Welcome to this week’s review of notable instances of transit, place and culture as rendered in anime currently broadcast in Japan and simulcast internationally via the web. For a detailed outline of the approach, please refer to the explanation in the inaugural issue. Links to streaming sources are included when available, though not all may have current episode available at the time this column is published.

SPECIAL NOTE: The review will be on hiatus for a few weeks while I move to Beijing. Barring any technical issues with internet access, I hope to be back with a catchup edition and resume regular posting after getting settled.

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

(やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Fan Pilgrimage Update

@ngwrb (post) and @butaiwalker (post) made pilgrimages to Inage-Kaigan, Chiba-Minato and Chiba Port Park for Episode 9, both of which include many of the shots in the respective train stations and on board JR Keiyō Line trains.

Episode 9

Yui and Hachiman meet at Inage-Kaigan Station (稲毛海岸駅) to attend hanabi festivities.

Keiyō Line (京葉線)

I like when anime include little details such as this shot of the train suspension and the catenary in the image after next. My hunch is that mangaka and animators are reflecting and amplifying the things they see and experience on a daily basis, just as their western counterparts would. For Japanese pop culture output, that translates into emphasis on the public transit commuting routine, rather than cars and parking lots. My guess would be that urban environments (or any public space, for that matter) are depicted with greater detail and precision in anime, while North American productions would have more abstract representations reflecting mental images of the environment as experienced through the lens of cars. I would love to team up with a contemporary western animation buff would could provide a counterpoint to my analysis.

Chiba-Minato Station (千葉みなと駅)

Crossing guards help guide pedestrians to the waterfront. As the time for fireworks draws closer and crowd density increases, the streets will often be closed to auto traffic around popular viewing locations such as Chiba Port Park.

Chiba Port Tower (千葉ポートタワー)

It isn’t his stop, but Hachiman gets off the train to walk Yui home. Many communities in Japan, especially in urban and suburban areas, feature high-density development near train stations. There’s a much lower degree of the last mile problem found in the United States with regard to commuter transit, so Hachiman can do this and still get himself home in a reasonable amount of time.

The Devil is a Part-Timer!

(はたらく魔王さま! Hataraku Maō-sama)
Watch: Funimation

Fan Pilgrimage Update

@rimatai made a quick stop at Hatagaya Station for Episode 9.

@butaiwalker made a visit to and Hatagaya and Shibuya crossing for Episode 9.

@lidges made a pilgrimage to Sasazuka and Hatagaya, covering multiple episodes.

ゆっきーの散歩Blog made a pilgrimage to Shinjuku and Sasazuka for Episode 8.

Episode 10

Emi, Suzuno and Chiho meet at Toshimaen Station (豊島園駅), which deposits riders directly across from the main entrance to Toshimaen (としまえん) amusement park in Nerima, Tokyo Prefecture.

They return home via Nerima Station (練馬駅), at the center of the city.

The Keiō Line (京王線) pulls into Sasazuka Station (笹塚駅).

Yuyushiki

(ゆゆ式)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Fan Pilgrimage Update

@rimatai made a pilgrimage to Musashi-Koganei, Ogikubo and Nerima-Takanodai Station for Episodes 1 and 7.

Episode 9

Kei and Chiho are in Shibuya (渋谷). They meet and wait for another friend at the Hachikō (ハチ公) statue in ekimae.

At the end of the episode a significant inflection point occurs when Yuzuko, Yui and Yukari open their friendship circle to include new people. They accept an impromptu invitation to join Chiho, Kei and Fumi for after school activities, which they discuss while walking through the high street commercial district. Fumi asks Yukari if she has enough money for train fare.

Photo Kano

(フォトカノ Foto Kano)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Episode 9

The Asagaya Pearl Center (阿佐谷パールセンター) makes a very brief appearance, decked out with bamboo branches, paper strips and streamers for Tanabata (七夕).

The Flowers of Evil

(惡の華 Aku no Hana)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Fan Pilgrimage Update

@megtan made a pilgrimage to Kiryū, Gunma Prefecture for Episode 9.

@ngwrb made a pilgrimage for Episode 6, Episode 7 and Episode 8.

Episode 9

After Kasuga dashes out of his home, Saeki overhears his mother frantically searching the neighborhood on bicycle.

RDG Red Data Girl

(RDG レッドデータガール RDG Reddo Dēta Gāru)
Watch: Funimation

Fan Pilgrimage Update

@lidges made a pilgrimage to Shinjuku, Tokyo for Episode 2.

@shira_ry made a pilgrimage to Nagano Station for Episodes 6 and 8.

Devil Survivor 2 The Animation

(デビルサバイバー2 Debiru Sabaibā 2)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Fan Pilgrimage Update

@Beetle787 made a pilgrimage to Sapporo for Episode 9.

@rimatai made a pilgrimage to Shinbashi, Tokyo for Episode 1.

Oreimo

(俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Fan Pilgrimage Update

@habusan (post) and @ngwrb (post) both made pilgrimages to Kusatsu Onsen, a hot spring town in Gunma Prefecture, for Episode 9.

 

Special Items

@ye_bi_su made a pilgrimage to Kyoto for the upcoming anime adaptation of novel Uchouten Kazoku, slated to premiere in July 2013. The production is by studio P.A. Works, known for highly detailed background art of real world locations, in shows such as Hanasaku Iroha, Tari Tari and RDG Red Data Girl.

@lidges made a pilgrimage to Iidabashi and Kagurazaka in Tokyo, including Iidabashi Station, for Kimi no Iru Machi. A complete anime series version of this OVA is scheduled to begin broadcasting in July 2013.

@Bf109K1 made a pilgrimage to Ōsakikamijima, an island town in the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture for Tamayura. He also stopped in Takehara, directly across the water on the mainland, which appeared in the recent preview for the upcoming season.

@fureshima recirculated a few more past pilgrimages for Ano Natsu de Matteru, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 from Komoro, and another from nearby Saku, both in Nagano Prefecture.

@rimatai made a pilgrimage to Musashino, Tokyo Prefecture and Ōarai, Ibaraki Prefecture for Girls und Panzer.

@fureshima made a pilgrimage to Hannō, Saitama Prefecture using the manga source material for Yama no Susume.