MegaMan: Wishing upon a Star
Synopsis
"This Anime (Episode 2, to be exact), where Rockman travels from the Game-World to the real world, to learn some cultural differences about Japan, was intended to be a Special Episode for the original Mega Man Cartoon Series by Ruby-Spears, which aired around 1995 in the US. As it seems, the special was finished before Ruby-Spears decided to redo their whole show with a completely new design, better suited for American audiences. Thus, not fitting the new style anymore, it never was included in the series. Still, two more episodes about the same story were produced a bit later, this time under the main title "Rockman" (unlike Episode 2, where he's called Mega Man, even in the japanese dub). It's unknown if these 3 Episodes ever saw an official release, until 2002, when Capcom of Japan decided to finally (re)release them on DVD for Rockman's 15th Anniversary (all featuring a Japanese and English dub, but no subs). It's unknown if there are any more secret animated works of the original Rockman game-series." (Source: AniDB)
Audience Consensus
Overall, the audience has mixed feelings. Some viewers find the OVA to be a charming and nostalgic trip, appreciating its educational elements and faithful recreation of the game's aesthetics. However, others criticize its simplistic and somewhat nonsensical plot, annoying characters, and underutilization of established characters, ultimately finding it a poorly executed attempt at edutainment.
Strengths
- Charming characters with nice interactions
- Educational content integrated well without being boring
- Nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic Saturday morning cartoons
- Animation is crisp and vibrant, bringing the familiar faces to life
- Sound effects and music taken straight from the game
Weaknesses
- Simplistic and somewhat stupid narrative
- Educational elements don't mesh well with the plot
- Annoying human sidekicks
- Underutilization of robot masters
- Mediocre voice acting and sound mixing