Midterm Review of Spring 2022 Anime by Anime Writers [Anime Column].

Mid-term review of five notable new anime titles from the more than 60 new anime titles for spring 2022, according to Akiba Research Institute. Original golf anime "BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story-", "Skeleton Knight-sama, Tadasai Isekai e Okkake Naka" based on a fantasy novel by "Overlap Novels", "Shakushoku-san wa Younen Ghost ni Haku ni Yasareteika" serialized in "Gekkan Shonen Gan Gan" and "Abaren-san hakarenai" serialized in "Shonen Jump +", and "Onipan!" broadcast on the morning program "Ohasuta". which airs on the morning program "Ohasuta.

BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story-.

BN Pictures' original title is a sports anime featuring Eve, a girl who bets on golf. The animation is full of quirky touches, such as the player shouting out special moves with each shot, and the decisive cut is a stoppage picture with harmony processing. The underground golf course owned by a real estate magnate is equipped with an automatic course creation system. The water released from the dam creates a pond, and trees, rocks, and other natural objects grow out of the ground, as if we were watching a transforming and combining scene from an animated robot movie. The contrast is striking: while the rich are recklessly remodeling the course, the slum where Eve and her friends live is being mercilessly destroyed by redevelopment associated with the construction of a casino. The theme of the film is golf, which requires a vast area of land, so the story surrounding the land is also noteworthy.
The Namco Bandai Group's unique little touches, such as Pac-Man on the golf ball's identifying mark and Eve's caddy Lily's hobby of Gunpla, are also fun to see. Lily even owns Gunpla that have not yet been made into kits, and she is especially trustworthy as a person when she appears to have the "Tribe Gundam" as her favorite. Even the previews for the next episode, which are often not aired in recent years, are well done, and a nostalgic gag in which a character laments the lack of scenes in the show is a refreshing break from the hot storyline.

Skeleton Knight, now off to another world!

A fantasy in which a skeleton knight, Ark, wanders into another world in the form of his game avatar, becomes a mercenary, and unknowingly helps to fix the world. While there are many anime set in other worlds, this title is strangely memorable for its sound effects (SE). Arc, whose entire body is covered with plate armor, makes metallic sounds whenever he moves, activation sounds occur whenever he uses his movement skill "dimensional move," and sound effects are played whenever his eyes shine blue through the slits in his helmet. The rhythm of the well-paced sound effects is so pleasing that you will soon find yourself captivated by it.
The OP animation is the one that best expresses the appeal of SEs. The OP, with SEs just like TV animation of the past and even a high pitched laugh by Tomoaki Maeno who plays Arc, is one of the best of this season. The subwoofer connected to the sound system shakes the room, and the sound resonates at a level that makes the parents who live together come peeking to see what's going on. Combined with the shouts of Norwegian singer PelleK, this is another OP that you will want to repeat over and over again.

Company employees want to be healed by a little ghost.

This heartwarming comedy depicts the interaction between Fusehara-san, who spends her days working overtime at her company, and a ghost-chan who worries about her. The comical exchange between the two is endearing, as the ghost tries her best to scare her into going home early with her cute voice, "Tachisare ......," but her healthy appearance cheers Ms. Fusehara up and makes her work even harder. The hand-drawn outlines, which seem to reproduce the touch of the original work, match the warmth of the world.
This week's "Cute. The unique casting of a different male voice actor as the "cute of the week" narrator for each episode is also a key point. In the original story, a variety of CVs were assigned for each episode, and it is fun to guess who is in charge this week. The "kawaii" reactions become more intense as each episode progresses, and the difficulty level seems to be increasing, but it makes you want to test your own ability to discern the difference.

Abaren-san can't measure up.

This is a romantic comedy about a high school girl, Ms. Abatsure, who cannot measure the distance between herself and others, and her classmate, Laidou, who sits next to her, leading a peculiar school life. Characters in romantic comedies often blush to arouse viewers' jealousy, but both Ms. Abatsure and Raido have poker faces and their facial expressions do not change much, giving the impression that they are not flirting with each other, which is a favorable impression. The familiar scene in which they leave school clutching Raido's arms tightly because they cannot find a sense of distance has a surrealistic flavor.
The two do not say much to each other, but their communication is often accompanied by movement, such as creative dancing, impromptu rapping, and sports activities, which is also suitable for an anime. The film is a fascinating example of Abaren's struggles to express her emotions through body language, sometimes using gestures and hand gestures.

Onipan!

is broadcast daily on the weekday morning children's program "Ohasuta. It is a short animation in which three junior high school girls, Tsutsuji, Himawari, and Tsuyuukusa, who have come to Tokyo from Onigashima Island, work to improve the image of Oni. The atmosphere varies from week to week, sometimes with action scenes running through the city using 3DCG background animation, sometimes with live scenes of idols singing and dancing, etc.
Episode 5 "Fierce Battle! Momo Royale! is an episode in which Momoen Momo, a descendant of Momotaro, fights with his descendants scattered all over the country to determine the true Momotaro. The program has the feel of a local variety show, introducing the existence of the Momotaro legend outside of Okayama Prefecture with photos provided by the local tourist associations. The program satisfied our intellectual curiosity from the morning, and we are excited to see what episodes will pop up in the coming week.

(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)

(C) BNP/BIRDIE WING Golf Club
(C) BANZARUKI, OVERLAP / Skeleton Knight Production Committee
(C) Imari Arita/ SQUARE ENIX/ Production Committee also want to be healed.
(c) Asato Mizu/Shueisha, BILIBILI
(c) 2022 Onipan! Project