Enjoying the Season: New Challenges in the Breezy Early Summer! Dramatic animation in which the wind changes your life

Each season has its own anime that can be enjoyed only at this time of year!　Here are some good new and old works related to seasonal topics by anime writers.

May is the most energetic month of the year, with its dazzling fresh greenery and refreshing breezes. We have gathered together some refreshing and energetic anime works that evoke the winds of May.

Let's start with works in which wind is an important motif.

Legends: The Legend of the Dragon King Reborn" (broadcast 2004)

Shu, an 11-year-old boy living in New York, revives Shiron the Wind Dragon, one of the legendary "Legends" monsters that once existed on earth, and gets involved in various disturbances surrounding him.

In this "monster story" in which a child and a monster team up to fight, Shiron is a Windragon with the wind attribute. Perhaps because of this, wind is a symbolic element in the work.

The main character, Shu, is a free-spirited carefree person who likes to say, "I leave everything in the world to the wind. When he worries, the wind stops, the air becomes stagnant, and things become difficult. If he and Shiron fly in the sky as one, feeling the wind, the next path will open up for now. This exhilarating feeling is one of the main features of the work.

Director Akitaro Daichi's slapstick comedy anime incorporates his signature gags in a fast-paced manner. The character designs are for children, but don't be fooled. The background music of light and authentic jazz enlivens the work, and the more you watch it, the more addictive it becomes.

Gale! Iron Leaguer" (broadcast in 1994)

A unique and passionate sports anime featuring three-headed robots. It takes place in a future where the "Iron League," where robots play various sports, is gaining popularity. The story depicts the battles of Silver Castle, a weak team that pursues the fun of fair and square sports in the Iron League, where rough play is rampant.

The title of the film is "Gale," and the name of the star player who appears as the main character is "Mach Windy. As the name suggests, he is a flamboyant and popular player who runs on the field like the wind and has a cool and brave appearance, and his character is also lighthearted. When he has an idea, he immediately leaves the top-ranked and popular team he was born and raised on, which can be described as light footwork at best, and at worst, a side of him that is unthinking, acting on the spur of the moment.

This work, too, may appear to be for children when looking at the character designs, but the story of passionate spirit and play that transforms those around him has the flavor of a legitimate sports story. There are various issues involved, such as the human rights issue of robots and the tragedy of unwanted military use. The unique characters and fascinating rivals make it hard to stop watching once you get started.

The popularity of the TV series led to the sequel OVA "Shippu! Iron Leaguer: Under the Silver Flag" (5 episodes) was produced due to the popularity of the TV series.

Fang" (broadcast in 2006)

Zedd, a young boy living in "Calm," a city with an advanced mechanical civilization, feels suffocated by the closed world. One day, being chased by the police, Zedd jumps into a vortex of light and arrives in an alternate world where warfare continues, and he throws himself into battle as a "shardcaster" who uses the power of "shards". Eventually, he is reunited in another world with Noah, who was his best friend in Calm, but the two, who belong to different camps, find themselves at the mercy of fate.

This is an adventure in another world that started as an anime tie-in with a trading card game. It emphasizes human drama and stories, and is a dark fantasy with some heavy development such as human deaths.

When Zedd is troubled and lost, the wind blows to guide him. When he acts on that wind, things move and his surroundings change. Zedd's way of life, in which he does not stand still and pushes through, is exhilarating, as hard as the situation is. The story is of course a battle of different abilities, but it also has a flavor similar to historical fantasy and war stories, with several countries and forces moving in their own ways. It is a story that will slowly get you hooked.

Gurren Lagann" (broadcast in 2007)

The story takes place in the far future, in a world where humans have been living by digging holes in the ground for hundreds of years. The main character is Simon, a boy who is good at digging holes. After meeting the giant robot Gunmen and breaking through the ground, he discovers the world above ground for the first time and sets out on a journey with his friends. He sets out on a journey with his friends, and while experiencing setbacks from time to time, he manages to survive and shape his destiny.

At the beginning of the film, you can feel the suffocation of the underground world, but when you emerge from the underground to the ground, you will feel a great sense of exhilaration and be reminded of how wonderful the world is where the wind blows and the sky is blue. It is a wonderful world where the wind blows and the sky is blue. The story and the powerful mecha battles unfold with great energy. The memorable dialogue is also exquisite.

The two films that were later reworked and produced, " GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE: Beniren Arc " (released in 2008) and " GURREN LAGANN THE MOVIE: Ligand Arc" (released in 2009), are recommended for watching all together. The entire movie is 4 hours long, and after you finish watching it, you will be swept away by the hot dialogue and powerful mecha action, and your head will be spinning with excitement!

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (released in 1984)

This is a Studio Ghibli classic, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and is so well-known that it would be churlish to mention it again.

The Valley of the Wind" is the name of the small, remote country where the main character Nausicaa was born and raised. There are many windmills in the country, powered by the wind blowing from the sea. The means of transportation to nearby places is Maeve, a small, single-seat, lightweight airplane that rides the wind. The strong winds also serve to keep out spores and protect the country from the erosion of the humus sea.

This is an authentic fantasy with a solid worldview, where the unique climate has created industries and customs. Once again, I feel it is an excellent setting.

Personally, I would like to see the original comic, which was completed in 1994, animated to the end. It is only now, as the anime adaptations of the classics of yesteryear continue to be made, that I have high hopes!

And wind is often a symbol of racers competing for the fastest. Let us introduce you to two works depicting machine racing.

Neon Genesis GPX (Future Grand Prix) Cyber Formula" (broadcast in 1991)

A racing animation depicting a fictional motor sport "Cyber Formula" in the near future. It was created as a full-scale racing anime in response to the F1 boom at the time.

Ten races were depicted in the 37 episodes, and the heat of the final race in Japan in the last two episodes became the talk of the town, triggering the subsequent boom. Thereafter, "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula 11 (Double One)" (6 episodes), "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula ZERO" (8 episodes), "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula SAGA" (8 episodes), "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula SIN" (5 episodes), and so on in OVA form from 1992 It became a long-running popular series that continued to be produced from 1992 to 2000.

The popularity of characters such as Breed Kaga triggered the boom, and although the popularity of the series was mainly among female viewers, the passionate depiction of racing drivers and mechanics was also very popular among male viewers.

Bakkosan Brothers Let's Go! (broadcast in 1996)

(1996) is a mini 4WD racing animation in which two brothers, Seiba Seibasen and Seiba Gou, who enjoy mini 4WD racing, compete against various mini 4WD racers. The opening theme song of the first season, commonly called "Mujirushi," is "Winning Run! -I want to be the wind.

Mini 4WD" is a four-wheel drive plastic model car with a small motor sold by Tamiya. With a little bit of customization, you can make your machine run surprisingly fast, and the more you put your hands on it, the more you will feel deeply attached to your machine.

Although the running machine is a palm-sized plastic model, children watching the anime enjoyed the feeling of racing "even one tenth of a second, even one millimeter faster" by getting into the machine themselves, along with Retsu and Go.

The " Bakudan Brothers Let's & Go! WGP Arc " (broadcast in 1997), featuring unique rivals from around the world, was popular with fans at the time (especially big girls!). It was very popular among fans at the time, especially among older women. If you are watching the movie for the first time, you should first watch "Bakushan Brothers Let's Go! WGP: In Pursuit of the Runaway Mini 4WD! (released in 1997).

These are the seven films that will make you feel the fresh and sometimes hot wind.

Is the wind blowing in your life? If you feel like your life is stagnant, it might be a good idea to try watching an anime like this one.

(Text by YAMAYU)