PC Engine Fan: Anime Freak Vol 1 By MissaFX

The Anime Freak series was the PC-FX’s version of a DVD Magazine and was a bi-yearly CD-ROM only publication by NEC which detailed current anime releases as well as allowed anime fans to watch Anime movies as well as to demo PC-FX games much like the much later created Playstation Magazine. The AF creators also included some other interesting things on these discs since they were pretty much the only demo discs made for the system and sold in stores as time went on. Some of these things are NEC store locators, FX game character (usually or always female) artwork, game info, anime info, mini games and even an original anime series only on the FX. It’s too bad no fan made FX-GA games were ever included as playable games/demos, but had the FX taken off more, I think we might have started to see some.

The first feature on the disc is their always included inside feature on some anime. This month it is that Japanese Little Red Riding Hood show. I don’t know what it’s called and I don’t care too much to try to find out. It’s pretty long and shows you behind the scenes stuff on the show as well as some random clips from the show. The video is 1/2rd screen but the audio is a little overly compressed at times.

The PC-FX original animation Private Eyedol is the second feature on the disc. It features a magical girl with multiple powers including the ability to conjure big guns at will. She is called a Hyper Maid or Hyper Maiden and while she is actually playing a character on TV, she in real life has the same fairy friend her TV show character also has. This little fairy can float right in front of people’s faces and they often act like she isn’t there yet will respond vocally to her at times giving away the fact that they can se her too. I guess maybe everyone is just a perv and trying to stare at her fairy bum while she hovers there. From what I can tell the main character actually keeps in shape like a real idol star and doesn’t totally pig out like so many anime heroines. Shortly after eating a drug laced riceball she begins to see more fairies, but after a shower scene (probably so she could shake off some of the effects) danger strikes when some dude is caught going through her clothes basket. You have to watch to see what happens next. The video is full screen, near lossless but the audio is fairly low quality.

The third feature is a series of video clips from Megami Paradise. Beware the Softcream! … lol. For some reason after eating ice-cream the girl becomes hot and to cool off she feels it best to stretch out in the sun before nearly jumping into the water…but not quite. After a fun filled day at the park the date literally turns into some bastard mix of Dragon’s Lair and Fatal Frame, somehow though after the trauma is over and you are enjoying the sunset together, she actually thanks you for the date! What a poor woman. I mean what were we all planning taking her out to an abandoned Japanese shrine in the middle of nowhere at night? We’d all just met the girl. It’s all pretty shady if you ask me. The video is full screen, high quality and the audio is passable, a little better than the first 2 clips at least.

The fourth feature is Voice Freak vol 1 featuring the voice actress who played the main character in Wedding Peach. She related the number of abusive boyfriends she has had by having to use 2 hands to count them all and relates how her husband used to smash her hands when she didn’t make dinner fast enough. She goes on a shopping trip buying food after food item and by the end they show a list of about 10 things, I can only assume it is a complete list of everything on her binge. After a hard day of eating she goes to a very non-descript studio and sings some song for a few seconds. After a stroll on the harbor to relate all the warehouse fires she started as a child and the one time she had to stab a homeless man to death because he saw her in the act, she quickly runs off. To fill the rest of the time they show us some goods. Later that day they catch her shoplifting everything from disturbing masks to pointed sticks and the segment finishes off with her passing counterfeit currency off on an old lady. She overpays the old lady to throw her off but can barely keep from laughing about it as she steps away. It sure it hard work being an idol star! It varies between 1/3rd screen and 1/4th screen. Considering how freaking high her voice is the audio compression isn’t bad.

The fifth feature on the disk are two Karaoke songs. On each AF disc there are two songs generally with words at the bottom so you can sing along. I highly doubt you will know both songs well enough to sing along, I sure don’t. The video is full screen and looks great. The audio is strangely high quality and I am guessing these songs really eat up disc space.

The sixth item contains several things as well. One of them seems to be an anime release schedule and the other seems to be a directory of planned PC-FX games. 41 game are present on this list including some I am pretty sure never came out, which is pretty impressive since Anime Freak 1 came out in 1995. Anime Freak 2 and 3 are on the disc as future titles interestingly enough. The PC-FX icons on this screen are hilarious btw.

The seventh item contains a really brutal version of paper-rock-scissors. I have never had so much trouble winning at this game. The funny thing is that when you do defeat the woman she bonks a star out of her head for you…or at least that is how it looks on screen rofl.

The eighth item has a “Making of animefreak FX”, “User’s Voice” and a “Staff List”. The staff list shows off some interesting graphical effects and is the most worth looking at out of these three options even though it is only mildly entertaining.