Well, that was odd. Based on the manga by Inio Asano that debuted in 2014 and concluded in 2022, the series is a curious mixture of slice-of-life and post-alien invasion, where the denizens of Tokyo continue to live in the city even after a giant spaceship arrives and hovers perpetually overhead like an extra from Independence Day.
The series follows Koyama Kadode and Nakagawa Ouran as high school students who just try to get on in an uncertain world. With the ever-present threat of the alien invaders hovering above them, pumping out some kind of radiation, the pandemic parallels are very much in play, making the manga somewhat prophetic in its depictions of social distancing and ever-present facemasks separating friends and families.
Kadode is the "everyman", quiet and withdrawn thanks to the disappearance of her father and her overbearing and germ-obsessed mother who seems to care far more for her own needs than those of her daughter. With her best friend Ouran providing much needed support (despite being aggressive, eccentric and a total fantasist) the two manage the tightrope of everyday life as best they can.
The first episode does a good job in depicting both the invasion, set three years before our story, and the effects it has had now that initial panic has settled down. The US decided to attack the alien structure, and ever since the visitors have stayed in their ship and are pumping out some form of radiation into the city, though it doesn't appear to be harmful. Naturally everyone has their own ideas about the true intentions of the visitors, with many leaving Tokyo and those that stay behind becoming somewhat numb to the unusual blot on the skyline.
Already adapted into a 2 part film, this 18-part Original Net Animation is now streaming on Crunchyroll, and while I haven't seen the film, I must say that the series does a wonderful job in balancing melancholy, everyday life and the absurd into one engrossing package. It's not fast nor is it loud, but I found myself somewhat glued to the drama, the subtle (and not so subtle) relationship beats between characters forming its own sense of lived reality. The writing allows you to connect despite the oddity of the situation and our leads embody the nihilism of youth, with neither particularly optimistic about their futures but still feeling excitements for a new video game.
This is a series that stands in stark contrast to the last anime I spent time with, Kaiju No.8. It has none of the bombast or cultural cool of that show, but remains thoroughly bewitching as you're drawn into Kadode's world. I'd heartily recommend a watch of this one, but you'll need to give it your attention and allow the atmosphere to carry you along.
I for one can't wait to see what happens with the little robot spacecraft that looks like a mushroom...
Trailer:
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