Nana Toshi Monogatari: Hokkyokukai Sensen

For those of you seeking an obscure naval combat anime, look no further than Nana Toshi Monogatari. I have no idea if this was based off a manga or anything but it was a shame this was not turned into a full Tv show.

Nana Toshi Monogatari has an unique if not convoluted premise where traditional battleships have resurfaced as the dominant weapon of conquest in a disaster stricken world of high sea levels and a permanent no fly zone imposed by out of control point defence satellites. The story is surprisingly comprehensive, featuring politics and military strategy. However, no particular theme is explored in detail. ... In fact, due to the short run time, a lot of things aren't well developed (the world and characters). This is a shame since the characters do have potential.

The art is definately not the best 90's anime has to offer. In fact, it looks like a darker LotGH.
Kudos to the realistic character artstyle and weapons however.


Music and sound is ambient synthrock, fits the anime well but doesn't stand out.

I was more impressed by the A E S T H E T I C S than anything else. Things like:

-An awesome schizophrenic mix of 20th century weaponry from a vintage Hotchkiss machine gun to the HK G3 rifle. Funny to see Nazi weaponry outgunning people with modern nato weaponry- stick grenade beats squad automatic weapon!

-The nations are also a wacky mix; the desert nation uses sophisticated European weaponry and Israeli Merkava tanks but their architecture is Arabic.

-Attack helicopters ambushing battleships and then getting pwned by orbital lasers!

-a rather handsome male cast #manime


Overall ,this is a very interesting anime with potential and room for development. However, in its 1 hour runtime, it merely comes off as a poorman's version of Legend of the Galactic Heroes set in the seas.

Nana Toshi is a 2-episode science fiction based on the manga with the same name.
It offers a small glimpse into the manga featuring a short battle between two city nations.
The drawing style is mature, concise and the main selling point of this short story.
Animation is simple but clever and well executed.
Voice acting and music are kept simple but fit the seinen genre quite well.
Probs go out to the directing of this show: within 2 episodes a cast of varying main characters is assembled with minimal introductions all while depicting several naval battles and political negotiations.. yet one can follow the plot ... easily and get a sense of what the characters are all about.
The battles themselves are naive and simplistic but it doesn't dim the entertainment value too much.
Definitive recommendation! 7/10

Seven Cities Story: Arctic Front is a unique 90s naval combat and political strategy OVA, with an artistic and storytelling style reminiscent of the late 70s or early 80s. It exhibits a slow, measured pace, with a detailed but generally lethargic animation style. Beginning with the story, it is the strongest aspect of the anime. First, the worldbuilding is fascinating, taking place on an earth over a century out from an axial tilt shift that took the lives of billions, and in the shadow of a now nonexistent lunar government which controlled the earth via satellites which prevent any Terran ... craft from rising above 500 meters from the ground. As such, airborne combat and travel are essentially impossible, and warfare has become a largely naval affair. The story is intriguing, if ponderously slow at times, with engaging depictions of military strategy. However, despite it being the far future, the world itself feels like it's at a 50s or 60s level of technological development at the absolute most. It certainly doesn't feel like the 22nd century. Apart from serious pacing issues and some confusion in the setting, the story is still essentially a strong one.

The art has solid direction, but is lacking in its execution. The backgrounds and interiors are seriously impressive, as are the various pieces of military hardware throughout, but the characters look shoddy and amateurish, and everything is only just barely animated, with short bursts of random fluidity thrown in.

The sound is a little lacking, especially with regards to the sounds of life and combat, but the voice work bridges the gap, which is good because there is a fair bit of talking, which can get drawn out and meandering at times.

The characters are fairly strong, embodying various military and historic archetypes throughout. Of them, Kenneth Guilford and Amalrick Aswaer are the best, given that their respective Bismarckian and maverick demeanors contrast against each other so well, and make for a compelling rivalry. Overall, this anime is one with a lot of potential, but ends up falling somewhat short of what it could be. It feels like two episodes out of a much larger story, and the rich worldbuilding is left woefully underexplored in favor of long-winded dialogue and unnecessary panning shots. Overall, this anime has its strengths and weaknesses, but I feel you need to resonate with some unique aspect of this story to really enjoy it, because on its own it's a little lacking.