This year marks the 10th anniversary! Playback of the 2014 winter anime "Yokai Watch," "Onikan no Ryotetsu," and "Space☆Dandy! Anime 10 Years and Counting

In this issue, we would like to take a look at what kind of works were broadcast in the world of TV anime 10 years ago - in the winter season of 2014.

Yokai Watch

The anime version of this media-mix work, which has become a social phenomenon, started in the 2014 winter season. The main character, Keta, is an ordinary elementary school student, but by chance he gets a yokai watch and is able to see yokai. He and his friends get involved in mysterious incidents involving yokai and make yokai "friends" with them.

The "YOKAI WATCH" series has been developed in various ways, starting with the video game, followed by the anime, manga, and sales of goods such as the "YOKAI MEDAL" toys. The anime version started on January 8, 2014, and the toy "yokai medal" started on January 11, 2014, and sales of the game, which was released six months earlier, started to rise. Later, in May 2014, the number of units sold exceeded that of the first week of release. Since game software sales usually peak immediately after its release, we can see how the anime version and the yokai medal had a significant impact.

The scheme of ......, which depicts children's slightly mysterious daily lives with unknown beings among them, has long been a mainstay of children's anime. The distinctive feature of the animated version of "YOKAI WATCH" is that in addition to the modern character modeling, a structure is intentionally created to involve adults. For example, Keta's complex is "being normal," Whisper, the yokai butler who is one of his "friends," is good at searching Wikipedia-like pages on his tablet device and pretending to be a "know-it-all," and Jibanyan, the cat yokai, is lazy and devoted to his idol. ....... The characters are modern and sympathetic to a wide range of age groups. And the setting that "unlucky events in daily life are caused by yokai" is a source of emotional relief for people of all ages. I am sure that there are many people who, when they are struck by bad luck, feel relieved and think, "So this is the fault of yokai, too.

The animated version is also littered with parodies that only the parents' generation would understand, allowing the parents' generation to laugh along with their children. The first episode of the anime is the one in which these concepts are strongly expressed. In this episode, which is important for impressing the viewers with the color of the work, Keta, an ordinary boy, encounters a yokai that causes a marital quarrel between his parents, and Jibanyan says, "I will not die! Jibanyan shouts a popular line from the 1991 TV drama "101 Times Proposal": "I'm not going to die!

The "YOKAI WATCH" became a social phenomenon. The anime version ran for 214 episodes, and yokai medals were sold out in many places. As mentioned above, the game also recorded strong sales, and the IP "YOKAI WATCH" itself is still being continuously developed as of 2024.

YOKAI WATCH DVD BOX 1

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Onikan no Chitetsu (The Cold Lightning of Onikan)

This is an anime adaptation of the comic of the same title by Natsumi Eguchi, and the setting is hell. Hell in this work is a place where sinners are tormented as well as a workplace where human-like demons serve as prison guards. The main character, Onigami (devil god) Hozuki, is surrounded by an unreliable boss, King Enma, an eggplant who got a job as a prison guard in search of stability, a womanizer Hakutaku, a mustard from the old tale "Kachikachiyama" who is scary when angry, Momotaro, a sensible man, a pheasant who ponders about his employment status, and a gossip reporter, Nekomata Koban, The characters are modern and full of humanity, such as Maki, who is an idol but whose character seems to be lost, and various incidents take place.

The secret of this work's popularity is its modern interpretation of hell, a concept that is familiar to Japanese people, making it a familiar place. Hell has a similar structure to modern Japan, with a shortage of manpower and budget, TV and radio, idols, and subcultures such as manga, anime, and indie bands, and the demons who play prisoners as a profession seek relaxation in such entertainment ....... The demons who are prisoners of their profession seek relaxation through such entertainment.

At the same time, the film also includes the correct knowledge of hell that has been passed down since ancient times. The story explains the crimes and punishments that are cast into the numerous hells, such as, "He who burns an orchard will be beaten with sugar cane. In other words, the film has an interesting poetic aspect.

The success of this work led to the publication of many unofficial mystery books, as well as many other works with the same taste as this one, in which "modern characters are introduced to things that have existed for a long time. Onikan no chitetsu" can be said to have created a new format in the Japanese entertainment industry.

The original work was characterized by a lot of subcultural material of modern Japan, but the anime version has further enhanced this kind of flair. A commercial featuring a large tree and a song similar to the ending of a certain national folktale (perhaps based on the song sung by Momotaro's companions in the original story) add color to the work. The work is also notable for its respectful incorporation of the comic "Jigoku no Shoto to That and That," which was published prior to the serialization and serves as a prototype for this work, as well as for its use of Junji Inagawa, who was mentioned in the original story, as a narrator in light of its bizarre aspect.

Hiroki Yasumoto, who plays the role of Onikan, makes his first starring appearance in this film. His low voice and halting manner of speaking is just as he was envisioned, and fans of the original work were also satisfied with his casting.

Onikan no chitetsu Volume 1 [Limited Time CD Hell] Aver.

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Space☆Dandy

A comedy anime that still has a core fan base is Space☆Dandy. Dandy, an alien hunter looking for a new species of alien, travels around the universe with QT, an old vacuum cleaner robot, and Myau, a cheeky alien, in an attempt to make a fortune. There, the three of them get caught up in a crazy case every time.

In the world of anime, where smart and cool protagonists are often brilliantly active, this work, in which an idiotic alien hunter, a clunky robot, and an idiotic alien get together and make a big fuss, attracts viewers with its uniqueness. To begin with, the main character, Dandy, is a poor man who is not only devoted to a restaurant that sells sexy waitresses, but is also a poor alien hunter who is always poor. His partner, QT, is not only loyal but sometimes abandons Dandy, and Miau's room is like a garbage dump with mail-order purchases and figurines. However, there is a sense of humanity and human nature, and as you continue to watch the show, you will become addicted to the helplessness of these people.

Two episodes, "Searching for the Phantom Space Ramen" and "Rock 'n' Roll★Dandy Janyo," both selected by fan vote and staff selection, are filled with this essence.

In the former, Dandy offers his hand to an alien who runs a ramen shop alone at the edge of the universe, asking him to come with him. In the latter, Dandy and Johnny, a mysterious handsome man who has formed a band, continue to talk about their dreams without practicing. In a time when drawing is a hot topic, the design changes every time, and with the emphasis on foreshadowing, there are not a few stories that are thrown together.

The core staff working on this work with such calculated freedom is producer Masahiko Minami, general director Shinichiro Watanabe, and screenwriters Dai Sato and Keiko Nobumoto. These are actually the main staff members who worked on "Cowboy Bebop," and while at first glance the two works may appear to be polar opposites, hidden similarities can be found here and there.

After two seasons in 2014, "Space Dandy" will be rebroadcast in 2024, and we can look forward to new developments.

Space Dandy Blu-ray BOX

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(Text by Shinichi Yanamoto)