Anime Column] Anime Writer's Choice: 2016 Winter Anime Summary Review! Five notable works including "Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju" and "Gypsum Boys" are introduced!

Anime writers' comprehensive review of works that reached their finale in March and April 2016, including "Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju," a TV anime adaptation from OAD; "Pandora of the Red Shell," a cyber action film based on Masamune Shirow's original idea; "Grimgaru of Ashes and Fantasy," a more serious other-worldly film; and a more comical other-worldly film, "Bless This Wonderful World! Bless this wonderful world! and "Plaster Boys," a group of four plaster figure idols!

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

This is the hottest work of the winter cool season, in which the splendid voice cast of Akira Ishida, Koichi Yamadera, and Tomokazu Seki take on the challenge of performing authentic rakugo. The cast changed hands to portray a variety of performances, including "Shinigami," "Shibahama," "Yumekin," "Kofuku," and "Dekishin," sometimes depicting only the performers themselves, and sometimes using imagery.

In episode 11, Kikuhiko performed "Nozarashi," in which Sukeroku, who had supposedly quit rakugo, intervened and the two performed an impromptu couple's rakugo. The two performed an impromptu couple's rakugo together, showing a light-hearted dialogue that showed no sign of blanks. In Sukeroku's hand was the fan he had taken from Kikuhiko, but had he given it to Kikuhiko in the past? The production of the second season "Sukeroku again" has already been decided. We await further news on when it will go on the air.

Pandora in the Red Shell

An anime adaptation of the popular comic by Shirow Masamune (original story) and Rikudou Shinji (manga). It is a science fiction action story in which a girl with a prosthetic body, Nanaten Gakuin, meets a cat-eared beautiful girl battle android, Clarion, and fights to protect the peace of a man-made resort island. The stylish depiction of Shirow's works, such as the "Ghost in the Shell" series and "Black Magic M-66," is the main attraction of this anime, but the female characters in this work are more cute and appealing. In the scenes where the female characters use their various skills with the "Pandora Device," even their outfits change, giving the film a magical-girl feel. The worldview is based on Clarke's Third Law, which states that "highly developed science and technology are indistinguishable from magic.

The chaos, in which characters are suddenly deformed and handwritten characters are used frequently, is amusing and makes one wonder whether it is a cyberpunk expression or an anime promise, and makes one think that cyberpunk would be better suited to a comedic touch. The lively performances by the cast, including Atsuko Tanaka of "Ghost in the Shell" fame and actor Junpei Morita, are also a highlight.

Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion

Anime about reincarnation into another world can be divided into two types: those that have no regrets about the real world and those that do. Although the main characters do not even have memories, their body language is naturally oriented toward the real world. The scene in which Mogzo unintentionally creates a sculpture of an airplane that does not exist in the other world is a prime example. The fact that in Grimgal only pigeons, sparrows, crows, and other birds have the same appearance as in reality is probably one of the reasons he carved the airplane.

Hence, his days in Grimgal turn into a journey to recover what he has lost and to accomplish what he has left undone. Haruhiro tries to get back the knife that was stolen by goblins, and Merii tries to break the curse of her lost friends. The monologue in the final episode, in which the characters gradually become accustomed to life in another world but resolve not to forget, leaves a refreshing aftertaste.

Bless this wonderful world!

This one is the exact opposite of "Grimgal of Ashes and Illusions," in that it is graceful in that it is not at all unmoved by the real world. Although she retains the memories of this world, she does not look back on the past, and she does her best to survive in the other world. In episode 9, "Bless This Wonderful Store! in which he asks a succubus to show him a lewd dream, he surprises us with his aggressive attitude in pursuit of the ideal of dreams, even in a different world.

In contrast to "Grim Gum," which focused on depicting the lower half of the body, this episode emphasizes the upper half (the female character wears no bra!). ). ) And since fresh crab is all-you-can-eat, it is hard to understand the point of returning to reality. I hope they keep up the momentum and push forward with the second season.

Plaster Boys

This is a Cinderella story in which the plaster statues of St. Giorgio, Medici, Hermes, and Mars aim to become idols who can sing and dance. While "Osomatsu-san" featured six similar but easily distinguishable children, "Ishibo" features a quartet of saints, nobles, and gods who are even of different species, but for some reason cannot be distinguished from each other. At first, the story appears to be nothing more than an art drawing assignment, but as each episode progresses, each individual's personality comes to the fore.

Giorgio always has a wrinkle between his eyebrows, Medici wears a car seat when he drives (because he is the youngest?), Dionysus wears a car seat on his left shoulder, and Dionysus wears a car seat on his right shoulder. Hermes, who has a Dionysus on his left shoulder, and Mars, who wears a nude helmet. When you are able to identify them at a glance, you will have already become a captive of the Plaster Boys.

（Text by Katsunori Takahashi)