Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re going to be examining another OVA from the format’s late ‘80s-early ‘90s heyday, as we check out Spirit of Wonder: Miss China’s Ring. This OVA was adapted from the overall Spirit of Wonder manga series written and illustrated by Kenji Tsuruta, who channeled his love of fantastical storytellers like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells into a series of steampunk-adjacent vignettes, with each chapter centering on a new character and a new marvelous invention.
Combining the playful storytelling of the great nineteenth century fantasists with the generous animation of the OVA era sounds like a great time to me, and Spirit of Wonder’s key staff also seem promising. The key director/animation director team of Mitsuru Hongo and Yoshiaki Yanagida would actually go on to reprise this partnership as the director/AD of the recent Ascendance of a Bookworm, while Hongo’s significant work on the Shin-chan franchise makes me suspect he’s a director with a clear eye for how boarding and character animation can play off and elevate each other. Meanwhile, fellow art director Ogura Hiramasa will likely be managing the background art, as his own credits as art director include such standouts as Royal Space Force and Patlabor the Movie. And with reliable hand Michuru Shimada (Little Witch Academia, Before Green Gables, Galaxy Express 999) handling the screenplay, I imagine Tsuruta’s tale will be adapted with absolute confidence. Let’s see what this spirit of wonder is all about!