Stuff You'll Never See Here: BAVISTOCK-01
Time For Action Animation: BAVISTOCK-01
Bavistock in... Time for Action
Yeah, this article is a little skimpy this time... There's just not a whole lot to say about this show.
Last time in this column, we took a look at Baby & Me, which was too good to get a commercial release. This time, we'll look at something too BAD to get a commercial release. Yes, you heard me... Too BAD to get a commercial release.
While fans complain that trash like Explorer Woman Ray and Crystal Triangle gets a commercial release, there is one OAV that puts even these stinkers to shame. The production values are about equal to those cheap mid-'80's shoestring budget OAV's, and the plot... well... is nonexistant. Seriously, this makes Gowkaiser look cerebral.
A space bounty hunter gets new orders to free a young terrorist guy named Bavistock from prison (for some reason), she crashes in when he's about to fight in a tournament. They take off, and... uh... Okay, I have to admit, I've now watched this twice and I have no idea what the hell is going on.
At only 50 minutes, this OAV seems to break every single rule of contemporary film making, from an utter lack of coherance, to not successfully building up to any sort of climax. There are actually two parts to this series, but the second is extremely rare, mostly because no one bought it. Gee, I wonder why...
Combine lackluster animation with a violently pathetic soundtrack, storytelling that is often inferior to what is written by third graders, and the result is one of the worst OAV's ever animated.
Why it won't be licensed: It's pretty amazing when something is actually too BAD to be licensed. Nobody I know would even pay money for this. While the license would be a cheap one, any company potentially interested would surely lose money on just the distribution.
Worst fears for a commercial license: Central Park Media (Used to license stuff almost as bad... although not so much anymore), Manga Entertainment (They released Mad Bull and Junk Boy...). Either way, we're sure to get a badly dubbed screener copy.
How to get it:
The following fansub group(s) have subtitled the amount of the show noted, but do not currently offer distribution of the title unless noted on the list of distributors below.
The following distributor(s) stock copies of the subtitled versions produced by one of the above groups as of this writing. The anime can be obtained from them by going to their web page and following the instructions noted. (NOT a comprehensive list!)
