Please note this review contains minor spoilers in the form of job roles within character analysis. Please read at your own risk.
Based on a popular manga of the same name Spy X Family is an action and comedy-themed anime that allows us to see what will happen if one day a well-known and veteran intelligence agent was to be given a mission of critical importance that must be dealt with not with gun or blade or poison but by infiltrating the enemies inner circle and figuring out their true plan from within. And to do that our man while a master spy has to
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do something that he had never thought he will be doing at least not for a while, yet which was to not only marry a local but also create a family that can be used as an effective cover for his mission of preventing the war to end all wars from starting.
But what if over the course of living this new life as a family man and living together with not only a beautiful and caring wife but also an infinitely curious daughter that our man long used to having to harden his heart in the name of duty were to for the first time in his life experience something that he had yet to encounter thus far. This being the unique warmth and stability that comes from having something other than loyalty to one’s country to motivate them and give them a new and far more compelling reason to complete the mission. For protecting the smile on his dear wife's face and the joy at seeing his daughter struggle and ultimately triumph over the demands of the academy is something that’s just as important as preventing the outbreak of the war to end all wars.
As a genre combination action comedies abbreviated as Accom are combinations that are relatively rare within the anime medium. But what made Spy x Family stand out from its seasonal anime peers however was the inclusion of not just a seldom-seen theme in the form of spies and their fight to protect their country from shadowy threats but also how seamlessly it fits into the overall narrative and used in combination with the themes of family and comedy which really served to make its overall narrative a joy to behold. It was this combination of themes along with its strong opening episode that while missing one of its main leads nonetheless gave off a strong enough performance that intrigued me enough to watch the series to the end and I have to say I'm glad that I did.
Loid Forger
Loid Forge is one of the main characters of the series and represents the spy part of the operation within the series' overall narrative. A veteran operative of the country of Westalia’s famed external intel agency and arguably its best Loid from his initial appearances was shown to be someone that represented well the kind of people that work within that career field being someone that was quiet, calm, composed and while friendly to those that he met was someone that was shown to be emotionally detached at events around him. Indeed, while Loid was quite capable of forming bonds with his fellow operatives and superiors, he was someone that was shown to view strong emotions such as love whether romantic or family and desire to be irrelevant to him and only saw his duty to his country as the only reward that he would need. A view that while common for those that had long fought the shadow war between Westalis, and its eastern counterpart proved to be insufficient for his newest mission. A mission that would require him to not only show long-dormant emotions towards his family but also in a way that would look natural to both fellow parents and teachers when attending the school, a trial that would force him to once again take up the mantle of being a human being once more rather than a shadow whose only desire in life was to eradicate threats in the name of national security.
As the series progresses and Loid comes to grip with the mission his personality gradually begins to shift. While Loid in the beginning was shown to be someone that viewed strong emotions as something that was unnecessary in his line of work his eventual encounter with his future wife and daughter would eventually make him realize just how naïve he had been. For while tactically having strong emotions and having loved ones can be seen as a possible vulnerability for those in his line of work the opposite can also apply in that one can also find great strength when they have loved ones to protect and a warm family to come back to after a long day’s work. This change within Loid I felt was shown best in the relationship that he forges with not only Yor and Anya but also with his relationship with his peers. In the case of the former while Loid initially viewed the plan with a degree of wariness due to the need to procure assets locally his relationship with Yor I felt served to not only make him see how unnecessary that worry was but also make him open his eyes to the kind of warmth that can come from being able to meet someone that you love wholeheartedly and that you can trust to manage your home in peace a statement that while being unreasonable for a spy really shows the kind of impact that meeting her had in weakening the wall that he had spent long years erecting around his heart.
While one’s relationship with children can vary considerably due to many factors, I felt that Loid’s initial encounters with Anya served to showcase two things that when used together really made their initial bond with each other that much more endearing with these being Loid’s dislike of children due to his childhood and Anya’s dislike of adults due to the kind of lies that she had been subjected too when in their care. In a way, while these bad memories were one’s that cast a dark shadow over each of their psyches it also served to create for them a shared sense of understanding between them that acted as an effective catalyst for the two to not only bond over but use as a means to improve themselves in parallel with each other. While Loid initially viewed the forger family as nothing more than a vehicle for the mission as his bond with Yor and Anya gradually improved this view of his gradually changed and Loid rather than seeing bonds with others as a liability that can be exploited by others instead it as potent source of motivation and someone that should be protected with all his might. While his bond with Anya and Yor was one that was not always smooth by interacting with them and seeing the kind of troubles and in Anya’s case mischief that she gets up to Loid can see not only how much work goes into parenting but also despite how tough it can be in supporting a family how rewarding it can also be in coming home after work and being able to chat with them about your day in a warm house and served dinner by a beautiful wife while watching your daughter talk excitedly about her day in school. In the grand scheme of things this a simple thing but for Loid long used to finishing his missions and spending them in isolation when in transit back to report it in being able to not only rediscover his long-buried emotions and being able to relax after a long days work with people that he can both trust and treasure is something that I felt was a fitting reward for him and one that would only make him stronger in the long war between the two sides while also allowing him to get one step closer to creating his dream world.
Yor Forger
Yor Forger is one of the main characters of the series and represents the housewife/assassin part of the operation within the series' overall narrative. Known in certain shadowy circles as the thorn princess Yor while on assignment was known as one of the shadowed world’s most vaunted killers renowned for not only her beauty but also for her skill with the blade that has yet to find a target that she couldn’t kill and whose mere mention will send a chill through even the most hardened of bodyguards. Yet when off the field and in the guise of her civilian self it can be seen that Yor was by all intents and purposes a very different person.
In her civilian guise, Yor was a friendly, quiet and positive young woman that while innocent and honest and polite to a fault was nonetheless someone that worked hard in every role and task that she set herself as a member of the city hall staff. While these traits along with her kind and caring nature would often give the impression that Yor was someone that was popular with both her fellow staff members and have many potential suitors but alas the opposite is true. For Yor, while a kindhearted and caring person that got on well with those around her was someone that was shown to have a surprisingly low amount of self-esteem that ensured that while she was capable of mingling with her peers and making friends with them that every day she would often overcomplicate and overthink things when dealing with them. When combined with her shy nature as well as her forgetful and klutzy moments that more often happen in these interactions Yor was seen to live in a constant state of nervousness that made each of her days a trial to face. Under such a shadow it’s no wonder that Yor while lamenting her lack of romance opportunities would choose to focus her attention on maintaining her bond with her family and the few people that she could call friends. This sense of living in a constant state of nervousness, however, changed after Yor’s chance encounter with Loid who after a lightning-fast and action-packed date was to change her life forever when she joined the Forger family and start a new chapter in her life.
After joining the family as its lady in the house Yor’s personality was shown to change in reflection of both her new marital status and her role within the narrative. While she retains much of her quiet and kindhearted nature that defined her base self Yor’s new role as both a mother and a stay-at-home wife allowed us to see aspects of her that served to expand upon her in some rather interesting ways. As a result of both her upbringing as both someone that had to take up the mantle of being the mother-like figure in her family and her side role as an assassin Yor was someone that had to mature very quickly from a young age and learn what to prioritize while simultaneously raising her brother Yuri. While Yor was quite capable of mingling with others and conversing with people that she knows well her upbringing focused as it was on ensuring that both she and Yuri were able to reach adulthood meant that she was someone that was shown to not know what a normal person is which within the narrative is shown in how excited she can get when finding out new knowledge that would be common to people her age and trying her utmost to find out more about it. This innate sense of curiosity of hers as well as her desire to use it to better herself as a person I felt within the narrative was used well in conjunction with her new role as both a wife and a mother as it allowed her to not only experience a life when outside of her work but also in finding something that was both dear to her and yet important enough for her to see its protection as her core motivation in this new phase of her life. This dual sense of loyalty to her new family as well as her desire to protect it with everything that she has within the narrative had many notable moments that served to showcase not only how deadly one’s love for their family can be but also how it would be when the mother in question is someone that’s capable of not only hard-hitting strikes but move at the speed of sound to deal with any threats to both her husband and her daughter whether it would be revolutionaries or sudden enemy stampedes. No matter what threat befalls her family there’s nothing that would harm them on her watch a phrase that I felt best symbolized Yor’s determination to protect her family from anything that can happen in their day-to-day life.
This sense of deadly protection within the narrative is best seen in the bond that Yor has with her daughter Anya for while their initial meeting and early days were tense affairs due to their mutual shyness as well as Yor’s inability to read Anya’s feelings as they got to know each other and bond with each other the bond between them was shown to become a boon for both sides for it provided Anya with a more or less an on-call assassin that can deal with any threat that she faces while for Yor it provided one half of the core motivation that she needed to propel her in her new life as a housewife assassin. In this her overactions that she displays every time Anya’s in danger I felt synergized well with the bond that Anya forges with her and it proved to be amusing to see every time Anya calls upon Yor who magically appears and smites anyone that threatens her.
Anya Forger
Anya Forger is one of the main characters of the series and represents both the prodigy and centerpiece of the operation within the series' overall narrative. The daughter of the Forger family Anya from her initial appearances was shown to be an average 6-year-old girl that while polite to those around her was shown to have a level of wariness that one would expect kids her age to have. While a polite and quiet girl by nature Anya was also intelligent, imaginative and someone that was noted to have a certain level of adaptability that few kids her age had. While for the most part possessing an innocent nature Anya was also someone that was noted to be adventurous which unfortunately when paired with her klutzy nature more often than not caused her to get into troublesome situations that required outside intervention to assist in extracting out off. However, despite her klutzy nature, she was someone that was shown to have a certain level of spirit within her that allowed her to speak her mind without bowing down to social pressure that served to complement her core desire to self-improve herself to achieve the life goals that she sets herself qualities that I felt were admirable for someone so young.
While Anya outwardly was a girl who had a loving family that doted on her beneath her smiles it can be seen that she was also someone that had trials to overcome as well. As a result of her gifts, Anya was someone that can be said to have had a really unfortunate childhood as it ensured that while able to readily form bonds with others such relations were always ones that were short-term as a result of her ability to determine truth from lies. While her ability to adapt did much to lessen the emotional impact that came from this it could not completely block out the pain that came from being sent into state care at such a young age. As a result of this before joining the Forger family Anya while outwardly polite if a quiet girl was someone that was shown to be wary of all strangers and someone that had built walls extensively around her heart to protect herself. However, it was only after joining the Forger family as their daughter that Anya was finally able to not only see but also experience the kind of warmth and trust that actual families show to their members. While Anya’s initial relations with Loid and Yor were frosty ones on account of not only distrust on her part but also a lack of understanding on the latter’s part this icy nature of hers gradually starts to thaw as their relationship changes within the narrative. This aspect of the relationship between Anya and her adopted parents I felt was handled really well within the narrative as while it fulfilled the tactical role of the mission the integration of Anya into the family also served as an effective way of reintroducing an aspect of humanity that the three of them had discarded as a result of not only duty but also a heartless necessity in the form of love and the kind of power that genuine bonds between family members can serve to create within one's hearts.
This relationship I felt featured an excellent balance in that while it served as an effective vehicle to allow all three to self-develop as individuals it was also one that provided some excellent Accom moments such as her dramatic rescue by Yor from kidnappers and the rescue of Princess Anya from the fairy castle. Of course, while the bonding proved to be heartwarming to see the place where her abilities proved to be of best use and where the bulk of the series comedy comes from was in the operation itself. As the cornerstone of the operation, it was important that Anya was not only able to produce the desired results but also be able to adapt herself to deal with different scenarios at the academy and in this, I felt that Anya was able to show not only her almost innate ability to annoy her target through her facial expressions and mannerism’s but also her ability to readily assess and adapt her plans to compensate for sudden snags. While commendable what was equally impressive was her ability to not only bond readily with others but also change them which while funny reflected well on the lessons that she had learned from being able to bond with a family that cared deeply about her an aspect that I felt added a lot of weight to her bond with Damien that served to make each of their interactions both amusing and yet sad as we get to see just how different the two of them were despite their social status being opposites of each other.
AMV
In terms of animation, I felt that the animation used in the show was very clear and featured a great deal of detail that applied not only to general animations that detailed the cast’s day-to-day activities but also in how they interact with the environment around them with perhaps the most surprising being how detailed even small things like labels in food items in supermarkets were.
This level of detail I felt was also reflected in the character designs of both the main cast and the supporting cast as while their designs served to give them a unique look benefitting their role within the narrative it was also married to the kind of roles that they had within society as well with Yor’s assassin form, Henry Henderson Anya’s dorm master at Eden academy and Sylvia Sherwood Loid’s handler being the best examples of this. Complementing this was the show's depiction of the time period that the show’s narrative was parodying which while featuring a nice variety of locations that did well to show both the lighter and more positive side of society in the form of the forger residence, Eden academy, city hall, the busting shopping districts and large and beautiful parks and the darker and more shadowy aspect of it in the form of state orphanage’s that seemed to be providing only the most basic of care to its charges while pocketing everything else that they were provided with as well as groups that wouldn’t hesitate to mistreat animals to achieve their overall goals. While only ever seen once the headquarters of Ostania’s feared secret police was one that I felt represented the crux in terms of darkness and suffering that existed within the country’s shadowy depths. All in all, while it was unfortunate that we never got to see Loid’s homeland of Westalia and compare it to what we saw in Ostania I have to say that they did a great job at creating derivatives that spawned from the states that existed in our timeline. Also, worth mentioning as part of the animation for the series was its excellent usage of facial expressions among its cast and its integration into its scenes that I felt served to enhance them even more so with Yor’s and Anya’s scenes benefitting the most from this.
While combat was something that was sparingly used within the narrative due to its focus being on espionage and the raising of one’s family the ones present nonetheless were ones that were well-designed and richly animated. While the action themselves were good they were complemented not only by the character designs of the ones involved but also by the location where they took place in and the stakes for which the cast fought for. In this I felt that the crown for causing the most knockouts would go to Yor for her fights while being highly impactful also showed well her developing bond with Anya and her developing desire to protect her with deadly force as her mother a sense of motivation that greatly enhanced the fights that she took part in.
In terms of mission variety, I felt that the series featured not only a good variety of mission scenarios that intel operatives would take part in when out in the field such as infiltrations, assassinations and retrieval of critical intel items from hostile parties but also complemented these with not only genuine espionage techniques such as disguises, one-time pads, dead drops, morse code and ingenious ways of using hollowed out everyday items to hide intel items that can be passed to others easily that added a lot of authenticity to the series. I also liked the usage of deep cover operatives that were located at locations that were tactically advantageous but yet in roles in which no one would really pay attention to such as the newspaper seller that Loid interacts with regularly. Further reinforcing these missions were not only the unique situations that the villains within them demanded of them but also the effects that this had on the overall narrative with the mission to rescue Princess Anya by Loid and the underground tennis match that introduced Fiona Frost to the narrative being excellent examples. When used in combination I felt that this served to inject some excellent tension within the overall narrative for all parties involved.
Music wise the series made use of a total of four opening and ending themes with cour 1 making use of Mixed Nuts and Comedy that was performed by Official Hige Dandism and Gen Hoshino respectively. While cour 2 made use of as its opening and ending themes Souvenir and Shikisai that was performed by Bump of Chicken and Yama respectively. The opening and ending themes for cour 1 I felt were both excellent songs that invoked differing feelings and emotions when they were used with their accompanying visuals with Mixed Nuts featuring dramatic action combined with the sweet journey of Anya as she strolled through the street that represented not only the gathering of the members of the cast but also the forging of a new family that would reunite them with feelings long forgotten while repurposing their alternate lives to focus on protecting their new family. The visuals that accompanied the opening I felt were one’s reminiscent of anime’s created in the 90’s that I felt resonated well with the anime’s core themes. The ending theme for cour 1 Comedy however I felt was different in that it represented not only Anya’s inner thoughts that reflected on the pain and isolation that she felt before meeting Loid and Yor but also the kind of changes that had been wrought upon her as a result of not only meeting them but also of being able to join a family that not only had a warm and welcoming home but one where her parents actually loved and adored her which is a feeling that I really enjoyed seeing Anya be able to experience. Cour 2’s opening and ending themes Souvenir and Shikisai I felt were songs that reflected well not only on where within the operation the cast were at but also how far the Forger family had come not just individually but also in terms of the bonds that they have with each other compared to how they were in the past. Souvenir’s usage of flashbacks and colorful and fun activities I felt really served to enhance this feeling and reflected well that while their past may have been dark and grim one’s in the present as a family, they were having the best times of their lives with people who they care deeply about.
Voice acting wise I was really impressed by the performance that both the main cast and supporting cast members did in portraying their respective characters. While the main cast members of Takuya Eguchi, Atsumi Tanezaki and Saori Hayami all did a fantastic job portraying the members of the Forger family in the form of Loid, Anya and Yor with Atsumi and Saori’s portrayal of Anya and Yor deserving special praise they were backed up by a large supporting cast whose performance was just as spectacular. In my opinion, the ones that really stood out within the narrative within the supporting cast were Yuko Kaida’s portrayal of Sylvia Sherwood aka the handler and Ayane Sakura’s portrayal of Fiona Frost with the former’s chilling speech in cour 2’s ep2 that saw her remind a group of would-be rebels the high cost that can come from facing the true reality of war one that especially resonated with me given events that are transpiring in Eurasia. In the form of the latter, I really enjoyed Ayane Sakura’s portrayal of Fiona Frost and felt that she portrayed the two contrasting sides of her personality perfectly with her inner maiden self perhaps being my favorite due to how different it was to her outer frigid self that looks like she might stab you if you anger her enough. Her interactions with Loid and Yor I felt added a lot of tension to scenes in which they were featured in. Though only seen within the first cour of the show I really liked Yuri as a character given his sis con tendencies and the resulting tension it brings to the Forger family every time he interacts with Loid. Despite that, I felt that Kensho Ono’s portrayal of him was done really well, and I would love to see him get featured more if the series gets a sequel.
Overall conclusion
In overall Spy X Family, I felt was an excellent anime that featured as its main strong points an intriguing premise, excellent overall narrative, excellent characters that were both well designed and developed, interesting combat scenarios and usage of espionage tradecraft and a masterful weaving of both emotional and physical bonding that managed to produce a new star that succeeded in not only thawing out the grim darkness that lurked in the heart of the members of the Forger family but replace it with something that they once had but had forgotten in the form of love, feelings and a desire to build and protect a family that’s able to provide the emotional support, stability and motivation one needs in a society that’s full of hidden dangers.
In terms of overall score Spy X Family is easily one that deserves a 10/10 for it featured not only an excellent premise, narrative and characters but was also married to an excellent display by its assigned seiyuu’s who really served to bring their characters to life and show us the power that bonds and trust between each other can do in reinvigorating people’s hearts and open their eyes to the fact that while protecting one’s country is an admirable goal protecting something that is both dear to you and worth fighting for with all your might is a much more worthy. The only irony here is that the one’s doing the protecting are the elites from both the light and darkness of society that under normal circumstances would be hunting each other down.
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Dec 24, 2022
Spy x Family Part 2
(Anime)
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Recommended Spoiler
Please note this review contains minor spoilers in the form of job roles within character analysis. Please read at your own risk.
Based on a popular manga of the same name Spy X Family is an action and comedy-themed anime that allows us to see what will happen if one day a well-known and veteran intelligence agent was to be given a mission of critical importance that must be dealt with not with gun or blade or poison but by infiltrating the enemies inner circle and figuring out their true plan from within. And to do that our man while a master spy has to ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Show all Sep 24, 2022
Prima Doll
(Anime)
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Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished Prima Doll and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers in character analysis. You have been warned.
Originating from a mixed media project Prima Doll is a Slice of life and Sci-fi genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day in a world that resembles a fusion of early 20th-century society with futuristic robotics borne out of the intelligence of scientist’s years ahead of their time that young girls built as weapons of war that ... were fated to die on the battlefield leading humanity’s wars were to be given an opportunity to start a new life. What if instead, they were able to live in the peace that they had fought so hard to create and instead of being dolls that commanded armies on the frontline instead they were waitresses that worked in a small but popular café living their life as normal civilians. What would happen if these young dolls forged for war were to one day be able to live in a peace that countless numbers of their kindred sacrificed their lives to achieve? What will happen if the ugly head of war would rear its head up once more hoping to start the tragic cycle anew. Would the dolls be able to prevent this tragic cycle from being restarted? or will they be doomed to see the tragedy take place once more. The concept of androids and robots being created and used to command their fellows on the battlefield to fulfil the ever-growing appetite of humanity’s desire for resources, religion and ego is something that’s been in existence within media for quite some time. However, while humanity’s unhealthy obsession with war is a grim topic the amount and type of stories that can be created via it is one that can lend great flexibility to the creator and while the majority of such stories focus on the actions that take place on the field few showcase what happens in the aftermath when its participants enter the age where they fought their hardest to achieve. In this I felt that Prima Doll’s premise of having dolls that were created for war find new life working as waitresses at a café that was founded by a patron that had served with dolls on the field was an interesting idea as it allowed us to see not only how the dolls would react to finally living in the peace that they fought so hard to achieve but also come to learn and appreciate the kind of bonds that are forged between not only with their fellow dolls but also with the normal civilians that they once fought for and now serve as waitress and customer in a time of peace. This premise ultimately was one that I felt paid off as its combination of learning to adapt oneself while learning what bonds between others meant by enjoying their everyday interactions with both their charges and each other was a joy to behold and resonated well with the darker elements of the narrative that really made each of cast that much more relatable. Haizakura Haizakura affectionately called Ha chan by the cast is one of the main characters of the series and is the series' main female lead. A young female automata that had laid dormant for many years before being awoken in the modern world Haizakura from her initial appearances was shown to be a kind, friendly and energetic girl who as a result of her long slumber was noted to be an innocent and carefree girl who saw each new day as a new opportunity to learn more about the world around her. while burdened greatly by the amnesia that she suffered from in the beginning Haizakura never let that sadden her and indeed was shown to possess a curious and determined nature and was shown to have a strong desire to make herself useful to her peers at the black cat café. While her unfortunate tendency of causing accidents due to her airheaded nature made her peers wary of her at first Haizakura’s talkative and caring nature and ability to form bonds with others whether human or automata more than outweighed this aspect of her and served to allow her to easily close the distance with her peers and forge lasting bonds with them. As the narrative progresses and Haizakura’s personality is expanded upon it can be seen that she was someone that possessed a curious amount of perception and empathy for others that allowed her to not only deduce when something is ailing someone but also the kind of actions that need to be taken to help them. While setting off to help others can more often than not lead her to going over her head this strong desire to help others showed just how much she valued the power that came from forging bonds with others and the sense of positivity it can bring to those around them. Though she readily admits that she lacks skills in any particular field her earnest nature and her ability to perceive the inner thoughts of someone I felt were paired well with her highly emotional nature that allowed her to understand and help as many people around her as she desired and in doing so contribute to fulfilling a useful purpose to society as she perceives it. While this within the narrative allowed her to forge strong bonds with her co-workers within the Black cat café that was much a home as it was a workplace for her it also presented her with a unique opportunity to bring not only more joy to those around her through her singing ability but also allow her to slowly but steadily heal the rift that had existed between humanity and automata as a result of the war a development that I felt was perfect for Haizakura given her origins as well as her desire to bring peace and joy to all those around her. This development of hers I felt also served to make the revelation about her true purpose within the narrative much more endearing as her base motivations and desire to change the world with both her words and her actions served as an excellent counter to the path that her fellow automata strived to create as part of her plans and showing well that even though they were created for the waging of war on behalf of their human creators the time for the age of war is now long gone and that in this age of peace its finally time to lay down one’s arms and enjoy the peace that is prospering. Retzel Retzel is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the Black Cat café that works alongside Haizakura. A unique automata that were discovered inactive within the realms of the empire’s borders by the military and sent to the patron of the Black cat café for assessment and repair Retzel from her initial appearances were shown to be a positive, kind and polite automata that were both talkative and extremely efficient at her tasks that was complemented by her fast thinking and diligent nature. Despite being in a foreign environment and possessing no memory of where she was from this nature of hers as well as her knowledge of various fields and a willingness to take the initiative at times soon served to make her an asset to the café despite the unique manner in which she was introduced. As the narrative progresses and Retzel’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that beneath her smiling and efficient manner that Retzel is not as innocent as she makes herself to be. For while her kindness and willingness to help others were indeed genuine her core priority in the beginning of the series lie in being loyal to her assigned mission to which she was shown to be extremely proud off and indeed saw it as her raison de’etre. As a result, she viewed anything that was not part of the mission such as forming bonds of friendship with others and enjoying the downtime when they had nothing left to do as secondary yet being able to mask it perfectly with her impressive acting ability. This strong sense of duty and loyalty to her mission and her homeland however while admirable from a military point of view in this age of peace only served to act as a chain that led to her being shackled to an age of war where she saw herself as being a weapon created solely for the purpose of fighting against the sworn enemy of her homeland nothing more nothing less. After being freed from her duty as a warrior however Retzel while retaining much of her base traits was seen to view friendships and bonds in a new light which is perhaps best seen in her newfound bond with Haizakura who she now saw as a sister-like figure who she seems to take great pleasure in teasing. While she loses much of her manipulative nature that made her such a difficult figure to read by the others Retzel’s cunning and independent nature allowed her to function well as a protector of sorts as it allowed her to not only deduce when things are awry but also when they needed to be kept an eye on as shown during the final arc of the narrative. Duty and loyalty to one’s homeland is something that all soldiers should adhere to, especially in times of war when the existence of their homeland is at stake but what if during the course of that duty that the role that you had been trained for no longer applies. This sense of confusion and an unwillingness to first believe in the new reality that’s evident in front of one’s eyes and later a fear to adapt their life to walk a new path I felt represented well the kind of struggles that automata especially those that had no one to guide them in taking a new path as they entered a new age struggled with. Indeed, if Retzel had not encountered Haizakura and the members of the Black cat café then I fear the only fate awaiting her would have been a very tragic one. But all in all, I felt Retzel was a character that was well designed and developed that represented well that even faced with a new reality that they were untrained for that with the right guidance from the right people even that can be overcome. Houkiboshi Houkiboshi is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the Black cat café serving primarily as the café’s cook where she works alongside her former squadmates who now serve her as her helpers within the kitchen and through their teamwork always create top tier food. From her initial appearances, Houkiboshi was shown to be a kind, caring and gentle person that was diligent and responsible and was level-headed enough to be trusted to manage the kitchen by herself when needed. However, while a cheerful and thoughtful person Houkiboshi in the beginning was noted to suffer from a particular defect in that she was unable to speak and had to make use of written messages to communicate with others due to a trauma that she suffered during the war. As the narrative progresses and Houkiboshi’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that perhaps out of all of her fellow automata that had served during the war she was the one that suffered the most emotionally. While outwardly Houkiboshi was a cheerful and friendly person who greeted each person with a smile inwardly she was someone that had to deal with a large amount of grief that she had inherited from the last battle where she fought alongside her friends which ended in tragedy for all those involved. This immense tragedy while one that she barely managed to survive was also one that was to have a profound effect on her as for the first time in her life she was forced to contend with the fact that while she was still alive, she had in a cruel twist of fate lost the usage of one of her most cherished possessions in the form of her voice. However, it is after the events that saw Houkiboshi’s encounter with family members of her former unit that would serve to allow her to take the first steps of breaking out of the circle of grief that not only hung over her heart but also prevented her from saying the words that she most wanted to vocalize to her dear departed friends. This speech and later song of hers that she presented to the gathered family members of her former unit I felt really did well to showcase not only how much the loss of one’s voice had affected her but also the amount of grief that she had suffered and kept bottled up within her after seeing so many of her friends perish in front of her. Being able to not only vocalize the grief that she kept hidden up to that point while also being able to honor them one last time with the song I felt was the best way to honor their sacrifice while allowing Houkiboshi to move on with her life. As a character, I felt that Houkiboshi was a character that was both well designed and developed with her showing well the kind of twists of fate that can happen to soldiers that fight on the battlefield both physically and psychologically. Perhaps out of the five members of the Black cat café her struggle to deal with the grief that she suffered and move on with her life with the support of her friends was the one that I felt was the most relatable to me. Karasuba Karasuba is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the Black cat café serving as the informal second in command to its patron and by virtue its operating manager during its opening hours. From her initial appearances, Karasuba was shown to be a confident, calm and composed girl that was diligent and had a level of responsibility that belied her young age. While strict and very rule-bound, she nonetheless was someone that was kind and caring towards those around her and while she may appear to be someone that was always annoyed and scary to new starters, she was one that actually took great care in training them and ensuring that they will be able to help the café when they start their duties. While she like her fellow automata was grateful to their patron Nagi for rescuing them and give them a new purpose in the new world Karasuba who served in the same unit as him was shown to have a deeper bond with him than most which can cause some interesting moments within the narrative when remarked upon by others amusingly. As the narrative progressed and Karasuba’s personality was expanded upon it can be seen that beneath her strict and rule bounded self that she also had a softer side to her as well. For while Karasuba tries hard to run a tight ship at the café so as not to embarrass her master and may appear cold and difficult to approach by others she was someone that actually cared deeply about those around her, especially ones that have proven themselves worthy of being friends. This is perhaps best shown in the bond that she forged with Haizakura because while her initial opinion of her was a negative one due largely to her clumsy and careless nature over time as she got to see the kind of person that she really was she began to learn to rely upon her and take her ideas in consideration when running the café. And indeed, within the narrative several of her ideas despite the skepticism shown by her ultimately proved to be the idea that was needed to allow the café to overcome the trial that it was facing at that point in time. However, what proved to be Karasuba’s most prominent trait that would serve to be her modus operandi was the strong bond that lies between her and her master Nagi that she was shown to value immensely for it was not only him that rescued and fixed her on the field but also the one that gave her a new role in life once it become apparent that her role as a soldier was over. While this bond proved to be one that gave Karasuba a solid foundation upon which she can stand upon and Nagi a solid manager to run his beloved café with this was also somewhat of a double-edged sword. For if Nagi were to be in any kind of danger then this same foundation would easily crack as shown during the events of the mainland arc when she became visibly distracted, forgetful and worried constantly about his welfare which while looking amusingly like a housewife showed well the kind of bond that existed between the two of them. This crisis while harrowing in the extreme for Karasuba also served in my opinion to allow her to realize that while her loyalty to Nagi and her determination to repay that by running the café to the best of her ability was admirable that she also needs to remember that anytime she needs help she can always lean on and rely upon her fellow automata as well for just as she tries hard to teach them and help them with their problems they too were more than willing to step in to help her as well for that was what friends are for. As a result of this revelation while learning well the kind of power and warmth that can come from having friends that she can rely upon Karasuba also realized that while the café was their physical home anywhere where her dear friends are is also one as well. While she still remains strict as ever Karasuba after this revelation was shown to have become much more expressive of her feelings and more willing to take risks if it meant that she can have a better chance of helping those dearest to her rather than becoming stagnant as her old self did. AMV Animation wise I thought the series animation was pretty well done that featured not only great detail but also excellent usage of colour within not just the various locales that we visit but also in the character designs as well. Character designs I felt featured a nice variety that gave each doll not only a unique design that reflected their personality but also their role within the narrative as well with Retzel and Houkiboshi’s designs being my personal favorites within the series. Retzel aside I felt that the character designs also had a unique synergy with their past lives that were shown within the character's individual flashbacks that I felt resonated well with the series' core themes of finding a new place within the peace that they had fought so hard to achieve. In terms of locales that were visited by the cast throughout the narrative while the main location that was featured the most was the café that served as both the dolls' home as well as their primary workplace, I thought that the series also featured a nice variety of locations that took advantage of both the time period that the world was based on as well as the kind of locations that made up the empire. Though I kinda wished that we were able to see more of the mainland as well as the different wards that made up the empire’s capital. Music wise while the series made use of one opening and ending theme as standard it also featured a surprising amount of character insert songs that were performed by the main cast as a way to showcase individual breakthrough moments for their respective characters when they managed to overcome the problems that ailed them. The series opening theme Tin Toy Melody was performed by the singing unit Chat Noir that was formed of the main cast members of Azumi Waki, Tomori Kusunoki, Miyu Tomita, Yuki Nakashima and Akari Kito and featured a very upbeat and cheerful song that with the aid of its visuals gave off the feel of starting a new day, meeting your fellow friends and co-workers and getting everything that was needed for the café ready before welcoming in customers and friends alike to the Black cat café a café run entirely by automatons who had taken up waitressing as their new role in life. The series ending theme Omoiutatou which was also performed by Chat Noir through the aid of its visuals gave off the feel of friendships and bonds that have been forged between dolls that though borne from different generations and countries and having different temperaments were nonetheless one’s that had been forged over their shared desire to forge a new path in a new world and in the process try and change the people’s perception of automata that had become associated with the tragedy of the great war that had only just ended recently. The series insert songs in which there were a total of 7 I felt were all excellent in showing not only how the automata that the people once viewed as only machines of war could also become ones that can bring joy and happiness to people via song and flashy performances while also allowing the girls to showcase individual moments within the narrative when they managed to overcome the struggles that ailed them. My personal favorites were Yumesaki Harebutai and Houkiboshi’s character song Hoshishirube with the latter that I felt showcased her feelings as she took the first step in walking a new path perfectly. Voice acting wise I felt that overall, the series' main voice cast all did an excellent job at not only portraying their assigned characters but also providing excellent songs that did well to expand upon their respective characters while providing us with some truly catchy tunes. Azumi Waki in particular truly shined not only in portraying the many different sides of Haizakura but also in the number of songs that she sang for us that really showed her talent as a seiyuu singer. Overall conclusion In overall Prima Doll, I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points a unique premise, narrative, characters and an interesting look at the kind of struggles that a automata that were created to fight on the battlefield would face as they not only survive but also enter a new world that is both familiar to them and yet also one that’s alien to them because for the first time in their lives they are facing a situation that’s completely unknown to them which is a clear purpose in life in a age that seems to have little use for them. Whether it’s a human being or an automata suddenly not having a path that you can follow that until now has given you a clear purpose in life is something that will cause great emotional distress and confusion that without the guidance of a helping hand could very easily escalate in the wrong direction quite easily. In this, I felt that the series overall narrative that focused not only on exploring what it was like for the girls during their time in the great war but also how through the help that they had from their patron were able to not only adapt themselves to the newfound peace but in the process forge new lifelong bonds with new friends and allies through everyday slice of life moments being especially well done especially its usage of singing performances via its main cast that resonated well with the narrative’s core focus of trying to give automata a new life while changing the perception of them within the eyes of the populace. However Its fusion with its struggle with hard-line fanatics intent on restarting the war and reject the peace that had transpired in the interim as well as the confrontation with the sin that humanity forced upon the founding first gen automata I felt while enjoyable was let down by the fact that the former were not expanded enough to form a credible threat to the girls while the threat posed by the founding automata while more believable and due to both her backstory as well as its portrayal by her assigned seiyuu , I felt limited her effectiveness within the narrative though it did serve to ensure that the series ended on a high note by showcasing the casts determination to do all they can to protect the peace that they fought so hard to create. All in all, Prima Doll I felt was an interesting anime that featured not only a beautiful world that was recovering from the effects of perhaps one of its most destructive wars but also populated by a cast that was not only well written, developed and portrayed but also working hard alongside their newly made friends to try and create a new world where automata and humans can live freely and equally without the need to kill each other. Overall, as a final score, I would say that Prima Doll easily deserves a score of 7/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Show all Sep 21, 2022 Recommended Spoiler
Please note while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis you have been warned.
Based on a popular light novel series of the same name Mamahaha no Tsurego ga Motokano datta better known to western audiences as My Stepmom’s daughter is my Ex is a romantic comedy series that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day two teenagers who had formally been deeply in love with each other before their untimely separation were to reunite with each other a mere two weeks later. But not as lovers as one ... would imagine in this scenario but as a family for thanks to the marriage of their parents our two stars are now stepsiblings that try as they might deny that despite the years gone by still possess strong feelings that had drawn them together all those years ago. Now living under the same roof and seeing each other every day just how will they keep their feelings from transforming into something that they both desire but yet society will not look kindly upon. While recent years have shown the debut of many excellent romantic comedies in the realm of anime such as Fly me to the Moon and My Youth Romantic Comedy is wrong as I expected those anime’s tend to be ones that sit within the realm of normalcy as they portrayed the kind of bonds that would be considered normal for teenagers and young adults in the form of friends, kohai and sempais and with mysterious beauties that can’t seem to avoid traffic accidents. My Stepmom’s daughter is my ex however is unique in that while it does have school as one of its primary settings complementing this within the narrative were two further aspects in the form of family and the two main leads' shared romantic past that really served to make the overall narrative an interesting one that had the effect of making you realize that even when the world changes around you for good or ill there are always things that you cannot forget no matter how hard you try. This blend of a narrative that combined traditional school-based rom coms with the complexity of the reawakening of long-dormant romantic feelings as the two leads wrestled with their new reality, I felt really made this series stand out and indeed was one that I really enjoyed watching this season. Yume Irido Yume Irido previously known as Yume Ayai is one of the main characters of the series and is the main female lead of the series. A newly ascended high school freshman Yume from her initial appearances was shown to be an intelligent and friendly person that while giving off the image of an honor student had none of the arrogance that was typical of that character type with her only flaw being perhaps her direct nature when with others. While nominally a quiet person that preferred to keep her own opinions Yume was also someone that was shown to be friendly and caring towards others which when combined with her perceptive and considerate nature towards others made her a popular member of the class a fact that while allowing her to fulfil a long-cherished wish from her junior high days also served as an effective weapon that she used often in her quest to compete with her adapted brother Mizuto. Beneath the angelic honor student image that Yume projects to all but her closest friends however it can be seen that there is far more to her than she reveals to others with her bond with her adopted brother Mizuto being perhaps the most significant. On the surface, the bond between Yume and Mizuto while not especially close as one would expect siblings even one’s not related by blood was also one that reflected well on the kind of complex relationship that existed between them due to their shared past. Though seldom seen outside their home Yume’s attitude towards Mizuto away from outsiders was shown to be an unusual one that centered on her desire to prove her superiority over the other. While such interactions among siblings are common ones that are usually playful in nature for Yume this desire to compete with Mizuto and prove who’s the true younger sibling was one that Yume was shown to value immensely. Indeed, it’s during these often-one-sided trials that Yume sets that showcase both her true feelings towards Mizuto as well as her skill at creating plans that while simple on the surface required a level of cunning that most people won’t label Yume with possessing. On the surface, while these plans of hers can be seen as her being childish to her these plans that she devotes time and effort to create represents a determined attempt by her to overcome her past and forge a new identity for herself in the present and to do that she has to be able to face her true feelings in the form of her past flame and take that crucial first step which is by attaining a complete victory against him. As a character, I felt that Yume Irido was both well designed and developed over the course of the narrative with her shared past with her stepbrother Mizuto and her desire to overcome both the shadow of her past self that made her junior high years so difficult and her own ever-increasing feelings for him that she had thought she had buried but yet had returned to her heart as if to mock her efforts to forge a new life being especially well done. This sense of fragility within the narrative I felt was also complemented by the almost desperate desire by Yume to maintain her image as an honor student by consistently achieving high scores within exams on account of not wanting to experience the void that comes from being looked down upon by others as a result of their performance something that I believe Yume had a real fear of as it will undo everything that she worked so hard to achieve. This fear that I felt was handled well within the narrative in the form of something that she too lacked during her junior school years in the form of lasting friendships with the supporting cast and making her realize that some bonds once made are never forgotten. Mizuto Irido Mizuto Irido is one of the main characters of the series and is the main male lead of the series being a high school freshman and the adopted brother of Yume Irido. From his initial appearances, Mizuto was seen to be the total opposite of Yume whether physically or in terms of personality in that, while she was a social butterfly who had no shortage of friends and admirers within the class Mizuto was someone that was an intelligent but quiet person that preferred to maintain a passive presence within the class when in school. However, while a quiet person Mizuto was also someone that was logical and levelheaded and while his direct nature made him difficult to know by his classmates apart from one’s that were determined enough to befriend him this made it easy for him to deduce who was there to try and use him to get to his sister while also enabling him to easily deduce when she enacts her plans. While Mizuto was someone that seemingly preferred the lone wolf approach when in class preferring to seclude himself in the library when on lunch or before going home for the day he was not someone that was averse to friendships. Indeed, for those people who had either similar interests to him or were actually sincere about wanting to befriend him he was quite capable of making friends and spending his time forging bonds with them as most teenagers would something that while Mizuto had no use for back in junior high was something that he gladly welcomed in high school as a result of the changes to his family that brought back a person that he never thought he’ll see again. On the surface, Mizuto and Yume were seen by many within the school to be a bit of a mismatched pair of siblings as a result of their contrasting personalities to the point where it was common for people to be surprised that the two were related. However, it’s this contrasting personality that I felt allowed the two to not only experience a brief period of happiness as a couple but also allowed them to develop an innate understanding of their respective personalities that allowed Mizuto to better deal with Yume’s one-sided quest to secure dominance in their new relationship as stepsiblings. While not as cunning as Yume was in creating elaborate plans Mizuto’s logical nature, as well as his understanding of her weaknesses, makes it easy for him to deduce when a plan has been set in motion and allows him to not only avoid it but also in the process take some jabs at her expense when it inevitably fails on her. While this odd bond between them may lead people to believe that Mizuto may dislike Yume the opposite is true in that while he may tire over her countless attempts to be the dominant one within their bond he still cares about her deeply as shown in his attempts to minimize the effects of any actions that might be out of character for her to affect her rep within the class and preemptively dealing with people that only want to get close to her for nefarious reasons. However, while Mizuto does try his best to shield Yume he also at times uses this as a way in which he can impart crucial knowledge to her and make her realize that while losing can be a harsh lesson it's one that they all have to learn at some point. As a character, I felt that Mizuto was both well designed and developed with his contrasting personality and his ability to accurately perceive and dismantle Yume’s plans while helping her develop as a person within society being excellently done within the series. While Mizuto’s lack of displays of strong emotions, when compared to Yume, can be seen to make him harder to read than Yume I believe that his quiet and logical nature that while making him largely unreadable to those that don’t know him actually made it easier for him to deal with her plans as a result of not only his base nature but also the deep understanding that he has of both her past and present struggles which despite their mutual sense of denial actually made them more like lovers than siblings. AMV Animation wise I felt that the animation used within the series was clear and featured a good usage of warm colours that showcased well the fact that the narrative was one that focused on the forging of new bonds between our esteemed pair while taking the first steps in forging a new relationship between them. In terms of character designs, while the designs for the cast represented well that they were teenagers that had ascended to the first crucial periods of their life in the form of the high school division of their education, I felt that their designs were also bolstered by the fact that being teenagers they are also in a period where they have more independence to hang out with others their age and doing things that wouldn’t have been possible when they were still in junior high. This is best shown in the cast's date and casual outfits that added a level of freshness to them that enhanced their desire to experience something new as they take their first steps as high school freshmen. Within the anime, this is shown best in Yume and Mizuto’s outing outfit choices in ep4 and the girl’s casual outfits in ep8. While these outfits I felt were nice they also served to add to Yume’s arsenal that she uses in her plans against Mizuto. Location wise while the series only featured a handful of locations that the cast visited within the narrative, I felt that these while being one’s that matched well with what people their age would visit also served to represent well the kind of activities that they would take part in as they sought to explore their newfound freedom as they enter a new chapter in their lives. This dual aspect I felt was shown best in the aquarium that the pair visited as part of their date, the family restaurant that they visited during the sleepover and the school library that also acted as both a sanctuary and stage for Isana’s entry into the narrative. Music wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Deneb to Spica and Futari Pinocchio that was performed by Dialogue+ and Harmoe respectively. While both of these songs were catchy ones that paired well with the series’ core focus of being a journey to both experience a new stage in their life while trying to balance out their past ones, I felt that the two songs when used with their accompanying visuals imparted very different sets of feelings and emotions when we listen to them. The former I felt imparted a sense of newly founded freedom as they ascended to the ranks of high school freshmen and in doing so gain the opportunity to not only meet and make new friends among their new classmates but also as if destiny was laughing at them have our main leads who despite splitting up prior to high school had lingering feelings within their hearts that they must do their utmost to hide from their peers as their new life as high school students started. The latter however was markedly different in that the ending theme was not only calmer and slower-paced, but its accompanying visuals were one’s that gave the impression that it was allowing Yume to take the time to think back on the fond memories that she had accumulated in the past and look in the depths of her heart for the answer to the question that she so desires something that I felt paired well with Yume’s core inner struggle within the narrative. Voice acting wise I felt that the main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters. In particular, I felt that Rina Hidaka and Miyu Tomita both did an excellent job portraying their assigned characters of Yume and Isana respectively with the former’s ability to switch from a confident and cunning girl who schemes constantly to get an edge over her brother to a lovestruck maiden after finding out just how much he had been caring for her without her knowledge being especially cute and endearing. While the latter’s constant switches between a shy bookworm that was akin to Yume’s past self to a bold and flirty girl who tries her hardest to seduce Mizuto being a pretty impressive contrast between the two sides of her. However, I did wish that we were able to see more of the bond that existed between Kawanami, and Minami given their past bond with each other which if worked into the narrative would have made their interactions more interesting while allowing Yume and Mizuto to learn more about how relationships work in society. Overall conclusion In overall My Stepmom’s daughter is my ex I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points its unique premise, excellent narrative, well-designed and developed characters, excellent voice acting and a surprising, good usage of the cast using their past memories as a way to avoid making the same mistakes in the present and focus on what's most important to them. One of the most fundamental aspects of an anime aside from its premise, narrative and characters that drive it is the chemistry that is inherent between the characters and that is especially important for romance animes as this one as the main source of entertainment within it is watching the main leads fall for each other naturally. In this, I felt that My Stepmom’s daughter is my ex really did an excellent job via its usage of not only the bonds that are forged between Yume and Mizuto in the present but also through its linkage with how they were in the past when they were a couple that served to make their interactions in the present that much more entertaining as shown in the various trials that Yume creates in order to compete with Mizuto that showed well that despite Yume’s one-sided fight to secure dominance the two of them just can’t let go of the memories that they had made together in the past despite their split and subsequent change in relations from lover to step sibling. Of course, without the support of the supporting cast the various trials that Yume creates to drive the narrative forward wouldn’t had been nearly as effective and in this I felt that the supporting cast provided some nice chemistry for Yume and Mizuto that served to make their time as high school students much more interesting with Isana and Minami serving well to not only become Mizuto and Yume’s first close friends but also through their chemistry with them contribute in expanding upon both characters both physically and mentally. All in all, I felt that the chemistry between the main and supporting cast members in this case really resonated well together and served to make their first step in society as both teenagers and high school freshmen much more heartfelt while also creating a strong foundation for them to stand upon as they get older and learn more about the world around them. As a final score, I would say that My Stepmom’s daughter is my ex easily deserves a final overall score of 7/10 as despite the strange title I really enjoyed the overall narrative, characters and the chemistry that linked them with this point being enhanced further via its linkage of lessons they learned in the past and its application in the present being especially impressive. While the trials that Yume sets to best Mizuto were rather limited and all too often resulted in her loss the impact that this had on her realizing just how gentle and considerate her opponent was and how much she didn’t know about him despite their past actually served to provide another layer of development for both parties which in the long run actually turned out for the best.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Show all Mar 29, 2022 Recommended
Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation out of Debt and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular light novel series of the same name Tensai Oji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu better known to Japanese audiences as Tensai Oji and to western audiences as the Genius Prince is a fantasy and comedy genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day due ... to a sudden illness the heir designate of the kingdom of Natra a man who despite his station and projected appearance was one that seemingly preferred to live his life free from as much responsibility as he can manage is suddenly given the role that he worked so hard to get away from which is that of a ruler. What will happen when despite his best attempts to slack off and pass responsibility to others that the kingdom of Natra that he currently helms is faced with situations that demand not only utmost seriousness but also a level of cunning and intelligence that our laid-back prince seems to be seriously lacking. Will our prince simply try to pass on the responsibility to others intent on living the easy life or will he counterattack by making use of a long-nurtured skillset that even the famed Earthborn Empire fears and become the dragon that will push the small kingdom of Natra to the forefront of international relations and change its reputation as a kingdom forever. On initial review of the anime’s premise and summary of its story, my initial impression of this series was that it was an Isekai as the series' main concept were topics and themes that were commonly seen within that genre of anime. However, after watching the first episode of the series which not only dispelled that mistaken belief but also did an excellent job of introducing not only the main cast but also of the tense situation that comes from having a kingdom that’s surrounded by problematic nations that would require a delicate balance of diplomacy to manage, I can see why Wein wanted to stay out of it. All in all, my impressions of the first episode was a positive one that did an excellent job of not only introducing the main characters of Wein and Ninym but also showcasing the complicated situation that lies around their homeland while also showcasing what will become the series trademark of fantasy action combined with small injections of comedy into the interactions between characters as they tried to navigate the tricky tightrope that is international diplomacy and ensure the survival of their kingdom in a world where international relations can change in an instant. Prince Wein Salema Arbalest Prince Wein Salema Arbalest known to his friends and allies as Wein and to his enemies as the Damm Genius prince is one of the main characters of the series and is the protagonist of the series overall narrative. The crown prince of the small kingdom of Natra that lies to the far north of the continent of Varno and after his father’s incapacitation its de facto ruler Wein from initial appearances was shown to be an ideal image of a ruler being one that was not only calm and collected but also one that projected confidence and hopes to his people by providing decisions that appeared to be a result of his foresight and intelligence and ensuring that within his realm Wein was seen as a beacon of hope whose every decision allowed them to become more prosperous by the day. Beneath the surface and known only to his closest confidants however was the fact that while Wein had all the qualities that would make him an ideal ruler in every respect in reality Wein was someone that was lazy by nature and was loath to do anything that required a degree of effort preferring instead to simply enjoy life as it is while daydreaming about a day when he can just watch things unfold from afar instead of being in the thick of it a fact that his closest confidants know only too well. However, it is when Wein discovers a threat that endangers either the kingdom itself or to those that are dearest to him that a much different side of Wein would surface one that proves why he’s considered a genius and why the powerful Earthwold empire after seeing his true skills was forced to wipe all mention of his time training within their academy such was their fear of his skills. In his true self Wein while retaining his base traits of being a calm, composed and intelligent person who ruled his kingdom with confidence was also shown to be someone that was not only creative but possessed a level of cunning and grasp on the minds of men that many would find surprising a fact that is best shown in ep2 when he broke the back of the enemies army by launching a decapitation strike on the enemies command element as well as ep5 when his cunning allowed him to deal with two different factions in one fell strike. This skill at reading into the heart of man while being an effective tool militarily also within the series was shown to serve him well diplomatically as well, especially when used in conjunction with Wein’s preference of doing extensive prep work before he makes his moves as shown in the Cavarin arc. While these aspects of his one might argue would have allowed him to easily carve out a small empire of his own after which he can easily step back and enjoy being a ruler while others handled things for him it’s important to note that this side of Wein is something that only comes about as a result of a trigger point being reached with said point being a threat to either himself, his kingdom or to those that he holds dear to his heart. What served to make this true self of Wein shine more within the narrative however I felt was the existence of a hidden bloodlust within him that manifested when those dearest to him are threatened. This degree of bloodlust while showing a darker aspect of Wein’s personality due to the way that it was used within the narrative, I thought also represented well the kind of things that Wein cherishes above all else which is that of loyalty and friendship to people who had been by his side since the beginning and that anyone or thing that tries to infringe upon it will be dealt with which within the series was aptly shown during the Marden and Cavarin arcs respectively. As a character Wein I felt was an excellent character that throughout the series was developed relatively well with his two faces doing well to not only balance each other out but also give him a necessary boost by enhancing his already existing skills at diplomacy and strategy while complementing it with the addition of boldness and cunning that served to make his plans anything but predictable which within the ever-shifting world of international diplomacy and church-sponsored plots is a grim necessity. While this dark side of Wein can be seen to take away much of Wein’s comedic interactions in the form of the gradual decrease of chibi figures that represented Wein’s inner thoughts as well as his borderline treasonous plots I believe that their replacement within the narrative served to represent Wein’s growth as a ruler as a result of needing to adapt himself to deal with factions and situations that he had not encountered before. Certainly, there were no churches that employed assassins peering over his shoulder where he’s from. Ninym Ralei Ninym Ralei is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Wein’s closest friends and allies within the kingdom of Natra. Serving as the kingdom’s chief advisor as well as one of Wein’s closest confidants and friends within the kingdom Ninym from her initial appearances was shown to be an intelligent, composed and levelheaded person by nature that projected a level of calmness, composure and maturity that was benefitting of one that held the lofty position of chief advisor to the prince. While for all intents and purposes an excellent aide that was highly efficient and organized and capable of great foresight Ninym was also shown to be someone that was friendly and caring towards those that she considers friends and especially so for those that treat her as a living thing and not as animals as the rest of the continent views her race as. As a result of this Ninym while shown to be on good terms with visually everyone within Natra was shown to exhibit great loyalty towards those that she sees as having saved her in the form of Wein and his family which is reflected in the strong bonds of friendship that lay between them. While quite capable of being a harsh taskmistress that would organize and dish out all of the necessary paperwork that needs doing to Wein Ninym due to her strong bond with Wein was shown to take a more measured approach in trying to understand the root of his anxieties and suggesting solutions while providing emotional support to cheer him up when needed that would keep him focused without having to take harsher methods as some would try. As a character, I felt that Ninym was both well designed and developed as the series progressed. While her abilities as an advisor and aide to Wein was undeniable Ninym was also shown to be quite capable of accompanying Wein to more hostile environments such as battlefields and diplomatic functions where her skill with the blade as well as her skill with words made her a real asset that was quite capable of both turning back an enemy counterattack as much as deducing hostile factions true intentions with the latter two situations providing a rare opportunity to see Ninym in frigid mode where she will show no mercy to those that are hostile to those that she cherishes. However, while capable of providing great help to the kingdom of Natra with her skills as both an aide and a field commander Ninym’s true worth as a character I felt lies in the emotional support that she can provide to Wein and his family for while she serves as a kind, caring and polite older sister like character for princess Falanya who views her affectionally as an ever-reliable repository of knowledge for Wein and herself she served not only as an effective foundation for him that kept him focused on the job at hand but also as the primary source of his motivation to keep fighting the good fight as the ruler of Natra with their respective feelings for each other serving as an additional means of motivation for both to do their best to support each other in their respective roles. LowellMina Earthwold LowellMina Earthwold more popularly known as Lowa to those closest to her is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Wein’s main allies within the series. The second princess of the large neighboring Earthwold Empire that lies on the eastern half of the continent of Varno Lowa from her initial appearances was shown to be a calm, polite and kind person by nature that while intelligent and modest was also noted to be perceptive and unusually idealistic for a princess of an empire. Despite being a member of royalty Lowa was seen to be someone that if one were not to know her identity see her as an everyday girl as she was someone that rather than being a typical arrogant noble that treated those beneath her with disdain, she instead was a friendly and easygoing person that treated those around her with respect and dignity and was one that always thought the best of those around her being loyal to her friends and expecting the same in return. This sense of always treating those around her with respect while showing well Lowa’s humble nature also reflected well on the core values that she lived by namely her firm sense of justice and the desire to always make decisions based on the best interests of the people that she not only loved but represented as well. Aspects that as the series progressed was to become increasingly important as her destiny become intertwined with those of her best friends Wein and Ninym after their reencounter. As the series progresses and Lowa’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that while Lowa’s loyalty towards the empire was never in doubt she nonetheless was someone that didn’t agree with all of their cultural norms namely the gender bias that existed within it that served to prevent not only her from helping out within the government a fact that she believes served as a catalyst that caused the empire to not only stagnate but also fracture into different camps that served to make life for the people that she adores much harder than it needed to be. This sense of desperation that comes from not being able to do anything while her people suffered can be seen to be her central focus within the narrative that served to transform her from a kind, caring but an idealistic princess who had no power to do anything for them to a princess that while having less power than her brothers nonetheless worked hard to find a way forward for the empire that doesn’t involve sacrificing the happiness of the people for meaningful gains. This new side to Lowa as a character I felt while serving to allow her as a character to be further developed upon also provided an excellent opportunity to tie her development with those of both the overall narrative and that of Wein’s development as a ruler as any good king or empress must be able to be rational and be able to see the effects that their decisions would have on both their respective kingdoms and loved ones and in this Lowa and Wein’s attempts to outwit each other as they tried to get their intended results proved to be a most enlightening lesson for both and even more so when you factor in the fact that the levels of cunning and intelligence that they possessed were equal. AMV Animation wise while for the most part the character designs, as well as designs of the various kingdoms, were relatively simple affairs, I felt that they reflected well on the cultures that each state adhered to within their borders. The kingdom of Natra for example as a kingdom that was based off in the far remote north owning to lack of significant resources got by with simplicity and functional equipment whether in terms of architecture or the clothes worn by its inhabitants while their one-time rival Mardan owning to its militaristic culture directed much of their economy to their military at their expense of their people and in doing so creating a military that was well-armed while its people made do with what's left. Location wise while the number of locations featured within the series was few the ones seen I felt featured a nice variety that did well to convey not only the unique culture of the country that it was in but also of its significance within the delicate confines of international diplomacy. The palace for example serves as both a home for Wein and his family and advisors but also the place where the fate of a small kingdom like theirs are matched against both their goals and the ambitions of the countries around them. One of the locations that I felt truly shined to me was the city of Mealters which within the lore of the world was the world’s first self-governing merchant city that was ruled and managed by its inhabitants. Between the power of the large Earthwold empire which commands enormous military and economic strength and the Levetian church who commands equally large religious fervor from its people having a city that was run by its own people, I felt created an excellent sense of balance between the factions present within Varno. In terms of combat animation while the battles and skirmishes that were featured within the series were relatively simple affairs that made great use of the traditional arsenal of fantasy warfare to create tension-filled situations for the main cast I felt that this within the series was also aided greatly by a number of features that made it easy for viewers to see how the battle was playing out in the form of the strategy screens that outlined how each battle would play out as well as the real-time screen that allowed us to see how the battle played out in real-time from Wein’s point of view. This added simplicity while serving to allow viewers to see what the overall plan for the battle was as well as follow them in real-time also, I felt provided an extra layer of immersion to the viewer as well. While the pitched battles themselves I thought were interesting I would say the few instances where Wein himself has to defend himself were probably the ones that were the most enjoyable as this allowed us to see how the hidden genius fought for real when a threat demanded his attention appears in front of him as shown in his fight against the assassin leader. It’s unfortunate however that there were few opportunities for Wein to show his prowess with the blade within the series though. Music-wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Level which was performed by veteran singer Nagi Yanagi in collaboration with the popular The Sixth Lie band and Hitori to Kimi to which was performed by veteran seiyuu singer Yoshino Nanjo. While both of these songs were excellent ones, I felt that the two of them conveyed very different feelings and emotions when listened to with the former conveying a sense of wonder and amazement at not only seeing a new world and meeting many new and interesting characters but also of the potential sadness that comes from knowing that of those presented some would also be losing not only their loved ones but their lands as due to the cruel machinations of others. While the song was excellent the accompanying visuals also did well to convey the fact that in this time of strife being able to hide your true nature was as much of a necessity as was being able to use a blade to defend oneself. The ending theme I felt was much different in that while its accompanying visuals are dependent on the nature of the episode that had just finished its tone and the feelings that it conveyed felt more relaxed and upbeat as if to allow the cast and us the viewers relax after having a hard time dealing with running a kingdom and in attending to RLI’s a contrast that I felt allowed it to resonate well with the opening theme that introduced us to a brand new world full of interesting characters and places to encounter. Voice acting-wise I felt that overall, the series' main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or support ones. In particular, I felt that Soma Saito, Rie Takahashi and Nao Touyama really did an excellent job of portraying their assigned characters of Wein, Ninym and LowellMina where the chemistry between the cast members really served to make their interactions within the narrative that much more impressive. Among the supporting cast, I was also impressed with Yuki Nakashima’s portrayal of the character of Zenovia especially her portrayal of the different personas of Zeno and her true self of Zenovia that did well to showcase the necessity of having two sides to you when your country gets dragged into a war that they didn’t understand. While only introduced late within the narrative the character of Torcheila that was portrayed by senior seiyuu singer Rie Kugimiya when working in tandem with her father King Gruyere portrayed by the veteran voice actor Akio Otsuka really did well to make the last arc of the series a tough one for our dear prince. Overall Conclusion In overall The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a nation Out of Debt I felt was an interesting anime that had among its strong points a creative premise, an interesting narrative that featured plenty of interesting characters and diplomatic and military scenarios that demanded creative thinking, interesting world-building methods in the form of Falanya’s lessons on the world and Wein’s simplified intros, excellent music and voice acting from a talented vocal cast. While this series can be seen to be a more comedic kingdom builder anime than heavyweights like the Realist Kingdom, I felt that the various situations that demanded Wein’s attention within the series while representing only a small selection of the kind of situations that a kingdom faces served to bring to the series narrative a level of tension that forces the cast to do all they can to avoid the worst-case scenario though in a way that almost ends up having a comedic result as per the genre. At the same time, I felt that the marriage of the series narrative with the series trademarked theme of being two-faced while adding a level of tension within the series, especially within the negotiations that Wein and co have with high-ranking politicians also aided significantly in the character developments for Wein, Ninym and Lowa while adding another layer to the likes of Caldmelia and Zenovia as well. At the same time, its mere existence and the effects that it can have on situations also showcased the fact that even if you are simply the prince of a small remote kingdom when you have to contend with powers that not only command much more military and economic might than you do you then you have to be able to compensate through either brawn or brains because simply treating each new day as a day to avoid work will not allow you to attain your greatest desires nor protect your most cherishes ones from those that would pounce on the slightest signs of weakness within a ruler. All in all, while the series narrative and world were pretty standard fare for fantasy-themed series its marriage with the Two-faced theme, tension-filled high-level diplomacy and the desire by Wein to safeguard his kingdom and cherished ones from harm made for quite the compelling tale. Overall, I would say that the series deserves a final overall score of 8/10 for this was a tale that brought me much laughter and joy while also reminding me that no matter how successful you are and how much power you wield without people that you care about at your side is that a life worth having at all. Those that use such power to protect those that they cherish the most are the ones that deserve to be the rulers of man.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Show all Mar 26, 2022
Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku
(Anime)
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Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching Akebi’s School Uniform and while care has been taken to minimize spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular manga series of the same name Akebi’s School Uniform which is more popularly known by its Japanese title of Akebi Chan no Serafuku is a slice of life and coming of age anime that allows us to see what will happen if one day a young girl who ever since seeing her idol dressed as one had developed an intense fascination with the ... sailor fuku style school uniform was to be given the once in a lifetime opportunity to don that very uniform and attend the very academy that her beloved mother had attended in the past. Despite an unfortunate mishap on the first day thanks to the generosity of the academy’s headmistress Akebi was not only allowed to attend the academy wearing her prized sailor fuku school uniform but for the first time in her life be given the opportunity to not only meet other girls her age but also make her first-ever connections with them while experiencing the unique social and cultural activities that are the hallmarks of not only broadening one’s life experience by meeting and befriending like-minded peers your age at school but also in the process create many cherished and powerful memories that she can one day look upon fondly. Whether you grew up within a bursting metropolis such as Tokyo or Osaka or grew up in small outlying towns that only have a few dozen inhabitants there will still be life moments that will always be common wherever you live and one of these is the attending of school. For most people school is a place that invokes bittersweet memories for them as it reminds them not just of the fear that came from facing stern and scary teachers but also of the unique fear that came from making sure that you pass every test and exam through many sleepless nights of cramming and for some praying. Though school was a tough environment for them for many young adults the attending of school was also one that provided many firsts for them as it not only allowed them to develop their first interests and hobbies that may aid them further down the line but also for the first time in their lives meet likeminded people and establish friendships and bonds that can last for extraordinary amounts of time. While the premise for Akebi was relatively simple its primary focus of being a coming-of-age narrative for a girl who had spent her early school days alone be suddenly presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to change that by entering the very school that her mother had attended and take her first steps into the wider society that comes from being a young adult, what made it even more relatable was the level of innocence and heartwarming feelings that are invoked in you as you see our lovable protagonist Akebi Komichi navigate her way through the unfamiliar confines of a junior high school and for the first time in her life meet, befriend and enjoy school life while learning of new social interactions and events every new day. This combination of wanting to root for Akebi as she encountered new situations each new day and a desire to see how her overcoming of this would change her and enhance her time as a junior high student as a result of this I felt was one of the reasons why I cherished this series so much because while watching Akebi change as a result of her accomplishments was enjoyable seeing her was like seeing a younger version of yourself go through the same trials that she was and in the process invoking a sense of nostalgia in one as well because back then things were far simpler. Akebi Komichi Akebi Komichi is one of the main characters of the series and is the protagonist of the series' main narrative and one of the core members of Roubai Girl Academy’s class 1-3. A middle school freshman who before the start of the series had successfully passed the entrance exams for the famed Roubai Girls Academy Akebi from her initial appearances was shown to be a kind, caring, and gentle girl whose positivity and energetic nature made her a joy to have around for both friends and neighbors alike. Though innocent and somewhat of a klutz at times and liable to panic easily due to her inexperience with others her age she was someone that was friendly and honest and was always willing to learn from her mistakes and was someone that truly wore her heart on her sleeve which is perhaps best shown in her organized nature and her strong desire to remember each member of her class correctly. When used in combination with her polite and earnest nature this served to make Akebi an unexpectedly popular member of the class which allowed her to quickly befriend many of her peers despite the uniqueness of her self-intro on her first day in class. Despite her airheaded nature and the sense of fame that her self-intro caused on her first day Akebi’s primary focus within the series had always been to live her life freely and enjoy whatever new challenge awaits her as she starts each new day. While she relishes the opportunity to explore the unique social interactions that school brings her in the form of school clubs as well as the opportunity to observe other clubs that while interesting to her was not one’s that she wanted to take part in its within her interactions with her classmates where her development as a character truly shined. While her base nature allowed her to easily make plenty of friends within the class that synergized well with her desire to live a fulfilling school life by forging strong bonds and creating memories of their time together within the series this aspect of her development was used in conjunction with her own desire to create an ideal image of herself that can be used as a foundation from which she can grow from. This desire of hers while stemming from her need to improve herself can also be seen as an effort on her part to better aid her friends in their endeavors while showing well her determination to help those in need also showed the kind of effort that she will put in to help those that she cherishes which within the narrative is shown in the number of friends that she was able to make as a result of her hard work. This development of hers I felt while endearing to look at due to the kind of lengths she will go to help her friends also showed a level of charisma and organization skills that she unknowingly possessed in abundance that allowed her to not only help those in need but also open up new paths that can be used to solve the problems that they encountered with her attempt to save Kojou’s prized bookmark from the wind by creating a human chain and her rather determined attempt to cheer for others despite knowing only the most basic of cheers that she learned minutes ago being the best examples of this talent. As a character Akebi I felt while a simple girl whose earnest desire was plain to see was also one that had a surprising level of depth to her that I found surprising. While her base desire to live a fulfilling school life surrounded by friends was one that was shown excellently within the narrative her desire to help them with the problems that ail them by providing not only with potent emotional support but also her ability to motivate them via her often random but oddly charismatic actions that more often than not break them out of their predicament served to make her a surprisingly well-rounded character that allowed her to serve as one of the centerpieces of the class that complimented well with the personalities of her classmates. A role that while surprising to her showed well how much her earnest desires to have a fulfilling school life by helping those around her when they need her had touched the hearts of her classmates who now view her not as an oddity that wore a different uniform to them but as a dear friend that can be counted upon to help them with all her might when they need her a result that I'm sure Akebi will be too embarrassed to admit. Erika Kizaki Erika Kizaki is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Akebi’s closest friends within the series. A junior school freshman and a classmate of Akebi’s Erika from her initial appearances was shown to be someone that was quiet, confident if standoffish person by nature that seemed to be wary of meeting new people even more so than your average schoolgirl on starting a new school year. However, while this nature of hers did serve to give the impression that she was not a sociable person in reality this nature of hers was seen to be a protective measure of sorts as while she was a transfer student at the academy like a large number of its freshman, she was from far away Tokyo and as a result, this measure of wariness that she showed was due to her desire to protect herself. Beneath her steely mask, Erika was someone that was shown to be a calm, kind and caring person that was warm, loyal, and very protective of her friends and was always willing to help others that require it as shown when she helped her fellow tennis club member Riona overcome her own anxiety. While Erika on the surface was shown to be a confident and fast thinking person who treated those around her with both politeness and respect, she was also shown to be someone that had great trouble with revealing her true self to others and indeed despite her impressive amount of hobbies that included among other things Piano, Horse riding and fishing was reluctant to show them unless pressed by people that she trusts. Indeed, this level of reluctance was also the prime cause for the sense of perpetual state of anxiety that was seen to plague her until she met and befriended Akebi on their first day. Though the bond between the two of them was one that sparked off as a result of a random subject that they chanced upon on their first day it was one that Erika was shown to treasure immensely as a result of the fact that for both Erika and Akebi they were their first respective first friends within this new school. This bond while a simple thing on the surface was one that was shown to affect Erika greatly for this allowed her to not only show aspects of her character that she preferred to keep hidden such as her competitive nature in fishing but also her reluctance to ask others for help unless she requires it to someone that she knows will not treat her differently because of it. While allowing her to present her true face to someone that was both dear to her and someone that she trusted impeccably to her this bond I felt also served as an effective foundation that was used by her to break out of the shell that she erected around herself to help those that required her specific skills all of which proved to be potent assets for both her class and her new friends. As a character Erika I felt was an interesting one that was both well designed and developed as the series progressed with her chemistry with Akebi that was achieved through the shared sense of their origins and subsequent self-development of her through her interactions and observations of Akebi being especially well done. While within the narrative Touko was an effective mood maker Erika proved to be logical and sharp-witted one that more often than not provided some nice backup for Akebi’s plans within the series. Touko Touko Usagihara is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Akebi’s closest friends within the class. A junior high freshman and a classmate of Akebi Touko on her initial appearances was shown to be a positive, friendly, and kind person by nature who while chatty and teasing was also loyal and dependable to those that she has bonded with. While her antics can give the impression that she’s an attention seeker it can be seen that this aspect of her is a result of her innate ability to change the mood around her via her actions alone that allows her to not bond easily with others thanks to her skill at interpersonal relations but also identify those that would require greater effort to bond with as shown in her first interactions with Akebi and Erika. While Touko due to her love of playing pranks on people can be seen to be somewhat of a joker within the class she was also shown to be an intelligent and modest person by nature and one that more than ever seemed to strive for a life that was independent of her family as shown in her knowledge of life skills such as cooking and organization at such a young age. Indeed, her ability to cook delicious sweets and offer to her peers within both the school and the dorm in which she lives also showed that she had also inherited her parents’ business sense as well both of which allowed Touko to easily forge strong bonds within not only her class but in others as well. As a character, Touko was one that markedly different from her fellow cast members of Akebi and Erika in that while she lacked the innocence and sense of curiosity that the former had and the intelligence of the latter Touko made up for it by being an effective mood maker that was able to not only provide the narrative with a degree of comedy through her antics with her smooth-talking in ep1 being an excellent example as well but also the kind of skill that one can attain in a field if they have both the motivation and goal that they aspire to as shown in the skill she has with making delicious sweets that can be used to give her friends a time of bliss when relaxing around a hard days work at school. AMV Animation wise I was really impressed at the level of animation that was present within the series and I felt that the gorgeous animation that Cloverworks created really served to enhance the level of detail into not only its character designs but also its location designs as well. As one of the centerpieces of the series the uniforms that Akebi and her friends wore while richly animated also reflected well not just on the way the uniforms look to both students and parents alike but also on the kind of history and tradition that lies behind both it and the school to which it belonged too as the uniforms while being a piece of garment was also something that was connected to the history of the school just as its buildings were. The act of creating Akebi’s uniform via her mother and wearing it at school was akin to a mother transferring her mantle over to her daughter and allow her to retread the very steps that she herself took when she was a student to which the animation did well to showcase in perfect detail. Location wise while the number of locations that were featured within the series was only a handful, I felt that the ones featured while doing well to showcase the scale of Roubai academy’s grounds combined this with the element of variety by featuring not only dorms for its students in its guise as a boarding school as well but also a wide range of facilities that could be used by students and staff alike. While the academy itself was impressive as a location another location that I felt was particularly unique was the Komichi family home which took the form of a house that wouldn’t look out of place within a fairy tale. Music-wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Hajimari no Setsuna (The first moment) which was performed by the 16 main cast members of the series and Baton which was performed by Akebi’s seiyuu Manatsu Murakami. The opening theme when working in conjunction with the accompanying visuals I felt did an excellent job of conveying the sense of unity, friendship, and a desire to forge strong bonds of friendship as they overcome every trial that they encountered while in school that ties Akebi and her classmates together within the narrative. The ending theme on the other hand felt more relaxed and conjured up the image of ending each day by smiling and waving goodbye to your friends as you departed the classroom and prepare for what the next day would bring. Voice acting-wise I felt that overall, each of the 16 main cast members all did an excellent job of portraying their assigned characters with my particular favorites being Manatsu Murakami’s portrayal of Akebi, Sora Amamiya’s portrayal of Erika, Akari Kito’s portrayal of Touko, Shion Wakayama’s portrayal of Tomono, Yui Ishikawa’s portrayal of Riri and lastly Azusa Tadokoro’s portrayal of Riona. With such a large number of main cast members, it is unfortunately extremely difficult to give each character enough expansion without diverging from the established narrative. Nevertheless, I felt that the voice cast featured within the series that featured some of the industry’s best seiyuu’s all did a fantastic job of portraying their characters however many lines they had to bring their character to life. Overall conclusion In overall Akebi’s School Uniform I felt was an excellent anime that featured as its main strong points its unique premise, heartwarming narrative, gorgeous animation, and bonding moments between its main cast, excellent characters, and voice acting. The series overall narrative I felt was one of the main highlights of the series thanks to its seamless integration of both the coming of age and slice of life genre elements into it. While a school within the fabric of society has as its main role the teaching of its young students the most basic life skills that they would require in life in the form of language, cooking and math’s this is not all that a school will provide. Because as important as they were what the most important opportunity that a school will provide its young charges was the opportunity to meet others that are your age and for the first time in your life connect, bond, and make friends with them. In a way, the attending of school is very much like a social debut for those in high society and indeed for Akebi within the narrative that was indeed the case because prior to her entry into Roubai she thanks to the most unfortunate of circumstances had no peers to interact with. However, while sad this unique background served as an effective catalyst that allowed her to not only achieve the dream of attending our mother’s old school wearing a sailor fuku uniform but also allow her to experience the beautiful magic that was the act of forging lasting bonds with others her age but in the process make many magical ones that would serve to make her school life an unforgivable experience. This potent combination I felt really served to make the overall narrative a delight to watch as while Akebi can be a klutz and do the most unpredictable things at random seeing her take her first steps into the wider society by forging friendships and strong bonds with her peers an experience completely alien to her up to that point really made me want to root for her as she learned how to interact with others her age. A level of immersion that only served to enhance the narrative even more so. Overall, as a final score in my opinion Akebi’s School uniform easily deserves a final score of 10/10 for the series not only featured an excellent premise, narrative, and characters but complementing this was some of the most gorgeous and colorful animation that I have seen in a long time that served to showcase Akebi’s journey to make many wonderful and enjoyable memories while attending school and forging ever-increasing friendships and bonds with others in excellent detail. This potent combination I felt really served to make this anime not only the most beautiful one this season but also one that was heartwarming and easily relatable to many thanks to its simple but well-written narrative and characters that reminded us not only of the power of friendship but also how much we can improve ourselves by helping and learning from others.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Show all Dec 16, 2021
Shiroi Suna no Aquatope
(Anime)
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Please note this review assumes that you have finished watching Shirai Suna No Aquatope and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers present within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based upon an original idea Shirai Suna No Aquatope or to western audiences as Aquatope of White Sand is a drama and slice of life anime that gives us a unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day two girls of similar age, but different backgrounds, motivations and overall life goal were to one day have a chance encounter with each other and see within ... each the one spark that had been missing from their eyes. What will happen if these two were given a second chance to not only find a field that fascinates and inspires them but also the chance to ask themselves the difficult questions that they never had the chance to ask themselves. What kind of life do I want to live and what do I want to bring to society through it? Only by answering these questions would the two be finally able to find the life path they both desired as well as a job that they can both pledge themselves wholeheartedly to and bring their newfound passion to life once more. As human beings, our lives have always been one of struggles whether in trying to achieve the right grades in school or do well enough to enter the career field that you have always dreamed of going into. But what of those who after entering their dream fields and seeing its brutal reality have not only lost their passion for it but also the very direction that they should be aiming their life towards. While the overall premise of the series of two girls of differing backgrounds, desires and life goals and their chance meeting on Okinawa after becoming lost in life was my primary motivation for choosing to watch this series the one aspect that convinced me to watch it to the very end was the desire to see just how would the main leads of Kukuru and Fuka and their many friends rediscover the passion that they have for the sea and its many denizens and how will they apply the lessons learned in their care to change not only their current lives but their destinies as well. If there’s one thing in life that can be changed with hard work, it's destiny a belief that I felt was most appropriate for the struggles that Kukuru and Fuka were forced to confront in their struggle to forge a new path in life. The opening episode of the series I felt was an excellent one as it while doing while in introducing the main leads of Kukuru and Fuka also did well to showcase the majesty of the denizens of the deep that we seldom encounter as well as the magic that their care can provide to those that attend to them. While one might argue that this magic is a one-trick pony that’s only relevant in its original setting, I would say that this effect eventually transforms with the cast into a motivation that serves to drive them ever onward in their desire to educate people about the beauty that the sea possesses. Kukuru Misakino Kukuru Misakino is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the series two protagonists. A teenage girl that works as an attendant and stand in deputy director for the local Gama Gama Aquarium that while no doubt proving exhausting served to provide her with a place in which she while gaining plenty of valuable life skills also served to instill within her a deep passion for both the sea and a desire to take care of the many denizens of the deep that they hold. From her initial appearances, Kukuru was seen to be a positive, energetic, kind, and friendly person by nature that while possessing a mind that was almost always focused on her duties at Gama was someone that had the trust and friendships of countless people around her while simultaneously causing countless headaches for those that try and change her teachers included. While Kukuru’s passion for her job at Gama is undeniable as reflected in her diligence and her determination to confront and overcome the many trials that were arrayed against Gama this trait also served to make her a difficult person to know especially those that don’t share the same strength of bonds as her childhood friends did as Fuka discovered in her first days. However, while her passion towards sealife and desire to take the best care possible of them can serve to push people away this was offset by the fact that Kukuru deep down was also someone that was understanding and capable of self-reflection that within the series proved to be an able trait of hers that allowed her to clean up misunderstandings and forge bonds anew with those that may have been pushed away by her base nature. As the series progresses and Kukuru’s personality is gradually expanded upon it can be seen that while on the surface Kukuru was someone that was positive, friendly, and diligent to a fault that approached each day with a beaming smile on her face that beneath this were many surprising insecurities that she kept hidden from her friends. While Kukuru’s passion towards the sea life that Gama possesses as well as her diligence in ensuring that they are cared for to the best of their abilities showcase well her skills as an attendant this within the narrative was offset by her sense of overprotectiveness towards both the sea life and to Gama itself. This sense of protectiveness towards them while showing well her desire to allow them to live their lives freely within the confines of Gama also likewise showed just how important the place was to her heart as it was here that she developed her love for sea life as well as being the place where her last cherished memories of her parents resided at reasons that served to ensure that within her life at that point in time Gama was one that took utmost priority. While this focus on preserving both in the face of declining visitors showcased Kukuru’s trademarked determination to persevere it also highlighted one of her more notable traits in the form of her ability to think outside the box which I felt synergized well with the strong friendships that she shared with her friends that allowed them to create some pretty creative ideas that acted as an effective stopgap for Gama in the form of the Touch pools and shaved ice that was shown in ep6 that took advantage of both human curiosity and desire to try animal-shaped seasonal foods. While the success of these events did well to lengthen the time Gama had left these events also demonstrated the fact that while Kukuru’s desire to take care of others whether animals or humans is a strong one it was compounded by the fact that at the end of the day she was still a child whose stubbornness, inability to adapt when dealing with outsiders and her lack of knowledge on the activities needed to manage a business was actually making it harder for those around her to do their jobs properly while pushing away people whose life experience would have been useful for her to learn from. While the parting with her beloved Gama was a painful experience for Kukuru it also served to allow her to take her first steps into a brand-new world that would open her eyes as to what is truly needed to run an aquarium that is populated not just by the sea life but by her coworkers and visitors as well. While the transition from a small-sized aquarium and living in the rural areas of Okinawa to living in an apartment and working within a large purpose-built aquarium inside a big city proved to be a rude culture shock to Kukuru working within Tingarla had also allowed her to realize many things that she had not known Aquariums provided nor needed as part of their management which included among many things a PR department, planning events, larger amounts of staff and the need to ensure that both visitors and animals within the venue were cared for equally. As a result of these revelations, Kukuru was able to realize that while the care of the animals that were housed within Tingarla was important they were not the only things as an Aquarium was not just a home for them but also a business and a place of learning whose main role was to not only educate the visitors on the sea life that it houses but also ensure that the guests visit, and overall experience was stellar. While Kukuru’s long grounded belief that an aquarium’s main role should be about the care of the animals was not completely eliminated this revelation allowed her to realize that without visitors it will be her beloved sea life that will suffer a sense of motivation that did well to establish a need within her to establish a balance within her priorities that would allow her to balance both and by doing so keep her dream alive. Arguably one of the most notable developmental traits for Kukuru as a result of her new role at Tingarla was the revelation that simply doing her best by herself is no longer adequate for Tingarla as this was a place that housed not only more animals but also employed a far larger amount of staff across its departments. To be effective here, she had to be able to not only work well with others but also coordinate her actions with them as well. More importantly, she needed to place her trust in her fellow staff members in their roles as they have in her role within Tingarla a difficult prospect indeed but one that she was gradually able to accept the need for as she slowly grew from an overly idealistic girl who did not know the value of teamwork and trust and who always tried to do everything herself to someone who not only realized just how much work goes into keeping aquariums active but also the kind of bonds of trust and respect that are needed in a modern-day workplace. Fuka Fuka Miyazawa is one of the main characters and is one of the two main heroines of the series. A former idol that’s in her late teens prior to her arrival in Okinawa and joining the ranks of the attendants in Gama and later Tingarla Fuka from her initial appearances was shown to be someone that was a striking contrast to her fellow attendant Kukuru in almost all aspects. A quiet, soft-spoken and friendly and kind person by nature Fuka while possessing neither the kind of fierce determination and confidence that Kukuru had nonetheless possessed a caring, friendly, and polite nature that allowed her to stand on equal footing with her eventual best friend. While Fuka was shown to be a diligent and dutiful girl who always tried her best in her former life her low self-confidence and her unwillingness to share her inner thoughts and worries served to make her an enigma that was difficult to get to know for both her former friends and her friends within Gama that served to make her early days a nerve-wracking experience. However, despite these problems that plagued her daily Fuka while unsure about the kind of responsibilities that were expected of her as an attendant nonetheless approached her new role with calmness and a willingness to adapt herself to learn the new knowledge that’s required of her. Despite the dramatic bad experience that Fuka experienced on her first day of work with the penguins Fuka’s strong work ethic and a desire to pitch in when needed served to make her a valuable part of the team and allow her to forge lasting bonds with the one that had shown her a new path that she can now take in the form of Kukuru and for the first time in a long time be able to show a side of her that while fragile showed well the kind of struggles that she had secretly had to wrestle with as a result of trying to achieve her dream of being a popular idol that can bring joy to their fans. This unique experience of knowing full well how hard it must feel to be lost after having your dream shattered I felt served to create an excellent foundation for not just Fuka to ground herself on and motivate herself but also in creating the first sparks of the bond that she will eventually forge with Kukuru as to Fuka she was the person that had saved her from the darkness that had manifested after her own dream of being an idol had been shattered. While Fuka’s passion towards sealife and working as an attendant at first was not as strong as that of Kukuru especially after the scare that was her first day and indeed Fuka’s view of the job was only a temporary one at best her passion and interest into the role gradually began to increase as a result of not only seeing the beauty of the sea life but also of the many smiles that it can bring to the guests. In a way perhaps I felt that Fuka seeing the reaction that this job brings to the guests was of the belief that while not bringing them joy as an idol she through this role was able to bring it through her new role as an attendant that in turn served to make her approach her new role with far more passion than before which within the series is shown in her desire to learn more about the sea life that she cares for and her endeavor to care about her charges the best that she can. Though Fuka in the beginning of the series was shown to be someone that had low self-confidence and had trouble in forging close bonds with her co-workers due to her fear of that they would start to distance themselves from her as they did in her previous role this gradually began to change as a result of both her desire to become more independent and forge a path of her own in something that interests her without being influenced by others as well as her desire to stay and support her savior by being there for her when she needs her. While she still prefers to stay quiet and do her assigned roles without interference the journey to become more independent and forge a new path of her own served to allow her to better assist her co-workers by chipping in with creative ideas such as the touch pool of ep4 and having a long overdue heart to heart with her mother to convince her of her desire to forge a new path with her own two hands experiences that served to gradually rebuild her into a better person that will be able to help far more people than she had in the past. By the time of the second half of the series that saw her join her co-workers once more as an attendant, we can see that as a result of her determination to improve herself Fuka was shown to have become more attentive and more mentally prepared for situations that she can potentially encounter in life that was further boosted by her increased confidence and a strong determination to help her friends once again. Though having increased self-confidence and a willingness to do what she can to help her friends Fuka however was shown to have not lost her trademarked trait of honesty and a desire to learn all she can to be of better help to others as shown in her desire to memorize the names of every penguin that was kept in Tingarla to prove her mettle to the staff there instead of simply relying on her past experience a feat that I felt was most impressive. Overall as a character, I felt that Fuka was one that was well designed and developed as the series progressed with her evolution from a quiet and soft-spoken young woman who not only had her dream of becoming a top idol smashed but also had to battle some serious confidence issues to someone that had not only managed to reignite the spark of her passion by discovering a new career field that she has grown attached too but doing so in company with friends and allies that she is comfortable with showing her true face too while genuinely enjoying every day that she spends with them being especially well done. While Fuka’s individual development was certainly done excellently it is the chemistry that she shared with Kukuru that in my opinion really served to make their bond that much more heartfelt as their development was a direct result of the increasing bond that they have with each other and within this bond, Fuka’s older sister role I felt did an excellent job at balancing out Kukuru’s brash nature and open her eyes to the larger picture that those who wished to run an aquarium solely needed to have. AMV In terms of animation overall, I felt that PA Works did an excellent job at animating not only the characters present within its narrative but also in showing the beautiful scenery that the island of Okinawa features. When used in combination with the various sea life that the cast encounter and take care of over the course of their careers as attendants with the everyday moments that the cast experience whether it’s in events promoting their workplace or simply bonding over delicious food at Tsukimi’s I felt that the animation only served to enhance the experience by introducing a level of magic and warmness to their interactions while also having the unintended bonus of promoting the actual setting as well IRL. The animation used to showcase the series sea life of which the penguins seem to have been the main focus I felt likewise did an excellent job at not only personifying them but also show that resilient as they may appear to be they are also creatures that require careful care and management in order to allow them to live their lives comfortably and that it’s not simply a matter of just keeping them fed. Location variety wise while the locations featured within the series were not especially many, I felt that each of them did well to showcase an effect that served to not only provide them with a place to go to when the situation calls for it but also provide some nice expansion to both the cast and the narrative when needed. Tsukimi’s mothers’ shop and her later workplace for example provided the cast with not only a place to eat and relax at but also a place where they can forge stronger bonds with their co-workers while the hangout club allowed the cast of Gama to bond and make peace with the staff of their new workplace. Narrative wise however the locations that were the most important were the aquariums of Gama Gama and Tingarla that while being the same manner of businesses within society within the series represented two different types of venues in the eyes of the cast with the former representing a venue that thrived on its core values of humility, warmness and a desire by its small but close-knit team of attendants to showcase the beauty and majesty of the sea life that it houses and through this try to persuade the locals that visit to come again to see the unique magic that the sea brings to the people. While compared to Tingarla Gama while smaller in size I felt was unique in that it managed to leverage not only its unique close-knit community of attendants that is almost akin to a family but also its ability to come up with small-time but creative ideas that make great use of the unique atmosphere that Gama offers to its guests. Tingarla however can be said to be the opposite in that unlike Gama it was purpose-built to be an aquarium that centralized the housing of sea life within the island that aimed to offer its guests not only a large facility that housed twice as many species of sea life but also a venue that is able to offer large scale events that it hopes can be used to better educate people on the beauty of the sea life that they share the planet with. While larger in size and featuring a larger team of staff can often become a hindrance due to conflicting goals and desires of its staff, I felt that despite some teething rivalry’s in the beginning that Tingarla served to eventually transform into a business that was finely balanced between educating its guests on the beauty of the sea life and the commerce part of running it through the usage of events such as the cosplay event of ep18 and the visit of Fuka’s former co-worker in ep19. While the animations for the many locations, characters and animal species was done excellently within the series I felt that it’s also worth mentioning that the lightning within the series was something that I felt was done really well as it served to enhance the unique atmosphere that its locations featured with its usage within the aquariums being the most notable as it helped to give each a unique sense of identity within the narrative. Music-wise the series made use of a total of four themes split between the two cours with two opening and ending themes for each. The opening and ending themes for the first cour was Tayutae Nanairo and Tsukiumi no Yurikago that was performed by Arcana Project and Mia Regina respectively while the second cour opening and ending themes were Tomedonai Shiosai ni Bokutachi wa Nani o Utau daro ka and Shingetsu no Da Capo that was performed by Arcana Project and Risa Aizawa. Each of these songs while all excellently performed by their respective groups and singers also represented well a unique theme that served to complement the series with the first being new beginnings in a new land amidst having a dream shattered, shattered dreams and the quest to rediscover a new direction in life, Reforging one’s life and broadening of one’s life by forging new connections and learning new knowledge in a brand new setting and lastly the realization that no matter where you are working whether it’s at Gama or Tingarla that their passion for both caring for the many sea life that they encounter in their careers as attendants like the bonds that have been forged between the main leads will never change and will only get stronger as they continue upon their chosen life paths. Voice acting-wise I was really impressed by the vocal ability of the two main leads of Miku Ito and Rikako Aida who I felt not only did an amazing job at portraying their assigned characters of Kukuru and Fuka as per the specifics for their characters but also served to add a lot of chemistry between them within their voice as well that served to add a lot of depth to their interactions in my opinion. With regards to the supporting cast in general I thought that the seiyuu’s assigned to the supporting cast all did an excellent job in their assigned roles, but I felt that the characters of Karin and Tsukimi in particular who were portrayed by veteran seiyuu’s Lynn and Azumi Waki respectively provided much needed emotional and physical support for the two main leads within the narrative. Of the new characters introduced within the second cour of the series, I felt that only Chiyu and Marina were given enough screen time to develop as individuals while Akari’s only standout role was her brief development in ep18 via her arc. In hindsight, I believe that it was a waste not to give the new cast more time to develop as individuals as it would have allowed them to better chip in within the narrative when needed. Overall conclusion In overall Shirai Suna No Aquatope I felt was an excellent anime that had among its strong points an excellent narrative, characters, voice acting, animation, music and its strong emphasis on not only the need to find a life path that you have a genuine interest in but also the need to be both open-minded and determined as you strive to learn all the knowledge that is needed in order for you to walk that chosen path to its completion. Undoubtedly the series overall narrative is what can be said to be the heart of the series and is here that I felt the series truly shined at thanks to not only its excellent cast of characters but also its usage of different locations that allow it to adhere to the central themes that the series has among its narrative which among others includes a desire to find purpose and direction in life, a place where you will feel belonged at and a destination and life path that one can take after losing one’s own dream. To a T I felt that the narrative did an excellent job of being able to frame the narrative around its stated themes through the usage of its two arcs that while featuring similar businesses in the form of Gama and Tingarla were ones that featured subtlety different qualities that made them differ from each significantly. While the first half of the series did an excellent job at introducing the particular roles that attendants needed to be trained in within their field it was paired well with not just the start of Kukuru and Fuka’s eventual bond with each other but also with the rapidly approaching storm of closure that Kukuru was desperately trying to overcome and in the process making great use of the themes of hope, despair and determination to both find and preserve one’s own cherished dreams in the face of the brutal realities of change that is part of society’s advancement. The second half of the series that was centered upon Tingarla I felt represented an interesting challenge for Kukuru in particular as it not only represented a place that took her cherished dream from her but also a place that was completely alien to her both professionally and personally as a result of both its myriad departments that she never knew was needed within the field but also experience that she required but never had the need to possess in her former workplace. When combined with the themes of rediscovering your life path and the overcoming of one’s past by broadening one’s horizons by interacting with and bonding with new people and learning new things on top of the gradual development of both main leads I felt that the second half of the series was where the narrative and the cast truly came to shine despite the challenges arrayed against them. In overall as a final score, I would say that Shirai Suna No Aquatope easily deserves a final score of 8/10 for its strong narrative, excellent characters, unique insight into how sealife is cared for at aquariums, strong bonding moments and chemistry between its main cast. While the series brought me a lot of entertainment it’s the core values that it serves to educate us upon via the insight into Fuka and Kukuru’s desire to learn how to better take care of sea life while charting their life direction that I felt was most fascinating and while the series itself is fictional the knowledge it imparts is not and I hope that by watching their struggles viewers would realize just how beautiful and yet fragile nature is and to do their part in protecting it by educating others. At the same time in this time of crisis being able to showcase the island of Okinawa to its viewers and promote it via the anime, I felt proved to be an unintended boon for both the staff and seiyuu’s and the people of Okinawa as well and I hope that with this it will be a location that will join people’s lists of places to visit once the crisis is over for I know it will be joining mine.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Be advised while care ahs been taken to minimize story related spoilers within the review there may still be spoilers within. Please read at your own risk.
Back in the year 2012 during the summer anime season of that year while browsing through the list of various anime’s that will be airing within that period there was one anime that caught my eye. Out of the 244 titles that aired that season the one that caught my eye was one entitled Sword Art Online. From the genre tags and the summary provided the premise was something that in the year 2012 was truly unique in ... that, unlike its opposite numbers that focused on more standard settings such as schools, supernatural worlds and ancient China the series promised a brand-new world that gamers have always imagined of being able to step into which is that of a game world breathtakingly created to resemble that of a high fantasy world that was far more real than anything else seen before whether in terms of sight, smell, taste and pain. As both a gamer and lover of anime that was what led me to the series and become a fan of what would soon become a most popular franchise not just domestically but internationally as well. While the original series was a trendsetter in the world of anime that pioneered what is now the Isekai genre and popularized it to the public the series itself wasn’t perfect and had plenty of flaws that even the most die-hard fan would have to admit. However, no world is perfect and despite its flaws the series main themes of friendship, bonds and the act of working together with people across all age ranges and social classes to overcome insurmountable odds is one that I enjoyed the fullest through SAO 1, SAO2, Ordinal Scale movie and finally Alicization. Now you may be asking so what does Aria of a Starless Night bring to the franchise that we don’t already know. Let’s find out. The overall story of the movie rather than focusing solely on Kirito and Asuna’s first days within the world of Aincrad after it become the infamous death game that it will later be known as focuses as its centerpiece the life of the series main heroine Asuna Yuki both prior to her entry into the game and her first days in the game itself. While the series itself did an excellent job of introducing and showcasing the character of Asuna as a kind, considerate and friendly girl who fought hard to protect her friends as a powerful swordswoman while being Kirito’s equal in both skill and foresight it in my eyes didn’t serve to give her much depth as a character that can be used to expand upon her. While SAO2 through the Mother’s Rosario Arc did serve to provide some limited expansion of Asuna through the intro of her tense relationship with her mother Yuuki and family situation as a result of the SAO incident the effects on character depth while nice to see was rather limited. In this however the movie’s overall narrative I felt served to provide Asuna with the expansion that she desperately needed to have as a character. While SAO had long revealed to us that Asuna was the daughter of a rich family that had deep connections to the game itself prior to this movie we knew next to nothing about what her daily life was like before SAO. What were her life goals, what concerns did she have as she woke up each day and what kind of issues that she kept hidden behind her ever-present smile? These were all valid questions but the answers for them were not forthcoming until now. While the insight into Asuna’s relationship with her friends, school life and bond with an almost perfect family proved to be interesting it also acted as an excellent foundation from which the series original character Mito would both be introduced formally into the narrative while setting the stage for her eventual personality change that Asuna would go through as she enters the world of SAO with her. Though the social standing of Asuna served to give her a comfortable life that was full of happiness and friends it also, unfortunately, created a sense of loneliness within her as well as there were few people who she can truly open her heart to until she met Mito. On the surface, Mito and Asuna were people that socially were polar opposites in terms of personality and under normal circumstances would have few opportunities to meet let alone interact with each other. While Asuna was warm, friendly and welcoming to all Mito was quiet, aloof and difficult to know. However, this kind of relationship was what made the ensuring bond between the two that much more heartwarming as within the world of SAO the two girls while bonding with each other to become fast friends that could be honest to each other also served to complement each other both martially and personally as via their every interaction they slowly changed and improved each other as individuals. Their bonding moments while sweet and heartwarming to see did well to instill within Asuna the combat knowledge that would prove vital to surviving within the harsh world of SAO. Visually the series I felt was really impressive with particular regards to both the world of SAO itself that we last visited 8 and a half years ago and to the designs of both the main cast, monster designs and combat animation and to the fights themselves. While the locations that were visited within the movie weren’t especially many as they were limited to only the locations featured on the first floor I felt that the one’s that were used synergized well with the monster designs that while doing a good job of showing how dangerous the world of SAO can be also showed just how important friendship and bonds with your allies are as no matter how powerful you get and how proficient you are with your blade of choice there’s a limit to how much you can face by yourself. Combat has always been one of SAO’s chief hallmarks and in this, the fights presented within the movie were I felt flawless as they were both incredibly detailed and backed by the hard-punching OST of the famed musician and composer Yuki Kajiura that made each fight not only brutally clear but also reflecting well on the life and death struggle that those fighting on the frontlines as they confront fearsome and devious monsters and floor bosses go through as they try to cut a path to freedom by putting both their lives and trust in their skill with their blades on the very line. Though the battle with Illfang and his cronies was one that I had already seen back in 2012 the battle presented here was no less tense and awe-inspiring as it was back then and in this instance, I felt it was even more so due to the twin sides of the bonds of trust that tied Asuna and Kirito together and the sense of forgiveness and atonement for Asuna and Mito that served to make the climactic fight against Illfang that much more dramatic and satisfying to see. While the series main voice cast was limited to the trio of Kirito, Asuna and Mito with the support limited to those provided by Agil, Klein, Kibaou and Diavel overall I felt that each of their performances was excellently done with Haruka Tomatsu and Inori Minase’s portrayal of Asuna and Mito being one of the highlights of the movie. Overall conclusion Overall Sword Art Online Progressive Aria of a Starless Night I felt was an excellent movie that had among its main strengths a unique premise that served to provide a much needed and long-awaited expansion of one of the series best characters in the form of Asuna through its strong narrative, excellent characters, combat scenes, music and excellent voice acting. However, while I did enjoy the movie a lot, I felt that as a character while Mito’s surface traits and role within the narrative was finely done I felt that there wasn’t enough depth within her for her assigned seiyuu Inori Minase to work with that limited the potential growth for her as a character a fact that I felt limited her role within the second half of the movie to that of a mere supporter. If Mito is to join the franchise on a more permanent role rather than simply existing within this one movie then I hope that she will be given the expansion that she deserves. As a final score, I would say that the movie easily deserves a final score of 9/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Please be advised that while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers that there might be spoolers within character analysis. You have been warned.
Rebuilding a kingdom not through might but through words, change and diplomacy Based on a popular light novel series of the same name Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki which is more popularly known among both anime watchers and readers of the light novel as How a Realist Hero rebuilt the kingdom is an action, fantasy and romance genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day Kazuya Souma a 19-year-old college ... student is suddenly transported to another world after the death of his most cherished grandfather. However, what if instead of being summoned and granted the combat ability of a battlemaster or the power to use supernatural powers that allows users to use the knowledge that they accumulated in previous lives to enact plans of action that our hero was one that while having neither instead possessed an extensive amount of knowledge on economics and governance and most importantly a desire to rebuild a country from the ground up. In this we have our hero Kazuma Souma who while lacking brawn and powerful magic that characterizes the Isekai genre is one that’s every bit as equal in his ability to use his knowledge to not only change the country but the world as well. On the surface, while the series itself has much of the trappings of the Isekai genre what served to differentiate it in my view was the fact that much of the plans and reforms that he enacts over the course of the series overall narrative is a result of not unmatched combat ability nor mysterious magic that transcends even death as other Isekai shows featured but rather simple replication and application of modern-day economic and governance practices that allowed him to readily reignite the embers of a declining nation and rebuild it into something that its people are content with living in. This combination of a desire to rebuild a nation from the ground up with modern-day techniques when used in combination with Souma’s innate intelligence, charm and ability at foresight I felt really served to make the show stand out from among its peers within the genre as these served to make the series narrative and premise that much more interesting and unpredictable and serving well to draw me to this series. The series opening episode I felt while doing a great job of introducing the main character of Kazuya Souma also did well to showcase not only the dire straits the world and the kingdom of Elfriden kingdom is in thanks to the demon lord’s domain but also the daunting task of governing it as its newly crowned king after being given the role. Kazuya Souma Kazuya Souma portrayed by veteran voice actor Yusuke Kobayashi of Re Zero and Our Last crusade or the Rise of a new world fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the series. A 19-year-old student that lived in modern-day Japan prior to his summon to the kingdom of Elfriden and appointed as its new king Kazuya from his initial appearances was shown to be a quiet, calm and composed person by nature that while intelligent and well versed in a wide variety of topics was also someone that was capable of not only analyzing its teachings but also applying it in practice as well as shown in the many reforms that he had enacted after taking charge. While a kind and understanding person by nature Kazuya was also a realist and shown to be particularly adept at determining the hearts and personalities of men both in terms of his kingdoms social classes as well as his own people aspects that served to not only allow him to determine the priorities for rebuilding the kingdom but also determine the best ways in which he can win the trust of the people a combination that I felt served to not only establish himself not only as a new king but one that while readily admitting his own inexperience as a ruler was someone that cared little about either tradition, social classes or races and was someone whose first priority was in improving the quality of life for its people by modernizing both its infrastructure and economy even if it meant placing himself in opposition to powerful nobles and ever-ambitious foreigners who would love nothing more than to seize control of a kingdom that has a rookie king at its helm. On the surface, while setting himself to face not only the task of rebuilding and modernizing his country but also planning to unite it against any foreign invasion may sound like one that will be impossible for one man to achieve I believed that the twin tasks served as an excellent means to create the foundation to which Kazuya can use to stand upon as he sets about improving the country’s tech level and allow his people to live safely and in relative comfort. As the series progresses and Kazuya’s efforts to modernize the country are complicated by opposition from not only the nobles but also natural disasters and foreign interventions from opportunistic rivals Kazuya’s personality slowly begins to change as he is forced to adapt to an ever-changing world that is found in no book he’s read. While Kazuya was someone that was kind and honest by nature and was someone that possessed guile and intelligence in equal measure he was not someone that believed that his view should be expressed via forceful means unlike his erstwhile neighbor's in the principality of Amidonia preferring instead to be open with his people and listening to their concerns and discerning measures that can be used to help them overcome both their short term problems but also address it in the long term as well an act that is best shown in him trading their national treasures to repay their debt to the empire and the televised address to the people where he set about outlining his plans and asking for any who think that their innate skills may be useful to join him. This sense of openness for a newly crowned king while doing well in showing his humility and determination to change matters also showed well to the people that young as he is perhaps Kazuya was someone that they can finally place their whole trust in after years of having an ineffective king at the helm. In my eyes this speech while serving as an excellent means to introduce himself to the people also showed well Kazuya’s skill at foresight as he had correctly predicted that while his plans will go a long way in improving the kingdom he cannot do so without the willing support of his people and only with their blessing would he be able to change their lives an aspect that I really admired about him. While the business of running a country even with a staff of handpicked retainers was certainly a daunting task that involved making some heavy decisions both domestically and internationally Kazuya nonetheless was someone that had a more empathic side to him and while not shown often was quite capable of expressing strong feelings openly as shown in the sense of regret, devastation and sadness that he expressed on seeing the impact of the landslide on the dark elves village a side of him that I felt made him more human and relatable as few rulers would spare thoughts for such minor events. While the negative feelings expressed above showcased well his desire to protect the people from all manner of threats Kazuya was also someone that had a surprisingly fun sense of humor within him that he used to excellent effect both to inform the people of new developments but also in showcasing his own creations as shown in the cooking program in ep4 a development that while doing well in creating new food items also showed to them that their king wasn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty when it came to solving the food shortages aspects that were complemented greatly by Kazuya’s friendly, easy-going and optimistic nature. While the event itself was certainly one that had a functional goal in mind, I felt that they also served to allow the characters to have some fun, unwind and bring some welcome comedy to both them and us something that I felt was accomplished quite readily. Overall, as a character Kazuya Souma I felt was an excellent one that while possessing neither skill with blade or magic was one that was able to take to the new role of being king easily via both the recruitment of skilled subordinates as well as his own innate intelligence, knowledge and cunning that allowed him to not only overcome fearsome odds with not brawn but rather with words, ideas, plans and budgets that showed the world that one does not need to be a despot to make their country strong. One that rules with a firm but gentle hand that takes and considers the advice of his most trusted subordinates while always thinking of the people can also create a country that’s strong and united. His development from freshly summoned hero to king I felt while making effective usage of his intelligence and ability to adapt to given situations quickly also in my opinion served to streamline the overall narrative which within the genre often gets itself slowed due to the need for the mc to realize this is a new world whereas in this case Kazuya simply took it in stride and dealt with one thing at a time. After his lengthy stint as Subaru in Re Zero it's nice to see Yusuke Kobayashi portray a character that while similar to Subaru was someone that can be said to be the total opposite of him in both temperament, maturity and ability to think long term. Liscia Liscia Elfriden portrayed by veteran seiyuu singer Inori Minase of Re Zero and A Place Further than the universe fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the primary heroines within the series. The sole daughter of the former king and queen of Elfriden and its former princess Liscia from her initial appearances was shown to be a confident, kind and honest person by nature that nonetheless also possessed a surprisingly fiery and haughty side to her that I felt complimented her character well. As a former member of the kingdom’s royalty Liscia was someone that while polite and courteous was one that trusted others warily and as a result of her fiery nature tended to misunderstand situations and the intents of others as shown in her first encounters with Kazuya who she viewed as a cheater or fraud that had usurped her father’s role. However, beneath the surface, Liscia can be seen to be someone that while wary of outsiders and those that haven’t proved themselves to her was one that appreciated hard work and results that have been earned from it and was shown to be very loyal towards those that have earned her trust. While Liscia at the beginning of the series was shown to be somewhat of an idealist that believed perhaps too strongly in the belief that age-old traditions should be maintained, when possible, she was someone that was shown to be rather adaptable with her thinking when sufficient facts are shown to her. Though Liscia’s fiery and stubborn nature can often make people think that she’s a difficult person to interact with Liscia beneath her base nature was actually someone that was honest and caring by nature and was quite capable of reflecting upon her judgement and apologizing when needed a fact that I felt really served to complement her character’s desire to find the best way possible to rebuild her country by allying with Kazuya a person though she suspected as a fraud at first soon become the shining beacon that they needed to help her beloved home. As a character Liscia I felt was an interesting character that was designed and developed relatively well as the series progressed. While Liscia’s first encounter with Kazuya was not the most pleasant experience for either of them Liscia’s innate qualities of being a stubborn and fiery yet intelligent and rational person over the course of the series served to establish her as not a princess but a dear friend and confidant for Kazuya that was always on hand to give him not only practical advice on the world but also emotional and combat support when needed. While her knowledge of how an economy works and how these will affect the kingdom’s people is not as refined as those of Kazuya her ability to self-reflect and expand upon ideas that have been proposed allowed her to not only keep in sync with Kazuya relatively easily but also served to keep him grounded as a person a relationship that I felt served to remind us that while being a king is a hard role it will be even harder if you did not have someone that you can be frank with in both your feelings and your plans to rebuild the land a role that Liscia managed to fulfil excellently. AMV Animation wise I felt that the animation used within the series was not only clear and detailed but also made great use of colour and environmental variety within its settings. Character design-wise while the series featured your standard variety of humans and elves or in this case the dark elves it also featured some interesting races that were unique to the series such as the Lion Beastman, Sea Serpent, Dragonnewt and Mystic wolves all of which featured designs that I felt while making them all unique in terms of race qualities also served to expand upon the lore of the kingdom as well with each of their traits serving to enhance each of the respective military branches and giving each a unique capability when their service is required as was demonstrated by the air force during their relief of the forbidden army . While the number of locations that the cast visit throughout the series wasn’t especially large by any means the ones that were featured I felt served to showcase well not only the reason for Kazuya’s reforms but also showcase the kind of division that existed within the kingdom even before his arrival and appointment as king as shown in the abundant cotton fields who are unable to sell because of supply exceeding demand, the tired and hungry civilians across the land who aren’t getting supplies due to inadequate road networks and lastly the decentralized military whose cities and domains while impressive in scale did nothing to help the kingdoms people and whose independence while itself initially a safety measure ended up causing issues with chain of command when their strength was needed the most. While the locations shown were indeed few the impact that they had allowing us to see how dire things were within the kingdom were certainly more than enough. Music-wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Hello Horizon that was performed by Liscia’s seiyuu veteran seiyuu singer Inori Minase and Kazanear that was performed by Aimi who portrayed the character of Carla. Both of these songs while excellent ones served to represent different emotions and feelings when used in conjunction with their accompanying visuals with the former being able to inject a level of tension within it as it introduced not only how divided the continent of Landia was but also how tough of a job Kazuya and his trusted allies have as they set about rebuilding Elfrieden when faced against the might of hostile nations and ambitious warriors and dukes that are determined to take advantage of the new reality being presented to them. On the other hand, the ending theme can be said to have the opposite effect in that it conveyed the feelings of hope, determination and a desire to forge a new path and future for your people by implementing change without compromising one’s own values and morals a contrast that I felt complimented both the series central theme and the feelings conveyed by the opening. In terms of voice acting, I felt that overall, the series main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or support ones. In particular, I felt that Yuusuke Kobayashi and Inori Minase who portrayed the main leads did an excellent job at portraying the characters of Kazuya Souma and Liscia Elfriden whose character chemistry really served to make them a delight to see on screen. Backing them up were a host of talented seiyuu’s who did well both to support them in their endeavors or frustrating them as their opponents with notable ones being Ikumi Hasegawa whose portrayal of the powerful but surprisingly gluttonous dark elf Aisha was as inspiring as it was amusing, Reina Ueda whose portrayal of the beautiful and graceful angel Juna was as elegant as it was awe-inspiring on account of her ability to combine her singing talent with mc and her duties as an advisor and lastly the trinity of dukes of Excel Walter, Castor Vargas and Georg Carmine who were portrayed by veteran seiyuu’s Yui Horie, Jun Fukuyama and Taiten Kusonoki who managed to convey into their characters a level of maturity, stubbornness and a desire to test Kazuya Souma’s mettle of king that served to make them formidable obstacles for him in the first days of the rebuilding and really make him pull out all the stops needed to overcome them. Overall conclusion In overall I felt that How a Realist Hero rebuilt The kingdom was an excellent anime that had among its main strengths an interesting premise, narrative, excellent characters that were both well designed and developed, stellar voice acting and creative problems that had to be addressed by the cast all of which served to introduce a welcome change to the Isekai genre by creating a tale in which the hero solves problems via intelligence, knowledge, words and creativity rather than with swords or magic a change that I felt served as an additional reason for this series popularity. While the Isekai genre despite being one that has been in existence for just over 2 decades continues to move from strength to strength its focus in providing narratives that are easily relatable to its intended audience of teenagers have in my opinion started to make animes of this genre somewhat predictable in its ideas. However, in the case of Realist the series while having the standard trappings of the genre represented something of a unique case due to the fact that Kazuya did not take up the role of a combatant as most series of the genre would have but rather take up the role of an administrator or in Kazuya’s mind a caretaker king who would take up management of the kingdom of Elfrieden until a new and worthy king arrives to take over. Although Kazuya Souma was quite capable of taking upon the blade and becoming a warrior as many Isekai before it had done so with their mc’s the narratives decision to place him as a king who fought with words, plans and knowledge I felt really served to differentiate him while also allowing the usage of his impressive knowledge on economics and governance to full effect. While the series itself is indeed a relatively slow-paced series on account of its reliance on diplomacy and problem solving I felt that this resonated well with the overall goal of rebuilding the kingdom from the ground up that served to allow us a unique insight into the kind of goals and milestones that are necessary for the management of a kingdom that ranges from practical issues such as addressing food shortages, infrastructure, optimal crop placement and talent recruitment to more sensitive issues like liaising with the different races and social classes within the kingdom to inspire loyalty and unity against threats both internal and external. Though the reforms extensive as they were are not revolutionary by modern standards their implementation when combined with Kazuya’s skill at innovation proved to be both entertaining and a valuable lesson to learn as well a fact that was bolstered by the excellent usage of Kazuya’s skill at breaking apart complex knowledge into easily understood info that can be easily understood. Overall, how a Realist rebuilt the kingdom was an excellent anime that provided a fine balance of entertainment, tension, comedy, heartfelt bonding moments and a level of unpredictability in the form of Kazuya Souma’s reform plans that left me eagerly waiting to see each episode as a new week began. While there were admittedly characters that I felt were underused within the narrative that I wished could have seen more expansion overall the series’ adaptation from its source material I felt was a resounding success. Anime’s that require the cast to actually think and consider all angles of a problem are a rarity these days and I for one would like to see more of these types of animes over ones where violence and OP superpowers have become the norm. As a final score, I would say that it easily deserves a 9/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Please note while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular light novel of the same name 86 is a military sci-fi, mecha and drama based anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day the central government of one’s homeland was to experience a shared sense of madness that planted in their minds a belief that while one that was totally irrational and downright inhumane was one that they all willingly not only subscribed too but also spread it to every ... person within their population the belief that apart from the genetically enhanced Alba that make up the majority of the population every other minority race within the republic was from henceforth an alien that was to be stripped of their entitled rights and shipped to the containment camps where they will reside until death. But alas when the forces of the Empire of Giad began their march the same government that had willingly exiled half of their population to certain death in their quest to maintain genetic purity was forced to modify these orders and conscript the minorities now labelled as 86 that were able-bodied and have them serve on the frontlines as their guardians against the legions of the empire. In a curious twist of fate, the people that they had exiled in their quest to maintain genetic purity had become the only things standing between the republic’s people and a bloody death an irony that Shinn and his squadron take grim pride in as day after day they by surviving against both the legion and the republic’s attempts to kill them they are not only living a good life free from the scorn of the Alba but do so in the company of their brothers and sisters that will last until death claims them. The overall story of the series follows the lives of Vladilena Lena Milze a major within the Republic of San Magnolian’s military and her counterpart within the darkly famed Spearhead unit field commander Shinei Nouzen who commands that unit as they both fight to not only stop the plans of the legion but also to for the first time in their life try to overcome the sense of discrimination and racism that the Alba in their quest to maintain genetic purity had created by not only labelling them as monsters but exiling them from their homes and try and find a sense of common ground where genuine trust and friendship can once again flourish between them and the bonds and trust between them long-strained can be reforged once more. But as Shinn and Lena were to discover on the battlefield the truth about the legion and their prophesized time limit was far darker than even they had suspected the bonds that both sides are trying to reforge may well be the very last thing that they will have if the Alba and the 86 are unable to put their differences aside and realize the true threat that the legion represents. For when death comes it will not care what colours your skin are only that as a human you deserve only annihilation. Shinei Shinei Nouzen better known as Shinn to his comrades and friends and as the reaper to his Alba overseers within high command is one of the main characters of the series and serves as the representative of the common soldier’s perspective of the war by allowing us to see what it was like fighting tooth and nail against the forces of the legions on the frontlines. The combat commander and the acknowledged leader of the 86th spearhead squadron of the Republic of San Magnolian’s military Shinn from his initial appearances was shown to be a quiet, calm, and taciturn person by nature who while having no problems in socialising and befriending others was shown to be one that preferred to spend his time in solitude. While this can be seen to be a result of his quiet nature this instead was a means to allow Shinn to rationally determine the best way forward for he and his team that will allow them to accomplish their objectives while minimising the number of casualties that they can potentially incur while doing it. However, while doing his best to ensure that his friends and comrades have the highest chances of surviving their missions the unique nature of battlefields meant that the chances of there being a fatality were exceptionally high and it is in these sorrowful circumstances that Shinn would have to assume a role than not many would envy which is that of an undertaker whose role was to ensure that those that are too heavily wounded to survive are given a merciful end and their lives and deeds are recorded and engraved within his mind until the day when their time as soldiers comes to an end and only then would Shinn be able to relinquish the box of makeshift dog tags that represented the deeds and lives of every one of his comrades that had been lost since they joined the squadron. Though nominally shown to be loyal to the republic and obeying their orders Shinn and the members of his squadron after years of abuse and belittling at the hands of their superiors were seen to have little respect for them and indeed was all too willing to demean them based on what they believe they are like in their worlds and ensuring that their relationship with command while professional on the surface was in reality a turbulent one that had until the coming of Lena been one that drove their assigned handlers crazy. However, with the coming of their new Handler Lena this curious relationship that Shinn and his team had with their overseers soon changed to something that neither side expected to encounter in their lifetime which was a relationship where trust between the two sides actually existed. As the series progresses and Shinn’s personality is expanded upon it can be seen that beneath his steely exterior Shinn was someone that had been profoundly changed by the experiences that he had experienced as a result of being forced upon the role of a soldier. As a result of always being treated by their overseers as beings other than human Shinn and his squadron had until meeting Lena been saddled with perhaps the worst members of the military as their Handlers people who not only advocated the most costly of strategy when confronted by complex objectives but at the same time ignored their recommendations for alternatives as well which when combined with the minimum amounts of resupply of ammo, fire support and critical components for their juggernauts ensured that Shinn’s attitude toward their overseers was not only cynical but also one where he not only expected them to backstab him and his team but also abandon them to the legion if given the opportunity aspects that served to ensure that to Shinn any new Handler that’s assigned to the unit needed to prove themselves first before they can be trusted to assist them. While the long years of being a soldier had allowed him to become an effective field commander that was not only able to make effective usage of Spearhead’s strengths but also pair them with effective usage of strategy and effective reading of the flow of battle that had served to humble many a legion attack it can be seen that the mental cost that came from not being able to protect everyone had served to create a heavy emotional burden that weighed heavily on his mind. This burden while a heavy one but itself was also complicated by the fact that in his desire to not diminish the overall morale of the unit and place more burdens on his friends meant that Shinn while perfectly capable of delegating tasks to his friends preferred to take upon the lion’s share of the work and responsibilities that if not for his strong will would have broken many a man. However, with the coming of Lena and the renewed bonds that came from learning to trust his closest allies this burden while never completely gone was instead lightened as his friends and the one Handler that he trusted stepped in to support him. As a character Shinn I felt was an excellent character that was both well designed and developed with his skills as an effective field commander and soldier being complemented nicely with the developing bonds and relationship that he had managed to forge with not only his friends within the squadron but also with his new Handler. While the relationship between Shinn and Lena started off as being a perfectly professional relationship that despite the latter’s best efforts were unable to make a lasting impression on Shinn and his team due to the animosity that existed between them and the Alba as time passed, and Lena persevered in her attempts Shinn while still distrustful of her began to realize that despite all odds that their new Handler was indeed something different. For unlike their previous ones’ Lena not only treated them as humans with genuine respect but also took great pains to not only bond with them as individuals by asking them for their names a development that was as alien to Shinn as it was to his friends within the unit. Perhaps the most significant aspect of their developing relationship was the endless hours of talk that Shinn engaged with Lena over the most trivial of matters that ranged from his past memories to fireworks and a desire to attend his old home district again aspects that served to for the first time in his life show to him that while the majority of the Alba were scumbags there were still good people within their ranks who despite not being able to change society still did all they could to support them on the field a fact that Shinn was thankful for. While the relationship between Lena and Shinn served well to showcase the positive aspects that can come from meeting someone that was willing to see the wider truth of society and change themselves to compensate I felt that the other half of Shinn’s core arc which explored the turbulent bond that Shinn had with his brother was the opposite in the spectrum in that it showed the worst effects that the combination of exile, loss and grief can have in creating a sense of madness within what pre 86 had been a caring and loving brother who cared for Shinn deeply. Though in the end the struggle between the two was resolved it can be said that he was just as much a victim of the law as the rest of the 86 were and while Shinn had served to protect himself and his friends the results were bittersweet at best. Vladilena Milize Vladilena Milize more popularly known as Lena to both fans of the series and to Shinn and his squadron is one of the main characters of the series representing the command level’s perspective of the series that showcases the viewpoint of the war from the perspective of the now dominant Alba race within the republic. A major within the republic’s military and one of the youngest to attain that rank Lena while never actually serving on the frontlines as her charges as per the lie that the republic tells its people never less serves as Handler One the militaries assigned handler to Spearhead squadron and provides them with not only intel but also command and control via the orders that are given by high command that dictate their contribution to the war against the legion. From her initial appearances Lena while a member of the Alba race was shown to different to her fellows in that she not only treated the members of non-Alba races with respect, humility and honour but also did not outright discriminate against them based on their race, unlike her fellows. As one of the youngest commissioned officers within the military Lena was shown to be someone that was calm, composed, serious and professional in the conduct of her duties. While her serious, diligent, and determined attitude served her well in allowing her to climb the ranks this was complemented by her kind and understanding nature that allowed her to not only gain ranks but in the process allow her to forge strong bonds with the few like-minded personal within the ranks as shown in her bond with her friend Anette. However, what can be said to truly define Lena as a person was her belief in the founding moral principles of the republic that was represented within their flag that stated that all citizens of the republic should be subject to freedom, equality, justice and a sense of brotherhood that they can share with their fellow citizens regardless of their skin colour a belief that while central to the republic had largely been disregarded by the citizens of the current republic who prefers to live within their own dream world rather than face reality a fact that was seen to give Lena much lament as they were beliefs that she cherished deeply that acted as her foundation. As the series progresses and Lena’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that like the great majority of the Alba Lena while knowing the surface details regarding the members of the squadrons of the 86 did not quite know the whole truth about the crimes that were committed against them by her people. While Lena’s confidence, kindness and friendly nature allowed her to bond easily with people within her world her attempt to replicate the same results with the members of the squadron by trying to empathize with them and motivate them via her idealistic read on the high ideals of the republic unfortunately backfired on her despite her sincerity since she not only knew little of the larger picture but also because her directness was seen as condescending as well. Despite this setback, however, Lena was seen to be undaunted in her efforts to bond with her charges and while her persistent nature served to annoy many this was offset by the increasing curiosity that they displayed towards an Alba that was trying hard to bond with what to them should have been the outcasts of her world with this ultimately being the deciding factor that shattered the unit’s reluctance and allowed her to befriend them for real. However, to Lena, while this one move may seem to be a simple step to her it also served as an effective foundation in which she can use to walk her path and correct the sins that the Republic had committed. As part of this desire Lena while still nominally serving as the unit’s overseer was seen to fight hard to not only try to enhance the overall effectiveness of the squadron by providing not only accurate intel and supplies but also trying to get them to submit battle data that can be analysed and used to improve their ability to defeat the legion. However, Lena’s attempt to help was not simply restricted on military matters as on a personal level she also persevered in her attempt to bond and befriend the members of the squadron with her usage of putting a personal name to a face that was created after they reveal them to her and her breach of military law to send them fireworks being the best examples of Lena’s desire to not only build a rapport with them but also allow them to enjoy the relaxation time that their duties prevented them from having and in doing so allow Lena to start her journey of walking her own path that was built along the foundations of equality, respect and friendship. As a character Lena I felt was an excellent character that was both well designed and developed with a level of complexity that really surprised me. While her initial appearances of a young woman that was friendly, polite, humble, efficient, and professional broadly conformed to the image I had of her by looking at the series overview her persistence in trying to not only improve the units’ chances of survival and her determination to bond with the members of the squadron really served to surprise me. Complementing these aspects was Lena’s ability to both self-evaluate and adapt on the fly in her desire to change the republic and its bond with its people an aspect that made great use of the revelation of the 86 program to kickstart Lena’s transition from a simple cog of the republic to someone willing to do all she can to help those that the republic had so cruelly abandoned whether or not the rules let her or not with her unauthorised usage of the long-range mortar batteries in ep9 to support the squadrons assault on the legion being the best first step possible. AMV In terms of the former, I felt that overall, the animation that was seen within the series was not just top-notch in terms of graphical quality but was also used well to complement the series overall story by showing just how much the war against the legion has cost them as well as how deadly the new lives of the 86 had become after they were exiled from their lives within the republic to become its sacrificial pawns. Environmentally while the number of locations that the two casts of characters that represented the command and common soldiers’ perspective was not especially large I felt that the locations that were seen served to showcase the fact that while both sides ultimately live in the same world and serve the same country the worlds in which they exist within while similar are not the same. In the world that Lena and her friends reside in that too me resembled a futuristic version of 18th century Europe the carefree nature of the genetically created Albas and the leisurely lifestyle that they lived as well as the beautiful architecture of their streets and buildings I felt was contrasted greatly by the sense of both their fanatic belief in their government and their desire to sacrifice everything that was deemed necessary by the former if they desired to survive a sacrifice that many of the Alba was all too willing to make as seen in their widespread discrimination towards the members of the 86 that eventually forced them from both their jobs within society and for many of them later on their lives as well. While the world that they gained by sacrificing their co-workers, friends and neighbours was indeed a beautiful one it came at the cost of losing much of their humanity, empathy, and territory as well and ensuring that while safe the food that they eat and the time they can spend exchanging ideas with likeminded people is gone forever a fact that represented well that the world that they created was safe, yes but empty of the things that made a world whole. In contrast to the sterile and hollow world that Lena resided in the world in which Shinn and the squadron resided in while certainly far more dangerous than the former due to the presence of the legion was one that featured not only much more diversity but also more freedom of action as well as while exiled from their former lives and fighting tooth and nail with the grim reaper at every party with the legion during their downtime Shinn and his friends while still subject to the deliberate supply shortages mandated by high command were able to freely spend time with their comrades and bond with them over their shared sense of hatred towards both the legion and the Alba who had banished them so readily from their world. Perhaps more than ever for Shinn and his friends being able to freely mingle with each other and forge bonds that transcend not only social class, but race as well allowed Shinn and his squadron to not only survive countless parties but also get stronger as they learn how to deal with the legion and in doing so get the final revenge on their overseers. In terms of mecha design and combat animations and scenarios overall, I was impressed by what I saw within the series. Outside of 86 the realm of mecha anime while certainly not as large as it was in the past was still dominated by the juggernaut that is the Gundam franchise and while the designs of the mecha’s shown within the series was a tad basic I felt that in this case, their simplicity served to give them all their own unique role within both the line of battle and in the story. Within the series, the standard issued equipment for the republic’s military was the allegedly unmanned M1A4 weapon system that in reality was anything but unmanned. The M1A4 while the most advanced of the republic’s weapons was, in reality, sub-par in every regard owing to its poorly designed body, weak armour and low firepower when compared to the legion. However unlike the legion when placed in the hands of skilled pilots that are commanded by veteran commanders gifted with the ability to formulate effective tactics on the fly even the jug can be used to devastating effect on the battlefield as shown in ep2 when Spearhead’s ambush resulted in the devastation of a significant legion force with only minimal damage to themselves with the highlight of this battle being Shinn’s solo rampage that broke the back of their assault in spectacular fashion. As the primary hostile force, the legion I felt proved to be a potent opponent for Shinn and Spearhead. While the standard mix of classes was represented well in the form of the Ameise scout types, the Grauwolf dragoons, the Lowe tank types and the Eintagsfliege electronic warfare types the legion also made great use of elites in the form of the Scorpion gunner type and the shepherd’s that acted as the legions command and control units that served to enhance their overall effectiveness when deployed. However, what proved to be the most unique of the legions line-up however were not the units that made use of firepower as their main offence but the unique black sheep’s that made use of Psychological tactics to unnerve their foes as their primary a tactic that I felt added an excellent new dimension to the nature of the combat that Spearhead faces on the field that was demonstrated the best in ep5 when spearhead squadron was forced to deal with a black sheep that had assimilated the memories of one of their most cherished friends. In addition to the tension that came from facing this, I felt that this battle also showcased the hard decisions that the members of the squadron had to make in the field to save the living in the form of the almost synchronised pulls of Theoto, Daiya, Anju and Kurena as they dealt with it which almost resembled an execution that was done to put to rest a dear friend that the legion had stolen from them. Music-wise the series made use of one opening and two ending themes which was 3-bun 29 byo that was performed by Hitorie and Avid and Hand’s up to the Sky that was performed by the famed vocal project SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]. While each of these songs was excellent ones I felt that the songs when used with their respective accompanying visuals served to give off a different sense of feelings and emotions with the former showing well that while Lena and Shinn serve and live in very different worlds without the aid of one another the members of the squadrons deployed on the frontlines would not survive the first three minutes and twenty nine seconds and that while every death on the field is a tragedy by working with handlers that care about your well being and provide you with whatever is needed they will be able to survive another day with the friends that you managed to protect. In contrast, the series ending theme Avid while lessening on the action compensated by infusing it with some excellent displays of emotions and feelings that reflected well not just on the feelings that came about from witnessing the loss of friends on the field but also the effects of meeting and bonding with people that did not follow the status quo and instead of being compelled to follow society was instead willing to change it by treating their subordinates as human and not as expendable pawns. While the two songs were both equally excellent I felt that the series was also backed by an excellent OST that really showcased the talent of noted composer Hiroyuki Sawano which served to add an additional layer of tension to the scenes presented within the anime’s overall story. Voice acting wise overall I felt that the series main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters however I feel that Shoya Chiba, Ikumi Hasegawa, Seiichiro Yamashita, Natsumi Fujiwara, Saori Hayami and Sayumi Suzushiro all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters of Shinn, Lena, Raiden, Theoto, Anju and Kurena, respectively. Of this ensemble group of talented seiyuu’s, I have to say that Ikumi Hasegawa and Sayumi Suzushiro really surprised me with their portrayals of Lena and Kurena as in my view both characters were complex ones with Lena being especially as she had to portray a wide range of emotions and feelings as she had to wrestle both with her own development as a person as she came to terms with the scale of the crimes that her own people had perpetrated on the 86 as well as her own desire to reverse this by treating her charges as normal people rather than objects. For Sayumi while her character Kurena did not speak that much I felt her pent-up rage when unleashed really served to showcase the kind of pain, grief, and grave injustices that the members of the 86 had been subject to as a result of the republic’s exile of them with Sayumi’s inlaying of heartfelt feelings and emotions into her lines serving to add a little more punch to its effects. Overall conclusion In overall I felt that 86 was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points a unique premise, powerful and heartfelt story, highly detailed and well-designed battles, excellent variety of mecha, excellent voice acting and its bold usage of a serious subject topic that while rarely seen in modern-day anime is one that is especially relevant within both the world of 86 and in the current strife-filled world that we inhabit. The series overall story and premise is without a doubt one of the main highlights of the series due to its excellent weaving of several different elements that while strong by themselves served to enhance and complement each other when used together and serve to improve an already well thought out story. While the series’ world-building and usage of mass discrimination and exile had served to create a solid foundation from which the Republic was able to stand upon served well to create the two worlds that Lena and Shinn reside in on a physical level this usage of the two worlds was bolstered by the usage of the legions unique method of gaining strength via their absorption of memories and the 86’s desire to make use of all available means to fight against their sworn enemies in the form of the legion but also prove to the ones that exiled them that even after they were booted out of their homes and had everything taken from them they are not only surviving but able to enjoy a better life outside the walls as well. This sense of a group of underdogs that continued to survive mission after mission despite high commands desire to whittle them down I felt was used well in conjunction with Lena’s desire to change the republic by changing her attitude towards her charges really served to make great use of the twin sides of hope and despair that is ever so common on a battlefield. On the psychological side of things within the series apart from the laughingly bad legion knockoff in the form of the M1A4 another technology that served to showcase the two sides of hope and despair on the field was without a doubt the Para raid which when used correctly was able to allow handlers to share senses with their charges and allow the former to give timely intel to them and aid them on the field when needed. However, this sharing of senses between the two sides was as much of a double-edged sword as the M1A4 was as prolonged linking of senses can have the unfortunate effect of having a handler who is unaccustomed to the perils and strong negative feelings that can result from seeing your friends atomized suffer heavy mental damage that if managed incorrectly can easily result in fried brains if they did not have a strong enough will to weather it. However, while the potential of losing oneself to the negativity may seem overwhelming the reverse can also be true in that positive feelings supported with a helping of determination can also serve to forge new and lasting friendships with people that had considered you as enemies and when used correctly can also lay the foundations for changing the world. Overall, as a final score, I would say that 86 easily deserves a final score of 9/10 for its solid weaving of an excellent story, characters, combat, voice acting, animation and a well-designed and thought-out fractured society that when used with the emotional aspects of the bond that is forged between Lena and Shinn made this show one of the highlights of this season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Show all Jun 19, 2021
Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song
(Anime)
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Please note while care has been taken in minimizing story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. Please read at your own risk.
Intro and Premise Based on an original idea Vivy: Flurite Eye’s song is an Action, Music, Sci-Fi and thriller genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will transpire if in the future humanity in their desire to innovate and advance themselves were to hit upon the idea of creating highly advanced AI’s and advanced cybernetic constructs that while allowing the advancement of their civilization also served to allow them to infiltrate their very lives on ... every level within society. What will happen if one day the very AI’s that you had created to assist you were to one day go haywire and attack their creators. The field of Robotics and AI have always been subject matters that long interested humanity being present in a variety of media since its inception with notable examples being the famed Terminator franchise that showed them at their worst. However, what sets Vivy apart from such series is the fact that unlike the former which focused on potential effects that would happen If AI were to seize control of military hardware and use it to exterminate humanity Vivy served to do the opposite in that its overall story allowed us to look at not only the kind of impact that AI’s would have when assigned to specific roles within society but also the kind of emotional bonds and connections that their actions and missions would have on the people that they encounter in their lifetime. This potent combination of the emotional connections that AI’s can foster between humans, quest to stop Armageddon at their hands and the core question of whether AI’s that act under their own emotions are artificial beings or sentient beings of their own right I felt made for quite the unique premise. The series opening ep while starting off slow did an excellent job of showcasing both the pros and cons of AI’s within society also did well to show the sheer potential of both discovery and creative world-building that came from the interventions across the timeline that Vivy and her cube buddy Matsumoto embark upon as part of the Singularity project which aimed to save humanity for forestalling the advancement of their own kind. While this in itself was an extremely critical mission the irony that it was an AI that had as a singer provided much entertainment to humans with her songs and a cube that had quite the condescending personality as our would-be saviours for this tale I felt was pretty ironic but reflected well that to stop the madness that is the phantom song one must send out the best of singers to sing their own and restore the harmony between humanity and AI’s that had existed before the appearance of the destructive song. Vivy Vivy is one of the main characters of the series and is the primary heroine of the series. Serving as the world’s first autonomous AI that was far more adaptable than her one-dimensional predecessors Vivy in her initial appearances was shown to be someone that while programmed with the mission and role of a singer was shown to be someone that not only loved to sing beyond her programming but also treasured the belief that by singing to the people around her she was not only making those around her happy but also visualize the belief that no matter how long one’s life is if you are unable to live that life to its fullest then it’s not really a worthwhile life. In the beginning of the series, Vivy was shown to be someone akin to a new-born human being a kind and curious person that was trying hard to learn and adapt to her new role while battling with a sense of low self-esteem. Though lacking in confidence Vivy was someone that was willing to both experiment with different ideas and ask others for help when needed a fact that allowed her to bond easily with others and support them and in doing so creating a support network of her own as shown in her first friendship with Momoka and her later bonds with the allies she encounters within the story. This aspect of her while serving well to improve her as a person also served to reflect on her desire to help as many people as she can with her actions and make her contribution in helping others find their life paths that much more heartfelt. While her base personality and her steadfast determination to never waiver from her chosen path did well to showcase the levels of her focus and logic I felt that this served as an excellent means to complement her interactions with her future partner in her mission to save the world in that her countless arguments with him provided some excellent comedy that did well to ease the tension that can come about from trying to save the world from itself. As the series progresses and Vivy as a result of not only meeting Matsumoto and embarking on the singularity project but also in the process encountering other beings in the process Vivy began to gradually change as she came to face the grim reality that existed underneath the glamour of what was supposed to be the golden age of humanity. While agreeing to aid Matsumoto in taking part in the project in order to stop the worst-case scenario that had been visualized in the nightmarish recordings that he had shown her it can be seen that while Vivi does understand the necessity of the mission and how she must change herself to do so that despite that she defined this as being secondary to her primary duties of bringing happiness to others and was adamant that the two missions did not interfere with each other. As a result of this determination to uphold her primary mission while trying to protect the world Vivy was not only able to understand and learn about not only the harsh realities and hatred that existed within the hidden cracks within society but also the many positive aspects that AI’s have managed to bring to human society and through that come to discover not only was the human heart not simply an organ within a humans body but was also the very essence of a person and the core of what defined an individual that motivated them in every action that they took in the world. This insight into the complexity of human emotions and feelings while at first difficult to rationalize by Vivy gradually as the series progressed and she came to understand it become one of her core focuses when embarking on the missions that make up the project in that while she will do her utmost to complete said mission she will always strive to save those that were innocent and always look at the bigger picture. An aspect that becomes especially important when encountering issues that she has never seen before as seen in her reactions to seeing the romance between Doctor Saiki and Grace and seeing the bittersweet relationship that existed between the sisters Estella and Elizabeth. These interactions with not only her sisters but also with the many people whose lives have been changed by them however when used in conjunction with her overall role within the project unfortunately also served to provide Vivy with a heavy emotional burden as while Vivy was gladdened to have the opportunity to not only meet her sisters and see the kind of impact that they had on the people around them and on society she also had the unenviable task of facing down her fellow AI’s if the missions that form part of the project calls for it or if she had to kill a fellow AI to save the life of another. This contrast in personalities within Vivy that involved the hardening of one’s heart to complete her mission ultimately served to create a sense of conflict between the two of them that resulted in the fracturing of the two and the reborn into a new variant that can be said to be her ultimate form. In this form, while she still possessed her trademarked kindness, perceptive and determined nature she was also shown to be supremely confident in dealing with both her fellow AI’s and humans and unlike her past selves was seen to be highly charismatic in her performances as a singer as exemplified in her first concert in this new form. However, these changes while working wonders for her career as a singer also served to complement one of her newfound traits that defined her new form which was a desire to not only find the truth but also to protect those around her with all her might one that once ignited was almost impossible to stop. This sense of sheer determination to discover the truth and protect all that she can while a consequence of the conflict that came about as a result of seeing not only the countless tragedies that had come about as a result of the hidden hatred between AI and humans and the countless lives that had been lost as a consequence while serving as a potent source of motivation for Vivy to finally put an end to her century-long journey also, in my opinion, served to showcase just how much more human she had become as a result of all the encounters that she has had over the century that she had spent on the project. An aspect that was exemplified by not only the sense positive feelings and strength that she was able to draw upon from her friends and allies but also the sheer amount of negative feelings that she was forced to acquaint herself with in the form of despair and fear as well. To be able to find one’s motivation when faced with the most extreme of feelings I felt really showcased just how much Vivy as a result of her centuries-long journey to save humanity had advanced and changed as not only an AI but as one that was far more humanlike than any of her predecessors and sisters. Matsumoto Matsumoto is one of the main characters of the series and serves as one of Vivy’s most trusted allies within the series acting as both her constant companion but also one that always sets her on the correct but often hard path that she must follow for the sake of the project. In his initial form, Matsumoto as a result of his experiences from the future in which he originates from was seen to be someone that was self-confident, intelligent, direct and extremely talkative that served to complement his cunning nature. While relatively open-minded and a highly effective hacker thanks to his various modules that allowed him to easily compensate and adapt his skills to achieve his goals, Matsumoto, in the beginning, was seen to possess a degree of arrogance in him that made him difficult to work with which when combined with steadfast dedication to his assigned mission and willingness to use root extermination techniques to correct any anomalies that were discovered in their missions rather than look for the core reason for their formation served to ensure that the relationship between him and Vivy was an icy one at first. However, while Matsumoto was not as much as a combat heavyweight as Vivy was though he did have his standout moments as seen in his fight against Ophelia and Antonio his role as an effective support character that provided combat and emotional support and direction to Vivy throughout the series was unparalleled and it is certainly not an understatement to state that without Matsumoto constantly making sure that their missions were following the proscribed perimeters and that they were not creating a paradox that the project would have failed. While the relationship between Matsumoto and Vivy started off in the worst possible way I felt that their constant bickering throughout the series when combined with Matsumoto’s own attempt to smooth over the relationship as partners and his gradual realization of his own flaws served to not only create some excellent chemistry between the two that really served to break the ice but allow the two to truly rely upon each other as friends and partners with his attempts at comedy and snarky comments as well as his concern for her wellbeing being the best representations of this. AMV In terms of animation overall, the animation that was shown in Vivy Flurite Eye’s song I felt was really impressive whether it was visually or in variety and made excellent usage of the futuristic timeline that served as the series main setting. Character designs wise I felt that the overall designs for the series main AI’s in the form of Vivy, Estella, Elizabeth, Grace and Ophelia were excellent ones that were not just beautiful but reflected well not just on their role within society as AI’s but also on their personality’s as well with the latter aspect making great usage of colour that served to both differentiate and define their personalities within the series both through visual means and as introduced within the story. In terms of the other AI constructs that were seen within the series while the number of unique constructs shown wasn’t especially large what was shown I felt were pretty unique with the notable ones in my mind being Matsumoto’s cube jet that was shown in ep6, his true form, Antonio who served as Ophelia’s manager and partner, M from the metal float and lastly the archive whose central form was both pretty and showed well the kind of scale that is necessary to process and disseminate data to other AI’s. In terms of location design by using the future as its primary setting the series I felt managed to maximize the variety of locations that it made use of within the framework of the story. Within the series though the locations featured were relatively few the artistic purpose and the effect it had on the story I felt was combined well to showcase not only what it represented in peace but also what it can represent as both a tragic memory and asset to the war with Nia land that served as Vivy’s home representing both a home and also a tragic memory when the war began, the archive that in peace represents a space where malfunctioning AI’s can enter to recover and in war the central nexus of the one that instigated the war, Sunrise which in peace was a marvel of engineering whose beauty entertained thousands but when used as a bomb become an undying reminder of the selflessness of AI’s and their desire to save as many people as they can, Metal float that in peace represented a marvel that would greatly benefit mankind but in war become a critical asset that can be used to destroy it and lastly The Arayashiki labs which during peace would have been a place that housed the brightest of humans as they sought to innovate and create new tech to better mankind but in war become ground zero that housed the controls necessary to save mankind that was surrounded by the bodies of countless humans who by their sacrifice had served to delay the AI’s from enacting their plan. Combat animation and fights within the series I felt were excellently designed that reflected well not just on the sheer speed in which AI’s operated when compared to their human counterparts but also on the sheer level of lethality that they possessed thanks to the amount of force that they were capable of expending. Each of the fights featured within the series was not just blindingly fast but also highly impactful with the best fights in my eyes being Vivy’s fight with Beth in ep4, Matsumoto’s solo fight vs Antonio in ep9, The rescue of future Toak in ep11, and the attempted storming of the Arayashiki labs in ep12 all of which were impressively animated and detailed. Music-wise while the series made use of one primary opening theme which was Sing my Pleasure which was performed by Vivy’s assigned singer new singer Kairi Yagi this within the series was supplemented by a number of insert songs that were performed by the other singers who were assigned the singing voices of the characters of Vivy, Grace, Estella, Elizabeth and Ophelia which within the series was provided by Kairi Yagi, Hikari Kodama, Rikka, Lica, Noa, Acane Madder and Miya Kotsuki respectively. Each of these songs I felt were equally excellent and served well to represent the kind of feelings and emotions that ran through the scenes to which they were featured in. Of the 11 songs that were featured within the series I have to say that my favourite ones were Sing My Pleasure, My Code, Happiness, A tender moon tempo and Elegy Dedicated with Love. Voice acting wise the series main voice cast I felt all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or support ones with Atsumi Tanezaki, Jun Fukuyama, Yoko Hikasa, Satomi Akesaka, Rina Hidaka and Yumi Uchiyama all doing an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters of Vivy, Matsumoto, Estella, Grace, Ophelia and Elizabeth respectively. Of the supporting cast of which there were many, I have to say I was impressed by Ayaka Asai’s portrayal of the character of Yui Kakitani the granddaughter of Toak fighter Yugo Kakitani who unlike her father was not only more open-minded but more willing to put her faith in diplomacy than the hardliners that until then had been the largest faction within Toak. To be able to both stand firm against the demands of the hardliners as well as be brave enough to try and convince them to change their methods was most impressive as was her facing of her death with a smile on her face as she greeted her killer in ep12 a sign of bravery that few girls her age would have been able to show. Overall Conclusion In overall Vivy Flurite Eye’s song, I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strengths its unique premise, heartfelt story, interesting characters, excellent music, voice acting and its skilful weaving and integration of complex topics not normally seen within the realm of anime into its overall narrative. The overall story of the series is without a doubt one of the main highlights of the series which when combined with the series unique lore and premise really served to make you get invested within the story. While the concept of AI’s and their integration into society as a means to supplement humanity isn’t new within the realm of anime as we have previously seen this within the Beatless series in this case their integration I felt was subtly different in that while they were invented to help humanity and advance their civilization it was not the AI’s that were driving the central threat of the series forward but rather the social and political aspects of humanity and their legacy of warfare and discrimination that was actually driving them to destruction with the AI’s being pushed along in the process as a result. This when used in conjunction with the time travel aspect of the story while serving to expand upon the history of humanity and the depth of their distrust towards AI’s also served as an excellent vehicle that was used to expand upon the main sister type AI’s that were featured alongside Vivy. In this the series usage of individual story arcs that while standalone was woven seamlessly into the overall story an aspect that I felt was an excellent call as each arc provided an excellent opportunity to not only introduce a new member of the sisters and setting but also delve into the unique issues that plagued each one. Each of these arcs represented well not only the unique problems that AI’s inherent as soon they are born in the form of the mission system that defined both their life and their given role within society but also the kind of unique struggles that AI’s in the name of providing for the advancement of humanity were forced to shoulder as part of said mission. These arcs while featuring some excellent set pieces that served to both showcase and enhance the given role of its respective lead also did an excellent job at showcasing the emotional impact that the events of the arc and the advent of AI’s have on the AI’s themselves via the creative usage of the two different sides of the emotional coin that humans were so fond of using. While one side showcased the hope, happiness and joy that came from being able to fulfil their given role within society and in doing so accomplishing their mission the other did the opposite in that it showed the kind of negative feelings that can come about as a result of not only not being able to complete their missions but disappoint those closest to them as well. Within the arcs this potent mix of emotions while doing well to enhance the arc’s narrative also did well to provide the sisters with some excellent emotional depth and serve to make them much more relatable as individuals rather than as mere AI’s with Estella’s arc showing well the double-edged sword that is the mission system that mandated that if one was unable to achieve their assigned mission that they will not only be deprived of a role within society but also be scrapped without being able to do anything in the world. While the contrast between Estella and Elizabeth in terms of achievements and motivation was striking I felt that this arc served to show that while the mission system serves as an important life goal for the AI’s that governed their life its inflexible nature can also serve to create a sense of regret anger and resentment into those that were unable to achieve their roles and create a sense of inferiority within society than can easily be exploited and used against the very society that created them. Grace’s arc while less action-packed than Estella’s arc nonetheless served to introduce a pretty interesting concept that was seldom explored within the realm of science fiction which was the potential for romance between a human and an AI but while this was unusual what made this arc truly stand out was its integration with the mission system and the effects that this has on the emotional bond between lovers. While the mission system itself and the unfairness of it were touched upon extensively within Estella’s arc I felt that this arc did an excellent job of showcasing the kind of emotional attachments that can form between humans and AI’s both in terms of positive feelings as well as the depth’s of despair that can come from having someone precious to you taken by a system that only cared about efficiency and nothing more. When combined with the overall objective of this arc for Vivy and Matsumoto and the emotional aspects of the professor and Grace this arc represented a sense of tragedy that I for one couldn’t foresee and served as an effective turning point for not just the series fans but for Vivy as well. However, by far the most unique arc within the series was Ophelia’s arc that while building upon the foundations that were established in both Estella and Grace’s arcs served to introduce a rather curious concept in the form of a question Does an AI have a soul? This question while a deep one I felt also represented well the final stage in the series expansion of the AI’s by allowing us to look into not only their roles within society but also the physical and mental trauma that an AI despite how advanced they were still very much vulnerable to. While the arc made effective usage of the twin aspects of positive and negative emotions to showcase the triumphs and despair that Ophelia experienced its impartment of these same feelings into her partner Antonio when used in conjunction with the mission system I felt served to not only create an excellent twist within the story but showcase the fact that despite being AI they are still capable of experiencing strong emotions and feelings that governed their actions and that if they like their makers are pushed to the brink even they can be forced on to a path of no return. In overall Vivy Flurite Eye’s song, I felt was an excellent anime that served to provide not only an interesting look at the kind of impact that AI’s can have on society in the sheer number of roles that they can fulfil but also look at the kind of opposition that can form from within humanity as a result of their rise as a faction within society through the creation of the Toak faction. While the faction itself had few standout moments I felt that its contribution in allowing Vivy to see the kind of pain and suffering that lurk in the heart of society and give her the resolve to try and create a world where everyone is equal was undeniable. As a final score, I would say that it easily deserves a final score of 9/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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