Anime Column] Anime Writers' Review of Winter 2015 Anime! Introducing "Gundam G Reconguista", "SHIROBAKO", and 5 other notable works!

The rush of final episodes of winter 2015 anime has finally calmed down with the arrival of the spring season. What was the finale of your favorite anime? In this issue, we pick up 5 popular anime titles that were completed in March 2015. From the latest "Gundam" series to a short animation of "Transformers," let's take a look back at a wide variety of works!

Gundam G Reconguista

This work begins with a scene in which a mysterious mobile suit falls to the earth. If you look at this simple opening, you will realize that "G-RECO" has always been a work that expresses gravity. In the scene where Belli falls in love at first sight, Aida's lush hair spreads across the entire space, Manny's tears for Luin flow upward due to the weightlessness, and the Capital Guard's traditional war cry includes the action of stomping on the ground. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino's skill in skillfully creating gravity, which is invisible to the naked eye, is still evident.

Episode 25, "Crossing the Line of Death," depicts the scene in which the gravity is most clearly felt as the ship enters the atmosphere. Again, the battle between the various camps unfolds in a three-way battle, but as the plane descends to Earth, it is no longer enough to fight, and the pilots are forced to prepare for their own entry. Earth's gravity eventually forces Ruin to take off his mask, and he and Manny's hearts are bound tightly together. The scene, in which gravity creates a brief truce and draws the characters together, compels us to exclaim with delight that the "G" in the title is gravity.


SHIROBAKO

Yano, a production assistant who has worked with many animation staff, says, "Sometimes there are people who haven't woken up from their dreams for decades. The word "dreamer" is not a metaphor, but is depicted as it really is, which is what makes "SHIROBAKO" so unique. Aoi Miyamori, who works hard on her anime production, converses with her dolls Mimzy & Lolo when she is depressed, has visions of the independent anime she produced in high school when she meets her anime club mates, and even transcends time to relive the production site of the cell era. It is almost as if he is possessed by anime.
The synchronization between his own situation and the animation in the film accelerates the story. The final scene, in which Miyamori, bathed in the spotlight, delivers a speech in front of the staff, is a scene from the final episode of "Ekkuso Dassutsu! was somewhat similar to the main character giving a live performance in the final episode of "Ekkuso Dassuku! The characters whose lives are touched by the anime must overlap with those of us who watch "Shirobako.

April is Your Lie

Kimio Arima, a genius pianist, has been traumatized by the death of his mother, who "cannot hear the sound of the piano she plays. This is actually only half true, because his trauma is "my mother died, and I can't hear the sound of my own piano". His trauma is paired with "seeing his dead mother. As a prelude to his deafness, Kosei sees his deceased mother's image in his line of sight. The disappearance of his trauma also meant saying goodbye to his mother, and he had to say "goodbye" after successfully completing his performance.

Those words are uttered in the final episode, this time to another person. However, the reason why there is no sense of sadness in the farewell is probably because they can always meet each other through the piano. The alternating images of Kimio playing the piano and her talking to him emphasize the connection between the two. How does she listen to Kosei's piano playing, which has improved in technique with each separation and even been described as "sexier"?


Maria of the Pure Innocence

As Maria's line, "We all create this world together," suggests, "Mary of the Innocents" is a work that focuses on "everyone. In the final episode, when she confronts the Archangel Michael, Bib and Edwina, who were not present in the original story, as well as other witches who played minor roles, appear and join Maria. It is funny that even the demons that have been summoned up to this point gather together. Even all the people who have been involved with Maria appear and share their feelings about her. The voices of these ordinary people move Michael, who is an absolute being. It is very touching that ordinary people without special powers are portrayed as living human beings, rather than as weak and inarticulate. The trailer is also impressive, with the number of characters increasing with each film.

Cute Transformers: The Mystery of the Returning Convoy

A series of short animated films based on the game "Transformers: The Mystery of Convoy," which drove children across Japan to the brink of despair with its unreasonably high difficulty level. It is exhilarating to watch the Choro-Q-sized Transformers beat down the legendary impossible game, and it even makes you feel tenderly that you were not wrong when you were crying and slamming down cartridges. The first half of the show is full of meta-sentences, but the real fun comes in the ad-lib comedy corner, where the cast members talk freely. From the very first episode, the topic "Beast Wars is not cute," and other such nonsensical topics were flying around, giving us a sense of the breadth of Takara Tomy's pocketbook. Yoshimasa Hosoya, who plays Optimus Prime, takes on the challenge of making a one-shot commercial, and he plays a major role beyond the main story. His outburst in changing the title of the show in the final episode is also not to be missed.

For a list of winter 2015 anime, click here.


(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)