"Natsuki Crisis" Review: A moving story depicting a summer crisis

"Natsuki Crisis": A masterpiece OVA depicting the charm of martial arts and the brilliance of youth

■Overview of the work

Natsuki Crisis is an OVA based on the Japanese manga by Hirohisa Tsuruta, and was released by King Records in 1994. It consists of two volumes, each 30 minutes long, for a total of 60 minutes. Animation was handled by Madhouse, and production was handled by Shueisha. The first volume was directed by Koichi Chiaki, and the second volume by Junichi Sakata, with the script written by Masayori Sekijima. Character designs are by Futoshi Fujikawa and Shuichi Shimamura, and the animation director is Shuichi Shimamura.

■ Story

Natsuki Kisumi, a second-year student at Goju Private High School and member of the karate club, is a beautiful girl with a slim figure at first glance, but her skills are so impressive that even the male members of the club fear her. Natsuki wins a fight against transfer student and wrestling genius Takaoka Rina, but then Kamitori Akira, a mixed martial arts master and cross-dressing beauty, comes to clear her name from Joto Academy, where she was expelled. Will Natsuki be able to defeat the invincible Kamitori, who once aimed for the top with Yanagisawa, the captain of the karate club, the only person who can compete with Natsuki?

■Character Introduction

Natsuki Kisumi

The main character. Nicknamed "Natsuki." A second-year student at Goju High School. Her family consists of her father, a worried university professor, and her cheerful mother, who live with her. Other relatives include her older sister Itsuki, who is engaged to the large doctor Isamu Ibu, and her timid cousin Mitsuharu Misawa, who attends Joto Academy. She is 17 years old, 162 cm tall and weighs 48 kg, with large eyes and black hair tied in a ponytail. Although she is a girl with an average physique and strength, she uses a variety of techniques with speed that does not rely on strength, and she can face not only average men, but also fighters bigger than her. She has a bright and carefree personality, is strong-willed, and hates to lose.

Rina Takaoka

A transfer student from Joto Academy and Natsuki's classmate. She has medium-long blonde hair, droopy eyes, and often speaks in a masculine manner, using "ore" as the first person pronoun. She goes by the nickname "Rina." At Joto Academy, she was a wrestling mentor and lover since middle school, but when Muto ended her wrestling career, she lost her motivation and was expelled for bad behavior. However, because she was an excellent user of catch-as-catch-can style wrestling, Himuro, fearing that she would become a threat to the school, targeted her career as a wrestler and was being chased by assassins.

Masaaki Yanagisawa

A young man who is Natsuki's senior and de facto teacher. He is the son of Joto Gakuen's principal, Yanagisawa Taizan, and judoka Takao Ikuko, but is estranged from his father and lived alone after moving out of his mother during high school. He is a big man, 192cm tall and weighing 98kg, with sharp eyes and sunken cheeks. He doesn't express his emotions much and is not very good at speaking. On the other hand, he boasts unrivaled strength, and is the goal Natsuki wants to surpass.

Hondou Naoya

A male student in the same grade as Natsuki. He is a handsome and gentle man who attracts the attention of female students, but he is also a womanizer who changes his girlfriends one after another. He is also an excellent practitioner of Taekwondo, and challenged Natsuki to a casual match on the condition that they go on a date, and defeated her (according to Natsuki, he was the first person to beat her other than Yanagisawa).

Himuro Kyotaro

Student council president of Joto Academy. He first appears as the mastermind behind sending a purge squad to kill Lina after she is expelled from Joto Academy. There is no depiction of him using any martial arts, and he has a normal build and speaks politely, but he coolly intimidates and frightens others.

Akira Kandori

Captain of the Shin Martial Arts Club, one of the best fighters at Joto Academy. In middle school, she won the All-Japan Women's Judo Championship, and further trained at Shinto Juku, and has many techniques, mainly joint locks. She has short hair and dresses like a man in a boys' uniform, and despite being a woman, she has a muscular body with well-defined abs.

Toshiyuki Satake

Captain of the Joto Academy Karate Club and a childhood friend of Kamitori. A skilled karate champion who has won the National Student Karate Championship three times in a row.

Kenta Kobashi

A male member of the karate club, one year younger than Natsuki. He has a distinctive pompadour hairstyle. He has a hard-line way of thinking and is skeptical of Natsuki's ability to be feared by the male members of the club, so on the day of the entrance ceremony, he goes to the sumo club alone to prove his ability by defeating the captain, who is higher in rank than the vice-captain that Natsuki had defeated, but he is defeated miserably. When Natsuki comes to the rescue with Yanagisawa, he witnesses her defeating the captain of the sumo club, Kitao, with a single blow of the breaking blow, and acknowledges her ability.

Haruhodo Roubu

He is a male karate club member who is also a classmate of Natsuki, and is characterized by his dyed shaved head. As a karate club member, he is portrayed as a boy who wants to avoid sparring with Natsuki, but he seems to be good at studying, and she asks him to predict exam questions.

Keiji Muto

He was Lina's wrestling mentor and lover, and was the former captain of the Johto Academy wrestling team. He was a good young man with a soft pompadour hairstyle and a strong sense of sportsmanship, but he had doubts about the nature of the wrestling team and attempted to reform it when he became captain, which went against the school's policy and led to him being targeted for "purging". He was forced to spar with the unsuspecting Lina after having already been assaulted by team members, and as a result of continuing the match while enduring the pain so as not to inflict anything on her, he ended up tearing his knee ligaments and quitting the team, and has been missing ever since. After that, the school, which was reluctant to lose his talent, brainwashed him into changing his personality, and instead of becoming the "excellent fighter who acts according to the school's policies" that the school wanted him to be, he lost his emotions and became a "slave" who simply followed orders, but eventually returned to his original form.

■Subtitle

・Volume 1/CLASH-1 Natsuki Takasumi vs. Rina Takaoka ・Volume 2/CLASH-2 Natsuki Takasumi vs. Akira Kamitori

■ Theme songs and music

・TM1
Episode 1: Standing on my chance
Lyrics by Keiko Kimoto Music by Yasuhiko Shigemura Vocals by Seraphim
・TM2
Episode 2: Find a friend in me
Lyrics by Keiko Kimoto Music by Yasuhiko Shigemura Vocals by Ami Mimatsu

■Cast

・Natsuo Kisumi/Ai Orikasa/Rina Takaoka/Yuko Nagashima/Masaaki Yanagisawa/Jurota Kosugi/Naoya Hondou/Masami Kikuchi/Kyotaro Himuro/Toshihiko Seki/Akira Kamitori/Hiromi Tsuru/Satoshi Satake/Yasunori Matsumoto/Kenta Kobashi/Wataru Takagi/Harutoshi Robe/Hiro Yuki/Keiji Muto/Tomokazu Seki

■ Main staff

・Directors: Koichi Chiaki, Junichi Sakata ・Original story: Hirohisa Tsuruta ・Screenplay: Masayori Sekijima ・Character designs: Futoshi Fujikawa, Shuichi Shimamura ・Animation director: Shuichi Shimamura ・Art director: Hiroshi Ohno ・Director of photography: Hitoshi Yamaguchi ・Sound director: Yasunori Honda ・Music: Yasuhiko Shigemura ・Producers: Masao Maruyama, Yuji Takae ・Animation production: Madhouse ・Production: Shueisha

■ Appeal and evaluation of the work

Although "Natsuki Crisis" is a work with a martial arts theme, it also depicts elements such as the brilliance of youth, friendship, and growth. The main character, Natsuki Kisumi, looks like an ordinary high school girl, but her karate skills are so impressive that she even scares the male members of the club. Through her fights, she comes to terms with herself and grows.

Of particular note are the power and realism of the fighting scenes. Like the original work, the action is focused on realism, drawing the viewer in. The detailed drawings and movements produced by Madhouse animation bring out the appeal of fighting to the fullest. The personalities and backgrounds of each character are also explored in depth, adding depth to the story.

Music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of the work. The theme songs for episode 1, "Standing on my chance," and episode 2, "Find a friend in me," not only enhance the atmosphere of the work, but also express Natsuki's feelings and the meaning of the fight. The music by Yasuhiko Shigemura, who composed the music, enhances the tension and excitement of the fight scenes.

■ Recommendation points

"Natsuki Crisis" is recommended not only for martial arts fans, but also for viewers who want to enjoy youth dramas and coming-of-age stories. In particular, the following points are the reasons for the recommendation.

1. Realistic fighting scenes

The fighting scenes, animated by Madhouse, are realistic and powerful, with each character's technique and movement depicted in minute detail, allowing you to fully experience the appeal of fighting sports.

2. Deep character portrayals

Not only the main character Natsuki, but also the backgrounds and feelings of her rivals and friends are carefully depicted. In particular, the characters of the transfer student Takaoka Rina and the cross-dressing beauty Kamitori Akira add depth to the story.

3. The brilliance and growth of youth

The story depicts Natsuki facing herself and growing through martial arts. You can feel the brilliance of youth through friendships, rivalries, and family ties.

4. The appeal of music

The theme song and background music enhance the atmosphere of the work and bring out the tension and excitement of the fight scenes. In particular, Yasuhiko Shigemura's music is an important element in enhancing the appeal of the work.

■ Summary

"Natsuki Crisis" is a masterpiece OVA that depicts the reality of martial arts and the brilliance of youth. Viewers can experience emotion and excitement through the struggles and growth of the main character, Natsuki Kisumi. Highly recommended not only for martial arts fans, but also for viewers who want to enjoy youth dramas and stories of growth. Please pick up this work and experience its charm.