Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko II – Episodes 1 to 3

I really did not like this more than the first series. I did not like it at all.
Despite its OP set in the wild west, and its first ten minutes at waterparks, this isn’t an alternate universe, it’s a direct sequel. Everything that was wrong with the first three episodes remains as such here, although if it was possible less happens in these episodes.
Madoka is just a vehicle for tired shiny forehead jokes, and Ayano and Momiji are just … there. Yohko is self assured to the point of infuriation … and then Lote-chan of the first series drops in for fun. In the place of characterisation there’s long stretches of nothingness, as is the case for action scenes.
The idea of space war, not addressed since the first episode of the first series, becomes even more clumsily addressed as the episodes wear on. The horror based second episode had a few moments of atmosphere, but a couple of moments can do nothing to save this.

For anime made as recently as 1997, Yamamoto Yohko is ugly. The colours are all washed out, and the action sequences (described by some as “exciting dog fights”) are nothing more than blue and red lines against a background of stars. The four moments of fan service in both series were disappointing and failed to serve their purpose.
It’s a pity that such a talented cast was wasted on this production. Hayashibara Megumi, for one, is worse than she has ever sounded. It’s not about casting against type – she can do agitated characters quite well – it’s just … this role sucked.
I fell in love with Okui Masami through Shake It, the original theme of Yamamoto Yohko. It was a huge betrayal of my trust.

Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko was definitely not to my taste. It’s one of the more loathsome things I’ve watched in my time. Its inconsequential nature leaves a terrible taste in the mouth, despite the distinct feeling that in the last 90 minutes you watched nothing whatsoever.
Although it’s very cheap, I’ll give it that.

Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko – Episodes one to three

I’m growing tired of silly OVAs. This is the second OVA starring Hayashibara Megumi to have disappointed me in a row.

Basically, for reasons inexplicable an engineer travels 1000 years into the past to pick up high school girls to fly ships to compete for mining contracts. In the first episode they pick the fourth girl for the squadron, then in the second they have reached the end of their season and decide that they deserve a break. In the third, something kind of good happens, but why?

Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko is totally without substance. It’s true that there have been other things to lack substance before this, but some of them had redeeming features. This OVA gave me nothing to think about or to enjoy – the space dogfights were essentially all the same and animated in a way that suggested inertia. Although that’s not terribly accurate: there was essentially one fight and nineteen that were alluded to – all of them glorious victories!
There was no threat of anything, the characterisation was almost non-existent (and poor Hayashibara Megumi played the fall girl) and the fan service was weak. Very weak.
It’s a shame that Shake It, one of Okui Masami’s greatest songs, was wasted on this. The third episode had some kind of good content, but it sprang from nowhere. Just roses in space.

There are another three episodes on the disc – Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko II – which seems to be an alternate universe retelling. They say it’s better. And it would have to be. Yamamoto Yohko was a lame series with no reason behind it and one truly hilarious joke.