"ISLAND" Review: A Secret and Moving Story of a Deserted Island

ISLAND - comprehensive reviews and recommendations

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

game

■ Broadcast period

July 1, 2018 - September 16, 2018
From 22:00

■Broadcasting station

TOKYO MX, AT-X

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 12

■Original Story

Front wing

■ Director

Keiichiro Kawaguchi

■ Production

Animation production: feel.

■Works

©2015 Frontwing / PROTOTYPE / Anime ISLAND Production Committee

■ Story

"Urashima" is an island floating in the sea far from the mainland. It is an island with abundant nature that could be mistaken for a paradise, and people trapped by complicated pasts and customs. Abandoned and forgotten by the mainland, the inhabitants of the island live half-resignedly. A young man who calls himself a "time traveler" washes up on the island. The young man, who has lost all memories except for his name "Setsuna" and "a certain mission," meets three girls, Ohara Rinne, Kurutsuka Ren, and Garando Sara, and soon begins to work hard to change the future of the island. The story of the young man and the girls surrounding Urashima, a place of exclusive customs and numerous mysteries, is unravelled.

■Explanation

The novel game "ISLAND" has been made into a TV anime. This work, created by Frontwing, is a visual novel game released in 2016 that became a hot topic for its deep story and beautiful graphics. In order to maximize the appeal of the original work, the anime adaptation faithfully reproduced the worldview of the original work while also incorporating expressions unique to anime. Director Keiichiro Kawaguchi has directed the work with attention to detail in order to meet the expectations of fans of the original work. In addition, feel., who was in charge of animation production, focused on character design and background art, pursuing visual beauty.

■Cast

・Rinne/Yukari Tamura ・Natsuren/Kana Asumi ・Sara/Hibiki Yamamura ・Kitsuna/Tatsuhisa Suzuki ・Kuon/Rina Sato

■ Main staff

・Original work/Front Wing ・Original concept/Go ・Character concept/Kuuchuu Yousai (Front Wing)
Director: Keiichiro Kawaguchi; Series Composition: Toshihisa Arakawa; SF Setting: Miho Sakai; Screenplay: Toshihisa Arakawa, Miho Sakai, Masaharu Amiya; Character Design: Kosuke Kawamura; Chief Animation Director: Kosuke Kawamura; Assistant Director: Takashi Ikebata; Accessory Design: Shinichi Tatsuta, Yui Fujii; Mechanical Design: Yoshinobu Tsunegi; Key Animators: Shuji Takahara, Naoki Shimizu; Art Director: Mio Isshiki; Art Setting: Yuji Ikeda; Backgrounds: Studio Y.S.; Color Design: Sari Tagawa; Director of Photography: Yuta Nakamura; Editor: Rumi Maruyama; Sound Director: Hiroto Morishita; Sound Production: Studio Mouse; Music: Akihiko Tateyama; Music Production: MAGES.
・Animation production: feel.
・Production: Anime ISLAND Production Committee

■ Main Characters

・Mihara Rinne The heir to the Mihara family, one of the "Urashima Three Great Families." She is a recluse and lives a reversed day and night life, stubbornly refusing to go outside during the day. Her hobby is late-night walks. She seems to know something about Setsuna, but stubbornly refuses to reveal anything. It is rumored that she was spirited away about five years ago, but no one is willing to talk about the details. Rinne is depicted as searching for her future while being bound by the traditions and customs of the island. Her inner conflict and growth are important elements of the story.
・Kuruto Daughter of the mayor of Natsuren Island. She has a tomboyish tone and is in the middle of a rebellious phase, repeatedly running away from home to try to leave the island. In reality, she is shy when it comes to romance, and is often teased by Setsuna. She is striving towards her dream of leaving Urashima and going to the mainland. She believes Setsuna to be from the mainland, and is interested in him. Natsuren's drive to escape the closed environment of the island and her growth through her relationship with Setsuna are depicted.
Garandou Believing Sara to be from the future, she is always hostile and tries to kill him. She is a firm believer in the existence of unscientific powers. She lost her parents in a fire five years ago, and while searching for the truth, she begins to realize the true meaning of her "destiny". Sara is a character who takes action to change the future of the island while facing the trauma of her past.
・Three Thousand Worlds: Setsuna
A mysterious young man was found naked on the island's beach. He claims to be from the future with the mission of saving the world, but he has lost most of his memories. He doesn't even remember who he is or where he is from, but he is a carefree optimist who doesn't think too deeply about things. While wandering around Urashima, he meets Mihara Rinne and begins working as a live-in servant at the Mihara household. Despite losing his memories, Setsuna is a central figure who interacts with the people of the island and takes action to change the island's future.
・Ohara Kuon
The current head of the Mihara family and Rinne's mother. Her husband died of illness five years ago. She suffers from a certain illness and lives a reclusive life, rarely leaving her room. Kune is depicted as struggling to protect her family ties and the traditions of the island.

■Subtitle

・#01/Stage01 I met you again (2018/07/01)
・#02/stage02 I don't want you to regret it (2018/07/08)
・#03/Stage03 How to weave a correct dream (2018/07/15)
・#04/Stage04 This World is Full of Secrets (2018/07/22)
・#05/Stage05 That's why I believe in you (2018/07/29)
・#06/Stage06 I just want you to be there (2018/08/05)
・#07/Stage07 I want to love you forever (2018/08/12)
・#08/Stage08 Love me again (2018/08/19)
・#09/Recursion01 To be with you again (2018/08/26)
・#10/Recursion02 I'm not interested in darkness anymore (2018/09/02)
・#11/Jump01 I met you again (2018/09/09)
・#12/Jump02 Holding hands to tomorrow (2018/09/16)

■ Related works

ISLAND

■ Theme songs and music

・IN1
・Period/1
・Lasting Memories
・Lyrics/Mayumi Kaneko・Composition/Mayumi Kaneko・Arrangement/Akihiro Tateyama・Song/Rinne・IN2
・Period/4
・Purest Summer
Lyrics: Kohei Miyahara; Composition: Yuki Fukazawa; Arrangement: Keiichi Osawa; Singer: Natsuren; IN3
・Period/5
・I'm Not a Natural Memorial Girl・Lyrics/Kyohei Matsuno・Composition/Kyohei Matsuno・Arrangement/Kyohei Matsuno・Singer/Sara・IN4
・Period/8
・Quiet sea
・Lyrics: no_my
・Composition: no_my
・Arrangement/Maon Kuge・Song/Rinne, Setuna・OP1
・Period: 1~7, 11, 12
・Eternal One・Lyrics/Gorou Matsui・Music/Yusuke Shirato・Arrangement/Yusuke Shirato・Singer/Yukari Tamura・OP2
・Period: September, October
・Closing tears
Lyrics: Goro Matsui; Composition: Yusuke Shirato; Arrangement: Yusuke Shirato; Singer: Yukari Tamura; ED1
・Period: 2~8, 11, 12
・Eternal Star
・Lyrics: Haggy Rock
・Composer: Haggy Rock
・Arrangement/Shinichi Yuuki ・Song/Ayaka ・ED2
・Period: September, October
・Marine SNOW
・Lyrics: Haggy Rock
・Composer: Haggy Rock
・Arrangement: Haggy Rock
・Song: Asaka

■ Evaluation

"ISLAND" is a TV anime series based on the visual novel game by Frontwing. It was broadcast from July 1 to September 16, 2018, and was available to watch on TOKYO MX and AT-X. It consists of 12 episodes, each of which is 30 minutes long, but has a deep story and fascinating characters.

The story is set on Urashima Island, far from the mainland. This island is home to a rich natural environment, a complicated past, and people bound by tradition. The island's inhabitants live in a world abandoned and forgotten by the mainland. A young man who calls himself a time traveler, Setsuna, washes up on the island. Although he has lost his memory, he claims to be on a mission to save the world. Setsuna meets three girls from the island, Mihara Rinne, Kuruto Karen, and Garandou Sara, and takes action to change the island's future.

The appeal of this work lies above all in its deep storyline and character growth. In order to meet the expectations of fans of the original game, director Kawaguchi Keiichiro has directed the film with meticulous attention to detail. Feel., the animation production company, focused on character design and background art, pursuing visual beauty. In particular, the depiction of the island's nature and scenery has the power to draw the viewer in.

The character settings are also fascinating. Mihara Rinne is a recluse, but is bound by the traditions and customs of the island and is portrayed as searching for her own future. Kuruto Karen is portrayed as someone who has the drive to escape the island and who grows through her relationship with Setsuna. Garandou Sara is a character who faces past trauma and takes action to change the island's future. And Setsuna, despite losing his memory, interacts with the people of the island and plays an important role as a central figure in changing the island's future.

The music also adds to the charm of this work. The opening themes "Eien no Hitotsu" and "Closing Tears" are sung by Yukari Tamura, and her beautiful voice deepens the worldview of the story. The ending themes "Eternal Star" and "Marine SNOW" are sung by Asaka, and her clear voice leaves a lingering impression on the story. The inserted songs also reflect the feelings of each character, stirring emotions as the story progresses.

This work is characterized by a story development that combines science fiction elements with human drama. Science fiction elements such as time travel and people from the future intertwine with the island's customs and the conflicts of the people, forming a story that draws the viewer in. In addition, the growth of each character and the changes in relationships are carefully depicted, leaving a deep impression on the viewer.

However, fans of the original game have also expressed the opinion that some parts of the story were simplified and character portrayals were thinned when it was made into an anime. In particular, the original game has multiple routes and the story unfolds from the perspective of each character, whereas the anime only depicts some of the routes, which may leave viewers who want to know the whole story of the original unsatisfied.

Still, "ISLAND" is a work filled with beautiful visuals, a deep story, and charming characters. It is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the original game, but also to anime fans. In particular, it is a work that viewers who enjoy the fusion of science fiction elements and human drama should definitely watch.

■Recommendation

"ISLAND" is a work with a deep story that combines science fiction elements and human drama, and features fascinating characters. It is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the original game, but also to anime fans. In particular, it is a work that should be watched by viewers who like science fiction elements such as time travel and people from the future, and viewers who want to enjoy the growth of characters and changes in human relationships.

In order to enjoy this work, we also recommend playing the original game. The original game has multiple routes and the story unfolds from each character's point of view, so you can enjoy parts that are not depicted in the anime. Furthermore, experiencing the beautiful graphics and deep story of the original game will deepen your understanding of the anime.

Other related works that are recommended are "The Fruit of Grisaia" and "The Paradise of Grisaia," both of which are also produced by Frontwing. These works also have deep stories and attractive characters, and are sure to be enjoyable for fans of "ISLAND."

Furthermore, for viewers who enjoy science fiction elements such as time travel and people from the future, we also recommend "Stein's Gate" and "The Magic Book of Zero." These works also have deep stories that combine science fiction elements with human drama, and are enjoyable for fans of "ISLAND."

"ISLAND" is a work filled with beautiful visuals, a deep story, and charming characters. It is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the original game, but also to anime fans. Please watch it and feel its charm.