The appeal and reviews of "Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Gaiden Akane Maniacs": A must-see spin-off for fans

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Gaiden Akane Maniacs - Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Gaiden Akane Maniacs

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

18+ games

■ Release date

November 25, 2004

■Release and sales

Media Factory

■Frequencies

25 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 3

■Original Story

From Arge's "Akane Maniacs ~Shooting Star Legend Gouda~"

■ Director

Tetsuya Watanabe

■ Production

• Animation Production: Silver
• Produced by: Shirayō Student Council (Acid, Bandai Visual, Lantis, Wayuta)

■Works

©age/Hakushu Festival Executive Committee ©age/Hakuryo Student Council

■ Story

A passionate transfer student named Gouda Joji arrives in the class of Akane Suzumiya, a high school student with a wounded heart. Joji falls in love with Akane at first sight and continues to pursue her passionately, but Akane treats him coldly.

*Quoted from Bandai Channel

■Explanation

"Akane Maniacs", a spin-off of the anime "Kimi ga Nozomu Eien" is now available as an OVA!
An anime adaptation of an adventure game that depicts the events from a few weeks after the PC game "Kimi ga Nozomu Eien" to one day before the start of the PC game "Muv-Luv."

*Quoted from Bandai Channel

■Cast

• Akane Suzumiya/Kaori Mizuhashi
• Gouda Joji/Seki Tomokazu
• Yuko Kazuki/Takako Inaba
• Marimo Jinguji/Ayaka Minami
• Chizuru Sakaki/Kaho Takayanagi
• Tamase Mihime / Hokuto Minami
• Kei Saimine/Natsuki Yoshino
• Armored Sovereign / Masumi Nonaka
• Haruka Suzumiya/Minami Kuribayashi

■ Main staff

• Original work by Arge (from "Akane Maniacs ~Shooting Star Legend Gouda~")
• Planning: Hirohiko Yoshida
• Director: Tetsuya Watanabe
• Character design: Satoshi Isono
• Original character design: Stupid Prince Persia, Bou
• Mechanical design: Junya Ishigaki
• Art setting: Takashi Miyamoto
• Art director: Jin Xifeng, Zhang Minfang, Zhu Xiaodan
• Music Director: Hiromi Kikuta
• Music Production: Lantis
• Photo by T2 Studio
• Edited by Kengo Shigemura
• Animation Production: Silver
• Produced by: Shirayō Student Council (Acid, Bandai Visual, Lantis, Wayuta)

■ Main Characters

• Suzumiya Akane is the younger sister of Suzumiya Haruka, the main heroine of Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, by three years. She is a third-year student at Hakuryo University's Hiiragi Academy, and the class representative of Class 3-D, where Kazuki Yuuko is the homeroom teacher. She is the captain of the swimming club and an idol at the school, rumored to be close to making the Olympic team. She is popular with teachers and students alike, both male and female, but is especially popular with male students.
• Gouda Joji is a hot-blooded guy with an ultra-positive mindset - in other words, a selfish delusion. He is a simple and honest man who has devoted his life to baseball, but he can be quite hot-headed and his unique logic tends to get out of control. After the school's principal, angry at the Guinness-level losing streak, disbanded the baseball club, he transferred to Shirayori Hiiragi with the aim of going to Koshien.
• Kazuki Yuko
  A genius physics teacher who is the homeroom teacher of Class 3-D. She is the younger sister of Motoko Kazuki, who was Haruka's doctor in "Kimi ga Nozomu Eien". She loves trouble and competition, and is a pretty messy person both in her private and public life, such as driving around her beloved Stratos in the schoolyard. She is also a graduate of Shu Shiratori. She watches over Joji from behind the scenes and sometimes helps him, but her true motives are unknown.
• Marimo Jinguji
  She is an English teacher who is the homeroom teacher for Class 3B. She is kind-hearted and caring, and her students call her "Marimo-chan" and adore her like an older sister. She has been competing with Yuuko, her close friend since high school, at every school event, and she has repeatedly lost, forcing her to play embarrassing punishment games.
• Chizuru Sakaki is the class representative of class 3B, which Marimo teaches. She is an honor student who excels in both academics and sports, and is well-respected by those around her. She cannot tolerate careless people who don't follow the rules. She has a strong sense of responsibility and is serious, but she can also be inflexible. She is best friends with Akane, who was in the same class as her in her first year, and is a good rival.
• Tamase Jinhime is a third-year student at Shiratori Hiiragi Academy. She is an innocent and friendly classmate in Class B. She dreams of everyone staying together forever. She is a talented member of the archery club, but she is extremely shy around people, which means she is unable to show her true abilities in competitions.
• Saimine Keishi Shirayori A third-year student at Hiiragi Academy. A quiet and eccentric classmate in Class B. A lone wolf who doesn't cooperate much, but for some reason gets along well with Mito. His anti-establishment remarks and attitude put him in a cold war with Chizuru, the class representative. Surprisingly, he is skillful and efficient, and has excellent athletic ability.
• Yoroi Sonjin Shirayori Hiiragi Academy third year student. Vice-chairman of Class B. He has an elusive personality and often doesn't listen to what people say. His father is an adventurer and he has been traveling around the world since he was a child, so he has an extraordinary knowledge of strange plants and animals and crafts. Even now, he is often taken out on adventures, so he is often absent.
• Suzumiya Haruka is Akane Suzumiya's older sister. After a freak accident, she was unconscious for three years, but miraculously recovered and is now living a normal life. She is a homely and modest woman, but has a strong heart. Her dream for the future is to become a picture book author.

■Subtitle

• Chapter 1/Castle 2 Standing in the White Ling (2004/11/25)
• Chapter 2/Join Goda Castle II (2005/03/25)
• Final Chapter/Farewell to My Beloved Castle (2005/08/26)

■ Related works

• Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Gaiden Akane Maniacs Chapter 2 Gouda Joji Join the Club
• Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Gaiden Akane Maniacs Final Chapter Farewell My Beloved Joji

■ Theme songs and music

• OP1
  beginning
  Lyrics by Minami Kuribayashi Composition by Minami Kuribayashi Arrangement by Masaaki Iizuka Vocals by Minami Kuribayashi
• ED1
  thank you…
  Lyrics by Minami Kuribayashi Composition by Minami Kuribayashi Arrangement by Masaaki Iizuka Vocals by Kaori Mizuhashi

Review and Recommendation

"Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Gaiden Akane Maniacs" is an OVA series released in 2004, based on the 18+ game "Akane Maniacs ~Shooting Star Legend Gouda~" by âge. This work is positioned as a side story of "Kimi ga Nozomu Eien" and revolves around the story of the protagonist Gouda Joji and the heroine Suzumiya Akane. Below, we will provide a detailed review and recommendation of this work.

Story and Characters

The story of "Akane Maniacs" depicts the passionate Gouda Joji, who transfers to the class of the broken-hearted high school student Suzumiya Akane, falls in love at first sight with Akane, and struggles to win her heart. Akane initially coldly rejects Joji's passionate advances, but gradually finds herself moved by his purity and passion. The story skillfully depicts the bittersweetness of youth and the complexities of human relationships, deeply moving viewers.

The character settings are also very appealing. The main character, Gouda Joji, is a hot-blooded man with an extremely positive and self-centered side, but his naivety and purity endear him to viewers. Meanwhile, Suzumiya Akane is a complex character who, while an idol at school as the captain of the swimming club, also carries emotional scars. Her inner conflict and growth are at the heart of the story, drawing viewers in. Additionally, supporting characters such as Kazuki Yuko and Jinguji Marimo are also unique, adding depth to the story.

Animation and performance

Animation studio Silver's attention to detail in character design and background art makes for a visually stunning film. Akane Suzumiya's swimming scene and Joji Gouda's baseball scene are particularly impressive for their smoothness and realism. Director Tetsuya Watanabe also paid close attention to the character's emotional expression and story development, skillfully evoking the viewer's emotions.

In terms of direction, the series emphasizes its youth drama elements while occasionally mixing in comedy elements to warm the hearts of viewers. In particular, the trouble-making exploits of Kazuki Yuko and the conflict scene with Jinguji Marimo are sure to make you laugh, while also delving deeper into the relationships between the characters. The touching scene in the final chapter is powerful enough to move viewers to tears.

Music and theme song

Music director Hiromi Kikuta and Lantis, who was in charge of music production, provided beautiful background music that matches the atmosphere of the story. In particular, the opening theme "Beginning" and the ending theme "Arigato..." have impressive lyrics and melodies that symbolize the theme of the story, and resonate deeply with viewers. The singing ability of the opening theme singer Minami Kuribayashi and the ending theme singer Kaori Mizuhashi is also excellent, further enhancing the charm of the work.

Recommendation

"Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Gaiden Akane Maniacs" is a work that has the appeal of a youth drama and depicts the deep human relationships of the characters. It is especially recommended for viewers who can empathize with Gouda Joji's passion and Suzumiya Akane's inner conflict. It is also enjoyable not only for fans of the original game, but for anime fans in general. As an OVA series, it is short at only three episodes, but it is packed with a dense story and charming characters. Please give it a watch.

Furthermore, this work is positioned as part of the "Kimi ga Nozomu Eien" series, and is an important piece for enjoying the entire series. It is a work that fans of "Kimi ga Nozomu Eien" and "Muv-Luv" cannot miss. High-quality animation that makes the most of the OVA format and a moving story await you.