Liner Notes for Out of Print Titles

Baoh is a genetically-engineered parasite which feeds upon a living host, locating itself inside the host's brain. The host also becomes known as a Baoh. Dr. Kasuminome utilized genetic-engineering to manipulate the cellular structure of the Baoh parasites. The latest generation of his Baoh parasites can live in a host in a variety of environments.

Battle Royal High School is based on a Manga series called Shinmajinden, or "Legend of the True Devils." The scope of the Manga is considerably wider than that of the OVA, which is why some of the characters seem out of place.

Takachiho Haruka was born on Nov. 7th 1951 in Nagoya, as Takekawa Kimiyoshi(autonym). He graduated in social science from Hosei University in 1975 and established Studio Nue in 1972 when he was still a student, to work as an Anime producer and scenario writer. He has served as the SFWJ's executive secretary. His debut as a writer was "Crusher Joe: Wakusei Pizan no Kiki" (Crisis on Planet Pizan) in 1977. In 1980, Mr. Takachiho won the Seiun Award (Japanese short story) for "DirtyPair no Dai Boken" (The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair) and in 1986, he was given the Seiun Award (Japanese novel) for "DirtyPair no Dai Gyakuten"(The Dirty Pair Strike Again).

A “Good-Time-Charlie” is typically defined as a friend who is only a friend as long as the times are good, but “Dora-Heita” carries a slightly different meaning. Koheita is partially nicknamed after “dora neko,” or an alley cat. This is because, like an alley cat, he is a flirt and can in general be a bossy person.

Executive Producers: Koizumi Hiroshi & Shishido Fuminori. Producers: Takao Hiroshi, Kokubo Naotake & Takeuchi Nobuo. Directors: Kitazume Hiroyuki & Aramaki Shinji.

One of the opening animation sequences is an adaptation of a scene from the first episode of the TV series, and shows how Kyosuke and Madoka first met. Her red straw hat got caught by a sudden breeze, and Kyosuke caught it while counting the stairs up to his new apartment building. This led to his first argument with Madoka, when he said there were 100 steps, and she insisted there were only 99. He finally compromised by saying he would settle for 99.5 steps.

The fictional account of the 47 Ronin's tale of revenge is known as Chushingura, and has been told and retold in almost all forms of media. There have been at least 22 different television series, 10 of which were produced in the last 10 years, and almost as many feature films devoted to the subject, and they're often shown in the month of December to commemorate the event.

The series title is a complicated play on words, the result of the project's convoluted preproduction. The original story creators at Studio Nue and Artland initially named their project, "Battle City Megaload/Megaroad." The double pun refers to the ship's massive civilian population and long space journey. According to Chief Director Ishiguro, the producer for the sponsor was a fan of Shakespeare, and insisted on naming the series and ship "Macbeth" (pronounced "Makubesu" in Japanese). Studio Nue and Artland regrouped and proposed the title "Makurosu," or "Macross" when written in English. Along with its similarity to Macbeth's Japanese pronunciation, the finalized title also retained the first title's connotation.

Utsunomiya is the capital of the Tochigi Prefecture (formally the Shimotsuke province) in the Kanto region of Japan. The most populous city in Tochigi, Utsunomiya was a major post-town along the Nikko Highway during this time. Today, it is particularly known for its flavorful gyoza dumplings (aka “potstickers“).

Portrait of Hell takes place in the city of Heian-kyo (present day Kyoto), during the late Heian Era. This period, which lasted from 794-1185, is best known for a cultural renaissance of painting, poetry and writing, and for a general atmosphere of peacefulness (Heian means ‘peace’ in Japanese), during which Japanese society was especially sensitive to acts of crime and murder.

Two of the main characters are fictional descendants of actual historical figures. Inspector Zenigata is the seventh-generation descendant of the famous Edo-Period detective, Zenigata Heji, and Ishikawa Goemon is the thirteenth-generation descendant of the notorious samurai-turned-bandit Ishikawa Goemon, who, when caught, was boiled in oil for his crimes.

"Samurai Banners," which climaxes at the Battle of Kawanakajima, where two of the most powerful leaders from the so-called "Age of Warring States" clashed, takes place before the "Great Peace" was imposed by the Tokugawa Shogunate. This was an era in which Japan was ruled by many powerful warlords who battled each other incessantly each attempting to conquer another's domain.

In 1863 a ronin from Dewa province named Kiyokawa Hachiro formed a group of 234 soldiers called the Roshigumi (or “Kyoto Defenders”) to be protectors of the Tokugawa Shogun in Kyoto. On April 10th, while in Kyoto, Kiyokawa revealed that the true intentions of the Roshigumi was to be the protector of the Emperor and commanded the soldiers to return to Edo. This act resulted in the group breaking up, and of the original 234 ronin that made up the Roshigumi, 13 members left to become the founding members of the Mibu Roshigumi (aka “Mibura” or “Ronin of Mibu”).

Approximately 800 episodes of the Hissatsu series were produced through March of 1991. During the most successful seasons, when the show could boast ratings of nearly 30%, certain phrases and dialogues from the shows entered the everyday vernacular! Because of its popularity, many specials and several movies (the latest one is scheduled to premier during summer of 1998!) were made.

The Razor ("Goyoukiba") takes place in Edo, Japan, sometime during the middle of the Tokugawa Era (approx. 1603-1868, also called Edo Period), the period named for the 15 generations of Tokugawa Shogun (Military Overlords) that ruled the nation, maintaining a relatively static society, for over 250 years. This period of military-rule is characterized by its relatively peaceful order overall, clear division of the social hierarchy, extravagance by the privileged classes, isolation from the West, a lot of convoluted treachery, and many important cultural and intellectual advances.

The term “Yakuza” comes from a Japanese card game, Oicho-Kabu (similar to baccarat), and means “good for nothing” -- it comes from the worst hand in the game, a set of eight (or “Ya” in the traditional Japanese form of counting), nine (“Ku”), and three (“Sa”). The Ya-Ku-Sa hand requires the most skill at judging opponents and the least luck to win. The name was also used because it signified bad fortune, presumably for anyone who went up against the group.

Inaba's name comes from a children's story called "Inaba no shiro-usagi" (The White Rabbit of Inaba). Inaba is actually a place name, located in the eastern Tottori Prefecture. Found in one of the "Izumo-shinwa" (myths of Izumi) and in the "Koojiki" (Books of Ancient History), it is the story of a white rabbit who tricks a shark into taking him across the sea from Okinoshima Island to "Inaba-no-kuni" (the land of Inaba).

The Japanese title “Nezu no Ban” literally means “sleepless night,” and shares the same title as the original story upon which the film was based, written by Ramo Nakajima (1952-2004). The original English title of this film was “A Hardest Night!!”, but AnimEigo decided to use a new English title, “Wakeful Nights,” which is a more direct translation of the original Japanese title, and more aptly fits the film since there is more than one wake in the film. Also, one more pun in a movie like this won't be noticed.