Hoshizora no Violin

Orphan is really pleased to present the first English-subtitled version of the 1994 movie Hoshizora no Violin (Starry Sky Violin). Based on a children's story by Wada Noboru, author of Kimu no Juujika, the movie has languished on VHS tape, never receiving a digital or even a laserdisc release. It is another fine addition to Orphan's collection of anime set in World War II.

Hoshizora no Violin follows the life of Ozawa Kikuji, a boy in rural Japan, seemingly fated to taking over the family form.

In school, his teacher, Otsuki, encourages Kikuji to begin experimenting with making violins.

His initial creations look good but lack the proper resonance and depth of sound. 

His teacher gives him a book about Antonio Stradivari, the legendary Italian luthier (violin maker). The book teaches Kikuji about techniques and the importance of the proper wood for various parts. 

He starts roaming the mountains, looking for good trees. There, he meets a woodsman named Abe and his daughter Kayo.

With Kayo's help, Kikuji makes more and better violins and pursues his craft. But then, he receives a conscription notice and must join the Japanese Army.

Kikuji has the good fortune to be assigned to the medical corps of the 9th division, which at this point in the war was garrisoning the quiet backwater of Mudanjiang, in eastern Manchuria, close to the Russian border. There, he and his colleague Sugano serve as orderlies to Lieutenant Tanaka. When two Chinese children, Honran and Yuran, break in to Tanaka's house to steal food for their ailing father, Kikuji sneaks out with them, diagnoses the father's illness as beriberi (vitamin B1 deficiency), and treats it with purloined medicine. 

The children in turn take Kikuji to the Russian Quarter to meet Mr. Lensky, a Russian violinist who owns several good violins, including a Stradivarius. 

Kikuji's passion for violin making is rekindled, and before his unit is shipped out (by inference, it's 1944, when the heart of the Kwantung Army was transferred to other fronts), he makes a detailed sketch of the Stradivarius for "after the war."

(This middle section of the film plays like a children's fairy tale. Kikuji was a poor student with no knowledge of medicine, yet he ends up in the medical corps in a backwater. He treats the Chinese children like younger siblings, when a real Japanese soldier would have had them beaten or worse. When Lt. Tanaka discovers Kikuji's theft, he indulgently allows the boy to treat the native, when a real Japanese officer would have had Kikuji court-martialed. The children just happen to know Lensky, and Lensky just happens to have a Stradivarius. Well, the source is children's book, after all.)

Kikuji's 9th Division is transferred to Okinawa before the US invasion. 

He and Sugano survive various American bombardments, but the division is transferred to Taiwan before the actual battle. Kikuji's ship is torpedoed en route. 

As he struggles to survive, his best friends are swallowed up in the maelstrom of war. Although Kikuji returns to Japan and his family safely, he is emotionally scarred and unable to return to his craft, until voices from the past recall him from the depths.

It's worth noting that the service history of the 9th Division is historically accurate. After suffering devastating losses in the China campaigns, the division was reconstituted in Japan and sent to Mudanjiang for garrison duty. In 1944, it was transferred to Okinawa but left before the American invasion. However, the torpedoing of Kikuji's ship is fictional; the 9th suffered no combat losses from its reconstitution in Japan through the end of the war.

The voice cast includes:

• Takano Rei (young Kikuji) has no other credits.
• Hirata Hiroaki (teen/grown Kikuji)) played Kondo Masami in Koi wa Ameagari no You ni,  Benny in Black Lagoon, Itsuki in the Kindaichi movies, Sa Gojou in Saiyuki and its sequels, Sanji in One Peace, Zaki in DearS, Jack in Moonlight Mile, Nantoka in Rita to Nantoka, Tiger in Tiger & Bunny, Vinsmoke in One Piece, Fujimoto in Ao no Exorcist, and Max Lobo in Bananafish. He also played Joseph (Mary's husband) in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Mishima Jun in Chameleon, and the professor in Nemure Omoigo, Sora no Shitone ni, all Orphan releases.
• Isobe Masako (Kikuji's mother) played Tilda Miller in Gozdilla S.P. She appeared in Letter Bee, Koi Sento, Ear of the Golden Dragon, and Sensou Douwa: Aoi Hitomi no Onnako no Ohanashu. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Ishimori Takkou (Kikuji's father) played Jodu in Murder Princess, Yoshimune in Buzzer Beater, and Master Luo Wu in Cooking Master Boy. He had small parts in Fire Tripper, Akai Hayate, Aoki Honoo, Nagasaki 1945: The Angelus Bell, and Wild 7, all Orphan releases.
• Shimada Bin (Kikuji's older brother) played Ken Nakajima in the You're Under Arrest franchise and numerous other roles, as well as Konaki Jijii and Wally Wall in the most recent version of GeGeGe no Kitarou. He appeared in Bride of Deimos, Okama Report, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, Fukyukayama Gekijou, Tomoe's Run!, Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, Princess Army, and Sangokushi, all Orphan releases.
• Kawata Taeko (Kikuji's sister) played Arale in the Dr. Slump franchise, Tanpopo in Seraphim Call, Leo in the 2009 special Jungle Taitei, Shypre in the Precure franchise, and Nocco in Cherry no Manma, and Orphan release.
• Iwai Sayuri (Abe Kayo) appeared in a few children's series.
• Ushiyama Shigeru (Otsuki-sensei) palyed Matsuda in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Dr. Hiluluk in One Piece, Robita in Phoenix, Lutz in Spice and Wolf 2, Prof Shikishima in Tesujin 28, Edo in Ultraman, and Dan in Wasimo.
• Otaki Shinya (Sugano) played Beat in Scoopers. He appeared in Aoki Honoo, Wolf Guy, Elf ,17, Gakkou no Yuurei volume 1, and Hi-Speed Jecy, all Orphan releases.
• Ooki Tamio (Lensky) played  Aramaki in the GITS movies, the title role in Planetarian: Hoshi no Hito, Dr. Tenma in the 1980 version of Tetsuwan Atom and Tezuka Osamu Ga Kieta?! 20 Seiki Saigo no Kaijiken, Dr. Ross in Tetsuwan Atom: The Blue Knight, Darai Sem in Amon Saga, Captain Victor in Michite Kuru Toki no Mukou ni, and Ibuya in Hidamari no Ki. The last five are Orphan releases.
• Takase Kurumi (Honran) has only a few anime credits.
• Kanai Mika (Yuran) played the title role in the Licca-chan franchise, Normad in the Galaxy Angel franchise, Histoire in the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, Melonpanda in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise, Misato in Nana, Lotte in Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Kanna in Gakkou no Yuurei volume 1, Kumi in Tanjou: Debut, and Hime in Bakuen Campus Guardress. The last three are Orphan releases.
• Umezu Miho (Hibino Yurie) is a real-life violin artist.
• Kume Akira (Narration) also narrated Botchan and Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, and she played a librarian in A Penguin's Memories,. All three are Orphan releases.

The director was Nakayama Setsuo. He was a film director; this is his only anime credit. As might be expected of a film about violins, the solo violin music is exceptional and includes excellent solos from major works, including Bach's "Chaconne" from Violin Partita No. 2, Massenet's "Meditation" from Thaïs, Brahm's Hungarian Dance No. 5, Tchaikovsky's "Melodie" from Souvenir d'un lieu cher, and Vivaldi's "Winter", second movement, from The Four Seasons.

Hoshizora no Violin has been on the team's wish list for a long time, but lack of decent source material kept the project on hold. Then WOWmd ripped a video tape on the Domesday Duplicator. The result is far from perfect - there's tape fuzz all along the bottom, and the occasional artifact - but it's much better than previously available raws. Perevodildo translated and timed. I edited and typeset. Paul Geromini and Uchuu QCed. Perhaps a better raw will come along someday. I certainly hope so; some of the rural backgrounds resemble Studio Ghibili at its best.

Hoshizora no Violin is a really good film, and everyone who worked on it liked it a lot. You can get the movie from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net

 

 

Midnight Crazy Trail

Completing a triptych of Young Animator Training Project releases, Orphan presents Midnight Crazy Trail, from the Anime Tamago class of 2017. The other shows that year were:

• Red Ash: Gearworld, subtitled by multiple groups from a Blu-ray source
• Zunda Horizon, subtitled by multiple groups from a web source
• Charanpoland no Bouken, raw only from a web source

Midnight Crazy Trail is okay to watch, but it feels derivative, like a cross between Kiki's Delivery Service and Get Backers. And i'ts CGI, of the CGI-pretending-to-be-2D-animation school.

The story focuses on a young witch named Makina. She hates being a witch and having magic powers; she wants to throw away her grimoire and be a normal girl.  

On the night of the first full moon after she turns 16, she must go to the human world to be trained in magic and to prepare for marriage. She repeatedly attempts to destroy her grimoire, but it always resists. Then, she sees a vision of a special team destroying an arms shipment.

The team, Shout and Crunch, claim not to be thieves but garbage collectors: the Midnight Trash Throw Away-ers. Their garbage truck, the "Crazy Trail," has a massive incinerator, a crusher, and other tools for disposing of unwanted objects.

Once she's in the human world, Makina's placed under the tutelage of a senior witch named Dorothy.

Makina is supposed to learn clairvoyance and other skills, but instead she focuses on getting the Throw Away-ers to destroy her grimoire. They agree to try, provided she helps them on their next mission.

The mission succeeds, barely, thanks to Makina's help. However, the grimoire still resists destruction, so Makina insists that Crunch and Shout take her along for further adventures.

As I said, derivative. Makina is a Kiki clone, even having a cute familiar, a mole. The Throw Away-ers are the Get Backers turned upside down. It's engaging in places. Makina's attempts to "blend in" provide comedy, and the mission's action sequence is well done. However, in the end, it's just empty calories.

The voice cast include: 

• Uesaka Sumire (Makina) played the title role in Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san, the lead in Tearmoon Empire, Alisa in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Lum in the Urusei Yatsura reboot, Akira in Bucchigire!, Rika in Genshiken Nidaime, Sora in Papa no Iu Koto o Kikinasai!, Fubuki in Kantai Collection, Peach Maki in the Hoozuki no Reitetsu franchise, Aya in Tonikaku Kawaii, and Chuchu in Show by Rock!.
• Matsuda Kenichirou (Crunch) played Mink in Dramatical Murder, Shuuji in Bakuten!, the narrator and Bond Forger in Spy x Family, and the narrator and Thors in Vinland Saga.
• Matsuda Toshiki (Shout) played Kazuki in the Pretty Rhythm franchise, Chikara in the Haikyuu!! franchise, Ryuu in the Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei Bu franchise, Eijirou/Red Riot in the Boku no Hero Academia franchise, Mikado in the B-Project properties, Iori in the Idolish Seven franchise, Rei in the Ensemble Stars properties, and Kiyomitsu in the Touken Ranbu franchise.
• Fujita Masayo (Dorothy) appeared as Nene in Hyakko and K-344 in Star Wars: Visions.
• Hachisuke Tomotaka (Dorothy's husband) appeared in Donten ni Warau, Moyashimon Returns, Eldive, and Kokkoku. 

The director, Yusa Kazushige, later directed a series of shorts called Odoru Mowai-kun, which have not been subbed in English.

Once again, Perevodildo translated and timed; the show did nothing to alter his negative view of the Young Animator OVAs. I edited and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raw is a web rip from Ioroid. There's a fair amount of aliasing, to add to the video annoyance of the CGI.

So here's another Anime Tamago OVA: Midnight Crazy Trail from 2017. I can't recommend it wholeheartedly, but it's not bottom tier. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

 

 

 

Kicks and Punk

Post-COVID, the Young Animator Training Project was renamed from Anime Tamago ("Anime Egg") to Anime no Tane ("Anime's Seed"), and the length of the shows was reduced from  22-24 minutes to 7-10 minutes. No explanation was given. Perhaps the cost of producing a "throwaway" full-length anime episode had become too high.

In any case, the reduced length makes it more difficult to create a fleshed-out story. This is exemplified in Kicks and Punk, from the 2024 edition of Anime no Tane. It's set in a future in which advances in transportation have made walking unnecessary. (Nonetheless, people still look lean and fit.)

A sneaker fan(atic) named Nike(!) still runs everywhere, to the consternation of the robot traffic police.

Her goal is to get a new edition of sneakers from the legendary manufacturer "Dynamelos," which can only be obtained on the black market. She is saved from the police by a woman named Shelly Walter, daughter of the head of Fractal Walter, which created the current transportation system. 

Nike and Shelly over their shared love of sneakers. 

By unbelievable coincidence, Shelly is actually the head of Dynamelos and has the sneakers Nike craves.

And that's it.

As befitting a short about the joys of running in sneakers, the animation is very dynamic, with simplified character designs and vibrant colors. On the other hand, Nike's relentless genki enthusiasm wears out its welcome pretty quickly, and Shelly is more a plot contrivance than a character. Still, it's all over pretty quickly.

The voice cast is small and not well known.

• Ikuta Teru (Nike) played Futaba in the Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight properties, Natalia in Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Gekijou: Extra Stage, and Himawari in Edomae Elf. She has also appeared in film and stage productions. 
• Kimura Akiko (Shelly Walter) played the title role in the Rockman EXE franchise, Kisaragi in the Happy Lesson franchise, and Fey Rune in Inuzama Eleven Go: Chrono Stone, among many other roles.
• Matsumoto Kohei (Cyber Police) appeared in Bleach, Ergo Proxy, Valkyria Chronicles, and other shows.
• Masuda Kento (Clerk / Narration) has no other anime credits. 

The short was produced by Nippon Animation. The "chief" director was Kamiya Jun, who directed Blue Seed, The Third, Penguin no Mondai, Seikimatsu II: Humane Society, and The Girl from Phantasia; the last two are Orphan releases. The director was Ichimura Jinya, in his first directing role. He also did the storyboards.

Perevodildo translated and timed. He doesn't like the Young Animator shows. Frankly, Kicks and Punks illustrates why he has reservations. I edited and typeset; the hardest part was finding a font to match the opening title. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raw is from someone named jireh, about whom I know less than nothing.

Kicks and Punk is the last of the 2024 Anime no Tane shows to be subtitled. The others are:

• Pop Pop City, released with English subs and encoded by Toonshub
• Bridge: My Little Friends, subtitled by gugugaga
• Ephemere (Salteel, according to Wikipedia), subtitled by gugugaga

You can get Kicks and Punk from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Hello WeGo!

I've always had a soft spot for the Young Animator Training Project, which, over the years, has been known as Project A, Anime Mirai, Anime Tamago, and most recently, Anime no Tane. Each year's releases are a mixed bag, but I've usually found something to like. Anime Tamago 2019 had four shorts, three of which have already been translated:

• Chuck Shimezu (Orphan) 
• Captain Bal (Orphan)
• Toe! Space Attendant Aoi (Leon-Subs)

Thanks to the efforts of Darkonius and Perevodildo, Orphan is now pleased to release the last show from the 2019 crop, Hello WeGo!

Hello WeGo! is set against the backdrop of Japan's aging population and rural decline. To offset the diminished population outside the big cities, children use personal robots, called Mechatronics WeGo's, to get to and from school safely, perform chores, and of course, compete with each other. 

Satoru is an orphaned elementary school student living with his grandmother. His WeGo is old and beat up.

It compares unfavorably with the shiny new models owned by his rival Akira and others in his class.

Despite support and encouragement from his friend Nanami, Satoru gets increasingly depressed, ultimately refusing to compete in WeGo competitions. 

Then, mechanic Domon Genkichi, a friend of Satoru's grandmother, fixes up the battered robot (and maybe removes the safety stops).

Satoru realizes that he's surrounded by people who love and support him.

He faces up to his fears and the biggest challenge of all: jumping the Crevasse of Dread.

If this all sounds a bit generic, it is. There's none of the sly humor in Chuck Shimezu or the satire in Captain Bal. It's a straightforward story of a child facing his fears and overcoming them. The other children are not villains or bullies; even Akira is basically a good kid. As a result, the show has an obvious plot line and lacks tension. But the visuals are impressive, and the show leaves a pleasant aftertaste.

The voice cast includes several distinguished seiyuu:

• Tanezaki Atsumi (Satoru) starred as the title role in Sousei no Frieren, Asako in Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Chise in Mahou Tsukai no Yome, Anya in Spy x Family, Atsumi in Liz to Aoi Tori, and Tinasha in Untamed Memory. She also played Karash, the ferocious-tempered rabbit, in the Hoozuki no Reitetsu franchise, a particular favorite.
• Yuuki Aoi (Nanami) starred as the title role in the Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica franchise, Maomao in Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, Mina Tepes in Dance in the Vampire Bund, Jubee in the Hyakka Ryouran franchise, Tooru in A-Channel, Victorique in Gosick, Pastillage in the Dog Days franchise, Iris in recent releases in the Pokemon reboot, Hibiki in the Symphogear franchise, Tanya in the Yuujo Senki and Isekai Quartet franchises, Lotta in ACCA, Tsuyu/Froppy in the Boku no Hero Academia franchise, Diane in the Nanatsu no Taizai franchise, and the nameless lead in Kumo Desu ga, Nanika?
• Tamura Mutsumi (Akira) played the title roles in the Kobayashi-san no Maidragon franchise and Captain Bal (an Orphan release), Yuuki in the Ef properties, Inomata Ken in Anyamal Tantei Kiruminzoo, Kiyo in Asobi ni Iku yo!, Sonya in Kill Me Baby, Sayaka the maid in the Seitokai Yakuindomo franchise, Lux Arcadia in Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut, Lutz in Honzuki no Gekokujou, Beelzebub in Sand Land, and Yukiya in Karasu wa Aruji o Erabanai.
• Sawada Toshiko (Satoru's grandmother Michiyo) has played teachers, mothers, or grandmothers in numerous shows, including Maison Ikkoku,The Big O, Usagi Drop, the Magi franchise, Hinako Note, Laughing Target, and The Girl from Phantasia. The last two are Orphan releases.
• Shiba Chigeru (Domon Genkichi) played the narrator of Fist of the North Star, Shigeo in the Patlabor franchise, Megane in the Urusei Yatsura franchise, Ichidou Rei in High School! Kimengumi, Kuwabara Kazuma in YuYu Hakusho, Pilaf in the Dragon Ball franchise, and Buggy the Clown in One Piece. He played the title role in Kigyou Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call and appeared in Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai: Tsuyoshi no Time Machine de Shikkari Shinasai, Ai no Kusabi, Akai Hayate, Bagi, Condition Green, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Kitou Akari (Yuuki, a classmate) played Adachi in Adachi and Shimamura, Tsukasa in the Tonikaku Kawai properties, Nene in Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, Erika in Cuckoo no Iinazuke, Nezuko in the Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise, Mio in the Tsuki ga Michibiku properties, Kate in Shadows House, Eve in Birdie Wing, Kotoko in Kyokou Suiri, the title role in Mamekichi Mameko NEET, Hina in Okinawa de Suki ni Natta, and Suzune in Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou.
• Mano Ayumi (Maru, another classmate) played Natsune in Ballpark de Tsukamaeta, Alice in Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid, and Isabelle in Bara Ou no Souretsu.
• Tomita Miyu (Haruto, another classmate) played Otako in Oshiete! Galko-chan, Crimvael the Angel in Ishuzoku Reviewers, Rizu in the Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai properties, Riko in Made in Abyss, and Mickbell in Dungeon Meshi.

The show was produced by Wit Studio and directed by Masuyama Ryouji, who has since gone on to direct Blend S and Nier: Automata V1.1a.

Darkonius translated and timed the show, and Perevodildo translation checked. Both were baffled by the rural dialect used by the adults (either Yamagata or Shounai dialect), so there may be issues with those lines. I edited and typeset. The signs were extensive, and repetitions of some complex signs have been omitted. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raw is from Ioroid and is full HD.

The show exposed another incompatibility in the media tools world. If you are using madvr for rendering, instead of standard renderers, the signs won't appear to be the right colors. In addition, some "smoothing" of quick brightness shifts causes sign colors to change at a scene boundary. In short, if you are using madvr, disable it. With their default renderers, MPC-HC, mpv, and VLC all look correct. 

Hello WeGo! is middling, no denying that. Still, it's a wholesome take on how young children grow, and I'm glad the Anime Tamago "class of 2019" is now completely translated. You can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.