Today’s subject is another curious bit of anime history. Cosmos Pink Shock is a strange little OVA produced by AIC on behalf of Animevision Magazine. This was a video magazine that, to my knowledge, featured a mix of original content, interviews, and discussions on currently-popular anime. Mitsuko was the magazine’s original character and so stars as the protagonist of this sci-fi anime.
Cosmos Pink Shock starts out with Mitsuko making an illegal departure from Earth in her spaceship. She has set out on a personal mission which sees her cruising through galaxies at breakneck speed, refusing to stop for anything or anyone. She passes by people who are experiencing all sorts of classic sci-fi stories of their own, completely disrupting their super-important battles or emotional achievements.
The story leans heavy on parody with some original comedy thrown in, neither of which works particularly well. Its parodies dunk on the standard retro sci-fi tropes with few surprises. The whole production has a rushed feeling to it which messes with the pacing and setup of the jokes themselves. Especially the first half of the OVA just feels too hyperactive for its own good.
Cosmos Pink Shock doesn’t even get around to introducing its protagonist until several sketches into the movie. When it does, Mitsuko fails to make much of an impression. She is a stubborn young girl, 17-years-old, and she is remarkably strong; that’s it. Her design is also not very pleasing on the eyes, which is an issue given how hard Animevision attempted to push for fanservice. Mitsuko herself repeatedly comments on her self-perceived sex appeal, there are several bathing scenes, and the plot makes it a point to list her measurements. They put more effort into trying to make her look sexy than they did in writing an actual plot around her.
Fanservice is also somewhat pointless in light of the anime’s poor animation. To be fair, it looks better than you’d expect from a promotional anime tied to a short-lived magazine. However, its few decent scenes are balanced out by instances where movement looks janky or strange. I’d maybe see this through the fingers if it really was an amateur production instead of a professionally-made anime by AIC. Nobody ever bothered to touch up the original release either, so versions of the OVA that linger to this day are hazy video rips that aren’t exactly visually appealing.
Also frustrating is how the Mitsuko’s quest is left entire inconclusive. Cosmos Pink Shock was released episodically so perhaps there the ambition to eventually complete her story, but production of the series stopped after the release of this compiled movie. Mitsuko was then phased out as the mascot of Anime Vision, making this OVA feel kind-of like a waste of time. It has its fun moments, but why even bother if it just spontaneously stops without a conclusion.
In the end, the history behind this anime is more interesting than the actual product. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, unless you’re interested in the concept of video magazines and can find complete releases of Anime Vision somehow.
