The appeal and reviews of "The Violinist of Hamelin": Exploring the deep worldview of this classic anime

The Violinist of Hamelin - A fascinating world created by the fusion of fantasy and music

■Overview of the work

The Violinist of Hamelin is an anime film based on the fantasy manga by Michiaki Watanabe, which was serialized in Shonen Gangan magazine. It was released on April 20, 1996 as part of the Golden Week Anime Festival '96, with other films including Dragon Quest Retsuden: Emblem of Roto and Magic Circle Guru Guru. The film was distributed by Shochiku Fuji and given the Eirin number 26234. It is a one-episode, 30-minute short film, directed by Takashi Imanishi. Nippon Animation, Enix, Shochiku, and Pony Canyon participated in the production, and the copyright belongs to Michiaki Watanabe, Enix, Pony Canyon, Shochiku, and Nippon Animation.

■ Story

The story begins when the small country of Antifana is suddenly attacked by monsters. The princess is kidnapped from the castle, and the queen is in danger, when the hero Hamelin and his companions appear. Hamelin has the power to play magical music using a giant violin, but it is questionable whether he himself can be relied upon. To save the princess, the group heads to the castle where Medusa, a monster with terrifying magical powers, lives.

■ Characters

The main character, Hamel, is a handsome young man who carries a giant violin on his back and can manipulate people with his playing. However, he has a rather careless personality and a unique side to him, such as carrying around a disguise costume. The heroine, Flute, is treated as a comical character, but she is manipulated by Hamel's playing and defeats Medusa. Lyel, who carries the golden piano on her back, is turned to stone early on in the movie version and does not play a major role. The former celestial maiden, Saizer, is handsome, can fly in the sky, and has high combat abilities, but she is surprisingly a character who acts without thinking. Obou, a crow who can speak human language, supports the group as a sensible person. Medusa is the boss of the monsters, a terrifying being who can turn people and living things to stone with a glare. The king and queen suffer from monster attacks, and Princess Bellira is turned into a cat.

■Cast

The voices of Hamelin are played by Yao Kazuki, the voices of the flute are played by Yokoyama Chisa, the voices of Lyel are played by Seki Toshihiko, the voices of Saizer are played by Sakuma Rei, the voices of Obou are played by Sato Masaharu, the voices of the bass are played by Ogata Kenichi, the voices of Medusa are played by Komiya Kazue, the voices of the king are played by Chafurin, the voices of the queen are played by Inoue Kikuko, the voices of Princess Bellira are played by Tange Sakura, the voices of the boss monsters are played by Shima Kaori, the voices of the soldiers of the Underworld Army are played by Nagashima Yuichi and Nakata Masayuki, and the voices of the residents are played by Bando Naoki.

■ Staff

The production team included Koichi Motohashi, Yukinobu Senda, Susumu Tanaka, and Shoji Yagigaya, with production management by Shigeo Endo and Toru Maki. The planning was handled by Hisakazu Motohashi, Yoshihiro Hosaka, Kunihiko Ishizaki, and Susumu Nakajima, and the music was by Kohei Tanaka. The director and scriptwriter was Takashi Imanishi, and the producers were Masahiko Kobayashi, Kenji Kume, and Tsuyoshi Yoshida. The character designer and animation director was Hiromi Kato, the art director was Noriko Tsutsui, the director of photography was Takafumi Hirata, the sound director was Hiroyuki Hayase, the color settings were Shuichi Sato, the color design was Yoko Watanabe, and the animation check was by Ko Sato. The key animation was done by Koji Ito, Kunihiko Natsume, Kenji Kodama, Masayuki Yoshihara, Toshiyuki Kono, Katsusuke Konuma, Izumi Shimura, Toshiharu Matsuno, Eiko Saito, Ninji Takahashi, Yuji Hakamada, Takashi Kamei, Kinuko Izumi, Yukio Takatsu, Toshiya Washida, Nobuyuki Takeuchi, Kenji Tojo, Michiaki Watanabe, Akira Watanabe, Koichi Taguchi, Takumi Furuyama, Toshiyuki Kanno, Kazuko Irie, and Toru Yoshida. The video check was done by Shaft, Production IG, Hisashi Mawatari, Anime R, Tomiko Usui, M.I., Studio 4°C, Chihoto Hayakawa, Jungle Gym, Hiroko Fuyuto, Nakamura Productions, Yuya Kishi, Studio Cockpit, Kazuko Ueda, Studio Deen, and Group Donguri. The finishing touches were done by Maiko Yamazaki, Shima Studio, Studio Taj, Reiko Kato, AIC, Studio Griffon, Yukiko Nonaka, Kozue Sato, Studio Pokke, Makiko Kojima, Nobue Matsufuji, Studio Manbou, Mirai Yamaguchi, Yoichi Kunii, Production IG, Masako Amikura, Hadashi Pro, Yoshiko Yano, and Yasuko Kunikane. The finishing touches were done by Yayoi Ishikawa and Hiromi Uchibayashi, the special effects were done by Masahiro Murakami, the squirrel masks were done by Maki Pro, and the backgrounds were done by Studio Aqua, Midori Chiba, Yuki Ishiyama, Kenichi Ishibashi, Kazuhiko Tamari, Ayumi Kuno, Sayuri Ito, Rika Kuwabata, Hiroshi Ushijima, Masahiro Kubota, and Masayo Kobayashi. The photography was done by Togen Anime Room, Hideki Chiba, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Shinichi Fushimi, Masato Tamura, Junji Watanabe, and Yasuhiro Yoshimoto. Recording and production was by Audio Visual System, mixer was Oishi Kohei, effects were by Fizzsound's Matsuda Akihiko, recording studios were Abaco Studios and Tokyo Television Center, developing lab was Tokyo Development Laboratory, titles were by Michikawa Akira, positive editing was by Natori Shinichi, Meguro Hiroshi, and Terano Tsuyoshi, negative editing was by Kamitsunō Hidetoshi, storyboards were by Imanishi Takashi, DOLBY technical assistance was provided by Mori Mikio and Continental Far East, and production was handled by Agata Hiroatsu.

■ Theme songs and music

The opening theme "Mae o Muite Arukou" was written by Yuriko Mori, composed by Kohei Tanaka, arranged by Kenji Yamamoto, and sung by KUKO. The ending theme "Ame nochi Hallelujah" was written by Yuriko Mori, composed by Kohei Tanaka, arranged by Kenji Yamamoto, and sung by Yokoyama Hot Sisters.

■ Related works

"The Violinist of Hamelin" was shown at the same time as "Magical Circle Guru Guru: The Movie" and "Dragon Quest Retsuden: Emblem of Roto". These works also have strong fantasy elements, making them a lineup that fans cannot miss.

■ Evaluation and impressions

"The Violinist of Hamelin" is a fascinating work that combines fantasy and music. The magical music played by the protagonist Hamel, on his giant violin, is visually and aurally impactful, adding depth to the story. The characters also have strong personalities, and Hamel's careless personality and the comical treatment of the flute in particular add humor to the work. The confrontation scene with Medusa is tense and has the power to draw the viewer in. Although it is a short work, it is packed with charming story development and characters, making it a recommended work for fans of fantasy anime.

■ Recommendation points

The recommended points of this work are as follows:

• Fusion of music and fantasy : Magical tunes played by giant violins are an important element of the story, making it a visual and aural treat.
• Unique Characters : The characters have strong personalities, such as Hamelin's careless personality and the comical treatment of the flute, which add humor to the work.
• Tense battle scenes : The confrontation scene with Medusa is tense and has the power to draw the viewer in.
• A short film, but with a satisfying story : Although it's only 30 minutes long, it's packed with story development and fascinating characters, leaving you feeling satisfied.

■How to watch

"The Violinist of Hamelin" is available on DVD and Blu-ray. It is also available on some video streaming services. If you like fantasy anime or music-themed works, this is a must-see.

■ Summary

"The Violinist of Hamelin" is an anime film that combines fantasy and music. The story is made exciting by the magic music played by the protagonist Hamel's giant violin and the unique characters, making it a short but rich film. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes fantasy anime.