Recommended Works to Enjoy the Season No. 10] Eight heartwarming gems to warm your heart in the cold winter. Eight heartwarming gems

Each season has its own anime that can be enjoyed only at this time of year!　Our anime writers will introduce you to good new and old works on seasonal topics.

The warm winter has gone, the plum blossoms are blooming, and the cold weather is getting colder. It's as cold as the middle of winter," of course it is, because it is the middle of winter!　In such a season, why don't you warm up your heart with some warm and fuzzy anime?

Well, what kind of anime do you think is "heart-warming anime"?　A simple happy ending is not enough.

The thrill and excitement that is usually the criterion for fun is a kind of excitement, so it cannot be called "heartwarming. Love that makes you feel crush is also dangerous, because it is an emotion that is closely related to jealousy and insecurity. Extreme survival or horror stories are out of the question!

When you think about it, "dusty" and "heartwarming" can be defined as a state of mind like a baby being at the breast of its mother, feeling the warmth of others, and feeling at ease and relaxed.

I have collected such peaceful and warm works.

ARIA The ANIMATION" (broadcast in 2005)

The setting is the former Mars "Aqua," which has been terraformed into a water planet. In the tourist city of Neo-Venezia, Akari Mizunashi becomes an apprentice pilot "Undine" who guides tourists by rowing a gondola, and spends her days working under Alicia, who has the best grades in the industry, in order to become a full-fledged Undine.

The original comic, known as a "futuristic healing comic," has been carefully adapted into an anime that has become a popular series. In 2015, "ARIA The AVVENIRE" will be adapted as a TV animation 10th anniversary project. AVVENIRE" was produced as a TV animation 10th anniversary project in 2015.

Set in the beautiful water city of Neo-Venice, the series depicts Tori and her friends Aika and Alice as they face their work with sincerity and serenity amidst the changing seasons. In the long series, Touri is 120% healed, as is President Aria, a blue-eyed, hat-wearing Martian cat! Looking back, one might say that this was the beginning of the "pure, beautiful girls' everyday life" series.

Aikatsu! (broadcast in 2012)

The students at Starlight Academy, an idol training school, are all current idols. Ichigo Hoshimiya, who admires Mizuki Kanzaki, a national idol, is invited by her best friend, Aoi Kiriya, to join the middle school of Starlight Academy. Ichigo, together with her schoolmates including Ran Shibuki, strives for idol activities (i.e., "aikatsu") and grows day by day.

This is also a work anime in which pure girls earnestly tackle their work. What is necessary for success as an idol is to tirelessly polish and develop one's charm. Ichigo and her friends may face difficulties and doubts, but they will continue to play "aikatsu" cheerfully and single-mindedly.

One of the themes is "the baton and feelings passed down from one idol to another. The scenes in which the senior idols tell the junior idols how to overcome trials, how to be prepared, and how to keep their spirits up when they are down are full of famous scenes. They say such good things that if you watch them when you are inadvertently struggling with job hunting season or work, you will almost cry.

This is a work that will make you smile at the cute girls and encourage you to do your best from tomorrow. Currently, the 4th season featuring Akari Ozora, Ichigo Hoshimiya's junior, is airing.

Heidi, Girl of the Alps" (broadcast in 1974)

Heidi, a young girl who has lost her parents, is left in the care of her difficult grandfather, who lives in a mountain lodge in the Alps. While living with the innocent Heidi, Onji's heart softens, and Heidi learns many things in the great outdoors. One day, however, Heidi's Aunt Dathe, who brought Heidi to Onji, takes Heidi away to Frankfurt. Heidi becomes the playmate of Clara, the daughter of a businessman, who misses the mountains and becomes ill.

It is a classic animation that no one knows, but many people nowadays have not seen the whole story. The depiction of "everyday life" in the mountains of Arum, such as bread with cheese on it and a bed of hay, is wonderful and appeals to all the senses. In programs dealing with nostalgic cartoons, only the "Clara stood up" scene is played over and over again in a moving way, but there are also many highlights in the rich time spent with nature and animals.

Famous for the involvement of such renowned animators as Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki, and Yoichi Odabe, throughout the film, the adults in the characters are also well fleshed out and have a strong presence. There are wise and understanding adults who watch over the children. The composition of children flapping their wings under the watchful eyes of these adults gives a warm sense of security to any work of art.

Natsume's Book of Friends" (2008)

Takashi Natsume, a high school student with the ability to see "demons" that ordinary people cannot, has had a hard time fitting in with others since he was a child. Natsume inherits the "Book of Friends" left behind by his grandmother, Reiko Natsume, and while being protected by Nyanko-sensei, a self-proclaimed bouncer, from the demons who are after the "Book of Friends," he gradually returns the names of the demons whose names are bound and used by the people and sets them free.

There are many stories of adventures and battles to gather power, but it may be rare to find a story about "returning and reducing little by little" the great power one already possesses. The story is not sweet, however, and the heartlessness of the passing time and the sadness of the love between human and demon also bring with it a sad and unfulfilled feeling. But that is precisely why the small acts of kindness and warmth are so heartwarming and shining through.

The unique, gentle and sad atmosphere of the series has made it so popular that "Sequel to Natsume's Book of Friends" (broadcast in 2009), "Natsume's Book of Friends San" (broadcast in 2011), and "Natsume's Book of Friends 4" (broadcast in 2012) were produced as part four of the series.

Hanamaru Kindergarten" (broadcast in 2010)

Anzu, a small but lovesable girl who attends Hanamaru Kindergarten, loves her homeroom teacher Tsuchida a.k.a. "Tsuchie. Her friends Hiiragi, who is cool and knowledgeable, and Koume, who is pure and lovely, support Anne's love.

This is a comedy about daily life in a kindergarten, where the children who move around so much are too cute. The girls are serious and playful, and the boys are silly and mischievous. The daily lives of these busy kindergarteners, who are busy working hard at love, play, and napping, are depicted in a very cute way that is sure to make you feel relaxed!

The ending theme song sung by the characters is different for each of the 12 episodes.

When it comes to being warmed by the pure and single-minded existence of children, small children are probably the strongest, along with animals.

Bubu Cha Cha" (broadcast in 1999)

There are many stories featuring toddlers, but it is rare to find a story with a three-year-old as the main character. Bubu Cha Cha" is a story about the main character "Boku" and a dog that becomes a car. Boku's best friend, Cha Cha, was killed in a car accident, but came back as a toy car. Bubu-Chacha" and "Boku", a mysterious car that moves around with the gestures of a dog, go on various small and amazing adventures every day in a world that adults have never seen.

What do these little children, who are just beginning to remember things, see with their clear and sparkling eyes every day?　What does a growing child marvel at, fear, and delight in?　The world of young children, where experiences are accumulated one by one toward the future, is carefully and enjoyably depicted. The strange movements are very cute!　This is a world that could only be depicted in animation.

A sequel, "Daisuki: Bubu Chacha" (2001), is also in the works! Bubu Cha Cha" (broadcast in 2001) was produced as a sequel.

Toy Story" (released in Japan in 1996)

Woody, a cowboy doll, is Andy's favorite. However, when he receives a new toy for his birthday, the space hero Buzz Lightyear, he becomes obsessed. Woody is not amused and gets into a fight with Buzz. Will the two be able to get back together before Andy has to leave home for a new place?

Speaking of heartwarming stories about children and toys, this one is not to be missed. The setting, where toys move around without telling humans, is straight out of a child's imagination. And while the story may appear to be about toys, it is in fact a microcosm of human society, with toys' popularity fluctuating according to the whims of their owners, being popular and then discarded when they get tired of them, and becoming arrogant or depressed depending on the situation. ......

From the very beginning, if you are an adult, you know that "children grow up" and "toys have to be thrown away someday," which already makes you feel sad. There is no such thing as happiness that lasts forever. Wow, that's deep. But that is why the happy ending, which is reached after overcoming a rough patch, makes your heart warm and tender.

Toy Story 2" (released in Japan in 2000) and "Toy Story 3" (released in 2010) are also in production as sequels.

Wallace and Gromit in Crisis! (released in 1995)

Wallace, a dim-witted inventor, and his faithful dog, Gromit, are good friends. Wallace, who has started a window-washing service, falls in love with Wendlen, a beautiful clerk at a yarn store who owns a dog named Preston, and approaches her enthusiastically. Meanwhile, a small sheep wanders into Wallace and Gromit's house, a sign of trouble.

Last but not least is Shaun the Sheep's debut film, which led to the creation of "Shaun the Sheep. It is a clay animation produced by Aardman Studios.

The characters and story are heartwarming, but the handmade warmth of the clay animation screen and the detailed movements are most heartwarming. There are six films in the "Wallace and Gromit" series, and this is the third. This one can also be enjoyed independently.

You can enjoy the strange inventions made by Wallace and the detailed gimmicks of the machines. If you like "Shaun the Sheep," you may smile at the action scenes of little Shaun and his many sheep friends.

These are eight heartwarming animated films.

I believe that your favorite works are the ones that warm your heart more than anything else, but if you want to try something new, why don't you take a look at these works?

You may be able to warm your heart from within.

(Text by YAMAYU)