Silly and surreal, this light comedy OAV follows a short adventure
in the life of a little boy named Nobuhiko, his kindly supergenius scientist grandfather,
and a very special android named Signal, built to be Nobuhiko's big brother and
bodyguard. We don't really need a plot in this sort of program, but one is provided
anyway, about rival scientists, secret technologies, and master plans that inevitably
go wrong. Though there's some action when thieves and an evil android named Pulse
show up to cause trouble, the show is mainly concerned with getting laughs. The
ensemble cast is full of comfortably wacky characters, and all sorts of random
madness gets mixed into the story. Signal, for instance, is usually a gangly bishonen
who acts like a typical hotshot teenager, but gets turned into a hyperactive mini
version of himself every time Nobuhiko sneezes. This a comparatively tame show,
with no fanservice and little violence, so it's perfectly suitable for the kids
while still entertaining enough for their parental units.
One
of the nicest things about the OAV is the noticeably good animation. All the action
scenes look great, and the comedy benefits too. Designs are simple, but bright
and colorful. The generic music does its best, and the energetic vocal performances
hit all the right buttons. Like so many other OAVs, Twin Signal is an introduction
to the manga series, but it's also a separate entity that stands up just fine
on its own. The antics are a little too placid to be classic, and the few dramatics
don't work at all, but the show is definitely one of those unknown titles that's
deserves more recognition for its genuine charms.
(3.5)
