I had heard about Dragon’s Heaven - an OVA that was apparently incredibly expensive due to hubris and arrogance of the director involved. Makoto Kobayashi was heavily influenced by the work of Moebius and Hayao Miyazaki's early output - especially Nausicaä - and it shows in this quirky and unique OAV that could only have been a product of Japan's Bubble Economy.

This is a tale about two robots who battle across the sands of time, in conflict for over a thousand years. When our robot protagonist SHAIAN is damaged in a battle, he rests to recover, only to wake up to a very different world. People are eking out a living in harsh conditions, but the war is still going on and his enemy, Elmedain, is still out there. Luckily, he meets Ikiru, a strong-willed and charismatic teen orphan who agrees to help end the war and defeat Elmedain.

I really enjoyed this animation as it shares the same sense of creative audacity as The Thief and the Cobbler, which took three decades and an innumerable number of artists to nearly complete. But man, what a vision and idea! It's good to reach for the stars and push the boundaries of what's possible. The fact that the first five minutes are all done with practical models, lighting, and effects is mind-blowing; while it looks quite amateur now, it would have looked awesome at the time, I'm sure. The character of Ikiru is also well done, as she seems to be a woman of agency who steps up, has her own mind, and says what she thinks. She's flirty with SHAIAN and makes him uncomfortable at times, which is a real power move.