The appeal and reviews of "Juushinki Pandora": A world of mecha action you can't miss

Juushinki Pandora - Juushinki Pandora - Comprehensive review and recommendation

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

April 4, 2018 - September 26, 2018
From 23:30

■Broadcasting station

TOKYO MX, BS11

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 26

■Original Story

Shoji Kawamori, Satellite

■ Director

Shoji Kawamori

■ Production

・Animation production: Satelight

■Works

©2017 Shoji Kawamori,Satelight / Xiamen Skyloong Media

■ Story

In 2031, the world was drastically changed by the "Shoryu Crisis," an accident in which a quantum reactor, which was being developed as a next-generation energy source, went out of control. A flash of light suddenly spread from underground, engulfing the city buildings and covering the entire earth, and eventually a mysterious, uniquely evolved life form called "BRAI" appeared, which transcended and fused living things, machines, and plants.

Seven years later, Shoryu has been reborn as the city of absolute defense, "Neo Shoryu." It is the last bastion of hope for humanity, battling BRAI, which has evolved at an astonishing speed and brought humanity to the brink of extinction.

Guided by fate, Leon, Chloe, Queenie, and Doug gather at Neo Shoryu. Cecil, Kane, Jay, and Glenn welcome them into the defense force. And so, the special forces unit "Pandora" is born, fighting for the survival of mankind.

At the time of the contract, hope was entrusted to them.

■Cast

・Leon Lau / Tomoaki Maeno・Queenie Yeu / Kana Hanazawa・Doug Horvat / Kenjiro Tsuda・Chloe Lau / Nao Toyama・Glenn Ding / Yuuma Uchida・Kane Ibrahim Hasan / Unsho Ishizuka・Jay Yun / Yuichiro Umehara・Cecil Su / Ai Kayano・Mr. Gold / Nobuyuki Hiyama・Sieg / Yuichi Nakamura・Wang / Takayuki Kondo・Fo / Kaito Ishikawa・Fiona / Mamiko Noto・Emilia Valli / Asami Seto・Long Wu / Akira Ishida

■ Main staff

・Original work / Shoji Kawamori, Satelight・General director / Shoji Kawamori・Director / Eiichi Sato・Series composition / Toshizo Nemoto・Character concept / Risa Ebata・Character design / Eiji Yasuhiko・Heavy object design / Shoji Kawamori・BRAI design / Shinichi Miyazaki・Design works / Hirotsugu Ishikawa・Color design / Kanako Hayashi・Art director / Sei Ito・Art setting / Tomoyuki Aoki, Kenichi Morioka・Director of photography / Jun Kubota・Editing / Ryoko Kaneshige・CG director / Hiroyuki Goto・CG supervisor / Joe Harada・Heavy object modeling / Akihiro Ogawa, Kento Watanabe, Masaru Kutsui・Monitor graphics / Jiro Kageyama・Special effects / Ayaka Iida・Sound director / Takatoshi Hamano・Sound effects / Katsuhiro Nakajima・Sound production / Magic Capsule・Music / Masahiro Tokuda, Akihiro Manabe・Music production / Flying Dog, One Music・Animation production / Satelight

■ Main Characters

Leon Lau, the exiled genius scientist
He is one of the central figures who caused the "Shoryu Crisis." After the accident, he lives in the wilderness outside of Neo Shoryu with his contracted family, Chloe, helping each other out. He is generally quiet and "clumsy," but gets very talkative when it comes to things he likes, like research and food.

・Queenie Yoh [The beautiful warrior who lost everything]
A bounty hunter. A cool martial artist who seeks strength. He once trained in Kushinken at a dojo deep in the mountains. He is currently traveling in search of someone to take revenge on.

Doug Horvat, the sniper who loves women and cats
He's a mood maker who is always smiling and chatting away, but as a sniper, his eyes are sharp and cold like a beast's when he's aiming for his prey. He now works as a bounty hunter, and is always with his pet cat.

・Chloe Lau [Leon's "little sister"]
She is the "little sister" who has signed a family contract with Leon. Though they are not related by blood, she thinks of him as her real brother. She is a cheerful, energetic girl who is not afraid of anything or anyone and who works hard to take care of her brother, who is lazy except for his research.

・Glenn Dinn [Unit leader who cares for his family]
After losing his family in the "Shoryu Crisis," he volunteers to join the Defense Forces as a captain. He fights BRAI for revenge, but his anger remains unabated.

・Kain Ibrahim Hasan [Pandora's mainstay]
Pandora's captain, a former mercenary from a private military company. He is a big-hearted man with a strong sense of duty and humanity, and is attentive to the care of his teammates. He is a severe Japanese pepper addict.

Jay Yoon (Cold-blooded Adjutant)
A secretary for Neo Shoryu City who served Cecil before the "Shoryu Crisis." He views his schoolmate Leon as a rival, and has become even more suspicious of him since the reactor accident.

・Cecil Sue [Princess who rules over Neo Shoryu]
A talented young woman who became mayor of Neo Shoryu in place of her father, who died in the "Shoryu Crisis." She promoted the formation of Pandora and also serves as the commander of the defense force.

・Mr. Gold [Invaders targeting Neo Shoryu]
A former businessman clad in golden armor. He has a connection with Cecil and leads a mysterious group that threatens Neo Shouryu.

・Sieg [Mr. Gold's right-hand man]
He is the chief strategist for the Gold Gang. He is a strategist who calmly analyzes things while wearing a fearless smile.

・Wan [Mr. Gold's bodyguard]
A lone warrior. He works with Mr. Gold and his friends, but his motives are unknown.

・Four [Mr. Gold's confidant]
A masked man, fully armored. He operates in the shadows as a vanguard, using his superhuman fighting abilities.

・Long Wu [The man who tried to change the world]
The developer of the "Quantum Reactor." He was a good friend of Leon's and a brilliant scientist, but died in the "Shouryu Crisis."

・Fiona [Mysterious Girl]
A girl with a mysterious aura who suddenly appears in front of Leon.

Emilia Valli (Doug's ex-girlfriend)
A leading researcher in artificial intelligence. Doug approached her for a mission. They bonded over the course of their time together, but she was killed by BRAI.

■Subtitle

#1/The Evolving Destroyer#2/The Opener of the Box#3/2038 Neo Shoryu#4/Roaring Breakthrough Operation#5/The Enemy Above#6/Wings of Sorrow and Vengeance#7/Phantom Panda#8/Rain Blind Spot#9/Tiger's Eye#10/Crimson Reminiscence#11/Dr. Long Wu#12/Red Reaper#13/Cry of Chaos#14/Tower of Grudges#15/Golden Demon#16/Reformer#17/Servant's Pride#18/Overlapping Blades#19/Beginning of Awakening#20/Of the Sky#21/Resonating Souls#22/Closed Mountain#23/Circle of Life#24/End of Evolution#25/Black Brilliance#26/Chosen Future

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Period: 1-26
・Sirius ・Lyrics by Motoo Fujiwara ・Music by Motoo Fujiwara ・Singer by BUMP OF CHICKEN
・ED1
・Period: 1-26
・Spica
Lyrics: Motoo Fujiwara; Music: Motoo Fujiwara; Singer: BUMP OF CHICKEN
・IN1
・Meteor
Lyrics: Nishizawa Yukina Music: WEST GROUND
・Song: Nishizawa Yukina・IN2
・Together with Sadness ・Lyrics by Yuho Iwasato ・Music by H ZETT M
・Singer: Megumi Nakajima・IN3
・New Generation
Lyrics: Nishizawa Yukina Music: WEST GROUND
・Song: Nishizawa Yukina・IN4
・Girigiri DESTINY
・Songs: Shiori Sasaki, aoi

Review and Recommendation

"Juushinki Pandora" is an anime series that was broadcast in 2018, and is a fusion of director Shoji Kawamori's unique worldview and Satelight's high-quality animation. This work depicts the battle between humanity and the unknown, uniquely evolved creature "BRAI" against the backdrop of the "Shoryu Crisis" that began with the failure of next-generation energy development. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and recommended points of this work.

Story and setting

The story of "Juushinki Pandora" begins with the "Shoryu Crisis" in 2031. This accident causes the quantum reactor to go out of control, resulting in the emergence of an unknown creature called "BRAI." Seven years later, in 2038, the story moves to the absolute defense city of "Neo Shoryu," where the special forces unit "Pandora" is formed. This setting combines science fiction and action, and has the power to draw viewers in.

In particular, the design and evolution of "BRAI" is visually stunning, fully displaying the creativity of Director Shoji Kawamori. The city design of Neo Shoryu is also beautiful, evoking the atmosphere of a futuristic city. The story depicts the hopes and despair of humanity through the growth and struggles of unique characters such as Leon, Chloe, Queenie, and Doug.

character

Each character in "Juushinki Pandora" has a deep background and personality. The main character, Leon, is a genius scientist who was banished because he felt responsible for the "Shoryu Crisis". His "sloppy" personality and passion for research resonate with viewers. The setting of his family contract with Chloe also adds warmth to the story.

Queenie is a bounty hunter who seeks strength and has a desire for revenge in her heart. Her cool appearance and inner conflict leave a deep impression on the audience. Doug is a contrasting character with his cold-heartedness as a sniper and his love for his pet cat, and his witty remarks and smiles add humor to the story.

Each member of the defense force, such as Glenn, Kane, Jay, and Cecil, has their own unique personality, and the story depicts their team's unity and individual dramas. Cecil's leadership and the tragedy of her past are particularly important elements of the story. Furthermore, the enemy characters, such as Mr. Gold, Zeke, One, and Four, are also deep and are not simply villains, but the story unfolds from their perspectives, providing the viewer with multiple perspectives.

Animation and visuals

The animation of "Juushinki Pandora" is a work that shows off Satelight's technical capabilities. In particular, the design of the Juushinki and the battle scenes are extremely realistic and powerful. Director Shoji Kawamori's mecha design is a departure from traditional robot anime, and the movements and transformations of the Juushinki are visually enjoyable. The design of BRAI is also unique, and the futuristic visuals that combine living things and machines are impressive.

The color design and art setting are excellent, with beautifully drawn cityscapes of Neo Shoryu and backgrounds for the battle scenes. The use of CG is also effective, with the modeling of the heavy metal machines and special effects adding to the excitement of the story. Overall, it is a very visually appealing work.

Music and Sound

The music for "Juushinki Pandora" was composed by Masahiro Tokuda and Akihiro Manabe, and is an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. In particular, the opening theme "Sirius" and the ending theme "Spica" by BUMP OF CHICKEN link with the theme of the story and enhance the emotions of the viewer. In addition, the insert songs are used effectively in line with the development of the story, moving the viewer's heart.

The sound effects are also excellent, conveying the intensity of the battle scenes and the emotions of the characters in a realistic way. Under the direction of Takatoshi Hamano, Katsuhiro Nakajima's sound effects support the story. Overall, the music and sound enhance the worldview of the story and increase the viewer's immersion.

Recommended points

"Juushinki Pandora" is a work that depicts the growth and battles of unique characters in a unique worldview that combines science fiction and action. In particular, the mecha designs by Director Shoji Kawamori and the high-quality animation by Satelight are attractive, making it a visual treat. The music and sound also liven up the story and enhance the emotions of the viewer.

This film is especially recommended for fans of sci-fi and robot anime, as well as those who enjoy deep character drama and beautiful visuals. It is also a must-watch for fans of BUMP OF CHICKEN. Overall, it is a visually and emotionally satisfying film that is definitely worth a watch.