"気が狂いそう"
"Kigakuruisou"
Translation: "It seems like we're going crazy..."
"Kigakuruisou"
Translation: "It seems like we're going crazy..."
~ Hito ni Yasahiku by The Blue Hearts
The Rolling Girls (2015)
Studio: Wit Studio
Director: Kotomi Deai
Licensed by: Funimation (NA) Madman Entertainment (AUS)
Genres: Comedy, Sci-Fi, Coming-of-Age Story
Main Cast:
Based on the manga by Yosuke Miyagi.
Simply put, FLCL had a baby with Kamen Rider and did shrooms until the birth. That baby then grew up and did the fusion technique with Kill la Kill and the result that fusion did a key of coke to celebrate.
Here's the not-so-simple version. A great war leaves Japan's government decimated and the country is split into 10 prefectures that become independent city-states. Gangs led by superhuman vigilante veterans of that great war called "bests" engage in turf wars with other gangs while supported by Average Joes and Plain Janes called "rests" who are mainly there to help keep the peace among the townsfolk and serve as cannon fodder.
Amidst the chaos, a rookie Rest begins both a journey and her coming of age. When Nozomi's friend/idol; a best who goes by the nom de guerre Maccha Green is injured in the line of duty, Nozomi takes it upon herself to fulfill peacekeeping requests on her behalf. Along the way, Nozomi is joined by three other girls, each with their own goals for the journey in mind.
The plot appears quite nonsensical at times and governed more by whimsy than by reason because this is truly a madcap comedy. In other news, the sky is blue, the Pope is a Catholic, and I love madcap comedies. The gags are pretty well timed for the most part but a few do fall flat...
Now, based on how I judged the writing, one would think that I'd give the characters a non-green score to match. However, despite being a comedy seemingly governed by whimsy, The Rolling Girls delivers a very large and relatable cast of characters. Some characters even receive an inordinate amount of development for a series of this nature and length. As any longtime reader would know (Shut up, a month IS a long time!), I do like to reward good performances in spite of handicaps imposed by writing for certain genres. However, this score goes no higher than 7 because week in and week out, our heroes are still pretty much the butt of most jokes. As much as that allows for jokes, it does get a little old after long enough...
Dazzling visuals, this time with 100% more pastel colors! Quite unexpected from Wit Studio (Attack on Titan, Owari no Seraph), but quite well done. Now sit back, relax, and let the animation speak for itself.
THIS. SOUNDTRACK. IS. FUCKING. AWESOME.
Seriously, this soundtrack is up there with the likes of FLCL, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, and even the almighty Yoko Kanno goodness of Cowboy Bebop. The reason for it's awesomeness is that the opening, ending, and insert songs are all catchy-as-hell covers of a Japanese post-punk band called The Blue Hearts. If you haven't heard of them before, you'll be scouring YouTube for their music soon enough if you like rock 'n roll at all. Combine this music with a very respectable cast on both sides of the Pacific, and voila, 9.
To me, this series embodies the sense of surrealism that makes anime awesome and draws fans to it. This is a roller coaster of randomness and awesomeness that only stops when the end credits start. The fried shrimp scene, which had me rolling on the floor, also helps.
The Final Word
Main Cast:
 |
| Nozomi Moritomo - voiced by Ari Ozawa (JP) and Felecia Angelle (ENG) |
 |
| Chiaya Misono - voiced by Yumiri Hanamori (JP) and Leah Clark (ENG) |
 |
| Ai Hibiki - voiced by Risa Taneda (JP) and Jad Saxton (ENG) |
 |
| Yukina Kosaka, AKA Captain Sense-Of-Direction - voiced by Rina Hidaka (JP) and Monica Rial (ENG) |
Based on the manga by Yosuke Miyagi.
Simply put, FLCL had a baby with Kamen Rider and did shrooms until the birth. That baby then grew up and did the fusion technique with Kill la Kill and the result that fusion did a key of coke to celebrate.
Here's the not-so-simple version. A great war leaves Japan's government decimated and the country is split into 10 prefectures that become independent city-states. Gangs led by superhuman vigilante veterans of that great war called "bests" engage in turf wars with other gangs while supported by Average Joes and Plain Janes called "rests" who are mainly there to help keep the peace among the townsfolk and serve as cannon fodder.
 |
| Duke approves. |
Amidst the chaos, a rookie Rest begins both a journey and her coming of age. When Nozomi's friend/idol; a best who goes by the nom de guerre Maccha Green is injured in the line of duty, Nozomi takes it upon herself to fulfill peacekeeping requests on her behalf. Along the way, Nozomi is joined by three other girls, each with their own goals for the journey in mind.
The plot appears quite nonsensical at times and governed more by whimsy than by reason because this is truly a madcap comedy. In other news, the sky is blue, the Pope is a Catholic, and I love madcap comedies. The gags are pretty well timed for the most part but a few do fall flat...
 |
| WAT. |
Now, based on how I judged the writing, one would think that I'd give the characters a non-green score to match. However, despite being a comedy seemingly governed by whimsy, The Rolling Girls delivers a very large and relatable cast of characters. Some characters even receive an inordinate amount of development for a series of this nature and length. As any longtime reader would know (Shut up, a month IS a long time!), I do like to reward good performances in spite of handicaps imposed by writing for certain genres. However, this score goes no higher than 7 because week in and week out, our heroes are still pretty much the butt of most jokes. As much as that allows for jokes, it does get a little old after long enough...
Dazzling visuals, this time with 100% more pastel colors! Quite unexpected from Wit Studio (Attack on Titan, Owari no Seraph), but quite well done. Now sit back, relax, and let the animation speak for itself.
 |
| Holy Catchphrase, Fatman! |
THIS. SOUNDTRACK. IS. FUCKING. AWESOME.
Seriously, this soundtrack is up there with the likes of FLCL, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, and even the almighty Yoko Kanno goodness of Cowboy Bebop. The reason for it's awesomeness is that the opening, ending, and insert songs are all catchy-as-hell covers of a Japanese post-punk band called The Blue Hearts. If you haven't heard of them before, you'll be scouring YouTube for their music soon enough if you like rock 'n roll at all. Combine this music with a very respectable cast on both sides of the Pacific, and voila, 9.
To me, this series embodies the sense of surrealism that makes anime awesome and draws fans to it. This is a roller coaster of randomness and awesomeness that only stops when the end credits start. The fried shrimp scene, which had me rolling on the floor, also helps.
The Final Word
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell us what you think! Were we on the mark? Did we totally blow it? Share your thoughts here!