Birth (anime)

Birth (バース) (also known in the West as Planet Busters or The World of the Talisman) is a 1984 anime OVA, which was released on VHS and DVD in North America by, variously, Streamline and ADV Films. The Japanese DVD was released by video game developer Atlus.

It is based on a far futuristic planet where four mercenaries try to find the ultimate weapon which can either save humanity or destroy it. Against mechas and strange races, together they sweep the vast planet to reach their goal.

Aqualoid was a prosperous planet, but an attack from a mysterious life force, the Inorganics, transforms it into a post-apocalyptic shell of its former self. When Nam finds a mysterious sword, he is suddenly the object of a planet-wide chase. With the Inorganics closing in, will Nam and his friends discover the secret of the sword and save their world? Or will they destroy Aqualoid in favor of a new Birth?

The movie is considered by many animation experts to be one of the best portrayals of the work of Yoshinori Kanada, one of Japan's most widely acclaimed and influential key animators. One of the other noteworthy animators on Birth was a young Hideaki Anno, who would go on to direct some of the most influential anime of the late 1980s and 1990s, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion.

English dubs
Two English dubs of the movie exist; the most recent (ADV, 2004) is true to the original Japanese, but the version produced in 1987 by Harmony Gold(Streamline), originally titled The World of the Talisman and later retitled Planet Busters(1992), changes some of the character names, contains more American-style dialogue, alternate music and additional voice-overs, and tones down some of the more surreal Japanese humour (for example, an Inorganic who shouts the names of vegetables whenever it attacks is silent in this version) to appeal to a younger audience. It also presents the "Child Inorganic" character as a diminutive adult with a Max Headroom-esque stutter.

Characters
In order of appearance - ADV(2004) / Streamline(1992,1987) / Japanese (1984)
 * Monga - Matt Hislope / __ / Fuyumi Shiraishi
 * Mu-nyo - Cyndi Williams / __ / Chika Sakamoto
 * Rasa - Alexis Chamov / Sandra Snow / Miina Tominaga
 * Kim/Keen - Bradley Carlin / Ryan O'Flannigan / Kaneto Shiozawa
 * Bao/Mo/Pao - James Phillips / Greg Snow / Ichiro Nagai
 * Nam's Ostrich - Cyndi Williams / __ /
 * Nam/Talon - Brent Werzner / Tony Oliver / Kazuki Yao
 * Arlia - Gemma Wilcox / __ / Keiko Toda


 * Orange Mole - Robert S. Fisher / __ /
 * Inorganic Biker #1 - Robert Matney / A. Gregory / Ryunosuke Ohbayashi
 * Inorganic Biker #2 - Matt Hislope / __ / Yusaka Yara
 * Inorganic Biker #3 - Robert S. Fisher / __ / Kozo Shioya
 * Village Girl/Child - Samantha Inoue-Harte / Rebecca Forstadt / Noriko Tsukase


 * Grandma/Mother - Mary Agen Cox / Lisa Michaels / Reiko Suzuki
 * Grandpa/Father - Garry Peters / __ / Joji Yanami
 * Inorganic Biker Kid/Kooni - Jeffrey Mills / __ / Masahiro Anzai
 * Monster Octopus - Robert S. Fisher / __ / Miki Takahashi
 * Giant Inorganic - Vinnie Moxpar / __ / Yoko Kogayu


 * Monga's Tribe - Bigjyl, Jim Damm, Robert S. Fisher, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Wil Ragan, Jessica Simon, Ben Turrabiarte, Racel Vasquez, Dominic Vitucci, Kenny Weigel