sage Posted July 26, 2020 Posted July 26, 2020 Hi I was wondering if Megazone 23 Part 1 can be watched as a standalone ova. That is does it end in a way that Part 1 could be the only part (even if it has loose ends or a cliffhanger). Is it necessary to watch part 2? I have heard part 3 is not very good and the animation style differing from part 1 and part 2 is pretty drastic from what I can see in pictures. I like the way Part 1 looks, not so much Part 2. So is mz23 Part 1 a good standalone ova or is part 2 necessary? And is it better to watch Japanese w/ eng sub or ADV dub? Quote
DewPoint Posted July 26, 2020 Posted July 26, 2020 (edited) It's been quite some time since I watched Megazone 23. I only really liked part 1. I personally don't care for the stories for the rest of the series. The character designs are different for part 2 & 3. If I recall correctly, Mikimoto was only involved with the character designs for EVE for parts 2 & 3. I don't believe that you need to watch anything beyond the first OVA to enjoy Megazone 23. Megazone 23 was the first animated OVA to make a major profit. I don't think that they has a part 2 & 3 planned from the beginning. That being said: are there loose ends? Yes! Does it matter? Not really because that's life! I forgot to mention that you shouldn't watch part 2 with young children due to an adult scene. I don't remember if part 3 had anything like that. Edited July 26, 2020 by DewPoint after thought Quote
Bolt Posted July 27, 2020 Posted July 27, 2020 Part 1 can stand alone. For sure. If you watch pt 2, you can see the conclusion to that story arc. But I don't think it's necessary. For myself, I really enjoyed pt2. It was awesome in high school. The animation and action is awesome. Pt3 was mildly entertaining but no where near the story and quality as 1&2. Quote
Keith Posted July 27, 2020 Posted July 27, 2020 Watch Part 2, then Watch Part 3 knowing that things don't always work out like you expect. Quote
Beltane70 Posted July 27, 2020 Posted July 27, 2020 Mikimoto was only responsible for Eve in all three parts. Toshihiro Hirano did the designs for the rest of the characters in Part 1. Quote
TangledThorns Posted July 27, 2020 Posted July 27, 2020 I have yet been able to finish part 3, its so damn awful when compared to the first two. Especially the second OVA which I think is the best of the trilogy IMHO. Quote
Dynaman Posted July 27, 2020 Posted July 27, 2020 Part 1 can stand on it's own BUT watch part 2! I loved the art direction in that one and the gore factor. Quote
tekering Posted July 27, 2020 Posted July 27, 2020 15 hours ago, DewPoint said: I forgot to mention that you shouldn't watch part 2 with young children due to an adult scene. Plenty of adult content in Part 1, too... Spoiler Quote
treatment Posted July 27, 2020 Posted July 27, 2020 Yeah. Iirc, the original MZ-23 OVA was really the first anime that started the distinction between OVA and regular TV series among anime in terms of content... Quote
Rhubarbarian Posted August 1, 2020 Posted August 1, 2020 Oh hey, I've just been going through Megazone 23 as well. Part 1's got my favorite character designs (as has been said, Mikimoto did all of the characters for part 1, not just Eve), but plotwise it's pretty disjointed. There are about 5 or 6 major plotlines going on and they're not at all cohesive (the "we're filming a movie using the secret military robot we stole" plotline is probably the most out of place). Part 2 picks up not long after part 1 and boils those plots down to just 2 or 3 and it works a lot better. The mecha fights in part 2 are also a lot better in part 2 than in part 1 - there's good animation in part 1, but most of the action shots feel like they cut off a second or two too early for me to flow well. The mecha animation in part 2 was just stellar, I thought. Peak '80s alien space-fight jam. Part 2 also ends strong, whereas I felt like part 1 starts strong but then just kind of... stops. I'd just be prepared to watch them back-to-back. The design shift is a bit jarring between the two; characters don't look anything like they did in part 1 for the most part, so be prepared for that. Overall, I think parts 1 and 2 are a fun bit of '80s animation history and the time investment is pretty low - two movies is a pretty quick watch. I ordered part 3 just to see how it is; it has some good animation in it from clips and sakuga I've seen, but there's also just shots that aren't in-betweened, so they play like a slideshow. It's weird because there will be an incredibly animated POV tracking shot flying down corridors, followed immediately by a shot that's got maybe 8 frames of animation for a four-second cut. I've heard negative things about the plot, but I'm just keeping expectations low. It's also the hardest to find of the three parts, so that's a factor as well - I was able to find a copy that wasn't too expensive, but there weren't many left. Quote
tekering Posted August 2, 2020 Posted August 2, 2020 6 hours ago, Rhubarbarian said: Part 1's got my favorite character designs (as has been said, Mikimoto did all of the characters for part 1, not just Eve) Sacrilege! Whether it's been said or not, it's wrong. Mikimoto is credited as "guest character designer," for EVE (and they did a wonderful evoking his unique style in her depiction), but the other characters are the work of Toshihiro Hirano, famous for the Iczer-One and Dangaioh series. His girls are way sexier than Mikimoto's. Quote
Rhubarbarian Posted August 2, 2020 Posted August 2, 2020 Hah, thanks for the correction. The proportions are definitely a bit shorter and thicker than Mikimoto's. Quote
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