Director: Masami Ōbari
Writer: Reimu AokiStudio: Chaos Project
Completed viewing on 08/10/2020
Review contains ***SPOILERS*** for Dangaizer 3
Ratings:
Not one single thing about Dangaizer 3 makes any sense. Not the story, not the premise, not any of the actions of any of the characters. It raises (honestly) about a hundred questions, which it doesn't even attempt to answer and feels like its 4 episodes capture a snippet of the middle chapters of a much longer story. But as an OVA, it was designed specifically to have only these 4 episodes, so we know that's not the case. In fact, it's a completely original work and has no other related media. So maybe the creators completely abandoned the idea of telling any kind of actual story and just decided to have as much fun as they could in ~100 minutes of screen time. If that was their goal, they absolutely smashed it. If not, the 90s were just a wild time.
The above clip is the sole reason I watched this show (shout out @randomsakuga). And that clip is all you really need to understand it. Absolutely bonkers character designs, great fights, phenomenal animation and intense 80s/90s anime vibes. Beyond that, there isn't really much to it. The story is basically non-existent; the script implies there are all these prophecies and histories behind it but it's like that's just a bluff the creators know they can't be called on. You kinda accept that and move on. Same with the cool but flat and sometimes confusing characters.
Character designs however (along with armour designs and mecha designs) are amazing. You could call some of them corny but the creators really don't seem to care, which is great. The style is like what you'd sketch in the side of your notebook when you were 11 (angel wings, capes, eyepatches, lots of buckles etc.) but these guys dial it up to 100. It's too unbothered to be cringey. Similar stuff can be said for the old school hard rock music and the nostalgic R&B opening and ending. The whole thing is literally 'no story, just vibes' and it really works.
The animation is undeniably great, as seen above. As much as I found myself in appreciation of the hand-drawn effects, the weighty, dimensional mechanical objects and the gorgeous art underpinning it all, I also just wondered what life must be like in an economic boom. Minimum-wage in-betweeners must honestly cry imagining a time when a rogue studio could afford to put this much beauty and detail into a random throwaway OVA. Ah well.
Last thing I'll say is I did find myself cringing at the very gratuitous 'fan service'. There was no need for it and it definitely detracted from the enjoyment of the show, especially when they quite plainly stated that the main character is in high school. I get it, they needed to sell copies, so fair enough but it's more than enough to make me never seriously recommend the show to anyone.
If I could rate Dangaizer 3 on animation and vibes alone, it would be an 8/10, dead serious. The kind of thing you could make loops out of for you 'alternative' music video.