A thorough review of the hot battles in "DEAD HEAT"! What makes the action and story so appealing?

DEAD HEAT - Dead Heat - Comprehensive evaluation and recommendation

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

August 7, 1987

■Release and sales

Nippon Victor

■Frequencies

36 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■ Director

Director: Toshifumi Kawase

■ Production

Sunrise

■Works

©Sunrise

■ Story

In the near future, a motorsport called FX (Effective) is gaining popularity. Makoto, a member of the D-class FX team "Big Wave", aims for the top of the Open Cup with an unknown engine given to him by a mysterious man called Gou. Makoto's fighting spirit is further fuelled by being mocked by Natsuo, an A-class rider he admires, and he catches up with the top group.

■Explanation

This is a completely original work released on the new media of the time, VHD. Until then, Sunrise had released OVAs such as compilations of TV series and special editions, but this was their first completely new OVA. It took advantage of the new media features, such as compatibility with the VHD disc 3D playback system.

■Cast

Makoto/Kazuki Yao, Kaori/Chieko Honda, Saburo/Hotsuka Yoshitada, Yoshio/Toshiharu Sakurai, Go/Ryusuke Obayashi, Natsuo/Kazuya Sogabe, Maria/Masako Katsuo

■ Main staff

Planning / Nippon Sunrise Script / Endo Akinori Character design / Kobayashi Toshimitsu Mechanical design / Sayama Yoshinori Animation director / Kobayashi Toshimitsu Art director / Ikeda Shigemi Director of photography / Misawa Katsuji Music / Tanaka Kohei Director / Kawase Toshifumi Producers / Uchida Kenji, Komatsu Shigeaki

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

Story and setting

"DEAD HEAT" is set in the near-future world of motorsport "FX". The main character, Makoto, is a member of the D-class team "Big Wave", but he aims to reach the top of the Open Cup using an unknown engine given to him by a mysterious man named Gou. This setting provides viewers with a sense of speed and excitement, maximizing the tension of the race.

Makoto's character gives viewers dreams and hope through his challenge to Natsuo, an A-class rider. In particular, the scene where Natsuo makes fun of him is an important point that highlights Makoto's fighting spirit and stirs the emotions of the viewers. This type of storytelling has the power to draw the audience into the story.

character

The voice of Yao Kazuki, who plays Makoto, exudes youth and passion, evoking sympathy from the audience. The cast, including Honda Chieko as Kaori, Otsuka Yoshitada as Saburo, Sakurai Toshiharu as Yoshio, Obayashi Ryusuke as Go, Sogabe Kazuyasu as Natsuo, and Katsuki Masako as Maria, also bring their characters to life. In particular, Natsuo's arrogance and Maria's charm are further enhanced by the voice actors' performances.

Visuals and mechanics

The character design of this work was done by Toshimitsu Kobayashi, and the mechanical design was done by Yoshinori Sayama, and the designs of both artists enriched the worldview of the work. In particular, the FX machines have a futuristic atmosphere and are visually appealing. In addition, the support for 3D playback systems on VHD discs allowed viewers to enjoy a more realistic racing experience.

Music and Sound

Tanaka Kohei's music effectively brings out the sense of speed and tension of the race. In particular, the background music during the race scenes lifts the viewer's spirits and contributes greatly to the progression of the story. The sound effects also play an important role in enhancing the realism of the race.

Director and staff

Director Toshifumi Kawase, working on the first completely new OVA from Sunrise, has demonstrated his talent to the fullest. Staff members such as screenwriter Akinori Endo, animation director Toshimitsu Kobayashi, art director Shigemi Ikeda, cinematographer Katsuji Misawa, and producers Kenji Uchida and Shigeaki Komatsu also played their respective roles to improve the quality of the work.

Historical Significance

"DEAD HEAT" was Sunrise's first completely new OVA, and it has historical significance in that it took advantage of the new media VHD. It is still highly regarded today as a work that showed the potential of the new media at the time.

Recommendation

"DEAD HEAT" is especially recommended for those who like motorsports and the near-future worldview. It is also recommended for those who are interested in Sunrise's OVA works and those who want to know the history of OVAs. Although it is a short 36 minutes, the story, characters, visuals, music, etc. are all put together to a high standard, making it a work that leaves a strong impression on the viewer.

I also recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy the sense of speed and tension in the racing scenes, and to anyone who wants to pay attention to the performances of the voice actors. This is a work that fans of voice actors such as Kazuki Yao, Chieko Honda, and Yoshitada Otsuka cannot miss.

This work is a new attempt at the OVA format, and it is worth watching at least once to understand its significance and value. "DEAD HEAT" combines a story set in the near future of motorsports with Sunrise's technological capabilities, and is sure to provide viewers with a lot of excitement and emotion.