The 3 recommended anime for spring 2023] "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury": Too good at depicting each character's story in a limited scale, I am impressed! [EXILE/FANTASTICS The world of anime as told by the world! Part 2]

In this new series, Sekai, a performer in the popular dance and vocal group EXILE/FANTASTICS who professes to be an anime fan, selects three recommended anime from each anime season.

In this second installment, we will be looking at anime of the spring season from April to June 2023. In a season full of topical anime, what are the recommended anime chosen by Sekai?


Demon Slayer Sword Forging Village

We've been waiting for it. I've been waiting for "Demon Slayer" to be made into an anime!

I was looking forward to seeing the original anime scenes that were not in the original work, or so-called "anioli," as I thought it would be great if there were any! I have the impression that the anime "Demon Slayer" often has very beautifully drawn anioli, so I was glad to see that they did a lot of them in the "Sword Forging Village Arc" this time.

I especially like the way the story of the swordsmith's village is intertwined with the story of the Pillars, Sumijiro, Priestess, and others in each episode of "Demon Slayer! This time, Tokitomuichiro and Kanroji Mitsuri take center stage, and the changes in their feelings are very carefully portrayed.

Toki Toru Muichiro, the Kasumi Pillar, does not show any interest in others when he first meets Sumijiro and the others, and comes across as a rather inorganic person who just wants to defeat demons. However, in the eighth episode, "Muichiro's Nothingness," an episode with his brother Yuichiro was depicted, and after watching this episode, you can't wait to be impressed anymore. In this episode, the story of how Muichiro became the Muichiro he is today and various aspects of Muichiro's past are revealed, and it is stories like this that really move me. The original story was written in a light-hearted manner, but in the anime, it was well drawn out with some original descriptions.

Kengo Kawanishi, who plays both roles, is of course wonderful, and the beautiful drawings by ufotable were used in all scenes. The transparency of the sound flowing down the river, etc., were all very impressive.

The incident that triggered the awakening of Muichiro's talent, where he expresses his anger with a bright red screen and black cracks, made me shiver.

And I cannot forget Yuichiro's true feelings for his brother. The scene in which Shinjo reveals his feelings for his dead parents, which makes us think that he must have had a lot of thoughts about them as well ......, is also very moving.

And the ninth episode, "Kasumi Pillar, Toki Toru Muichiro," is also a must-see!

The battle scene with Tamatsubo is really irritating to watch (against Tamatsubo) all the time (lol), but from the moment Muichiro remembers the meaning of "nothing" that his brother told him, Muichiro becomes all the more reliable. It is amazing how his words of gratitude to Mr. Tetsuanamori are also heartfelt, unlike the words of Muichiro up to now.

Muichiro who bears Yuichiro's words in his heart and manifests bruises is truly the "infinite" Muichiro. He hunts down Tamatsubo with his overwhelming swiftness and exchange of techniques. It is great to see Tamatsubo, who has been aggressive and aggressive until now, being cornered by Muichiro's true feelings! He makes a single remark about Tamatsubo's pot, "He's so lousy. Because it is super genuine, the performance of the taori is too high, and it is the most refreshing (laugh). This scene was very funny because Tamatsubo's tsukkomi is well comic.

And from this point on, Muichiro is "invincible" Muichiro. He was so serious that he easily killed Tamatsubo with his "Kasumi no Breath, Urushi-no-Kata, Oboro". The brilliant description here gives me goosebumps. The sound of the haze, the flute-like sound, and the magnificent orchestral accompaniment combined to make this a truly wonderful scene. The sound of footsteps that made me feel a little scared, and Tamatsubo's neck being cut off at the same time as Muichirou's "that line". It was wonderful! He is truly invincible! It's a miracle.

What I like about "Demon Slayer" is that even after such an intense battle, a gag scene immediately follows. The interaction between Mr. Tetsuanamori and Muichiro was also great. I felt like I could catch a glimpse of the trust that had been built between them. Reuniting with his family in his heart from ......! I thought this was the moment when Muichiro became one fine pillar of the family.

And!!! The perfect appearance of Mitsuri Kanroji! Mitsuri came to the rescue of Sumijiro and the others who had been beaten up by Hakuoten! What a great appearance! She is too beautiful!

After all, she can dance! (Maybe) I hope we will see it in the next "Hashira Practice"! In the "Pillar Practice Arc" of the original comic book, I think the genre of dance is similar to ballet, as it is considered to be rhythmic gymnastics type, since they were practicing wearing leotards. Hellish practice, isn't it? Terrible .......

By the way, the way she appeared in a pinch was gorgeous and super cute. Breath of Love was great.

Personally, I thought the animation of "Breath of Love: Corporal Kata, Fluctuating Love Affair, and Rangenails" was the coolest thing I've ever seen. The music was also really great. You can't help but fall in love with it.

In the world of "Demon Slayer," with its bleak characters and very dry worldview, the presence of Mitsuri Amarudera, who lights up the surroundings like cherry blossoms, is very significant.

Kana Hanazawa's performance was wonderful, and her lines, which were cute yet strong, left a strong impression on me. I look forward to seeing her in action again!

By the way, I'm wondering how on earth she is putting away the sunken sword of Mitsuri Kanroji. It seems to be very difficult to handle, doesn't it? There is a Chinese sword called "yotai ken" which is very flexible, and I wonder if it is similar to that.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch of Mercury


Now, where should I start?

There are many anime and other works in Japan that have changed the lives of many people and continue to support them, and I think the "Mobile Suit Gundam" series is one of them. I think "Mobile Suit Gundam" is one of them. I would like to talk about the latest work "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch of Mercury," which had the first (?) extraordinary ending in the very long history of the "Gundam" series.

I also love robot animation, so I have watched various series such as the Space Century series and Another Gundam series, and I really love that each "Gundam" series has different colors, and at the same time, there is a way to depict a shared worldview.

I had been excitedly waiting for the broadcast of "The Witch of Mercury" since it was announced, wondering what kind of Gundam it would be this time.

And when I watched the first episode, "PROLOGUE," the first thing I thought was, "There are just so many mysteries !!!! I was very excited to watch the first episode, "PROLOGUE". From the previous information, I thought, "It's a school story! Sounds interesting! I felt like I was hit by a lightning bolt in my brain. Questions came to my mind one after another.

First of all, a new word "GUND" appears in this work as a kind of medical technology. At this point, I thought, "Wow! The word "gund" itself may be unfamiliar to many people, but if you connect it with the key word "witch," it means witchcraft in Norwegian (however, the spelling is gandr). I thought, "I see..." because I had seen the word in magical works. The "Gundam series" has a lot of cool mobile suits and detailed mechanical settings that stimulate my so-called "otaku" buttons, but when the "Witch of Mercury" mentioned the word "gandr," I was like, "I love it already! I was like, "I love her already!

As an aside, the scene at the end of "PROLOGUE" where she says, "It's beautiful, just like a candle.

The main character in this work is the first female character in the "Gundam Series" and her name is "Sletta Mercury. She is a good girl full of tremendous charm!

Although she is extremely pure, she is a little unskilled at communication and often has conflicts with her school friends and struggles with her relationships with them, but through various events, she builds trust with them and becomes good friends with them. I thought that she was the type of person who would fall in love with you the more you hang out with her because she is very pure at heart. This is the point that made me grin, because I like such a never-sociable protagonist, which is very Gundam-like. Of course, Domon Kash, the hot-blooded type, is also unmistakably a hero to me (laughs).

The story revolves around Sletta, but there is one important character. But there is an important character, and that is "all of them. I thought this was really great. The careful portrayal of human relationships in "The Witches of Mercury" is remarkable.

The people in the school, the people in the companies that deal with Gundam, and the people living on the earth. Or the people living on the earth. I felt that even the politics and emotions involved were well depicted.

Of course, I am painfully aware that there is no unimportant person or thing in any work, but due to the time constraints and various circumstances, there were times when I found myself thinking, "What about that person? or "What? I was moved after watching the last episode because "The Witch of Mercury" was so good at portraying each person's story within the limited time frame of the first and second seasons that aired last fall and this spring, respectively. I was moved after watching the last episode, though I was curious about what happened to Godoy! (LOL)

It has been a long time since I have seen an anime, especially a "Gundam" work, that had such an ending without anyone becoming airtight. Once again, I was one of the people who were fascinated by the magical charm of "Mobile Suit Gundam" and "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury," just like a witch.

I would love to travel back to the world of the "Witch of Mercury" again, whether it be in a spin-off, manga, or novel! I wish I could travel in the world of "The Witch of Mercury" again!

By the way, the novel version published by Kadokawa Shoten is also interesting, so if you haven't read it yet, please do so! It has original episodes and is great.

I really want to buy Gundam Caliburn too!

WorldDyster.

What is theater in the age of super theater? What is a play?

This anime is a part of the "Theatre Girls Project," a media-mix development project centered on TV animation and game applications.

The first impression I had when I saw the characters for the first time was "Much cuter! I was like, "This is so cute! What is this? And I was right. The character design is by Mika Pikazo! I was really looking forward to seeing the characters in action!

In fact, from the very first episode of the anime, the images were superbly beautiful. And the story was also very good!

I was very much looking forward to the original design by Takahiro-san, again before it aired! Each character was very easy to understand, and I was sometimes surprised to see how hard the girls work at theater. Since the work deals with theater, it is natural that there is a play within a play, but it felt very strange to see a play unfold within an anime. The sparkling and superbly beautiful animation and music are the best way to convey the charm of the play.

The story is as follows. This was a time when theater was in the midst of a worldwide boom. The title given to a world-renowned, brilliant performer is the "World Dancer. The main character "Kokona Ohtori," a newcomer to the Sirius Theatre Company, is a very cute and straightforward girl, but in fact, she is a very special kind of performer. I thought it was interesting to see this through her songs and various plays, and to learn what plays and theater are all about.

The characters in this work have a special ability called "sense," and I think this is another interesting feature of this work! It was wonderful to see each character's sense shine through here and there.

As a slight aside, many people may be surprised to learn the difference between a "play" and a "theater". There are various theories, but I think "shibai" means something that can be done by people who have not studied theater, as in the word "kamishibai," or something a little lighter that anyone can do on the lawn. In contrast, a "play" is a story performed by actors on a stage that has been prepared in advance, which is unexpectedly different!

The professional voice actresses instantly become stage actresses or play the parts of girls who are trying their best to be true to themselves. That is one of the charms of this work.

Going back to the first scene (episode 1), at the audition for newcomers to the Sirius Theatre Company, I was also impressed by the exchange between Kokona and Hiiragi, a former member of Sirius' number one theater company and a former die star.

Hiiragi-san showed an overwhelming difference from Kokona, and Kokona, despite her rookie status, showed a performance that instantly attracted everyone. It was my favorite episode.

The fourth scene (episode 4) is also one of my personal favorite episodes. The conversation between Katrina Griebel and Kokona in the kitchen is a must-see. Also, check out Yanagida Panda in Sirius! (He is my personal favorite character.) It was pleasant to watch the feeling of all the members of the Sirius troupe gradually opening up to each other!

The scene with Shizuka, who is aiming for the World Dice Star with Kokona and gives her precise advice with her superb analytical skills, was also wonderful. I just wanted to see how serious Shizuka was! I just wanted to see how serious Shizuka was.

As the story progressed, I began to understand what "sense" is. The mystery of the sense of discomfort of "Shizuka" gradually became more and more present.

Many of the songs in the play are also very beautiful, and listening to them together with the main story of the anime will make them even more wonderful. Among them, I really liked the song "Yumemi Tsukiyo" (Moonlit Night of Dreaming)!

I have only told you about the beginning of the story, but it is a very wonderful work, so please watch it! The girls are so beautiful and bright, their performances are a sight to see!

After the anime, a game is scheduled to be released. I am sure there will be many stories unique to the game. I am looking forward to it!

Thank you very much again!


(Text/World (EXILE/FANTASTICS))

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