2012 Winter Anime] "Symphogear," "Black Rock Shooter," and "Lagrange" marked their 10th anniversary this year! Masterpieces that presented new ways to enjoy anime, such as live performances, video sites, and pilgrimages to sacred places.

In the world of anime, 10 years ago may seem like a long time ago, but at the same time, there are still active series being broadcasted today. In this issue, we would like to take a look at what kind of works were broadcast in the world of TV anime during the winter cool of 10 years ago.

Senki Zesshou Symphogear

Senki Zesshou Symphogear" is one of the most unique works of the same season. The original work is written by Noriyasu Uematsu, the head of the composer group Elements Garden. This is the first original anime work by Uematsu, who is also known for his work on "Uta no Prince Sama! The music is produced by Elements Garden, and the creators of Uematsu-san and Elega are very strong in this work. The production concept states, "We want to create a work in which music is at the center of everything! The production concept is "We want to create a work in which music is at the center of everything!

The world of "Senki Zesshou Symphogear" takes place in Japan in the near future. The worldview is that only girls wearing the Symphogear System can fight against "Noise," a certified singular disaster that threatens mankind. The Symphogear System, to give a very rough explanation, is an outfit that becomes stronger by resonating with the wearer's singing.

The concept of songs and music becoming the power to fight against different kinds of beings reminds me of the "Macross" series, which began with "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross" (1982). Uematsu also said that he was inspired by the concept of fusing live performances and animation in works such as 2008's "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross F." And like "Macross F," Satellite is in charge of animation production for this work.

It is fair to say that this work adds the context of a fighting beautiful girl to this concept in which song and music are the power. The concept of "a work in which music is at the center of everything" can also be seen in the casting. Starting with Aoi Yuki, who plays the main character Hibiki Tachibana, the main cast includes Nana Mizuki, Ayaho Takagaki, Yuka Iguchi, Yoko Hikasa, Aino Nanjo, and Minami Takayama, all of whom also sing as artists. The theme song is also sung by Nana Mizuki and Ayaka Takagaki. Over the course of the series, "Symphogear Live," in which the cast members themselves sing, has become a regular event.

Black Rock Shooter

Black Rock Shooter" originally started as a single character illustration drawn by huke, and in June 2008, a video "Hatsune Miku sang an original song "Black Rock Shooter"" with illustrations and video by huke and music by ryo of supercell was released on Nico Nico Nico Douga. Rock Shooter" was posted on Nico Nico Douga and became a big topic of conversation. Hatsune Miku and Nico Nico Douga were symbols of Internet culture around 2007-2008.

In the summer of 2010, the first commercial anime "Black Rock Shooter" was released, and the DVD containing the film was distributed for free as a bonus in magazines, which became a big topic of conversation. This surprising free distribution of anime DVDs was made possible largely because the figure manufacturer Good Smile Company was at the center of the production committee for the film. It was a new business model that raised awareness of the characters through free distribution of animated DVDs and collected profits mainly through figure sales. In a sense, this could be seen as a return to the roots, since prior to the 1980s, the mainstream model for animation was to produce animation in order to sell the toys of the sponsor manufacturers.

The aim was successful, and the figures produced based on the animated version are said to have been a hit, with orders alone exceeding 160,000 units. The "Black Rock Shooter" series was produced in response to this growing popularity and aired in Fuji Television's "Noitamina" slot during the 2012 winter season. To be precise, it was an irregular 8-episode series that ran from February 2, 2012 to March 2012. The basic setting and voice actors follow the OVA version that was distributed. The story was expanded to eight episodes, resulting in a more extended version of the raw human drama of the girls.

A major change in the TV animation version was the addition of Sanzigen as animation production company, which was responsible for the 3DCG depiction of another world in the film, the fantastic "underworld" (also known as the imaginary world). SANJIGEN was in charge of this part. At the time, Sanzigen was working on "Love Live! This work was the first work for which SANJIGEN was the original contractor (co-production with Ordet). Sanzigen is now a standard-bearer of celluloid 3DCG expression with its "BanG Dream!" series and "D4DJ First Mix," but this work was one of its roots.

In December 2020, when Ado posted a video in which he tried singing "Black Rock Shooter," the lyrics "Black Rock Shooter, where did you go? I was nostalgic about the lyrics "Black Rock Shooter" and wondered where he really went. ......, but "B★RS" was still alive, by the way.

In December 2021, the production of "BLACK*ROCK SHOOTER DAWN FALL" was announced. The broadcast is scheduled for April 2022, and the production team and cast members will be largely revamped. The announcement of the new production at the 10-year anniversary of the first TV anime was a deeply moving moment for this column.

Rinne no Lagrange

Rinne no Lagrange" is an original robot anime produced by Production I.G and directed by Tatsuo Sato. The story takes place in Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, on Earth in the year 2032. Although the work depicts the near future with the appearance of the robot Ovid, a legacy of an ancient civilization, the interesting impression was the matching of the work with Kamogawa, a place with a local feel.

In 2013, the main character Madoka and her friends were selected as Kamogawa hometown special ambassadors. In 2013, the main characters, Madoka and her friends, were selected as Kamogawa Hometown Special Ambassadors. Since the success of "Lucky Star" broadcast in 2007, there have been many productions set in real areas, but this work was one of the first to show a tripartite relationship with the local area from the planning stage. The winter 2012 episode was set in Nagano Prefecture, and was broadcasted in the winter of 2012.

In the winter of 2012, "Waiting in the Summer" was broadcast in collaboration with Komoro City in Nagano Prefecture, indicating that collaboration with the local community was one of the keywords at that time. During the same year, a monster work in collaboration with Oarai Town in Ibaraki Prefecture will be born, but more on that later.

Now, one more thing to mention about "Rinne no Lagrange" is that the mecha (orbits) design for this work was commissioned to Nissan Motor's Global Design Division. As with the car design, Nissan held an in-house design competition for all designers. More than 60 people participated in the competition, and Takashi Osuda's design was selected as the lead robot for the "Wokus" series. The stylish design, which makes extensive use of streamlined shapes, is unique to Nissan. The design presentation was held at the Nissan Global Headquarters in Yokohama, and I was impressed by the fact that Mr. Osuda is usually in charge of interior design for the cars. It was a groundbreaking work in that it incorporated the design sensibilities of a different industry.

(Text by Kiri Nakazato)