Just before the start of the second season of the fall 2023 anime "Kizuna no Ariru" airs! A look back at the first season when Miraku met her friends! [PR

As an anime project of the world's first virtual YouTuber "Kizuna Eye," the first season of the anime "Kizuna Ariru" has been broadcast since April this year. Following the first season, the long-awaited second season will begin in October.

Akiba Research Institute will continue to push this work, which is a crossover of reality and virtuality, to the hilt. In preparation for the start of the second season, we take a look back at each episode of the first season.

Of course, the best way to do this is to actually watch the video, but there is no time to watch it before the second season begins! I want to recall them in a nutshell! If you have no time to watch it before the second season starts, I hope you will enjoy reading this recap.

A story of girls connected by "kizuna" (bonds).

I want to be a virtual artist like Ai!

Miraku (CV: Ayumi Hihara), a girl who yearns for Kizuna-i, who appeared like a comet in the virtual world and instantly became popular, enrolls in ADEN Academy with these thoughts in her mind.

In the first season of "Kizuna Ariru," an original work, the story revolves around Miraku and her encounters with her friends. The story depicts the charms of these women in a way that delves into the emotions of each character. Miraku, the main character, in particular, is a protagonist in many ways, including her appearance, as she sometimes shows power that can engulf those around her, and at other times she is terribly depressed.

Miraku's goal is to win the "Virtual Grid Award," the pinnacle of which is the Kizuna Eye's Lapin Dollar, which she has won for five consecutive years. To achieve this, he needs to get to the top of the rankings. ...... Miraku's struggles and hesitations, as well as his interactions with his friends, are depicted sometimes seriously and sometimes comically. Another highlight of the film is the CG performance scenes that are shown in every episode.

From the middle to the end of the film, the traumas and feelings of each member are revealed, and these traumas lead to the original lyrics that the girls write. The deeper you dig, the more you empathize with the girls' feelings. Let's talk about this first season, episode by episode.

Episode 1 - Another Euphoria

The first episode began with a video of Kizuna Ai's performance.

I can be anything here.

I can do anything here.

I want to connect with you more and more.

With Kizuna'ai's words in mind, Mirak talked about his dream in the live broadcast, but he still had a small number of viewers and linkers, and the road to becoming Kizuna'ai was still very far away.

On the day of Miraku's first stage performance in front of everyone. On his way to the school, Miraku meets a mysterious person in a greenhouse. If this was a battle anime where he transforms and fights, he would be curious about the identity of this person who helps him out in a pinch, or who might be the "Fat Man" who supports him from the shadows, but that is a story for a later time.

Mirak arrived late for class and performed "Yosuga (Mirak's version)" with passion and enthusiasm. Miraku's performance was well received by her classmates, and she was surprised that the famous Noel (CV. Yuzuka Nukui) was watching. She made up her mind to ask Noel for a collaboration, but he promptly said "NO" to her at ....... Miraku is depressed, but Kizuna is not.

A depressed Miraku was cheered up by Kizuna Eye's video, and as if guided by her words, she passed through a mysterious light and arrived at a place where she found a cute sleeping avatar floating .......

The highlight of the first episode is the personalities of the characters. Miraku, in particular, is adorable, not only for her actions but also for her expressiveness, such as when she stops her alarm and tries to sleep some more, or when she proceeds along what appears to be a shortcut to the school. The fact that her room is filled with Kizuna'ai goods also brings out her full personality. Noel's behavior is easy to understand and makes you feel that it must be a flag, which is different from Miraku's, and makes you expect more cuteness from her.

Episode 2 - The Gravity of Encounter

As if guided by Kizuna Ai's words, we arrived at a calm, green place. Floating there was a round, touchy-feely avatar ......, but this person's (avatar's) reaction was nothing short of salty. Cute or not, I don't know.

Furthermore, Chris (CV. Hikari Kodama), an elusive and beautiful girl, appeared to Miraku after she fell asleep. This is just my personal opinion, but I think this kind of atmosphere suits a girl with short, cold-toned hair.

Following the first episode, the second episode, which features a new character, brings Chris' charm into full play. She is a mysterious or expressionless type (although not expressionless, as she smiles a lot), and her behavior is full of mystery, even if only depicted here. He seems to have taken a class together, but when he realizes he is gone, and his actions and thoughts are not well understood. But that's good.

Incidentally, on the way to find Chris, there is an exchange with the mysterious person in the greenhouse, and I wondered, "What kind of avatar is this person using?" This is a foreshadowing for the second half of the film.

Chris joined us safely despite all this, and her performance was so wonderful that it was hard to believe that she did not know the song. Mirak was depressed by her genius, but Chris, on the other hand, kissed Mirak on the cheek and smiled innocently. Even if it wasn't Mirak, he would have been surprised by such a surprise. It's not fair.

From the second episode onward, a section titled "Today's Recommended Video" was featured in the C-part after the ending. This time, it introduces that ADEN Academy stands for "Artist Garden Academy" and Vanity, the mascot character of the academy. It is an interesting way to have a little fun as if you were watching a video streaming site.

■ Episode 3 - First Steps to the Stage

Entries for the "Virtual Grid Awards" begin. Starting this year, they will use the same challenge song written and composed by AI, and the lyrics can be a standard song written by AI or an original lyric written by AI.

In order to make it through the qualifying round and advance to the main competition, Mirak has to be in the top 15 in the ranking during the entry period, but as of ......, Mirak's ranking is 540th. Miraku, wondering what to do, took the advice of those around her and even went to Dr. Vanity and, to her surprise, the headmaster of the Auris School, asking for tips on how to sing well. This straightforwardness is typical of Miraku. This is how a hero should be.

However, the school principal, who is a cut above the rest, asked him, "What is a dream for you? Miraku is even more troubled when the school principal, who is a master at what he does, asks him back, "What is your dream? Miraku told the headmaster that she loves virtual idols and that she wanted to tell everyone about it, but someone was furious upon hearing this. Noel.

I can't believe it! You're still an artist? Noelle was furious, saying, "It's frustrating to see a half-hearted girl like you." But she was also troubled inside by her own inner self. ...... Still, it helps to act as I felt in the first episode. This is definitely going to be derelict one day, even if it's a promise, I'm expecting it.

■ Episode 4 - Confused Andante

Mirak is shocked that Noel called her out and got angry with her. Still, she decides to do her best, and at the root of her decision is the thought, "I'm just a normal person. She has lived a normal life up until now and has never had anything to be confident about. I understand that feeling.

That's why I wanted to support Miraku's efforts to shine in this virtual world and prove her existence, but "Marumaru" (the name of her round avatar/namesake is Miraku), however, dismisses her as "neither good nor bad. Really, this Marumaru is .......

Still, Mirak was not discouraged. In order to train for his weak talk show, Mirak tried a project similar to something he had seen on a TV show, a comic story, and finally a magic show. But the fun part of the production is not only to show him getting back on his feet after a fall, but also to include some comical scenes.

However, there is no way he can improve his ranking by getting lost. One comment led me to try a delivery where I just talked about Kizuna Ai's charms as a project where I could relax and talk spontaneously. ...... This time I said, "Ai, I... (mute)... I'll do my best!" and a broadcast accident at an important point! This is seriously scary.

But on the contrary, it resulted in a buzz as the "Miraku Tele-recording Championship. If you have ever tried your hand at video distribution, you can sympathize with the fact that you never know how things will turn out. Incidentally, today's recommended video in Part C is Chris' challenge to the "Miraku Teleco Championship," which is also a must-see.

■ Episode 5 - The Color of Words

Miraku Teleco Championship" got a lot of buzz! The ranking must have gone up as well! But to their disappointment, there is no significant change after just one buzz, as the AI makes a comprehensive judgment. Mirak was planning to broadcast a live performance of the class the other day, but Noel was not happy with Mirak's words and actions. Finally, Noel came to Mirak in the real world and exploded with anger once again.

According to Noel, he is not satisfied with Mirak's "I just did it for now" attitude and half-hearted approach. But Noel's good point is that he doesn't stop there. He says he can't stand by and watch, so he gives Miraku lessons. He says, "You have to face the music properly. He's a good kid after all. I knew it.

She explains carefully that we should try to feel the words with colors, and you can feel how caring and kind she is, and how cute she is. The visuals were interesting as well, showing how each word turns into a different color depending on the person, like soap bubbles. The flow from there to Mirak's performance was also wonderful, showing that Mirak has grown up a step.

On the other hand, Noel is sensitive to the word "perfect. It seems that the darkness in her heart lies in this area. By the way, I really want to try the "Fresh Strawberry Flavanitino" that was introduced in the recommended video!

■ Episode 6 - The Reason for Perfection

Thanks to Noel's lesson on the importance of facing music, Mirak's ranking has steadily increased to No. 297. However, he barely made it into the top 300.

However, Mirak's strength is that he is quick to get on a roll here, or rather, to push forward and take on challenges. He invited everyone to try their hand at writing original lyrics, but Mirak, who was the one who started it all, couldn't come up with anything. While Marumaru, with his spellbinding lyrics, and Chris, who writes a huge amount of text (also scary), and others, show their individuality, Noel is unable to write at all, for a different reason than Mirak.

Noel, on the other hand, has a different reason for not being able to write at all. It is because he seeks "perfection. The words of his parents when he was a child, his great sister ......, and other such things were holding him back. It was Mirak's words that saved me. With those words and the happening of the carbonated beverage being blown out, Noel's heart thawed out. The expression on his face as he smiled happily after being doused with water was so wonderful that it showed that this was the real Noel.

Noel's last performance was very moving, with lyrics that were filled with her feelings. If you listen to the lyrics again, I am sure you will get a different impression of her. Even though they are the same song (the same subject matter), the lyrics are conveyed differently to the viewer by the artist who sang them, with different lyrics that express the feelings of the singer. This is a gimmick unique to "Kizuna no Ariru" and an emotion that can only be experienced through this work.