Knights of Ramune DVD

Somewhere in the galaxy, a religious order has sent its two most capable holy virgins on a critical mission: find and retrieve the Fourth Warrior Ramunes, champion of the cosmos and prophesied savior of the galaxy. Cacao is the senior operative — dark-skinned, powerful, and possessed of magic abilities that work best, she will explain at some length, when her body is unencumbered. Parfait is her partner, considerably more concerned with appropriate clothing. PQ is their advisor, a small sentient blob who is an expert on spiritual matters. Together they locate the Giga Genos — a massive, heavily armed invasion fleet currently busy bombarding planets into submission — and at its helm, to their considerable horror, is Ramunes IV himself. He is not the noble hero they expected. He is cruel, megalomaniacal, and claims the entire galaxy must be united under his rule to prevent some unspecified catastrophe. Along the way they acquire Lemon, a plucky young orphan whose connection to the mysterious Dark Knight mecha may be the key to everything.

Knights of Ramune is a three-episode OVA known in Japan as VS Knight Ramune & 40 Fresh — the final installment in the long-running Ramune & 40 franchise that began in 1990 with NG Knight Ramune & 40. Directed by Yoshitaka Fujimoto and produced by Ashi Productions, it is a direct sequel to the VS Knight Ramune & 40 Fire TV series and functions as the franchise's finale. The series is notably more adult in tone than the family-friendly TV predecessors, featuring liberal fan service and mature themes alongside its mecha action and galactic conspiracy plot.

It was released in North America on VHS and DVD by Software Sculptors and Central Park Media in 1999, billed under the simplified title Knights of Ramune. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Yoshitaka Fujimoto
Original Creator: Satoru Akahori
Character Design: Osamu Horiuchi
Studio: Ashi Productions
Music: Hiroshi Imaizumi

Cast:
- Kyoko Hikami as Cacao
- Yuko Miyamura as Parfait (Evangelion, Apocalypse Zero)
- Tomoko Kawakami as Lemon (Battle Athletes, A Little Snow Fairy Sugar)
- Yuka Imai as Electone (Burn Up W, Now and Then Here and There)
- Mika Kanai as PQ (Vampire Princess Miyu, Vandread)
- Satomi Koorogi as additional cast
- Akiko Kusao as additional cast

DVD Features

- Central Park Media / Software Sculptors Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: VS騎士ラムネ&40FRESH (VS Naito Ramune ando Fōtī Furesshu)
Runtime: ~90 Minutes (Complete OVA, 3 Episodes)
Director: Yoshitaka Fujimoto
DVD Release Year: 2000 (U.S. Release)
Original Release Date (Japan): May 21, 1997 – November 21, 1997
Publisher: Central Park Media / Software Sculptors
Rating: 16+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mecha, Action, Fan Service Comedy
Themes: Holy Virgins, Galactic Conspiracy, Warrior Ramunes Mythology, Dark Knight Mecha, Franchise Finale

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.