Anime Column] 100 Anime to Watch by Keyword! 100 Anime to Watch Vol. 3 "Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju" etc.

Drinking parties among anime fans tend to be a game of association. Whenever someone says, "XXX has XXX scene," someone else replies, "Speaking of XXX scene, don't forget XXX. Anime and animation are connected by invisible threads like this. Let's follow the "anime to watch" using keywords as clues.

One of the most talked-about new programs of January 2016 is " Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju. This is an anime adaptation of Haruko Unda's manga of the same name. In addition to an adaptation that captures the charm of the highly acclaimed original work, the cast's superb rakugo and the skillful direction of the visuals make this a work that should not be missed, as it has a lot of extra features unique to anime.

The story begins with a man who has just been released from prison and comes to the door of Yurakutei Yakumo, a great master of the Showa era. The man who worships him becomes Yakumo's live-in apprentice and is given the name Yotaro. As Yotaro gains training, he learns that there are parts of Yakumo's past that he is not allowed to touch. Then, one night, Yakumo begins to tell Yotaro and his friends about the fate of Sukeroku, a man who was a member of the same troupe with him but is no longer with them.

The fourth episode was interesting in focusing on the positive aspects of the story. This episode depicts Yakumo (then Kikuhiko) and Sukeroku, who have just finally become second in line after the war is over.

Kikuhiko and Hatsutaro have left their master's house and started living together. However, they were still just starting out. In order to make ends meet, Kikuhiko works part-time as a waiter at a café, keeping secret the fact that he is the second apprentice.

Then Sukeroku appears. Sukeroku, who has absolutely no ability to earn a living, drinks whenever he gets money and depends on Kikuhiko for his living. He asks for money for a drink before going to the theater with Kikuhiko. After Kikuhiko's work is finished, the two walk to the theater.

This is where the anime's unique highlights begin.

First, the roadside trees depicted in the street are willows, so we can assume that the café where Kikuhiko works is in the Ginza area. Then, through the willow-planted Ginza Street, the two emerge onto Nihonbashi. A close-up of the famous kylin statue is shown. Since the Metropolitan Expressway does not run over the head of the kylin as it does today, the viewer gets the feeling that the scenery was created not long after the end of World War II.

Thus, the key word in this issue is "Nihonbashi. I searched for various anime in which "Nihonbashi" makes an impressive appearance. Incidentally, the two characters in "Rakugo Shinju" were heading for a yose in Ueno, passing through Kanda and Akihabara, when they crossed the Nihonbashi bridge. On the way, the red brick viaduct of the old Bansebashi Station can be seen on the screen. The journey took about an hour for an adult, but it was cold and snowy, so the walk may have been more difficult than expected.

Now, the Nihonbashi bridge. The current Nihonbashi is said to be the 19th bridge, opened in 1911. The kylin statue has feathers like a dorsal fin to symbolize the image of "flying away from Nihonbashi.

This kylin statue was used as an item to protect the Imperial City in Hiroshi Aramata's biographical novel " Tales of the Imperial City. The live-action movie is also well known, but like the movie, there is an OVA (1991) that is an animated version of the first half of the original story.

A mysterious man, Yasunori Kato, plans to destroy the Imperial Capital. He attempts to kidnap a psychic girl, Yukiko Tatsumiya, as a spiritual key to this end. The Tsuchimikado family, an Onmyoji family that opposes Kato, installs a kylin statue in Nihonbashi as a spiritual barrier to stop Kato's invasion of the Imperial Capital.

In the live-action version, the kirin statues are only slightly glowing and are quickly broken through by Kato. In the anime, the lion statues adorning the bridge attack Kato before the kylin. After these two were defeated, the kylin made a full appearance. The Qilin attack Kato with the air of a golden dragon. (Although it is still in the same position as the dog that is used as a mop before the climax of the show (......).

And speaking of Kirin statues that get beaten up, one cannot forget " Mobile Police Patlabor 2 the Movie" (1993), which, as you know, is about a police officer named Reiichiro Kato. As you know, this is the second feature film in the popular series about the activities of the 2nd Platoon of the Metropolitan Police Department's Special Vehicle Division 2, which handles the police patrol vehicle (Patlabor). In this film, a terrorist organization appears, which for some purpose tries to create a state of war in Tokyo. One of the objects destroyed by their helicopters is the Nihonbashi Bridge, where a statue of a kirin (a Japanese dragon) appears.

One of the motifs of this film is "interface = a point of contact for communication," and the bridge was chosen as a physical interface amidst the destruction of communication and broadcasting antennas. Certainly, "a bridge with a statue of a kylin" has a strong presence, so it could be said that it is the best choice for the "bridge-breaking picture.

So far, I immediately thought of an animation in which "Nihonbashi" appears, but I could not come up with one more (I am bound to introduce four in each installment of this series, just in case).

Incidentally, the Nihonbashi bridge was first built in 1603 as a wooden bridge in response to an order issued by Tokugawa Ieyasu to improve the road network. As the starting point of the Five Routes, it is often depicted in Ukiyoe woodblock prints.

And speaking of Ukiyoe, the movie " Hyakkiben:Miss HOKUSAI" (2015) features Katsushika Hokusai's daughter, Oei. This animated adaptation of the original story by Hinoko Sugiura features scenes of Ryogoku Bridge in the first half of the film. Naturally, the staff researched and depicted the Ryogoku Bridge, but there was one thing they could not figure out. One thing they could not figure out was how the bridge was built, where the edge of the bridge meets the road on the land. The animation used a drawing of the Nihonbashi bridge as a reference for that part only. By the way. The Nihonbashi bridge has a masonry structure at the foot of the bridge. Therefore, I would like to conclude the "Nihonbashi" episode by saying that the Ryogoku Bridge in "Hyakkaiben" is a "Nihonbashi" only at the base.

(Text by Ryota Fujitsu)