KIDDY GRADE -IGNITION- Awakening: New appeal and a deeper story

"KIDDY GRADE -IGNITION- Awakening": A tale of beautiful goddesses running through the galaxy

"KIDDY GRADE -IGNITION- Awakening" is a theatrical animation released on April 7, 2007, and tells the story of GOTT (Galactic Trade Tariff Organization) agents Eclair and Lumiere. This work was produced as a director's cut version of the TV series "Kiddy Grade", and is characterized by its grand scale and beautiful visuals set in the galaxy. Below, we will explain in detail about the detailed information and evaluation of this work, as well as related works and recommended points.

■ Public Information

Release media: Theatrical Original media: Anime Original release date: April 7, 2007 - January 1, 0000 Distributor: Clockworks = Kadokawa Shoten Running time: 90 minutes Number of episodes: 1 episode Original work: gimik, GONZO
Director: Keiji Goto Production: GONZO, Production cooperation: Athlead, Production: GOTT
Copyright: ©gimik・GONZO/GOTT, ©2007gimik/Kadokawa Shoten

■ Story

GOTT (Galactic Trade and Customs Organization) ES members Eclair and Lumiere are agents who solve the economic and criminal incidents that frequently occur between planetary nations. During their tough missions, Eclair encounters the "past" that she had abandoned. And when she learns of the absolute "existence" that rules the galaxy, what path will she choose...?

■Explanation

"KIDDY GRADE -IGNITION- Awakening" is a director's cut version of the story of the beautiful goddesses who run through the galaxy. It is the first part of a trilogy of movies, and while condensing the essence of the TV series, it depicts the story from a new perspective. Under the direction of Keiji Goto, it is a work that combines GONZO's beautiful animation with a deep story.

■Cast

・Eclair: Ryoko Nagata・Lumiere: Aya Hirano・Mercurdy: Kaori Mizuhashi・Armbrust: Tsuyoshi Aoba・Eclipse: Mika Doi・Chevalier: Norio Wakamoto・Tweedledy: Natsuko Kuwatani・Tweedledum: Jun Fukuyama・Anou: Akira Ishida・Eio: Toru Inada・Alv: Kikuko Inoue・Dwarf: Omi Minami・Viola: Ai Tokunaga・Cesario: Toshiyuki Morikawa・Dextera: Hirotaka Suzuoki・Sinistra: Nobuo Tobita・Ricky: Ikue Kimura・Bonita: Mami Kosuge

■ Main staff

・Original work: gimik, GONZO
・Director: Keiji Goto ・Screenplay and composition: Hidefumi Kimura ・Character design: Emi Kadosono ・Editing: Junichi Ito ・Sound director: Yota Tsuruoka ・Production: GONZO
・Production cooperation: Aslead ・Production: GOTT
・Distribution: Clockworks ・Cooperation: Kadokawa Shoten

■ Main Characters

・Eclair: A 16-year-old girl who combines childlike innocence with a motherly tolerance. As a C-class ES member, her ability is ``Power,'' which boasts superhuman strength and speed. She has a bright and honest personality, and hates crooked things.
・Lumiere: A thoughtful and intelligent girl who doesn't look like she's 10 years old. She knows Eclair better than anyone else (or even better than Eclair herself). Her catchphrase is "Girls should be elegant." She has the ability to control any electronic device, making her a "puppet."
・Mercurdi: A 13-year-old secretary in the Secretariat of the Headquarters. She is the most talented of the seven secretaries. She manages the busy Chief's schedule, handles miscellaneous tasks, and handles special tasks for the ES members. Her information gathering ability is rumored to rival Lumiere's.
Armbrust: An auditor seconded to GOTT from the Space Planet Union and the Union Management Committee. He is responsible for auditing ES members. He likes sarcasm and light-hearted remarks, and his trademark is his black bag and shallow smile. He operates according to a unique code of conduct, so it is difficult to know his true intentions.
Eclipse: A mysterious woman who holds the position of Director of GOTT Headquarters. In addition to having full command of the organization, she has ES members as her direct task force. She is elegant and calm. Her impartial judgments are what Eclair admires...
Chevalier: Minister of Economy of the Space Planetary Union and Secretary of GOTT. 56 years old. He excels in conviction, drive, and perseverance, and aspires to become a politician in order to fulfill a "wish" he made as a boy. What was that "wish"?
Tweedledy: An S-class ES member who values ​​loyalty and faith. 16 years old. He uses his "Stromm" ability to manipulate the flow of electrons to control electronic devices. His partner is his fraternal twin brother, Tweedledum. His dignified demeanor suggests he is of noble origin.
Tweedledum: Tweedledy's natural partner. 16 years old. Her ability is "Magnetfelt", which allows her to control magnetic fields. While she worships her sister, her weakness is that she has little interest in others. By combining their powers, the sisters can manifest the polymerization ability "Windstooth".
・Anou: A cynical ex-mercenary who enjoys dangerous scents and turmoil. 14 years old. His S-class ability "Amazing" is super hearing that captures the flow of energy. He can "listen" in any environment. He has a tendency to make things more complicated by being unnecessarily feminine.
・Eio: A pacifist who prefers fragrant language and disciplines himself based on his beliefs and justice. 19 years old. He has known Anto since his days as a mercenary. His S-class ability, Amplifier, is the super-vision that allows him to "see" all energy flows.
・Alv: An extremely talented S-class ES member. 20 years old. He has an overly provocative attitude towards those around him. His ability is "Absorb", which allows him to absorb power and make it his own. As an application of this, he can also use "Reflex", which allows him to reflect all external power.
・Dwarf: A girl who always stands by Alv's side. 19 years old. She follows her orders without going against her will, as if she were a mindless doll. Her ability is "Absorb". It is extremely rare for two people to have the same ability.
Viola: The youngest C-class ES member at 9 years old. Unlike her partner, she talks a lot. Her ability, Calamity, only manifests when she is polymerized with a Driver. She can freely interfere with intermolecular forces, allowing her to decompose and combine substances at a molecular level.
・Cesario: A beautiful young man with ash gray hair. He is extremely restrained from speaking, and even when talking to his partner Viola, he uses body language or whispers. His ability is a "Driver" that does not manifest its power on its own.
Dextera: A young man who is Eclipse's trusted adviser and the highest-ranking ES member. He is 18 years old. He has a strong mind and excellent leadership skills, and also serves as the chief of the Independent Undercover Investigation Team. His S-class ability is "Anywhere," which allows him to sense and manipulate the absolute coordinates of space.
Sinistra: A young man who has been paired with Dextera for a long time. 18 years old. Quietly analyzes the battle situation and assists as a staff officer. His S-class ability, Weneva, allows him to sense and manipulate the absolute coordinates of time. Although limited, he is even able to draw the "future" closer to him.
Ricky: A good friend and senior of Eclair. Her family, the Cole family, is distantly related to the Austrian family. She is also acquainted with Chevalier.
Bonita: Ricky's colleague and best friend (and bodyguard). She likes Ricky because he treats everyone equally, including ES members, commoners, and Nobles.

■ Related works

・Kiddy Grade
・KIDDY GRADE -MAELSTROM- The Movie: Flood Chapter ・KIDDY GRADE -TRUTH DAWN- The Movie: Dawn Chapter ・Kiddy Girl

■ Theme songs and music

・ED1
・FUTURE
Lyrics: Jun Morioka Composition: Jun Morioka Arrangement: Yukio Sugai, Little Viking
・Singer: Little Viking

・IN1
・Memory of the Future ・Lyrics: Mika Watanabe ・Music: Fumiki Iwasaki ・Arrangement: Fumiki Iwasaki ・Singer: YUKA

■ Evaluation and recommendation points

"KIDDY GRADE -IGNITION- Awakening" is a must-see for fans of the TV series "Kiddy Grade". Produced as a director's cut, this work reconstructs episodes from the TV series and depicts the story from a new perspective. In particular, the characters of Eclair and Lumiere are explored in depth, and their growth and conflicts are depicted realistically. In addition, GONZO's beautiful animation visually expresses the epic scale of the galaxy, making it a major visual attraction.

In terms of the story, the highlight is Eclair coming to terms with her past and confronting the absolute "being" that rules the galaxy. Her choices and actions are at the center of the story, deeply moving viewers. The individual abilities and characters of the ES members are also fascinating, and the story unfolds from a different perspective in each episode, so you won't get bored of watching it.

The music has also been highly praised, with Little Viking's "FUTURE" and YUKA's "Mirai no Kioku" being important elements in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. In particular, the ending theme "FUTURE" has impressive lyrics and melody that link with the theme of the story, deepening the afterglow after watching.

The recommended points include:

• Beautiful animation and epic scale
• Deep character portrayal of Eclair and Lumiere
• ES members' unique abilities and characters
• A moving storyline
• Impressive theme song and music

"KIDDY GRADE -IGNITION- Awakening" is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of science fiction animation, but also to viewers who are looking for beautiful visuals and a deep story. By watching the related TV series "Kiddy Grade" and other movies, you can enjoy this world view even more deeply.