Tegami Bachi Reverse review: Will the emotional sequel exceed expectations?

Tegamibachi REVERSE - A story of deep darkness and light

"Tegami Bachi Reverse" is a TV anime series based on the original manga by Hiroyuki Asada, which aired on TV Tokyo and other stations from October 2, 2010 to March 26, 2011. Set in the dark and dangerous world of "Amberground," the series follows the growth and adventures of Lag Seeing, a young boy who delivers people's "hearts" as a "Tegami Bachi" postman. "Tegami Bachi Reverse" is the second season of the series, and offers even more depth and drama as Lag reunites with his benefactor, Gauche.

■ Story

Amberground is a world where night never ends. In this dark and dangerous world, postmen, or letter bees, risk their lives to deliver letters that contain people's hearts. A young boy, Lag, becomes a letter bee, inspired by Gauche, a benefactor he met as a child. Just as Lag is about to take his first steps, he is confronted with the fact that Gauche has already been fired from the letter bee. Gauche is said to have traveled to the capital and disappeared, losing his heart, and Lag swears to bring him back. But when they are finally reunited, Gauche calls himself Noir, a plunderer, and aims his gun at Lag.

■Explanation

In the dark and dangerous land of Amber Ground, where night never ends, the Tegamibachi risk their lives to deliver letters containing the hearts of people. Rookie Tegamibachi Lag Seeing is reunited with his benefactor Gauche Suede. However, Gauche calls himself the Marauder Noir and points a gun at Lag. Having traveled to the capital and lost his heart, Gauche has been stealing letters as a member of the anti-government organization Reverse. What is the purpose of the anti-government organization Reverse, which continues to steal letters by manipulating Noir? And will Lag's heart be able to reach Gauche's lost heart? The second season of this high fantasy story set in a fantastical world!

■Cast

・Rag Seeing/Miyuki Sawashiro・Nicchi/Ayumi Fujimura・Steak/Nanori Nagasawa・Sylvette Suede/Nana Mizuki・Noir/Jun Fukuyama・Gauche Suede/Jun Fukuyama・Roda/Yui Horie・Largo Lloyd/Katsuyuki Konishi・Aria Link/Ami Koshimizu・Connor Kruf/Hisayoshi Suganuma・Zazie/Daisuke Kishio・Sunderland Jr./Hideo Ishikawa・Ziggy Pepper/Kazuya Nakai・Nicchi's sister/Mami Koyama・Sarah/Yuka Komatsu・Hunt/Susumu Chiba・Gobeni/Masuo Amada・Emu/Kenji Takahashi・Sandra/Ayaka Yamashita・Lawrence/Koji Yusa・Vincent/Toru Nara・Caribbean Gala ARD / Kazuhiko Inoue, Hazel Valentine / Fumihiko Tachiki, Pizarro / Junichi Goto, Hodai Franklin / Dai Tsuchida, Signal / Kazuhiro Oguro, Sunny / Masayo Kurata, Bolt / Toshiharu Sakurai, Zeal / Takahiro Sakurai, Anu Seeing / Aya Hisakawa, Kimidori / Chihiro Kusaka, Ray Utley / Minami Takayama, Colbasso / Masako Isobe, Bandit, Autobahn / Cho Celica / Kana Ueda, Hari Tonov / Naoki Kusumi, Kamahan Negissi / Makoto Yasumura, Camus / Atsushi Abe, Elena / Yu Kobayashi, Darwin / Kazuhiro Oguro, Narration (Underground Sutra) / Aya Hisakawa, Narration / Hiroshi Arikawa

■ Main staff

・Original work: Hiroyuki Asada (serialized in Shueisha Jump Square)
・Planning: Yukio Kawasaki (TV Tokyo), Yutaka Kondo, Atsushi Higashiyama, Michiyuki Honma, Kenji Hamada ・Producer: Noriko Kobayashi (TV Tokyo), Satoshi Adachi, Osamu Shimizu ・Series Composition: Masanao Akaboshi ・Supervision: Mamoru Kobe ・Character Design: Minako Shiba ・Prop Design: Hiroto Tanaka ・Action Supervision: Akira Matsui ・Art Director: Maho Takahashi ・Color Design: Keiko Kai (Studio Easter)
・Director of photography: Atsuho Matsumoto・3DCG: Keisuke Takahashi・Sound director: Katsunori Shimizu・Editor: Takeshi Seyama・Music: Kunihiko Yanagi・Cooperation: Shuhei Hosono, Shuntaro Kosuge・Layout supervision: Hiroto Tanaka・Art setting: Maho Takahashi・Background: Seitaro Kawamura・CG effects: Shinji Yanuma, Ayu Yomohata, Yui Morita・Offline editing: Seyama Editing Office, Rie Matsuhara, Keiko Kadokawa, Hiromi Sasaki・Video editing: Good Job Tokyo, Keita Kawamura, Yoshihiro Obama, Daiki Morimoto・Sound production: Zack Promotion・Sound production: Tomohiko Yaginuma・Sound effects: Mutsuhiro Nishimura (Fizz Sound)
・Adjustment: Narikiyo Ryo ・Sound assistants: Nishizawa Norio, Kato Emi ・Recording studio: Sound editing studio ・Music cooperation: TV Tokyo Music ・Program promotion: Noguchi Kazumi (TV Tokyo)
・Publicity cooperation: Mio Suzuki, Mamiko Kondo ・Associate producers: Jun Takei, Shin Furukawa, Sachi Hirayama ・Planning cooperation: Takano Takashi, Kazumasa Sanjoba, Yuko Kato ・Production desk: Tomohiro Takahashi ・Production manager: Yasuyuki Ogoshi, Taishi Kunori ・Setting production: Mie Osawa ・Planning manager: Nao Yoshita (TV Tokyo)
・Animation Production: Studio Pierrot+
Director: Akira Iwanaga Produced by: TV Tokyo, Studio Pierrot

■ Main Characters

A boy with a kind heart and a tendency to cry. Lag, whose missing mother was given a delivery slip by a client, was delivered to the letter bee Gauche as a "letter". This led him to admire Gauche and to aspire to become a letter bee himself. He has a prosthetic eye made of "spirit amber" embedded in his left eye.
Niche: A girl descended from the legendary creature Maka. She acts together with Rag as a dingo, an important friend and partner of Tegamibachi. She hates wearing pants?!
・Steak Nitsch's live bait(?). He became attached to Nitsch and followed him from the freak show. He obediently follows Nitsch's orders. He is the sole survivor of the Kapellmeister, a species that was said to be extinct.
Gauche Suede is an excellent letter bee who aims to become the highest title among letter bees, "Head Bee." He is a kind older brother who cherishes his only blood relative, his younger sister, Sylvette.
Sylvette Suede Gauche's younger sister, she was born with a crippled leg. She calls herself the "Wheelchair Panther." Her specialty dish is soup, which is so feared that it makes everyone vomit.
・A fellow letter bee of Zajirag. His partner (dingo) is a black panther named Vashka. He is blunt and short-tempered, but he is actually kind-hearted. He loves cats and feeds stray cats, which he loves.
Connor Kluft is one of the bees and his partner (dingo) is a dog named Gus. He is a laid-back guy who likes to eat, but he is also a reliable companion. His good personality makes him loved by many people.
Ziggy Pepper is a letter bee who specializes in express delivery. His partner (dingo) is the bird of prey Harry. He is cool and is the envy of the younger letter bees.
Aria Link is the deputy director of Hachinosu, a cool and beautiful woman who is good at her job. She has many fans in Hachinosu as well. She is Gauche's childhood friend.
Largo Lloyd is the director of Hachinosu, the post office in the Yusari district where Tegamibachi works. At first glance he seems careless, but he is surprisingly capable and thoughtful.
・Sunderland Jr.
The head doctor of the Honeycomb Medical Team. His main job is as a biological science researcher. He is an eccentric character, and people call him "Dr. Corpse." He trusts Gauche as one of the few people who "understands" him, and has been concerned about his safety ever since he went missing.
・Noir A young man who follows the instructions of "the one who could not become a spirit" and plunders letters as a marauder together with his partner (dingo) girl, Roda. Lag believes that he is the Gauche he has been searching for, but...?
・Gauche's partner (dingo) after he became Rodanoir. A beautiful girl dressed in white. She trusts Noir and acts together with him. She is very agile and strong.
Lawrence: A member of the rebel group Reverse. A man whom Gauche met near the town of Honey Waters. He was trying to recruit Gauche as a member.
An official of Akatsuki, the capital city. He was once an excellent letter bee and was even considered a candidate for Head Bee. In response to the frequent robberies of letters by Reverse, he was sent from the capital to Hachinosu as an auditor.
Like Hazel Valentine Garrard, he is an official of Akatsuki in the capital and an auditor from the capital. When Garrard was a Tegami Bachi, he was his partner (dingo). His strong body is a weapon in itself, and he has the fighting strength to counter Niche's hair sword with his bare hands.
He was one of the few who "could not become a spirit" after being fused with a Zeal wolf and survived the government's experimental facility.
・Niche's older sister Although you wouldn't guess it from her appearance, she is actually a twin sister of Niche. When she was still a baby, she was separated from her sister by "humans". She experienced the emotional turmoil of great sadness, and grew up rapidly. Together with Maka, she traps young gaichu in icicles, preventing them from escaping to the outside world.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1/Promise (2010/10/02)
・Episode 2: Pants and Panties (2010/10/09)
・Episode 3: Hydrangea-colored illustrated letter (2010/10/16)
・Episode 4/Wilderness Phantom Lighthouse (2010/10/23)
・Episode 5/Reverse World (2010/10/30)
・Episode 6: Girl Doll (2010/11/06)
Episode 7: Film noir (2010/11/13)
・Episode 8/Blue Notes Blues (2010/11/20)
Episode 9: 200 Years of Loneliness (2010/11/27)
Episode 10: Belitabri Monastery (2010/12/04)
Episode 11: Cabernet Attacks (2010/12/11)
Episode 12: Light Shines in the Darkness (2010/12/18)
・Episode 13: Scarlet Melody (2010/12/25)
Episode 14: Blink Day (2011/01/08)
・Episode 15/Welcome Home (2011/01/15)
・Episode 16: Roda Wanders (2011/01/22)
・Episode 17: Lies and Truth (2011/01/29)
・Episode 18: The Lost Heart Bullet (2011/02/05)
Episode 19: Not Malice, Not Hatred (2011/02/12)
・Episode 20/Smile of Hope (2011/02/19)
・Episode 21/Lawrence's Ambition (2011/02/26)
・Episode 22: A Place I Want to Return to (2011/03/05)
・Episode 23/Akatsuki (2011/03/12)
・Episode 24: Final Battle! Yusari Central (2011/03/19)
・Episode 25: The Light of "Heart" (2011/03/26)

■ Related works

・Tegamibachi ・Tegamibachi: Delivering the Heart ・Tegamibachi Gakuen ・Ura Tegamibachi ・Tegamibachi: Fantasy Nights of Light and Blue ・Tegamibachi: Jump Super Anime Tour 2009
・Tegami Bachi Jump Super Anime Tour 2010

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Period: 1 to 13
・Small Magic・Lyrics by AIMI
・Composer: AIMI
・Arrangement: Stereopony & BOND x R_MEN_SOUL
・Song: Stereopony

・OP2
Period: 14-25
・Promise・Lyrics by Suga Shikao・Music by Suga Shikao・Singer by Suga Shikao

・ED1
・Period: 1 to 13
・Wasuregusa・Lyrics by Waka G
・Composition: Young G
・Singer: Pico

・ED2
Period: 14-25
・Perseus ・Lyrics by Yamazaru ・Music by HIRO from LGYankees
・Arrangement: HIRO from LGYankees
・Song: Mountain Monkey

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

"Tegami Bachi Reverse" is a work that faithfully reproduces the original work by Hiroyuki Asada while adding its own unique charm to the anime. In particular, in this second season, the relationship between Lag and Gauche is explored in depth, leaving a strong impression on the viewers. Below, we will review this work in detail from various perspectives such as the story, characters, music, and visuals, and state our recommendation.

story

The story of "Tegami Bachi Reverse" begins with Lag's reunion with Gauche. However, Lag is shocked to learn that Gauche has become "Noir," a plunderer who steals letters. This development presents a profound theme that makes viewers think about the meaning and value of "heart." Lag's struggle to restore Gauche's "heart" is moving, yet at times heartbreaking. Episode 25, "The Light of the Heart," in particular, depicts Lag's growth and his bond with Gauche, and will move viewers to tears.

As the existence and purpose of the anti-government organization "Reverse" become clear, the story becomes even more complicated. Through the members of Reverse and their beliefs, the dark side of society and human conflicts are depicted, encouraging deep reflection in the viewer. Lag's path to regaining Gauche's "heart" is full of difficulties and trials, but that makes the finale all the more moving.

character

Lag Seeing is portrayed as a kind-hearted, tearful boy. His growth and feelings for Gauche are at the heart of the story, evoking strong empathy from the viewer. In particular, the prosthetic eye made of "spirit amber" implanted in his left eye is an important element that symbolizes his past and future. Lag's growth is also a process of deepening his bonds with his friends as he fulfills his mission as a letter bee.

Niche plays an important role as Rag's partner. Her unique background of being of Maka blood and hating to wear pants adds humor and depth to the story. Niche's relationship with her sister and her own growth are also points not to be missed.

Gauche Suede is Lag's benefactor and a key character in the story. The scene in which he appears as Noir shocks the viewer. The reason why Gauche lost his "heart" and the circumstances that led him to join Reverse evoke deep emotion and empathy in the viewer. Jun Fukuyama's voice acting also realistically expresses Gauche's complex emotions.

Other characters with unique personalities, such as Zazie, Connor Kruf, and Ziggy Pepper, also make an appearance and liven up the story. In particular, the personalities of the characters, such as Sylvette Suede's Gebomaz Soup and Sunderland Jr.'s nickname "Dr. Corpse," add color to the story.

music

The music of "Tegami Bachi Reverse" is an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the work. The opening themes "Chiisana Mahou" (A Little Magic) and "Yakusoku (Promise)" are performed by Stereopony and Suga Shikao, respectively, and have memorable lyrics and melodies that symbolize the theme of the story. "Yakusoku" in particular deeply expresses the relationship between Lag and Gauche, and resonates with the hearts of viewers.

The ending themes "Wasuregusa" and "Perseus" also play an important role in enhancing the emotional impact of the story. Pico's "Wasuregusa" sings of Lag's growth and his feelings for Gauche, while Yamazaru's "Perseus" is a powerful song that builds excitement for the climax of the story. These songs help the audience become immersed in the story.

In addition, the background music by Kunihiko Yanagi is also an important element in enhancing the tension and emotion of the story. In particular, the background music in battle scenes and moving scenes stirs the emotions of the viewer. The worldview of "Tegami Bachi REVERSE" is deeply expressed throughout the music.

picture

The visuals of "Tegami Bachi Reverse" are a work that highlights the technical skills of Studio Pierrot+. The character designs are by Shiba Minako, who faithfully reproduces the image of the original work while adding the unique charm of anime. In particular, the facial expressions and movements of Lag and Niche are important elements that bring out the emotions of the viewer.

The prop design and action direction also deeply express the worldview of the story. In particular, the unique designs of Tegami Bachi's gun and Niche's hair sword add color to the story. In addition, Akira Matsui's action direction shines in the action scenes, giving the viewer a sense of tension and excitement.

The backgrounds, created by art director Maho Takahashi, are also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. The worldview of the story is deeply expressed through the backgrounds, such as the dark and dangerous world of Amberground and the beautiful scenery of the capital city, Akatsuki. In addition, 3DCG and CG effects also play an important role in enhancing the tension and excitement of the story.

Recommendation

"TEGAMI Bachi REVERSE" is a work that combines deep themes, a moving story, unique characters, and beautiful music and visuals. In particular, the relationship between Lag and Gauche, and the theme that makes viewers think about the meaning of "heart" will evoke strong emotions and empathy from viewers. In addition, through the existence and purpose of the anti-government organization "Reverse," the darkness of society and human conflict are depicted, encouraging deep reflection in the viewer.

This work is recommended not only for those who like fantasy anime, but also for those who are looking for deep themes and moving stories. In particular, those who have read the original manga will be able to enjoy the unique charm of the anime. In addition, those who are particular about music and visuals will be able to enjoy Kunihiko Yanagi's background music and the technical skills of Studio Pierrot+.

"Tegami Bachi Reverse" is a work that not only moves and sympathizes with the viewer, but also encourages deep contemplation. The theme of Lag's growth, his bond with Gauche, and the meaning of "heart" leave a strong impression on the viewer. By watching this work, viewers will be able to gain new perspectives and be moved by it.