Spirit of Wonder: Scientific Boys Club is based on the
Spirit of Wonder manga by Kenji Tsuruta. Despite beautiful art and
charming stories, Studio Proteus halted adaptation of the manga after one
volume of stories focusing on Miss China. Miss China also happened to be the focus
of a 1992 OVA which was released back in 1996 in America by Animeigo, and
re-released (however briefly) on DVD in 2001. However, as you'll quickly learn
upon viewing the new OVA, Miss China, Jim, and Dr. Breckenridge are far from the
main characters!
The story centers around Jack and
Wendy, a married couple reunited after six months of Jack being out to sea. Wendy
is eager to spend time with Jack again, but he immediately begins spending all
his days busy away from home, and all of his nights out drinking. What exactly
is he doing? Well, he's helping Wendy's father and his friends with a project
fifty years in the making - the greatest project ever for the Scientific Boys
Club - a Trip to Mars!
At first Wendy is obviously
upset with Jack and her father, whom she's always considered as reckless and immature
as his other friends in the club. But she begins to accept Jack's absence and
eventually gets involved because, as it turns out, the club needs her help! Wendy
is a bit of a science person herself and her (largely derided) theories about
space travel are exactly what Jack and old men need to make their lifelong dream
come true.
Originally released as a two-part OVA
in 2001, it consists of mostly hand-drawn animation, with a fair amount of CG
mixed in, particularly for the second episode (which contains the actual space
travel). Largely though, it retains the detail and soft style of the original
92 OVA, rather than the streamlined sharp style found in most modern series. There
are a plenitude of scenic shots and all are really quite nice. The downside to
this is that so many scenic shots and so much character development makes the
show, especially the first part, end up being paced at a rate close to stagnation.
Characters ponder, toil and dream wistfully - never for too long, but for long
enough for you to wonder if they'll ever get to Mars at all.
Still,
like Miss China's Ring, the story isn't so much about the extraordinary,
laughably inaccurate adventures in science as it is about the relationship between
the characters, and Jack and Wendy do make a lovely couple. The old men in the
Scientific Boys Club are the perfect lovable scamps and the sequences bookending
the story are fairly enjoyable, though mundane. Wendy, in particular, I liked
because she dodges the cliché of disapproving-but-oh-well wife by not only
being helpful in their endeavors, but quite obviously smarter than the rest of
them. Also, you get to see her in a space suit. Thumbs up.
If
I had to compare it to the first Spirit of Wonder OVA, I'd rate it just
barely below - because Miss China can go quite far on charm alone. But just barely
below. I still recommend this OVA and would rank it a 4/5
