Moldiver

Moldiver (モルダイバー, Morudaibā) is a 6-episode 1993 OVA anime series. It is a parody of magical girl and superhero anime series.

Moldiver
Cover art from the DVD release of Moldiver
モルダイバー
(Morudaibā)
GenreAdventure, Comedy, Magical Girl, Mecha
Original video animation
Directed byHirohide Fujiwara
StudioAIC
Pioneer LDC
Licensed by
Released February 25, 1993 – November 25, 1993
Runtime30 minutes
Episodes6
Manga
Written byShimpei Itoh
Published byTokuma Shoten
ImprintShōnen Captain Comics Special
DemographicShōnen
Original runJune 1993 – July 1994
Volumes3

Plot

The plot focuses on a young girl by the name of Mirai Ozora, living in Tokyo in the year 2045. Being obsessed with her hobbies of shopping and modeling, one would never expect her big brother Hiroshi to be a brilliant inventor for ZIC, a major technological corporation.

It all begins with Hiroshi's invention of the "Mol-Unit", a device capable of allowing an object to operate outside of the normal laws of physics. Flight, super-speed and strength, invulnerability, all capable through the Mol-Unit's power. The only catch, however, is that it can only stay active for a limited time, only 666 seconds (just over 11 minutes).

Such a device would have changed the world on a whole, but Hiroshi's motives for its invention are not so much for the world as it is for his own ego. Using the Mol-Unit and its power, Hiroshi develops a new superheroic personality for himself, Captain Tokyo.

After his initial debut, "Captain Tokyo" becomes a media sensation, and Hiroshi eats it up. However, things backfire when, out of curiosity, Mirai finds the Mol-Unit and tampers with the costume it generates, giving it a more feminine appearance. In doing so, the Mol-Unit malfunctions, causing the costume to randomly alter between Hiroshi's design and Mirai's. Upon realizing this, Hiroshi is forced to lend the Mol-Unit to Mirai, whose own personal use for the device seems to be more lighthearted than her brother's.

However, things are not right in Tokyo. A mysterious man by the name of "Dr. Machinegal" (actually an old friend and teacher of Hiroshi's, Professor Amagi) and his personal robot army, among them the destructive android group known as the "Machinegal Dolls" (all named after famous models and actresses) is bent on causing havoc upon the world. To make matters worse, Nozumu, the youngest of the Ozora siblings, has developed his own Mol-Unit and created a supervillain persona to oppose his brother and sister out of spite. Completely unaware of such events at first, but obligated to do something, Mirai finds herself thrown into the world of superheroism, which she takes in stride.

Episodes and home releases
#TitleJapanese release dateEnglish release date
1"Metamorforce!"February 25, 1993 (1993-02-25)June 1, 1994
2"Overzone"March 25, 1993 (1993-03-25)June 29, 1994
3"Longing"June 25, 1993 (1993-06-25)July 27, 1994
4"Destruction"August 25, 1993 (1993-08-25)September 7, 1994
5"Intruder"September 25, 1993 (1993-09-25)September 28, 1994
6"Verity"November 25, 1993 (1993-11-25)October 26, 1994

The word "Moldiver" is spelt out using the first letter of the first five episode titles and the first three letters of the episode title for episode six (Metamorforce!, Overzone, Longing, Destruction, Intruder, Verity).

Moldiver was originally released on VHS and LaserDisc in dubbed and subtitled versions by Pioneer LDC between June 1, 1994 and October 26, 1994. All six episodes were later released by Pioneer on one dual-layered DVD in 2001.

Other appearances

The OVA was later followed by a Moldiver manga by Shinpei Itou (the writer of Hyper Doll), which ran in "Shōnen Captain".

Moldiver also makes a cameo appearance in episode 8 of the Tenchi Universe series, "No Need for a Genius". In it, Moldiver is Mihoshi's favorite TV show.

Soundtrack
  • Opening: Go! Go! Moldiver (Japanese version performed by Yukana Nogami, English version performed by Molly Pasutti)
  • Ending: Time Limit (Japanese version performed by Yukana Nogami, English version performed by Molly Pasutti)
  • Insert song (episode 2): Falling in Love in the 20th Century (Japanese version performed by Nariko Fujieda, English version performed by Molly Pasutti)

Voice cast

Further reading
  • Beveridge, Chris (April 24, 2001). "Moldiver". Mania. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015.
  • Ross, Carlos. "Moldiver". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews.
  • Toole, Mike (October 18, 2003). "Moldiver". Anime Jump.
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