Mar 21, 2023
I came here expecting nothing, but I found the second best long-running OVA in existence, only ever surpassed by the LOGH.
I would have liked to say something about the plot, but... it's effectively a documentary, so you cannot exactly judge it with your usual fictional story scale. It's just a story from the real life, which is exactly what makes it so beautiful. No actual plot to speak of, but just a story of a Buddhism branch. Realistic, not blown out of proportion, not feigned, not infatuated, simple, homely, earthbound story. And a great story at that, with a heartwarming finale as the icing
...
on this cake.
Before, I was as far from Buddhism as you can possibly be. This OVA had me doing an independent research on the matter which I don't think ever happened before. I can understand why it's unsubbed. I actually prefer it unsubbed, but what really brings shame on it is the existing raw video - 240p VHS(?)rip with episodes sometimes being cut midway and one of them missing altogether, if I'm not mistaken. Considering the price tag on the DVD set, it is kinda understandable, but still a shame. Should a proper video pop up, I wouldn't hesitate to translate it myself.
Another pleasant surprise this OVA had in store for me is the visuals - despite the latter episodes coming out as late as 2004, eg deep into digital era, they look absolutely the same. If there was any stupid CGI in those, it has been woven in perfectly (then again, it's not so easy to tell when you're watching it in 240p), but I wouldn't be surprised to know they filmed this ova entirely with hand-drawn cells, because it goddamn deserves this kind of devotion and effort.
Another interesting trivia - this ova was coming out since 1995, which is the tragic year of a sarin gas terrorist attack by another Japanese branch of Buddhism. I wonder if that event affected the sales in any way, or is it perhaps the reason behind this OVA being so obscure to this day.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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