Akuemon: Review and recommendation of attractive characters and deep story

A comprehensive review and recommendation of Akuuemon

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

July 16, 1993

■Frequencies

24 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Osamu Tezuka

■ Director

Makoto Tezuka

■ Production

Tezuka Productions

■Works

©Tezuka Productions

■ Story

The sixth volume in the Lion Books series. A fortune teller predicts that in order for the Left General to rule the country, he must hunt a thousand foxes. The hated Akuemon is ordered to hunt the foxes. To counter his fox hunting, the foxes disguise a female fox as Akuemon's wife and send her to his house. This is the story of Akuemon, who does not know love, and the female fox who begins to find true love in Akuemon, even as she writhes in grief as her comrades are killed. This is also the first time that Tezuka Osamu's eldest son, the visualist Tezuka Makoto, has attempted to animate a work based on an original work by Tezuka Osamu.

■Explanation

This 30-minute anime series is based on the manga short story collection of the same title. It consists of six stories with a wide variety of stories, including science fiction, fantasy, and an unusual love story. According to a comment by Osamu Tezuka at the time of production, "I would like to try to create something highbrow with content that is half experimental and half hobby-oriented," so it is a rare series that was not broadcast on television and was only released as an OVA.

■Cast

・Akuemon/Masato Ibu ・Left General/Kenichi Ogata ・Kuzunoha/Yuri Amano ・Yasuhi Abe/Kenichi Ono ・Liz/Konami Yoshida

■ Main staff

・Original work, original characters / Tezuka Osamu・Planning / Matsutani Takayuki, Shimizu Yoshihiro・Director, storyboard / Tezuka Makoto・Producer / Kubota Minoru, Okazaki Shigeru・Character design, animation director / Seya Shinji・Animation / Okazaki Naoko, Noguchi Yoko, Dragon Productions, Studio Ten, Random, Sunshine・Art director / Okada Kazuo・Background / Shibata Masato, Iwasaki Kiyohiro, Kanno Takanobu・Color setting / Okano Tsuyoshi・Finishing / Beijing Sharaku Art Products Co., Ltd.・Special effects / Abe Go・Director of photography / Shirai Hisao・Editing / Morita Seiji (Morita Editing Office)
・Music by Kazuko Hashimoto ・Music Production by Toshio Hongo (Office Papaela)
・Sound Director: Koichi Chiba ・Sound Effects: Shizuo Kurahashi ・Sound Production: Keiko Senda (Cruise)
・Direction: Hidehito Ueda

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

Story and Themes

"Akuemon" is an OVA based on the original work by Tezuka Osamu, and was produced as the sixth installment of the Lion Books series. The story begins with a fortune-telling that predicts that the Left General must hunt a thousand foxes in order to rule the country. The hated Akuemon is given the task. To counter his fox-hunting, the foxes disguise a female fox as Akuemon's wife and send her to his house. From this premise, the story unfolds of Akuemon, who does not know love, and the female fox, who begins to find true love in Akuemon, even as she suffers the grief of seeing her compatriots being killed.

The theme of this work is the exploration of love, forgiveness, and humanity. Akuemon is initially portrayed as a cold, heartless character, but the story depicts the process in which he changes his heart through his interactions with a female fox. This is one of Tezuka Osamu's frequent themes, and it asks the question of how humans learn to love and forgive. The depiction of human society from the perspective of the foxes is also interesting, and makes you think about the relationship between humans and animals.

character

Akuemon is voiced by Masato Ibu, whose performance is a perfect blend of coldness and vulnerability, successfully conveying the character's inner conflict to the audience. Yuri Amano, who plays the vixen Kuzunoha, also skillfully portrays her relationship with Akuemon, skillfully conveying grief and love. Kenichi Ogata, who plays the Left General, strongly portrays his dignity and ambition, heightening the tension of the story.

The other characters are also unique, and Kenichi Ono, who plays Yasuna Abe, and Konami Yoshida, who plays Liz, also add depth to the story. In particular, the depiction of the actions and emotions of the foxes as a group is an important element in evoking empathy in the viewer.

Visuals and animation

The visuals of "Akuemon" are brought to life by director Tezuka Makoto and character designer Seya Shinji. While faithfully recreating the atmosphere of Tezuka Osamu's original work, the film also makes use of the movements and colors that are unique to animation. In particular, the movements and expressions of the foxes are incredibly realistic, creating a strong visual impact.

The backgrounds, created by art director Kazuo Okada and background staff Masato Shibata, Kiyohiro Iwasaki, and Takanobu Kanno, are also important elements in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. The colors, designed by colorist Tsuyoshi Okano, also effectively express the emotions of the story. The visual appeal is also enhanced on the technical side by special effects designer Go Abe and cinematographer Hisao Shirai.

Music and Sound

The music was composed by Kazuko Hashimoto and conveys the emotions of the story in a profound way. The music, especially in the scenes depicting the relationship between the female fox and Akuemon, deeply touches the hearts of the viewers. With the help of music producer Toshio Hongo and Office Papaela, the music is an important part of the story.

The teamwork between sound director Koichi Chiba, sound effects director Shizuo Kurahashi, and sound production team Keiko Senda and Cruise was excellent, and the sound effects effectively enhanced the tension and emotions of the story. In particular, the sounds of the foxes' voices and movements were important elements in enhancing the viewer's immersive experience.

Director and staff

Director Tezuka Makoto is the eldest son of Osamu Tezuka and is also known as a visualist. As his first animated work, Akuemon holds special meaning for him. The fusion of Tezuka Makoto's directorial perspective and Osamu Tezuka's original work provides a fresh experience for viewers.

This work was completed with the cooperation of many staff members, including planners Takayuki Matsutani and Yoshihiro Shimizu, producers Minoru Kubota and Shigeru Okazaki, character designer and animation director Shinji Seya, animation staff Naoko Okazaki and Yoko Noguchi, Dragon Productions, Studio Ten, Random, Sunshine, editor Seiji Morita, director Hidehito Ueda, etc. Their efforts and talents make "Akuemon" a special work.

Recommendations and ratings

"Akuemon" is an OVA based on the original work by Osamu Tezuka, and deserves high praise for its story, characters, visuals, music, sound, and staff. In particular, the themes of love, forgiveness, and the search for humanity provide viewers with deep emotions and opportunities to think. It also has historical value as the first animated work by Makoto Tezuka.

This work is recommended not only for fans of Tezuka Osamu, but for anyone interested in anime and manga. In particular, it is a work that you should not miss if you like science fiction, fantasy, or love stories. It is also a rare series that was not broadcast on TV and was only released as an OVA, so if you have the chance, I recommend that you get it and watch it.

Related works and recommendations

Other works based on Tezuka Osamu's original works, like "Akuemon," include "Black Jack" and "Phoenix." These works also allow you to enjoy Tezuka Osamu's themes and visuals. Other works produced as OVAs include "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" and "Evangelion." These works also allow you to enjoy the deep stories and visuals that are unique to OVAs.

In addition, other works with a fox theme, such as "Natsume's Book of Friends" and "Inuyasha," are also recommended. These works also have touching stories that depict the relationship and love between humans and animals.

summary

"Akuemon" is an OVA based on the original work by Tezuka Osamu, and deserves high praise for its story, characters, visuals, music, sound, and staff. The themes of love, forgiveness, and the search for humanity provide viewers with deep emotions and opportunities to think. It also has historical value as Tezuka Makoto's first animated work. This work is recommended not only for fans of Tezuka Osamu, but for anyone interested in anime and manga. This is a work that you should not miss, especially if you like science fiction, fantasy, and love stories. It is also a rare series that was only released as an OVA without being broadcast on TV, so if you have the chance, I recommend that you get it and watch it.