Summer Season Update

It’s past the halfway point for the summer season, time to do a quick overview of the shows currently being viewed.

Ald.Noah Zero: In 1969 a gateway to Mars was discovered on the moon.  The humans who emigrated to Mars discovered more alien technology and considered themselves heirs and lords or the planet.  Going under the name of the Vars Empire their contempt for Terran humans is well known.  Fifteen years after an accident that destroyed half of the moon along with the gateway a young Vars princess travels to Earth on a goodwill mission.  Unfortunately she is assassinated leading to the Vars nobles who live in orbit around Earth to declare war.  A group of students in Japan are caught up in the defensive as Vars mechs continue to descend around them.  They have to use their compulsory military training beyond its limits to survive long enough and get to safety.

    Even with its annoying character designs this is a really enjoyable series.  Interesting world building and excellent mecha combat.  This show along with Argevollen has made me contemplate the styles I enjoy when it comes to mech anime.  Regardless, this is a fun series that I look forward to finishing, even with the annoying Victorian characters designs of the Vars nobles.

Argevollen: Taking place on a fictional world as two nations battle each other for territorial control.  The story focuses on a small expedition mech force that ends up rescuing and acquiring a new and untested mech design.  The mechs pilot is a rookie soldier whose main goal is to learn why his sister died years earlier in her military service.  As he and his squad become more entangled in the workings of the current conflict they start to realize they are pawns in a game of political deception.

    This is the second mech series for me this season and it is also incredibly enjoyable and quite different from Aldnoah.Zero.  This is a straight forward military anime that I greatly welcome.  It reminds me a little of Pumpkin Scissors in its intrigue and politics.  It has also been dividing the mecha fan base though...

Barakamon: Professional calligrapher Handa Seishu moves to a remote fishing village in order to focus on his work following a disastrous rejection of a display piece.  The simple and friendly locals do their best to make him feel at home but their quirks and customs rubs him the wrong way.  His time on the island serves as both a centering of his profession and a blunting of his criticism towards others.

    A fun slice of life comedy I have been waiting for since 2013.  It reminds me ofYotsuba&! with the little girl who glom's onto Handa.  As the story progresses he continues to become familiar with the residents of the town and takes away life lessons from them.  The series isn't sappy though.  It's filled with quick comedy and some word play.  Ultimately it's an enjoyable show with a clear direction and conclusion.

Glasslip: Fukami Toko and her friends are enjoying their last summer as children in their quiet seas side town.  That peace and happiness starts to crumble when a transfer student arrives and causes discord between the friends.  he has come, seeking Toko, as both of them have the ability to glimpse fragments of the future.  He wants to help her and work with her so they both can understand what the visions mean.

  This is an interesting and dry romantic drama.  The conclusion of the series is still a mystery but its fun to see the dysfunction grow between the group as they let their petty jealousies come to the surface.  The clairvoyance thing is interesting but it hasn't materialized to much as of yet.  Secretly I'm hoping it will more go the way of Toki o Kakero Shojo and the transfer kid is from the future!!  But I doubt that will be the case.

Nobunaga Concerto: Slacker high school student, Saburo, suddenly finds himself in the Warring States period of Japan, (mid 1500's).  The first person he comes across is a young Oda Nobunaga, one of the future unifiers of the nation.  The young warrior convinces Saburo to take his place as they look identical.  He wants to do this in order to rest from his duties to become healthier.  Saburo eagerly agrees not really having anything else to do.  Impersonating a 16th century noble isn't as easy as he would expect.  The only thing keeping everyone from executing him due to his bizarre antics is their respect for their liege.  Saburo begins to fit into the role of Nobunaga and with the help of his history text book works to make sure history stay on course.

    There have been a number of anime recently with Nobunaga in their titles.  This is would probably be the best as its part history lesson and part fish out of water antics.  It’s a wonder he isn't executed for witch craft at times as he references his book, uses English words and other general modern quirks that befuddle those around him.  There are two problems with this one though; the character animation is sloppy motion capture CG and Saburo's general personality is a bit hollow.  he just floats along blissfully ignorant of what his situation really is; only believing that the course of history will follow its path.  Also...he got really good at riding a horse, like immediately...what the hell...  Still a fun show.

Tokyo ESP: People begin developing psychic powers.  A group of them band together with ambitions to become the leaders of the world through terror and subjugation.  Other psychics decide to work to stop the oppression of normal humans. 

   This is half super natural action series and half slice of life comedy...at least based on the first few episodes.  I like part and am bored by the other part.  The animation is really slick though but it’s a tired and played out story.  In this one there is a mysterious savior, the White Girl, who unwittingly fights for justice and peace.  She ends up grouping together with other people to help protect normal humans from being exploited and ends up becoming a sort of figure of hope.

Zenkyou no Terror: Two young men enact a plan to terrorize Tokyo for unknown reasons.  After stealing radioactive material from a reactor facility and bombing half of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building they begin a deadly game of cat and mouse with the police.

    This is the second new series by Watanabe Shinichiro (the other being Space Dandy) and it is nothing like his typical style.  This is a straight forward drama closely resembling cops vs. bad guy Hollywood movies.  It’s a fun ride so far and even though I don't expect anything ground breaking I enjoy seeing this other side to Watanabe's writing.

Tokyo Ghoul: In an alternate version of the world flesh eating creatures coincide with normal humans, hidden in the shadows and passing off as normal people in the day.  College student, Ken Kaneki, finds himself thrust into the world of the ghouls when a doctor performs a radical transplant to save his life after he is attacked by one.  Now he must come to terms with being a part of both worlds.

    I am still unsure if I will continue to watch this, I haven't caught up with it yet, but the few episodes I have watched really have not grabbed me.  I also fear the inevitable direction the story will go based on the series imprint on the interwebs.  There is some significant cosplay associated with this title and it looks like it’s going to end up being a horror shonen battle series, which I have little interest in.  This one may get dropped sooner than later.

Ao Haru Ride: This is a slice of life comedy romance about a girl who lost her boyfriend when he moved.  When he comes back 3 years later they have both changed and she tries to reclaim what was lost and/or fall in love with the new man before her. 

    This is a sweet and enjoyable that goes back and forth between moments of comedy and moments of drama.  The only complaint I really have with it is the characters designs.  I am not a fan of the 90's shojo style.  This doesn't bring anything new but it isn't bad either.

Maido! Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku: Crazed antics of a misfit family and their associates.  This one still has not been picked up by anyone and is not being subbed so I can only follow some of what is going on.  This is a spinoff of an Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku anime from the late 90's and is also derived from a popular gag manga.  All I can say is this is the best looking anime adaptation of a gag manga I have ever seen and the parts I can understand make me cackle.  This is a blast and I eagerly away each weeks' short episode!
 

Himegoto: An androgynous high school student is saved from debt collectors by the notorious student council.  The punishment for his help is to be their cross dressing slave until the end of his time at school.

 

    This is a ridiculous and perverted anime short series.  There is nothing of value in it and it plays on worn out fan service tropes.  Yet, I think it’s an amazing piece of protest to the current trends in anime.  Each episode is loaded with panty shots and precarious panty revealing situations...but every single one is of the male lead and his younger brother while in gag.  I don't know the authors original intent, but aside from a stupid comedy, I see this as a thumb in the eye to the rampant and unneeded fan service in anime these days.

Sabagebu: Sonokawa Momoka is forced to join the Survival game Club at school y the clubs president and school idol.  At first reluctant to participate she soon gets into the groove with the odd ball members as they run through fantastical gun toting romps of fantasy and speculation.

    The best way I can describe this series is if Keroro Gunsou was about semi-lesbian war game otaku.  It doesn’t take its self seriously, with the 4th wall constantly being broken down and all sorts of gags and absurdities.  It picks fun of otaku, modern anime tropes while at the same time worshiping them.  Not the best of the year but still worth spending 20 minutes a week with.  Some episodes are hit or miss though.

Re:_Hamatora:  This follow up to the original Hamatora series from the beginning of 2014 picks up 6 months afterwards and deals with the fallout from the events of the first series.  While at first hesitant with the original episodes, this one was more than welcomed to return!

    Still full of ready for cosplay characters with impossible names, the drama and comedy syncs together well as the members of the Hamatora detective agency try to figure out what’s going to happen with them and others who have their special Limit powers.

Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun: Chiyo Sakura has a crush on her classmate Nozaki-kun.  A misunderstanding leads her to become his newest manga assistant instead of her boyfriend.  She's now part of a small team of classmates helping the stoic and oblivious Nozaki make his popular shojo romance series.

    This would be one of my favorite shows from this season.  It’s funny and paced similar to School Rumble.  A much welcomed slice of life comedy.  There is no real central plot or course of direction and I hope it goes for more than 13 episodes.  The characters are fun and I get good laughs with each new episode.

Shin Strange+:  The return of this short gag anime which initially aired in the beginning of 2014 follows the misfits of the Mikuni Detective Agency.  With no coherent plot or general direction of any sort of story you just sit back and take in the insanity.

    At just a few minutes a pop, this is a fun and odd gag series.  Worth the time if you have a taste for pointless butt jokes and gender bending oddities.

Dropped Shows:

    DRAMAtical Murder

    Shonen Hollywood

    Hanayamata

Toradora

Toradora (トラドラ) is a 25 episode romantic comedy based on the light novel series of the same name.  The series is written by Takemiya Yuyuko and illustrated by Yasu.  The anime originally aired on TV in Japan in 2008.

    Takasu Ryuji has the face only his mother could love.  His deceased father was purportedly a low ranking yakuza and Ryuji unfortunately looks like one himself.  He lives with his aloof hostess mother in a ramshackle house stuck next to a high end apartment building.  Looks deceive personality though as Ryuji is dedicated and responsible.  He's a clean freak to the point of it being a fetish.  Unfortunately his looks precede his personality and everyone in school avoids him as if he were a delinquent.  His second year of high school leads to him getting mixed up with one of the schools true delinquents, the Palmtop Tiger, Aisaka Taiga.  After an eventful run in with her they end up being assigned the same class.  In a mix up at the end of the day Taiga slips a confession note into Ryuji's bag instead of the class rep, who she has a crush on.  Ryuji finds it later that night.  Initially thinking it was a challenge letter from her, he discovers the truth when he reads it.  When Taiga finds out she breaks into his house to attack him and retrieve the embarrassing evidence only to succumb to hunger.  Being the softie he is Ryuji cooks a midnight snack for his pathetic assailant.  Taiga strikes a deal with him to keep her secret.  She knows Ryuji has a crush on her best friend Kushieda Minori and they pair agree to help the other achieve their unrequited love.  In order to keep his secret he agrees to become Taiga's man servant.  This ends up meaning more work than he anticipated as Taiga lives by herself in the apartment next to his house.

    I was really glad I picked this series back up.  When it was originally airing I watched the first few episodes but it didn't grab me enough to keep from being pulled away by other things.  Through the first 7 or so episodes it still wasn't grabbing me too much; nothing seemed to make it special.  It was good but nothing that good.  Around the half way point that all changed as all of the characters ceased to be one dimensional gags.  Initially it doesn't seem to have much traction or forward progression beyond the inevitable conclusion.  The five main characters have their set, easily identifiable personalities.  The stoic and dependable straight man, Ryuji.  Fiery hotheaded, Taiga.  Oblivious weird Kushieda.  The voice of reason and compassion in the class rep Kitamura Yusaku. And the self loathing and spoiled Kawashima Ami.  But something changes as the characters and the viewers get to know the deeper personalities of these characters, especially the three secondary members of the group.  You begin to learn about their fears, ambitions and dreams and you start to realize that everyone is tied up in a complicated mess of emotions and desires.  In the beginning the series is light and comical but near the end there are long drawn out segments of moderate drama.  It’s actually a bit of an emotional roller coaster and is probably one of the more mature and realistic high school romances in anime.

    What made me want to go back to the show was an anime from early 2014 based on another light novel series by the same author, Golden Time.  I really enjoyed the dimension and emotional range in Golden Time and was pleased to see the same thing in Toradora.  I will have to see if there is anything else by the same author, but I don't think there is.  Either way this is an enjoyable romance.  For the first time I’m a while I was pretty disappointed to say goodbye to a shows characters.  I would love to see more but I don't think there will be any more.  Along with the light novels there was also a manga adaptation but I don’t think either has expanded the story beyond the point where the anime ends...but I may be wrong.  This is a great show for someone looking for a more mature romance that is still light and fun.  Something not as heavy as Kare Kano but still driven by character depth more than story alone.

    The series is available via disc and streaming in North America.  The manga is as well but like almost everything else the light novels are not.  I wonder when we will start to see a greater influx of light novels...

 

Mokuyobi Post - Mermaid Forest

Mermaid Forest (人魚の森) is a super natural thriller by Rumiko Takihashi.  This OAV is part of her darker one shot titles and were branded as Rumik World in the United States.  It was originally released in Japan in 1991 and is based on part of the Mermaid Saga manga.

    Legend has it that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid you will become immortal.  Twin sisters Sawa and Towa live in a remote estate during the Showa era.  Towa is sick and near death her sister gives her mermaids blood in a bid to heal her illness but it doesn't go as planned.  Yuta, who at this point has been alive for 500 years after eating mermaid flesh, ends up at the sisters estate in modern times.  Yuta has been searching for another mermaid in a bid to undo the curse of immortality.  He discovers the families long and dark secret.

    In the 90's for those of us who were initially exposed to the humorously perverted comedies that Takahashi is legendary for the darker Rumik World titles were a bit sobering.  The story is dark and sinister.  I never actually got any more into the Mermaid Saga story beyond this initial OAV and going back to it now and doing a bit more research I think I should actually get into it more.  Hell, until researching for this post I never knew it was also spun off into a 13 episode TV series.  I think it's time to either pick up the manga and/or watch the TV series and finally get around to watching Mermaid Scar.  I'm a fan of Takahashi's.  Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2 hold special places in my early fandom, but honestly I think her titles that were wrapped into the Rumik World series are the best.  While her romantic/action comedies tend to drag on it seems her shorter works were able to focus on quality story telling and interesting plot lines.

    The OAV was released pretty early in North America by Viz, but appears to have never gotten beyond the VHS copy...not sure why it appears to have never been released on DVD...

Side Note: I re-watched parts of this recently to brush up on it and noticed that Viz mistranslated the newspaper in the very beginning.  They have it marked down as PM Okuda dying, but when i did some research and looked at the kanji it was really supposed to be PM Okada who was supposedly murdered by rebel soldiers in a failed coup, only to be found alive a few weeks later.

Mokuyobi Post - Debutante Detective Corps

Debutante Detective Corps (お嬢様捜査網) is a one shot comedy OAV that was originally released in 1996.

    When the 5 richest and most powerful girls at an exclusive private high school are sent and death threat they decide to take matters into their own hands and bring divine retribution to their would be assailants.  Using their collective resources and skills they show the terrorists that they messed with the wrong girls.

    This is a middle of the road OAV from the mid 90's that was actually pretty funny and made me wish they had kicked out a few more episodes.  Unfortunately there is only this one 30 minute show and nothing more.  I'm surprised that nothing more was ever generated from this, especially a manga.  Perhaps it wasn't time yet.  The show would be considered moe by today's standards but existed before that phenomenon took hold of the industry.  This also came out before the rampant use of characters that look like under age girls.  If it would have come out in the past 5 years it would have been pushed on us relentlessly and probably wouldn't have been as entertaining as it was.  Though, it's been almost 15 years since I last watched it and I wonder if it would remain as entertaining and enjoyable now as it was in the 90's.  A part of my brain tells me it wouldn't.  Styalisticaly it is a product of its era, the time of 'big eyes little mouth'.  I did enjoy this quirky romp though and it represents the style of absurdity from that time period...absurdity which also gave us Nuku Nuku and Golden Boy.  This is where I also learned that Japans variant of America's 911 emergency call system is...119.

    This was released pretty quickly in North America and a DVD variant was released in 2005.  You may still be able to find copies of it but a quick search of YouTube provides you with the horrible ADV English dub...which goes to prove that dubbing in general in anime has gotten better, if only the production side of it.  

Space Brothers

Space Brothers (宇宙兄弟) is a 99 episode slice of live drama based on the manga of the same name.  The anime originally began airing in Japan in 2011.

    Nanba Mutta is the older brother who keeps finding himself a step behind his younger brother Hibito.  After being fired from his job at a car manufacturer, Mutta decides to pursue he and his brothers live long dream of becoming astronauts.  While he is trying to pass the beginning entrance exams his brother is in America finalizing his training for a mission to the moon.  Mutto is smart and resourceful but he is also hot headed and clumsy.  His greatest enemy is his own internal dialog of fear and anticipation.  At every corner he wonders if its the end of the line for him.  He dwells on mistakes he believes he has made, over analyzing every decision.  At the same time he remains blissfully unaware of many of the mistakes and accomplishments he makes.  As he starts down the rigorous journey to his dreams can he continue to have luck and skill on his side...

    When I got back into anime in the fall of 2013 this series kept popping up on my radar.  Many times when looking at Japanese TV ratings Space Brothers would show up as one of the few newer shows, as most are usually long running syndication titles, with the highest viewer ratings.  So I figured if this show was consistently popular to the levels of Sazae-san then there must be something to it.  I finally got around to it late spring of 2014 and was instantly hooked.  Mutta is a loveable fool and the entire time you are rooting for his success.  The supporting cast of characters is surprisingly rich and deep.  Many times the story pause its forward progression to tell in depth backgrounds on them.  The writing in the series takes great pains to give these characters strong personalities and ambitions.  Mutta may be the shows main character but at times it doesn't even deal with him.  Very little in the story telling is for naught and what may seem like an irrelevant background story for unneeded characters end up becoming integral for that story arc.

    The story it's self is entertaining and flows well, with very little in the way of lag, even with 99 episodes.  The entire story covers around five or so years worth of time and a lot takes place.  I would say the worst thing about the series is the quality of the animation, especially the vehicle CG.  I understand why the animation isn't as high quality as many TV anime these days and honestly it offers little adverse affect to the show it's self, its just something to note.  The worst part though is that the series ends, what seems to be prematurely.  I have been unable to find anything on why the series ended when it did or if there will ever be any more.  I need to take a look at the manga to see if the story goes beyond what was shown in the anime.  I hope there will be more, there is plenty of story that still can and should be told.

    Another fault, perhaps the most glaring but also its most addicting, is that the series is eternally optimistic.  With all the challenges and adversary experienced by all of the characters there is little in the way of failure or tragedy.  For someone, like me, who is a bit cynical, this can sometimes border on the absurd.  Yet that is a strong part of the charm and the addictiveness of the show, the fact that you believe everything will work out every time a challenge arises.  You can't help but love Mutta with all of his faults.  You can't help but continue to root for him and hope for him to overcome each challenge.  One great thing with the series are the stealth pop culture references.  A number of the background characters reference American pop culture.  Most noticeable; Hibito's elderly Texan neighbor, Ozzy.  At one point in the story Mutto ends up working with the Ghost Busters.

    In the end this is an incredibly well written drama with plenty of humor and a ton of interesting background details on the word of the astronaut.  It's no surprise the series was as popular as it was.  It's mature, enjoyable and has something even kids can get into.  I fear though something like this won't find as big of an audience as it deserves in America.  The people who wouldn't normally watch anime would enjoy it the most.   With many of the American anime fans too wrapped up in tales of fantasy they would probably find something like this boring and pointless.  But I can't recommend it enough, it's something to sit down and watch slowly, absorbing and enjoying the stories progress as you become familiar with its myriad personalities.

    The series is available streaming on Crunchyroll and as of yet it has not received any form of disc release in North America.  The manga and the live action versions are also commercially unavailable in North America.

From the New World

From the New World (新世界より) is a 25 episode futuristic fantasy adventure based on the novel of the same name by Kishi Yusuke.  The series originally aired on TV in Japan during the Fall of 2012 and Spring of 2013.

    At the turn of the 21^st century small portions of humanity developed psychic abilities.  This led to a brutal cycle of war and destruction across the globe resulting in a reduction of the human population.  Japan of the 31st century is that of isolated agrarian communities who focus on traditions established to hamper any one individual’s ability to tip the balance of safety and stability.  Kamisu 66 is an idyllic town where its residents all exhibit some level of psychic ability.  The children are rigorously trained to control their abilities from a young age with special attention placed on them at the dawn of adolescence.  One child, Saki, is the last of her friend group to graduate into the next level of schooling, as she grows into her powers at the age of 12.

    As part of their schooling, the children form small groups and venture outside of the villages protective barrier to conduct unsupervised research.  Saki and her friends find a forbidden piece of technology, known as a False Minoshiro.  The technology is referred to as a demon by the elders of the village, to discourage residents from seeking them out or interacting with them.  Through the hubris of adolescence, the children discover the demon is an ancient machine that acts as a repository of knowledge and begin to coax information from it, information the village elders work hard to keep locked away.  Sensing something is wrong a monk from the village seeks them out, discovering they have been in contact with the forbidden technology.  He destroys the devices, seals the children’s abilities, and begins to take them back to the village to receive punishment for their transgressions.

 

    The monk fails to return them safely to Kamisu 66 as the group is attacked by a group of mutant mole-rats known as Queerats.  The Queerats were genetically modified long ago and are kept in a form of slavery by the residents of Kamisu 66 to undertake the more physically demanding aspects of their existence, ensuring the more blissful existence of the human population.  Not all the Queerat populations are subservient to the humans and one such group has decided to move against the village.  After killing the monk, who poses the only threat, the rebel faction looks to capture the children to use as leverage against the village.  Saki and one of the boys, Satoru, escape capture and flee into the forest.  A member of a different tribe of Queerats named Squealer, helps the two children evade their pursuers and takes them back to his tribe.  There he encourages them to assist his people in destroying the rogue tribe.  A leader among Squealers tribe can reverse the seal on Saki and Satoru’s powers and with their help they destroy the tribe, rescuing their friends.  The children return to the village, believing that with the death of the monk their transgressions will remain a secret.

    Two years later, the friend group has grown stronger and closer, beginning to explore their sexuality and test companionship.  One of their members, Shun, has begun to isolate himself from the group.  Concerned from one of her friend’s health, Saki confronts him about his increased detachment.  Shun reveals to her that the adults who control their schooling know about what happened during their ill-fated trip into the wilderness.  That alone has not stopped them from punishing the other members of her group and Shun tells her they have forced him into isolation due to him loosing the ability to control his powers, left to die alone.

 

    Unable to help the boy, Saki returns to the village.  Eventually the memory of his existence disappears from the friend group.  Saki, through some investigating, learns that the elders are aware of what happend two years earlier and have left them unpunished due because of the leadership potential they see in Saki.  As with Shun's banishment, that doesn't mean they are shielded from other punishments.  A pair from her friend group, Mamoru and Maria, decide to elope and flee the village after they attempt to exile Mamoru as well.  They receive aid from Squealer, who has been renamed Yakomaru, in escaping the village elders.  He helps to fake their death as they slip away into the uncontrolled wilderness, in search of peace.  Unknown to them, Yakomaru has found another False Minoshiro and has been extracting information from it, using it to help him take over his Queerat colony.

    The story jumps ahead many years, Saki is in her mid-twenties and is a member of the department that manages the Queerat populations that serve the village.  Yakomaru, once her ally, is growing into a threat for the village’s security.  He, fully in control of his colony, has been steadily wiping out the other colonies, solidifying power, and ability.  Yakomaru turns his attention to attacking Kamisu 66 with the help of a powerful psychic referred to only as ‘messiah’ by the Queerats.  Saki and Satoru are given a mission to explore the ruins of ancient Tokyo, to find and retrieve a legendary weapon buried in its depths that can be used to defeat the ‘messiah’ and help them crush the Queerat rebellion.  The group of friends, who unknowingly unleashed massive change in their world when they were young, must now face the consequences of their social transgressions or face their peaceful lives coming to an end.

    This is a classic coming of age epic that transcends location and time.  Stories like this have been told since the beginning of written history.  It is very familiar and most notably reminded me, in spirit, of the Chronicles of Prydain, Watership Down or The Secret of Nimh.  Beyond the Buddhist subtext's and the character names, this feels more like something that would have been written in Europe in the mid 20th century.  There is a noticeable lack of 'Japanese-ness' with the story.  The story is more taken from universal hero themes than anything particularly tied to one culture, which is what I think makes this one so appealing to me.  Not that I have a problem with Japanese-centric story telling.  What I really like about this one, with its universally recognized themes, is how approachable it is for people outside of anime fandom.

    The animation at times isn't good.  The mutant mole rats look like something out of the classic 70's animation features like Nimh or The Hobbit.  The flow of the story works well until they jump ahead in time, leaving the viewer to play catch up with the progress.  This is helped by the first episode after each time jump being used to recap what transpired in the lost time.  At times it does become confusing who some of the characters are as many of them do look similar and their appearances change through each time period in the story and the name of one character may have escaped from your memory after a few episodes, leaving the gravity of their appearance to not register quickly.

    The series deals with a few things; most notably loss of innocence.  It deals with concepts of social control and man kinds inherent fear of change.  One thing, that at times seems to be overtly dealt with, are the ideas of sexual and emotional freedom.  The children are allowed when they enter adolescence to begin exploring their sexuality without restrictions on gender identity and social roles.  The story also deals well with crafting a strong female lead.  At points it seemed as if this idea gets lost and the main lead keeps looking for help from the males around her, but ultimately she takes matters into her own hands again and again and perseveres through will and strength.  This is a dark story but I think is good for adolescent age children to view.  Its a story they can relate with on many levels.  I wish that the novel would come to America, but no word on that happening as of yet.  I could see it becoming a classic for young adults.
    The anime was licensed in North America and is available on disc and streaming.  The manga adaptation of the novel is also being released in North America.  The novel, however, has not been translated and licensed as of yet...fingers crossed.