Project Blue Earth SOS is a new OVA (Original Video Animation) which combines the stylings of retro-futuristic 1950s sci-fi with scenarios similar to those found in various "super robot" shows, except instead of a robot, the star machine in this show is a souped-up fighter jet. The plot goes like this: in 1995 a new type of propulsion system, the G-Reaction engine, was invented by Professor Brest (don't laugh, that really is his name, and if you thought that was funny you'll be rolling on the floor when you hear his daughter's name). He, along with Captain Clayton and a bunch of other United Army personnel, were part of a military project to put the G-Reaction engine into a fighter plane, the prototype of which was called the Trick Star. Unfortunately, during its maiden voyage, the Trick Star is enveloped by a strange rainbow-coloured light and vanishes along with its pilot.
A few years later, the G-Reaction engine is being used for lots of different things, and while there have been one or two strange occurrences it seems to be perfectly safe. The latest project to receive a G-Reaction engine is a special bullet train created by the Kimura Group, which is headed by 14-year-old genius boy Billy Kimura. Suddenly, before the opening ceremony is completed, another boy called Penny Carter (really) arrives on the scene unexpectedly with his dog Washington, and tells Billy to postpone the ceremony. Billy doesn't like dogs and is disinclined to do what Penny says, but just then the train is lifted into the air and swallowed up by a strange rainbow light.
Episode 1 covers the discovery that these mysterious disappearances are in fact the work of alien invaders, and the defeat of their first major incursion by the Sky Knight, an upgraded version of the G-Reaction enhanced fighter plane. The episodes are about twice as long as regular anime episodes, so there is plenty to get your teeth into, and the second episode airs on Japanese TV on the 6th of August.
At the time of writing, Project Blue Earth SOS is not currently licensed for distribution in the United States, and episode 1 has been fansubtitled by Ureshii. Please support your local anime companies by purchasing this title on DVD when it becomes available in your territory.
