Robotics;Notes Review: A moving story that combines science and youth

"Robotics;Notes": The appeal of a robot anime that depicts dreams and hopes for the future

"Robotics;Notes" is a TV anime series that aired in 2012, and is based on a game by Shikura Chiyomaru and MAGES. This work was loved by many fans as a robot anime that depicts dreams and hopes for the future. Below, we will introduce detailed information about the work and its appeal.

■Overview of the work

"Robotics;Notes" is set in the Robotics Research Club of Chuo Tanegashima High School, and tells the story of club members trying to complete a giant robot. The story revolves around the protagonist Kaito Yashio and his childhood friend Akiho Senomiya, and is a tale of youth and adventure woven by various characters. The anime aired for a total of 22 episodes from October 12, 2012 to March 22, 2013, captivating many viewers.

■Broadcast information

Broadcast period: October 12, 2012 to March 22, 2013 Broadcasting stations: Fuji Television, Kansai Television, Tokai Television, Akita Television, Iwate Menkoi Television, Sendai Broadcasting, Sakuranbo Television, Fukushima Television, Niigata Sogo Television, Television Shizuoka, Television Shin-Hiroshima, Television Ehime, Television Nishinippon, Saga Television, Television Kumamoto, Kagoshima Television, BS Fuji Television Broadcast time: 30 minutes Number of episodes: 22 episodes

■ Staff

Original author: Shikura Chiyomaru, MAGES.
Director: Kazuya Nomura Scenario Supervision: Tatsuya Matsubara, Naotaka Hayashi Series Composition: Jukki Hanada Character Design: Tomonori Fukuda Mechanical Design: Makoto Ishiwata (Polygon Bancho)
Animation character design: Kubota Chikai Key animator: Takahashi Hideki Prop design: Takenaka Shingo Mechanic design: Ko Takuma Art director, art setting: Tatsuta Ichiro Color setting: Tanaka Miho Director of photography: Konishi Yohei Editing: Uematsu Junichi Sound director: Wakabayashi Kazuhiro Music: Abo Tsuyoshi, Hayashi Yuuki, Tachibana Asami Animation production: Production IG
Produced by: Chutane Robot Club

■Cast

Kaito Yashio: Ryohei KimuraAkiho Senomiya: Aino NanjoAiri: Rie KugimiyaFrau Kamishiro: Kaori NazukaSubaru Hidaka: Yoshimasa HosoyaAtsushi Daitoku: Aoi TokuiMizuno Irei: Takako HondaNagaMitsuhiko Fukada: Yoji UedaNao Tennoji: Ayano YamamotoMisaki Senomiya: Kikuko InoueToshiyuki Sawada: Shinichiro MikiKou Kimijima: Toshiyuki Morikawa

■Main Characters

Kaito Yashio
"If you want me to obey you have to win the fight (Kilbara)."
A third-year student at Chuo Tanegashima High School and a member of the Robotics Club. He is a serious fighting game nerd who only plays the robot fighting game "Killbara". He is a member of the Robotics Club and likes "Killbara", but has no interest in robots. He also has a childish side, challenging people to a "Killbara" match when asked for a favor. As a result of the incident nine years ago, he suffers from a condition called "slow-mo" attacks.
Age: 18 Height: 165cm
Weight: 61kg
Date of birth: May 5, 2001 Star sign: Taurus Blood type: B

Akiho Senomiya
"A gale-force wave! A burst of energy, Gunvarrel! Ja-kin!"
A third-year student at Chuo Tanegashima High School. She is the head of the Robot Research Club and a childhood friend of Kaito. She is a bright, energetic, positive, and headstrong type, but her one flaw is that she is a bit of a joker. She is working hard to achieve the goal of "completing a giant robot," set by her older sister, Misaki Senomiya, who founded the Robot Research Club. She respects characters from monumental robot anime, calling them "that person," and often recites lines from those characters. She always wears red-framed fake glasses when she does so, so she carries them with her at all times. By the way, her eyesight is not bad.
Age: 18 Height: 157cm
Weight: 50kg
Birthday: April 13, 2001 Zodiac sign: Aries Blood type: A

Subaru Hidaka
"That's nonsense."
A second-year student at Chuo Tanegashima High School. Cool and strong-willed. He is knowledgeable about robotics and has an overconfidence, so he is known for his condescending behavior even towards older people. He has a lot of female fans due to his good looks and cool demeanor, but due to his stoic personality, he is not used to skinship with girls. Unlike "Akiho", who likes "Gunvarrel", he prefers realistic robots, so they often clash over their tastes in anime and robot building. Contrary to his cool demeanor, he also has a weak side when he is nervous, such as getting sweaty hands and stumbling over words.
Age: 16 Height: 170cm
Weight: 65kg
Date of birth: February 2, 2003 Star sign: Pisces Blood type: A

Frau Kamishiro
"Duhuhu."
He is a gloomy, shut-in otaku with a bad mouth and personality. He uses a lot of internet slang that has become obsolete not only online but also in real life. He is a programmer who was in charge of programming for the robot fighting game "Gunvarrel Kill Ballad ON-LINE," which has over 20 million users. He met Kaito through "Kill Ballad." He has little interest in interacting with others, and refuses to listen to other people's stories unless it is something that interests him. His hobby is fantasizing about love between men, and he buys up old doujinshi and looks at them while laughing, "Duhuhu."
Age: 16 Height: 155cm
Weight: 49kg
Birthday: June 17, 2002 Zodiac sign: Gemini Blood type: B

Daitoku Yunna
"O...Osu."
A third-year student at Chuo Tanegashima High School. A small-animal karate girl. She is quite timid and easily gets teary, but is a reliable person who takes care of her family. She works hard, but her karate skills are mediocre due to personality issues, and she has not yet even achieved a black belt. She likes urban legends and collects information, and visits places where urban legends are rumored to actually happen, but she is extremely bad with occult stories and is afraid to listen to ghost stories. She wakes up early in the morning to make meals and bento for her family, and does housework until late at night, so she is chronically sleep-deprived and falls asleep as soon as she lets her guard down.
Age: 17 Height: 148cm
Weight: 46kg
Birthday: August 10, 2001 Zodiac sign: Leo Blood type: O

Airi
"The weather in the Tanegashima and Yakushima areas will be sunny tomorrow."
A beautiful girl with a pure, fragile and demure appearance. She is usually polite and uses honorifics, but she still shows the innocence of a child, making her a little sister type character. She calls Kaito "big brother" and adores him. She sometimes suddenly becomes emotionless, as if her personality has changed, and there is much about her that is mysterious. She seems to be deeply connected to the Kimijima Report.
Age: 10 years old Height: 145cm
Weight: 40kg
Date of birth: December 24, 2008 Star sign: Capricorn Blood type: No data

■Subtitle

#01 Gunvarrel is waiting
#02 Dreams, hopes and romance are the foundation
#03 Tanegashima Impact!
#04 Let's build a giant robot of justice together
#05 Can I call you Big Brother?
#06 When the dream ends, it's lonely
#07 Thank you very much
#08 I'm Tennoji Nae. Nice to meet you!
#09 It's all blood, sweat and tears
#10 A robot that only we can make
#11 Flag achieved
#12 Until you start to like something
#13 What a crazy world
#14 Just stay like this for a little while...
#15 Let me show you a dream
#16 I love giant robots
#17 The Robotics Research Club will be disbanded as of today!
#18 The real Gunvarrel is there!
#19 I wish I had never had a dream
#20 Do you still like robots?
#21 Gunvarrel takes off!
#22 Now it's our game

■ Theme songs and music

OP1: Junjou Spectra Sung by: Zwei
ED1: Brave Sea Breeze Sung by: fumika
OP2: Roaring Messiah Sung by HARUKI
ED2: Topology Sung by: Kanako Ito

■ Appeal and evaluation of the work

"Robotics;Notes" is a work that skillfully combines the two themes of youth and robots. The story depicts friendship, romance, and growth as the main characters strive to complete a giant robot, which has touched many viewers. In addition, the individuality of each character is well-defined, and each character's background and worries are carefully depicted, which has also been praised.

In particular, the relationship between Kaito Yashio and Akiho Senomiya is at the heart of the work, and their growth and deepening bond add excitement to the story. There are many depictions that delve deeply into the inner lives of the characters, such as Kaito's "slow-mo" seizures and Akiho's feelings for her sister. In addition, unique characters such as Subaru Hidaka and Frau Kamishiro add color to the story, keeping viewers from getting bored.

The animation was produced by Production IG, and the quality is high, with the robot designs and the impressive battle scenes being well worth watching. In particular, the design of the giant robot Gunvarrel has been highly praised by fans, and you can feel the attention to detail of Makoto Ishiwata, who was in charge of the original mecha design.

In terms of music, the opening and ending songs livened up the atmosphere of the work, and Zwei's "Junjou Spectra" was especially loved by many fans. In addition, fumika's "Umikaze no Brave" and HARUKI's "Hokan no Messiah" also matched the worldview of the work and captured the hearts of viewers.

■ Recommendation points

"Robotics;Notes" is recommended not only for those who like robot anime, but also for those who like youth dramas and science fiction. The following points are especially appealing:

• A story of youth and friendship : It depicts the growth of the main characters and the deepening of their friendship, and contains many touching scenes.
• Unique characters : Each character's background and worries are carefully depicted, making it easy to empathize with them.
• Impressive Robot Battles : The robot battles, depicted with Production IG's high-quality animation, are a sight to behold.
• The appeal of the music : The opening and ending songs enhance the atmosphere of the work and capture the hearts of viewers.

This work was loved by many fans as a robot anime that depicts dreams and hopes for the future. Please watch it and experience its charm.