New Battle Athletes Anime

[Ryo-Okay]

Apparently someone decided now was the time to revive Battle Athletes.
https://myanimelist.net/news/60089882

[WarOmnimon]

It's airing in April! Confirmed to be a sequel following a 100 year timeskip.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-12-15/battle-athletes-daiundokai-restart-anime-video-reveals-cast-staff-april-2021-premiere/.167500

I'm surprised this hasn't been discussed more given how many people who followed Tenchi back in the day also followed Battle Athletes. I'm likely going to watch the original during the Winter 2021 anime season (Between all the stuff I'm watching that season of course) to get ready for this one.

Anyway, question for those who follow Battle Athletes. Which of the anime would you recommend over the other? The TV series, or the OVAs?

[Ryo-Okay]

A lot of Japanese Tenchi fans I follow on twitter seem excited for it.

[Harls]

Funimation confirmed to have it:

https://www.funimation.com/blog/2021/03/04/battle-athletes-victory-restart-joins-the-funimation-spring-2021-lineup/

[Kicksville]

I'm unsure if there's a better place for this, but let me know.

So the new anime keeps getting billed as an adaptation of the manga pictured at the top, Pale Blue Dot Battle Atheletes Daiundokai ReStart!, but from what we've seen it doesn't look like they're directly related beyond being part of the same reboot project: the new anime appears to be a sequel to the Battle Athletes Victory TV anime (probably), while the manga seems to start by referring to an ending that doesn't happen in either the OVA or TV series. I don't know if it's made up or referring to the old manga or something. And it could very well be that the anime is a sequel to the manga itself, which has been serialized for about a year now and recently ended.

But here's the crazy thing about the manga I'm not seeing talked about anywhere: It's a big AIC/Artmic mashup. On that initial manga promo image, those characters include Elaine and Diana from Genocyber, Rui from Hagane no Oni, Miki Morita from Wanna-Be's, and Naomi Armitage from Armitage III.

https://twitter.com/CptKicksville/status/1370800327717359616

There's varying degrees of importance to these appearances - the Genocyber and Hagane no Oni girls in particular have major roles, BD from Megazone 23 is the coach (!), etc, while there's more minor appearances of characters from El Hazard and Iczer.

And yes, there's Tenchi / Pretty Sammy stuff, but in a minor capacity, seemingly referenced in relation to flashbacks/exposition.




Checklist of series that appear, and this is just the ones I recognize immediately:

-Armitage III
-Wanna-Be's
-Megazone 23
-Blue Gender
-Dangaioh
-Tenchi (a little, as noted)
-Hagane no Oni
-Genocyber
-El Hazard
-Iczer
-Cybernetics Guardian
-M.D. Geist (mildly)

The broadcaster is Most Dangerous TV (M.D. TV), which seems to be referencing M.D. Geist. The announcer is Leyla Rosetta from Cybernetics Guardian.

As I noted there, it's still available to read for free (in Japanese) in parts:
https://comic.pixiv.net/works/7072
https://j-nbooks.jp/comic/original.php?oKey=199

...anyway, I hope that is interesting to someone. I've been feeling crazy since running into this and not seeing anyone talk about it anywhere.

[Ryo-Okay]

So the new anime keeps getting billed as an adaptation of the manga pictured at the top, Pale Blue Dot Battle Atheletes Daiundokai ReStart!, but from what we've seen it doesn't look like they're directly related beyond being part of the same reboot project:

I think what happened was that when the anime was announced news sites just assumed it was adapting the new manga. None did any research after the fact so they still think it's an adaptation of the manga instead of it's own thing.

And yes, there's Tenchi / Pretty Sammy stuff, but in a minor capacity, seemingly referenced in relation to flashbacks/exposition.

This is neat. Thanks for sharing this.

[Nonsuch Ned]

funny how I heard nothing more about this...
not really, apparently.
Just caught a 'worst of 2021" video... and wow... at least it looks hilariously awful...
https://youtu.be/k6EDqXuSaRc?t=845

[Harls]

That's about right.