Anime Column] Midterm Review of Spring 2015 Anime by Anime Writers

Spring is the season when the largest number of animations start, not only one-cour animations, but also those that run for six months or a year. In this issue, we take a mid-term review of the new TV anime for spring 2015!

The new TV anime "Hibike", a coming-of-age story set in a brass band, and "Euphonium", an anime by Kodansha Ltd! Euphonium," an adolescent story set in a brass band, "Knights of Sidonia: Battle for the Ninth Planet," the second anime season of a science fiction comic that won the Kodansha Manga Award, "Jewelpet: Magical Change," now in its seventh year, "Gintama," which has been revived as most expected, and "Funafunafuna Funafuna Days" featuring a popular yuru character. and "Funafuna Funafuna Days of Funassyi," featuring popular characters. Let's take a look back at the hit and popular works and look forward to what the future holds.

Hibiki Kake!Euphonium

Euphonium" is a brass band animation produced by Kyoto Animation, which has produced many popular works including " The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya " and " Tamako Market. K-ON! ", which also has music as its theme. which is also based on the theme of music, this work delves into the difficult relationships that are unique to club activities. The subtleties of the heart can be felt in the way the girls gulp when trying to talk to someone they are uncomfortable with, or put their hands over their mouths to catch their breath after a conversation is over.

This detailed description is probably not unrelated to the fact that the euphonium is an instrument that is breathed into. How Kyoto Animation portrays the complicated situation in which club members leave the club due to differences in direction, or juniors who are better than their seniors join the club, is also a point not to be missed.

Knights of Sidonia: The Battle of the Ninth Planet

While the worldview of this work is a hard-hitting robot science fiction, it is also a harem anime in which the main character, Tanikaze Nagamichi, is popular with all kinds of creatures. There is a wide variety of heroines, including the legitimate heroine Hoshihaku Kankan, Izana Ketose, who is neither a man nor a woman, the aggressive Midorikawa Ketsu, who is a sister character, the 11 cloned Imoto sisters, Captain Kobayashi, who shows his true face only to me, and Hiyama Lala, a wild-looking bear matron. In the second season, the tentacle heroine Tsumugi Shirohane even appeared, wrapping Chodo's body with countless tentacles. She is completely different from the ordinary heroes who are only attracted to pretty girls at best.

For teenagers who are about to make their debut at university or in the workforce, but for otaku whose only remaining memorial is the 60th birthday celebration, watching harem anime is a painful act that forces them to face their own reality. But the reason we still enjoy watching "Knights of Sidonia" is because of its high aspirations to be loved and to be loved by all things.

Jewelpet Magical Change

The "Jewelpet" series has entered its seventh year. The series has shifted from the seriousness of its predecessor to a more conventional comedy. A shocking setting was revealed from the first episode, such as the fact that the main character, Ruby, has been missing for seven years. In the sixth episode, Hello Kitty and My Melody (stuffed animals) became gigantic, and a dream battle broke out. In addition, Ruby calls Kitty, who is a senior member of Sanrio, a monster. This comical scene shows the depth of Sanrio's nostalgia.

A new feature in this film is a gimmick in which Jewelpet transforms into a magical girl. But so far, the transformation time is negligible. The time spent unsuccessfully transforming into an Obachan or a plate is much longer. The cute touch of the C-part "TADAIMA Escape" is also impressive, and we can't wait to see what they will do with this setting over the course of a year.

Gintama

Following the tradition since "Space Battleship Yamato," the anime "Gintama" is back after a two-year absence. The extreme parody is still going strong, with characters from "Dragon Ball" appearing at the end of the first episode. Even the cut and split of the animation resembles that of the original.

Gintama" has often used "Dragon Ball" as a source of material, and it has appeared several times so far this season. It is as if it is sympathetic as an anime that is not allowed to end. It is also suggestive that the first episode to be animated was the episode about the 3,000 World Clock, which stops the flow of time. We look forward to following the anime based on JUMP along with "Dragon Ball Super," which will start this summer.

■「 ふなっしーのふなふなふな日和 」
The popular yuru-chara character appears in an animated TV series. A heartwarming story unfolds in which Funassyi, a pear fairy who landed in the human world, struggles to bring smiles to everyone's faces. From helping a neighbor's child to raising an abandoned cat, Fluffy in this animation is very lovable and healthy.

In previous guest appearances in other animations, he has shown his chaos without regret, emitting a pear beam, being hit with an SM whip, moving at 24 frames per second, being pulled out by a pore-refreshing pack, and even eating his own brother in a commercial, making one wonder if it is the same Fluffy! The more one wonders if it's the same Fluffy. Although it is sad to see the "Tondemo" character disappear from the series, the cute character design makes this a work that parents and children can enjoy together with peace of mind. 「ふなっしーのふなふなふな日和」は毎週月曜～金曜日に放送されているが、水曜日によく出てくるオリジナルのライバルキャラ・ぐれっしーにも要注目だ。


For a list of spring 2015 anime, click here.

(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)