Steel Angel Kurumi - DVD

Japan, the Taisho era. Nakahito Kagura is a young boy training to become a Shinto priest, which in practice means he has excellent spiritual sensitivity, very little physical courage, and friends who think it is funny to dare him to sneak into the house of the eccentric scientist Dr. Ayanokoji. Inside, Nakahito finds what appears to be a beautiful, sleeping girl — not a girl at all but a Steel Angel, an artificial humanoid of advanced design far beyond anything the Imperial Army has managed to develop. When the army attacks and the resulting chaos causes Nakahito to accidentally kiss her, she wakes up. Her name is Kurumi. She is now fiercely, unshakeably devoted to Nakahito as her Master, and the words "calm down" are not part of her operational vocabulary. The Imperial Army wants the Steel Angel back. A rival scientific organization called the Academy is deploying their own Steel Angels — including Kurumi's sisters Saki and Karinka, both considerably more hostile — to retrieve her by force. Nakahito, who wanted none of this, is now at the center of a conflict involving military conspiracies, ancient mystical energy sources, and at least three superpowered android women who will destroy most of a city block in his general direction before the day is over.

Steel Angel Kurumi is a 24-episode television series directed by Naohito Takahashi and produced by Oriental Light and Magic (OLM) — the studio behind the Pokémon anime — based on the manga by Kaishaku. It originally aired on WOWOW's Anime Complex block in 1999–2000 as a series of 15-minute half-episodes, giving each installment a tight, punchy comedic rhythm before the plot builds toward its climactic arc. The series blends Taisho-era aesthetics, military conspiracy, and the android-devotion comedy genre with genuine affection for all three, and features a notably strong and energetic all-female lead cast.

Released across four individual DVD volumes by ADV Films beginning May 2002; the 7-disc Complete Collection (2004) collects the TV series, the 4-episode Encore OVA, and the 12-episode Steel Angel Kurumi 2 sequel series. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Naohito Takahashi
Original Manga: Kaishaku (serialized in Monthly Ace Next, Kadokawa Shoten)
Character Design: Yuriko Chiba / Yuji Ikeda
Studio: Oriental Light and Magic (OLM)
Music: Toshihiko Sahashi (Ghost Sweeper Mikami)
Opening Theme: "Kiss Kara Hajimaru Miracle" by Steel Angels
Ending Theme: "Eien no Kotetsu Tenshi" by Steel Angels

Japanese Cast:
• Atsuko Enomoto as Kurumi
• Masayo Kurata as Karinka
• Rie Tanaka as Saki
• Houko Kuwashima as Nakahito Kagura (Gate Keepers 21, Ceres Celestial Legend, Z.O.E. Dolores I)
• Ai Orikasa as Dr. Reiko Amagi (Battle Athletes, Slayers)
• Kikuko Inoue as Nadeshiko (Tenchi Universe, El-Hazard, Gate Keepers, Green Legend Ran)
• Michiko Neya as Mikhail (Nadesico, éX-Driver, SoulTaker)

English Dub Cast (ADV Films):
• Kelli Cousins as Kurumi (Princess Nine)
• Monica Rial as Karinka (Princess Nine, Z.O.E. Dolores I)
• Hilary Haag as Saki (Princess Nine, Pilot Candidate)
• Kira Vincent-Davis as Nakahito (Nadesico)
• Claudia Black as Nadeshiko (Farscape, Pitch Black) — Special Guest

DVD Features (Individual Volumes)

• Behind the Scenes Photo Shoot with English Voice Actresses (Vol. 2)
• Translator Notes
• Original Japanese Artwork Gallery
• Printable Fortune Teller — Character Saki (Vol. 2)
• U.S. Teaser Trailer
• ADV Films Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 鋼鉄天使くるみ (Kōtetsu Tenshi Kurumi)
Runtime: ~600 Minutes (Complete TV Series, 24 Episodes)
Director: Naohito Takahashi
DVD Release Year: 2002 (U.S. Individual Volume Release, ADV Films); 7-Disc Complete Collection (includes Encore OVA & Kurumi 2) also available, 2004
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): October 1, 1999 – March 31, 2000 
Publisher: ADV Films
Rating: 17+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Romance
Themes: Taisho Era Japan, Steel Angels, Accidental Kiss Awakening, Imperial Military Conspiracy, Android Devotion

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.