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The time is the early 1920s, and Tokyo is menaced by an invasions of demons. To combat them, Kanzaki Heavy Industry has developed robotic battle armor powered by spiritual energy. Sumire Kanzaki, the arrogant granddaughter of the owner, is the first candidate to control the armor successfully. She’s joined by karate champion Kanna Kirishima, sharpshooter Maria Tachibana, diminutive blond psychic Iris Chateaubriand, Chinese gadgeteer Ri Kohran, and sword fighter Sakura Shinguji to form the Imperial Floral Assault Unit. The threat of the demon invasion falls by the wayside as the girls get involved in theatrical productions that somehow increase their spiritual energy. The arrival of their first male commander, Ichiro Ohgami, a comic cute guy in the Tenchi mold, adds a little sexual tension. Based on a popular Sega game, the OAV of Sakura Wars suffers from a surfeit of characters and an underdeveloped plot. At two hours, it feels either half an hour too long or an hour too short. –Charles Solomon
3.0 out of 5 stars
Finally
Glad to see the character that almost made us give up on this otherwise enjoyable series is gone.
We’re looking forward to purchasing any upcoming Sumire-free disks.
This is a pretty cute show. It has excellent animation, a good story, and good music. My beef with it is that the show ends after a couple of episodes–it just stops.
This is an OVA, and the Sakura Wars TV series comes after it. And both come after the game.
I think I should have had a little knowledge of the games before I watched this, since it just picked up with the Demons. It didn’t give ANY background on the Demons at all, which had me lost for the first episode or two. But as it went along I stopped worrying about how and why the Demons existed/were there and focused on the show itself.
The dubbing in both versions is top notch. I personally prefer the English version. Since the girls are from various countries, not just Japan, they cannot be expected to speak Japanese all that well, and without an accent.But in the English, we get to hear the girls in their “native” tongues and with “native” accents. What I mean is this: The French girl *sounds* French (and she even speaks in French when we first meet her). The Russian Maria has a definitive Russian accent, which comes across very well even though we never get to hear her speak in Russian. And the Chinese teenager talks with a Chinese accent, and also speaks in Chinese.
So, watch this. You won’t regret doing so, but you might want to watch the TV series just to get a little better idea of what is going on. Or get (or at least see) the games.
4.0 out of 5 stars
decent
pretty expensive for one episode. doesn’t add anything to the plot, but its good to have closure on one of the fun characters. id say the best parts are the extras.
I have heard the negatives of Sakura Wars and I have heard the positives. I for one think it is a wonderful video. The soundtrack by Kouhei Tanaka is one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of hearing and I have a most extensive collection of over 150. After ordering the soundtrack CD from Japan and listening to it at length I find I enjoy this DVD more than ever. Without a doubt it sports one of the best opening songs ever (at least as far as the get you up and going factor) and the track used for the big ending battle in the 4th chapter is truly a work of art. It is a great piece that is woven expertly into the fight. An excellent arrangement which brings home the strength and power of the series. I recommend the soundtrack most highly as well as the DVD. That battle in the 4th chapter would make an excellent demo of an audio video system as well. The story is also great. Granted it is not always the smoothest thing going and yes it does have its silly moments as well, but it is a compelling story which is presented well. One caution though-do NOT listen to the English dub! It is horrific and changes what are decent lines and sometimes really good lines into fodder for toddlers. Here is an example from the 4th chapter, “Let’s get those evil nasty Demons. They are bad.” Ugh! Bear with the subtitles and you will be much happier for it. It is sad that companies feel they have to dumb things down for American audiences. I love Anime and it physically hurts me to see such great movies like Mononoke and Windaria as well as this one ripped from the guts by English lines that are infantile or delivered with the enthusiasm of a rock. Passion is an ingredient in many Anime movies and it is one often removed in the English edit-not always (Grave of the Fireflies) but often. As long as you don’t listen to the sometimes insultingly bad English dialog this will pan out to be a wonderful movie to watch. Get it! I love it!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Best for knowledgable Sakura Wars fans
By “knowledgable”, I mean folks who have at least played the games (not that those are easy to get in North America!
5.0 out of 5 stars
why would I need a pencil board set
The Imperial Fighting Troupe is called again to defend Tokyo against demons. However, this time, the Douglas-Stewart Company is selling a superior fighting machine that will…
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great retirement for Sumire
First of all I LOVE SAKURA WARS!!!! This was the best way to end the series. I was a huge Sumire fan so it was kind of sad that she retired. Anyway it’s worth your time and money!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much Ado About Demons
Once upon a time there was an extremely pair of Japanese video games entitled Sakura Taisen, which told the story of the Imperial Flower Combat Troop – a group of young women who…
2.0 out of 5 stars
One episode for $10? Hehe, at least you didn’t import it…
For $10, you get a single 24-minute episode that has a lot of sad looks and tearjerking scenes. Nothing happens that you don’t expect…
5.0 out of 5 stars
A star fades, another rises
Based on the original Sakura Wars OVA and Television Series comes Sakura Taisen. Sumire Kanzaki, the inventor of the Kobo is loosing her powers to control the spirit armor…
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sakura Wars: The Movie
From the acclaimed television and OVA series comes the full length movie of Sakura Wars. The animation is much better in this movie and when you watch the Oobu being loaded on the…
2.0 out of 5 stars
Boring!
I’ve not seen the TV series at all. I saw the preview of this DVD on Last Exile (which is a pretty cool series) I was attracted by the excellent detailed animation in the 2 minute…