Agent Aika | |
![]() Cover of Agent Aika Trial 1 | |
Genre | |
---|---|
Original video animation | |
Directed by | Katsuhiko Nishijima |
Produced by | Kazuhiko Ikeguchi |
Written by |
|
Music by | Junichi Kanezaki |
Studio | Studio Fantasia |
Licensed by | |
Released | April 25, 1997 – April 25, 1999 |
Runtime | 30 minutes |
Episodes | 7 + Special |
Manga | |
AIKa TRIAL 0 | |
Written by | Ayumi Konomichi |
Published by | Wani Books |
Magazine | Comic GUM |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | 1998 – 1999 |
Volumes | 1 |
Agent Aika (stylized and known simply as AIKa in Japan) is a Japanese OVA series animated by Studio Fantasia and directed by Katsuhiko Nishijima. The series follows Aika Sumeragi, a salvager for hire who gets caught up in a plot for world domination. The series was released in Japan from 1997 to 1999. The anime was initially licensed by Central Park Media, but was later licensed by Bandai Entertainment. The series is well known for its copious amounts of fan service, specifically the camera angles on panties of the many female characters that populate the show. [3] [1] On April 25, 2007, the first volume of the three-part prequel OVA AIKa R-16: Virgin Mission, detailing Aika's time when she was 16 years old, was released in Japan. A remastered version of the original series was released also, along with a special live-action edition of Agent Aika. In 2009, the sequel OVA AIKa ZERO with 19-year-old Aika was released.
Following a catastrophic earthquake twenty years prior, Tokyo, along with most of the world, has sunk into the ocean during a large-scale land subsidence. Aika Sumeragi is a salvage agent, a person who digs up submerged artifacts from the cities below. She works for a small company run by Gozo Aida, and takes on fairly dangerous jobs. In the first story, she and Gozo's daughter Rion, search for material called the Lagu. However they are captured by Rudolf Hagen, an effeminate but over-sexed man who wants to use the Lagu to transform the world, destroying its inhabitants, and replacing them with an army of young women called the Delmo Corporation who will carry his progeny. Alongside Rudolf is his obsessive sister Neena Hagen, who is jealous of Aika when Rudolf desires to have Aika for himself. Aika has a special bustier that, when activated, transforms into a battle bikini that gives her extraordinary fighting powers. Following the defeat of the Hagens, the Delmo Corporation girls seek other methods to foil Aika in episodic stories.
The Delmo Corps, also referred as the Delmogeny (デルモゲニィ, Derumogenii), [10] is a group of pretty ladies headed by Rudolf Hagen who serve as his private army and to propagate his genetic material once he wipes out humanity from the Earth. Some of them work ordinary jobs like guides and waitresses, but they mainly act in espionage activities. Following Hagen's defeat in the first half of the series, the Delmogeny continue to function with the goals of capturing Aika and studying her special powers. They wear various colored uniforms from lowest-rank black to the highest-rank white, [10] although, for the most part, they wear the same color white panties. [8]
The anime was directed by Katsuhiko Nishijima who had previously directed Project A-ko and would go on to direct Labyrinth of Flames. [13]
The first four episodes were released from April 25, 1997, to January 25, 1998. The opening theme for the first four episodes was "Silent City", performed by Mari Sasaki, and the closing theme was "More Natural" by Hiroko Konishi. Each episode is numbered as a Trial.
The next three episodes were released from August 25, 1998, to April 25, 1999. The animation was redone to include the new characters such as Michikusa. The opening theme was "Manatsu no Seiza" (真夏の星座) by Mink, and the closing theme was "Dance with Me Tonight" by Punky Fruites.
No. | Title [14] | Original release date |
---|---|---|
1 | "Beautiful Agent" ( Japanese: 美しきエージェント) | April 25, 1997 |
2 | "Naked Mission" ( Japanese: NAKED MISSION) | June 25, 1997 |
3 | "Takeoff Position" ( Japanese: TAKE OFF POSITION) | September 25, 1997 |
4 | "A Flower Blooming in Space" ( Japanese: 宇宙に咲く華) | January 25, 1998 |
5 | "The Golden Delmo Operation" ( Japanese: 黄金のデルモ作戦) | August 25, 1998 |
6 | "Delmo Operation: White Silver" ( Japanese: 白銀のデルモ作戦) | December 18, 1998 |
7 | "Break the Decisive Battle! Delmo Base!" ( Japanese: 決戦突入! デルモ基地!!) | April 25, 1999 |
Special | "Special Trial" ( Japanese: Special TRIAL) | May 25, 1998 |
In reviewing the first volume, Chris Beveridge on Mania.com wrote that he had to put his brain in a certain mode, likening the experience to watching Dumb and Dumber where "Instead of idiot humor we're watching this for the sheer amount of fanservice." with its "four gajillion panty shots" and that it was a "great deal of mindless fun". [8] He described Michikusa as "a waifish goofy ass boy who serves only one purpose: to be on screen and take time away from panty shots." [15]
Stig Hogset of THEM Anime Reviews wrote that the show should have been a guilty pleasure but ends up being more of an overdose: "EVERY action scene seems to end up with unconscious females lying with their butts poking up into the air." He called the villains the creepiest he has ever seen, but recommended the show only to those with a panty or ass fetish. [1] The Anime News Network reviewer wrote that "It's as if someone tried to make the most perverted anime they could without anyone actually being in any sexual situations. (Okay, so there are some.)", later adding that "The dub is weak and mistimed, and some of the minor characters just plain can't act." and recommended that the viewer watch titles from the company's Anime 18 productions instead. [3] Todd Douglass Jr. of DVD Talk likened Aika's transformation to that in Cutie Honey and called the series the "epitome of guilty pleasure anime". He found the show to be solid-looking with fantastic animation and character design. With regards to the audio, he thought the Japanese cast did a much better job with the material than the English cast, writing that the latter was "particularly bland and it didn't maintain the necessary spark for this kind of show." [7]
Several reviewers for TokyoPop magazine gave it mixed reviews. [16]
Agent Aika | |
![]() Cover of Agent Aika Trial 1 | |
Genre | |
---|---|
Original video animation | |
Directed by | Katsuhiko Nishijima |
Produced by | Kazuhiko Ikeguchi |
Written by |
|
Music by | Junichi Kanezaki |
Studio | Studio Fantasia |
Licensed by | |
Released | April 25, 1997 – April 25, 1999 |
Runtime | 30 minutes |
Episodes | 7 + Special |
Manga | |
AIKa TRIAL 0 | |
Written by | Ayumi Konomichi |
Published by | Wani Books |
Magazine | Comic GUM |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | 1998 – 1999 |
Volumes | 1 |
Agent Aika (stylized and known simply as AIKa in Japan) is a Japanese OVA series animated by Studio Fantasia and directed by Katsuhiko Nishijima. The series follows Aika Sumeragi, a salvager for hire who gets caught up in a plot for world domination. The series was released in Japan from 1997 to 1999. The anime was initially licensed by Central Park Media, but was later licensed by Bandai Entertainment. The series is well known for its copious amounts of fan service, specifically the camera angles on panties of the many female characters that populate the show. [3] [1] On April 25, 2007, the first volume of the three-part prequel OVA AIKa R-16: Virgin Mission, detailing Aika's time when she was 16 years old, was released in Japan. A remastered version of the original series was released also, along with a special live-action edition of Agent Aika. In 2009, the sequel OVA AIKa ZERO with 19-year-old Aika was released.
Following a catastrophic earthquake twenty years prior, Tokyo, along with most of the world, has sunk into the ocean during a large-scale land subsidence. Aika Sumeragi is a salvage agent, a person who digs up submerged artifacts from the cities below. She works for a small company run by Gozo Aida, and takes on fairly dangerous jobs. In the first story, she and Gozo's daughter Rion, search for material called the Lagu. However they are captured by Rudolf Hagen, an effeminate but over-sexed man who wants to use the Lagu to transform the world, destroying its inhabitants, and replacing them with an army of young women called the Delmo Corporation who will carry his progeny. Alongside Rudolf is his obsessive sister Neena Hagen, who is jealous of Aika when Rudolf desires to have Aika for himself. Aika has a special bustier that, when activated, transforms into a battle bikini that gives her extraordinary fighting powers. Following the defeat of the Hagens, the Delmo Corporation girls seek other methods to foil Aika in episodic stories.
The Delmo Corps, also referred as the Delmogeny (デルモゲニィ, Derumogenii), [10] is a group of pretty ladies headed by Rudolf Hagen who serve as his private army and to propagate his genetic material once he wipes out humanity from the Earth. Some of them work ordinary jobs like guides and waitresses, but they mainly act in espionage activities. Following Hagen's defeat in the first half of the series, the Delmogeny continue to function with the goals of capturing Aika and studying her special powers. They wear various colored uniforms from lowest-rank black to the highest-rank white, [10] although, for the most part, they wear the same color white panties. [8]
The anime was directed by Katsuhiko Nishijima who had previously directed Project A-ko and would go on to direct Labyrinth of Flames. [13]
The first four episodes were released from April 25, 1997, to January 25, 1998. The opening theme for the first four episodes was "Silent City", performed by Mari Sasaki, and the closing theme was "More Natural" by Hiroko Konishi. Each episode is numbered as a Trial.
The next three episodes were released from August 25, 1998, to April 25, 1999. The animation was redone to include the new characters such as Michikusa. The opening theme was "Manatsu no Seiza" (真夏の星座) by Mink, and the closing theme was "Dance with Me Tonight" by Punky Fruites.
No. | Title [14] | Original release date |
---|---|---|
1 | "Beautiful Agent" ( Japanese: 美しきエージェント) | April 25, 1997 |
2 | "Naked Mission" ( Japanese: NAKED MISSION) | June 25, 1997 |
3 | "Takeoff Position" ( Japanese: TAKE OFF POSITION) | September 25, 1997 |
4 | "A Flower Blooming in Space" ( Japanese: 宇宙に咲く華) | January 25, 1998 |
5 | "The Golden Delmo Operation" ( Japanese: 黄金のデルモ作戦) | August 25, 1998 |
6 | "Delmo Operation: White Silver" ( Japanese: 白銀のデルモ作戦) | December 18, 1998 |
7 | "Break the Decisive Battle! Delmo Base!" ( Japanese: 決戦突入! デルモ基地!!) | April 25, 1999 |
Special | "Special Trial" ( Japanese: Special TRIAL) | May 25, 1998 |
In reviewing the first volume, Chris Beveridge on Mania.com wrote that he had to put his brain in a certain mode, likening the experience to watching Dumb and Dumber where "Instead of idiot humor we're watching this for the sheer amount of fanservice." with its "four gajillion panty shots" and that it was a "great deal of mindless fun". [8] He described Michikusa as "a waifish goofy ass boy who serves only one purpose: to be on screen and take time away from panty shots." [15]
Stig Hogset of THEM Anime Reviews wrote that the show should have been a guilty pleasure but ends up being more of an overdose: "EVERY action scene seems to end up with unconscious females lying with their butts poking up into the air." He called the villains the creepiest he has ever seen, but recommended the show only to those with a panty or ass fetish. [1] The Anime News Network reviewer wrote that "It's as if someone tried to make the most perverted anime they could without anyone actually being in any sexual situations. (Okay, so there are some.)", later adding that "The dub is weak and mistimed, and some of the minor characters just plain can't act." and recommended that the viewer watch titles from the company's Anime 18 productions instead. [3] Todd Douglass Jr. of DVD Talk likened Aika's transformation to that in Cutie Honey and called the series the "epitome of guilty pleasure anime". He found the show to be solid-looking with fantastic animation and character design. With regards to the audio, he thought the Japanese cast did a much better job with the material than the English cast, writing that the latter was "particularly bland and it didn't maintain the necessary spark for this kind of show." [7]
Several reviewers for TokyoPop magazine gave it mixed reviews. [16]