Genmu Senki Leda: Review (1985, OVA, 1 Episode)
Genmu Senki Leda (
Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko) is a
1985 OVA directed by
Kunihiko Yuyama, who is best known for his work on the
Pokémon anime series and movies. This very short but sweet story revolves around Yohko, an ordinary high school girl who composes a song in order to express how she feels about a boy that she’s fallen in love with. Up until this point however she hasn’t had the courage to let her feelings be known, but with this song by her side she hopes to be able to confess her love to him. While taking a walk one day she bumps into the boy, but lacking the courage she walks past him while listening to the very song that she composed, and at that moment she is transported to another dimension, a world simply known as
Ashanti. Things get weird as she tries to return back to her home. At
an hour and 10 minutes, this is a short but very entertaining OVA that I enjoyed more than I expected. Also, did I mention that she meets a talking dog along the way?
The general consensus to
Leda is that it’s a pretty decent OVA but nothing special, so I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. The animation in
Leda really had me spellbound at just how great it looked and moved, reminiscent of a time gone by. Although in no way full of fine, intricate details, the very painterly visage that encompasses the entirety of
Leda makes way for a welcoming aesthetic that’s a joy to look at. The cast of
Leda is small but full of many distinct and interestingly designed characters that are equally as fun to watch. With many exciting set-pieces, married with dynamic cinematography that captures the action perfectly,
Leda is in no doubt a great looking and very fun to watch OVA from a visual standpoint.
Leda actually surprised me by containing some more artsy scenes that make use of contrasting colors in order to represent different time periods, dreams and memories.
Leda is a very pretty OVA and the visuals alone warrant a viewing. The art can be simple, but it’s just really effective and interesting to watch, and although the story can be equally as simple and slow, the visuals really draw you in.
The character designs are again; both distinct and appealing, all encompassed by a very intriguing movement that makes them interesting to watch. It’s hard to describe, but again in terms of character animation, they’re very fascinating to watch, and while viewing
Leda I noticed that this strange animation only exists during the scenes that take place within Ashanti, the other dimension and thus felt that it was purposely done in order to capture the other-worldly feeling, being alien and dreamlike in nature, and it does this successfully. The character designs themselves are done by the talented
Mutsumi Inomata, who’s worked on character designs for all of the
Tales Of series of video games as well as other anime such as the film
Windaria. The character designs are charming, cliched and fun.
Speaking of designs, mechanical designs were headed by
Takahiro Toyomasu, who although is known as a key animator these days, was a main animator for
Leda as well as well as mechanical designer. The designs are pretty interesting here all in all.
Along with the animation, the highlight of
Leda is the
brilliant soundtrack. With a few vocal tracks littered throughout the OVA, it helps create this music video vibe that I thoroughly enjoy, and helps make each and every scene memorable and enjoyable.
Both the music and fluid animation really conjured up the same feelings I got when playing old JRPG’s and such, and I think that’s the best way to explain something like
Leda. The story is simple, the villains are one dimensional, but the whole thing is fun to just watch and listen to as the main character whizzes by at high-speeds on her bike through a forest and into a desert. You just become entranced with this sense of wonder and joy and in all honestly OVA’s such as this have a huge place in my heart. Very fun and peppy, it contains a very simple story that actually contains some unique bits here and there, especially on the visual side as it conveys certain feelings and emotions with unique visuals that catch your attention. And like the story itself, the script is also very simple; being written by
Junki Takegami (worked on the script for series such as City hunter, Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku and Pokemon) it’s charming, silly and stilted in an endearing way.
The music, done by the great
Shiro Sagisu (Neon Genesis Evangelion) is as equally as mesmerizing as the visuals themselves, both memorable and catchy. This is without a doubt a high point of the OVA and a soundtrack that I’ll be listening to for a long time to come.
Containing many tropes, it’s both silly and stilted, and yet very charming and fun to watch, again reminiscent of an old 16 or 32 bit JRPG, transporting you to this other world for a little time while you quite literally escape this reality if just for a little while as you watch in awe as the pretty visuals and fun, catchy, cheesy and yet heartfelt music pulls you in, further into the world of Ashanti. It’s definitely something that I enjoyed and straight up my alley. If you have a place in your heart for a one hour romp, a world with a talking dog, a time traveling Walkman and magical girl warriors in scantily dressed armor, then Leda is for you.
Overall:
8/10
Very enjoyable, with great animation and a fun soundtrack, characters are simple and full of tropes and cliches, and yet enjoyable and fun to watch, all wrapped up in a simple, but entertaining story.
Story: 6
Animation: 9
Sound: 9
Character: 7
Enjoyment: 10
