Anime Column] Anime Writer's Choice: 2017 Spring Anime Summary Review! Introducing 5 works, including "Correct to the Correct Kad" and "Tsuki ga Kirei"!

We pick up TV anime that reached their final episodes in June and July 2017. Toei Animation's 3DCG anime "Correct to Kill Kado," "Tiger Mask W," which also drew attention for its collaboration with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, "Tsuki ga Kirei," which depicts a realistic love story of junior high school students, "Little Witch Academia," a magical fantasy produced by TRIGGER, and "Love Rice - WE LOVE RICE-", a tie-up with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Correcting the Cadence

This work is based on the theme of the first contact between humankind and the mysterious Yahakyu Zashnina, a mysterious being from another world. The first half of the film depicts the attack and defense by the Japanese government over the suddenly appearing super giant cube, Kado, but the story takes a sharp turn in the second half. Zashnina, who has learned about human culture, was represented as living a life steeped in worldliness.
After revealing her purpose for coming to Earth, Zashnina tells Kojiro Mamichi, the representative negotiator, "Won't you come with me to the other side?" Zashnina asks the representative negotiator, Kojiro Mamichi, "Will you go with me to the other side? However, as soon as she realizes that the other party's response is not satisfactory, she says to herself, "It's still too early. ......" and tries to replace Mamichi with a copy of her and pretend that the confession did not happen. His behavior overlaps with that of an otaku who repeatedly makes a mistake in a gal game and loads the wrong choice. Furthermore, the way he smiles surrounded by a large number of copies of Mamoru is no different from those of us who live in a room covered in goods. Zashnina, who has become an authority figure of otaku, is pushing forward toward a true route named Mamichi, but her ambition is thwarted in an unexpected way. Zashnina's dismay at receiving an unexpected report from Mamichi is not seen without tears.

Tiger Mask W

Toei Animation has adapted the popular pro wrestling manga by Kajiwara Ikki three times. The story of two young wrestlers who become Tiger Masks and take on the evil wrestling organization Tora no Ana is depicted in 38 episodes over three seasons. Many wrestlers based on the first film's enemies, including Red Death Mask, who crushes everything in his grip, make appearances. With the full cooperation of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, real-life wrestlers also appear, including Okada Kazuchika's Rainmaker and Nagata Hiroshi's White-Eyed Arm Lock, which are special moves that have been fully recreated. Nagata was also very active as a comedy relief, struggling to gather wrestlers and getting his crotch kicked by a female promoter.
The final episode, "Masked Tiger Springer," was an extra episode depicting women's professional wrestling, but was bursting with action that rivaled that of the main story. The heroine Haruna Takaoka, who declared that she would expose not her face but her buttocks if she loses, once again rides around the ring as a female tiger. A masterpiece packed with the fun of pro wrestling and anime!

Tsuki ga Kirei (The Moon is Beautiful)

This coming-of-age love story depicts the romance between junior high school students Kotaro Azumi and Akane Mizuno, whose interactions are carefully recreated using the communication application LINE, right down to its distinctive stamp function. While companies and advertisements in anime are often replaced with fictitious ones, "Tsuki ga Kirei" uses the real LINE, making Kotaro and Akane's chat realistic.
In the final episode, it is revealed that the LINE played at the ending of each episode is an exchange between the two in the future. The finale, in which the two go through high school, college, and adulthood, and then get married, is a gripping finale to the pure love story. On the other hand, one wonders if they will still be using LINE 10 years from now. Ten years is far too long for the Internet. Just thinking back on the large number of content services that have been terminated, one's mind is filled with memories of the many content services that have been terminated. It is doubtful that Akiba Research Institute will still be around in 10 years. It may imply that the probability of a junior high school student's first love being fulfilled is so low that he or she will continue to use the same social networking service for 10 years. We can only console ourselves by assuming so.

Little Witch Academia

A popular fantasy TV series released as a participant in the Agency for Cultural Affairs' "Anime Mirai 2013" project for fostering young animators. The story follows Akko, a girl who longs to be in a magic show, enrolls in the Luna Nova School of Magic, and struggles to become a full-fledged witch for six months on-air. The first half of the series mainly consisted of one complete episode, with a series of episodes full of ideas, starting with episode 8, "Sleepy Dream Susie," which depicted the world of dreams. The second half of the story revolved around Shiny Chario, the witch of Akko's dreams, and involved not only the magical world but also society as a whole.
The staff of the film has said that the magic in this work is a microcosm of the animation industry. Therefore, the film depicts a world where magic is on the decline, and the school is actually in debt. However, the final episode, in which everyone pulls together to save the day, seems to embody the very essence of anime production itself. This is a work that depicts the strength of a believing heart.

Love Rice -WE LOVE RICE

An original short animation that personifies rice. It is a school idol comedy in which "Hinohikari" enrolls in Inaho Academy, which is on the verge of being closed, and aims to participate in a live event, Harvest Show, in order to regain the leading role on the dining table from bread. The setting reflects deep insights into rice, such as Sasashiki's frail constitution that makes her vulnerable to cold damage and the fact that "Akita Komachi," an unregistered variety, has no parents.
In the film, lines that originate from rice are scattered throughout the film, such as "omamano-no-kigiri" (eating up rice) and "kokuzushi" (grain crusher), reminding us that Japan as a country has lived together with rice. The theme song is "Romantic Flight" by Yomei Club. The ending of the film is a four-minute rice-filled episode that includes a recipe for rice dishes. Rice is being sold as fan goods on the official website. They are also making ambitious attempts such as holding events in the rice paddies. The second season, which will begin in the fall, should also be watched closely!

(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)

(C) TOEI ANIMATION/KINOSHITA GROUP/TOEI
(C) Kajiwara Ikki, Naoki Tsuji/Kodansha (C) TV ASAHI, TOEI ANIMATION
(C) 2017 "Tsuki ga Kirei" Production Committee
(C) 2017 TRIGGER/Yoh Yoshinari/"Little Witch Academia" Production Committee
(c) "Belly Eighth" Production Committee