I Love Me: A moving review of charming characters and a story full of charm

"I Love Me": A fantasy anime that stimulates children's curiosity

"I Love Me" is a TV special anime that was broadcast on NHK Educational TV for three days from March 28th to 30th, 2022, for 10 minutes every morning from 9:30 to 9:40. This anime has no original work and was produced as an original anime. It was produced by ODDJOB Inc. and produced by NHK. Copyright belongs to NHK.

Story and Themes

The main character is a five-year-old girl named "Mee." While out walking, she has many questions. "Why are they wearing pants?", "That child says he doesn't like being tickled, but why is that?", and other simple questions that only a child can have lead to Mee's fantasies and thought experiments. This anime is animated as a self-exploring fantasy show for children.

episode

Each episode of this anime, which consists of three episodes, has the following subtitles:

• #1 Why are you wearing pants? (March 28, 2022)
• #2 Do you actually hate being tickled? (March 29, 2022)
• #3 Is it weird to say "I like centipedes"? (March 30, 2022)

cast

Hikari Mitsushima voices all the characters in this anime by herself. Her talent as a voice actress highlights the diverse characters, including Mii, Kuroko, Papa, Onee-san, Nympu-san, Oji-san, Hii, Musshi, Ji, Wanzou, Wanmaru, Kyojin, and Tori.

staff

The script was written by Takemura Takeshi, the creative direction was by Furuya Haruka, the logo and character design was by obak, the graphic design was by Tabei Mina, the music was by DJ Codomo, and the sound effects were by Yokomizo Miwa. The animation was produced by ODDJOB Inc. and the animation director was Takahashi Ryunosuke. Other project managers included Udagawa Takahiro and Kondo Yohei, interview directors Akiyama Michiko and Otani Yoko, associate producer Mizukami Takeko, producer Okazaki Aya, and production manager Fujie Chihiro. The series is produced and written by NHK Educational and NHK.

Furthermore, the program is supervised by experts such as Yuichi Ikeda (pediatrics) from Showa University, Toshihiko Endo (developmental psychology) from the Center for Developmental Childcare Practice and Policy Studies attached to the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo, Hitomi Kitayama (sex education) from Wako Elementary School and Wako Kindergarten, Atsushi Sakai (developmental psychology) from Tokyo Metropolitan University, Toshiyuki Shiomi (education, educational anthropology, and childcare) from the University of Tokyo, Toshiyuki Tanaka (gender theory and masculinity studies) from Otsuma Women's University, Sayaka Fujiwara (rehabilitation medicine and pediatric prosthetics) from the University of Tokyo, and Naoya Hosoda (ecological psychology) from the Kunitachi City Early Childhood Education Center.

music

The opening theme "I Love Me's Theme" was composed by Humbert Humbert. The insert songs "Let's Try It Song" and "That's All Right Song" are also used, both sung by Me and Humbert Humbert. These songs have melodies and lyrics that warm the hearts of children, helping to liven up the atmosphere of the show.

Evaluation and Impressions

"I Love Me" is highly regarded as an anime that stimulates children's curiosity and gives them an opportunity to think about themselves. In particular, the story, which begins with Mee's simple question, can be enjoyed by both children and adults. In addition, Hikari Mitsushima's voice acting in multiple roles is also superb, and the individuality of each character is clearly expressed.

The animation quality is high, and even though it is a children's anime, it stands out for its visual beauty and clever storytelling. In addition, it has been professionally supervised, so it has good educational value. All these elements combine to make "I Love Me" a great anime to support children's development.

Recommendation

"I Love Me" is a wonderful anime that gives children an opportunity to think about themselves and stimulates their curiosity. It is especially recommended for preschoolers and children in the early elementary school years. It is also a work that parents and educators who are watching children's growth should watch in order to understand children's perspectives. Furthermore, it is a work that can be enjoyed by adults who are interested in animation and storytelling, so it is a work that can be recommended to a wide range of people.

Even after the anime airs on NHK Educational TV, you can still watch it on the NHK website or through video streaming services. Be sure to watch it with your children and enjoy watching Mii's adventures and growth.