Anime Column] Midterm Review of Winter 2018 Anime by Anime Writers

Interim review of winter 2018 anime! We have picked up five works: "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san," based on a popular comic that has also been made into a live-action film; "Pochitto Invention Picachin Kit," based on a Bandai plastic model; "Yuru Can△," serialized in "Manga Time Kirara Forward"; "Slow Start," featuring a high school girl with a secret; and Kyoto Animation's " Violet Evergarden" by Kyoto Animation.

Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san

This is an authentic gourmet anime about a mysterious high school girl, Koizumi-san, who visits delicious ramen restaurants. Numerous popular ramen stores are credited for the coverage, and most of the model stores appear with their real names. Not only the ramen itself, but also the bowls of rice, ticket vending machines, store decorations, and even the signatures of celebrities were faithfully reproduced. By eliminating the anime's promise of rearranging the names of the stores, the viewer feels as if he or she has actually visited the store.
In such a restaurant, Koizumi-san does not get along with his classmates and just continues to eat his ramen in silence. His attitude of risking his life for a bowl of ramen, which is by no means a healthy food, as his staple food, will resonate with those of us who continue to watch anime, which is not a healthy hobby. The playful details, such as the techno-style background music that plays when the German-style ramen is eaten, also make this a fun piece.

Pochitto Invention Pikachin Kit

This is a gag work in which Eiji Tohmatsu, who has obtained the mysterious catalog "Pikachin Encyclopedia," orders a plastic model "Pikachin Kit" that grants various wishes, and plays with it as he pleases. The story is a classic story about a mysterious item, but the plastic models are sent from Amazon, which is a very funny setting. Amazon's cardboard boxes appear in the film. The cut to open the box is so realistic that you can feel the sensation of the box being opened. The credit "Cooperation from Amazon.co.jp" is no joke. His partner, Pochiro, a dog-shaped robot, is also made of cardboard. The fact that he is thrown away as recyclable waste as early as the second episode brings tears to the eyes of the viewers.
Pikachin kits are surprisingly folksy, including "Cheat Lass," which allows the user to look sideways while looking forward, and "Furikake Maker," which allows the user to make original furikake (sprinkles). The supporting plastic model "Pikachin Robot" is also sent, but it is full of troublemakers. In the end, the usual pattern is for them to cause a big commotion and leave, saying, "It's just a plastic model, so I'm going back to Shizuoka.

YuruCan △

An outdoor anime in which Shima Rin, a high school girl who likes to travel alone, meets Nadeshiko Kakamigahara, who has just moved to Yamanashi, and interacts with her through camping. Basically, friendship is considered to be the most precious thing in anime, but in this work, the good aspects of being alone are also depicted. They do not stick close to their friends, but send pictures of camping alone on SNS, sometimes spend the night in the same tent, and have a comfortable, relaxed relationship.
The authentic depiction of the outdoors is also a highlight of the film. The book is filled with knowledge unknown to us indoor people, such as the use of pine cones to build a fire. The camp meals all look delicious. One is tempted to actually cook the menu items that color the work, such as the dandan gyoza nabe, which is made by cutting leeks with scissors and simmering them in a pot.

Slow Start

Based on a four-frame manga serialized in "Manga Time Kirara. Although it is an everyday anime set in an all-girls high school, the main character, Hanana Ichinose, is a junior high school ronin. Although she successfully made her high school debut a year late and made new friends, she feels guilty about hiding the fact that she was a ronin. While such a slightly hard side of her is hidden, she does her best to enjoy the cheerful comedy.
The first episode includes an original twist in which everyone takes a side trip after the opening ceremony to see the cherry blossoms, creating a sunny start to high school life. The animation of the characters is also stunning. In particular, Hanana's cousin Kyotsuka Shion's breasts move around to a violent degree. In the original work, her breasts were so big that they were placed on the frame lines of the panels, but the impact of the animation is even greater than that.

Violet Evergarden

An anime adaptation of the fantasy novel that won the first grand prize at the "Kyoto Animation Awards. The story follows Violet, a girl with no feelings, who takes a job as an "automatic handwriting doll" that writes letters on her behalf, and sets out on a new path. She has known nothing but fighting, but as she encounters more and more people through her work, she becomes more human, and her expressions naturally become richer. The character's clothing and background art are also elaborately depicted, and the history of the continent of Tersis, where the story takes place, and the story of how the work of automatic-letter-writing dolls came to be popularized are also well-designed.
In episode 5, Violet is working on an open love letter for a princess who is marrying into a neighboring country. The episode is a masterpiece, touching on Violet's successful career development, the romantic correspondence between the prince and princess, and the act of writing letters on behalf of the princess.

(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)

(C) Narumi Naru, Takeshobo / "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san" Production Committee
(c) 2017 PIKACHINKIT
(c) Afuro, Houbunsha/Outdoor Activities Circle
(c) Atsumi Tadako, Houbunsha/Slow Start Production Committee
(c) Kana Akemi, Kyoto Animation/Violet Evergarden Production Committee