Watch Order
0 / 3 watchedFilm first, then OVAs.
About Crusher Joe
Crusher Joe follows the Minerva crew taking crusher jobs across space. The 1983 film from Studio Nue and Sunrise sets Joe, Alfin, Talos and the crew against pirates over a colony plot. Two OVAs continue the jobs: The Ice Prison and The Ultimate Weapon Ash, both 1989.
Haruka Takachiho wrote the pulp novels behind the crew. The film and OVAs share the ship and cast but not one arc, so release order introduces the team the way viewers met them. The animation jumps from film scale to OVA detail with the same banter intact.
Good to know
Watch the film, then Ice Prison, then Ash. The jobs stand alone, so strict chronology adds nothing. The OVAs assume you know the crew banter, which is why they sit after the film. Later reissues group them together, so match by title rather than disc order for the correct sequence each time you watch.
