Out of Print Anime #2 - Roots Search

During the late 1980s, Japan went through an economical boom that saw the country being flushed with cash. While the rapid adaption of VHS players saw the rise in straight to video, anime projects that bypassed the creative restrictions of advertiser driven television. The result of all this money and creative freedom was an avalanche of OVAs, some good, but many would fade into obscurity like Roots Search.

Released in Japan in 1986 before receiving an English subtitled release courtesy of Image Entertainment in 1993. Roots Search is an Alien knockoff similar to Lily Cat albeit with poorer execution.

The anime kicks-off with woman on a research facility undergoing brain experiments before the staff receives a distress signal from a space ship called the Green Ship. Stop me if you have heard this set-up before.

After landing on the Green Planet, the crew finds a single survivor and a mysterious Alien that is simply dubbed X. Taking no chances the Captain orders the Alien to be jettisoned into space like pickles from a cheese burger. But it doesn't take long until he returns to attack the crew using his psychic abilities. 

Three of the crew members meet their Waterloo, leaving the two survivors to fall in love with each other and have weird fantasies where they prance around naked. After snapping out of la-la land, they decide to initiate the space station's self destruction sequence and escape in the Green Planet. Unfortunately everything goes tits up and they get caught up in the blast.



Despite my Grade 8 physics teacher telling me that people die in explosions, our heroes come out unscathed. At the 40 minute mark, the anime simply ends with no conclusion or resolution. Either the production crew ran out of money or they were leaving the door open to a sequel that was never green lit.

The saddest part is Roots Search had potential. The concept of an invisible Alien that attacks people through mind manipulation is an intriguing vehicle for horror. But is lost upon the anime's poor pacing, abysmal music and dreadful animation. It's obvious the film had a tiny budget, as the Alien is never animated beyond a single key frame.

Unsurprisingly, the OVA has been out of print for over 25 years and will most likely remain lost to time. It was popular enough in Japan to receive a vinyl release of the soundtrack and a movie comic adaption for those who didn't want to shell out 9,800 yen for a VHS copy. A Spanish dub was produced for Latin America but I haven't had the chance to listen to it.