Twilight Q 2: Labyrinth Objects File 538 (1987)

Abstract

In the second and final episode in the Twilight Q OVA series, Twilight Q 2: Labyrinth Objects File 538 (Twilight Q 2: Meikyū Bukken File 538), Oshii gives viewers a glimpse of a world where fiction and reality flow seamlessly into each other. The Twilight Q OVA series originally was intended to highlight the stories and talents of up-and-coming anime directors through a series of unconnected, imaginative short stories, but the project lasted only two episodes. The title of the series can be read as an homage to two influential television shows: The Twilight Zone and Ultra Q, a mid-1960s’ series that was a cross between a Japanese version of The Outer Limits-style science fiction and a Toho monster film. Although the anime series was in color, the allusion to these two black-and-white television programs is indicative of the sense of noir and mystery aimed for in Twilight Q.