Could someone give me some cultural context for this OVA's existence?
Was it very popular in Japan? There's a huge amount of it, the animation quality is almost unrivaled for the period, and the writing is some of the best ever put to an episodic series animated or otherwise.
So why is it so unheard of in the west? Do people in Japan still know about it? Did it have a big following back in the day?
I'm just having a hard time understanding how something so magnificent can seemingly have had such a small amount of cultural impact.
>>142134919
answer me nerds
>>142135265
Seconded.
Unheard of mainly because it never fucking aired on TV. Was released on fucking LASER DISCS you had to order from a catalog. Basically, you had to have already read the novels to know or give a shit. Which limits the primary audience (already a niche audience) to Japan
>>142134919
>the animation quality is almost unrivaled for the period
What?
>>142135593
Given the amount of total animation they had to do, it was pretty impressive
It was never licensed for a western release on either DVD or television, therefore no-one ever heard of it. Only reason it became accessible/heard of is because of fansubbers.
Plus the novels being untranslated didn't help either, only now has the first book been translated + released in the west.
>>142135624
>Given the amount of total animation they had to do, it was pretty impressive
Not that anon, but it's certainly impressive in the sense that it was a massive production (I recall reading that it was one of the most expensive anime OVA/series ever produced), but the animation quality isn't very consistent and doesn't really stand out technically.
>>142134919
>the animation quality is almost unrivaled for the period
No, it isn't. At all.
>>142135760
>It was never licensed for a western release on either DVD or television, therefore no-one ever heard of it. Only reason it became accessible/heard of is because of fansubbers. Funny story, the fucking BBC actually brought up LoGH on some talk show in like 1990. I'll try to rediscover which it was, but I really don't understand how that happened.
>>142134919
>the animation quality is almost unrivaled for the period
>>142134919
>the animation quality is almost unrivaled for the period
Only some of the scenes, mainly space battles. The first movie and the movie that redid the first three episodes are quite good animation wise, again, mainly the space battles are whenever a ship flies into screen.
>Was it very popular in Japan?
Maybe, due to how niche the audience was for the novels, yet probably still was popular just enough.
>Did it have a big following back in the day?
From a West Perspective, Arguable, Fansubbers subbed all the anime material they could. 110 Episodes, the movies, and even the Gaiden series.
From Japan, it must have been popular enough to receive a full adaptation of the entire 10 novel series.
> Do people in Japan still know about it?
Perhaps. There is the announced re-adaptation of the novels by Production IG coming this 2017.
Takarazakue Revue had a musical stage play.
There also were/is some stage adaptations too.
Sometimes there is even some fanart.
>>142135760
That's not exactly true, though. There's a catalan dub of the movies, they were broadcasted in a local tv, and i guess they were other european tv's with the license.
>>142134919
Haruhi parodied it. Takarazuka had a play adaptation from it. Some video games released. Probably a devoted fanbase.
>>142138949
>catalan
Might as well not be dubbed at all.
>>142134919
>>142138005
>>142139051
>tfw even some hentai artists are fans
>>142139521
Holy fuck
I remember it was referenced in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.
>>142139521
That panel ruined my fap.
>>142140982
Nice sample you've got there, faglord.
referenced in Joshiraku and SZS
>>142141585
Kumeta must be a big fan.
>>142135526
Why release in such an obscure way when they put so much money into it?
>>142141636
I don't think it's humanly possible to him to be a fan of all the things he references
>>142141946
OP here, this is what I'm wondering. It seems so strange that such a massive release was barely marketed.
>>142142029
Maybe not, but there's a fair chance that he likes things he uses more than once.
>>142136299
Who are you quoting?
>>142141585
I watched the series two times but i don't remember that reference in Joshiraku, care to refresh my memory?
>>142142053
Could it have just been a passion project, with the makers/funders not giving any shit about sales?
>>142135526
>>142141946
It's not an obscure format at all. OVA was the most popular way to release anime in the late 80s and early 90s. Laser Disc was the "bluray" of that time and serious anime fans in Japan had LD players. In those days TV anime was mostly aimed at children.
As I recall LoGH became notorious for launching the careers for voice actors and was pretty prestigious if you ever got onto the series. So a lot of famous VAs and good ones got roles on LoGH and went onwards to voice other things with this in their resume.
