Now on view! To enjoy "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness: The Complete Version" even more! An anime review that follows in the footsteps of director Tsutomu Mizushima!

Director Tsutomu Mizushima is one of the closest animation directors to a "hit" today. His "Crayon Shin-chan" movie version, "Invasion! Ika Musume," and "Girls und Panzer" and "Shirobako" both became hits up to the movie version.
And now, the movie "The Wilderness Kotobuki Flying Squadron: The Complete Version" is in theaters, which means that following "SHIROBAKO," two more animated feature films will hit the screen in the same year.
Both films are completely original, and if you look for similarities between the two, you will find the name "Tsutomu Mizushima. With the nationwide theatrical release of "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness: The Complete Version," we would like to take a quick look back at the footsteps of director Tsutomu Mizushima.

Director Tsutomu Mizushima made his directorial debut in 1991 during his time at Shin-Ei Animation with the 120th episode "Jumbo Chawan-Mushi" of "Mimi Shinbo. In this episode, the self-centered modern woman, Teruko Niki, made her first appearance, and the scene in which she appears was cleverly altered from the original story. Later, he directed episodes related to love, such as episode 127, "Two Bride Candidates," the first appearance of Nakagawa Chiyo, who is like a nanny to Yamaoka Shiro.

After working as an assistant director on the TV special "Meshinbo: The Japan-U.S. Rice War," he joined the "Crayon Shin-chan" film series and TV series in 1994, where he not only directed but also storyboarded and wrote the scripts. Crayon Paradise! Maid in Saitama" is one of the best works to be seen during this period.

Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Explosion! Onsen Wakuwaku Dai Kessen" (1999), a small film of six short stories woven into a mere 12 minutes, all of which are excellent. One of them, "My Little Joy -A motion for a long time." is a musical, in which Misae Nohara, who has been relieved of her constipation, sings and dances to express her joy. long time.-" The lyrics and music were written by director Tsutomu Mizushima. As one might imagine, the song is cloaked in surrealistic detail, and is a gem in the manner of director Tsutomu Mizushima, who would later become famous for his songs in films. In addition to this work, "Crayon Shin-chan" was also directed by Mitsuru Hongo and Keiichi Hara, and later by "Daphne of Light and Water," "Genshiken," "Kujibiki Unbalance," "Jungle is Always Harechi Gu," "Invasion! Ika Musume," and "Jyoshiraku," and is an indispensable work when talking about director Tsutomu Mizushima.

However, it was not until the 2000s that director Tsutomu Mizushima's sense of style, which had remained dormant until "Crayon Shin-chan," really began to overflow in earnest. First, in "Jungle wa Hare ni Chi-Goo" (2001), his directorial debut as a TV series director, Tsutomu Mizushima's attention to "sound" and "pauses," which are the hallmarks of his work, was already strongly evident. Not only the gag scenes in the film, but also the music played in the OP and ED scenes, and the character actions that accompany the music, all leave a strong impression on the viewer, and all of them share the same "sense of rhythm". The common denominator is a sense of rhythm. Whether it is in the gag scenes or the characters dancing to the music, the excellent and skillful rhythm is well-developed and even comfortable. Those who were captivated by "Jungle hare nochi guu" and later "Yonde desu, Azazel-san. would have an image of "director Tsutomu Mizushima = gag.

However, director Tsutomu Mizushima, who left Shin-Ei Animation in 2004, directed "xxxHOLiC" (2006), based on CLAMP's original story, and "Okiku Furikabutte" (2007), a high school baseball game. His brilliant anime adaptations of serious story manga, in which conversation is an important part of the story, have earned him the image of "director Tsutomu Mizushima = an orthodox director who attracts women as well. However, in the sense that the dialogue is confined to a limited number of episodes, it can be said that this is a work that demonstrates the true nature of the director's sense of tempo and rhythm.

In "Okiku Furikabutte," the sound effects recorded at a high school baseball club, such as the sound of a metal bat hitting a ball, the sound of a ball hitting a protector, and the sound of a dead ball, add a lot of color to the work. In the case of "xxxHOLiC," in addition to the sound effects in the main story, many of the songs used for the theme song, such as the OP theme by Sugashicao and rapper Seamo, who also performed the OP theme for all the works in the series, give a sense of groove, and the music and images are unison in both the OP and ED. In both OP and ED, the music and images were in unison. In fact, the director Tsutomu Mizushima shows an extraordinary passion for "sound" in his works.

On the other hand, the director found a manga in which he could fully demonstrate his gag and music sense. Kemeko Deluxe! (2008). (2008). The surrealistic style of the manga is one of director Tsutomu Mizushima's specialties, and it is worth mentioning that the director wrote the lyrics for the OP and ED themes.

In particular, the ED theme "Priplin Gymnastics" sung by Chiwa Saito, who plays Kemeko, is bursting with Mizushima Tsutomu's verses. As the director made independent films in high school, the words "City of Sodom" appear, as well as "Pasolini" and "Pierre" for film directors, "Zygmunt" for thinkers, "George" and "Sarkozy" for politicians, The chorus to Kemeko's "psychoanalysis" and "dream judgment" is "Oral Phase! King Oedipus!" and "King Oedipus!

The gag sense incorporated into the music is unmistakable, and can be seen as the ancestor of the "Anko Ondo" from "Girls und Panzer" and the "Angel Gymnastics" from "SHIROBAKO. The unique dances attached to these songs are all the brainchild of director Tsutomu Mizushima, and together with the lyrics, they are the result of his insanity. Due to the director's efforts, the quality and quantity of Tsutomu Mizushima's soundtracks, which included songs and character songs, also became important.

The 2010s was a period of consecutive hits for original anime such as "Girls und Panzer" and "Shirobako," but in between these two series, he worked on "Yonde Desu, Azazel-san" (2011), "BLOOM" (2011), "BLOOM" (2011), and "Another" (2011). (2011), "BLOOD-C" (2011), "Another" (2012), and "Jyoshiraku" (2012), all of which are equally impressive works. Herein lies the greatness of director Tsutomu Mizushima. Yondemo desu, Azazel-san!" is one of his best-known works. is one of his best works, and is "terrible" in the best sense of the word. He has managed to take the most vulgar and vulgar material of the original work and turn it into an anime full of eroticism and scatology without flinching from the high barriers of visual restrictions.

In particular, the demon Sarugatanas (Tomoko Kaneda) wearing a gag ball and her contractor, the weirdo 48 Faces (Shinichiro Miki), who appeared in episode 9 of the second season of "Yondemo Desu, Azazel-san Z," was the ultimate example. Director Tsutomu Mizushima, who was known for his "wasteful use of voice actors," had already done so by having Tomoko Kaneda actually wear a gag ball and perform, and by having Shinichiro Miki sing "Strange Song," a song in the film with the style of the "Manga Nihon Mukashi Banashi" ED theme but with terrible lyrics (the choreography for the 48 Faces of Strange People's dance is also terrible). The lyrics of "Hentai Uta" were written by the same person who wrote the lyrics for "Hentai Uta". The lyrics of "Hentai Uta" were written by director Tsutomu Mizushima himself.

Although the video is inevitably filled with mosaics and sound effects, the DVD/BD actually shows an even worse picture, so please check it out.

As a matter of fact, "Yon nite desu yo, Azazel-san." is also available on the anime DVD that came with the special limited edition box set of the fourth volume of the book, and we would like you to check it out as well.

On the other hand, "BLOOD-C" and "Another" are two works of horror that symbolize the modern era, although they are of different types: the former shows an excessive amount of bloodshed, while the latter gives the viewer an indescribable feeling of being in the presence of a monster. However, the fact that director Tsutomu Mizushima has demonstrated his skill even in this new genre makes us believe that he has no blind spots. In fact, his earlier "Yondemo Desu, Azazel-san! and the erotic and violent masterpiece "Jailhouse Gakuen" (2015), many may have had the image that "director Tsutomu Mizushima = extreme expressions and violence.

However, it should not be forgotten that around the same time he also produced "Joshiraku," an anime about female rakugo (although there are only a few rakugo scenes). The five female rakugo storytellers have a leisurely conversation in their dressing room, but the tempo is fast-paced. . The anime's original B part depicts the five touring Yose and other famous places in Tokyo, and the scenes in which they speak and move in various situations can even be described as cinematic.

Another film that should be seen when discussing director Tsutomu Mizushima is "Invasion! Ika Musume". Although the film is peppered with gags, it is a comedy with a pure storyline and does not sell itself as a surrealistic or extreme work. The fact that it was created as a "fun" and "cute" work certainly enhanced the reputation of the anime version.

The director also wanted to focus on the anime industry genre with "Girls und Panzer," his first completely original anime, and "Shirobako," an anime about the anime industry. Both of these works were original, and both became such hits that they were even made into theatrical versions, and it can be said that director Tsutomu Mizushima's reputation is unshakable.

However, an overblown image of a sure-fire hit is not necessarily a favorable one for a director. Moreover, director Tsutomu Mizushima's history of sublimating his works into a wide variety of genres reinforces the expectation that no matter what genre he is given, he will be able to make it a success. Sales and public acclaim are, of course, necessary, but it must be difficult for creators to be aware of factors outside of their work, which cling to them as if they are shackles.

However, director Tsutomu Mizushima was not to be outdone, and he showed his ego in "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness," a film that started out under 3DCG conditions, in which female pilots are the main characters and reciprocating fighter planes battle in a fictitious world. At first, it seemed like an aerial or fighter version of "Girls und Panzer," but with more emphasis on air combat and a much more cockpit perspective, there are surprisingly few scenes of anguish, relief, or joy among the girls on screen as the main character, Kirie, and other members of Kotobuki's flying squadron go out in their fighter planes.

Furthermore, the guest characters are evenly spotlighted, and the female element is further reduced, giving the anime a hardcore impression despite being a girls' anime. The sense of tempo and rhythm, which I have mentioned many times before, is demonstrated in the dogfights between the fighter planes, which are neither slow nor abrupt, and the animation is slow but fast and dense, which in other words is a shift in characterization.

In other words, if one were to find a common thread among Tsutomu Mizushima's diverse works, one of them would be characterization. The works of director Tsutomu Mizushima have in common a pleasant tempo, a "pause," and deviant expression in order to portray characters in an attractive manner.

In "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness," however, characterization is added to the fighter planes, and the planes are depicted as if they were the characters in the film. The "sound" that resonates from the screen is one such example, and in order to show the individuality of the fighter planes, the film focuses on the sound of the fighters as they launch, as they are hit by bullets, and as their propellers cut through the air, creating a showcase for them. I was able to fully appreciate the appeal of this aspect of the film by actually seeing it in the theater, especially in MX4D seats.

In a sense, for director Tsutomu Mizushima, "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness" is a natural extension of his previous works, but at the same time, it is an innovative and challenging work.

Moreover, it is a visual experience that can become "Wind in the Sky! As mentioned in "Kotobuki Squadron in the Wilderness: The Complete Version," released in theaters on September 11, 2012, an advance MX4D experience and an interview with the programmer! As mentioned in "Interview with the Programmer of "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness: The Complete Version," which will be released on September 11, 2011, you will definitely want to experience this film if you can even feel the MX4D-conscious screen production.

After viewing this film, we hope that you will discuss the director Tsutomu Mizushima, as you feel his presence in the contemporary Japanese animation scene.

(Text by Koji Shimizu)

Film Information
The Complete Version of "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness" (Japanese only)
Release date: September 11, 2020 (Friday)
Distributors: Namco Bandai Arts, Show Gate
Publicity: Klockworx

<Staff>
Director, Sound Director: Tsutomu Mizushima / Series Composition: Michiko Yokote / Screenplay: Michiko Yokote, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Ryo Higaki / Main Character Planning: Left / Character Design: Sho Sugai / Military Supervisor: Shigeyuki Ninomiya / Military Setting: Tetsuya Nakano, Hideyuki Kikuchi, Jiro Tokihama / Setting Support: Harukazu Shirado / 3D Director: Hisashi Egawa / Technical Director: Keita Mizuhashi / Chief Animation Director: Tsunoko Nakamura / Art Director: Kazuo Ogura / Color Design: Aiko Yamagami / Director of Photography: Toru Shinozaki / Editor: Masato Yoshitake / Music: Shiro Hamaguchi / Sound Effects: Yasumasa Koyama / Sound Mixer: Takayuki Yamaguchi / Ending Theme Song: Kotobuki Flying Team "Tsubasa wo Mukotachi" / Production: Digital Frontier / Animation Production: GEMBA / Animation Production: Woworld

<Cast
Kirie：Sayumi Suzushiro
Emma: Yukimura Eri
Kate: Akika Nakatani
Leona: Masami Seto
Zara: Hibiki Yamamura
Chika: Miu Tomita
Madame Rouleau: Akiko Yajima
Saneatsu: Keiji Fujiwara
Anna: Misaki Yoshioka
Maria: Miho Okazaki
Addy: Miyuri Shimabukuro
Betty: Aoi Koga
Cindy: Natsumi Kawaida
Natsuo: Rumi Okubo
Johnny: Yoshi Ueda
Lilico: Nao Higashiyama

＜Introduction
Ijitsu" is a world where wilderness spreads all over the land. One day, there is a "hole" in the sky, and various things fall from it. The "you-hang" had a particularly large impact, and the existence of airplanes, in particular, drastically changed people's lives. Since then, the tide of the world has shifted to the sky. Time passed, and in the sky, merchant ships and their bouncers, roguish air pirates, and various other people were flying around. The "Kotobuki Flying Squadron," the bouncers hired by the Ouni Trading Company, are a group of skilled pilots, all of whom are girls, who love to fly. Together with their favorite plane, the Hayabusa I, the girls face a major battle that will involve the entire Ijitsu community.