Japanese distributor Happinet brought out the Babel II OVA series in April 2017 on Blu-ray for the first time and it blissfully wasn’t an upscale. Discotek Media had picked up the DVD rights a bit before that and a lot of folks were holding out in hope that they’d bring it out on Blu-ray as well. It’s now being planned for release later in 2018 with it including the Streamline dub as well as the Japanese language track with subtitles and will be the HD restored edition out of Japan. Firm dates and pricing will be coming in the near future.
The Japanese release was listed as a luxury remaster and has two discs with the four episodes on one disc and the second including the original soundtrack CD.
The series is based on the manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama which ran for twelve volumes in Shounen Champion between 1971 and 1973. It’s been adapted into an anime property a few times over the years.
Plot concept: Life seems simple for Koichi, a young student, until he learns that he is the reincarnation of an alien protector who crashed onto the mantle of responsibility as “defender of the Earth,” Koichi/Babel teams up with a trio of super-powered alien companions to battle the dark forces of an evil cult leader. The war to save humanity takes Babel from the deserts of southern Asia to the upper east side of Manhattan and ultimately to a final showdown with “the master” in a hidden base nestled in the Swiss Alps. The action is fast-paced and deadly. The fate of the world rests in the ability of this courageous youth to tame his latent psychic power and use it to defeat the enemies of mankind.
