The appeal and reviews of "Flying Babies": A moving story and deep characters

Flying Babies - A youthful hula dance story woven by girls from a hot spring town

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

January 11, 2019 - March 29, 2019
2:05～

■Broadcasting station

TV Tokyo, AT-X, Fukushima Chuo Television (FCT)

■Frequencies

5 mins

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 12

■Original Story

・Original story/Yoshinobu Asao

■ Director

Yoshinori Asao

■ Production

・Animation Production: Fukushima Gaina

■Works

©Flying Babies Parents Association/Gaina 2019

■ Story

A carefree, carefree, youthful story of the girls of a hot spring town. "Oh man, I can't get enough of this," "Well, it's fine for today. I guess I've figured out the problem. Ah, but this foot bath is the best." Suzu and her classmate Fumi, first-year students at a junior high school in a hot spring town in Iwaki, form a hula club on a whim, but the club quickly loses momentum and spends its days lazily. Then, when Mona, a transfer student from Finland, joins the school, the girls gather their friends and devote their youth to hula dancing in order to enter a contest.

■Explanation

The story centers around girls who aim to become hula girls. There is one girl who experienced the earthquake, one who moved to Fukushima Prefecture after the disaster, and one who is an international student... Each girl is different, but they all strive to achieve their common goal of becoming hula girls. This is an animation that you can watch while feeling sympathy for the girls.

■Cast

Suzu/Haruka Yoshimura, Shiina/Tachibana Yamaguchi, Mona/Suzuko Mimori, Fumi/Mirai Sasaki, Nagisa/Sarah Bridcutt, Emi, Moe/Moe Toyoda, Miku/Miku Ito

■ Main staff

Produced by Yoshinobu Asao (Ikoma)
・ Original story/Yoshinobu Asao (Ikoma)
・Screenplay: Yoshinobu Asao (Ikoma)
・Director: Yoshinobu Asao (Ikoma)
・Character design / Ryozo Ominato ・Animation director / Ryozo Ominato ・Art / Ryozo Ominato ・Color design / Ryozo Ominato ・Petit character design / Emi Ikemori ・Petit color design / Makiko Doi ・Editing / Takao Sato ・Director of photography / Takao Sato ・3DCG / Akihiro Murase ・Sound director / Kisuke Koizumi ・Music / FMF
・Sound production/JTB Next Creation
・Animation Production: Fukushima Gaina ・Production: Flying Babies Parents Association ・Staying Babies Production: Staying Babies Parents Association

■ Main Characters

Suzu The protagonist of this work who launches Flying Babies and tries to enliven this area. In a word, she is a hard worker.
・Shiina: She looks cool because she's mature, but she's actually the hottest person in the Babys and she brings everyone together. In one word, she's tolerant.
Mona: A girl from Northern Europe who moved here because her father was transferred. In one word, she is unconventional.
・She was invited by Fumisuzu to start a hula club together. She is childhood friends with Suzu and Rei. Although she can get heated at times, she always keeps a cool head over the team. In a word, she is calm and collected.
Nagisa is slender and has a straightforward personality, so she is sometimes mistaken for a boy. She is always positive and doesn't worry about small things. In short, she is positive.
・A friendly musical unit with Miku performing as Moe Ukulele Babies ・A friendly musical unit with Moe performing as Miku Ukulele Babies

■Subtitle

・Lesson 1/Hurrah!!! (2019/01/11)
・Lesson 2/Don't do it. (2019/01/18)
・Lesson 3/Frabu♡(2019/01/25)
・Lesson 4/Road safety stickers!?(2019/02/01)
・Lesson 5/Jangara!? (2019/02/08)
・Lesson 6/Ukulele Babies! (2019/02/15)
・Lesson 7/Training Camp! (2019/02/22)
・Lesson 8/Friends (2019/03/01)
・Lesson 9/Deresuke (2019/03/08)
・Lesson 10/Motivation! (2019/03/15)
・Lesson 11/Nombee Sensei (2019/03/22)
・Lesson 12/Flying Babies♡(2019/03/29)

■ Related works

・Anime/Flying Babies ・Petit ・Anime/Staying Babies

■ Theme songs and music

・OP
・Flying Babies・Lyrics by Osamu Suzuki・Composition by Ryo Deguchi, Ryota Iida, Yuto Shimizu・Arrangement by Yu Sasaki・Singer by AOP

The appeal and reputation of Flying Babies

"Flying Babies" is an original anime series that was broadcast in 2019. It is set in a hot spring town and tells the story of a group of girls who dedicate their youth to hula dancing. In just five minutes, the series portrays the girls' growth and friendship, as well as their desire to revive the local area. Let's take a closer look at the appeal and reviews of this series.

The appeal of the story

The story of "Flying Babies" is a perfect blend of the laid-back atmosphere of a hot spring town and the passion for hula dancing. The story begins with the main character Suzu and her classmate Fumi forming a hula club, and then moves forward with the arrival of Mona, a transfer student from Finland. The story unfolds in a heartwarming way as you watch the girls gather their friends and compete in the hula dance contest.

Particularly impressive is the sight of girls from various backgrounds, including a girl who experienced the earthquake, a girl who moved to Fukushima Prefecture after the disaster, and an international student, coming together to perform hula dancing. The fact that you can watch the film while feeling sympathy for these girls is one of the film's great charms.

Character Appeal

The characters in "Flying Babies" are all unique and charming. The main character, Suzu, is a hard worker who leaves an impression with her willingness to enliven the area. Shiina appears mature and cool, but is tolerant as the team's leader. Mona has an unconventional personality and breathes new life into the story. Fumi is calm and collected, and plays an important role in maintaining the balance of the team. Nagisa has a positive and straightforward personality, and brings energy to the team. Moe and Miku are in charge of music as the Ukulele Babies, adding color to the story.

It is moving to watch these characters support each other and grow together. In particular, the scene where they bond over hula dancing is so moving that it is impossible to watch without crying.

The charm of animation

The animation for "Flying Babies" was produced by Fukushima Gaina, and beautifully depicts the scenery of the hot spring town and the movements of the hula dance. In particular, in the hula dance scene, the girls' movements are realistically reproduced, and you can feel a comfortable rhythm when watching. The scenery of the hot spring town also creates a laid-back atmosphere, making it the perfect setting for the story.

Character design is by Ryozo Ominato, who meticulously depicts the girls' expressions and movements. He is also in charge of color design, and the scenery of the hot spring town and the hula dancing scenes are vividly expressed. Petit character design and petit color design are by Emi Ikemori and Makiko Doi, respectively, and you can see the attention to detail in the designs.

The appeal of music

The music for "Flying Babies" is handled by FMF, and the pleasant melody that matches the rhythm of hula dancing is impressive. In particular, the opening theme "Flying Babies" plays an important role in livening up the atmosphere of the story, with lyrics by Osamu Suzuki, music by Ryo Deguchi, Ryota Iida, and Yuto Shimizu, arrangement by Yu Sasaki, and singing by AOP.

The music performed by Moe and Miku of the Ukulele Babies also adds color to the story. The scenes of them performing are heartwarming and soothing to watch.

Ratings and Recommendations

"Flying Babies" has been highly praised by many viewers as a story about girls from a hot spring resort town who devote their youth to hula dancing. In particular, the scene in which girls from various backgrounds, including a girl who experienced the earthquake, a girl who moved to Fukushima Prefecture after the earthquake, and an international student, come together to practice hula dancing will surely touch the hearts of many people.

This work is a moving story that depicts the beauty of hula dancing and the growth and friendship of girls, and can be recommended to a wide range of people. It is especially recommended for those who like hula dancing and youth stories. In addition, the scenery of the hot spring town and the unique characters of the girls are also attractive, so it is also recommended for those who are looking for healing.

Related works and their appeal

"Flying Babies" is related to "Flying Babies Petit" and "Staying Babies." "Flying Babies Petit" is a work that depicts the daily lives of girls in short episodes, and you can enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of a hot spring town. "Staying Babies" is a work that depicts the girls trying activities other than hula dancing, and you can see a new side of them. By enjoying these related works along with "Flying Babies," you will be able to experience the world of the girls more deeply.

Conclusion

"Flying Babies" is a touching story about girls from a hot spring town who devote their youth to hula dancing. The sight of girls from various backgrounds, including a girl who experienced the earthquake, a girl who moved to Fukushima Prefecture after the earthquake, and an international student, coming together to dance hula will surely touch the hearts of many people. This wonderful animation, which depicts the beauty of hula dancing and the growth and friendship of the girls, is one that can be recommended to a wide range of people. Please enjoy spending a heartwarming time with the scenery of the hot spring town and the unique characters of the girls.