Legend of Black Heaven - Space Trucking (Vol. 2)

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The plot of this odd mixture of sci-fi adventure and heavy metal rock isn't exactly thickening, but it's taking some curious twists. Former rock & roll star Oji Tanaka has somehow sunk into the life of an ordinary, embittered salaryman, with a wife, a son, and a tiny apartment. But he's also the secret weapon in an interstellar war: human-looking aliens use his music to trigger their Ultimate Weapon, the only defense in their arsenal that can destroy the ships of the invading aliens. Tanaka undergoes the rock equivalent of a crisis of faith when he discovers the beautiful agent Layla, who recruited him, is interested in his music only as a weapon and not as an aesthetic experience. He angrily smashes his guitar and walks out, leaving Layla's fleet virtually defenseless. Because of--or despite--the transparent plots of the lovely scientist Hamill, Tanaka is soon back, and playing even more furiously. Meanwhile, his increasingly shrewish wife worries that Tanaka's odd behavior will have social repercussions in the company dorm where they live. It all adds up to a very strange adventure series. Contains these episodes: 5. "These Are the Days," 6. "Walk Away," 7. "In Need." Rated 13 and up for nudity and occasional profanity. --Charles Solomon

Description

Six-String Affair! Oji's love for his music has been rekindled by his frequent sessions used to activate the ultimate weapon against the invading aliens. Unfortunately, his late nights and frequent absences worry his boss and infuriate his wife who is convinced Oji is having an affair! Oji is too distracted by his music to perceive the tension, but it can only get worse - the scientists have realized that the invading aliens are getting stronger. Can Oji defeat them by himself?!

From the creative team behind El Hazard comes a mid-life crisis of cosmic proportions! Featuring music by John Sykes and the Michael Schenker Group.

Customer Reviews:

do not purchase it!.......2001-06-23

bad animation stupid story i gave only 3 stars for JOHN SYKES works in this animation

"...the greatest sound you'll ever hear!!".......2001-05-22

The second volume of this incredibly bizarre but surprisingly cool series is an emotional one, to say the least. Lead character Oji Tanaka finally finds out the truth about the "weird nightclub" he's been visiting most every night to play his guitar. Not only that, but he also finds out that the music he's been playing isn't needed for the music itself; only for the sound it makes. Sound confusing? If so, then you should've watched Volume 1. Anyway, this volume of "Black Heaven" is an improvement over the first; the story starts getting pretty interesting by the end of the last episode, and I thought the animation was a little better as well, though it's still just below average. The computer-coloring helps it out, but not much. But, as before, the appeal's not in the animation, but in the story itself. If you've seen volume 1, you know what I mean. This is a great series with an absolutely awesome hard-rock soundtrack, and I'm rubbing my hands together awaiting the next installment. Watching this series got me started listening to the music of both Michael Schenker (who happens to be Oji's "idol") and John Sykes, who performs the opening theme. (Isn't it great when anime opens up doors to new musical worlds?) All you anime fans out there, keep your eyes on this one. It comes with a high recommendation for just about anyone who's into the big-eyed cartoons.

Exactly what Black Heaven should be!.......2001-01-21

A good anime series should have likeable characters, strong plot, good music and should leave you begging for more until the series end. Legend of Black Heaven Volume 2 Space Truckin does this like any rock and roller would, loud and aggressively.

While the first volume did a good job introducing the various characters, Oji, his wife and son, Ms. Yuki the space agent vixen, her three bubbly associates and the rest of the gang, Volume Two is where the series really really grabs the viewer. Space Truckin' is exactly what Legend of Black Heaven needed to keep the viewers interest.

Oji has been continuing his guitar playing for the space fleet however when the new song he devises fails to activate the super weapon, the fact that he has been used by the fleet to destroy the enemy is revealed to him and he quits. Now Ms. Yuki and her agents must race to convince Oji that he must take the guitar and the cause back up in order to preserve their race and prevent the war from spreading to Earth.

Space Truckin' made me really feel for Oji. While Volume one made me like him and want him to help protect the fleet and fix things up with his family, it wasn't until he realizes that he is fighting that the sympathy was truly there. The viewer is swept up in his feelings and we root for his return to the guitar when he puts it down for what he claims is forever.

The art seems to have improved over Volume One, with the strange panning effects being not as noticable. However the space battles seem tacked on quality wise. I like that Pioneer is trying to expand it's art into the computer generated realm but compared to the rest of the art, anything happening in space does not feel right and does not seem to fit.

The voice acting is better than normally expected and each character takes on a believable dub that is fairly close to the original voices though the dubbing does take liberties with the original script. The story is still presented strongly but watching the dub with subtitles on can make for interesting times where what the character is verbally saying and what they were originally saying can differ a good deal.

The music continues to be one of the best parts of this series. Though Cautionary Warning is used extensively, when Oji debuts his new song the quality of the music increases tenfold. Legend of Black Heaven easily demonstrates how powerful a soundtrack can be when used properly.

If you have not yet picked up the first volume, buy it and this one if only to get to the second volume, it'll be worth the investment.

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