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Go Takarada would like to believe he's the next Indiana Jones, but how much treasure can he find in his own hometown? Not to be daunted by such trivialities, he continues in his pursuit to find treasure and be famous. His luck turns up when the mystical elf princess Rane appears before him. Together, they seek magic stones and mayhem, despite their inability to communicate. This comedic adventure keeps you laughing right up past the credits.
Meet Mink, the hyper fire-haired teenage daughter of the world's greatest dragon slayer... and dragon! With the blood of both human and dragon flowing through her veins, Mink’s life is anything but ordinary -- especially since she’s in love with Dick, a musical dragon slayer! With enemies at every turn (including the half human/half slime princess Vena), Mink must try her hardest to win the affection of a man who wants nothing more than to see her dead. Can she win the guy without losing her life?
Elf Princess Rane and Dragon Half are both short OVAs that should have more episodes. They're also funny and they have some crazy situations.
Despite how obvious of a recommendation it seems to me, I'm having a surprisingly hard time identifying similarities between Dragon Half and Elf Princess Rane. Yes, both are early 1990s comedy shows that were cancelled after two episodes, but that hardly seems important. Dragon Half relies on heavy parody and exaggeration of fantasy cliches ad absurdum. Elf Princess Rane relies more on sight gags and vast amounts of energy being misdirected, generally causing utter chaos. Pretty much the only thing they have in common is their slapstick, irreverent, carefree style of comedy. These shows are far from intelligent or witty. They're downright silly, and they know it. However, they never try to force it down your throat; silly is simply the norm. The ridiculous, nigh-absurd goings-on are almost completely ignored, which adds to the hilarity. It is this shared environment, in which the extraordinary is ordinary, that allows them to deliver their humor so effectively, efficiently, and refreshingly.
F City, F Prefecture: the battleground where good and evil have finally chosen to decide once and for all who will rule the world…or at least that's the general idea! Neither side seems up for the task, as surviving the brutality of everyday life is enough of a chore. On the side of evil is the organization of Across, its only member the loudmouthed and abrasive Excel who struggles just to put food in her stomach; on the side of good, three disenfranchised, unemployed bachelors whose only pursuit in life is romance. Add in alien invasions, jungle warfare, and Mexican immigrant laborers to Japan, and this war doesn't seem likely to be ending soon!
Naota Nanbada is a boring young boy who leads a boring life in a boring town. His older brother has left for America, and the closest he comes to any excitement is when his deadbeat dad has too much sake. But things change one day when a bizarre girl zooms up to him on a scooter and smacks him in the face with her guitar. What's more, once Naoto returns home he discovers that this strange woman has arrived ahead of him and moved in! Not only does she constantly engage in perverted activities with Naota's father and flirt with the young man himself, but she also claims to be an alien who is searching for the ‘Pirate King.' Now, Naota must learn to live with this new intruder, deal with an odd government agent who sports exceptionally large eyebrows and the mysterious Medical Mechanica, and come to terms with the fact that there are a variety of robots and weapons emerging out of his head - amongst other things. Perhaps boring wasn't so bad after all...
When a strange samurai tells her she is the successor of the swordsman Yagyu Jubei, Jiyu Nanohana refuses to believe him. But the descendants of Jubei's rivals have already sensed this, and one assassin after another is sent to attack Jiyu! Fortunately, Jubei left a little something for our heroine - a lovely heart-shaped eyepatch. As soon as Jiyu dons the eyepatch, she is overcome with Jubei's power and transforms into a ninja girl! Jiyu must put an end to the 300-year old feud between the samurai clans... before the feud puts an end to her.
Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl is really the closest thing to a spiritual successor to Elf Princess Rane that I've seen. That's not surprising, as it inherits Elf Princess Rane's frenetic, outrageous slapstick method of comedy straight from their shared director: Akitarou Daichi. It stands to reason that those disappointed by Elf Princess Rane's brevity might find a bit of solace in this complete series. However, be forewarned, the story and characters are completely different.
Puni Puni Poemi is a spin-off of Excel Saga, the classic lampoon of all that is anime. It takes the daughter of two Excel Saga characters and puts her through parodies of shoujo, shounen, ecchi, hentai, and everything in-between. This eccentric show is the "Scary Movie" of anime: younger viewers need not apply.
