''K.O. Beast'', known in Japan as , is an

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

series.

History

In 1993–1994, ''

Anime UK ''Anime UK'' was a British magazine founded in 1991 dedicated to Japanese animation and published for six years before ceasing publication in 1996. Peter Goll, Steve Kyte, Helen McCarthy, and Wil Overton founded the magazine in London. Publi ...

'', a British-based magazine, brought the first three episodes to the UK market on its own label (this was ''Anime UK''s only release). It was released in America by Right Stuf Inc. The American version made references to ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'' due to the voice cast having also worked for the dub of ''Pokémon''.

Story

The series is set in the distant future in which the Earth is split in two. The Southern Hemisphere is placed in another dimension, while the inhabitants of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

are able to morph into beast-like humanoids. Eventually the humans of the Southern Hemisphere, led by Uranus, attack the Beasts. The Three Beasts, Wan Derbard (Wan Dabadadatta) of the Tiger Tribe, Bud Mint (Baado Mint) of the Bird Tribe, and Mei Mer (Mei Mah) of the

Mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

Tribe, are taken prisoner along with Mei Mer's companion Tuttle Millen (Mekka Mannen, also of the Mermaid tribe), but manage to escape thanks to a little girl named Yuuni Charm Password. Together they seek Gaia, which they believe to be a fabulous treasure, but they are pursued by Uranus's minions: V-Darn the vicious mage-knight, V-Sion the warrior woman and Akumako, V-Darn's sadistic

imp IMP or imp may refer to: * Imp, a fantasy creature Arts and entertainment Music * IMP (band) a Japanese boy band Fictional characters * Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power'' * Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The L ...

-like partner.

Characters

The series has three main characters: *Wan – the male leader who dresses in red *Bud Mint – the male loner *Mei Mer – the female To these are added the child Yuni, who is female, and a bulky male Tuttle (so-written in the English subtitles) to complete a typical five-character adventure team. All but Yuni are "beasts" who usually appear in

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

form but who can easily

shapeshift In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest exist ...

. For instance, when Wan becomes angry or sneezes, he turns into a

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

, though he still wears his trousers, as does Bud, who becomes a

rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

when he is frightened or disgusted. Mei Mer's legs are replaced by a

porpoise Porpoises () are small Oceanic dolphin, dolphin-like cetaceans classified under the family Phocoenidae. Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals and Beluga whale, belugas than to the Oceanic dolphi ...

's tail; Tuttle becomes a sea turtle, his cumbersome body becoming an armored sphere. The first three are heroes of their tribes of beasts, each committed to protecting a magical statue of their tribe, which are called "Jinn". Each has a stereotypical childish desire: Wan is hungry, Bud Mint wants girls, Mei Mer wants wealth. In addition, Bud often begins his responses with English expletives or sayings. The joke is that the symbol of the US is the

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

, but he is a chicken. Their enemies are the human beings V-Darn and V-Sion, whose names involve a pun on the Japanese word for "beautiful", namely ''bi'' for ''v'', and the story begins with all heroes captured and taken to the enemy stronghold, and the three statues taken.

Voice cast

References

External links

* {{ann, anime, 884 1992 anime OVAs 1993 anime OVAs Environmental television Gainax Mecha anime and manga Post-apocalyptic anime and manga Television series about shapeshifting Imps Television shows about mermaids