Wayback Series - NG Knight Ramune & 40

That's just because I posted this on Friday the 13th.

Ever since I managed to get back from SJBP (St. John the Baptist Parish) in Taytay, Rizal and prayed hard on Friday the 13th, I managed to get through home without the use of my money to keep it saving it. Oh, and please to make it sure that you should avoid crossing under the ladder, seeing black cats, broken mirrors, and spilling salt, in order not to get bad luck out of your life. Okay, back to this one.

Are you addicted to video games? Well, possibly. For me, playing video games was also part of my repertoire in order to kill some time during my job as a parishioner, and it is my dutiful pleasure to post this another vintage classic. Before we involved some games on social media, and of course Clash of Clans and League of Legends, I am going to talk about this one called NG Knight Ramune & 40.

This one here is the 1990 classic anime and one of the Lamune group of TV shows and OVAs, and what does the initials 'NG' means? Well the answer is this; the title stands for 'New Generation'. There were three OVAs (NG Knight Lamune & 40 EX, NG Knight Lamune & 40 DX and VS Knight Lamune & 40 Fresh) and a sequel anime (VS Knight Lamune & 40 Fire). It was partially not related to the 2005 anime (yes that's true). Takehiko Ito develops the original concept of the show, the mecha design is done by Rei Nakahara, and much of the story is written by Satoru Akahori, who is the creator of Saber Marionette J and Dragon Ball Z, in which he teamed up with Akira Toriyama. Starchild Records is producing all of the OVAs and the anime, and the show is broadcasted on TV Tokyo from April 6th, 1990 to January 4th, 1991 with a total of 38 episodes. In the Philippines, the anime is dubbed in Tagalog many years ago. The series also appeared in Super Robot Wars NEO in 2009 for the Wii, and it features much of the cast from the anime, and then it later appeared as one of the starting titles used in the multi-chapter release, Super Robot Wars: Operation Extend, in which borrows some of the feature elements from NEO.

The story begins with one ordinary 4th grade boy named Lamune (Baba Lamune), who definitely loves video games. While on his way home after a embarrassing day of school, he saw a girl who look like a match girl, and having trouble explaining that she isn't selling some matches for a video game, so he decides to buy one and convinces the other people to buy one as well. Later after Lamune asks what king of a game this is, the girl mysteriously disappears, and the game is called 'King Sccasher'. He returned home immediately, turned on the TV, and he played the game, staying up until 12 on school night (TALK ABOUT OVERTIME!!), and thus he finally managed to beat the game. Meanwhile, the peddler girl comes out of the TV and she asks him for help, thus calling him 'The Blood Relative of the Chosen Hero Lamuness'. The peddler girl later revealed her identity as Princess Milk, and she takes Lamune to a place called Hara-Hara World, where he landed his role is to revive the Guardian Knights. Lamune had to find something to unlock the shrine, in which a robot who became the advisor robot to Lamuness named Tama-Q, and the key to bring the Guardian Knights to freedom. All of the Guardian Knights are free-thinking except for King Sccasher, which is piloted by Lamuness. The enemies who opposed against Lamuness is none other than the evil Don Harumage and his evil minions, Da Cider and Lesuka.

Now for the voice actors who are the ones that made the anime even more interesting. 

Takeshi Kusao (Yukimura Sanada in Sengoku Musou, Hanamichi Sakuragi in Slam Dunk and Pam in Record of Lodoss War) provides the voice of our main hero, Lamune. We all know that he loves to play video games, he spent most of the time his games could get the best of his school grades, but he had a good heart in general, however he isn't too considerate of other people's feelings. In several episodes, Lamune claims to not being a pervert, though during his time in the hot springs, he can't help it but stare with his eyes wide open. Lamune usually finds himself saying things like; 'Ore wa Morezuni Hazukashi!! (I am very embarrassed right now!!)' or 'Ore wa morezuni odorote ii ru (I am very surprised right now)'. He took the action and 'Right Now' follow after. Here's the catch: Lamune's seiyuu provides his performance in the opening theme songs of the anime.

Chisa Yokoyama (Sakura Shinguji in Sakura Wars, Lucrezia Noin in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Sasami Masaki Jurai in Tenchi Muyo!) provides the voice of Lamune's love interest, Princess Milk, in which she described as a 'cute' girl that comes from the Hara-Hara World, and yes she has elf ears. She might be forceful, and has a one track mind, she is friendly to the people, but she is quite arrogant at times (Cocoa mostly). She might be one of the Three Maidens, Milk is the one who bring Lamune to their world.

Sakiko Tamagawa (Pirotess in Record of Lodoss War, Tachikoma in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Jasmine in Cross Ange) plays the role of Milk's nee-san (elder sister) Cocoa. She might be rather dotty and not too confident, she is smart and is the one to get them around the world. Lamune goes wide-eyed like hell whenever she takes off her glasses. Cocoa is one of the Three Maidens along with her sister.

Chie Koujiro (known as the Japanese dubbing actor as Lisa Simpson in 'The Simpsons') plays Tama-Q, a advisor robot that has the size of a hand that can summon the Guardian Knights if Lamune drop some coins into his head like doing this when you started to play a ordinary arcade game.

Kazuki Yao (Judau Ashta in Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam, Fei Long in Street Fighter II V and Zamielmon in Digimon Xros Wars) plays the supposedly main villain of the series, but actually one of Don Harumage's (voiced by Shozo Iizuka) minions, Da Cider. Yes during the series, he actually bears more of a comic relief. Incredibly stubborn and arrogant like hell, Da Cider always be the one who gets in a fight with Lamune. In the halfway mark of the series, Da Cider is fired and had a face-heel turn, but he still maintains his villain image.

Naoko Matsui (Sonoko Suzuki in Case Closed, Azusa Shiratori in Ranma ½ and Chiyoko Wato in The Three-Eyed One) plays another of Don Harumage's minions and Da Cider's partner and lover, Leska. She partially seems to almost never pay some attention to anything that matters, and would eventually probably considered as the show's sex symbol (REALLY?!). Near the last episode of the series, she shows her affection to Da Cider when she kisses him. She might be a very beautiful girl, and also one the Three Maidens actually, she is the nee-san to Cocoa and Milk.

TARAKO (Asuka Minatoya in Kindaichi Case Files, Kirara in InuYasha and Chill in Combat Mecha Xabungle) plays Hebimetako (or Heavy Meta-Ko), a little yellow-colored snake adviser robot that lives in the shoulder pads of Da Cider. If he uses his snake charming flute, Hebimetako summons the Guardian Knight, Queen Cideron.

Other voice actors starred in the series includes Akiko Yajima, Kotono Mitsuishi, Nobuo Tobita, Shigeru Nakahara, Takehito Koyasu, Yuko Mizutani, the late Chieko Honda, Kozo Shioya and many more.

It is now time for you to enter the Hara-Hara World together with Lamune and the Guardian Knights!

And to be frankly think that King Sccasher is so freakin' cool.