Sakura Wars (1991 OVA) DVD

Tokyo, 1920s. Captain Ichiro Ogami has been sent to Paris, leaving the Imperial Combat Revue's Flower Division — a team of psychically gifted women who pilot steam-powered Koubu mecha to defend the city from supernatural threats — without their commanding officer. The timing could not be worse. The American Douglas-Stewart Company has arrived in Japan with a proposition: their new Combat Androids are faster, stronger, and more efficient than the Flower Division's aging Koubu, and the government is listening. As the Division is placed on indefinite stand-by and members begin mysteriously disappearing one by one, new recruit Ratchet Altair joins what remains of the team. Behind Douglas-Stewart's business pitch is something darker — a scheme with demonic origins that only the Flower Division can stop, if they can survive long enough to discover it.

Sakura Wars: The Movie is the 2001 theatrical film adaptation of Sega's beloved Sakura Wars franchise, produced by Production I.G and directed by Mitsuru Hongo (Outlaw Star, Pilot Candidate). The film is set between Sakura Wars 3 and 4 in the game timeline and features upgraded CG mecha sequences, redesigned characters, and a jazz-inflected score by franchise composer Kohei Tanaka.

Originally released in North America on DVD by Pioneer Animation / Geneon Entertainment; later reissued on DVD and Blu-ray by FUNimation Entertainment on October 22, 2013. Both editions include the English dub produced by New Generation Pictures. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Mitsuru Hongo (Outlaw Star, Pilot Candidate, Ghost Sweeper Mikami)
Original Franchise Creator / Co-Writer: Oji Hiroi
Studio: Production I.G
Music: Kohei Tanaka (Dragon Half, Bastard!!, Battle Athletes, Getter Robo Armageddon, One Piece)

Japanese Cast:
- Chisa Yokoyama as Sakura Shinguji (Battle Skipper, Nadesico, Haunted Junction)
- Michie Tomizawa as Sumire Kanzaki (Sailor Moon)
- Urara Takano as Maria Tachibana
- Kumiko Nishihara as Iris Chateaubriand (Sol Bianca: The Legacy)
- Yuriko Fuchizaki as Leni Milchstrasse (Oh My Goddess! OVA)
- Mayumi Tanaka as Kohran Li (One Piece, DBZ, Night on the Galactic Railroad)
- Ai Orikasa as Kanna Kirishima (Battle Athletes, Slayers, Magic User's Club)
- Maya Okamoto as Orihime Soletta
- Akio Suyama as Atsushi Ayama (Now and Then Here and There)
- Kazue Ikura as Ratchet Altair (RG Veda)

DVD Features (FUNimation Edition, 2013)

- Exclusive Interview with Japanese Creators
- Japanese & English Trailers
- English 5.1 & Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
- Anamorphic Widescreen Video
- FUNimation Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: サクラ大戦 活動写真 (Sakura Taisen: Katsudō Shashin)
Runtime: ~85 Minutes
Director: Mitsuru Hongo
DVD Release Year: 2001 (Pioneer Animation / Geneon original release); 2013 (FUNimation reissue DVD & Blu-ray)
Original Release Date (Japan): December 22, 2001
Publisher: Pioneer Animation / Geneon Entertainment (original); FUNimation Entertainment (2013 reissue)
Rating: 14+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Mecha, Musical
Themes: 1920s Tokyo, Imperial Combat Revue, Steam-Powered Mecha, Corporate Conspiracy, Psychic Women Warriors

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.