Posted on June 7, 2022

Votoms Video, OVAs

The Last Red Shoulder

VHS: August 1985 / VHD: September 1985

First LD: July 1986

Second VHS: June 1991 / Second LD: August 1991 / DVD: February 2007

Big Battle

VHS: July 1986 / VHD: August 1986

First LD: December 1986

Second VHS: June 1991 / Second LD: August 1991 / DVD: February 2007

Roots of Ambition

First VHS: March 1988 / Second VHS: June 1991

LD: August 1991 / DVD: February 2007

Briefing I / Briefing II

Youmex, March 1994

These two half-hour documentaries were released in a single month along with the first episode of Shining Heresy. The first contained a conversation between Director Ryosuke Takahashi and Character Designer Norio Shioyama. The second contained a conversation between Mecha Designers Kunio Okawara and Yutaka Izubuchi. Both offered story info, including a slideshow covering in-universe history between the end of the TV series and the beginning of Shining Heresy.

The VHS releases are shown here. They were also included as bonus features with the series itself.

See Briefing II on Youtube here.

Shining Heresy

Ten years after the TV series concluded (34 years in-universe), Chirico Cuvie made his dramatic return in this 5-episode series that was released from March 1994 to January 1995.

The first VHS and LD volumes are shown above. Click here for a gallery of all five.

Shining Heresy was collected into a 3-disc LD box set titled Complete Collection IV (April 1999) and released on a 2-volume DVD set in February 2007. As mentioned above, each edition included Briefing I and Briefing II.

See the contents of Complete Collection IV here.

Pailsen Files

This 12-episode series, released on six volumes from October 2007 to August 2008, gave us a sort-of prequel to the TV series, though a lot of the storytelling choices create some major continuity problems.

Volume 1 (eps 1 & 2): October 2007 / Volume 2 (eps 3 & 4): December 2007

Each volume was released in two forms: a standard edition (video only) and a limited edition (bundled with an Actic Gear figure). This accounts for differences in the jacket designs; the standard edition of Volume 2 is at left, and the limited edition with its figure are shown at right. The English-language logo was printed on a clear sleeve surrounding them both.

Volume 3 (eps 5 & 6): February 2008 / Volume 4 (eps 7 & 8): April 2008

Volume 5 (eps 9 & 10): June 2008 / Volume 6 (eps 11 & 12): August 2008

Pailsen Files Movie, Collector’s Edition

The series was edited down to a 2-hour feature film shown in theaters January 2009, then this release followed in May. It contained a 32-page full color booklet and an exclusive soundtrack CD.

DVD Box

The full series was collected into a single set in July 2011, all 12 episodes on 3 discs with a booklet of Norio Shioyama’s jacket art.

Phantom Arc

The premise for this 6-episode series was to follow on from Shining Heresy and revisit the trappings of the TV series before sending Chirico off on a whole new mission in life. There has been no animated followup, but Ryosuke Takahashi continues the story in an online novella titled God’s Child

Volume 1 (ep 1): March 2010 / Volume 2 (ep 2): April 2010

Volume 3 (ep 3): June 2010 / Volume 4 (ep 4): July 2010

Volume 5 (ep 5): September 2010 / Volume 6 (ep 6): October 2010

Once all six volumes were released, they could be shuffled to reveal these two panoramic images by Norio Shioyama.

Votoms Festival, 2010-11

The most recent OVAs were released in a unique fashion, starting in movie theaters. Three all-new programs, each running between 40 and 50 minutes, played for a limited time and were later released to home video with booklets and bonus features such as premiere footage and interviews. The three “headliner” mecha were painted in this single image by Kunio Okawara for a 3-part movie ticket that you would pull apart and take to the theater.