The OVA of The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is a magical show which not only builds off of the already great TV series, but also manages to morph the whole lot into something greater. The series has few ties to the TV show, but fits so well with the original storyline that it's hard to remember that fact. It serves to hit home the themes that the TV show ever so subtly touched upon, all the while retaining the incessant light-hearted charm which made the TV series a purely joyful experience.

The story of The Irresponsible Captain Tylor begins in the TV series. Twenty year-old Justy Ueki Tylor joins the military (called the UPSF) to live the easy life, and through a hilarious chain of events earns command of the vessel Soyokaze (meaning "gentle breeze"). Though his promotion was just a way to get rid of him, he kept winning battles against the Holy Raalgon Empire, and subsequently earned his crew distinction, and a much-needed rest.

The OVA begins with all members of the Soyokaze's crew working ground duties. Captain Tylor and First Mate Yamamoto work in a data center, Lt. Yuriko Star is in intelligence, and the rest of the crew are engaged in various training. The series is in three distinguishable parts: a two-part episode named An Exceptional Episode, a four-part Sidestory Collection, and a final two-parter named From Here to Eternity. An Exceptional Episode details an encounter between the Raalgon and the Soyokaze. Tylor is put up to the task of gathering intelligence by his superiors. The 90-minute episode does a great job of reestablishing the atmosphere of the Soyokaze, plus Tylor's relationships with the other characters, including Raalgon fleet commander Ru Babara Dom and 16 year-old Azalyn, the Empress of the Raalgon. The episode also serves to tie the OVA into the TV series without actually forcing it. It's even possible (though not nearly as enjoyable) for someone who hasn't seen the TV series to understand a good part of the Tylor universe through watching this episode alone.

Yuriko Star's appearance in the first episode. Much like the TV series (but with slight improvement in detail).	Yuriko's appearance midway through the OVA. A drastic change in quality and detail. Other characters got a slight overhaul as well, but not of the same magnitude.

The Sidestory Collection part of the OVA is a six-part collection of stories, giving a spotlight to each of the main characters and some of the crew. The sidestories are where the OVA expands upon the TV show and really gets into the personalities of the characters. Azalyn gets an episode to herself, and we are reminded that she is still only a teenager with incredible responsibility. This episode works wonders for her character, while giving a reminder of how precious childhood memories are. Among the remaining sidestories are: a test run of a new plane by the Soyokaze's main pilot Kojiro, the marines training to use a new mobile suit, Yamamoto earning command of a vessel for an important mission, an investigation of an accident during a space transport, and a Christmas Eve tale centering around Yuriko and Tylor. The Christmas episode I found fascinating, because it brought out what makes Yuriko and Tylor special, without their ranks attached. The word "sidestory" is slightly misleading though. All six stories tie into each other effortlessly, and into the final episode as well. The fact that the scenarios are specialized does nothing to hamper the continuity of the overall story. Amazingly enough, it only serves to strengthen the story, and it provides evidence that careful planning took place in its creation.

From Here to Eternity is a 90-minute finale to the OVA collection, which brings out all the big guns for an explosive finish. It pulls the sidestories together to set the stage, and the crew of the Soyokaze goes into action. The main focus of this episode is the resolution of a plot thread left hanging by the TV series concerning Wang, the prime minister of the Raalgon Empire. The finale brought real closure to the story of the irresponsible Captain Tylor's adventures, and this fact truly saddened me. To say I enjoyed the story of this OVA series is a gross understatement.

The character designs remained largely the same throughout the OVA as they were in the TV series. However, beginning with the sidestories, the show saw drastic changes in the design for Yuriko, and Kim's appearance changed a bit as well. Yuriko's new appearance is beyond excellent though, and it made me wish she looked like that throughout the TV series too. The other characters did score a slighly more polished and detailed look, which fit nicely with the improved animation.

On the audio front, expect more of the same catchy, light hearted music that graced the TV series. It was a nice contrast to the general seriousness of the plot. I give much credit to the (Japanese) voice actors as well, who managed to stay in character while adopting the more serious mood. Thanks to the excellent acting, it didn't seem like liberties were being taken with the characters' personalities, but that this new direction was in the planning all along.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA series is show in which I'm confident any anime fan will enjoy, and the Tylor universe in general is a work that can be enjoyed by anyone who likes a good story. Both the TV series and OVA series are available on DVD courtesy of Right Stuf; however, somewhat of an oddity is that the OVA (which sequentially comes after the TV series) is more widely available than the TV show. Plenty of anime specialty stores and online stores carry both though. If you've seen the TV series, go out and buy the OVA right away. If not, buy both right away.

Distributor: The Right Stuf, Inc.
Creator: VAP / Media Ring
Released: 2001

Plot: A+
Character Design: A
Animation Quality: A
Music: A-
Overall: A+