The TechnoGirls Wedding Peach Page

Note: some of our fansubs are now available on TV-viewable DVDR here. Or go to Main req. page.

("Aitenshi Densetsu Wedding Peach")

Contents
Introduction Our Fansubs of the Show    The Peach Project (support)
Fun Stuff   The Article that Killed All Hope   The Manga A Script Sample
Episode List   Miscellaneous Comments   Products

There is a dimension of evil ruled by the malevolent Reine Devila. She has given her minions the orders:

"Koisuru-mono ni attara, sono koisuru-mono wo korose. Aisuru-mono ni attara, sono aisuru-mono wo korose. Soshite, kekkonsuru futari ni attara, sono futari wo korose."

Which means:

"All those you find, if they are someone's sweetheart, kill them."
"And all those you meet, if they are someone's lover, kill them."
"And if you should see a couple getting married... kill them BOTH."
(Translation by Machiko Cyr, Naomi Shalowitz, and Barbara Chambers)

Peach with bouquet Happy people on Earth radiate Love Waves whenever they are in love, and Love Waves from Earth are very annoying to the Queen of Evil. The Love Waves are the strongest whenever two people are getting married. There is one, however, who it is said can stand up to Reine Devila and her servants -- the Legendary Angel of Love Wedding Peach -- but is she only a legend? The angel Limone has searched for the Wedding Angel for a long time, and now, finally, he thinks he has found her...

(...the screen dissolves, the narrator takes a deep breath...)

   ARE YOU READY -- for a show whose elaborate transformational sequences even make "Sailor Moon" look inhibited?
   WILL YOU BELIEVE -- the seemingly unlimited supply of magical jewelry these girls have?
   WILL YOU GIGGLE -- as this team of dedicated heroines confronts evil forces by magically changing their outfits into full Western wedding regalia?
Angel Lily in battle dress    ...And then they get REALLY tough on the bad guys (who are waiting patiently for the girls to finish changing form...) and transform again, now wearing jewel-armored miniskirted leotards with golden garters...!
    From the pages of Japan's Ciao monthly for girls comes the mysterious magenta-haired and yellow-ribboned schoolgirl Momoko, known secretly as "Wedding Peach", who defends the Earth with heart-shooting and perfume-wafting weapons of love -- and her 2 friends -- and her chubby little yellow love-imp who flies and talks. Lots of magic action, boy trouble, beautiful clothes, and jewelry. It's easy to follow the plot even if you don't know a word of Japanese. And with exciting attack phrases like "Saint Lipliner Lily Rainbow!" perhaps knowing English is unnecessary also! If you like this sort of thing at all, this is something you'll love. Only at Techno-Girls! (except for a tape fansubbed by KASHA.)

   This is an animated TV series about a very very idealistic and romantic girl, whose belief in the very literal power of love enables her to fight against evil forces seeking to reduce the love in the world. Its of the same genre as "Sailor Moon" ("magical girl") and is an obvious attempt to appeal to the same market, though it is quite a different show in many important ways. The unrestrained idealism and wedding symbolism didn't appeal to mass American audiences, not to mention its tendencies to be politically incorrect with its retro-femininity, and what small chances it had for a prompt release were destroyed by an unreasonably negative American magazine review, but it had a successful run in Japan. Finally, of course, it has acquired a US license. Now it can be seen as a US-released commercial anime. This is the first project that we (the Technogirls) ever saw have a commercial release, and yes, we thought it would never happen. Regardless, it's good news! Naturally, we have ceased fansubbing and distributing of this title.
Momoko and Yousuke have yet another yelling match     Wedding Peach is remarkable for the complexity of the transformation sequences, the literal use of metaphors, and its unrestrained and unabashed romanticism. (Also for its multi-media marketing, in which toys, magazines, videos, and games were matched to the show.) The show is based on the manga, or comic book, which appeared monthly in Ciao, a monthly magazine for young girls.
    As for the title: its a girl's name, in Japanese "Wedingu Piichi". In many English publications the name is given backwards-style (as spoken in Japanese) as "Wedding Peach". Note that Japanese names are in reverse order, and her "first name" is "Peach" and she is addressed that way in the show. However, we titled the fansub "Wedding Peach" in English as well, to avoid confusion, although strictly speaking in English it could conceivably be "Peach Wedding." English loanwords do not always mean the same to the Japanese as they do to us. (Comments on Loanwords...)

Our Fansub of Eps. 1-4

In this volume, we see trouble start -- as soon as Momoko puts on her mother's red ruby ring! Soon, the pervasive Love Waves from earth -- and especially Momoko's ruby -- are too much for the World of Demons, ruled by the cooly malevolent Reine Devila (played by Itou Mika [a.k.a. Doi Miki]) so she sends her lieutenant, Pluie (played by Yao Kazuki of "Dark Schneider" and "Harmel" fame) to put an end to love on the human world. Momoko and her two friends soon find themselves, as Angels of Love, battling evil forces to save themselves, their sweethearts, and all the world's love. This is a transforming magical-girl shoujo epic of a type which will probably never be equalled, and everyone will enjoy it. Volume 1, revision 2.

Our Fansub of Eps. 5-8

The third angel, Daisy, becomes the star of the story for a while! Hinagiku is a girl who knows some judo, and isn't afraid to use it. Stay on her good side if you know what's good for you! She and Yuri begin to suspect Momoko of having an ambivalent relationship with Fuuma Yousuke. Of course, Momoko protests loudly -- perhaps even too loudly. But she DOES seem a bit subdued when Shizuka, a "quiet classmate" (don't miss the pun) gives HER a love letter to deliver to Yousuke. What does Yousuke think of the whole situation? Well, he actually handles it rather deftly -- to Momoko's chagrin. That is, after he is finished being possessed by the evil imp Jamapi, who has decided once and for all to lure the Wedding Angel into the open for a final battle! Jamapi proves no match for Wedding Peach, however, because Momoko perceives that there is a GOOD side to Jamapi -- and it is always SUCH a blow to have one's entire self-image exposed as being a fraud. Besides, Jamapi wasn't doing that well as a Force of Evil anyway. But no matter, as there are a variety of other evil beings ready and waiting to serve Lord Pluie, who finally reveals his master plan for destroying Aphrodite's world, and enslaving all the sacred angels in Reine Devila's Army of Evil.

Volume 2, Revision 1, 4-3-98
5. "The Third Love Angel" sponsored by an anonymous fan.
6. "Jamapi's Counterattack" sponsored by Bob H.'s daughter Jennifer
7. "Don't Eat Too Much!" sponsored by Mamono Hunter Stevie.
8. "Paja-Ma and the Sleeping Princess" sponsored by C.Y.L.

Our Fansub of Eps. 9-12     Finally, we learn (1) What is the "Something Four"? (2) Why are the devils looking for it? (3) Why are the angels so determined to keep it hidden? and (4) What does this all have to do with these three girls on Earth?
    Momoko at times definitely has a bad temper. We see her temper amply displayed as the other two girls, Yuri and Hinagiku, both become such stars at their school that they have no time for the newspaper club anymore, leaving Momoko to do all the work! The quarrel that follows suddenly makes all three of them vulnerable to attack from Pluie.
    Later, Daisy's "Sacred Timepiece" sends her into the future, giving her a glimpse of a terrible accident about to befall Yanagiba. But how can she use what she knows to change the future? She also has to convince the other two girls of what she knows!
    A new adversary appears! The beautiful Aquelda, of the Water-Devil Clan, obtains permission from Her Majesty Reine Devila to travel to earth -- to try her luck at making money!   Aquelda puts her own twist on the devil campaign against the Love Angels when she decides to kidnap them and sell them.

Volume 3, Revision 1, 7-7-99
9. The Stolen "Something Four" -- brought to you by: Charles Calkins
10. Bravo! The Friendship Oiro-naoshi! -- brought to you by: Anders Moe
11. Hinagiku Flies through Time -- brought to you by: Mark the Shark
12. Love Fortunes from a Beautiful Devil! -- brought to you by: Robot Ghost

The Peach Project

Fun Stuff "I'm almost getting seriously annoyed!"
   Peach's "post-transformation declaration of hostility" which appears each episode when she finally confronts the evil-doer reads: "Aitenshi Wedding Peach wa tottemo gokigen naname dewa!"
   Those of you who are Sailor Moon fans remember the analog of that phrase, at the end of Usagi's transformation. It was rendered as "You're gonna get it!" or "I'll punish you!" In this case of Sailor Moon, the phrase used was, of all the possible Japanese phrases, the "gentlest" way of saying "I'm going to attack/damage/hurt you!"
This is also the case with Peach. What she's saying is the gentlest possible way in Japanese of saying "You've made me very angry!" Literally, you might translate what she says as "The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, has definitely inclined her mood."
   It simply isn't directly translatable into English. In fact, so many possible readings are possible, that we decided to use a different one for EACH episode. Gloria and I have fun thinking up new humorous ways to express this understatement. Here is a list of how the line was translated in the episodes thus far subtitled:

The original concept 1. The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is definitely in an unpleasant mood!
2.   The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, finds that her good mood is completely spoiled!
3.   The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, has become quite cross!
4.   The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is now quite upset!
5.   The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is no longer in a pleasant mood!
6.   The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is becoming seriously annoyed!
7.   The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is in danger of losing her temper!
8.   The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is feeling very irritated about all this!
9.   The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is about to lose her composure!
10. The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is not at all pleased with you!
11. The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is quite perturbed!
12. The Angel of Love, Wedding Peach, is indeed rather peeved at this!

Frills
The original concept for the show, as presented to the producers, used quite a different approach to the "fighting outfits" (see picture, above right). The costumes were altered from these original ideas, and made more like "uniforms" and less "fashiony". This was probably for two reasons: to make the costume clearly a "fighting" outfit, and also perhaps to attempt to attract more male viewership.

Aitenshi Robo Wedding Peach
The Robot Angel of Love, Wedding Peach Purchasers of the first laserdisk box received the omake (bonus) feature "Aitenshi Robo Wedding Peach" following episode 26. In this eight minute short, the Angels of Love receive their own mecha and go on a mission to rescue poor Yousuke, who has been lashed to a cross and left inside the lair of the mecha of the Devil World. This sort of insanity isn't that uncommon with shoujo features! Another famous example is the Studio Pierrot OAV, "Alien X from A-Zone", in which Pelsia, Creamy Mami, Magical Emi, and Pastel Yumi all get their magic powers back long enough to team up and fight invading robots.
We aren't certain we'll subtitle this... it was meant to entice people to buy the laserdisk set, and we don't want to interfere with that marketing intent. On the other hand, that marketing intent was in Japan, where everyone could rent the tapes and copy them, and the laserdisks needed an extra incentive. So such marketing is fairly meaningless in the US. We'll see.

The Article that Killed all Hope In January of 1996, the Viz Communications magazine "Animerica" (Volume 4 number 2) sealed the fate of Wedding Peach with the most cruelly savage review I have ever seen. It wasn't too long after this issue was published that I was in a San Francisco Japanese laserdisk importer shop, asking the owner if they had received any of the Wedding Peach box sets yet -- and I was overheard by a woman who was an obviously knowledgeable fan. She interjected, "You know, that show is REALLY REALLY BAD -- I hope you know what a waste of money it might be to buy the box sets."

She had formed this opinion from reading the Animerica article, it seemed, not from seeing the show. She wasn't alone. Most of otaku America now knew about Wedding Peach -- but only from the mauling the show had received at the hands of Animerica, edited by the ubiquitous Trish Ledoux (a woman I'd had a lot of respect for...). ("...I watched this. Until my skin purpled with boils. Until my hair fell out in clumps. Until my brain ran out my ears. Did I like it? Golly, who wouldn't? Doesn't every girl want to be a preteen bride?" [Trish Ledoux, in the Animerica review, see below])

Looking at the article, it's clear that they made the review based on the first volume, and probably only on the first episode, or on the first episode and skipping through parts of the tape subsequent to that. The errors of fact seem to support that conclusion.

It's entertaining to note that their reaction on their first exposure to Sailor Moon was similar in some ways! Later, with regard to Sailor Moon, they recanted somewhat, and grudgingly admitted that Sailor Moon was, indeed, a lot of fun. But it isn't too hard to locate a pattern here, and form a judgement on how far to trust the reviews in this Viz-owned "fan magazine."

Interestingly, on the very next page they give a very positive review of the mecha show "Golden Hero Goldoran" (Kogane Yuusha Gorudoran). Thankfully, this horrible excuse for mecha entertainment has now fallen into the ultimate pit of obscurity, abandoned by commercial anime companies, American fans, fansubbers, and judging by its weak aftermarket video release in Japan, even its own distributors. (Yes, I have thoroughly watched a full volume of this low-budget series. I can't understand why any adult mecha fan would think of it as worth watching....) I recognize that any critic, myself included, is working subject to their own perceptions. Nevertheless, this isn't the first time this has happened. As critics, perhaps it is the "test of time" that is our final judge. And in this case, "Goldoran" is forgotten, and "Wedding Peach" is loved by a small but fervent group of fans with an intensity approaching adoration. And now it is for sale, in the US, on DVD.

Some fans have made accusations regarding the motivations of the staff of Animerica magazine. This is because of the supposedly heavy influence of Viz and Shougakkukan, the owners of the magazine. (Imagine Time magazine writing articles critical of publications in competition with Time-Warner Communications, and you can see what they mean...) Whether this is true in general may be beside the point; I believe that Wedding Peach is a case more indicative of a lack of a sense of what American fans might like, and a general unwillingness to fully experience and investigate a show's unique possibilities before undertaking the responsibility of writing an article to be published in a nationwide magazine. In other words, I criticize their effort and competency. That being the case, I would only listen to their reviews of anime genres that they are completely familiar with -- mecha, martial arts, and similar mainstream stuff. As far as shoujo anime goes, they aren't a reliable source of information.

We wish Trish Ledoux would keep her own philosophy more in mind when doing reviews:

"... you would probably be shocked to find out who the main demographic reading (and buying) ANIMERICA is. It isn't the hardcore fan who's been into anime "forever," the seasoned adult who knows his BGC from his KOR -- rather, it's 14 (and younger) year olds who are just getting into the stuff, who tell me that anime is changing their lives. Unlike so many of the fans who congregate at r.a.a., this new breed of anime fan is diverse -- no 18- to 21-year-old male (Asian male, at least on the West Coast) demographic here. There are girls, and boys, and women, and men. And the main thing which distinguishes them from the more "old school" of anime fan is that they LOVE -- not HATE. They don't waste their time whining that so-and-so hasn't "done the series justice" or that such-and-such is "butchered." What time they give to me when writing their letters and e-mail and reader response cards is to say what they LOVE -- they like Ranma, they like Tenchi!, they like Ronin Warriors, they like Sailor Moon. Like them, I would much rather spend my time talking about the things I *LOVE,* rather than the things I *HATE.*" (Trish Ledoux, October 1995, email comments to the Miyazaki Mailing List.)

Unfortunately, the terrible damage done to the reputation of Wedding Peach is still felt today, and it is possible that it may never be undone. Our hope was to make it into a "cult classic". Perhaps in some small way we were successful.

The article, as scanned below, is copyright 1996 by Viz Communications, and is used here under the "fair use" provisions of US copyright law, specifically the provision for quoting of an excerpt for use as part of a work of literary criticism.

The Animerica article that doomed Wedding Peach to obscurity.

Note that the artwork for their "article" consisted of one picture, scanned, then chopped into 3 smaller pieces, and the four pieces combined to make it look like there was more art than there actually was (see above.)

But wait! The story doesn't end there. It seems that the head reviewer "Mai Anime" (pseud. for Trish?) in an issue this year made reference to the Wedding Peach matter... to quote:

"Having heard fan grumbling in the wind about her review staff's less-than-excited response to Wedding Peach, Mai Anime™ (youthful yet surly ward of Major Anime™) encourages all who would complain to just watch the show already if they're into that sort of thing. Geez!"

Fan reactions (and it seems in particular, this web page) finally were noticed by the magazine. Thank you, Animerica. And in response...

"Noting the still-baffled expression of the Animerica review staffers, Barbara humbly suggests that the next time the entire Animerica review staff unanimously recoils in disgust from a tape they got from Japan, that instead of bothering to review it, that they just drop the tape in the trash."

Thank goodness for human beings with a sense of humor. Otherwise I think we'd be spending all our time yelling at each other.

But truly, even really bad anime from Japan ends up with a fan following somewhere. Perhaps just a niche following in the fansub underground, but a following nevertheless.

(I must admit, though, I still have never met a "Golden Hero Goldoran" fan...)

The opinions and comments in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of anyone who knows better than to try to change anyone else's opinions with mere words when in fact what is actually needed is to take the unbeliever and tie them to a chair and force them to watch a few cleanly done amateur fansubs of some of these shows all the way through.

Barbara

The Manga Three girls in battle dress (manga)

The original manga had quite a different look to the characters than the anime. Here is a look at the covers to the first two volumes of the manga, plus two sample drawings. The manga ran to only 6 volumes, and was partly produced in parallel to the TV show, in the fashion of Sailor Moon. The manga is by Nao Yazawa based on the concept by Sukehiro Tomita.
Peach closeup from the manga

Episode List
(per Hitoshi Doi's web site)

001 95.04.05 Shuku! Aitenshi Tanjou -- (A Love Angel is Born) brought to you by: "Mr. Indecision" (paid)
002 95.04.12 Appare! Oironaoshi -- (Bravo! Wedding Dress Change!) brought to you by: John Chennavasin (paid)
003 95.04.19 Nerawareta Hanayome (The Possessed Bride) -- brought to you by: Mark David (paid)
004 95.04.26 Angel Lily tanjou (The Birth of Angel Lily) -- brought to you by: anonymous (paid)
005 95.05.03 3 Nin me no Aitenshi (The Third Love Angel) -- brought to you by: anonymous (paid)
006 95.05.10 Jamapi no Gyakushuu (Jamapi's Counterattack) -- brought to you by: Bob H.'s daughter Jennifer (paid)
007 95.05.17 Tabesugi ni Goyoujin (Don't Eat Too Much!) -- brought to you by: Mamono Hunter Stevie (paid)
008 95.05.24 Paja-ma to Nemuri-hime -- (Paja-Ma and the Sleeping Princess) brought to you by: C.Y.L (paid)
009 95.05.31 Ubawareta Something Four -- (The Stolen "Something Four") brought to you by: Charles Calkins (paid)
010 95.06.07 Omigoto! Yuujou Oironaoshi -- (Bravo! The Friendship Oiro-naoshi!) brought to you by: Anders Moe (paid)
011 95.06.14 Toki wo Kakeru Hinagiku (Hinagiku Flies through Time) -- brought to you by: Mark the Shark (paid)
012 95.06.21 Bijin Akuma no Koi Uranai (Love Fortunes from a Beautiful Devil!) -- brought to you by: Robot Ghost (paid)
013 95.06.28 Shoubu! Akuma no PK-sen -- brought to you by: Alan Ho (paid)
014 95.07.05 Ubawareta Ai no Yubiwa -- brought to you by James Rix (paid)
015 95.07.12 Sennyuu! Akuma no Mori -- brought to you by Opus (paid)
016 95.07.19 Akumazoku no Hokori -- brought to you by "Washuu". (paid)
017 95.07.26 Sei-Hanazono Gakuen no Himitsu - brought to you by S.O.S. campaign (paid)
018 95.08.02 Aitenshi, Natuuyasumi mo Tatakau wa! - brought to you by S.O.S. campaign. (paid)
019 95.08.09 Manatsu no Yoru no Shinpi - brought to you by S.O.S. campaign. (paid)
020 95.08.16 Umibe no Pendant - brought to you by S.O.S. campaign (paid)
021 95.08.23 Piano yo Hibike Hoshizora ni -- brought to you by C. M. Z. (paid)
022 95.08.30 Nerawareta Jamapi - brought to you by Kevin Williams (paid) "dedicated to Chestine, a true Wedding Peach"
023 95.09.06 First kiss ga Ubawareru - brought to you by Bob Tomasevich (paid)
024 95.09.13 Dokidoki Gakuensai -- brought to you by "Mink/Tempest" (R. Smith) (paid)
025 95.09.20 Akuma no Kiss ha Amaku nai -- brought to you by Robert Walker
026 95.09.27 Ituwari no Kekkonshiki -- brought to you by Noel Burns, Laura Mitchell, & Swamp (paid)
027 95.10.04 Uso! Yanagiba-sama ni Koibito?
-----------Season Two---------------
028 95.10.11 Koi suru Shoujo ha Saikyo yo
029 95.10.18 Halloween na Majo
030 95.10.25 Good bye Akuma-sama
031 95.11.01 Rannyuu! Koi no Rival
032 95.11.08 Muffler ni Ai wo Komete
033 95.11.15 Senjou ni Saita Koi
034 95.11.22 Koi no Ayatsuri Ningyou
035 95.11.29 Yonin me no Aitenshi
036 95.12.06 Hitoribochi no Aitenshi
037 95.12.13 Salvia no Namida
038 95.12.20 Owakare no Atsui Kiss
039 95.12.27 Sensei wa Akuma?
040 96.01.10 Ai ga Suwarechau!
041 96.01.17 Ren'ai Gokko Dai Ski
042 96.01.24 Yuri no Kuchibiru
043 96.01.31 Rain Devila no Shinjitsu
044 96.02.07 Jamapi no Hatsukoi
045 96.02.14 Kaettekita Mama
046 96.02.21 Watashi no Koibito ha Akuma
047 96.02.28 Yomigaere! Ai no Kioku
048 96.03.06 Ai Suredo Setsunaku
049 96.03.13 Futari Dake no Yoru
050 96.03.20 Hanarenai Kokoro
051 96.03.27 Last Wedding

Miscellaneous Take a look at the Wedding Peach costume created by the lovely Alisa on her CosPlay page!

We have a few video-captured pictures here at our website: (peach_photo-index) is index to photos: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9). These are fairly low quality scans, taken from poor quality broadcast tapes.

Hitoshi Doi's site contains general info.

For a while, there was a "Wedding Peach Fan-Dub" website on Geocities. However, it became inactive for a long time, and then disappeared, so it is likely that the fandub will not be produced. (Update: the site has reappeared!) Note also: much of the text in that site seemed to be paraphrased text taken from either our site here or the Kasha site, without any links or credit given.

Comments We've Received

These tapes are wonderful, and your subbing is excellent- from the translations to the notes and credits. I would especially like to commend you guys on the prelude to each tape, where the seiyuu are listed, informational tidbits are given, and translater's notes appear. The way you formatted that was wonderful and made me really sit up! I especially liked the notes on Vol. 2 where you included a corresponding picture above them. That was really nice, because otherwise I don't know *exactly* what they are talking about, and often forget them by the time I'm actually watching that portion of the video. Anyway, I'd just like to say what a wonderful job I think your doing when it comes to subtitling; and, that your choice in shows is excellent, because I don't think any of this will ever be commercially released, (or perhaps even widely fansubbed) so it gives me a chance to be able to watch and understand! I'm also a Japanese student (aren't we all?) but, I still have to rely on fansubs to understand most of the dialogue, since I only just started my classes. In short, thanks for providing the highest quality fansubs I've seen of the some of the most interesting and obscure shows and OAVs around! I really enjoyed it, and look forward to seeing more. (E.F.)

I'd just like to say - thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU for subbing such a great program as Wedding Peach. I LOVE it and I'm really impressed with the great job you've done on Vol 1. I can't wait till one of the distro places I use gets Vol 2. THANK YOU! (R.J.)

   I watched wedding peach (borrowed it from a friend). I think the drawing style is very beautiful but that show represents the very limit of what I can stand for "girlie-ness". I mean when Momoko transformed the first time I was thinking ..."Ok battle costume time" and after the transform she is standing there in wedding dress! I just couldn't help but chuckle. Well it was more of a howl actually. How totally feminine. Beautiful, to be sure, but you can't get much more girl-ish than that.    It just seemed so absurd. What was she supposed to do? Throw her bouquet at the bad guy? Well, in fact that is exactly what she did in a matter of speaking.   It was great.
    I was pleased(and partly dismayed) in the next episode that she found that a wedding dress was not exactly combat ready and therefor found another transformation. Boy, the doll makers are going to have to work double time on this series. 3 dolls for each girl? Then all the bad guys and the cute little Jama guys. Fun.
   Anyway, I just wanted to call and say thanks for taking the trouble to sub it and to make it available. But if my friends on the football team ever find out I watched that tape all the way trough then I will never live it down and if my parents find out... <shudder>. Hoping to see volume 2 some day... (D.D.)

...no one usually minds a little praise, so I thought I'd do a little lavishing before I continue with my day. ;) I just received Wedding Peach volume 1 in the mail and I want to say that you did an excellent job. The subtitles are easy to read and I love the different fonts. Subsonic seems to be a pretty nifty program. I'm impressed. I also was happy to see the notes...Anyhow... it's a wonderful series and I can't wait for you to do more episodes. You've definitely got a lot of interesting projects for the future. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks oodles for bringing Wedding Peach to the masses. (Anon.)

Anyhow, the showings of "Wedding Peach" and "Brother, Dear Brother" came off very well. The audience chuckled greatly at the silliness of Peach and her friends. Three girls fighting evil monsters in bridal gowns?! Riiigghhhttt! (Anon.)

To me, Wedding Peach is overall a much *tighter* show than Sailor Moon. The group is smaller. The villains are more intense and you hear their mission statement in the intro of the second episode, so there's none of this "what is the enemy?" thing SM did. We *know* the enemy, and we know they're playing for keeps. The love interest is more realistic and the separation more deep-rooted. The heroine is believable (she trips over herself twice in the first tape. Sailor Moon took four minutes). I find that WP, compared with SM, is just more. More believable, yet more intense. More down-to-earth, yet more wacky. I really like it. (R.J.)

I first had a chance to see Wedding Peach and I was hooked instantly. I had read about this anime on the Internet and read a few articles about it and everything I read was sort of discouraging. They made the show appear
to be very lame and not worth the time or effort. When I saw it on a distributor's list I got it then just on a lark to see how bad it was. Was I ever wrong. While the show is rather fun and lighthearted it is really quite good and I found out later that it only gets better as time goes on (I can't wait until you get to the episodes that feature Salvia). (P.S.)

Products (Special thanks to super-fan Dave Endresak for the great majority of this...! There were over 80 related products marketed. Only a few are mentioned here, the ones fans may be able to obtain still in the US/UK. Some products not mentioned here include costumes, pillow cases, placemats, jigsaw puzzles, napkins, a calculator, and two versions of the Jamapi plushie.) Compact Discs

The 3 voice actresses Wedding Peach CD Collection Vol.1 - "Dream Collection"; JSCA29034; 3,000 yen; 6 vocal tracks + 1st. CD drama.

This is an excellent CD. The vocals include full versions of "Wedding Wars" and "Virgin Love" (the second OP and ED songs). All of the Wedding Peach CD dramas are excellent - if you love the charas in Wedding Peach, you owe it to yourself not to miss any of the CD dramas! This first story revolves around a school track competition; Jama-Pi gets a but miffed with the girls because they are only thinking about Yanagiba-senpai, rather than their responsibilities as Ai Tenshi. ^_^

Wedding Peach CD Collection Vol.2 - "Memories"; JSCA29036; 3,000 yen; A total of 39 tracks, split into 6 sections.

This CD features vocals and BGM from the entire TV series, including the TV versions of "Wedding Wars" and "Virgin Love". The various sections are introduced by different charas, voicing their own introspection on what is happening to them. The sections are titles: "Fight", "Salvia", "Feeling", "Bridge", "Stalker", and "School Life".

Wedding Peach CD Collection Vol.3 - "Summer Carnival"; JSCA29041; 3,000 yen; 4 vocal tracks + 3rd. CD drama.

The vocals on this CD include full versions of "Merry Angel" and "Sweet Little Love" (the OP and ED for the Wedding Peach DX OVA series). The third CD drama is not to be missed - it features all FIVE girls! (and no, I'm not gonna say who the fifth girl is, either! ^_^). This story is about the girls' summer break at a "haunted mansion"... but not everything is like it first appears!

Wedding Peach - "Furil"; KICA 249; 3,000 yen; 12 vocal tracks;

As most fans know, "Furil" is the group formed by the three seiyuu who do the voices of Momoko, Yuri, and Hinagiku in the series (Hikami Kyoko, Nogami Yukana, and Miyamura Yuko). This CD contains Furil songs created specifically for this CD release, plus songs you here parts of during the TV series (like "Lucky & Happy"). There are also full versions of the songs that Furil sings for the first OP and ED of the TV series ("Dreamy Love Angels" and "Juliet of the 21st. Century"). This is a must-have CD for vocal collectors! (This CD preceded Scarlet O'Hara / Angel Salvia joining the cast, the when the group became called "Furil'" or "Furil Prime" i.e. "Shin Furil" or "New Furil" with the addition of Scarlet's seiyuu, Imai Yuka.)

Wedding Peach - "Music Bouquet 1"; KICA 256; 3,000 yen; A total of 33 tracks, split into 5 sections.

This is the first CD for the TV series vocals and BGM. The sections are: "Access", "Nightmare", "Girls", "Energy", and "Love". The vocals include three versions of "Yumemiru Ai Tenshi" ("Dreamy Love Angels", the first OP): the TV series short version, the full version, and an instrumental version. There's also the full and TV series versions of "21st. Seiki no Juliet" ("Juliet of the 21st. Century", the first ED).

Wedding Peach - "Music Bouquet 2"; KICA 269; 3,000 yen; A total of 32 tracks, split into 5 sections, including 2nd. CD drama.

This is the second CD of vocals and BGM for the TV series. The sections are: "Peace", "Emotion", "Action", "Cute", and "Heart". The vocals include "Lucky & Happy" (short version, played during the drama story). The drama story is about Momoko & Yanagiba being featured in a newspaper photo layout - things don't quite work out as Momoko plans, of course. ^_^ (Do they ever?)

Wedding Peach - CD single #1; KIDA 106; 1,000 yen; A total of 4 tracks.

The tracks include the full vocal versions of the first TV series OP and ED songs, "Yumemiru Ai Tenshi" ("Dreamy Love Angels") and "21st. Seiki no Juliet" ("Juliet of the 21st. Century"). The other two tracks are karaoke versions of these songs.

Laser Discs

TV series LD Box #1; JSLA22789; 39,800 yen; 7 discs, plus LOTS of omake ("freebie gifts")

This is the best LD Box set Dave has ever seen. It comes not only with episodes 1-26 of the TV series, but also includes a short anime spoof "Aitenshi Robo Wedding Peach", interviews with the creative staff and cast, commercials, OP and ED without credits, a cel (!) (Dave's cel was of Noise-chan... sugei!! ^_^ Barbara's set contained no cels, but instead contained two 3x5 photographs of Furil, one of them signed by all three girls!) a signature board, a poster by Tadano Kazuko, and the usual storybook summarizing merchandise, the series, etc. Dave never heard of an LD Box containing so much omake! In addition, the LD sleeve cover pictures by Sayuri Ichiishi are just wonderful! The first Furil promotional video is at the end of disk 7 -- this promo appears as an omake on the TechnoGirls fansub of volume 1.

TV series LD Box #2; JSLA22790; 39,800 yen; 7 discs, plus LOTS of omake (not quite as much as Box #1)

This set contains episodes 27-51 of the TV series. Episode 51 is done in CAV format (yay!) There's another anime short spoof "Ai Tenshi Sentai", plus interviews with the creative staff and cast (some of the same people, plus some of the newer cast members - like Mitsuishi Kotono, who plays Potamos). There's also a second signature board (again, with new people) and the usual storybook, plus a second original poster by Tadano Kazuko, and more awesome LD sleeve art by Sayuri Ichiishii!

Wedding Peach DX OVA #1; JSLA23061; 5,631 yen; CAV format

First of the DX OVAs, this disc focuses on Momoko. Each of the DX OVAs focuses on one of the four Ai Tenshi, and each of the Ai Tenshi symbolically represents a different season. This is also depicted in the opening sequence to the OVAs - however, the symbolism for each girl is different in the actual OVAs than it is in the opening. In the opening, the symbolism is: Momoko=summer, Yuri=autumn, Hinagiku=spring, Scarlet=winter. In the actual OVA stories, the symbolism is: Momoko=summer (still), Yuri=spring, Hinagiku=winter, Scarlet=autumn. These OVAs are the best produced for 1997, in my opinion - the production values are just wonderful! There's a new transformation sequence for the girls - they now become full-fledged Angels (this is a very common symbolism in young shoujo stories, by the way, and goes back to at least 1983 with Creamy Mami). The girls have new "attacks", as well, but they remain basically inoffensive / non-physical, in that they are still designed to immobilize / incapacitate the Devils so that they can be purified. There is also excellent use of CG animation to enhance certain sequences - very nicely done (the only OVAs that come to mind with this nice of use of CG is Shamanic Princess). The DX OVAs tend to be a bit more humorous, especially the last two (you can see the staff and cast's sense of humor by watching the omake from the TV series LD Box sets - in the DX OVAs, they're given free reign!)

Wedding Peach DX OVA #2; JSLA23062; 5,631 yen; CAV format.

The second DX OVA, focusing on Scarlet, and her first love (very tragic, of course).

Wedding Peach DX OVA #3; JSLA23063; 5,631 yen; CAV format.

The third DX OVA, focusing on Hinagiku. This OVA also re-introduces one of the favorite characters from the TV series!

Wedding Peach DX OVA #4; JSLA23064; 5,631 yen; CAV format.

The fourth and final DX OVA, focusing on Yuri. For those of you who love "nekomusumes" ("cat-girls"), how would you like to see the Ai Tenshi in the form of kitty cats!? Oh, MY!!! What'll they do, NOW!? After all, you KNOW how cats just love to play.... (^_^) This is about as tongue-in-cheek a story as you will likely ever see!

Wedding Peach Music Clip - "Festival"; JSLA22805; 5,800 yen; CLV format.

This is the first live concert / event for Furil. This disc also includes two anime sequences. The first sequence is a completely original anime idol concert given by "Peach Angels" (this idol group is Hanasaki Momoko / Wedding Peach, Tanima Yuri / Angel Lily, and Tamano Hinagiku / Angel Daisy! In addition, the group has Fuuma Yousuke as acoustic guitar, Yanagiba Kazuya as bass guitar, Hanasaki Souchiro / Momoko's Papa on the drums, and Sakura / Ceres / Momoko's Mom, Aphrodite, and Yuri's Mother as back-up vocalists!) The entire anime performance is being performed by Peach Angels for the audience - which happens to be the entire anime cast of the TV series! Aside from all of this, the clip itself is a performance of the second ED song, "Virgin Love", and is just simply beautiful! The second anime sequence is the second OP, "Wedding Wars", set to lots of video clips from throughout the entire TV series. One final note is that the finale of the live concert / event is Furil performing "21st. Seiki no Juliet", in full costume (each girl is wearing her character's wedding dress!) [This last number appears as an omake in the TechnoGirls fansub of volume 2. Shhh... Don't tell!] If all of this isn't enough, the LD also comes with an autographed postcard of Furil, with the caption "We'll give our Waves of Love to you!" CHOU kawaii!!!

Wedding Peach Special Video - "Summer Angel in '96"; JSLA22957; 5,800 yen; CLV format.

This has a short anime opening & ending, and then introduces "Furil'" with the addition of Scarlet O'Hara / Angel Salvia's seiyuu, Imai Yuka. The girls talk about what they did on summer break (this is very funny - poor Kyo-chan and Miyamuu worked all summer! ^_^) It then goes into the second concert / event. All of the songs are very good, including the performance of the (then) upcoming DX OVAs new OP and ED, "Merry Angel" and "Sweet Little Love".

Wedding Peach Special Video 2 - "Winter Dream Rave"; KSLA23123; 5,631 yen; CLV format.

This is the third and final live concert / event. It features only Hikami Kyoko, Miyamura Yuko, and Imai Yuka (evidently, Nogami Yukana could not do this special). The girls go to an amusement park... this is the Christmas season, so it is COLD! Despite this, Miyamuu talks the others into riding the rollercoaster with her.... she's crazy! Not to mention getting ice cream...! The girls fall asleep after supper, and dream of giving a Christmas concert.... this is very nicely done. Miyamuu sings "White Christmas" in English, and Kyo-chan sings "Silent Night" in English. Very very pretty!

Artbooks

Wedding Peach: Ciao, This Is Animation "Secret File"; ISBN 4-09-101586-7; 1,700 yen.

This is an excellent artbook, and contains preliminary character design art, interviews, a pull-out poster, and many other excellent works. It would be a great buy at twice the price - get it!

Wedding Peach: This Is Animation; ISBN 4-09-101585-9; 980 yen.

This is also an excellent artbook, featuring scenes from the anime and interviews. It would be a bargain at a much higher price - you cannot pass it up!

Manga / Film Comics

Wedding Peach - Manga Vol.#1; ISBN4-09-136181-1; 390 yen.
Wedding Peach - Manga Vol.#2; ISBN4-09-136182-X; 390 yen.
Wedding Peach - Manga Vol.#3; ISBN4-09-136183-8; 390 yen.
Wedding Peach - Manga Vol.#4; ISBN4-09-136184-6; 400 yen.
Wedding Peach - Manga Vol.#5; ISBN4-09-136185-4; 400 yen.
Wedding Peach - Manga Vol.#6; ISBN4-09-136186-2; 400 yen.

The manga has some storyline differences from the anime, and explains a bit more of the background, as well, including the girls birthdates and the timeline. The art is VERY cute! ^_^

Wedding Peach - Film Comic Vol.#1; ISBN4-09-135751-2; 780 yen.
Wedding Peach - Film Comic Vol.#2; ISBN4-09-135752-0; 780 yen.
Wedding Peach - Film Comic Vol.#3; ISBN4-09-135753-9; 780 yen.
Wedding Peach - Film Comic Vol.#4; ISBN4-09-135754-7; 780 yen.
Wedding Peach - Film Comic Vol.#5; ISBN4-09-135755-5; 780 yen.
Wedding Peach - Film Comic Vol.#6; ISBN4-09-135756-3; 780 yen.
Wedding Peach - Film Comic Vol.#7; ISBN4-09-135757-1; 780 yen.

The film comics are created from cels from the actual TV anime - very good quality. They have dialogue boxes for the characters, of course (those of you who are familiar with film comics know about all this, I know). You can observe some of the differences between the anime and manga in the film comics (for example, the change of Yuri's / Lily's "Angel Prescience Lily!" to "Angel Precious Lily").

Dolls

Wedding Peach; TOMY; BarCode 4904810 20416 9;
Angel Lily; TOMY; BarCode 49048?? ???17 ? (gomen! The ? digits are ripped off Dave's box!)
Angel Daisy; TOMY; BarCode 4904810 20416 9

(most places sell these for $25, but the shipping is also about $25 - if you see someplace selling the dolls for about $50-$60, they are probably covering their shipping costs. It's too bad shipping for dolls is so expensive... sigh) These are some of the best dolls Dave has ever seen - the only ones that measure up to this quality are the Rayearth dolls and the Saint Tail dolls. Each doll is shown in her "Fighter Angel" outfit, and comes complete with stand and display card. Get them!

Script Excerpt

Here is a script excerpt from episode 6, in which we get a good look at some aspects of Momoko's personality.

Momoko is in denial about her feelings for the ill-mannered Yousuke, since up to now all three girls have been competing for the attentions of the soft-spoken Yanagiba, on the same soccer team. But Momoko accidentally revealed that she possessed some pictures of Yousuke, the freshman soccer star. Yuri and Hinagiku have teased Momoko about this all afternoon.    They suspect that Momoko might like Yousuke a bit more than she's willing to admit. Escaping the teasing, Momoko goes outside, but there she is approached by Shizuka, one of Momoko's classmates...
Shizuka: "Excuse me..."
Momoko: "Oh? What's going on, Shizuka-chan?!"
Shizuka shyly hands Momoko a small envelope.
Momoko: "What? What is this?"
Shizuka: "I'd like you to give this to someone for me. You're the only one I can ask to do this."
Momoko takes the letter.
Momoko: "Could this be... a love letter??"
Momoko is amazed her shy friend is being so aggressive.
Momoko: "Wow! I'm impressed, Shizuka-chan!"
Momoko begins rolling her eyes, and teasing Shizuka.
Momoko: "Wooo-wooo-wooo! Hot-hot-hot!"
Shizuka doesn't seem to mind the teasing. She just looks at her feet, smiling.
Momoko: "So, who is your guy?! Is he someone I know?"
Momoko looks upward, thinking.   She realizes she feels like a big sister all of a sudden.
Momoko: "He'd better not be some middle-aged man! Being a quiet, modest person, you could be vulnerable to older men, but don't do it!"
(Momoko uses the word "otonashi" to describe how Shizuka is "quiet" -- but "Shizuka" itself is also a word meaning "quiet". Momoko straight-facedly delivers similar puns on her friend's name twice more in this episode...)
Shizuka: "It's Fuuma-kun..."
Momoko is about to continue giving "big sisterly advice" to Shizuka when it hits her.
Momoko: "WHAT?!"
Shizuka: "Fuuma... Yousuke-kun..."
Momoko's face goes slack. The camera switches for a moment to the neighboring soccer field, where Yousuke has just scored a goal.
Yousuke: "All right!!!!"
Momoko looks very subdued.
Momoko: "Oh... so it's him... so it's... for Yousuke..."
Shizuka's voice begins to plead.
Shizuka: "Please, Momoko-chan... Can you give it to Fuuma-kun?"
Momoko seems as if she wishes she were elsewhere.
Momoko: "What? Uh... sure."
Shizuka: "Really? Thank goodness! Thank you!"
Suddenly Momoko puts up a cheerful front.
Momoko: "Oh, no problem! No problem! You're always helping me with homework and all..."
Shizuka seems to be about to interrupt Momoko... she has something else to say. Momoko finally stops talking...
Shizuka: "I..."
Momoko: "What?"
Shizuka: "I... about Fuuma-kun..."
Shizuka takes a quivering breath.
Shizuka: "Well, I don't know how to put it, but..."
She pauses again.
Shizuka: "...I don't know if he could ever be interested in me... I don't know about that, but..."
She looks shyly downward.
Shizuka: "I just hope that he'll finally notice that there's someone who is interested in him..."
Suddenly Shizuka comes alive...
Shizuka: "Well!   Thank you for doing this!"
Momoko seems to have something else she wanted to say to Shizuka... but Shizuka is already skipping away.
Momoko: "Oh, Shizuka-chan..."
Again the camera shows Yousuke playing nearby.
Yousuke: "Not so slow! Get to the front faster!"
Momoko is visibly shaken by all this. You can tell that her brain is working as fast as it can to process this new situation. She can hardly believe it.
Momoko: "You never know what might happen next in this world! Imagine... there's a girl interested in Yousuke!"
Momoko hears a voice from nearby.   Momoko didn't realize she'd spoken the previous sentence aloud.
Hinagiku: "Is that okay with you?"
Yuri: "Are you sure you don't mind?"
Momoko looks around, and there on the storage shed roof are her two friends Yuri (Angel Lily) and Hinagiku (Angel Daisy) who have obviously been spying on her the whole time. Momoko is utterly aghast.
Momoko: "What? Oh my God! How long have you been there??"
Hinagiku: "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Yuri: "If you felt reluctant about doing this favor, you should have told her right away..."
Momoko is indignant.
Momoko: "What are you talking about?!"
Momoko's two friends speak to her slowly, calmly, as one might address a child who is holding a sharp object...
Hinagiku: "That love letter is for Yousuke, right?"
Momoko: "Ummmm....."
Yuri: "Momoko-san, deep down, I think perhaps you are not happy with that."
Momoko begins to bluster.
Momoko: "Don't talk nonsense! Like I told you before, there is absolutely nothing between me and Yousuke!"
Momoko realizes she can win this argument if she points out something...
Momoko: "Whenever he sees me, he calls me "Momopi" and we get into a big fight!"
Hinagiku: "There you go, that's what I was talking about."
Momoko is suddenly baffled. Momoko has no idea what Hinagiku means.
Momoko: "What?"
Yuri: "That's right! They say that when a couple fights, it means their relationship is strong."
Now, Momoko is about at the end of her patience. She's yelling.
Momoko: "I said there is NO ROMANCE, understand?!"
Suddenly, a soccer ball - WHAM! - hits Momoko right on the forehead. She goes flat down on the ground, in a spiral-eyed daze. Yousuke rushes up.
Yousuke: "I'm sorry! Oh, hey, are you all right, Momo-pi?!"
Momoko, laying there, can only get out a few garbled words...
Momoko: "I... I... I hate you..."
Yousuke doesn't realize how annoyed Momoko is when he calls her "Momopi"... or maybe he does, since he seems to do this sort of thing just to annoy her -- and to get her attention...
Yousuke: "Momo-pi? Hey! Are you okay?!"
Momoko suddenly springs to her feet, murder in her eyes. Yousuke runs.
Yuri and Hinagiku: "Momoko...! Momoko...!"
Momoko is pursuing Yousuke in a figure-eight path while Yuri and Hinagiku watch, amused. Momoko is spewing out a stream of near-hysterical verbal abuse at Yousuke, non-stop. She's done this before.

(Script by Barbara Chambers, based on a translation by Naomi Shalowitz, with additional material translated by Kaori Idehara.)

Brother, Dear Brother... (Oniisama E) Project Page

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Romeo's Blue Skies [Project Page] (Romeo No Aoi Sora)

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The Song of the Wind and Trees (Kaze to Ki no Uta) (Project Page)