Manga Mania was an incredibly formative read for me in my early teen years as it published some great manga stories (including the entire run of Akira) whilst also talking about the wider manga and anime scene through informative articles.
The first ever complete manga I ever read was called Fire Tripper by Rumiko Takahashi, at the age of 14, in Manga Mania in 1995. I started at #22 but this was the first part of the 3 part run so it was the first manga I ever read. For that reason, this manga and OAV holds a special place in my heart, even if it isn't even close to being creator Takahashi's best work. It is arguable what is but it's probably a toss up between Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkokou, Ranma 1/2 or Inu Yasha but back then I didn't know any of that. What I had was my first isekai, a person taken out of their normal world to a new land, think Alice in Wonderland or the recently poor Mario Bros. Movie.
The story is a time slip tale about teen girl Suzuko who is thrown from modern day Japan back to its feudal past after a massive gas explosion somehow tears a hole through space and time. She is rescued from pervy bandits by a local village warrior called Shukumaru. Together they bond and try to unravel the mystery and tragedy of their connection to each other whilst trying to rescue a small boy who is thrown through time with her.
I loved the art work by legendary manga-ka Takahashi and, whilst the story is not revolutionary, it does have an interesting enough conceit which makes it worthwhile seeing it through to the end of its 48 minute runtime. Sure, she would revisit the theme later and to better effect in Inu Yasha but until then this was her first real stab at the isekai pie.
Many manga and anime from the 80s are problematic and can be hard to recommend as they are likely to offend but this isn't too bad at all. Sure, there are a few pervy bandits, Shukumaru makes a drunken pass at her at night and Suzuko goes for a skinny dip but it's all pretty lowkey for a manga from the time.
This short OAV is a blast from the past for this old man and is a guilty pleasure well worth revisiting.
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review
LINK- The Offworld Collection- Book Review
LINK- Shadow of the Colossus- Book Review
LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum
LINK- The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again
LINK- The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)