| Blue Submarine No. 6 | |
 Cover of the original manga | |
| 青の6号 (Ao no Roku-gō) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Post-apocalyptic[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Satoru Ozawa |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Sunday |
| Original run | January 8, 1967 –November 5, 1967 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Manga | |
| AO6 | |
| Written by | Satoru Ozawa |
| Published by | Sekai Bunkasha |
| Magazine | Sebun Comics |
| Original run | June 1997 –November 1998 |
| Volumes | 5 |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Mahiro Maeda |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Hiroshi Yamaguchi |
| Music by | The Thrill |
| Studio | Gonzo |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | October 25, 1998 – March 25, 2000 |
| Runtime | 29–40 minutes (each) |
| Episodes | 4 |
| Video game | |
| Blue Submarine No. 6: Antarctica | |
| Developer | Bandai Visual |
| Publisher | Bandai Visual |
| Platform | PlayStation |
| Released |
|
| Video game | |
| Blue Submarine No. 6: Time And Tide | |
| Developer | Sega |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Platform | Dreamcast |
| Released |
|
Blue Submarine No. 6 (Japanese:青の6号,Hepburn:Ao no Roku-gō;lit. 'Blue No.6'), officially translated in Japan asBlue Sub 006, is apost-apocalyptic 3-volumemanga series written and illustrated by Satoru Ozawa. The manga was published in 1967 byShogakukan'sWeekly Shōnen Sunday magazine.
When theOVA adaptation was announced byGonzo, the manga was remade under the nameAO6. It was published by Sekai Bunkasha and was serialized in Sebun Comics magazine in June 1997. The OVA series was released in 2000. The OVA had also received two video games for thePlayStation andDreamcast.
The story is set in the distant future, when the Earth's oceans have risen and flooded most of the sea-lying land on Earth.
The rogue scientist Zorndyke caused the flooding, which killed countless individuals, and most of humanity's remaining cities have been attacked or destroyed by Zorndyke's army of half-animal "hybrids". The remaining humans begin to wage war against Zorndyke's seagoing creations for survival. Humanity's best hope for a resolution to the conflict lies with itssubmarine forces, among which is the focus of the story, Blue Submarine #6. It is revealed that Zorndyke is attempting to decisively end the conflict in the favor of his hybrid children by artificially inducing apolar switch usinggeothermal energy at theSouth Pole.
| Character | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tetsu Hayami | Hodzumi Gouda | Michael Granberry |
| Mayumi Kino | Yukana Nogami | Pamela Weidner-Houle |
| Shidll Dedson | Unshou Ishidzuka | Boise Holmes |
| Tokuhiro Iga | Kinryuu Arimoto | Dave Underwood |
| Jung Zorndyke | Takeshi Wakamatsu | Michael S. Way |
| Verg | Shoutarou Morikubo | Scott Simpson |
| Mutio | Miki Nagasawa | Juliet Cesario |
| Mei-ling Huang | Ayaka Saitou | Danielle Sullivan |
The originalBlue Submarine No. 6 manga was written by Satoru Ozawa and serializedShogakukan'sWeekly Shōnen Sunday magazine from January 8 to November 5, 1967.[2] Threetankōbon (collected chapter books) were released byAkita Shoten between March and August 1974. The manga was later remade under the titleBlue Submarine No. 6 AO6 with cover illustrations provided byKazutaka Miyatake to complement the OVA adaptation. This version was published by Sekai Bunkasha and serialized in Sebun Kansha magazine. The new manga series has been collected into five volumes and republished in a two volumekanzenban format released October 1999.[3][4] Another two-volume collection was released on June 20, 2011.[5][6]
| No. | Release date | ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 1974[7] | 9784253014762 | ||
| ||||
| 2 | July 1974[8] | 9784253014779 | ||
| ||||
| 3 | August 1974[9] | 9784253014786 | ||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Release date | ISBN
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sōgū-hen (遭遇編) | June 1997[10] | 9784418975174 |
| 2 | Kakutō-hen (格闘編) | September 1997[11] | 9784418975181 |
| 3 | Kaisen-hen (会戦編) | November 1997[12] | 9784418975211 |
| 4 | Gekisen-hen (激戦編) | March 1998[13] | 9784418975297 |
| 5 | Sōryoku-hen (総力編) | November 1998[14] | 9784418985142 |
The OVA version was directed by Mahiro Maeda, written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, and character designs provided byRange Murata and Takuhito Kusanagi.[15] It uses a hybrid approach, combining3D computer graphics withtraditional animation (digital ink and paint), and is a pioneering example of this technique. The jazzy and atmospheric score was provided byrock n' rollbig band The Thrill.
The OVA adaptation was released in theUnited States on April 4, 2000.Bandai Entertainment originally announced that it would air on July 8, 2000, onCartoon Network'sToonami block, however, Toonami had made no confirmation.[16] Bandai then confirmed that it was delayed until October due to production issues,[17] originally planned to air from October 16 to October 19, 2000.[18] It would finally premiere in theUnited States on Cartoon Network's Toonami block from November 6 to November 9, 2000.[19][20]
A DVD box set was released in Japan titled Blue Submarine No. 6 Blue Fleet Box (青の6号 BLUE FLEET BOX,Ao no Roku-gō Blue Fleet Box). The box set contained 3 discs with the first two containing two episodes each. The third disc contains interviews from Satoru Ozawa, Mahiro Maeda along with the OVA staff, trailers and interviews for the PlayStation video game Blue Submarine No. 6:Antarctica.[21]
The anime was initially licensed by Bandai Entertainment until their shutdown in 2012.[22]Discotek Media has since licensed the OVA and re-released on DVD andBlu-ray on September 24, 2013.[23] However, issues were raised when Discotek Media accidentally added in the dub of the Toonami version. Discotek stated that the dub was received from the Blue Fleet box set in which uses the dub of the Toonami version with some modifications to fit into Cartoon Network's standards and practices. Discotek continues to state that they were unaware of there being two versions and will release a single disc DVD with the original dub from Bandai Entertainment along with Japanese Audio and subtitles in 2015.[24] They would eventually release the series on a single-disc DVD on May 31, 2016. It is a bare-bones release, however it comes with both versions of the dub, as well as DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio on the Japanese track.
| No. | Title | Original release date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Blues" | October 25, 1998 (1998-10-25) | [25] |
| 2 | "Pilots" | February 25, 1999 (1999-02-25) | [26] |
| 3 | "Hearts" | August 25, 1999 (1999-08-25) | [27] |
| 4 | "Minasoko" | March 25, 2000 (2000-03-25) | [28] |
Two soundtracks for the OVA have been released. The first soundtrack is titledBlue Submarine No.6 Original Soundtrack Part.1 (青の6号 オリジナル・サウンドトラック Part.1,Ao no 6-gō Original Soundtrack Part.1) and was released on October 28, 1998.[29] The second soundtrack is titledBlue Submarine No. 6 Original Soundtrack Part.2 (青の6号 オリジナル・サウンドトラック Part.2,Ao no 6-gō Original Soundtrack Part.2) and was released on April 28, 1999.[30]
Two Japan-exclusive video games based on theBlue Submarine No. 6 OVA have been released. The first is titled,Blue Submarine No. 6: Antarctica (青の6号 Antarctica,,Ao no Roku-gō: Antarctica), and was developed and published by Bandai Visual for thePlayStation and released on September 28, 2000.[31] A soundtrack sharing the same name of the video game was released on July 28, 2000.[32]
The second video game titled,Blue Submarine No.6: -Time and Tide- (青の6号 歳月不待人 -TIME AND TIDE-,,Ao no Roku-gō: Saigetsu Fumachibito -Time and Tide-; literally "Blue No. 6: Inactive Time -Time and Tide-") was developed and published bySega for theDreamcast on December 7, 2000.[33]
In 2005, Shōji Murahama of Gonzo stated withNewWords Magazine that a live-actionBlue Submarine No. 6 film will be produced for approximately 10 billion yen (US$84 Million). Masahiko Ōkura has been confirmed to direct the movie. This is to be G.D.H.'s first live-action project with 30 more live-action projects under consideration.[34] However, since the announcement, there has been no news nor reports of any progress.
Eric Luce ofEx criticized the second manga for its characters and pacing stating: "This manga moves so slowly, one is tempted just to skip pages at a time to find a scene where something is happening. The characters seem to exist without a past so they lack any real depth".[35]
TheBlue Submarine No. 6 OVA was ranked as the 70th best anime of all time by the Japanese magazineAnimage.[36] It was ranked 25th best anime of all time byWizard'sAnime Invasion.[37] The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation awarded the it "Best OVA, U.S. Release" for 2000.[38]
Anime News Network praised the OVA for its animation stating: "Oceanscapes are beautifully rendered, aircraft looks extremely realistic, and the underwater fighting is simply breathtaking". However criticized the characters stating: "The characters, although nicely designed, are sparsely drawn and shaded, and there is absolutely no personality to them whatsoever".[39] Eric Luce also praised the graphics and animation stating: "The producers of this show are pushing many boundaries in composition and editing. [sic] this show is probably one of the best uses so far of integrating the two".[40] Bryce Coulter of Mania criticized the plot stating: " The flashy production and great musical score doesn't mean a whole lot without a decent plot. Blue Submarine No. 6 tends to ride the fence in this area".[41] Carlos Ross of THEM Anime Reviews initially praised the series for its graphics, plot and characters. However a decade after the review and CGI and cel shading became the norm in animation, he updated his review criticizing the characters and plot. He had since referred it as a transition between classic "acetate age" and the modern computerized form of Japanese animation.[42]
For the Blu-ray release of the OVA, Anime News Network gave a more positive review stating: "Despite some dated-looking CG, on the whole Blue Submarine No. 6 stands up surprisingly well. Its writing flaws may have become more apparent over time, but it can still be a thrilling view and its roughly 120 minute total length keeps the story so compact that viewers do not have much opportunity to get bored".[43]Helen McCarthy in500 Essential Anime Movies claimed that anime had "an interesting story, beautifully animated, with some jaw-droppingly good design concepts". She praised the characters design, especially Zorndyke's and stated that director Maeda "is one of the most imaginative visualists in anime".[44]
