The train continues to run but new blood and sacrifices are needed in order to keep the thrill going.
What They Say
Track two is now boarding! Some towns have legends of haunted houses or underground communities in the sewers. But in Takumi’s town, the ultimate urban legend is the Midnight Sleazy Train. Desperate for a spot on the train, Takumi waits by the station after hours. But he finds that you can’t just buy a ticket. Only by bringing the perfect female guest can you ensure permission to come aboard.
The Review:
Audio:
The audio presentation for this release brings us the original Japanese language track in stereo along with the English language dub, both of which are encoded at 192kbps. The mix here is a standard stereo mix with the bulk of dialogue and moaninglogues coming through the center channel speaker. The stereo channels make use of the music score and some of the ambient sound effects which gives this a bit more life. Dialogue is solid and clear throughout and we had no issues with dropouts or distortions.
Video:
Originally released in 2004, the three OVAs are presented in their original full frame aspect ratio. The transfer for this show is very sharp and looks great for the time as at the timt it was a recent transfer that comes across really well here and still largely holds up. The colors are very vibrant without any noticeable over saturation, cross coloration is very minimal and the aliasing is almost non-existent. There’s some digital panning throughout that avoids looking bad which helps make this transfer really shine. Mixed in with the solid animation and character designs and it’s easy to just get into the show.
Packaging:
Though the cover is overly busy because of it, I adore how this piece came out overall with the image of one of the women laying back with her legs up but having her skin covered with the overlays of rail displays. Even better is the small logo in the top corner with the passengers groping. The back cover has a few shots from the show itself and a spaced out summary of what the shows premise is about. The discs production credits and features are all pretty clearly listed, and since there isn’t anything here besides the show, it’s pretty simple on the back. No insert is included with this release unlike the first volume.
Menu:
The static menu layout is nicely done with a mix of railroad imagery set to some skin showing here and there. The selections are laid down in a row with some rail imagery used to connect them along. With nothing on the disc but the show and trailers, the menus are quick and easy to navigate through and load fast and problem free.
Extras:
None.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The first series for Midnight Sleazy Train was a real surprise as it turned out to be a lot of fun with how it presented itself and in being something of an economic reform idea at the same time. The creation of the Sleazy Train, a train that runs after hours for men to board and have their way with pliant women, still runs nightly though the man who started it is not part of what this second series is about – though he does get a bit of a nod at one point.
This second series is comprised of three episodes plays up the legend of the midnight train where such unspeakable things occur. We follow a young man named Takumi who is desperate to find this train and to see what it’s about and become a part of it. He’s turned away constantly and told such a thing doesn’t exist but on one night he manages to stay aboard one of the trains later than its normal operations by falling asleep that he ends up in one of the cars that’s used to pick up the men and take them to their version of nirvana. Takumi is shocked when he finds out that it’s a girl from the school he works at that’s being used but he can’t bring himself to participate in it since she’s being worked over by so many other people.
This gives him the in that he needed with the old guy that seems to know what’s going on as he gets told that he can join the other men provided he brings them a proper sacrificial lamb of his own for the others to enjoy. Takumi’s already one of those that’s an expert at getting away with taking advantage of women on the train and he’s got a nice collection of amateur porn at home that shows some people getting pretty far with it so he’s sure he can find the right person to bring to be his sacrifice. This leads him to a few different people that he tries to have his own way with first and then moving them on to be his offering on the train. He has one big goal in mind with one of the women he works with, Kyoko, who is already under the sway of her own boss, a gorgeous white-haired woman who has dominated her completely.
These episodes take some amusing twists along the way and it mixes in a really good number of attractive and diverse women throughout it while trying to get Takumi his proper place on the train. The character designs are very attractive and the sex scenes for them are very well done with a mixture of straight sex, toys and non-consensual moments on board the trains themselves. What really was interesting about this show is the kind of animation style that’s used with the coloring that makes it almost look like some soft painted watercolor piece at times. There’s a softness to a lot of the sex scenes that’s intentional that gives it a very alluring and erotic feel that heightens the mood considerably. This is applied to the character designs as well and it simply works beautifully here.
In Summary:
With the original series being interesting, you never know how a sequel series will go especially if you take out the lead characters and bring in someone new. This series doesn’t have the exact same feel as the first since it starts off as a known quantity but I think in some ways it ends up being a far better show, particularly due to some of the changes in the coloring style and the character designs. This title is an easy one to pick up if you enjoyed the first for the concept and how it played out. There isn’t quite as much humor in this one but it makes up for it with some great sex scenes and gorgeous character designs. Definitely recommended.
Features
Japanese Language, English Language, English Subtitles
Content Grade: B+
Audio Grade: B+
Video Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A-
Menu Grade: B+
Extras Grade: N/A
Released By: Kitty Media
Release Date: October 11th, 2005
MSRP: $29.98
Running Time: 60 Minutes
Video Encoding: 480i/p MPEG-2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
