Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re going to be examining another OVA from the format’s late ‘80s-early ‘90s heyday, as we check out Spirit of Wonder: Miss China’s Ring. This OVA was adapted from the overall Spirit of Wonder manga series written and illustrated by Kenji Tsuruta, who channeled his love of fantastical storytellers like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells into a series of steampunk-adjacent vignettes, with each chapter centering on a new character and a new marvelous invention.
Combining the playful storytelling of the great nineteenth century fantasists with the generous animation of the OVA era sounds like a great time to me, and Spirit of Wonder’s key staff also seem promising. The key director/animation director team of Mitsuru Hongo and Yoshiaki Yanagida would actually go on to reprise this partnership as the director/AD of the recent Ascendance of a Bookworm, while Hongo’s significant work on the Shin-chan franchise makes me suspect he’s a director with a clear eye for how boarding and character animation can play off and elevate each other. Meanwhile, fellow art director Ogura Hiramasa will likely be managing the background art, as his own credits as art director include such standouts as Royal Space Force and Patlabor the Movie. And with reliable hand Michuru Shimada (Little Witch Academia, Before Green Gables, Galaxy Express 999) handling the screenplay, I imagine Tsuruta’s tale will be adapted with absolute confidence. Let’s see what this spirit of wonder is all about!
Spirit of Wonder: Miss China’s Ring
We open on a blurry composition of a man smoking a pipe in a chair, his figure only visible as a silhouette left by the light behind him. He asks us if we know the story of the China Ring, and then sighs and says he’ll explain it. An excellent way to essentially frame the ensuing episode as a bedtime story, a fantasy whose details may be as blurry as our sleepy-eyed view of the storyteller himself
Though they’re obviously preoccupied with new inventions and discoveries that seemed just out of reach at the time, Wells’ and Verne’s stories are more timeless than you’d think; Wells’ comedy is sharp and whimsical, Verne’s grounded “adventure travelogue” prose adds a charming stateliness to his tales, and both understand the fundamentals of a properly satisfying fantastical voyage. It’s no surprise that both get steady adaptations throughout the years; rather than feeling dated, their work always feels refreshing, a reminder of a charming dramatic style that has at this point fallen enough out of favor to feel somewhat novel, in spite of having essentially set the aesthetic and tonal assumptions of what we now see as steampunk drama
An owl in flight leads us to a sleepy estate, where a woman calls for “Mr. Breckenridge,” who appears to be sneaking through the parlor. His design is light on linework but highly expressive; I appreciate the consistency of his shabby combover across his movements
We then meet a woman who could only be Miss China, given her cheongsam dress and Chun Li-style hair buns
The semi-realistic expressiveness of Mr. Breckenridge actually does remind me of Patlabor’s style, though of course, what I’m likely recognizing is the more general trend towards realistic character designs across the OVA era. The medium was attempting to expand beyond adolescent fare into adult markets, and such productions tended to embrace more realistic character art
The move to late-night TV time slots in the ‘00s seemed to more or less end that trend, prompting producers to double down on the core market rather than court general audiences
Then Miss China high-kicks right through the door. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re riffing directly on Chun Li here, though to be honest, Chun Li herself is embodying a common archetype across martial arts cinema (though generally her character is a waitress or proprietress like this, not a cop)
Oh, that’s unexpected. Miss China’s face is actually animated in the same realistic style as Mr. Breckenridge, with large but unexaggerated eyes and a prominent nose bridge. Also like how they’re animating her talking out of the corner of her mouth, like she’s biting her lip in exasperation while dictating terms to her unruly tenant
She’s got a nicely rounded design in general, with the roundness of her cheeks echoing her hair buns. A neat compromise between realistic features and geometrically simplified animation-friendly silhouettes
A lovely pan across the estate looking down to the bay and seaside village introduces us to the town proper. Between the romantic strings in the background and the beauty of this provincial scene, I’m immediately reminded of Anne of Green Gables – and then we learn that this is actually Prince of Wales Island, in the Alaskan panhandle. So, other side of Canada, but similar climate
Her restaurant is called “Tenkai”
The bustling restaurant shows off more of Yanagida’s semi-realistic and highly expressive character designs, again in a similar style to fellow art director Hiramasa’s Royal Space Force and Patlabor
I like how Miss China’s go-to expressions aren’t just cheerful smiles; she’s got a unique sort of self-conscious smile, demonstrating her preoccupation with work as she attempts to fend off her guests’ requests
Two men in impressive top hats arrive at the inn
Love their color-coded suits – one with a white jacket and black shirt, the other reversed
Yeah, some of these shots of Miss China are so good, emphasizing a specificity of bone structure that you don’t often get in anime, and thereby facilitating new expressive possibilities. This up-tilted expression as she announces Breckenridge’s guests is fantastic; it leans into both the prominence of her chin and depth of her nose bridge, her whole face evoking a sense of suspicious, guarded curiosity
Her eyes are also capable of a much wider range of expressions than you normally see in anime; the very fact that they’re not exaggerated means the animators can embrace the specificity and versatility of realistic expression shifts
“At last, the day when we can travel to the moon has come!” So it appears we’re doing a version of Wells’ The First Men in the Moon, given Breckenridge’s circumstances and the general tone of the drama. We’ve just replaced that story’s struggling young playwright with Miss China
His potential investors are not impressed with his blathering, and swiftly exit
Mr. Breckenridge’s expressiveness makes for a neat contrast with Miss China. While her prominent chin, upturned nose, and generally circular features collectively evoke a sense of youthful curiosity and suspicion, his features sag sideways and down across his face, presenting the impression of a huckster melting into his rented suit. She’s always visually rising, he’s always descending
His invention is a “Space Reflector,” which appears to be a kind of holographic mirror reflecting the space in front of it
Miss China is disappointed by his finicky invention, and promptly attempts to high kick it. She’s pretty great
A trip outside demonstrates Miss China’s consistency of upturned design elements, with eyes, nose, and chin all rising towards the sky. The combination gives her some strong “protagonist energy” – even without saying so, you can tell she’s ready to seize the day
These features also facilitate her befuddled and suspicious looks, which pretty much covers her main expressions
She meets a group of local kids on a stone bridge. I like how the general lightness of coloration and overall light saturation give these drawings the feeling of a weathered picture book, or perhaps a collection of pencil-sketched watercolors
A charming cut of the whole crew marching to the village only bolsters the Anne of Green Gables vibes. Couldn’t really ask for a better formative artistic influence than that
And now we meet Jim Floyd, Breckenridge’s assistant. Going by The First Men in the Moon’s narrative, this would actually be the story’s protagonist. Little surprise the anime version chose to instead prioritize the theoretical love interest, and also turn her into a cute high-kicking Chinese lady
Frankly, her character also rules in the original story. I’d check out the ‘64 film adaptation if you’re interested, which also offers some delightful Harryhausen miniatures
Miss China’s clearly got a thing for Jim here as well, and stares glumly as he conspires with the village girl Lily
“Looks like you’ve been a busy boy, staying out this late.” Miss China really nailing the disappointed spouse look
Oh wow, really impressive cut as the camera spins while Miss China chases Jim’s treasure. Smart use of the heavy shadows here; because the room is so dark, spinning the camera doesn’t necessarily require as many significant redraws. Still an impressive combination of animated fluidity and boarding though, with the spin amplifying the sense of Miss China’s speed
He distracts her by reminding her it’s her birthday tomorrow
Breckenridge claims he and Jim have already been to the moon, and now only need a way to secure proof of the voyage
Yeah, as it turns out, Jim was talking with Lily about a special present for Miss China’s birthday
Fun multiplanar cut detailing Jim’s walk up from the shoreline, with the heavy slope of the town represented by the houses’ cel layer sinking down to reveal more of the port beyond
Meanwhile, Miss China’s high kicking some unruly customers. I am immensely charmed by the fact that Kenji Tsuruta’s main complaint about First Men in the Moon was apparently “not enough high kicks”
Nice moonlit lighting as we jump to China and Jim enjoying a drink after closing. China’s silhouette fuses with the moon as she asks if Jim would like to work here, emphasizing the ephemeral beauty of this moment, the unlikeliness of its continuance
He says his true destiny is to be an inventor. They are just ships briefly passing in the night
Excellent smash cut from “I don’t get tipsy easily” to China collapsed among empty bottles of Johnny Walker
“It’s not like you to get so plastered! Stop it.” Ah, to be an anime protagonist who’s oblivious to the affections of the person nearest and dearest to them. What a life!
Soft pink and orange light falls over Tenkai as China sleeps off her liquor. The variations in sunlight cast upon Tenkai and the town offer a natural articulation of time’s steady passage, while also celebrating the various faces of this community at different times of day. An effect that feels very Takahata-like in general, Green Gables aside
Looking out the window, she sees that someone has apparently written “Happy Birthday to China” across the goddamn moon
Breckenridge is very proud of his lunar vandalism
Aw jeez. In her disarray the previous night, she actually broke Jim’s moonstone ring. As in the scene itself, their feelings just barely missed each other
The weather continues to echo her mood, with a predawn fog emphasizing her gloom and lack of direction as she attempts to practice her martial arts
China is too embarrassed to speak to Jim, which Breckenridge interprets as her “inability to appreciate such a fine gift.” Please do not take anything Breckenridge says about gender relations seriously, Jim
The newspaper surprisingly has no reflections on their moon writing – in fact, all of the headlines are Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel songs, from Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite to Bridge Over Troubled Water
Lily plays coy about having seen the words on the moon, saying “any normal person would never believe something like that could happen.” When faced with the fantastical, those without the courage or imagination to embrace it will doubt themselves, thinking it must have been just an illusion, a trick of the light
Thus China is the only one who believes in their mission, but she’s of course too embarrassed to say so
The only others who’ll admit they saw the words are the children, but their parents told them not to mention it. If you ignore fantastical whimsy, it can’t hurt you!
After her preoccupation eventually leads her to lose in a fight against a thief, China finally admits that the ring broke to Jim. Of course, he’s only concerned that the compression process of the moonrock made it unstable, which leads him to another scientific revelation. Smart, consistent use of circle motifs throughout, which seem to serve as portals of connection, encompassing eyes, rings, and the moon itself
“If I were to present you with another ring, would you accept it this time?”
Adorable bashful look by China in response
“I’ll be waiting for you, up on the Heath Hill, tonight at 10!” I’d love for their meeting to go well, but everything about this narrative’s structure and tone seems to imply these two will never truly unite – they will always be staring at each other through portals from different worlds, passing briefly on their separate journeys. Definitely a little bit of the Chang’e myth in this version of the tale
“Remember the Gravity Compressor that I built way back?” Presumably a variation on the gravity-reversing device that actually facilitated First Men in the Moon’s journey
I had never previously considered what you’d get if you put H.G. Wells, Chang’e, Anne of Green Gables, and Chun Li in a mixture together, but I’m certainly pleased by the results
The traditional box-patterned windows of Tenkai do an excellent job of creating visual drama within these compositions, either framing China directly or casting shadows across her
You can tell how much China cares about this rendezvous by the care she’s taken in her appearance; a more ornately patterned dress than usual, alongside lipstick, mascara, and tasteful earrings
Jim leads China to their “Space Reflex Telescope”
She learns Jim only visited the flower shop for their black market parts, but her response to this revelation is cut short by that cockblocking piece of shit Breckenridge
Another ambitious spinning cut accompanies Breckenridge’s explanation of his space-distorting telescope. As with the darkened shop, the night sky facilitates some convenient yet conspicuous camera movement
The telescope is capable of projecting a giant, physically tangible China within its projection array
Thus China becomes Chang’e, physically projected to the moon within their array
“I hope I’ve risen a little in your estimation.” Jim believes that conducting these experiments is proving his worth to China, when his worth has always been clear to her. Instead, these experiments demonstrate how he likely cannot stay at her side; his destiny lies somewhere far away, almost as far as the moon itself
I love how these character designs employ the actual shifts in your cheeks as your jaws move, offering these little details of dimples and puckered lips that add so much personality to their expressions. Rarely seen a show that takes such care in its animation of cheeks
Jim claims he’ll make a ring for her out of the whole moon, while she traces her own message on the moon beneath the birthday greeting
“What’d you write?” “It’s a secret.” China, billions of people are going to see that kanji
A very generous apportioning of convoluted mechanical devices whirring and beeping, always a pleasure
Still, seems perhaps ill-advised to attempt to compress the entire moon into a fashion accessory
With the machine’s power at its limit, only China’s own “butt-kicking power” can fully tame the moon
“Jim… will you help out at the shop?” After Jim frames this in terms of “our future,” China is swift to extract a series of concessions regarding precisely what that future will look like. Excellent negotiation skills, China
Their victory heralds a wondrous star shower
And the world returns more or less to normal, with Jim helping at Tenkai, and China’s self-smashed engagement ring now circling the earth
And Done
That was delightful! No surprise that something like this would be up my alley, but yes, a combination of H.G. Wells-inspired turn-of-century science fantasy and inviting, Takahata-reminiscent pastoral romance is just a lovely combination. Tsuruta’s main innovation on Wells’ narrative was Miss China herself, and she proved an exceedingly charming lead, offering a pragmatic counterpoint to her no-good inventor patrons and persistently demonstrating the character acting talents of this excellent animation team. Endearing, lovingly animated characters, a gorgeous, nostalgic country setting, and a whimsical love story ending in absolute tidal chaos for the world’s oceans – what more could anyone ask for?
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