Baoh the Visitor (OVA)
Baoh the Visitor (バオー来訪者, Baō Raihōsha) is a single-episode OVA adaptation of the manga series Baoh the Visitor by Hirohiko Araki. It was produced by Studio Pierrot and distributed by Toho and Shōnen Jump Video. The OVA premiered in select theatres on September 16, 1989 and was eventually released to VHS on November 1, 1989. A LaserDisc version was distributed on December 21, 1989.[1]
An English localization of the VHS and LaserDisc were released by AnimEigo on May 24, 1995 and June 6, 1995 respectively. The company followed with a DVD version on February 26, 2002. A Japanese DVD release by Toshiba Digital Frontiers was eventually distributed on April 2, 2003.
Release Dates
| Format |  Release Date |
 Release Date
|
|---|---|---|
| Theatrical | September 16, 1989 | N/A |
| VHS | November 1, 1989 | May 24, 1995 |
| LaserDisc | December 21 1989 | June 6, 1995 |
| DVD | April 2, 2003 | February 26, 2002 |
Summary
The story begins on a running armored train of the Doress Secret Organization. A little girl named Sumire has escaped her cell and is pursued by Sophine, one of the Doress' agent. Sumire is a psychic and uses her power to break into a fortified wagon where the containment of Baoh is overseen by Dr. Kasuminome. Sumire then turns a valve, causing a failure of the containment system which reveals a young boy with extraordinary strength and resilience. Sumire and the boy then escape from the train in the ensuing chaos.
Hours later, Sumire and the boy take a rest. The boy named Ikuro reveals that he's amnesiac while Sumire explains her past as an orphan. Suddenly, an assassin from the Doress organization stabs Ikuro from behind. Ikuro and Sumire then flee on a motorbike with the assassin pursuing them. The assassin eventually ambushes Ikuro and inflicts mortal wounds with his combat knife, but Ikuro partially turns into Baoh, heals his wounds and kills the assassin. Meanwhile, Kasuminome demonstrates the potential of Baoh to the sponsors of the Doress organization and Dordo, an elite enforcer of the organization, also shows that bullets to the head and fire can kill the Baoh. Dordo is then deployed with a death squad to hunt down Ikuro.
Ikuro and Sumire take refuge in an abandoned building. Ikuro remembers a car crash and the subsequent experimentations Kasuminome has performed on him. Sumire senses the death squad coming and a battle ensues. Sumire is knocked out in the struggle but Ikuro fully turns into Baoh and decimates the squad. When Dordo takes Sumire hostage, Baoh uses his stinger hairs to melt Dordo's skin, only to reveal that Dordo is a cyborg whose loss of skin is a minor inconvenience. Fleeing with Sumire, Dordo goads Ikuro to come to the Doress HQ to take her back.
Back at the HQ, Kasuminome torture Sumire so that Ikuro can sense her suffering and lure him closer. Ikuro scales a cliff leading to the HQ and is ambushed by Dordo on a helicopter who tries to shoot him with an explosive bullet. However, Baoh manifests a new ability and projects an energy field returning to bullet to Dordo, destroying the helicopter and killing the agent. Baoh enters the HQ but a psychic on Doress' orders confronts him. Walken is a powerful psychic but Baoh eventually throws a sharp arm-blade into his skull, taking him out. Desperate, Kasuminome engages the self-destruction of the building.
Ikuro breaks into Sumire's cell, disables the laser defense set up in the room and revives her. Meanwhile, Walken has regained consciousness; the arm-blade has destroyed Walken's bandana which was a psychic limiter, driving him berserk. Walken confronts Ikuro and opens a hole on the ground, making everyone fall into a cavern including Kasuminome and Sophine who were in an escape pod. Ikuro silently points out to an escape route and Sumire leaves him after a tearful goodbye. In the ensuing battle against Walken, Baoh prevails by using a laser to his advantage, and Walken, Kasuminome and Sophine die. The cavern collapses.
Years later, Sumire is still free and is shown waiting by the beach near the HQ, knowing that Ikuro is slumbering in the depths of the ocean.
Cast
Protagonist Voice Actor(s):Hideyuki Hori
Voice Actor(s):Brian Hinnant
Ally Voice Actor(s):Noriko Hidaka
Voice Actor(s):Kem Helms
Villain Voice Actor(s):Ichiro Nagai
Voice Actor(s):Mike Way
Villain Voice Actor(s):Shuichi Ikeda
Voice Actor(s):Dave Underwood
Villain Voice Actor(s):Yō Inoue
Voice Actor(s):Sara Seidman
Villain Voice Actor(s):Yusaku Yara
Voice Actor(s):Chuck Denson
Villain Voice Actor(s):Ikuya Sawaki
Voice Actor(s):Sean P. O'Connell
Villains Voice Actor(s):Shinya Otaki
Masaharu Sato
Ikuya Sawaki
Voice Actor(s):Marc Matney
Mark Franklin
Paul Johnson
Villain Voice Actor(s):Kōzō Shioya
Voice Actor(s):Patrick Humphrey
Villains Voice Actor(s):Michitaka Kobayashi
Voice Actor(s):Jim Clark
Kevin Greenway
Nick Manatee
Neutral Voice Actor(s):Tomoko Maruo
Voice Actor(s):Sandy Clubb
Credits
Hiroki Takagi
Shoichi Masuo
高木弘樹
増尾昭一
Tomohiro Hirata
Takahiro Omori
Akiyuki Shinbo
Takahiro Kishida
Masaya Onishi
Toshiyuki Kubooka
Takuya Saito
Ken Ueno
Shuichi Chidao
Ryuichi Makino
Hidekazu Ohara
Shigeki Kuhara
Kia Asamiya
Suzuki Shunji
Ozeki Noriko
Yoshimitsu Ohashi
Hiroshi Yoneda
Hiroki Takagi
Susumu Nishizawa
Shoichi Masuo
平田智浩
大森貴弘
新房昭之
岸田隆宏
大西雅也
窪岡俊之
斉藤卓也
上野 賢
千田尾秀一
牧野竜一
小原秀一
工原茂樹
菊池通隆
鈴木俊二
大関紀子
大橋誉志光
米田 宏
高木弘樹
西澤 晋
増尾昭一
Hidehara Nakahara
Masao Ichitani
Kosugi Mitsuyoshi
Momonori Taniguchi
Hitoshi Nagao
中原英統
市谷正夫
小杉光芳
谷口百範
長尾 仁
Gallery
Cover Artwork for Baoh Anime Video
VHS Tape Cover (US)
LaserDisc Cover (JP)
LaserDisc Cover (US)
DVD Cover (US)
DVD Cover (JP)
Chapter 136 Advertisement
Newtype 10/1989 Advertisement
Newtype 12/1989 Advertisement
- Baoh - Number 22.png
- Dr Kasuminome.png
Baoh and Ikuro
Ikuro breaks through the wall to save Sumire
Trivia
- The OVA premiered at select Toho Cinemas on September 16, 1989 with a VHS release date set for November 1, 1989. However, customers were allowed to rent the video at video rental shops beforehand starting from October 13, 1989.[2]
- Hirohiko Araki thought the OVA was really well made, especially considering the limitations on its production. However, he felt that it was a bit of a waste that it adapts both manga volumes into a single VHS. He would have liked to see the two volumes of the manga adapted separately.[3]
