Plastic Little is one of the most entertaining OAVs to be subtitled this year. Released by Sony Music Entertainment/MOVIC and subtitled by A.D. Vision, Plastic Little is the rambunctious story of Captain Tita and the crew of the Cha Cha Maru, a Pet Shop Hunter submarine that prowls the cloud seas of Yietta in search of exotic animals. When Tita crosses paths with the lovely young girl Elysse, she and her crew become embroiled in a military conspiracy to overthrow the govenment of Yietta led by the remorseless general Guinzel. The fantastic adventure that follows will entertain and excite you as there is never a dull moment when Captain Tita takes to the seas with the crew of the Cha Cha Maru.
The two individuals most responsible for the overall look and feel of Plastic Little are Masayori Sekimoto and Satoshi Urushihara. Screen writer Masayori Sekimoto has created an excellent story filled with engaging characters and settings that blend elements of the exotic with emotions so genuine that the characters are both fantastic but yet every bit as real as you and I. Satoshi Urushihara brings these characters to life as character designer, key illustrator, and director. Urushihara's character designs are animated with great attention to detail and a lavish use of colour. In fact the quality of the overall animation is exceptional, rivaling some of the best animation of feature films. Urushihara also shows his skill as a director in the superb pacing and framing of the many action sequences.
Complementing this mix of well crafted story and top notch animation is the musical score of Tomino Terashima, The music of Plastic Little is interwoven throughout the story in such a way that it accents the feelings of the characters rather than overpowering the action. All of these elements are interwoven into one fantastic romp through a world of action and high adventure.
As Plastic Little begins, a scientist and his young daughter flee through dimly illuminated corridors. Elsewhere a government agent apologises to his excellency Guizel as the traitor and his daughter have yet to be apprehended. Guizel's stare is cold and emotionless as he regards his subordinate; the scientist and his daughter must be stopped... at any cost.
Later the same day we find ourselves in the hotel room of a young girl named Tita, none other than the renowned captain of the Cha Cha Maru. The Cha Cha Maru is down for repairs and Tita is partaking in one of her favourite shore leave activities - she is oversleeping. Arising just before noon Tita sets off to bring lunch to her crew who are busy making some minor repairs.
As Tita finishes her shopping expedition she runs into the girl the Guizel had been seeking. Too distraught to offer more than a breathless apology Elysse runs on through the streets of Yietta. Tita has no more than a moment to ponder the poor girl's situation before she is bowled over by several black clad troopers persuing Elysse. Not willing to leave well alone, Tita comes to Elysse's rescue and the two begin an adventure that will place them in direct conflict with Guizel and his entire army.
You might think that the captain of one lone ship wouldn't be much of a match for an entire army, but when that captain is Captain Tita, well let's just say that Guizel is in for the fight of his life.
Tita: Voice actress Yuriko Sezaki plays the role of the Cha Cha Maru's young captain. Tita is a friendly and rambunctious girl who tends to think with her heart rather than her head. Tita is trusting and open, indeed she is one of the most unabashed people you could ever hope to meet. Her unassuming nature tends to endear her to her friends, her perculiar spirit infecting them and leaving them with the feeling that so long as Tita is with them everything will work itself out somehow. As a voice actress Yuriko Sezaki gives a wonderful performance not just by capturing Tita's childish qualities, but by being able to portray the depth of emotion often hidden away, masked by Tita's boisterous nature.
Elysse: Hekiru Shiina demonstrates her considerable skill as a voice actress in the role of Elysse. Elysse is a strong willed young girl who has been thrust into a nightmarish situation. She has lost her father, really she has lost everything in the world, yet she is able to summon the strength to continue to defy Guizel and his murderous minions. Elysse finds an unexpected ally when she runs into Tita, who later helps her to elude Guizels troops. Although taken aback at first by Titas openness Elysse comes to trust her and the two of them become inseparable. Together, along with the crew of the Cha Cha Maru, they set off to thwart Guizels ambition.
Balboa: Voice actor Norio Wakamoto puts in an excellent performance as Balboa. An ex-military officer and now member of the Cha Cha Maru's crew, Balboa is the only one who seems to have no illusions about what it means to oppose Guizel and his military. Balboa is cold, calculating, and holds no illusions about the chances that the crew of the Cha Cha Maru might survive a confrontation with the military. However, his loyalty and concern for Tita overcome his better judgement.
Nichol: Voice actor Kappei Yamaguchi plays the role of ace pilot Nichol. Not much older than Tita herself, Nichol harbours a strong crush for his captain. Somewhat reckless and impulsive, Nichol is still a competent pilot and a caring individual. Nichol often seems swept along by events beyond his control as his friends drag him into one adventure after another.
Roger: Voice actor Takaanori Nakao plays the part of Roger, assistant to the Cha Cha Maru's chief engineer and close friend of Nichol. Roger is a bit more aggressive than Nichol and enjoys giving Nichol a hard time over his crush on Tita. Still, Roger is a good guy, although out of the Cha Cha Maru's crew he is the one most likely to go off half-cocked.
Mikail: Voice actor Sho Ohtsuka plays the role of Mikail, the Cha Cha Maru's oldest crew member and chief engineer. Mikail is the picture of a seasoned seaman. He has been at sea longer than some of the crew have been alive. His determination is unmatched by any of the crew save Tita herself. He and Balboa share a rocky but strong friendship as they are two of the most senior members of the crew.
Mei: Voice actress Keiko Yokozawa gives a charming performance as Mei, the Cha Cha Maru's long suffering medical officer. Mei is the kind of person that inspires a sense of ease and trust just by her mere presence. Mei is the only medical officer to an entire crew of people who seem bent on placing themselves in harm's way at every turn. You can't help but smile as Mei treats the various members of the Cha Cha Maru, admonishing them to be more careful only to have her advice blithely ignored. Through Mei's compassion you can sense the concerm she feels for her friends and the strength that she possesses, Mei is one of thc most entertaining characters in Plastic Little and Keiko Yokozawa does an excellent job of bringing her to life.
Guizel: Voice actor Hiroshi Iknaka plays the role of Guizel, a ruthless military officer bent on overthrowing the government. Guizel is emotionless, calculating, and possesses a calous disregard for the lives of others, in effect the perfect military officer. However, he is also ambitious, arrogant, and overconfident to a fault. In fact it is this overconfidence that is most responsible for Guizel's difficulties in dealing with Tita and the crew of the Cha Cha Maru.