2012 Fall Anime] "Jojo", "Aikatsu! and "Teikyu"! The long-running series that represent the 10's are starting one after another! Anime 10 Years Ago

In the world of anime, 10 years ago may seem like a long time ago, but at the same time, it is a delicate and perfect time, as some series are still being broadcasted today.

In this issue, we would like to take a look at what kind of works were being broadcast in the world of TV anime 10 years ago - in the 2012 Fall Cool season.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Hirohiko Araki's epic romantic horror manga finally got an anime adaptation starting with the first part after the 25th anniversary of its serialization, with the first and second parts of the original story airing in the fall of 2012 under the title "1st Season. Although "JoJo" has been a core favorite since its serialization in magazines, this is the first time it has been fully adapted into an anime. Although there have been a number of media mixes centering on Part 3, such as a cassette book digest of Part 3, an OVA of a part of Part 3, a theater anime of Part 1, a guest appearance in Shonen Jump's All-Star Game, an adventure game of Part 3, and a fighting game of Part 3, this is the first time that the original Part 1 has been made into a full anime. Although there had been a number of media mixes centered on the third part, it was a pleasant surprise for fans to see the anime adaptation of the first part, which is the origin of the series.

The staff includes Naokatsu Tsuda, who made his directorial debut with the 2012 spring anime "Yoku x Boku SS. The series composition and screenplay were written by Yasuko Kobayashi, who is known for highly acclaimed special effects dramas such as "Masked Rider Den-O" and worked on "Shinkage no Kyojin" in 2013, which together with this work has established a solid reputation for anime with original works. The staff on the david production side, in particular, is said to be made up of fans ( #).

The anime adaptation of this work is characterized by a spirit of respect. As mentioned above, there are many core fans, and the famous lines and scenes are widely known, all of which tend to make for harsh evaluations.

For example, the Jouster clan, who are the main characters throughout the series, have a star-shaped birthmark on their necks, which was added after the third part of the original work. However, in this anime adaptation, this birthmark is placed on the neck of the main character, Jonathan, as early as the first part of the series, enhancing the completion of the epic romance. The opening is by Kamikaze Animation, which later produced "Poppetepic" and "Gal and the Dinosaur. The first part of the film is a 90-second sequence that contains all the famous scenes from the original work, while the second part features coloring and characteristic posing reminiscent of the covers of Jump Comics that real-time readers saw in the series. The series has received rave reviews from fans and has had a major influence on subsequent anime adaptations of the original work.

As of 2022, after 10 years, the anime adaptation has reached its sixth part, and further development is expected in conjunction with the ninth part of the original comic, "The JOJOLands," scheduled to begin in February 2023.

Teikyu

The gag manga by Roots and Piyo "Teikyu" has attracted a lot of attention as it has already been animated after only five months in serialization.

The characteristic of this work is the density of gags packed into a short airing time. The total air time is less than 3 minutes, and the main story, excluding the opening and commercials, is not much more than 1 minute and 20 seconds ...... and short.

In this context, it is a difficult task to faithfully animate a single episode of the original work. The solution was to "have the characters speak too fast. Eventually, the speed reached such a level that it was officially described as "a super-fast gag anime that talks too fast. The speed at which the show begins and ends with a series of remarkable gag scenes has a certain addictive quality.

This work was randomly broadcast on AT-X in place of advertisements, and it has acquired the curious position of being a "gag anime that starts when you notice it and ends when you notice it.

This work is available on the official YouTube channel, but you will also want a random playback option to replicate the AT-X viewing experience. Nowadays, various forms of entertainment are competing for our skimming time, and popular songs are so speed-oriented that they begin with the chorus. The style of this work is in tune with the current world, and in a sense, it can be said to be an anime that is ahead of its time.

However, since there is no work that has taken over the style of this work, it may be a miracle that this work combines the high tempo of the original work with the style of the main story, which is about 1 minute and 20 seconds long.

This work was adapted into anime in the same style, and in the ninth and final season, an ending was introduced, which made even the short story even shorter. Among the many bishojo anime, "Teikyu" has a unique style that makes it stand out from the rest.

Aikatsu!

Idol anime linked to Bandai's arcade card game "Aikatsu! started in the fall of 2012. Since then, it has become a major series that has continued to develop over the past 10 years. The fact that a game and an anime are simultaneously being developed for girls is symbolic of the times. The "game = for boys" mentality was already a thing of the past by this time.

Set in a prestigious idol training school, the game follows a group of junior high school students who aspire to be idols as they engage in a variety of aikatsu (idol activities), eventually evolving into an ensemble drama involving generational changes.

The story is accentuated by the fact that the idols form various units, reflecting the real-life idol warring age, and reinforces the aforementioned ensemble drama aspect of the story. Viewers were able to find their favorite idols among many idols and cheer for them, an experience that is typical of idol contents.

The use of cards to express costumes and transformation was also well received. This system, which was both game-like and reminiscent of the Heisei "Kamen Rider" series, allowed viewers to enjoy the costumes from the anime in the game with almost no time lag (in 2014, they had created new models for the anime based on the costumes from the game). The fusion of an idol story and an arcade game was made possible by advanced 3DCG technology, making this a modern spectacle.

The "idol aura" provided an easy-to-understand way for idols to compete against each other in live performances, a content in which the degree of superiority or inferiority is largely up to the individual. It is literally an aura that idols wear, and the shape and size of the aura indicate their individuality and ability. The flexible and game-like concept of incorporating male-oriented battle manga-style effects into girls' content has had a positive impact on the anime as well.

On the other hand, there are also influences from past royal works in the storytelling. The relationship between the main character Ichigo Hoshimiya, who aspires to become an idol, and the top idol, Mizuki Kanzaki, is akin to that in "Ace wo Nerae! and "Ashita no Joe" in the image of Ichigo's dashing return to the pinch of her alma mater, according to the director Ryuichi Kimura and series composition and screenplay writer Yoichi Kato. The royal road of the story has been immortalized over the years.

(Text by Shinichi Yanamoto)