Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
「軽い、7つの点滅」 (Karui, Nanatsu no Tenmetsu)
“Light, Seven Flashes”
It almost doesn’t feel real, but it really is happening. Mizukami in anime form – it’s like a dream (which makes the opening of the series rather ironic). I actually got quite emotional a few times watching this episode, because this is a legitimately historical moment. When a long-overdue adaptation of a manga masterpiece happens, that’s emotional in itself. But when it’s one of the greatest living mangaka whose work has never, ever seen anime form – not even a sniff – that’s on another level. Better late than never but damn, anime – you’re fucking late.
My take on the premiere of Planet With is pretty straightforward – glorious. Mizukami glorious. So much Mizukami in every frame. There may be no more recognizable mangaka in the world than Mizukami Satoshi – not just in terms of visuals (though his characters are utterly unmistakable) but his narrative style. And not only that, but that style is so perfect for anime that it practically epitomizes the essence of what classic anime is. The perspective, the vibe, the look – I don’t want to obsess over this, but how in the world can this have taken so long?
Sadly, I probably know the answer. Planet With is likely going to tank commercially, and that will probably in turn tank any hopes for future Mizukami adaptations. Not to doom and gloom here, but that’s just reality – I’ve been around anime long enough to know that. Mizukami is a man out of time as a writer, really – he’s way too shameless and feckless in his writing style and character design (physical and literary). And of equal importance, he demands way too much of the audience to succeed in modern anime. In essence, Trigger is what would happen if you took classic Gainax, stripped everything “Mizukami-like” out of it, and let the marketing department write all the scripts.
Surely there are two audiences for Planet With – those who know Mizukami’s work and thus what to expect, and those who don’t. That’s always the case with an adaptation of course (I see this as more of a general Mizukami adaptation that anything, though there is a manga too), but Mizukami is so singular that I think the divide is far more important here than usual. In brief, he’s not going to explain things to you. He’s going to make you (let you) figure them out for yourself, if you’re so inclined. He’s going to make you groan with cheesy humor. He’s going to make you think you know what’s coming, and then totally subvert those expectations. And then he’s going to rip your heart out and stomp on it, over and over.
That’s assuming you stick around long enough, of course – and I suspect a lot of folks won’t. That’s too bad, but they’re the ones who’ll be losing out. This premiere was about as innately Mizukami as it gets, apart from the fact that as the story progresses he’ll artfully steer the audience towards understanding what’s actually happening. For now we have a middle schooler named Kuroi Souya (Abe Atsushi), who lives with a maid named Ginko (Izawa Shiori) and – for some reason – a giant cat he calls “Sensei” who’s played by Koyama Rikiya (instantly recognizable despite only saying “Nya”, and something of an expert on playing big cats lately).
Why does Souya have amnesia, and why does he live with a giant cat? Why does Ginko only feed him vegetarian food? Why does he dream of dragons – and then read about his dreams? The answers will come, but patience will be required. With Mizukami you embrace the madcap strangeness – reading (and now, happily, watching) his work is about living in the present. There’s also a class rep who has a crush on Souya despite the fact that he can’t get her name right (he seems to consider “Megane-sama” her formal title), and a bunch of superheroes – superheroes who’re called into action when giant teddy bears with “Peas” written on their chests pop up all over the world simultaneously. Most important among these seems to be Torai Hideo (Umehara Yuichirou), who became a firefighter after his mother died in a blaze, but gave it up to “protect the Earth”.
Who are the good guys here, and who the bad guys? I don’t know yet, but with Mizukami-sensei it’s likely to be more complicated than that. Sensei and Ginko seem to be on the same side as the giant kigurumi, which may be part of a group called “Nebula”. Hideo and his six cohorts are clearly its enemies. Nebula appears to be closely connected to memory, based on the evidence of what the teddy showed the SDF pilot who tried to blow it up and Hideo (in a very powerful sequence) when he went inside it to destroy it. When Souya is called into action to fight Hideo, he’s highly skeptical and convinced Sensei and Ginko have kidnapped him to make him their hired soldier – but once he sees the item around Hideo’s neck that’s the “source of his power”, he appears to regain his memories. And possibly, to connect that power source to the death of his family.
I don’t know much about Planet With – about the plot, about how long it will run (I’m assuming 12 episodes), or why it was chosen to be Mizukami’s entre into anime rather than Spirit Circle or Hoshi no Samidare (yes, that was an Asahina figure whose pantsu Sensei was sneaking a peek at). But I know it’s Mizukami – would have known in less than 10 seconds, even if I’d never known of its existence before I watched it. I have total faith in this series because I have total faith in the power of brilliant writing, which I think is ultimately the single more important factor in whether an anime can be great or not. That power was amply on display in this first episode, and the seeds it planted will surely bear gorgeous fruit as the story progresses. Those who embrace the experience will be amply rewarded.
No questions about this one from me, it’s a must-watch. The sense of alienation and dissociation created by just having someone do something very normal like sit down for a meal but with a maid and an oversized cat-like thing is more than palpable, it’s almost suffocating.
Rather rose-tinted summary, though there’s nothing wrong with that. Didn’t do much for me though. Not as big a fan of the mangaka as you are – his work ain’t terrible, but I just find them a tad too emo (characters clenching fists and going kuso or chikusho every five minutes) with way too much focus on the struggle and hardly any on the reward – for my liking. Not a terrible first episode by most standards. I think I’ve probably just outgrown this kind of anime in general, or maybe it’s the other way round and these types of anime have left me behind. I did like that bit where the fighter pilot just upped and went home.
As someone who doesn’t know the manga author Mizukami Satoshi nor read any of his works, this particular review ticks me off and does more to convince me to avoid watching this series rather than give it a chance.
Thanks, appreciate the compliment.
So… Are you saying that you liked it? Because I am not sure after reading your First Impression.
😛
Why pull punches? Great premieres are so rare you may as well praise the ones you get.
This is what Enzo does. He vomits onto the page and pretends it’s a review. It’s not.
Straight out of the Algonquin Roundtable, that one.
damn I LOVED Hoshi no Samidare
I might give this a try?
Spirit Circle was even better IMO…
Definitely gonna give this a try though I’m no familiar w/Mizukami’s work
Is this anti-hero stuff?
I gave it a try just because you made it sound like a must-watch. And I’m glad I did. I don’t know what’s happening yet but there’s the feeling it knows what it’s doing, and wherever it ends up I think this is a show in which I’ll be enjoying the ride regardless. I don’t know what to expect – and I mean it in a good way – as if anything happening is possible.
That pretty much sums up the first-time Mizukami experience right there, which I guess means the premiere worked!
“Trigger is what would happen if you took classic Gainax, stripped everything “Mizukami-like” out of it, and let the marketing department write all the scripts.”
Who the hell would call out Trigger? Checking… Oh. it’s Enzo. SHOCKING. Why haven’t you retired yet?
Pissing you off makes coming to work worthwhile.
It’s adorable that you think I actually give a shit about what you post beyond coming here to mock you for it. But who am I to stop you from touching yourself at the thought of another ‘pleb’ not appreciating your masterstrokes. On an anime blog. What is it you’re doing with your life again?
Way to keep it classy, as always.
my hunch will be the source of power is actually
Show Spoiler ▼
I liked it. In fact I live for stuff like this. Kind of reminds me of Flip Flappers.
Just so it’s known, I really like your blog posts.
Thanks, always appreciate hearing that.
Hand-holding does not happen in a Mizukami work.
You will truly not know what is happening until 1/3 of the way into the story and
any assumption will be wrong.
And I love it.
Yup, that sums it up pretty well. And that’s a bad fit for anime these days, based on recent history. Hopefully enough hidden Mizukami fans come out of the woodwork to help the show break even.
Mizukami!!!! I’m glad his work is finally getting animated.Also, I enjoy your blog posts Enzo!
The power source of the “heroes” are the remains of Souya’s brother.
This one looks promising.
Kuroi vs the Grand Paladin.
So many mysteries.
Anyway the manga is up to chapter 5.
A quick browse here and there:
Show Spoiler ▼
So far it reminds me of the Drakengard ending that leads to Nier.
In the ending theres another weird shadow beside Shiraishi Kogane.
Will it eat Souya and produce another mecha?