Let's take a look back at the 2013 summer anime! Rozen Maiden," "Gatchaman Crows," "Free!" Remakes of popular anime and new anime for the next generation! Anime 10 Years in the Past

This time, I would like to take a look at what kind of works were being broadcasted in the world of TV anime 10 years ago - in the summer cool of 2013.

Rozen Maiden

The popular comic by the manga artist unit "PEACH-PIT" has been adapted into an anime for the second time in seven years. However, this does not mean that the same story has been animated twice. A new story was spun as the original story developed.

Rozen Maiden" is a story inspired by Gothic Lolita and dolls. The "Rozen Maiden (Rose Maiden)," beautiful dolls dressed in luxurious clothes, compete in the "Alice Game" to become the ultimate girl, "Alice. The dolls make a contract with a chosen human "master" and influence each other. The delicate art style, fantastic worldview, beautiful battles between dolls, and deep elements such as the bond between dolls and their master ...... have been well received. The comic was transferred from Gentosha to Shueisha in 2008, with an anime adaptation in 2004 depicting the story before the transfer and a post-transfer story in 2013.

The production this time is by Studio Deen. The director later worked on "Kaguya-sama ga Kesshirasai? ～The director is Mamoru Hatakeyama (Shinichi Omata), who later became popular for his work on "Kaguya-sama ga Sesshirasai? Character design is by Kyuta Sakai, who would go on to work on "Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu" (Starting from Re:Zero, A Different World Life). 13 episodes comprise the anime up to the middle of "Rozen Maiden" after its transfer. The main character, a shy boy named Jun, gets caught up in the Alice game when he meets a mysterious doll named Shinku. Jun in the parallel world, who chose not to meet Shinko, becomes a university student and searches for his place in the world, but he becomes a temporary servant of the replica Shinko and becomes involved in the Alice Game as well. However, Jun falls into a conspiracy and ends up assembling a hostile doll, Yukika Kisho, in the original world.

As the work has a strong fan base, an anime adaptation of the second half after the transfer and up to the conclusion of the game is highly anticipated.

Gatchaman Crows

Gatchaman Crows" is in the vein of the masterpiece anime "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Along with the short CG animation "Ohayou Ninja Squad Gatchaman" and the live-action film "Gatchaman," this work impressed the audience with the revival of the "Gatchaman" series.

What is distinctive about this work is the skill with which it is based on the 1972 film, but updated for 2013. Modern techniques have been incorporated in the setting, character design, and even the selection of personnel. In the original, the Science Ninja Squad, consisting of four men and one woman, protected the world with the power of science. On the other hand, the Gatchaman of this film are high school girls. They use "NOTE," which materializes the power of their souls, to control their special abilities, and with the help of the SNS "GALAX," they fight against criminal aliens. All of the components - high school girls, special abilities, SNS, and criminal aliens - are modern. Combined with the original character, which was drafted by Kinako, an illustrator known for her pop art style, Gatchaman of 2013 has been realized.

Kinako, who had originally been working mainly on derivative works on the Internet, suddenly received an offer from director Kenji Nakamura, so it can be said that this was a modern talent search. The collaboration with the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo, is a characteristic of this period in anime.

The story of this work is basically unconnected to that of "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman," but there is some fan service for those who know the old work. The famous villain Berg Katze and the character of the same name appear as enemies. He leaves a strong impression with his tricky language and evil behavior to manipulate people. In addition, "President X," the shadow of evil who gave orders to Berg Katze in the previous game, is used as the name of the AI used by the allies in this game, which has created a buzz among people who know about the previous game.

GATCHAMAN CROWDS SPECIAL PRICE EDITION

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Free!

Free!" depicts the coming-of-age story of boys who compete in swimming, and the series, which has been developed into five movies including three TV seasons, a movie version based on the original novel, and a new movie, started in the summer of 2013.

This work is based on the novel "High☆Speed! which won the Encouragement Award in the novel category at the 2011 Kyoto Animation Awards sponsored by Kyoto Animation. Haruka, who loves to swim but has been lethargic since she stopped swimming, Makoto, who is a good friend of Haruka, and Nagisa, who is a mood maker and admires Haruka's swimming, are reunited with their childhood friend, Rin. Rin has become a different person after studying abroad, and she overpowers Haruka with overwhelming power. Haruka and the three establish a swimming club and start activities with Rei, who cannot swim, as a member. Meanwhile, Rin also joins the swimming club at her high school and tries to confront Haruka and her friends. ......

Hiroko Utsumi, who later worked on "BANANA FISH" and "SK∞ SK8," is on board as director for the first time, and Taishi Nishiya, chief animation director for the 2009 version of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and character designer, designer, and chief animation director for "Hyouka," is working on character design, The staff is also made up of talented individuals. Although it is relatively rare to see an anime with a swimming theme, Kyoto Animation, which has an established reputation for its animation work, has demonstrated its ability without regret, and the beautiful water and delicate psychological portrayal have captivated fans.

After this work, the anime continued for a third season, depicting Haruka and her friends growing up in their own ways, and the series continues to be enthusiastically supported by fans, including a collaboration campaign at the karaoke "JOYSOUND" in August 2023 to commemorate the series' 10th anniversary.

Free! Blu-ray BOX

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(Text by Shinichi Yanamoto)