Cyber City Oedo 808

Sometimes I want to watch something that just gets right to it and know exactly what it wants to be. And one of the best examples of something like this is Cyber City Oedo 808

In the year 2808, crime rates are at an all time high. To help try and lower the crime rates, the Cyber Police unit decided to employ hardened criminals with talents suited to certain jobs by promising to reduce their sentences if they comply. This 3 episode OVA follows three such criminals, Sengoku, Gogol, and Benten, who happen to be serving more than 300 years each in an orbital penitentiary. And to keep the criminals in check, theyre forced to wear collars that can be remotely detonated, killing them instantly if they dont complete their missions on time or try to escape.

And right of the bat its a shame that this is only 3 episodes long. Maybe it didnt deserve a whole series, but it would have been nice to maybe see a few more episodes. But unfortunately this was release right before the Japanese Bubble Economy burst and the copious amounts of money that Japan had was drying up, so any hopes for a smaller OVA like this one getting more episodes was out of the question. Hell, its amazing that it got a blu-ray release with an almost hour long retrospective. A lost of highly acclaimed anime dont even get that.

But its 3 episode run is actually used effectively, with each episode focusing on one of the three lead character, meaning that each character had enough time in the spotlight to get some development. Sure, its not the most fleshed out series, but there`s something to it.

The first episode focuses on Sengoku, sent into try and save 50,000 people trapped in Oedo’s largest skyscraper after it’s central computer is mysteriously taken over, with the only suspect being a dead man. The second episode focuses on Gogol, who is up against a military cyborg as he crosses paths with his ex-partner. The third episode follows Benten, who investigates one man’s quest for immortality, as well as comping across a young woman who seems to have been transformed into a vampire with telekinesis powers as a result of the quest for immortality.

Cyber City Oedo could have easily been a complete schlock-fest, going all in with its premise and making something silly and campy, but it instead takes a more serious approach and it ends up being a more memorable experience because of it. Because each episode focuses on a single character, it can focus on each characters strengths and character traits, giving each episode its own self-contained tone while feeling like a part of a whole.

But the anime does show its age to some degree, especially with the English dub, which is awesomely cheesy. This was dubbed by Manga UK, and per usually with their dubbing, it comes filled with lots of unnecessary swearing. I was never really bothered, since it adds to the already cheesy nature of the series, but I can see how some people might be annoyed at the strenuous amount of cursing. Of course, this leads to this OVAs most infamous line "You wouldnt recognise a goddamn Vampire if one jump up and bit you on the end of your fucking dick". Sure, it goes in a different direction that the original dub, but its not with it`s merits, and the voice actors do a good job with what they were given.

There were actually 2 different versions of the dub. Both use the exact same dub, but the soundtrack in the UK version is completely different to the original. The soundtrack for the UK version was done by British musician Rory Mcfarlane. He did so some score for some more obscure video games and anime, but he had a much more prolific career as a session musician for Richard Thompsons bad, which is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. This version used to be harder to find, but with the release of the 2021 blu-ray, it should at least be a bit easier to find. The soundtrack in the UK version is appropriately cheesy rock music very much sounded of its time.

But while the UK music has both it`s energetic rock moments and as well as more upbeat but enjoyable atmospheric tracks, the original soundtrack has a few enjoyable songs too. The stand out track would have to be the ballad “Aishiteru kamoshirenai” (Maybe I’m In Love With You) by Hidemi Miura featured as the ED. Both versions of the soundtrack are fantastic in their own rights, but for completely different reasons.

Cyber City Oedo 808 might come from a different era of anime, but it’s one of the stand out titles from that time period, when the anime boom could produce some more unique titles. It’s not perfect, but it does have a ton to appreciate, such as it’s setting, animation, soundtrack, and even characters to a certain extent, and is highly entertaining. Cyber City Oedo 808 comes highly recommended.