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Tales of Byston Well: Garzey's wing
(バイストン・ウェル物語 ガーゼィの翼, Baisuton
Ueru Monogatari Gāzei no Tsubasa
?) is a cult classic three episode anime OVA by acclaimed Japanese director Yoshiyuki
Tomino. The series was a flop in mainstream anime culture at
the time of its release, but remains as an example to all directors
of how a project can have some good ideas, yet fall apart in
production.
Plot
It is clear that Garzey's Wing has a minimal plot at the best of times, so most ideas of the
purpose must be extrapolated. The protagonist Chris is suddenly
whisked away to a parallel world while his
physical body remains in his home world. Chris' spiritual manifestation
travels to a new world, where he is thrust into a rebellion. Chris is told to
fight against slave owners and the King's army as the slaves of the
Metomeus tribe make their escape
from the palace at Izumido. The Ashigaba army fights back with
horses, bows, and dinosaur-like creatures called War beasts. The
series centers around the slave's escape, the conflict between the
King's army and the slaves, as well as Chris' struggle to make
sense of his convoluted situation. While one Chris is in Byston
Well surrounded by 12th and 13th century foreigners and being
chased by a real army, earth Chris must do Chi, spiritual
unification, to strengthen his mind. He must stay alive in Byston
Well in order to not only attend his high school class reunion pool
party, but also to protect his very life.
Characters
Human
Christopher Senshu
- voiced by: Rick Nagel (English dub)
- Chris is the popular main character in the film. The story in
based around him and his adventures in Byston Well. He is depicted
as a regular half Japanese, half Caucasian boy who
is trying to get into college but has already failed the college
entrance exams twice now. He can turn into Garzey's Wing when he or
someone that he cares about is in grave danger. He is
easy-going.
Rumiko
- voiced by: Suzy Prue (English dub)
- A close personal friend of Chris who helps him get through the
rough times as he is fighting in Byston Well. Some viewers might be
convinced that there is a romantic relationship between Chris and
Rumiko, though it is never clearly stated in the dialog.
King Fungun
- voiced by: Keith Howard (English
dub)
- The ruthless king, who lives in a palace in the city of
Izumido, which was built on the backs of the countless slaves he
has. Aware of the great powers of the Baraju Tree, King Fungun lets
the slaves escape in hopes that they will lead him to the tree,
where he then will be able to take it over from the Metomeus by
force.
Zagizoa
- voiced by: Greg Stuhr (English dub)
- General of the War beast army corp. Came back to assist the
King after he caught wind of the attack while fighting the savage
Western tribe.
Lord Gelgog Aji
- General of the Ashigaba who dies when a limestone cave
collapses. He had a scruffy beard and shoulder length brown
hair.
Leelince
- voiced by: Amanda Goodman (English dub)
- A female warrior among the slaves. She takes a position of
semi-leadership in the escape. She is able make contact with a
hooded figure who is a valuable fighter for the cause. She also
exemplifies an attitude of jealously towards the relationship
between Chris and Hassan-san. She is able to overcome her jealousy
through a single shot of her shown in inversed colours in episode
3.
Hassan-san
- voiced by: Victoria Shea (English dub)
- The priestess who is able to summon Chris to Bryston Well,
using the eight Earthenware bells made from special blue
clay. It is questioned how such a devious mind can hide in such
innocent beauty. A more serious indictment comes from the general
of the war beasts when he accuses Hassan-san of being a fake maiden.
Weather or not these claims have any backing has the potential to
tarnish an otherwise wholesome reputation.
Aishe and Tance
- Aishe (pink hair), and Tance (green hair), are Hassan-san's
children. While they claim their hands simply aren't enough to ring
the eight bells, they are able to pull though in the end.
Lord Ketta Keras
- Supreme Commander of the Metomeus.
Chifuchi
- A Metomeus lieutenant.
Domon
- A Metomeus lieutenant. Leader of he suicide squad.
Giant Tawrad
- Leelince finds Giant Tawrad and he is able to come to the
rescue of the Metomeus when all hope seems lost. He comes and goes
in the later part of the series, fighting the war beasts because,
like many other people, he is morally dissatisfied by the
dictatorship in Byston Well. It is pointed out that he has
distinctive facial features which are often associated with the
Garode tribe in the North.
Ondel
- Food gatherer leader for the Metomeus.
King Solon
- Left money for the tribe somewhere, presumably near the Barju
Tree.
Kurino
- Hassan's assistant. Covers the bells so they can bake, and
provides firewood.
Sechuku
- Hassan's guard.
Lord Tawazzan
- He helps with the invention of the uses and has a bowl cut.
Chris' other friends
- Chris' other friends show a true, genuine sense of friendship
towards Chris. It is evident when they believe Chris and don't even
question the possibility that Chris might be going crazy when he
starts to feel sick and begins communicating with the Chris in
Byston Well. Other then their undeniable trust and friendship
towards Chris, they are also sexy. One who is specifically names is
Ms. Tarsier.
Fellarios
- The equivalent of fairies in the natural world. For some reason
they are not trusted in Byston Well, which puts you under the
impression that an event in the past may have resulted in a grudge
between species. Another theory is that the Fellarios are not
respected because of the appearance, or stature. The Fellarios are
accused of being tricky and mischievous creatures in Kastunga
Hill.
Falan Fa
- voiced by: Roxanne Beck (English dub)
The only Fellario depicted throughout the story, who guides
Chris as he adapts to his new world. She is introduced when she
gets tangled up in Chris's necklace as he is moving between the
real world and Byston Well. She also provide sound advice to Chris
and the others when faced with perilous situations.
Grandma Moai
- voiced by: Bobby Fung (English dub)
Grandmother to the main Fellario. She does not appear in the
anime. She lives on Kastunga Hill with Falan Fa.
Creatures
Daragau
- These are the most feared of the War Beasts, because of the
size, and vicious nature. They are about 30-35 feet tall, mainly
brown and Grey, with a large orange spike on their head to use in
battle.
Dragorol
- Reptilian creatures found in the Boundless Plains of
Gabujuju.
Bandou-ran
- Smaller pink creatures used by the War Beast Army Corps. to
carry single soldiers into close combat situations. Their
descriptions are similar to those of dinosaurs commonly known as raptors.
Unknown
Yamato Takeru no Mikoto
- A character that is mentioned numerous times throughout the
movie, but never seen. The English voice actors have
trouble with the pronunciation with this name in particular. He is
most likely a reference to Yamato Takeru, of Japanese legend.
Narrator
- While only having brief lines throughout the anime, His most
notable role is in the introduction of Garzey's wing when Chris is
taken away by the giant duck. The Narrator is controversially
referred to as being a ghost when Chris breaks the fourth wall by asking
him "WHAT THE WHO ARE YOU A DAMN GHOST!?" and the narrator/ghost
replies with "Why do think this is the work of a ghost?" His true
identity may forever remain a mystery to the viewers, but it is
safe to assume that he might also be an eligible candidate in being
the renowned and celebrated Yamato Takeru no Mikoto.
Themes
Humanity at
heart
The leader of the slaves, who is represented through a bearded
old man, follows a strict belief that "humans are just human",
which can also be understood as the moral of this tale in Byston
Well. Chris is only human so he can only act as human through his
human nature to protect human kind. Although it may seem to be a
deep concept to grasp, the idea can easily understood after a
thorough analysis of the anime.
Reception
The film was unsuccessful everywhere when it came out, and was a
stain on the career of the otherwise very popular director
Yoshiyuki Tomino. Anime fans cringed at the horrible dubbed audio, pacing, and flow. The animation in general was poor but was not the
worst of its time. However, The music in the anime has been praised
as being phenomenally powerful yet equally endearing
. Notable pieces
of music include the ending theme song "Wings Of My Heart" and the
fight scene music between Chris and Rumiko.
Media
Theme
Songs
- WINGS OF MY HEART (Ending Theme)
- Performance: Magesty
- Lyrics: Shiro Sagisu
- Composer/Arranger: Shiro Sagisu
Staff
- Yoshiyuki
Tomino: Writer, Director, script, creator, storyboard.
- Shiro Sagisu: Music
- Kenichi Ohnuku: Character Design
- Kip Kaplan: ADR Director
- Reiko Matsuo: Translation
- John
O'Donnell: Executive producer
- Stephanie Shalofsky: Producer
- Karel Havle: Dubbing Coordinator
- Christopher Sippel: Dubbing Manager
- Phil Bachoo: Production Assistant
Related
External
links
U.S. Manga Corps
Wikis
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