It's the main character Iria's breast and a cute unknown animal trying to get out from it, if you're wondering...
In fact you see, I could find many faults that I usually find in Japanese anime and TV dramas. After all, it's just one more story about greedy politicians whose research object went out of control, about immoral administration officials who take a monster invasion as a way to get rid of the slums, about self-sacrifice and friendship born out of rivalry, about how families are not necessarily people related by blood. Nothing new, one may say.
After thinking what makes it different, this is what I have to say.
It's the wonderfully beautiful world where an oriental pagoda is standing in front of some kind of an industrial tower with fictional technologies, where every scenery looks like you can go there the next moment
where citizens wear kimono-like clothes
and policemen wear turbans
Where every costume of every main character
is detailed and elaborate with many functional elements balanced by
futuristic decorations
It's awfully good graphics for close-ups and pastel backrounds, even if some frames are less accurate. It's awfully great character design, with attractive girls and masculine guys, with stylish hair, defined pitch-black lashes and pink lips of the heroine.
And before that, it's the good old style of story development. It's about strong heroines with personalities rather than flat patterns. Strong, and not ugly. And not big breasted women. And strong heroes. Not those 'I have to be strong', but really, literally strong. Big strong caring men. Versus disgusting monsters bringing many deaths.
Now that I know better about the phenomenon of 'yutori', the young generation in the Japanese society who are supposed to be different from the older generations, I am going to put it in my reviews left, right, and centre.
A joke that might be, but I no longer hear such impressive voices among seiyuus in the newer anime series. Aya Hisakawa was so natural as the impulsive, energetic, fearless and optimistic Iria that you'd never say she is that Ami Mizuno or Chloe from 'Noir'. Juurota Kosugi is well... Wrap me some Kosugi for a take-out. Both Mika Kanai and Chika Sakamoto in their roles of orphan children were just classic. The partners of Iria by Masaru Ikeda and Shigeru Chiba were also good.
The opening and ending songs did not impress me much, but I did not dislike them.
It now seems as if 'Iria' is an ideal anime, but unfortunately that's not like it, and the problem is... time.
6 episodes per half an hour is something equal to 9 TV anime episodes, and I really miss the remaining 3. If there were more time and more episodes, the touching moments, the tragic moments would be properly done and leave the necessary lingering sadness. As a matter of fact, 'Iria' narration gets messy from time to time and even after catastrophic destruction or an important character's death or a hard battle the character switched back to normal rather quickly. At least it's not usually done with such a speed in anime.
I'd say, 'Iria' is not ideal, but it definitely set me back on track and gave me back the feeling of what's real, like a camertone. I want moar!
It's a cliche, I have said it too many times, but certainly the old anime series are generally better. I would like to say otherwise very much, but when I open MyAnimeList, I see titles like 'The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar' or even 'I Want You To Make a Disgusted Face and Show Me Your Underwear'.
