Hello WeGo!

I've always had a soft spot for the Young Animators' 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 Studio Wit 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.