As a young boy growing up in east London, England, I didn't know anything about manga or anime but I was consuming it unknowingly through shows such as The Mysterious Cities of Gold and Ulysses 31.
My uncle, who was only slightly older than me, saw that I had an interest in Japanese animation gave me Devilman and Akira to borrow on VHS- not bad for a 13 year old kid enthralled by this new genre. At the time Akira blew my mind, I didn't understand it then and don't even pretend to now but I knew that I was watching something special
My interest in manga peaked in the early to mid 90's and I soon forged a group of friends who became fellow Japanophiles, recording and swapping recordings off the Sci-fi Channel and Channel 4 late on Saturday nights. However, getting some cool or fresh manga was difficult as it was still pretty cult. I’d buy some items from my local comic store, Rodney’s Books and Comics but this was quite limited.
Later on, when I got my part time job at Peacock’s in Ilford, I had disposable income and so could afford to buy stuff from Forbidden Planet. It was amazing but came at a premium price. One of the VHS films I picked up randomly was Plastic Little. I can't remember where I picked it up from but I do remember the basic story of a sailor rescuing a girl. That and the heavy amount of 'fanservice' which seemed gratuitous to me, even at the time.
Revisiting it again after 30 years, I can see that some of my memories were correct. Tita is an animal hunter who has inherited a ship and crew from her missing father. When she rescues a mysterious girl, Elisse, from an antagonist who seeks to gain the password of her father's secret weapon, Tita and the rest of the crew battle in a race against time to get to the secret weapon and stop it from falling into the wrong hands.
The cover is very bright and stood out at the time.
The animation is pretty impressive and the pacing is quick in this action packed 48 minute film but the dubbing is typically poor like much of the anime and manga from this time. I can't be too critical of it as things have definitely got better over time and this film is definitely a product of its era. The animation is very well done and the story is coherent and pretty simple to follow with very little technobabble.
There is a major elephant in the room though and that is the 'fanservice' or 'ecchi' or perviness of it all. Tita and Elisse are 17 1/2 and 16 1/2 years old and there is a major exposition dump during a bathing scene. The problem is that the scene is integral as it gives you context but the nakedness is truly unnecessary and makes the whole thing cringe worthy and difficult to recommend. However, taken as whole, it's a fun and disposable anime that does not necessarily deserve the reputation for salaciousness that seems to follow it. Don't get me wrong, it's no Boy Scout but then it's no Urotsokidoji either!
Manga and anime was one of my first true loves and one that has survived to this day, at least to some lesser extent. Even though it doesn't feature as prominently in my daily life as it once did for me, it was formative in my youth and for that I am still grateful.
