Brigadoon DVD

It's 1969 in the Yayoi district of Tokyo, and thirteen-year-old Marin Asagi is doing her best to get by. An orphan raised by a warm and eccentric extended family of tenement neighbors, she delivers newspapers before school, wears thick glasses, gets bullied by classmates, and daydreams in wildly dramatic fashion. Then everything changes. A mysterious mirage materializes in the sky above the entire Earth — another world called Brigadoon — and from it descend mechanical alien creatures called Monomakia that inexplicably target Marin for destruction. In a nearby shrine, Marin discovers a tiny blue ampoule, and from it emerges Melan Blue: a stoic, winged, sword-and-gun-wielding alien warrior who declares himself her protector. He eats fifty bowls of rice at a sitting, understands nothing about human beings, and can barely fit inside her apartment — but he's the only thing standing between Marin and an enemy she can't begin to understand.

Brigadoon: Marin & Melan is a remarkably unique series — a heartfelt, unpredictable, and at times surprisingly dark science fiction adventure set against the vivid backdrop of late-60s Japan. Produced by Sunrise and directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani, with character designs by Takahiro Kimura (both of GaoGaiGar fame), the show blends goofy slapstick comedy, warm slice-of-life drama, and genuine emotional devastation in a way that defies easy categorization. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Yoshitomo Yonetani (GaoGaiGar, Betterman)
Character Design: Takahiro Kimura (GaoGaiGar, Code Geass)
Series Composition: Hideyuki Kurata
Studio: Sunrise
Opening Theme: "Kaze no Ao, Umi no Midori" by Ikuko
Ending Theme: "Niji Iro no Takaramono" by KAORI

Cast:
- KAORI as Marin Asagi
- Hochu Otsuka as Melan Blue
- Mayumi Shintani as Lolo
- Ayaka Saito as Moe Kisaragi
- Hikaru Midorikawa as Makoto Aro
- Rikako Aikawa as Moto Asagi
- Kae Araki as Jun Tokita

DVD Features

- Original Japanese Opening
- Behind the Scenes with Wendee Lee
- Outtakes
- Tokyopop Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: ブリガドーン まりんとメラン (Burigadōn Marin to Meran)
Runtime: ~650 Minutes (Complete Series, 26 Episodes)
Director: Yoshitomo Yonetani
DVD Release Year: 2003–2004 (U.S. Release)
Original Release Date (Japan): July 21, 2000 – February 9, 2001
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Comedy, Drama
Themes: Alien Invasion, Friendship & Loyalty, 1960s Japan, Found Family, Color Motifs

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.