Overall, if you wanna find a little known gem that deserved the rescue it got, love drama with a bit of comedy or comedy with a bit of drama, heroines who know the score from the get go or find themselves, @discotekmedia's #BattleAthletes rescue is a winner.
...but the OVA was more of a drama with bits of comedy and a more somber bittersweet ending, but still a satisfying one.
It also comes down to your preference for Akari. #BattleAthletes #BattleAthletesVictory
The answer is...eh, depends on your mood, really.
Sure, Victory told more of a complete story, but that was geared even more towards comedy than the OVA with a more happier ending... #BattleAthletes #BattleAthletesVictory
The endings for both are satisfactory and have that nice balance of drama and comedy to make you wanna root for the girls and see everything all the way through.
Question is...which did it better? #BattleAthletes #BattleAthletesVictory
And that was #BattleAthletesVictory, it, along with the OVA #BattleAthletes is still an underappreciated hidden gem. I didn't know it existed until @kaiserbeamz.bsky.social review on Kyoto Video, it's what made me seek it out.
It's time for the exam and the Bike Hard track is...uh...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYTH...
#BattleAthletes
Ah, but here's the thing: The OVA was part of a blitz that the studio, AIC, with one thing in mind...
youtu.be/HnXKE0nfAjI?...
Battle Athletes the Sega Saturn Game, Battle Athletes the manga, Battle Athletes the OVA, BATTLE ATHLETES DA FLAMETHROWA! #BattleAthletes
Up next, so the OVA told a good story about two girls who found each other in an intergalactic sports contest while trying to find themselves in the process. It had a few problematic moments, but it was a good story overall. #BattleAthletes
is still an interesting concept and I can't wait to see it on the TV series. #BattleAthletes
Still, for the bits and pieces we do get, it's a well told story, the characters and their dynamics were fun to watch, and I loved the sci-fi twists on traditional athletics stuff. The idea of a sci-fi approach to improving the body after we hit the tech limit #BattleAthletes
of the two interacting that doesn't involve Cosmic Beauty in anyway? The fanservicy stuff Akari freaked out at. Not saying we had to see EVERY minute, but it would've been nice to see at least ONE date or the two mall shopping or something. #BattleAthletes
We don't even see that much training, we don't even have a clue how Larrie and Kris become friendly rivals, let alone how Larrie and Tarnya became friends. Oh, and as much as the relationship between Kris and Akari deserves praise, know what we DO see #BattleAthletes
We just see one moment where the three girls bond after their first contest and...all of a sudden, they're gelling just fine? One of 'em gets exposed as a boy and is forced to go to the boy's school and...plot wraps itself up just fine? #BattleAthletes
There's a reason both @Ochan30 and @KaiserBeamz more or less say the same thing, the OVA is a preview/snack/pilot for the TV show. You see bits and pieces of a story about dreams, growing up, the thrill of victory, etc...it's well told, but not complete. #BattleAthletes
I hate to pump the breaks on the praise I'm giving this, and it's deserved as it's a great example of LBGTQ+ at the end leaving you wishing they were still together but knowing they're in each other's hearts...but having this done in a six ep OVA has some flaws. #BattleAthletes
Akari heads to the contest and sees the moon...while Kris looks on and sees Akari's shuttle heading for it's destination. Once again, no fanservicey stuff, not done for titliation, no comedy, pure love between two women. ...that I heard done better in the series. #BattleAthletes
Kris returns to the moon as Akari looks on, vowing for them to meet again. We jump to six months later and...
"I'M SO LATE!"
...some things time can't fix... #BattleAthletes
...and they both part with a confession...and a deep long meaningful passionate kiss.
No fanservice, no titillation, pure love between two women.
THAT is what makes #BattleAthletes so famous among fans, an early mainstream (Re: Non-hentai) yuri title that got dubbed & released.
That deal I mentioned? Kris was allowed to go to University Satellite and the contest...but the minute she comes of age, she has to go back to the moon to be a priestess.
She is now of age. Akari and Kris have one last time together... #BattleAthletes
Well, in six months, to celebrate the clock going 5000, everybody who made it pretty far in Cosmic Beauty are gonna compete in a big ol' celebratory event...except Kris is missing from this line up. She has to go back home. #BattleAthletes
Akari wins Cosmic Beauty, like her mom, and now she's gonna go represent Earth! All sunshine and roses!
...too bad we got 14 minutes left... #BattleAthletes
And the winner...
"AKARI!"
"KRIS!
...BY A LESBIAN, AKARI!
Oh, we'll get to that. #BattleAthletes
"Remember your training!" Yeah, you may have Jedi training...but Akari has ghost mommy! #BattleAthletes
It's time for the final race and...everybody's shocked over Akari's haircut...
...what, was it a slow news hour between the crash and now? #BattleAthletes
Kris gives Akari a pep talk as she was this close to quitting because Kris wasn't gonna run...but now she's ready to go...and so's Laurie who's starting to go nuts herself over how Kris almost won...
...boy, sports makes people ntus... #BattleAthletes
The wipeout takes Kris out of the race as it's revealed what happened thanks to Oldman's announcement and they're gonna start up again...except Kris is out, so it's down to Lauri and Akari. #BattleAthletes
This wipes all three women out due to a massive crash wile Miranda...
...sounds more like she wants to bang than beat Laurie...right down to her going "LOOK AT ME!" Oldman has no choice but to KO, and expel, the psycho. #BattleAthletes
"Ready...GO!" It's time and it looks like Kris can go neck and neck with Laurie...and Miranda can't take it...meanwhile, Kris sees the runner's high...time for Miranda to bump the gravity in Kris's lane to level 9! #BattleAthletes
Up next, it's Miranda Goes Psycho-O'Clock! How will this impact the contest? It's the grand finale, "Stage Yonder!" #BattleAthletes
I love how this contest looks from the future standpoint. Kyoto Video said that this was an era where, due to going as far as we could in tech, we focused on the human body and it shows. This is both sci-fi and realistic. #BattleAthletes
