Video Girl AI

Amazon.com

Based on a manga by Masakuza Katsura, this deservedly popular comedy-romance suggests a cross between The Velveteen Rabbit and The Little Mermaid. Gentle, empathetic Yota is dismissed by his high school classmates as a "dateless loser"; he nurtures a crush on Moemi, who's in love with his best friend, Takashi. Then Ai materializes from his VCR: she's a "video girl," designed to provide company and comfort. She and Yota unwittingly fall in love, which Ai is forbidden to do. Yota learns from their relationship that love and life are transitory, rather than permanent (a recurring theme in Japanese literature) and that sometimes having loved and been loved is sufficient. Mizuho Nishikubo directs with unobtrusive polish, although the script saddles him with unnecessary cheesecake shots and slapstick violence. Voice actors Maggie Blue O'Hara and Brad Swaile offer nuanced performances as Ai and Yota. Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up: Nudity, sexual humor, mature themes. --Charles Solomon

Description

Wandering the streets after having his heart thoroughly broken, Yota Moteuchi stumbles across a video shop he'd never noticed before: Gokuraku, as in "paradise." Nervous he'll be spotted checking out the "adult section, Yota quickly pulls off the shelf -- one that looks promising, but not too promising... Video Girl Ai. Out of the TV steps his dream girl, dedicated to making him happy whether he likes it or not!

All six episodes available on DVD! A fan favorite, available on DVD for the first time!

Customer Reviews:

video girl ai.......2006-10-05

one from manga into video. it's a love like i know you do but you never tell me anything sort of deal. It's totally made up and delivers so much
body language it wasn't funny but that's what drives it. Lot's of body to body talk and who really ends up with who. The manga was great (somewhere on the internet, be careful this one gets scary) and acts just like the video in that respect. this is yet another title going way back in time but it's definitely a delivery you should expect. it's a trip back to adolecence when boys play with girls and funny enough no parents show up ??? :)

SWEET!.......2006-05-18

I liked this one a LOT. So loveable and sweet, and sometimes funny,sometimes depressing,yet this anime is so much fun to see. Not to mention lovely animation,sweet songs and a nice and surprising ending.

For heartbroken eyes only.......2006-03-06

"Why do you look so sad? I see, unrequited love. Don't let it get you down. She just doesn't understand. You've got a lot to offer. I know I'm not much, but I'll do my best to cheer you up. I see, it's that bad. You really need me, right from the heart. That's it! I'll stay with you for as long as it takes."

So saying, video girl Ai Amano crawls out of Yota Moteuchi's TV set, becoming a virtual girl to a real living girl. Moteuchi is thought of as a loser at high school, so he is called Motenashi (or unpopular). The only two people he hangs out with are his friend Takashi Niimai, the way too cool guy who has the opposite problem of Yota, and the cute Moemi. Yota has a crush on Moemi, but she has one on Takashi. Yota kicks himself when he accidentally lets slip out Moemi's feelings about Takashi in front of the latter. When Takashi says "Sorry, you're not my type," it's a shot in the heart to both Moemi AND Yota.

Moemi is a pretty nice girl, and she braves the episode through, although still nursing a crush for Takashi. But while Takashi won't do a thing to return her feelings, to the point of being cruelly insensitive, so too is Moemi clueless to how Yota feels about her.

The short-haired, tomboyish, and huskily voiced Ai herself is quite a character. However, she has only one month of playback time, and that means Yota can't use his VCR, but at least he won't get bored. Ai's mission is to get Yota and Moemi together. "She doesn't hate you, so you've still got a chance," she tells him. She also lists his good points, such as his constant worrying about others and how despite her making him a yucky meal, he appreciates the effort she put into it and eats it anyway.

The trouble begins when Yota buys Ai a dress as a present for her cheering him on. A touched Ai says that video girls aren't able to fall in love. Yet a tear runs down her cheek as she thinks, "But...what is this pain in my heart?" Result: she herself begins falling for Yota, which is conduct unbecoming a video girl. After all, it goes against her purpose.

The scene of a fisherman catching a boot and saying that one never knows what one will catch is also thematic to finding that certain someone. Yota originally wants to be with Moemi, but his time with Ai causes him to think otherwise. And a scene of Yota trying to rescue Ai while climbing up a glass staircase that breaks under his feet, causing him to turn into a bloody mess, is an allegorical symbol of the pain of love: "What is the purpose of climbing that fragile, uncertain stair? ... The staircase itself may vanish. Can your love is more than mere illusion?" And Moemi later wonders "Is love something you can be sure of? It's not. Everything changes with time. You can look everywhere for endless love and never find it." In other words, love is fragile, painful, and most important, ephemeral.

The bonus vignettes between each episode are also funny, particularly a satirical take on Godzilla, via Lovedraconius Aizaurus, and a commentary on why anime is always in standard Tokyo Japanese, leading to a rehash of scenes from Episodes 1 and 2 spoken in the Hakata and Osakan dialect, which got a laugh out of me. And there's a different screentone quality in the drawing, which matches the original manga-none of the standard large eyes prevalent in today's anime.

Based on Masakazu Katsura's 15-volume manga, Video Girl Ai is classic pre-digital anime-1992-and also one of Megumi Hayashibara's early roles as Ai. It also benefits from the melancholy closing theme, "Ano Hi Ni"-or "On That Day," which sets the tone for what Yota and Moemi are going through. For those who have or still have scars of unrequited love, or of the pure of heart, this 6-part series is for you. A landmark in the history of anime and not to be missed.

I want her to console me!.......2006-03-03

I loved it. It summarized the plot in the 13 volume manga series very well, though it just skimmed over most of the major plots in the manga series.

Outstanding plot and animation.......2006-01-05

It really made me cry. I read the complete manga a couple of years ago and I agree that this DVD it's way too short to fit the complete story. The original manga has over 15 volumes and this DVD is set only on the first volume - shame =( -. Nevertheless, the story is really touching and the soundtrack has some of the best anime music so far (along with other works from Yoko kanno or Nobuo Uematsu). The plot I think has been already very well explained in the other reviews so I wont add anything further, just wanted to add the comment about the music. "Ano hi ni" is still to date my personal favorite and has the power of making me dream and forget a hard day's work ^^

Average customer rating:

Camp silly fun.
An Okay Rental
Can't wait for more
Boring beyond all belief...
It's Sailor Moon meets Gundam!

Battle Skipper - The Movie
Starring: Nicole D'Incecco , Shiho Niiyama , Karen Smith (VIII) , Yûko Miyamura , and Tamara Farias
Manufacturer: Us Manga Corps Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007K015
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Amazon.com

Despite the title, this is not a feature but the three-part OAV Battle Skipper (1995), which Takashi Watanabe directed before going on to Slayers. When the members of the Etiquette Club at St. Ignacio's School for Girls go down the tubes--literally--they acquire the skimpy outfits they wear to pilot the unfortunately named BSs or Battle Skippers--state-of-the-art military mecha. As "Extars," the Etiquette Club members fight to eliminate evil from the world, which means the bizarre schemes of Sayaka, the nasty, super-rich president of the rival Debutante Club, and her flunky, Todo. The series was created to promote a line of robot toys from Tomy, and viewers who are willing to accept high school girls' quarrels escalating into battles involving satellite weaponry may enjoy these silly adventures. But to describe them as "slight" is flattery. Unrated; suitable for ages 14 and up: Nudity, violence, violence against women. --Charles Solomon

Description

In this hilarious sci-fi comedy, the spoiled rich girls of the St. Ignacio's Debutante Club are planning to unleash their robotic combat suits upon an unsuspecting world! Only their civic-minded classmates dare to stand in their way-with the aid of their own Battle Skipper robot armor!

Customer Reviews:

Camp silly fun........2006-01-31

You're not watching this for the plot, the mecha, or the character develompent. You're not even wathcing it for the cheesecake.

Well..... mabye the cheesecake.

What this is a a terribly funny, deliberatley camp little series.
Tomy (the people responsible for the losely connected series of plot holes known as Zoids chaotic century) put together a plot to promote some toys, which was then assembled into 90 minutes of silliness by people responsible for the slayers, bubblegum crisis, excell saga and lodos wars.
IF you want some of "great director nabeshin"'s earlier work, you cant go past this insane, inane little gem.
If you want something worth devoting some actual time and brainpower to however, you've come to the wrong people.
Worth wtching in dub simply for the strangly cute accients of the robot AI's.
Well worth fishing out of your local anime stores' any old junk, $8 a tape bin.

An Okay Rental.......2005-12-11

Battle Skipper is a three episode mini-series about
school girls from two different clubs wage war by
using mechs called Battle skippers. One club called
the Etiquette Club, has five girls in its membership
whom happen to be ditzy and shallow. The Etiquette
Club are the the forces of good that try to save
the world from: the rival club called the Debutante
Club. The Debutante want to rule the world, though
it is never explained how they planned to do it, they
just say "some day we will rule the world". I'm pretty
sure that this anime was meant to appeal to girls
since it contains a magical-transformation sequence,
but there are better girl shows out there, (ie...sailor moon).
So whom is Battle skipper going to appeal to?
The answer: no one

The artwork is dated but looks average, the animation
quality is also average and the action is forgettable.
The english voice-acting is as terrible as can be. The
battleskipper mechs are weird looking, stumpy mechs,
which actually don't look like mechs at all. In the final
battle there is a spaceship shaped like a rose/flower and
then it was revealed that the battles was just a "game".
Why waste your time and money watching anime like this when
you could be watching something else. Contains three
episodes ends on episode three and never makes a comeback.
Okay for teens.

Can't wait for more.......2005-11-25

I was really happy when I got this dvd. I enjoyed it. It had likeable characters, action, and a good catchphrase. I can't wait until the next one comes out. Does anybody know when that is? (and yes there is a second one... if you search the net you will see that).

Boring beyond all belief..........2004-09-28

It's hard sometimes to describe what exactly it is that makes a show lousy. Is it mediocre dialog? Lackluster action sequences? Lifeless and uninteresting characters? So-so animation? Or how about a incredibly unoriginal clique-ridden (slapped together)plot that puts you to sleep? In other words, this anime is just plain bad, and there's nothing really to redeem it from that status. No compelling characters, no cool designs, no great music, nothing. Save your money and skip this one. There's better stuff out there.

It's Sailor Moon meets Gundam!.......2004-01-18

Set in the not-to-distant-future, Battle Skipper is a 3-episode OVA series(despite the fact its labeled as a "movie")that deals with the five members of the Etiquette Club in one of Japan's most prestigious schools are secretly a group of crimefighting mecha pilots called the Ex-Stars. Their main competition is the school's other club, the Debutante Club. Their leader is planning on taking over the world with her own army of mechas. So, the Ex-Stars try to foil their plans, while still keeping a decent grade average! This series was based on a Japanese toy line, but became its own unique and dynamic action comedy series. For fans of Project A-Ko or Sailor Moon, Battle Skipper is a hilarious anime with lots of great gags and a wonderful sense of fun!

Average customer rating:

Camp silly fun.
An Okay Rental
Can't wait for more
Boring beyond all belief...
It's Sailor Moon meets Gundam!

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005LP46
Release Date: 2001-11-13

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Camp silly fun........2006-01-31

An Okay Rental.......2005-12-11

Can't wait for more.......2005-11-25

Boring beyond all belief..........2004-09-28

It's Sailor Moon meets Gundam!.......2004-01-18

Average customer rating:

Pure Beauties: JP Cover Girls
Starring: Ai Komori , and Bunko Kunazawa
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004Y7EK
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Average customer rating:

Video Girl Ai
Starring: Video Girl Ai
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( V ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000GPIFLK
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Average customer rating:

Video Girl Ai
Starring: Video Girl Ai
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( V ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000GPIFLU
Release Date: 2006-06-20

DVD:

DVD

DVD