Megazone Part 1 DVD

It is 1985 in Tokyo. Shogo Yahagi is a young motorcycle enthusiast and part-time mechanic with a loose relationship with employment and a talent for getting into trouble. When his friend is killed by government agents and leaves behind a mysterious, extraordinarily advanced motorcycle called the Garland — a machine that can transform into a combat mecha — Shogo finds himself hunted by the military and given no explanation for why. The answers, when they begin to come, are far worse than anything he imagined. The city he has lived in his entire life is not on Earth. It may not even be in the present. Tokyo is a constructed environment inside a massive spacecraft called Megazone 23, sealed off from reality and managed by an artificial intelligence named Bahamut to keep its population compliant and unaware of the truth about humanity's situation. The only crack in the illusion is EVE — a holographic idol singer whose hit songs contain encrypted information, and whose existence points toward something Bahamut and the military are both desperate to suppress.

Megazone 23 Part 1 is an 85-minute OVA released in Japan in March 1985 — the first commercially successful direct-to-video anime release and a landmark work in establishing the OVA format as a viable medium. Directed by Noboru Ishiguro with key animation direction by Ichiro Itano, and featuring character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto and Toshihiro Hirano, it sold over 216,000 copies in Japan at release and grossed approximately ¥1.7 billion from video sales. Its premise anticipates The Matrix by fourteen years. Carl Macek combined footage from Part 1 with Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross to create Robotech: The Movie in 1986 — a version that truncated and rewrote the story and was a commercial failure.

The ADV Films DVD released June 1, 2004 presents the complete unedited original Japanese version with a newly produced English 5.1 dub and an extensive extras package including a production sketch gallery and an audio commentary by ADV Films director Matt Greenfield alongside production staff David and Janice Williams. A Collector's Edition with custom artbox and mousepad was also available. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Noboru Ishiguro (Space Battleship Yamato, Macross)
Animation Director / Key Animation: Ichiro Itano (Macross, Gunbuster)
Character Design: Haruhiko Mikimoto (Macross, Gunbuster) & Toshihiro Hirano (Vampire Princess Miyu, Apocalypse Zero, Great Dangaioh)
Original Concept / Screenplay: Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
Studio: AIC (Anime International Company) / Artland
Music: Shiro Sagisu (Evangelion, Bleach, Macross II)

Japanese Cast:
• Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Shogo Yahagi
• Maria Kawamura as Yui Takanaka (Kishin Corps, Battle Athletes OVA)
• Mina Tominaga as Mai Yumekanou (Tenchi Movie 2: Daughter of Darkness)
• Koichi Yamadera as Tombo (Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, Elf Princess Rane, Shinesman)
• Kaneto Shiozawa as B.D.

English Dub Cast (ADV Films, 2004 — new 5.1 recording):
• Illich Guardiola as Shogo Yahagi
• Allison Keith as Yui Takanaka (Evangelion — voice of Misato Katsuragi)
• John Swasey as B.D. (El-Hazard: The Alternative World, Princess Nine)
• Hilary Haag as additional cast (Princess Nine, Steel Angel Kurumi, Noir, Saint Tail)
• Vic Mignogna as additional cast (Princess Nine, Full Metal Alchemist)
• Monica Rial as additional cast (Princess Nine, Steel Angel Kurumi, Noir, Z.O.E. Dolores I)

DVD Features (ADV Films 2004 Release)

• New English 5.1 Dolby Digital Dub (2004 ADV recording)
• Audio Commentary with Director Matt Greenfield & Production Staff David & Janice Williams
• Production Sketch Gallery
• ADV Films Previews
• Note: Collector's Edition also available with custom 3-part series artbox and exclusive Megazone 23 mousepad

Spoken Languages: English 5.1 & Japanese 2.0 Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: メガゾーン23 (Megazōn Tsū Surī)
Runtime: ~85 Minutes
Director: Noboru Ishiguro
DVD Release Year: 2004 (U.S. Release, June 1 — ADV Films); previous Image Entertainment DVD 1999
Original Release Date (Japan): March 9, 1985
Publisher: ADV Films
Rating: 15+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: Anime's first commercially successful direct-to-video OVA release. Footage was used without permission by Carl Macek to create Robotech: The Movie (1986). Part 1 of a 3-part series; artbox Collector's Edition fits all three volumes.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, Action
Themes: Simulated Reality, Government Conspiracy, AI Control, Virtual Idol, First Major OVA Release in History

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.