Black Magic M-66 (1987) [OVA Review]

Black Magic M-66; or, Do Androids Dream of Electric Granddaughters?

     In all honesty, I don't know if any of this really happened. It's kind of hard to imagine that all these soldiers were fighting against two androids.
Having been fired up by Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2045, I decided to revisit classic cyberpunk OVAs. Without hesitation, I turned to the visionary himself, Masamune Shirow, and his early creations from the 1980s. My first pick became Black Magic M-66, a 47-minute-long OVA about a military android which went postal. This OVA is based on one of the chapters from Shirow’s first manga series published between 1983 and 1984.

Release Info

Created by: Masamune Shirow Voice actors: Yoshiko Sakakibara, Chisa Yokoyama

Language: Japanese Original Title: ブラックマジック Runtime: 47 min

Synopsis
Due to an accident during an army shipment, two combat androids go haywire and escape their transport pods. As the deadly machines make their way through a forest, Major (Shinji Ogawa) together with his men and the androids’ creator, Professor Matthew (Ichiro Nagai) prepare an ambush. After suffering heavy losses, the army manages to capture and destroy one of the rogue robots. However, the other one is still at large. What is worse, because of the fact that is a Test Programme loaded in its memory, it is determined to track down and execute Matthew’s granddaughter, Ferris (Chisa Yokoyama). A freelance journalist, Sybel (Yoshiko Sakakibara), accidentally learns about the android’s true objective and rushes to save Ferris before it is too late.

Killer in the Shell
To many fans of modern anime out there, Black Magic M-66 may seem to be an outdated and short OVA, but in my opinion, it manages to replicate the thrills and bombastic action sequences from such classic films as The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), and Predator (1987). You can clearly notice that Masamune Shirow and co-director Hiroyuki Kitabuko were seeking inspiration in the most popular sci-fi flicks of that time.

The definite assets of this OVA are the storyline and the pacing. There is virtually no exposition, but you immediately feel at ease in this futuristic world that apparently is at some state of Cold War (the character of Major makes a few passing remarks about “spies from the North"). In addition, it is quite poetic to see a female rushing to save another female from a robotic monster (which sort of looks like a female). Oh, and soldiers are finally the good guys! All of this is sprinkled with flying bullets, beaming lasers, and massive explosions which would make Michael Bay feel envy.

The voice acting is also done extremely well. The main character is voiced by none other than Yoshiko Sakakibara herself (a year before she got into the Patlabor franchise) and it is always a pleasure to hear her deep and sensual voice. I also appreciate the input of Shinji Ogawa, Ichiro Nagai (may their souls rest in peace) and Chisa Yokoyama as well as Kyouko Tonguu in the supporting parts. Great music score composed by Joyo Katayanagi and Kengo Kurozumi should not go unnoticed as well.

Recommendations
If you want to check out Masamune Shirow at the beginning of his career, then give Black Magic M-66 a chance. Nothing beats classic cell animation which to date looks great on a TV screen. It is a shame though that this OVA was not turned into a franchise. I see the potential for a 26-episode series and even a live-action film. In the meantime, we all should watch out for androids who are hellbent on killing innocent grandchildren.Overall score: 8/10

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