Copyright © Matsumoto Izumi / Shueisha / Toho / Studio Pierrot 1987

In 1992, AnimEigo cemented its then-current role as most fan-friendly English language company when they announced the upcoming subtitled release of the eight KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD OVAs and the 1988 classic movie, ANO HI NI KAERITAI (I WANT TO RETURN TO THOSE DAYS). Not surprisingly, within the KOR fan community, talk quickly moved to the prospects and possibilities of AnimEigo subsequently picking up the popular TV series, an almost unheard-of idea for the time.
Some quick historical perspective is in order here. While every company now offers its own selection of longer running series, this was far from the case in 1992. With the exceptions of URUSEI YATSURA and Streamline's ROBOTECH series, the longest commercial title was BUBBLE GUM CRISIS at eight episodes (also released by AnimEigo). Viz Video was still one year from existence, and AD Vision was the newcomer to the scene. The conventional wisdom was that longer series were too expensive to acquire and could not hold consumer interest long enough to be profitable. To be fair, this assertion is still somewhat true, but fan demand and grossly increased competition for titles has forced companies to discard this philosophy.
Back to 1992. A public declaration that AnimEigo had no plans with the TV series did not stifle fan demand. Finally, AnimEigo President, Robert Woodhead, in an initial effort to quiet down the fans, returned with a challenge of his own: Present to me 1500 commitments to pre-order a subtitled laserdisc set of the series and AnimEigo will produce it for you. Call it the anime fan's version of "If you build it, he will come." KOR fans called his bluff and put together an online petition, slowly gathering names and commitments toward that elusive goal of a subtitled KOR box set. Almost five years later (and over a year ago), with the official petition count at 1203, AnimEigo announced they would finally exercise their option and produce the series; a subsequent count yielded 1312 pre-orders. Later, they announced they would release the series in two halves, so fans would not have to wait for production of all 48 episodes. But, most importantly, they announced an expected date for the first batch of episodes: Summer 1998.
Unless you live in Australia, most people do not think of December as summer. Right before the New Year, AnimEigo finally announced that boxes of the first six discs (or tapes) were shipping. Almost half a year late, but what is another six months after waiting over five years? Besides, the important fact here is they finally do, in fact, exist.
Fans being fans, after five years of wondering and another year of waiting, there has been a myriad of dreams, rumors, and wish lists surrounding this much sought after box. So first, what it is not. The discs are not gold. There is no compilation booklet of character designer, Takada Akemi's art. Nor is there any new style Takada art for the individual LD covers. In fact, there are no individual covers, just six paper sleeves (though the artwork on the box exterior is vibrant, colorful, and eye-catching). There is no bonus KOR cel in every box (Do you know what it would cost to give away over 1300 quality cels from KOR?) though there is a limited-time offer for a free cel from AnimEigo's cel inventory (Pick from either GENESIS SURVIVOR GAIARTH, MINKY MOMO, ASHITA E FREE KICK, or TEN LITTLE GALL FORCE.). Finally, try not to spend too long searching for anything signed by creator Matsumoto Izumi. It is not there.
What is here is the first commercially subtitled release of the first 24 episodes of the popular high school comedy romance series that is based on the eighteen volume JUMP manga series of the same name. On the surface, Kasuga Kyousuke is a seemingly ordinary fifteen-year old high school student. On the first day in a new town, he meets a beautiful girl when he catches her red straw hat which blew away in the wind. Although they do not exchange names, she tells him to keep the hat; "It looks good on you," she says. However, he has a secret: he is an ESPer. And because of younger sister Kurumi's impulsive and reckless use of her powers (Kyousuke has two younger twin sisters, also ESPers), the Kasuga family has been forced to move seven times. Following this encounter, this time Kyousuke vows that he will not be forced to move from this town.
Naturally, Kyousuke meets her again. She is, of course, everyone's favorite saxophone player, Ayukawa Madoka, the face that launched 1000 KOR merchandising items and helped define Takada Akemi's career. He also meets Hiyama Hikaru, a bubbly, energetic girl who is one year his junior and a childhood friend of Madoka's. Hikaru soon falls for Kyousuke after she witnesses him using his powers when he thought no one else was around. Thus, the love triangle is born. Who will the perpetually indecisive Kyousuke finally choose? And how does he deal with Madoka's hot-and-cold "kimagure" [whimsical] behavior toward him? Of course, viewers who have already seen the movie know these answers, but that should not subtract from the initial charm of the original series.
The transfer on the discs is excellent. Fans used to nth generation copies of hand-me-down fansubs are in for a treat. After the eighteenth episode, though, some of the colors become a bit muted, a Mr. Woodhead has acknowledged on public record, not that anything can be done about it now. The subtitles are typical AnimEigo high quality and, in fact, slightly larger, though some of the translations have become too colloquial compared to AnimEigo's more literal past. Liner notes are trademark extensive, though some of the on-screen notes are overkill. We did not really need an on-screen explanation of nosebleeds, for example. Sound transfer is also good with no noticeable hiss, thereby allowing many the first opportunity to associate images to popular vocals like "Orange Mystery," "Night of Summer Side," and the many stylings of Wada Kanako, the musical voice of KOR.
Each box comes with a small, square black-and-white pin which says "KOR BOX SET" in a 3x3 grid fashion. As perks go for box sets, not much. But: Who cares? At $400 for the entire set ($480 for later orders), fans who are expecting more are seriously deluding themselves. Using the higher figure (because the math is easier), this comes out to $10 an episode or $40 a disc, which is right in line with industry pricing of laserdiscs, and considering this is two hours, it is on the lower end compared to half-hour one-shot OVAs for $35 or more. For added perspective, the 1993 re-release Japanese Perfect Memorial Box has an original label price of ¥76000, but good luck finding that price now. This is a limited edition, so fans who did not order in advance, best get moving before the extras sell out. Otherwise, just wait in the mail and you will finally be able to return to those KOR days alluded to in the movie. And if you are a petitioner, be sure to watch all the credits.

English language version by AnimEigo
LD version: 12 discs CLV
120 mins
$480 ($400 for petitioners)

VHS version: 12 tapes
120 mins
$420 ($360 for petitioners)