killed Yamanobe. Kawamata is ultimately strangled by his own reflection in the hell and is found dead in his office by Nanase. Media Manga The manga by Fujihiko Hosono was initially published in Action Brother by Futabasha between 1987 and 1989, when it was transferred to another magazine by the same publisher, Comic Action Character. The first chapter was published on November 13, 1987, while the last one was published on March 22, 1991. Its chapters were encapsulated into two tankōbon volumes published in January 1990 and August 1981 respectively. Futabasha would further republish the series into two volumes in April 2000. OVA Under the title of , an original video animation (OVA) adapted the first chapter of the first volume of the manga. It ran theatrically on June 15, 1991, and was released in VHS on August 1, 1991. Central Park Media (CPM) licensed it for a North American audience, and first released a VHS on October 8, 1996 in subtitled and dubbed versions. The subtitled version was broadcast by Independent Film Channel in April 1997, and it was released on DVD on March 16, 1999. By 2007, the DVD publication was discontinued and after CPM's bankruptcy in 2009 its license was liquidated. Reception Michael Toole of Anime News Network said he "just love[d] Judge", although he considered it "a particularly low-budget OVA catering to bored salarymen". Toole called it a "crude albeit satisfying revenge fantasy" that "fits in nicely with a viewing of Harvey Birdman episodes". A reviewer for Video Watchdog declared: "Highly competent animation and an engrossing story by Fujihiko Hosono make JUDGE a very worthwhile entertainment." Fred Patten wrote for Cartoon Research that it was "better directed than most" under-an-hour OVAs, especially praising its "clever dialogue". On the other hand, Carlos Ross of THEM Anime Reviews dubbed it "an unmemorable OAV"; he wrote, "Judge should have been an interesting, if strange trip through a suspenseful world of intrigue. Instead, it is a mostly incoherent mash of the creepy, with a jumbled plot and unconvincing acting". References External links 1989 manga 1991 anime OVAs Futabasha manga Seinen manga Works by Fujihiko Hosono