September has arrived, and the autumn vacation season is approaching. However, due to the restrictions on going out due to COVID-19, it is still difficult to travel and go sightseeing.
Here at Anime! Anime!, we would like to introduce some “local-featured anime” that you can feel like traveling being at home. We have picked up five new anime that will be aired in the fall of 2021 and are set in local areas of Japan, such as Nagoya and Okinawa.
■”PuraOre! Pride of Orange” (Nikko, Tochigi)
“PuraOre! Pride of Orange” is an animated media mix project by CyberAgent and DMM GAMES. For the first time in anime history, the theme is “women’s ice hockey”.
It is a coming-of-age story set in Nikko, Tochigi, about Mizusawa Manaka and her childhood friends who come to experience the local ice hockey team, the Dream Monkeys, and are awakened to the charm of ice hockey, eventually becoming players in the game.
What is the local charm of “PuraOre! Pride of Orange”?
The “local” charm of this anime is that it is supervised by Japan’s first professional ice hockey team, the “H.C. Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks,” whose home town is Nikko in Tochigi. This makes it a “local anime” that pursues a realistic representation of ice hockey and also works together with the team to promote the attractions of Tochigi, including Nikko and Kinugawa.
■”Shikizakura” (Nagoya and Toyota, Aichi)
“Shikizakura” is an original anime from the Tokai area, created by the “Nagoya Anime Project”, which transmits anime from Nagoya.
The main character, Miwa Sho, a high school student, is suddenly caught up in a battle between a man-eating “Oni” from another world and a team of mysterious power suits. And before he knows it, he too is wearing a power suit to fight the “Oni”. This is an adventure drama about Sho and his friends as they fight to become heroes.
What is the “local” charm of “Shikizakura”?
The Obara district in Toyota, Aichi, where the story takes place, is famous for the “Shikizakura” cherry blossoms that bloom in spring and summer, which is also the title of the story. In addition, many other places in Aichi appear in the anime. Another feature of the anime is that many of the staff and artists are from the Tokai area, including Mashiro Miho (from Toyota), who plays the heroine Myojin Manaka, and Asaka (from Nagoya), who sings the theme song.
“Let’s Make a Mug Too: Second Stove” (Tajimi, Gifu)
The original work of “Let’s Make a Mug Too” is a free manga of the same title that originated in Tajimi, Gifu, about “high school girls and pottery”. Season 1 of the TV anime was broadcast in April 2021, and this will be Season 2.
Set in Tajimi in the southeastern part of Gifu, which is one of the production areas of Minoyaki, a traditional craft, this is a coming-of-age story about four high school girls who become absorbed in the charm of ceramics.
What is the “local” charm of “Let’s Make a Mug Too: Second Stove”
This work is characterized by the fact that the 30-minute film is divided into two parts: the first 15 minutes is the regular “anime part” and the second 15 minutes is the “live-action part.” In the second half of the “live-action part,” Tanaka Minami and the other four voice actors appear on stage to try their hand at pottery making and show the audience around the stage that was used in the anime, which is a unique “local” charm of this work. It will introduce the charm of Tajimi and pottery through both anime and live action.
‘”Deji” Meets Girl’ (Naha, Okinawa)
‘”Deji” Meets Girl’ is an original short anime set in Naha, Okinawa, which consists of 90-second episodes.
The story is a boy-and-meets-girl story about a mysterious summer commotion caused by a high school girl, Higa Maise, who helps out at her family’s hotel in Okinawa, and a mysterious young man, Suzuki Ichiro (?), who comes from the mainland.
What is the “local” charm of ‘”Deji” Meets Girl’?
This work is a very short anime of 90 seconds per episode, so the charm of Okinawa is condensed into it. It takes place in a hotel in Okinawa, so you can feel like a little traveler. There are also fantastic elements such as the appearance of a huge “banyan tree” that breaks through the ceiling of the hotel. Even in a short time, you can enjoy the atmosphere of Okinawa.
The Vampire Dies in No Time (Yokohama, Kanagawa)
“The Vampire Dies in No Time” is based on a gag manga by Bonnoki Itaru, serialized in “Weekly Shonen Champion.”
The story is set in Shin-Yokohama, Kanagawa, and depicts the hyping gags of Dralc, a vampire who was feared to be invincible but was actually a “total loser” vampire, Ronald, a vampire hunter who is a hard worker and others.
What is the “local” charm of “The Vampire Dies in No Time”?
Shin-Yokohama, the setting of this work, is the hometown of the original author, Bonnoki Itaru, and many places that can be considered to be in the Shin-Yokohama area appear in the story. The degree to which the story is recreated will make locals want to say, “This place must be that!”, without thinking. Also, since vampires appear in this work, the beautiful night view of Yokohama is another charm. You can enjoy the mysterious world of Shin-Yokohama, where the boundary between reality and gag is blurred.
These are the five works introduced above.
In addition to the above, there are many TV anime in Autumn, 2021 including
“Gunma-chan,” where the Gunma Prefecture is in charge of the production and writing and the mascot character of Gunma, “Gunma-chan”, is active.
This fall, why don’t you casually go on a sightseeing trip in “anime”?
(C) 2020 PuraOre! Media Mix Partners
(C) Shikizakura Production Committee
(C) Planet, Nippon Animation / Let’s Make a Mug Too Production Committee
(C) Naminoue Youth Organization / Deji Meets Girl Production Committee
(C) Bonnoki Itaru (Akita Book Store) / Production Committee Die in No Time
(C) Gunma Prefecture All Rights Reserved.
