2011 Summer Anime] "iM@S", "UtaPri", "YuruYuri", and "Pindora" are all celebrating their 10th anniversary! Let's take a look back at the bumper crop of 2011 summer anime!

In the world of anime, 10 years can feel like a long time ago, but at the same time, there are works that are still being broadcast today. In this issue, we would like to take a look at what kind of works were broadcast in the TV anime world 10 years ago in the July cool season.

THE IDOLM@STER

Speaking of monumental works of the July 2011 season, I would first like to mention "THE IDOLM@STER". THE IDOLM@STER," or "iM@S," is based on the game of the same name by Namco Bandai Games, and will celebrate its 16th anniversary this year (2021!). Even though it will celebrate its 16th anniversary this year (2021!), new works continue to be released. In this day and age, many people are familiar with derivative works such as "THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS" and "THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! etc. may be familiar to many people. The TV anime version of "THE iDOLM@STER" was one of the first to break into the wider world.

The animation was produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Atsushi Nishikori and other staff members who truly love "THE iDOLM@STER. The year 2011 was a little before the 3DCG technique was used for live scenes in idol animation, and from today's perspective, it seems like a cultural legacy of the best hand-drawn live drawing techniques.

Uta no Prince Sama! Maji Love 1000%

And to our horror, A-1 Pictures also produced an idol work for women during the same school year that will go down in history. That is "Uta no Prince Sama! Maji LOVE 1000%" (also known as "UtaPri"). This work is based on a PSP romance adventure game for women released by Broccoli. The royal road structure of an otome game with a female protagonist, plus idol and school elements, has created many followers.

The key figure in the production of "UtaPuri" was Noriyasu Uematsu, the head of the music creator group "Elements Garden," who served as the original designer and music producer of the game. The main theme of the anime, "Maji Love 1000%," for which Uematsu wrote the lyrics and entrusted the main characters to the unit "ST☆RISH," became the driving force that propelled the work to the breakthrough stage. It was a work that showed the seriousness of the music and the commitment to the female viewpoint of idols.

YuruYuri

Speaking of the July 2011 season, "YuruYuri," an assassin from the everyday yuri anime genre, will start airing. This is a work about four junior high school girls who belong to a mysterious club called "Goraku-bu" and the people around them who spend their time in a relaxed atmosphere. Although the story is based on a work published in Ichijinsha's "Comic Yurihime S" (Comic Yurihime), a magazine specializing in yuri, the so-called "yuri" element is kept to a minimum. The appeal of this work was its relaxed, laid-back, comfortable atmosphere.

The opening theme song for the first season of "YuruYuri", "YuruYuri La La La La La Yuru Yuri Daihen", dominated the anime song scene at the time. The catchiness of the song was so overwhelming that once you heard it, you could not get it out of your ears!　I'll never forget the ground-shaking cheers that rang out with "Yuriyurara Yuru Yuri Daijikan" from the halls beyond at a major anime event held at Makuhari Messe at the time.

Rimaru Pingu Drum

It was also during this cool season that the long-awaited latest work by Kunihiko Ikuhara, the charismatic creator of "Sailor Moon" and "Revolutionary Girl Utena," made its debut. Himari's sickly younger sister, Himari, and her loving older brothers, Kanba and Shoma, are poor but happy. One day, however, Himari collapsed at her favorite aquarium and passed away in the hospital. However, in front of the grieving siblings, Himari is resurrected as the "Princess of the Crystal" wearing a penguin hat. Survival strategy! Princess of the Crystal", she ordered the brothers to get the "Ping Drum" if they wanted to save Himari.

Even if I explained the beginning of the story, you would not understand the meaning. Even if you actually saw the movie, you wouldn't understand it right away. If you are a fan of 1990s anime, you will enjoy the transformation bank reminiscent of "Sailor Moon" and the creative worldview of "Utena. It is the origin of a major trend that led to subsequent works by Kunihiko Ikuhara, such as "Urikuma Arashi" and "Sarazammai," and its influence can also be seen in "Girls' Revue Starlight," directed by Tomohiro Furukawa, a direct disciple of Director Ikuhara.

This cool season also saw the release of "Baka to Test to Summoner ni! and "Low Kyuubu! and "Mayochiki! and "Mayo Chiki!", which were all light novel anime that still had the flavor of the 2000's. It was a transitional period for the series. It was a time of transition, and it seemed as if "idols," one of the genres that symbolize the 2010s, rushed into the airwaves in July 2011.

Please also see the following article!

(Text by Kiri Nakazato)