ururgentmeow
October 25, 2023
Mixed Feelings
This OVA is probably worth watching for Tylor fans, and anyone generally interested in classic anime, but one should be prepared for disappointment. The first episode sets up high hopes of more galactic intrigue and shenanigans, but the plot takes a nosedive right after the first episode, squandering the majority of this series in banal filler. At the very end, the plot threads set up at the beginning resume (in a jumbled way), and things seem to be finally heading towards a satisfying climax, only to be cut off right before the critical action begins. It's a frustrating conclusion to a mixed series. Why would Isay it's worth watching, then? The most obvious selling point is the production value. Even through all the filler episodes, the art and animation are beautiful. The sombre orchestral soundtrack evokes a more serious, cinematic feeling. The real problem is the writing and direction. I want to know why they decided to put these amazing resources of production into filler, rather than following the plot. I have a feeling that this was a sort of experimental vision, to try and create something more serious and reflective in the Tylor story world. Perhaps it was with the best of intentions, but I feel that this vision sacrificed a lot of the core things that make Tylor work as a story. Tylor himself barely appears in the OVA. If he were a real actor, and not paint on a cel, I'd think they had some kind of contract dispute with him, forcing them to tell side stories about the other characters and put the main story on ice.
I think my frustration comes from this having some sparks of greatness in it. Maybe the best way to watch this would be to look at it like an art book, or a series of sketches, creative possibilities. There are some neat moments in the OVA, even if it doesn't come together as its own story. In terms of narrative satisfaction, probably the best thing to do would be to watch the movie-length first episode, then pretend that nothing else was ever made after that. In that sense it's much like the second season of Twin Peaks: a strong beginning that carries on important plot threads that then dissolve into confusing filler that leads to an unsatisfying finale. Well, that undersells this OVA, because even with all its flaws, the last four episodes were better than the travesty of Twin Peaks Season 2.
Maybe a better analogy would be something like The Thief And The Cobbler. There are seeds of a story here and flashes of brilliance, bogged down by poor vision of one kind or another. Like that much-abused film, this OVA needs a fan edit to clarify the real story whose bones are sketched out but never fleshed out. Unfortunately, any fan edit would need to also somehow produce some new scenes to bring the story to a climax. So it's most likely only going to exist in the imagination, unless some divine combination of fine retro animation and fan patronage can be achieved.
Come to think of it, now, there are a lot of parallels from the time period this was made. Nadia had an even more notorious second arc, and even though that show pulled things together in the end, it never recovered fully from the damage its filler arc did to itself. 3x3 Eyes is another very cool early 90s anime with a fantastic first act and a very shaky second act. Is this some kind of lesson from the 90s anime scene? That to achieve such heights, we have to be willing to accept failure? If so, it's worth it to have these failures, since the high points are so transporting, so unique, so special.
