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Due to the lack of free time which is supposed to be allotted for my daily serving of anime, I resorted to watching short anime films and such. Of course, I was hoping to find something as magnificent yet light as Tsumiki no Ie. Then I stumbled upon the 4 short anime shows that comprised the 2010 Young Animators' Training Project. As the name of the said endeavor implies, its an on-the-job-training project funded by the Japanese Animation Creators Association to train fresh aspiring animators. Although I found it not as touching, unique and outstanding as Tsumiki no Ie, this anime collection was still worth ... the watch as each story brought me back to those shows and stories I used to love when I was still a child.


Having been produced by Production I.G., the same people who served us loads of great anime through the years, amazing classics like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell, the wild and random FLCL and touching anime series like Kimi ni Todoke and Higashi no Eden, Somehow, that set the bar quite high for me for this show, Tansu Warashi (The Wardrobe Dwellers). Although it was quite a letdown after seeing this show's art compared to the first 3 of the 2010YATP shows (I watched this one last) rather simple (although this observation is just superficial to its overall quality), and the story not as deep and touching, as exciting or not even gripping as I was expecting it to be (granted it's from Production I.G.), the show still proved to be very enjoyable in itself being a short lighthearted and laid-back slice-of-life tale. Tansu Warashi is the story of a regular OL (office lady), Hiiragi Noel and her brief yet unforgettable experience with six spirit children who live in a dresser that is passed down for generations of the women of the Hiiragi family. They also claim themselves to be the servants of the current Hiiragi family's mistress, or more likely, the mistress of her own apartment, Noel, and are bound to correct her too carefree ways of living, teach her to become a responsible adult, and help her bloom into a beautiful yet modest woman.

STORY: 9

The best part about this show, I could say, is its story. Like how its opening goes, Its quite relaxing and fairly easy to digest. Like I've mentioned earlier, having a warm yet light atmosphere, its like being served with a bowl of warm and tasty rice porridge. The consistency is perfect, the suitable amount of elements of comedy and emotions mixed in complement the flavor very well, providing the viewers with a healthy, hearty slice of life. Also, I loved the mix of characters that comprised the six wardrobe dwellers. Jirokichi, the safety specialist who looks like a mountaineer/archaeologist, Masa, the cook who dresses like a sushi chef, Yuki, the beautician with her curls and pouty lips and Tae, the motherly figure who teaches Noel the perfect manners looks like a traditional Japanese woman wearing a kimono. Daigoro the fat glutton and Hanpei the brat may seem like useless characters but I believe their presence might be for the purpose of training Noel on how to handle such troublesome folks.

ART: 7

Although, from one's observation, the show's backgrounds look really very simple, like something that popped out from a children's picture book - lightly colored with minimal detail, I think it fits the shows lighthearted theme nicely. Also, the characters are drawn with just enough to little detail and with flat colors, reminiscent of classic anime like Doraemon. Another thing I couldn't help but notice is the dynamic images (e.g. characters) that move around a very light background throughout the show seems a little offish especially when the background turns dark, but maybe its just a matter of preference.

MUSIC: 8

The background music is very nice and pleasant, as expected from a relaxing theme of a show. Good lighthearted themes all throughout the scenes with a few memorable ones like the whistling laid-back theme where Noel returns home from work red-faced and a little tipsy and the light quirky theme during Hanpei's first appearance. The ED theme also provides good relaxing music fitting the short animation on a squiggly animated box that plays with it.

ENJOYMENT: 8

Overall, it provided me with a perfect relaxing end after watching the 2010YATP shows in one sitting. Usually, lighthearted and easygoing shows like this tend to stick to my head for quite sometime . It provides a good escape from the busy and tiring monotony of everyday life by sharing the same fun, mellow and pampered feeling similar to Noel's experience with her wardrobe dwelling friends.

Due to the lack of free time which is supposed to be allotted for my daily serving of anime, I resorted to watching short anime films and such. Of course, I was hoping to find something as magnificent yet light as Tsumiki no Ie. Then I stumbled upon the 4 short anime shows that comprised the 2010 Young Animators' Training Project. As the name of the said endeavor implies, its an on-the-job-training project funded by the Japanese Animation Creators Association to train fresh aspiring animators. Although I found it not as touching, unique and outstanding as Tsumiki no Ie, this anime collection was still worth ... the watch as each story brought me back to those shows and stories I used to love when I was still a child.

Bannou Yasai Ninninman (Super Veggie Torracman) is a show that obviously caters to young audiences and is best recommended for those little ones who have trouble finishing their meals particularly, leaving their veggies untouched (or secretly feeding it to the dog). Mari is a young school girl who totally dislikes veggies, carrots and bell pepper in particular and even drinking milk. she detests it to the point that she gets nightmares of being forced to eat them. Also, she has a fear of passing a certain bridge, which is inevitably part of the way to her school, caused by some traumatic experience in her past. Because of this, she has to go around the main street and take a twice longer path to get to school, even dragging her bestfriend Momo along. But all this began to change after a day at school lunch. Mari passed out as she tried to forcefully wolf down the served carrots, bell pepper and milk which she hates with utmost disgust. Waking up, she finds herself in the nurse's office along with small strange veggie-creatures namely Torracman (carrot), Piiman (bell pepper) and Milk. Ironically, her most hated foods personified, out to help her change and face her fears.

STORY: 6

The weakest point of this anime perhaps is its story. Despite having the clear intention of teaching children, in a fantastic way, that veggies and milk can be your bestfriend and friendship is something worth treasuring, told in a simple yet fun plot, the story appears to have been rushed, given less thought on plot and character development leading to the lack of connection or rather jumping into the next scene without enough buffer to give the story good cohesion. Anyhow, in spite of the quite simplistic nature of this story, I bet the target audience wouldn't mind much though as long as the exciting idea of bringing veggie characters to life gives them their much needed dose of bright colors, morals and fun and laughs, which this show delivers quite well.

ART: 9

Surprisingly, I'm giving this show quite the plus points for some breathtaking artwork. Backgrounds were drawn with perfectly great detail beginning from Mari's room, house and street, to the combination of natural and urban scenery on the way to school, even the bird's-eye-view of their city near the sea. Even the character designs were good eye-candy combining soft and bright colors with clean lines, bringing out the cute and kiddie factor of each character.

MUSIC: 7

Unfortunately, the shows music didn't come out with that much impact for me, although most of it went well with the scenes. Particularly, I liked the exciting (and squeaky) one that went with Mari's forcing herself to eat her greens and the one with Torracman/Ninninman's stage intro plus the lights going off spelling "It's showtime!", other than those nothing else is special. Probably with the exception of the ending theme which I disliked the most. Aside from the fact it didn't go well with the ending scene it plays along with, to me, it sounded quite the generic superhero/magic girl stuff.

ENJOYMENT: 8

Despite having the most negative points of the four 2010 YATP shows, since my inner child has already consumed my current psyche after watching the first two of the four, I did enjoy the show's cuteness, the laughter, particularly Torracman's annoying/funny/persistent nature, and his most unforgettable "Go ahead, make my day" impression was quite the ruckus.

Due to the lack of free time which is supposed to be allotted for my daily serving of anime, I resorted to watching short anime films and such. Of course, I was hoping to find something as magnificent yet light as Tsumiki no Ie. Then I stumbled upon the 4 short anime shows that comprised the 2010 Young Animators' Training Project. As the name of the said endeavor implies, its an on-the-job-training project funded by the Japanese Animation Creators Association to train fresh aspiring animators. Although I found it not as touching, unique and outstanding as Tsumiki no Ie, this anime collection was still worth ... the watch as each story brought me back to those shows and stories I used to love when I was still a child.

Second of the four anime shorts from this great collection i've watched is Ojisan no Lamp, produced by Telecom Animation Film, the same guys who brought us Mujin Wakusei SURVIVE and the unique bacteria-comedy, Moyashimon. An old-timer, after seeing again his long-lost old floor lamp, tells his grandson a story about a certain lamp peddler who beginning from his childhood, through hard work and perseverance slowly built his business of assembling and selling oil lamps from the city to folks living in the countryside. Simply put, he was greatly inspired at the advancement of technology after seeing wonderful lights of oil lamps in the city when he was still a child and wanted the same for his village by the countryside. Also, he is bothered by having to bear with old technology (e.g. flint), despite the availability of new technology (e.g. matches) that undeniably makes things a lot easier. Although westernization and the advancement of technology in lamps became a reliable friend to him throughout the years, from his childhood until he became a family man, life seemed to have taken a sudden turn and he was thrown off as technology taught him a lesson he learned the hard way.

STORY: 9

This story in particular really makes me wish I still had my grandparents around to tell me such amazing stories taken from their real life experiences. The show totally has great storytelling, the plot and storyline was consistent, despite the timeskips, albeit brief, and the emotions were well portrayed through the characters giving it perfect points for being a touching show in the drama genre. The story's message was also clear and delivered very well and being set in historical Japan, the evident elements of history were pretty accurate also giving the viewers a good show of Japan's cultural history.

ART/ANIMATION: 9

Among the four anime, this show, to me, has the best artwork. Although the backgrounds were quite simple and drawn with just enough detail, the portrayal of the countryside, the city, nature and other sceneries were good and the animation and amount of lighting used on scenes perfectly fits, improves and sets the right mood on each, particularly on the most climactic parts. Character movement was also pretty smooth and particularly, I love how the characters were drawn in this one.

MUSIC: 9

Like what I've mentioned earlier, the music for this anime is certainly spot on, suiting, even improving every scene it plays along to, especially the dramatic ones. Whether it be planting on rice fields, a cultural festival, plodding along a natural road on a summer day, losing heart on disappointments or feelings of desperation, the music certainly gives a perfect feel of the moment. Also, the OP and ED theme that plays along with the story itself are something you can't just ignore.

ENJOYMENT: 9

This one, in my opinion, is definitely the best among the four anime shows in the 2010 YATP. Perfectly lighthearted, yet the ensuing drama is totally spot on. Consistent storyline, Great art and animation, Soothing and absolutely dramatic music, heck, I daresay, it's like watching a Ghibli movie!

Due to the lack of free time which is supposed to be allotted for my daily serving of anime, I resorted to watching short anime films and such. Of course, I was hoping to find something as magnificent yet light as Tsumiki no Ie. Then I stumbled upon the 4 short anime shows that comprised the 2010 Young Animators' Training Project. As the name of the said endeavor implies, its an on-the-job-training project funded by the Japanese Animation Creators Association to train fresh aspiring animators. Although I found it not as touching, unique and outstanding as Tsumiki no Ie, this anime collection was still worth ... the watch as each story brought me back to those shows and stories I used to love when I was still a child.

First of the four I watched from this great compilation is Kizuna Ichigeki. Its a short episode in the life of Kizuna Todoroki, a young and spunky twelve year-old little girl. Being in a family of martial artists, she exhibits her fighting prowess in a martial arts tournament. Eventually she won, became champion and took off with the 100 million yen prize. Unfortunately, she had no idea she broke one of the competition's rules being under the age of thirteen and her last sore loser of an opponent took advantage of this and broadcasted that anyone who defeats Kizuna becomes the real champion and gets the 100 million. Upon hearing this crowds of martial artists gathered over at the Todoroki's to challenge Kizuna.

Now how is she going to defeat all of them? And how are they going to give back the 100 mil when its already been spent in a snap, paying Kizuna's grandfather's gambling debts? (And how and where the heck did ol' gramps pile up that much debt?!)

STORY: 7

Although this single episode anime's plot and its development is paced quite well, a bit of lighthearted scenes and great elements of comedy (even parodies) are evident, there are quite a few details that bug me for having been given little attention. Kizuna's family and their history for example, and how Kizuna became that strong in a short span of time despite his gramps saying she just learned from imitating him and his son's training. (maybe she's like Son Goku or something). Thus, these elements, give me some feeling like its a special or single episode taken from a series. Well, on a positive note, I think it can pass for a good shounen series given the chance it gets serialized as an anime.

ART/ANIMATION: 8

At a glance, Kizuna Ichigeki seems drawn in a rush, haphazard style, given the unfinished and unrefined lines and the very simple character designs, bright and vibrant colors though make up for it, giving it the perfect feel of a comedy anime/cartoon for young viewers. Also the fight scenes which are very well executed with dynamic camera angles and well-animated movement of characters is another huge plus for this show.

MUSIC: 9

One of the best parts of Kizuna Ichigeki has to be the music. The OP music, with its shaolin-kung-fu-esque motif, is very fitting of a martial arts themed show. The background music gives the right feel on each scene especially on one fight scene in particular, which I really enjoyed, is played with catchy funky music which really catches the excitement and intensity of the scene. The ED theme is perfectly light and matches the background Todoroki family montage where it plays along to.

ENJOYMENT: 9

I totally enjoyed the fight scenes, the animation and its ensuing comedy, Ol' gramps funny character and parodies, and Jingoro, their pet cat was really a surprise. Overall, it's a good and enjoyable show especially for young audiences.

Being a fan of drama anime, especially ones that exemplify harsh realities of life in a real-world setting, I didn't think twice about giving this one a shot. Like Haibane Renmei (which I liked a lot) it deals with recollecting memories of one's past life and getting a shot at correcting the errors of the past. An unknown soul who commited a grave sin lined up, along with other souls in heaven, to receive his judgment inadvertently wins a lottery that gives him a second chance at life by doing an "internship" trial. A test that takes him back to earth and has to be ... able to remember the grave sin he committed and be able to enjoy and live life again through the body of someone who recently committed suicide, 14-year old Makoto Kobayashi.

Story: 10
The plot's idea of the afterlife and another chance at life is quite amazing. Although it's not so new, it provides a more understandable view of second chances and acceptance of real life circumstances no matter how difficult it is to cope with. The movie doesn't fail to capture reality through the view of a seemingly normal yet troubled family and the eyes of their youngest, melancholic, junior high school son who experiences disasters one after the other pushing himself to do the worst thing. Character development in the movie shows another positive, particularly with the protagonist who has zero knowledge and idea on Makoto's circumstances yet tries to cope with it all despite how unsettling it is to live another person's life and adjust to a new, albeit indifferent and sometimes distasteful, environment. And Makoto, who really fell on hard times, deciding to end it all, whose life the protagonist must pick up where he left off. Being a a film in the drama genre, this movie didn't fail my expectations of one that really digs deep and touches the heart.

Art/Animation: 9
The art for Colorful looked really great and fitting for an anime movie. The CG background was beautifully drawn and given much detail and the characters are drawn well fitting each character's personality. Both Saotome and Shouko were really depicted as goofy and/or eccentric, two people who really get along well with the similarly strange Makoto whose former self is isolated from other people. Makoto's father looks as simple as he is an ordinary low-rank salaryman and his brother who is academically strong but socially indifferent especially to Makoto, fits the four-eyes, tall and brooding character. Makoto's mother really shows the deep and emotional yet motherly figure and Kuwabara, Makoto's crush is really pretty and takes advantage of it. The images of the city landscape were also breathtaking and the places portrayed definitely shows a realistic imagery.

Music: 8
Of course, the best part I liked with regards to the music is the ED theme "Aozora" sung by miwa (who, by the way, has that really clear, beautiful and emotional singing voice). Beautiful song that perfectly fits the story which is about going through and living life no matter the diversity of life's "colors" may put you through. Although most of the movie plays with little or no ambient background music. I can say fitting music is put in the right places where the emotions are most intense.

Enjoyment: 10
Overall, the movie definitely lived up to my expectations of a beautiful drama. Emotions are spot on, at times even, Makoto's character might get on your nerves because of his attitude despite his family's efforts to show their love and support but hey, as they say, everyone is fighting their own battles. Also, even with the fantasy theme of reincarnation it didn't fail to portray reality, its harshness, and the beauty of living life despite the former. Definitely something you can't miss especially if you love drama like me.