The Legend of Blue Wolves – Yaoi Classic Review

Legend of Blue Wolves which is also unfortunately known to English speaking audiences as Hot Space Cowboys is a yaoi OVA from 1996 that time and a large portion of the yaoi fandom has forgotten, mostly because of it’s status as an unfinished anime, for there is not exactly a complete story found within this story with a history in of itself that is hard to track down and much of what I have learned about the background behind this OVA were rumors discussed on long purged or lost forums from over a decade ago. The most prevalent of these rumors was that the OVA itself is either what was meant to be a pilot for a larger series that never got beyond being just a pilot and the other being that the series was never continued because the production company behind the series went belly up and this OVA was their swan song of sort. I have over the many years have yet to find any information that confirms or denies these rumors. What is know about the OVA is that it was directed by Yasunori Urata and if that name sounds familiar it is because they would go on to direct the 2001 anime smash hit Hellsing, as well as a few episodes of Naruto, Last Exile and Burst Angel.

The question is though with all the mystery surrounding this almost forgotten classic yaoi OVA is it worth your time to check out? I say yes especially if you are a fan of not only yaoi anime but if you have a passing interest in the war politics found within many mech anime then it’s storyline will be up your alley. Set like many mecha anime in the distant future where humans have colonized our solar system, but things take a dramatic turn when humans reach Pluto and now the human race is at war against powerful aliens. This, however, is just the background setting for the story of this OVA. The main focus of the story of this OVA is the growing relationship between two soldiers in training. Jonathan Tyberius is a rookie wanting to prove himself and Leonard Schteinberg is a man haunted by his past. The two roommates at the barracks don’t like each other at first but when it is revealed there are enemies closer than the battlefield within their own ranks they learn to have to rely on and protect each other and those feelings soon blossom into something more.

This is an OVA that does delve into some dark themes common and not so common within the yaoi genre, these include rape, genital mutilation, abuse of power and the kind of tragic ending that can only happen in yaoi. One of the good things about this older OVA is that it is quite easy to get a hold of in the west as the licensing for the series is with Media Blaster and it can be easily picked up through either their site or a site like Amazon or eBay.

Is there an old anime OVA within any genre that you feel does not get the love you believe it deserves? I would love to hear from you guys so let me know it the comments below.

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