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Parallel Dual Trouble Adventure

English Dubbed Version

Japanese title: Dual! Paralle lunlun monogatari

Released: 1999 

Version: DVD (Pioneer)

Approx. Rating: PG

Length: Approx. 350 minutes (90 -100 minutes per disc)

English Cast: Joshua Seth (as Kazuki Yotsuga), Wendee Lee (as Mitsuki Sanada / Miss Rah), Kirk Thornton (as Ken Sanada), Sherry Lynn (D), Barbara Goodson (as Akane Yamano), Zan (as Alice Sharome)

Dual! is from the creators of Tenchi Muyo. This means that it'll probably have confusing storylines, lots of chicks chasing after one guy, funny lines, good animation, and good actors. Dual! has all of these elements, but it's far less confusing than the original Tenchi Muyo OAVs were. While everything isn't quite explained, I would say that about 90% of Dual! is explained...you just have to watch it a couple of times to get it all.

The basic storyline is about a high school boy named Kazuki Yotsuga (pronounced "Cause-key Yoats-ka") who can see these HUGE mechs fighting nearby. No one else can see them, so they all think Kazuki is crazy. He writes about the battles and gives the mechs names on his own internet home page. This garners the attention of one of the prettiest girls in his school, Mitsuki (pronounced "Mitts-key) Sanada. Kazuki doesn't know what to make of this, but he walks her home and meets her flamboyant scientist father, Ken Sanada.

Mr. Sanada is a nut. He's also very amusing. Sanada ends up sending Kazuki to the world that has the mechs. It is an alternative world to the one he's used to living in.

Kazuki ends up saving a white-haired girl in a white mech. Kazuki drives the mech and soon after winning the battle he hooks up with Mitsuki (who somehow got there ahead of him) and visits Sanada's other. It's a little confusing to explain, but if you watch it, I think you will catch on. Anyway, it is explained that only women can operate the mechs and now that Kazuki has shown that he can do it too, he is needed as a pilot to stop the war that is going on. (This is the ultra-light version of events, in case you haven't figured that out yet!)

Eventually, we meet the white-haired girl again as well as a green-haired one. The white-haired girl is named Yayoi Schwael and she thinks Kazuki is her "prince." The green-haired girl is known as simply 'D' and she is a bio-roid alien being. It is her technology that was used by Sanada and the enemy, the Rara's, to build all these mechs.

The last major plot point to be explained is how this war thing works and what it's all about. It seems that some 15 years ago (or thereabouts) an artifact was discovered from an alien race. Somehow Rara got the original artifact and other pieces of technology, but Sanada got the alien girl and some of the info contained in the artifact. Rara (or, rather his wife) wants to control the world with his new-found power, although he explains it as needing to protect humanity from itself. Thus, Rara runs a "trailer" telling where and when he will attack a certain area to warn its populace that they need to evacuate that area. Sanada has his mechs fight Rara's. If either of their pilots gets in danger, Sanada or Rara can press a surrender button and end the battle so that no blood is shed.

That's the bare-bones of the show. It's quite a bit more complex, but I really can't explain everything without ruining the story. Suffice it to say that Kazuki ends up getting chased by four girls and it's done pretty tastefully. Also by the end of the series, the world(s) must be saved.

The Good Stuff:

The Bad Stuff:

While the story can be convoluted at times, I really enjoyed this anime. It's one of my favorites. It's only 13 episodes (not including the odd 14th "Special" episode, which is obviously a bridge to a future series that never materialized...at least, not yet) that makes you want to watch the entire series in one sitting. Highly recommended!