Anime Column] Anime Writers' Review of Fall 2014 Anime!

With only a few days left in the year, more than 30 TV anime titles reached their final episodes in December, bringing their works to a close. In this issue, we will review five of the most noteworthy titles!

Sword Art Online II" depicts various worlds in an online RPG setting. Selector spread WIXOSS," the second season of an original anime based on the card game "WIXOSS. KOKKURIERE!", an extraordinary comedy about a fox, a dog, a raccoon dog, and a variety of other beasts. Yamanosume Second Season" in which four girls grow up through mountain climbing. The second season of "Yamanosume," in which four girls grow up through mountain climbing, and the heartbreaking "What the Husband is Talking About" about a married couple's love affair.

Let's take a look back at the 2014 fall anime series that have finally come to a conclusion and prepare for the start of the new year.

Sword Art Online II
The "SAO" series is a story that progresses by diving into the game world. However, in the second season's Mother's Rosary Arc, the story is reversed, with the viewer experiencing the real world from a virtual space. The episode that deserves special attention is the 23rd episode, "The Beginning of a Dream," which is the last part of the series. Yuki is a girl who has been spending time in a virtual space due to an illness. In order to make her dream of going to school again come true, Asuna uses a special communication device to give her a virtual experience of the real world. On a screen in the virtual space, a real-life scene is projected, and Yuki gazes at it, once again experiencing the world she once lived in.

We are moved by this scene because we are connected to Yuki through the act of looking. Yuki reaches out to touch the reflection of Asuna on the screen. Her gesture of trying to touch something that does not exist is passed on to Asuna at the end of episode 23. Don't miss that moment.


selector spread WIXOSS
The girls involved in "WIXOSS" are caught up in a tragic fate regardless of whether they win or lose their battles in this much-talked-about work. The dark world of "WIXOSS" was enlivened by the main character, Ruko Kominato, who tries to avoid battles but is drawn in by the game's charms, as well as other characters who are not always straightforward.

The bumpy duo of Chiyori, a girl with an innocent dream of entering the world of WIXOSS, and Eldora, her card's host (Rurig), have been loved as a kind of refreshment. Episode 9, "The Farewell is Tangled," is an episode featuring the two. The episode vividly unravels the story of the two women's visual resemblance, which we had dismissed as a promise with no deeper meaning. As if to prove that this is more than just a comedy relief, the scene in which Chiyori and Eldora explode with emotion is a must-see. The epilogue of the last episode also makes you grin.


The final epilogue is also a grin-inducing experience. Kokkuri-san
The doll-self-proclaiming dempa girl Ichimatsu Kohina is possessed by a group of overpowering monsters: the caring and good-natured Kokkuri-san, the stalker-like Inugami, and the unemployed professional and erotic father Shigaraki. A chaotic comedy unfolds in which all the characters are chaotic. In fact, Kokkuri-san and Nigami can transform into women, and the two (two?) female characters are cute and adorable. The appearance of the two (two?) female characters is also cute and endearing. There is even a harem-like episode in which everyone except Shigaraki turns into a woman and goes to a hot spring, making for an unpredictable storyline.

The cast also includes a splendid lineup of voice actors. In particular, Joji Nakata, who plays the role of Shigaraki, has a familiar dandy voice as well as a shota (boy) voice, and his passionate performance is nothing short of spectacular. The opening of each episode changes slightly, and the preview for the next episode features live-action animal footage. We eagerly await the day when the sequel goes on the air.


Yamanosume: The Second Season
Yamanosume" drew attention as an outdoor anime about girls taking on the challenges of the mountains. In its second season, the program was expanded from a 5-minute to a 15-minute slot, with a total of 24 episodes aired over a period of six months. The appeal of the series is its depiction of authentic mountain climbing. Even landscapes that are only shown for a brief moment are carefully depicted, and local landmarks and unusual signboards decorate the main story. Fuji, and the fact that there is a post office on the summit of the mountain, one can feel the meticulous location scouting that went into the making of this film.

The film also focuses on the people who support the main character, Aoi Yukimura, as she hikes with her mother and interacts with the owner of the mountain lodge. This is a unique aspect of the film's theme of mountain climbing, which follows the paths paved by those who came before us. Fuji, and the harshness of mountain climbing is also depicted, making viewers want to try their hand at mountaineering.


The "I don't know what my husband is talking about."
The anime world is a place where otaku cry foul just because the heroine kisses a male character, and the threads are raging. This work is designed to stir up such naïve people with its depiction of a married couple making out. The first episode begins with the declaration, "We had a lot of sex. At the ending of the episode, a lovey-dovey duet song is played, and they are even shown washing each other in the bathtub. There is even a karaoke version (who should I sing it with?) and a Christmas version (who should I celebrate with?). It seems to be based on a comic strip originally posted on 2channel, which is a real testament to the provocative nature of the media.

Despite such a hateful work, the reason why we can even sympathize with it is because it depicts the impatience and loneliness that we all feel in our lives. In the 11th episode, "People Have Lived Alone," these feelings were expressed with a piercing touch. The casting, led by Yukari Tamura in the lead role, is also a shining example of this work.

(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)