Sakura Taisen OVA 2 Gouka Kenran

Animation: Studio Madhouse
Japanese Release: 2000
American Distributor: ADV Films
Official English Website
English Release Title: Sakura Wars Return of the Spirit Warriors(disc 1), Sakura Taisen Wedding Bells(disc 2)


Overview

Gouka Kenran was part of Sakura Project 2000, a multimedia assualt of the Sakura Taisen Franchise. It tells a number of short stories each focussing on one or two members of the Sakura Taisen cas, each episode begins with Oogami packing as he prepairs for his transfer to Paris. As he uncovers different mementos he recalls how he came to get it, thus setting up our story. The OVA is 6 episodes long and ends in a two parter.

The OVA series is a bit of a departure for the series, as it is the first time the team in animation without their mecha, aside from the opening animation, and not shown as the saviours of the capitol but more the day to day affairs of the team. Aside from the first episodes and the flashbacks in the final two, there is very little focus on action. It also marked the first time Dandy Boss and his gang appeared outside the live shows.

Each episode was given two titles in Japanese, an English title and a Japanese which were not equivalents, on this page you will see the English Title first then the Japanese, and the ADV Official title (which are mostly translations of the Japanese title).

Plot Summary

Episode 1
The Dreadful Assassin from New York
第一話「紐育の怒れる刺客」
Oogami, finds a bullet and recalls the time Sakura and Maria confronted the assassin from New York. It all began when the Hana-gumi was celebrating the wrap up of their performance of Cinderella; the members were showing off for the guests by demonstrating their “hidden talents”. Sakura leads off showing a sword technique and slicing a branch of bamboo into several drinking cups each landing in the hands of a guest. To everyone's surprise Maria too decides to demonstrate a hidden talent, she plans to fire one bullet into the air then another one timing it so the bullets collide and hitting two targets. After Maria fails she comments that it was a joke, and that it wasn't possible.
Meanwhile an old acquaintance of Maria's from the Russian Revolutionary War and the the New York Mafia; his goal? To Kill Maria. During a performance of Ai Wa Daiya Maria learns that the assassin, Valentinov, has placed a bomb in the theatre that he well detonate if Maria doesn't face him. Maria goes off to confront both Valentinov and her own inner demons with Sakura close behind.

Episode 2: The Golden River
第二話「水のある都市（まち）」
In this episode Iris, wants to go see the Dragon Boat festival, which happens to be opening night for the Hana-gumi's play, "Aoi Tori"(Blue Bird). Iris gets upset about this and decides to run away, she ends up aboard a run away boat owned by the Dandy Gang, and is lost and out of control; Reni comes to her aid. The episode showcases the venice like canals of pre-World War II tokyo.

Episode 3 Haunting in Cinema Paradiso
第三話「キネマの驚天動地」
The Hana-gumi are going to be film stars, production has begun for a silver screen adaptation of Benitokage (the Crimson Lizard), and the Hana-gumi members really getting into the action. As the cast works on the film, and does cameos in for other films in studio 13 things start going wrong. Apparantly the ghost of a dead actress resides in studio 13, As the climactic scene of the film is shot in the studio Sumire will find out what it's like to be the target of a grudge from beyond the grave, and will have to demonstrate is she understands the true heart of an actress.


Episode 4 Masked Red of Paper Moon
第四話「人情紙芝居・少年レッドよ永遠に」 (Dramatic Picture Card Show May You be Eternal Red Lad)
Kouran and Orihime have been invited to the home of Orihime's father who will be using Kouran as a model to pain the cover to the Shounen Red book, some boys who see Kouran and recognize her from her recent live performance mistake her for the real Shounen Red and when a gang of Yakuza come looking to evict the residents of the neighborhood, they look to their hero to save them.


Episode 5: Father and Daughter
第五話「父と娘と」
Sakura is returning home to Sendai for a special ceremony, and she's taking Yoneda with her to fill in for her father. As Sakura makes preperations for the journey like buying some formal clothes. A rumour spreads amongst the members of the Hana-gumi that Sakura is getting married. Each of the members reflects on what life in the theatre would be like without Sakura if she stepped down after getting married. Meanwhile on the way to Sendai, Yoneda reflects on the final events that robbed Sakura of her father at the end of the Kouma War, and how he feels that she and the other members of the Hana-gumi really have become his daughters. We see a lot of inner turmoil in Yoneda as a loving father figure, but one who sends his surrogate daughters out to face death on a regular basis.


Episode 6: The Time Will Come
第六話「女たちの新時代（あした）」 (A New Era For Women)
In this final episode, Sakura plays a ceremonial role at a relatives wedding, the other Hana-gumi members find a sheet; Sakura was practicing her calligraphy on and misinterpret it to think she's being forced to wed against her will and take off to get to Sendai. After the ceremony Sakura decides that the bloodline of her family is too heavy a burden for anyone to bare and doubts if she will ever get married, we see the rest of the events leading up to Kazuma's final sacrifice. Find out the rest... in the OVA.