The appeal and reviews of NoraGeki! - A deep look into the story of music and youth

Nora Geki! - Escape from a mysterious prison

■ Public Media

event

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

January 22, 2011 - January 1, 0000

■ How it first appeared

Distributor: Showgate

■Frequencies

52 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■ Director

Hiroaki Ando

■ Production

Animation Production: Sunrise

■ Story

A certain prison. There are an honest-looking young man, a sexy woman, a middle-aged man who used to be a soldier, a geeky woman who still looks like a child, a mysterious old man, and a cat. The story begins in an isolated detention facility where no one knows where it is. One day, the entire facility suddenly loses power. The locks on each door open, and they meet and gain their freedom. However, the facility is no longer staffed by guards, and everything is shrouded in mystery, including why they were released and why there is no one there. They inevitably try to escape from the prison, but they can't find an exit. One mysterious old man is behaving strangely, and suddenly something strange happens to the facility! What on earth is going on in this facility? What will become of these five people?

■Explanation

☆ A sci-fi prison escape drama brought to you by a stellar cast
◎A new type of animation brought to you by the collaboration of Director Ando Hiroaki (director of Tekkonkinkreet) and Scriptwriter Sato Dai (FREEDOM/Eureka Seven) ☆ Music by Nakata Yasutaka ◎ Nakata Yasutaka, who is active as a sound producer, DJ and member of his own unit capsule, has been brought in to collaborate with the animation!!
☆"MEG" will be in charge of the theme song◎The theme song is an unreleased cover of "Kuroneko no Tango" by "MEG," an artist who has been active in many scenes and is currently on hiatus from her music career in Japan. This is her first foray into voice acting in the main story!! (Note that there are currently no plans to release the song on CD or digitally.)
☆ "Gotsubo Masaru" has been appointed as the character designer ◎ Gotsubo Masaru, who worked on "Yuzu Peppermint" and "Lionmaru G", will be participating in animation for the first time as a character designer!!

■Cast

・Good-looking young man / Miyu Irino ・Good-looking woman / Takako Honda ・Middle-aged man / Kazuma Mori ・Otaku woman / MEG
・Old man/Seizo Kato and others

■ Main staff

Director: Hiroaki Ando Screenplay: Dai Sato Character design: Gotsubo Masaru Mechanical design: Kimitoshi Yamane CGI director: Masashi Kokubo Art director: Yusuke Takeda Music: Yasutaka Nakata (capsule)
・Sound Director: Masaki Tsuchiya ・Director of Photography: Arifumi Tono ・Animation Production: Sunrise

■ Main Characters

・Good-looking young man・Good-looking woman・Middle-aged man・Otaku woman・Old man・Croupier

NoraGeki! - Detailed Review and Recommendation

■ Background and production of the work

"Norageki!" is an animated film released in 2011, directed by Ando Hiroaki, who also directed "Tekkonkinkreet," and written by Sato Dai, who also directed "FREEDOM" and "Eureka Seven." The film was produced by the animation studio Sunrise and distributed by Shogakukan. Each episode is 52 minutes long and self-contained, and it attracted attention as a new type of animation that depicts a sci-fi prison escape from a locked room.

■ The appeal of the story

The story of "Norageki!" is about six characters who are imprisoned in a mysterious prison, but who suddenly lose their freedom due to a power outage and attempt to escape. What is outside the prison, why they were imprisoned, and why the guards have disappeared are all shrouded in mystery. This element of solving mysteries is a major attraction that draws viewers in.

In particular, scenes in which the mysterious old man behaves strangely and when something unusual happens to the facility heighten the tension of the story and make the viewer wonder, "What will happen next?" In addition, each character's personality stands out, and as their backgrounds and relationships are gradually revealed, the story becomes more profound.

■Charm of the characters

Each character in "Nora Geki!" has a different background and unique charm. The cast is full of great actors, including Miyu Irino as a good-looking young man, Takako Honda as a good-looking woman, Kazuma Mori as a middle-aged man, MEG as a geeky woman, and Seizo Kato as an old man.

The good young man has a strong sense of justice and is memorable for his efforts to protect his friends. The good woman is a character who combines sex appeal and intelligence, and plays an active role as a leader in the team. The middle-aged man takes strategic action using his experience as a soldier, but is also depicted as suffering from past trauma. The geeky woman, although she looks like a child, is a character with deep knowledge and insight, and holds the key to the story. The old man is a mysterious character, and his actions have a major impact on the development of the story. The cat, Croupier, also plays an important role, providing humor and healing to the story.

■Visuals and Music

The visuals of "Nora Geki!" are characterized by the unique touch of character designer Gotubo Masaru. Gotubo Masaru is an illustrator known for his work on "Yuzu Peppermint" and "Lionmaru G", and as this is his first time working on an animation project, the designs with their strong visual impact have become a hot topic. In addition, a stellar team including Yamane Kimitoshi, who was in charge of mechanic design, Kokubo Masashi, the CGI director, and Takeda Yusuke, the art director, have come together to pursue visual beauty.

The music was written by Nakata Yasutaka, whose unique sound enhances the atmosphere of the story. Nakata Yasutaka is active as a sound producer and DJ, but is also known as an artist through his own unit, capsule, and his collaboration with the animation work has been a hot topic. In particular, the singing voice of MEG, who sang the theme song "Kuroneko no Tango," enhances the tension and melancholy of the story. MEG has been active in many scenes, and is currently on a hiatus from her music career in Japan, so her first foray into voice acting in this work has attracted attention.

■ Evaluation and recommendation

"Norageki!" has been highly praised by many viewers as a new type of animation, a sci-fi locked-room prison escape drama. All elements, such as the story development, the appeal of the characters, and the fusion of visuals and music, are fused at a high level, and have the power to draw viewers in. In addition, the quality of the work has been further improved by the gathering of a luxurious staff and cast.

This work is recommended for people who like science fiction and mysteries, people who are interested in the personalities and relationships of characters, and people who enjoy the fusion of visuals and music. In particular, people who like solving mysteries will be able to deeply understand the backgrounds and relationships of the characters while enjoying the development of the story. It is also a must-watch for people who want to enjoy MEG's singing voice and Yasutaka Nakata's music.

Related information

"Norageki!" was shown at events, and has not been released on DVD or Blu-ray. However, due to popular demand from fans, it may be re-released or distributed in the future. Additionally, there are currently no plans to release MEG's theme song, "Kuroneko no Tango," on CD or digitally, but due to popular demand from fans, it may be released in the future.

Furthermore, for those who want to know more about the world of "Norageki!", we recommend the official guidebook and related books. These books contain detailed character settings, behind-the-scenes information on the production, and interviews with staff, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of the work. In addition, fan art and fan events are also popular, allowing you to enjoy communicating with other fans.

Conclusion

"Norageki!" has been highly praised by many viewers as a new type of animation, a sci-fi locked-room prison escape drama. All elements, such as the story development, the appeal of the characters, and the fusion of visuals and music, are fused at a high level, and have the power to draw viewers in. The quality of the work has been further improved by the gathering of a luxurious staff and cast, and it is a work recommended for those who like sci-fi and mystery, those who are interested in the personalities and relationships of the characters, and those who want to enjoy the fusion of visuals and music. Please watch it and experience its charm for yourself.