episodes long, while episode 26 was technically taken up by the six-episode OVA series Mata Mata Saber Marionette J. The third episode of this has Bloodberry, Tiger and a now-butch Panther flexing themselves something fierce around Otaru to prove to themselves that they're desirable, which happens just right when Otaru's got other, more important matters on his mind, so there is much comical discomfort. Get both of them and watch them in the correct order, because they're really nice, plain and simple (and not just because of the obvious).

Walk around the streets of Japones in Hitoshi Doi's Saber Marionette Encyclopedia. dmoz has a page full of links as well.

English-version videos are available from Bandai Entertainment, Inc.. The TV series is presently available on sub VHS and trilingual DVD, while Mata Mata is available on sub VHS/dub VHS/trilingual DVD under the name Saber Marionette J Again. Bandai have also released the sequel TV series Saber Marionette J to X (bilingual DVD only) and a limited-edition (of 5000) DVD box set of all three series together, autographed and numbered by creator Tsukasa Kotobuki. I suspect that the autograph was the only thing that made it limited; it looks like a non-auto'd box is available. I was lucky to find mine used and cheap (and autographed).

SAIYUKI (Jpn: GENSOU MADEN SAIYUKI)
Supporting characters: Gyukumen Koushu; Yaone; Lirin (left to right)
Saiyuki is based on the Chinese legendary story Xiyouji, which is best known over here as Journey to the West (see also: Dragonball), in which the priest Sanzo Genjo and his three companions have to make a perilous journey from China to India in search of sacred scriptures. This version adds quite a few of its own twists. This Sanzo is revered, but also not very devout, and has a sharp tongue, a few earthly vices and some powerful weapons at his disposal. The three companions are the childlike but powerful monkey king Son Goku, the rough-edged ladies' kappa (water sprite) Sha Gojyo, and the gentle and caring demon Cho Hakkai. I might add that all four of them are different flavours of bishounen/biseinen, which has attracted a lot of female fans to a series targeted to lads. While members of the group are occasionally at each other's throats, they actually do care about each other and the task at hand. At one time, humans and youkai (demons) lived together harmoniously, but rogue forces in demonkind are stirring things up, and this four frequently work hard together battling and sealing (read: destroying) the stirred youkai. Because of this, their reputation precedes them and there are lots of enemies lurking in every corner. The most prominent is Gyukumen Koushu, who is the concubine of the legendary demon Gyumaoh. She has sealed his wife Rasetsunyo with a binding spell and is seeking to revive Gyumaoh and become his wife. To that end, she sends out Gyumaoh and Rasetsunyo's son Kougaiji and three of his companions to assassinate the Sanzo party. They include Yaone, a kind of bashful young woman he diverted from becoming another demon's concubine and put to work for him as an apothecary, and Kougaiji's comically bouncy half-sister (and Gyukumen's daughter) Lirin, who is very much like a certain Goku we all know (the third, by the way, is Gojyo's older half-brother Dokugakuji). Since Kougaiji really just wants to unseal his mother and sees no real reason to kill our heroes after all, the two teams wind up changing from enemies to friends of a grudging sort before too long.
One-Off/Minor Characters: unnamed youkai; Houmei; Spider Woman (top row)
Dr. Huang (Honourable Mention); Xiahua; Scorpion Queen Renli (bottom row)

Including one-off characters is a bit of a dilemma for BU, but I felt that it would be a good idea here, especially since I thought listing the above wouldn't really spoil anything about the story. The youkai our quartet have to battle are usually in large packs of different ages, sizes and sexes, as the youkai pictured here from the first ep testifies. Congratulations, Ms. What's-yr-name--you are officially the ugliest character on this webpage. Ep. 2 is about a young woman named Houmei, who is a kind, sweet and hardworking cook of note at a local inn, which quickly brings her to Goku the Walking Stomach's attention--even after he finds out what's troubling her. The villainess in this ep is just called "Spider Woman," who is seen here dealing with Sanzo. Will she give him the legendary Kiss? Watch and see. Gyukumen has hired the twisted Dr. Nii (head slightly visible in left of picture) to help her revive Gyumaoh, and he is assisted by Dr. Huang. Normally, she is known for being very high-strung about Dr. Nii's behaviour and actions (and also looking good with glasses), but this scene in ep. 17 let me (and us) know that she has something she can't always hide. In ep. 19, the party meet and help out four attractive sisters, three of whom become mutually attracted to the corresponding guys (only the cynical and wary Sanzo doesn't bite). Xiahua and Gojyo, both being redheads of notable pheromone production, are drawn to each other, and the viewers' eyes are drawn to probably the most notable bouncing in the whole series. This could well have been a conscientious decision to add a little levity to the heaviest of all the episodes I've seen so far (the first five R1 DVDs). Scorpion Queen Renli is ep. 20's youkai baddie. She lives in a castle in the desert, and is keeping the scripture that a priest she encountered in the past had briefly--since legend said that eating priests entrusted with scriptures by Heaven would give a youkai eternal life. Four guesses about which of our heroes she is personally tending to--and the first three don't count. All in all, Saiyuki is a series with something for most anime fans out there, whether it's drooling on the characters, cheering them on as they scrap it out some more, or seeing where their travels take them. Or any combination of these. Disregard the more rabid fangirl raving about it (unless you're also a raving rabid fangirl, of course), and just enjoy it for what it really is: Primo shounen anime.

Somebody seized the

(THE) SLAYERS (movies and OVAs) Naga the Serpent Naga (or "Nagha," if you prefer) is a fellow sorceress who Lina Inverse first encounters in the first Slayers Special OVA. She's part of a seperate manga continuity where Gourry, Zelgadiss and Amelia aren't involved, and is only seen in the movies and OVAs. Naga is the polar opposite of Lina in nearly everything: Tall, has long black hair, wears a scanty black outfit (topped off with one very enviable skull pendant), is downright demented (her hyena-like laugh, combined with the permenant whacked-out look in her eyes, could make Ranma 1/2's Kodachi Kuno run for cover), and--yes--built like a brick shipyard. Oh, yeah, she drinks like Lina eats (which is to say a helluva lot), but all those spells must take a lot out of you, because the Cardinal Sin of Anime Heroines--cellulite--is never broached in either character's case. For those who just want to drool some more, follow the aftershocks to Pythonissa! and Bondage Queen of Darkness (what bloody bondage?). Note that these sites have spoilers to one degree or another. For those who want to find out more about the series in general, there's tons of Slayers pages at dmoz, the definitive Slayers Universe and QP's Slayers Page. The first movie, Slayers Perfect, is available from ADV Films in English (sub VHS/butchered-script dub VHS/bilingual DVD) as Slayers--The Motion Picture, and three OVAs have been released on the sub VHS/dub VHS releases Dragon Slave and Explosion Array and the bilingual DVD The Book of Spells. Finally, after a long dry spell, they've recently released more movies and OVAs (bilingual DVD only). English-version videos of the TV series (sub VHS/dub VHS with one stupid edit right at the end/extremely troublesome bilingual DVDs of the first season--which have since been remastered; careful which colour of box you go for--but the Next and Try DVD boxes are reported to be all right) are available from Software Sculptors. Naga's not in them, but so what? It's still a great show.

SLIGHT FEVER SYNDROME (Jpn: BINETSUBYO KOGUN) Mariko Recent graduate Mizuki Yuzuriha is the new nurse/counsellor at an unidentified "college." She's bright-eyed, full of spirit and ready to help out troubled students. What she didn't forsee was that teachers would occasionally be dropping in, and that most of the problems she's sought to help with have to do with sex. This proves to be a bit problematic for her, since she really has no experience in that field herself, but this is an 18+ title, so I think it's well obvious that things won't stay that way for very long. One of the teachers who pops in is Mariko, who tells Mizuki all about the problems her large breasts pose, from sore shoulders and difficulty finding clothing that fits well (see picture) to unwanted attention and students who leer rather than listen to her. Yes--one of those rare occurrances where the problems of overendowment get aired in anime, let alone an adult title. Not the greatest production values, the story basically just frames the sex scenes, and the facial designs take a little getting used to, but this is a good title for people seeking H titles where sex and the characters having it are treated kindly. Just avoid the dub; among other things, it changes characters' names and sticks things into the story that weren't there to begin with. The always-dependable Bo Kurland has made a Syndrome Gallery; the nurse is in. English version videos (two sub or too-fast-and-loose-dub VHS tapes/one bilingual DVD, all cursed with overlays) are available from Kitty Media (18 and over only, please).

SORCEROR HUNTERS (Jpn: BAKURETSU HUNTERS) [OVA Series] Left top: Tira Misu; Chocolat Misu; Daughter (clockwise from top right); Left bottom: Eclair Mocha; Right: A better picture of "Dota" (from the TV series) The post-TV OVA series of this fan favourite strove for more authenticity to the original manga by Satoru Akahori (story) and Ray Omishi (art). This meant that missing characters such as Potae Chip, his mother Salad and Jiji were animated. We also got to see Chocolat in her original alternate costume: black pants, black brimmed captain's hat and nothing between the two but a pair of thin black suspenders (not to mention that about two minutes into the first OVA is a hot spring scene that verifies a couple of things about her). Yowza. Makes you want to slap Carrot Glaces silly for trying to get away from her. Tira's outfit is less skimpy (being the more modest of the two sisters), but a far more imposing little S&M-style black number. Now if only she'd lose the whip... To top it all off, the very bouncy eyecatch featuring the two of them yanks your eyes right out of their sockets, and even the cute, perky and innocent Daughter-chan gets to move a little more than just smiling and waving in mid-air (unfortunately, the character designer didn't do her face any favours...grrr). We are also introduced to muscleman of the group Gateau Mocha's little sister Eclair, who flexes just a little bit more than her brother, so that's why she's here. It's a crying shame that Gateau slaps her down twice for "dishonouring (their) parents" by macho-posing wrong, and that the only decent picture of her I could find was after one of those slaps (if you can find me a kinder one, please do). Thankfully, that's the only real low point of the series. Between the upped fanservice and the insane comedy (Carrot, Jiji and even Potae-chan try to initiate "night visits" to the girls' rooms at the hotel they're at in the aforementioned first OVA), Joe Bob says check it out. For more on the show, check out Bakuretsu Hunters' World and the Bakuretsu Hunters Webring. English-version videos of the TV series (sub VHS/dub VHS; outfits not as daring, but still a great show) are available from ADV Films under the titles Sorceror Hunters and Spell Wars: SH Revenge (later on in the series), while the bilingual R1 DVD release (the whole series on four DVDs, now available as a cut-price Perfect Collection; nice) is just under the first name. At long last, they recently released the OVAs (all on one low-price bilingual DVD) as Sorceror Hunters: Chocolate, Springs and Other Hot Things The TV series is currently getting an Anime Essentials release, which will put it on three two-DVD volumes for the total price of the Perfect Collection. Given that that means 4-5 eps a disc instead of 6-7, I anticipate that it'll look better than the original discs.

SOREYUKE MARIN-CHAN (Eng: LET'S GO MARINE CHAN (sic))
Marin Nonohara; Dr. Marilyn; South Pole•1 (left to right)
In the future, pollution is causing the sperm count of Japanese men to decline drastically, leading to concerns that the Japanese race will eventually die off. The government consults with Dr. Narumi Narutaki to ask what can be done about this, and he replies that he has a plan. The key is Marin Nonohara, a pretty and well-built but naïve young woman who attends a nearby all-girls Catholic school. Dr. Narutaki ropes her into the "Japanese Preservation Plan" by devising a "cursed ring," which she finds pretty and puts on. What a shame that, when the doctor blows a flute that goes with it, it changes her outfit into one of several that cater to men's fetishes, and that only men can remove. And the doctor tells her that that ring--and its curse--will stay on her until she services 100 men and collects their high-quality sperm. The critical collection and preservation of the primo baby batter is the responsibility of Pon-chan, a cranky talking mud-turtle robot whose skills also allow Marin to, erm, coax the production while keeping her hymen intact. The voluptuous Dr. Marilyn assists him in his efforts at first, including demonstrating coaxing techniques with him for Marin, but when she realizes just what a jerk Dr. Narutaki is (took her long enough), she goes back to her original plan and uses it to go up against him. The original plan is South Pole•1, an android who looks and operates like a woman who enjoys an intensively good time. She's introduced properly in the second OVA, and her quest is to battle Marin for spoo-gathering supremacy. This is based on the manga written by Sanae Komiya and drawn by Hideki "Nonoya" Nonomura (Office Rei), and the anime is produced by Studio G-1 Neo--Masami Obari's company. I believe this explains the extra doses of oomph added to the already-emphatic manga designs in the anime version. While the fact that Marin's predicament is played for laughs (but not as much as the perpetual motion with added tympani sounds) does make Soreyuke Marin-chan a little difficult to appreciate, it's still better than the overtly mean-spirited titles that the H anime industry is excreting too many of nowadays.
There appear to be others who qualify in this title, but I've only watched the first OVA, and there are no translated versions available--fan or pro--at the time of writing. When I see and learn more, I'll add more.

Information in English is not easy to come by; however, there are

STRANGE LOVE (Jpn: HEN) Yoshida Chizura Ms. Chizura is the sexiest student at her high school, and stars in commercials part-time (against school rules), which is how one of her teachers starts to get obsessed with her. She is also a phenomenal tease, as the first OVA on this tape testifies, and has a kind of cynical attitude about love until the second OVA, in which...naah, I won't spoil it for you. While Yoshida jumps right into Being Upfront with both...feet, the characters' facial design is kind of unnerving, especially those deformed ears. The anime itself, while quite derivative (Nuku Nuku fans will recognize her bicycling style), is still worth at least one viewing (just avoid the typical horrendous CPM dub if you can), if at least for a good yuk at probably the best literal depiction in anime of the word "pendulous." The English-version videos (sub and duhhhhhb VHS and bilingual DVD with a reduced price and a new, terrible, flat-out lying cover) are available from U.S. Manga Corps Note that it's not classified as 18+, but it's bloody close, so, if that bothers you (or you actually dig it), now you're informed.

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