A thorough review of the appeal and excitement of "Tokyo Marble Chocolate"!

Tokyo Marble Chocolate - A touching pure love story

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

August 23, 2008 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Frontier Works

■Frequencies

46 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Production IG

■ Director

Naoyoshi Shionoya

■ Production

・Animation production: Production IG
Produced by Tokyo Marble Chocolate Production Committee (BMG JAPAN, Frontier Works, Production IG)

■Works

©2007 Production IG/Tokyo Marble Chocolate Production Committee

■ Story

The story is set in a town with two towers lined up, which looks somehow familiar. Two boys and a girl live in that town. Yudai is earnest and kind, but his slightly timid personality means he can't get along well with his girlfriend. Chizuru is energetic and cheerful, but unlucky and clumsy, so her relationships don't last long. This is the first Christmas the two of them will be spending together. The present that Yudai prepared for Chizuru, who loves animals, was supposed to be a rabbit... but inside the present box was a "mini donkey"! The mini donkey escapes, and Chizuru chases after it, and Yudai loses sight of both of them. The time they were meant to spend together. The precious feelings they were meant to convey. What answers will the two find in the time they spend apart?

■Explanation

It's a small but important thing. Have you told your loved one? The story takes place in a town with two towers lined up, which seems familiar. Two boys and girls live in that town. Yudai is serious and kind, but he is a little timid, so he can't get along with his girlfriend. Chizuru is energetic and cheerful, but she is unlucky and clumsy, so her relationships don't last long. It's the first Christmas they'll spend together. The present that Yudai prepared for Chizuru, who loves animals, was supposed to be a rabbit... but inside the present box was a "mini donkey"!? The mini donkey escapes, and Chizuru chases after it, and Yudai loses sight of the one and the other. The time they were supposed to spend together. The important feelings they were supposed to convey. The small but important things that tend to get buried in the daily life. What will the answer be for the two of them as they spend time apart? A double-sided pure love story that depicts the feelings and time of Yudai and Chizuru, two people who pass each other by, from each other's perspectives.

■Cast

・Chizuru/Nana Mizuki ・Yudai/Takahiro Sakurai ・Mini Roba/Mitsuo Iwata ・Miki/Marina Inoue ・Yamada/Yuichi Nakamura

■ Main staff

・Original story and animation production: Production IG
・Director / Naoyoshi Shiotani・Screenplay / Masaya Ozaki・Character design / Fumiko Tanigawa・Sub-character design / Kyoji Asano・Prop design, sign illustration / Tomomi Ozaki・Animation director / Kyoji Asano・Color design / Izumi Hirose・Art director / Shichiro Kobayashi・3D CGI / Atsushi Sato・Director of photography / Harutsugu Ishiguro・Editor / Taeko Hamauzu・Sound director / Yasunori Ebina・Music / Tsuyoshi Yanagawa・Producers / Masahiro Kurihara, Takeshi Wada・Production / Tokyo Marble Chocolate Production Committee (BMG JAPAN, Frontier Works, Production IG)

■ Main Characters

・Chizuru Yudai's girlfriend. A lively and cheerful girl, but a little clumsy. But she's a reliable person at heart.
・Yudai Chizuru's boyfriend. He is a serious and kind boy, but a little timid. He is afraid of heights.
・Mini donkey A male donkey about the size of a rabbit. He is said to hold the key to the story.
・Miki A lively and laid-back girl. Apparently Yudai used to date her.
Yamada: The man who picked up Chizuru's cell phone by chance. He delivered it to her house.

■ Related works

・Tokyo Marble Chocolate OVA version

■ Theme songs and music

・TM1
・Mataaimasho・Lyrics by Naoki Takada
・Composer: Naoki Takada & Shintaro "Growth" Izutsu
・Arrangement: Shintaro "Growth" Izutsu & Takahito Eguchi
・Song: SEAMO

・TM2
・Zenryoku Shounen・Lyrics by Sukima Switch・Composition by Sukima Switch・Arrangement by Sukima Switch・Singer by Sukima Switch

Tokyo Marble Chocolate - A touching pure love story

"Tokyo Marble Chocolate" is a theatrical animation produced by Production IG and released in 2008. This work is a pure love story set at Christmas, depicting the love story between two people that begins with a trivial incident. The director is Naoyoshi Shiotani, the screenplay is by Masaya Ozaki, and the character design is by Fumiko Tanigawa. Below, we will introduce a detailed review and recommendation of this work.

Story and Characters

The story is set in a city where Tokyo's two iconic towers can be seen. The main characters are Yudai, an earnest, kind-hearted but slightly timid couple, and Chizuru, who is energetic and cheerful but clumsy and unlucky. They were planning to spend their first Christmas together, but the story takes a sudden turn when a mini donkey is included in the gift box instead of the rabbit that Yudai had intended to give Chizuru. The mini donkey escapes, and Yudai is left alone while Chizuru chases after it. This incident shows the distance between the two growing, but in the end, they confirm their feelings for each other in a touching ending.

Yudai is earnest and kind, but is too timid to make a relationship with his girlfriend work. On the other hand, Chizuru is lively and cheerful, but clumsy and unlucky, so their romantic relationships don't last long. The character settings of these two characters add depth to the story. Also, the unique character of Minidonkey holds the key to the story, and his presence symbolizes the relationship between the two.

Visuals and Music

The visuals of "Tokyo Marble Chocolate" are a testament to Production IG's high quality. The character designs are by Fumiko Tanigawa, and are realistic yet cute enough to be found in anime. The background art, directed by Shichiro Kobayashi, is a realistic recreation of the streets of Tokyo, adding to the Christmas atmosphere. Sato Atsushi, in charge of 3D CG, also has impressive skills, depicting the movements of the mini donkey in a realistic way.

The music is by Tsuyoshi Yanagawa, and the theme songs are "Mata Ai Mashou" by SEAMO and "Zenryoku Shounen" by Sukima Switch. These songs further enhance the emotion of the story, with "Mata Ai Mashou" being particularly memorable as a song that symbolizes the reunion of the two characters. In addition, under the direction of sound director Yasunori Ebina, sound effects and background music are used skillfully in line with the progression of the story, allowing you to enjoy the world of the work not only visually but also aurally.

Director and staff

Director Shionoya Naoyoshi is a veteran of Production IG, and his experience and skills have contributed greatly to this work. Screenwriter Ozaki Masaya carefully portrayed the feelings of the two characters and constructed a story that evokes empathy in the viewer. In addition, the high technical skills of each staff member, such as character designer Tanigawa Fumiko and art director Kobayashi Shichiro, support the quality of the entire work.

cast

The voice actors are also impressive, with Mizuki Nana as Chizuru and Sakurai Takahiro as Yudai. Mizuki Nana's lively and bright voice is perfect for the character of Chizuru, while Sakurai Takahiro's gentle voice realistically expresses Yudai's feelings. In addition, Iwata Mitsuo as Miniroba, Inoue Marina as Miki, and Nakamura Yuichi as Yamada bring out the individuality of each character.

Related works and recommendations

"Tokyo Marble Chocolate" also has an OVA version, which follows a similar story. The OVA version explores the characters' emotions in greater depth, so you can enjoy the work even more by watching it together with the movie version.

The reasons why I recommend this work are as follows:

• A touching pure love story: The love story between the two people that begins with a trivial incident is depicted realistically, leaving viewers deeply moved.
• High visual quality: Production IG's technical prowess shines through, with beautifully rendered character designs and background art.
• Impressive music: The theme songs by SEAMO and Sukima Switch enhance the emotion of the story and resonate with the viewers.
• Awesome Cast: A stellar cast of voice actors, including Mizuki Nana and Sakurai Takahiro, bring out the personalities of the characters.

"Tokyo Marble Chocolate" is a touching pure love story set at Christmas, and is a work that will leave a deep impression on viewers. This work, which combines Production IG's high technical skills with a luxurious cast and impressive music, is definitely worth watching. It is especially recommended for those who like works with a love theme and those who want to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere.