Useless heroine

Samy and Marlon
A girl and her dog

Recently I spotted something called Choujikuu Romanesque Samy: Missing 99 OVA on AnimeSuki. It was written and directed by one Seiji Okuda, who has worked in various capacities on anime ranging from Ponyo to Dream Hunter Rem, so I thought I’d check it out. Well, sometimes there is a good reason why an old show remains obscure.

Samy, after transformation and armored. Note characteristic expression.
Samy, after transformation and armored. Note characteristic expression.

It’s the same kind of story as Leda — The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko: an apparently ordinary girl is transported to a fantasy world, where she allegedly has great powers. Unlike Yohko, however, Samy, as herself, never learns how to use her powers and just stands around uselessly as others fight to protect her. Her little non-magical dog is a more effective combatant than she is. The conceptual framework is a melange of Buddhist mythology, the Old Testament and Big Bang physics. It perhaps make a little more sense than RahXephon ultimately does, but that’s not saying much. With a more competent protagonist, Samy might have been watchable, but as it is, it’s a waste of time. I can’t even recommend it for fanservice.

Some guys apparently like their girls wimpy.
Some guys apparently like their girls wimpy.
More views like this, and a few more inches in the right place, would have improved the show.
More views like this, and a few more inches in the right place, would have improved the show.