Midterm Review of Winter 2021 Anime by Anime Writers [Anime Column].

We pick up notable anime titles starting in the winter of 2021! We will introduce five titles: "Unemployment Reincarnation: Isekai Tensei Monogatari", a pioneer of the "Isekai Tensei" series; "Hataraku Cycle BLACK", a spin-off of the popular series; the media mix project "Gekidoru"; "Buradorabu", Mamoru Oshii's long time return to anime; and the explosively popular stop motion anime "PUI PUI Mol. Car", and the explosive stop-motion animation "PUI PUI Moru Car".

Unemployed Reincarnation ~If I go to another world, I'll get serious!

An otherworldly fantasy in which the unemployed protagonist is reborn as a lowly aristocratic boy named Rudeus and starts his life anew. Characters who are reincarnated into another world usually adjust to their new life rather easily, but the main character in this work has trauma from the past dragging him down. This is symbolized in the monologue, in which Tomokazu Sugita, who played the man in his previous life, also provides the voice of the heart, rather than the earthly voice of Rudeus. The monologue, which even conveys a sense of humility, sounds like a curse from a previous life, drawing the viewer into the world of the work.
The animation carefully depicts the story of the once reclusive man who, thanks to a wizard master, is able to go out into the world over the course of two episodes. The scene of Rudeus storming across the vast meadow he has arrived at and unleashing his magic while soaked all over is a fitting scene to wash away his trauma. Realizing that he has surpassed his master's power and that the day of separation is coming, the voice in his heart that leaks out, "I wish I had told you more things," leaves an unforgettable tone.
This would free him from the memories of his abominable past life, and the monologue would disappear. But then, as soon as he returns home, Tomokazu Sugita's voice resurfaces, and we are astonished. Is the trauma of a man's previous life that deep-rooted? It will be interesting to see if the day will ever come when the voice of the earth matches the voice of the heart.

Hataraku Cell BLACK

An anime adaptation of a spin-off comic from "Hataraku Cell," which anthropomorphizes human cells. The body is modeled after the real world, but what cannot be overlooked is that the liver is represented as a restaurant with entertainment. The liver cells, which break down alcohol and toxins, are represented as beautiful women, providing a moment of comfort to the red blood cells working in the hard field.
However, as the story progresses and the internal environment deteriorates, the hepatocytes become exhausted from hard work, and the entertainment district where the liver is located is transformed into a shuttered street. The desolate scene will overlap with the streets of 2021. The film makes us keenly aware that things that have been discarded as unnecessary and urgent are, in fact, irreplaceable.
Hataraku Cycle BLACK" is a work that pays close attention to such neglected things. The work is also characterized by its focus on middle-aged and elderly characters who rarely have a chance to play an active role in anime, such as the senior red blood cell that has lost its emotion because it has become too accustomed to the harsh environment, the sebaceous gland cell that smiles peacefully before its last task, and the elderly woman in the general cell who watches over the new red blood cell even as she scolds it. The characters who do not have their own names emerge with a strong sense of presence. We would like to see the end of the body in which these characters live.

Gekidollars

In this original title, Seria Morino, a girl fascinated by theater that makes full use of 3D holograms, takes the stage as a member of the Alice in Theatre troupe. Although it seems to be an ordinary idol story, it is filled with an unsettling atmosphere throughout the entire film, including an Ikebukuro whose parts have vanished, a human-like but emotionless Act Doll stage set, a dimly lit server room for generating holograms, a layout reminiscent of a burglar alarm, an OP animation using live-action background photos, and many more. The list goes on and on.
Especially in episode 5, the swashbuckling escalates. The opening shot of the episode, in which Seria names the doll "Alice" and tries to vigorously grasp her hand, causes the outlines to blur, indicating that this episode is a special one. The lip-synchronization in the last scene, in which only the mouth moves oddly, also emphasizes the eeriness of the scene, making it impossible to take one's eyes off the scene. An anime adaptation of this play, "Alice in Deadly School," is also in the works, and we are anxious to see that as well.

Buradorabu

Mamoru Oshii returns to anime series after an absence of several decades. It is a slapstick comedy about a high school girl, Mitsugu Bamba (絆播貢), who is a blood donor fanatic and meets a girl, Mai, who calls herself a vampire and lives under one roof. The charm of the film is its unprecedented development, which seems to be made up as it goes along, and it is free to self-parody the fantastic bombing scene from "Mobile Police Patlabor 2 the Movie," to use a story about a director with whom he once had an interview, or to insert a commentary on strategic bombers for no good reason. The extreme balance of the seven main characters, five of whom are short-cut, is forgivable, and the deformed faces, which look as if they were left over from Mamoru Oshii's storyboard drawings, are also pleasing.
The cast is made up of leading voice actors, led by Ayane Sakura as Mitsugi. The fact that a popular cast member can speak such irrepressible Showa-era gags as "Sou wa ika no kinpakushi" (So is that a squid's gold ring?) is a real thrill. We send our thanks to Ichigo Co. for their investment and look forward to the second half of the show.

PUI PUI MOLCAR

In this stop-motion animation, a guinea pig is transformed into a car and drives around town. The guinea pig is a car, but it has a will of its own. It is adorable that the guinea pig lives true to its own desires, such as when it gets stuck eating vegetables even though it is working, when it poops because it is hungry, and when it cries because it is stuck in a traffic jam. The idea of animals becoming vehicles is reminiscent of the cat bus in "My Neighbor Totoro," but the key point is that the molcar is completely separated from the outside and inside. The people inside the car are filmed in stop-motion, and their awkward movements are hilarious.
While the film is comical, its slightly horrifying depiction of Morker's eyes appearing inside his body when he closes them, allowing viewers to see inside, has led to speculation among fans. Director Asaki Misato also realistically depicted the inside of a wolf in "My Little Goat," a film he directed when he was a student.

(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)

(C) Unreasonable Sonnets/MF Books/"Unemployed Reincarnation" Production Committee
(c) Shigemitsu Harada, Issei Hatsukaya, Akane Shimizu/Kodansha, CODE BLACK PROJECT
(C) Gekidoru Production Committee
(C) 2020 Mamoru Oshii / Ichigo Animation All rights reserved.
(C) Asaki Misato JGH, Shin-Ei Animation/Molkers