Review of "The Calligrapher": A fusion of art and storytelling seen through the handwriting

"Calligraphy" - A battle between the dark group and the Daoist art of painting

■ Public Media

TV Special

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

March 27, 2010 - January 1, 0000 Animax March 27, 2010 (1 episode) Saturday 20:00-20:30

■Broadcasting station

Animax

■Frequencies

24 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Kenji Nishimichi

■ Director

Makoto Yamada

■ Production

・Animation production/Production IG
・Produced by: Production IG, Animax Broadcast Japan

■Works

©Production IG, Animax

■ Story

A shadowy group has risen up in rebellion against the Tokugawa Shogunate and is plotting to overthrow the government, once again causing chaos in the city of Edo.
The publisher of Gasen-Dojutsu (Jumonji), who was one of the first to grasp this movement, summoned one of his disciples, Sumiya Shiro, to Edo.

Blocking their path is a mysterious man - Kokusengen.
He wields a giant brush that can materialize letters and unleashes a terrifying painting beast towards Shiro.

Shimaki, a friend of Shirou, and Ena, a new member of the school, head to the old temple, where an ominous atmosphere hangs over them, to find out the truth behind the incident.

Unaware that everything is in Kurosen Gen's hands, a giant demonic painting beast appears before the two of them.

■Explanation

The Animax Awards is a contest to discover new screenwriters that Animax has been running since 2002 with the aim of "discovering the talent that will be active in the anime industry of tomorrow."

The 7th Animax Awards, which solicited submissions under the theme of "action," saw Kenji Saido's "Shoka" winning the grand prize. The script selected from approximately 1,200 submissions will be made into a film by Production IG.

*Quoted from Production IG official website

■Cast

・Sumiya Shirou/Akiyoshi Nakao・Kamimaki Makihei/Daisuke Namikawa・Nukano Ena/Sayuri Furukawa・Publisher/Seizo Kato・Kurosome Gen/Takayuki Matsuyama・Hajinomiya/Masaharu Sato・Tsukikage/Akemi Okamura・Dharma/Ryuzo Ishino・Yoriki/Haruo Sato・Subordinate/Daisuke Endo・Miscellaneous triangle/Ryota Takeuchi・Rifle squad A/Manabu Sakamaki・Rifle squad B/Yohei Obayashi・Townspeople (female)/Mariko Nakatsu

■ Main staff

・Director: Yamada Makoto ・Character design and animation director: Kojima Yamato ・Key animation: Nagura Satoshi, Miyazawa Yasunori, Sato Toshiyuki, Matsuo Yusuke, Ishida Keiichi, Imaishi Hiroyuki, Nakajima Atsuko, Yamaguchi Kenichi, Kurita Shinichi, Kai Yasuyuki, Chikaoka Nao, Higuchi Satomi, Tanaka Takahiro, Miura Haruki, Imai Yufumi, Katagiri Takayuki, Itakada Shinji, Daidoji Miho, Matsumoto Kengo, Mitsuda Hajime, Tokuno Yuga, Okubo Toru, Kubota Yasutaka, Ebata Ryoma, Tomioka Hiroshi, Kotake Ayumu, Michikai Shintaro, Kamiya Ron, Kaiya Toshihisa, Umezu Yasuomi, Takahashi Hideki, Kamei Kanta, Matsutake Noriyuki, Yoshinari Ko ・Second key animation: Wish, BEETRAIN
・Illustration cooperation: SILVER
・ Title writing / Kawakami Shinya ・ Animation inspection / Suda Tomoko ・ Animation / Saito Kotohide, Suzuki Chihiro, Mannen Asami, Araki Ryo, Arakawa Saki, Yokoyama Yuki, Kinoshita Mika, Miyazaki Hitomi, Honda Masayuki, Satake Tomoko, Fujishiro Kana, Hashimoto Takaaki, Tsusaka Miori, Furubayashi Misato, Murayama Akiko, Takenaka Shingo, Nakayama Tomoyo, Kasuga Hiroko, Muneto Munehisa, Suzuki Nonoko, Mizutani Keita, Nogami Maiko, Kodaka Kozue, Suzuki Asuka, Namigami Yuri, Taikan Anime, GK entertainment, UNION CHO, Studio Takuranke, RIC, GoHands, Studio MAT, Artland, Sakuraku Create, Ingressa, OH Production, Animation Planet, Doga Kobo, Studio Comet, Takeyu, Ufotable, Synergy SP
・Color specification / Yuko Fujita, Yuka Takeda ・Finishing inspection / Katsumi Oshima ・Finishing / Mariko Shimokawa, Kazu Kamii, Emiko Ueno, Yuri Okada, Kumiko Sato, Nichiko Omori, Narumi Sakai, Wish, Studio L, Studio Taj, MSC, Taikan Animation ・Art setting / Kazushige Kanehira ・Background / KUSANAGI, Manabu Otsuzuki, Chiemi Mita, Yoshiji Okamoto, Tomoyuki Kanazawa ・Background cooperation / Yasutaka Kondo ・Background scanning / Hiroaki Hirata ・Filming / Hiroki Takagi, Jun Taniuchi, Hiromiko Nakata ・Video editing / Sony PCL, Manabu Kamino, Satoru Ishii ・Music production / AUBE Inc.
・Sound recording adjustment / Yamaguchi Takayuki・Sound effects / Kageyama Mitsuru・Recording studio / Jinnan Studio・Associate producer / Miki Ryuji・Publicity producer / Sugimoto Sotaro・Publicity assistant producers / Sonoda Yoshitoyo, Kawachi Eriya・Publicity cooperation / Ueda Yoko・Production manager / Hora Miho・Art director / Ito Hiroshi・Color design / Watanabe Yoko・Music / Kawai Kenji・Sound director / Koizumi Kisuke・Director of photography / Arai Eiji・Editing / Uematsu Junichi・Line producer / Kasumi Maiko・Animation production / Production IG
Producers: Hidekazu Terakawa, Katsunori Naruke Production: Production IG, Animax Broadcast Japan

The appeal and reputation of "Shoka"

Story and setting

"Shoka" depicts the battle between a dark group rebelling against the Tokugawa Shogunate and the art of painting that opposes them. The story is set in the Edo period, and is an exquisite blend of historical background and fantasy elements. In particular, the unique setting, such as the giant brush that materializes characters and the painting beasts, leaves a strong impression on viewers.

The protagonist, Sumiyama Shirou, is a brave character who stands up against the dark group as a member of the Gasen Dojutsu school. Together with his friends Kamiki Makihei and newcomer Ena, they face various difficulties in the process of investigating the truth of the incident. The battle against the giant demonic painting beast unleashed by the mysterious man Kurosome Gen is visually very impactful.

character

Each character in "The Calligrapher" is unique and plays an important role in adding excitement to the story. Nakao Akiyoshi, who plays Sumiya Shirou, realistically portrays the protagonist's courage and determination, evoking deep sympathy from viewers. Namikawa Daisuke, who plays Kamikiri Makihira, and Furukawa Sayuri, who plays Nukano Ena, also bring a richness to the story of friendship and growth.

In particular, Matsuyama Takashi, who plays Kurosome Gen, plays the ruthless villain with an overwhelming presence. His performance creates tension in the audience and heightens the sense of urgency in the story. Other supporting cast members, such as Kato Seizou as the publisher and Sato Masaharu as Hajimenomiya, are also excellent.

Production and video

"Shoka" is a work that fully demonstrates the technical capabilities of Production IG, the animation studio. The beautiful character designs by Yamato Kojima, who was in charge of character design and animation direction, greatly enhance the visual appeal of the work. It is also worth noting that some of the industry's leading animators, such as Satoshi Nagura and Hiroyuki Imaishi, were involved in the key animation.

The backgrounds and art settings are also drawn in great detail, realistically recreating the atmosphere of the Edo period. In particular, the art settings by Kazushige Kanehira play an important role in deepening the worldview of the work. The skills of cinematographer Eiji Arai and editor Junichi Uematsu also contribute to the quality of the images.

Music and Sound

The music was composed by Kenji Kawai, whose unique melodies enhance the atmosphere of the work. In particular, the background music that heightens the tension in the battle scenes draws the viewers in. Under the direction of sound director Kisuke Koizumi, the recording and sound effects are of extremely high quality, allowing the work to be enjoyed not only visually but also aurally.

Ratings and Recommendations

"Shoka" is a work based on a script by Kenji Saido, which won the Grand Prize at the Animax Awards, and has been highly praised for its original story and setting. In particular, the world view that combines the new concept of gasen-dojutsu with the historical background of the Edo period will give viewers a fresh surprise.

Also, don't miss the high level of production technique from Production IG and the acting ability of the all-star cast. This is a work of extremely high quality both visually and aurally, and is highly recommended not only for anime fans, but also for those who love history and fantasy.

"Shoka" was broadcast as a one-episode TV special, but due to its rich content and high level of completion, it continues to be loved by many viewers. If you are looking for a new anime experience, please try watching "Shoka". I'm sure you will be drawn in by its charm.