Takai
12-19-2008, 07:11 PM
Tegami Bachi: Hikari to Ao no Gensou Yawa
Reviewer: Takai
Original Title: Tegami Bachi: Hikari to Ao no Gensou Yawa.
Alternative Titles: Letter Bee: Light and Blue Night Fantasy.
Format: Special, 1 episode/30 minutes, complete.
Year(s): 2008.
Genres/Themes: fantasy, drama, adventure; shounen.
Animation Studio: Studio Pierrot.
Director: Kanbe Mamoru.
Original Author(s): Asada Hiroyuki.
Number of Episodes Seen: 1/1
Introduction (optional):
Heard the title mentioned in one of the clubs, liked what I saw on the cover, liked what I read in the description, checked it out. And what a wonderful thirty minutes it was; even the extremely slow streaming site could not ruin this for me.
Plot and Setting/Story: 10/10
"Their job is delivery... mail delivery."
Letter Bee is set in a fictional land called Amberground, a place where only night exists and the light is provided by artificial sun. There lies Bee Hive, the local postal office. Lag is a young boy and a rookie Letter Bee (delivery boy) at the Bee Hive. His job is to deliver people's "hearts", the letters and packages they send to each other. He travels together with his Dingo (guardian) Niche and her pet Steak.
First of all, the setting is extremely unique. I love the idea of a city where daylight doesn't exist; it adds a mysterious and somewhat gloomy feel to the overall atmosphere. Nearly everything is covered in darkness, and yet this little boy carries on with his job to deliver 'light' from one person's heart to another. The concept is simple but beautiful. Those who know the feeling of receiving a letter from a special person while having an overall bad day will surely be able to relate to it.
Since this is only a special for the upcoming TV series, obviously it does not show the entire story and does not explore all the characters in detail. In this special we are given a short overview of the world and are introduced to some of the main characters. It also covers one of the story arcs, and I loved every second of it. It was beautiful, touching, bittersweet, and very deep. It has that subtle slice-of-life feel to it that makes it realistic despite the fictional setting, some of the characters' mysterious powers, and mechanical monsters that get in the way of Lag's deliveries.
Characters/Character Development: 10/10
Once again, since this is only a special, I will judge it accordingly and will not subtract from character development either. In thirty minutes, Letter Bee introduced quite a variety of interesting individuals. Except for Lag, none were explored in detail, but all were very memorable. It left me with a lot of questions and made me wonder about their pasts and relationships with each other: how they became acquainted, who founded the Bee Hive in the first place, who were the previous Letter Bees... I can say this much: the cast was intriguing enough to make me want to watch the upcoming full story and learn more about all of them, and that means that the special did its job.
Art/Animation: 10/10
Both art and animation were simply stunning. I loved absolutely everything about it. The character designs (especially the eyes), the Letter Bee's uniform design, the background shots. The color choice was fantastic; the melancholic atmosphere it created fit in perfectly with all other aspects. It was just beautiful, I don't know what else to say. :|
Sample Screenshots:
Please excuse the small size; if there is ever a non-online version, I will make my own screenshots and replace these.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/letterbee01.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/letterbee03.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/letterbee02.jpg
Music/Sound: 10/10
To complete the perfection of this special, the music was also wonderful. It was at times sad, at times uplifting, and it was ideal for the portrayed situations. I loved the contrast between the rather gloomy opening and a cheerful ending theme after Lag successfully completed his delivery and moved on with his companions.
Overall Anime Rating: 10/10
Reviewer: Takai
Original Title: Tegami Bachi: Hikari to Ao no Gensou Yawa.
Alternative Titles: Letter Bee: Light and Blue Night Fantasy.
Format: Special, 1 episode/30 minutes, complete.
Year(s): 2008.
Genres/Themes: fantasy, drama, adventure; shounen.
Animation Studio: Studio Pierrot.
Director: Kanbe Mamoru.
Original Author(s): Asada Hiroyuki.
Number of Episodes Seen: 1/1
Introduction (optional):
Heard the title mentioned in one of the clubs, liked what I saw on the cover, liked what I read in the description, checked it out. And what a wonderful thirty minutes it was; even the extremely slow streaming site could not ruin this for me.
Plot and Setting/Story: 10/10
"Their job is delivery... mail delivery."
Letter Bee is set in a fictional land called Amberground, a place where only night exists and the light is provided by artificial sun. There lies Bee Hive, the local postal office. Lag is a young boy and a rookie Letter Bee (delivery boy) at the Bee Hive. His job is to deliver people's "hearts", the letters and packages they send to each other. He travels together with his Dingo (guardian) Niche and her pet Steak.
First of all, the setting is extremely unique. I love the idea of a city where daylight doesn't exist; it adds a mysterious and somewhat gloomy feel to the overall atmosphere. Nearly everything is covered in darkness, and yet this little boy carries on with his job to deliver 'light' from one person's heart to another. The concept is simple but beautiful. Those who know the feeling of receiving a letter from a special person while having an overall bad day will surely be able to relate to it.
Since this is only a special for the upcoming TV series, obviously it does not show the entire story and does not explore all the characters in detail. In this special we are given a short overview of the world and are introduced to some of the main characters. It also covers one of the story arcs, and I loved every second of it. It was beautiful, touching, bittersweet, and very deep. It has that subtle slice-of-life feel to it that makes it realistic despite the fictional setting, some of the characters' mysterious powers, and mechanical monsters that get in the way of Lag's deliveries.
Characters/Character Development: 10/10
Once again, since this is only a special, I will judge it accordingly and will not subtract from character development either. In thirty minutes, Letter Bee introduced quite a variety of interesting individuals. Except for Lag, none were explored in detail, but all were very memorable. It left me with a lot of questions and made me wonder about their pasts and relationships with each other: how they became acquainted, who founded the Bee Hive in the first place, who were the previous Letter Bees... I can say this much: the cast was intriguing enough to make me want to watch the upcoming full story and learn more about all of them, and that means that the special did its job.
Art/Animation: 10/10
Both art and animation were simply stunning. I loved absolutely everything about it. The character designs (especially the eyes), the Letter Bee's uniform design, the background shots. The color choice was fantastic; the melancholic atmosphere it created fit in perfectly with all other aspects. It was just beautiful, I don't know what else to say. :|
Sample Screenshots:
Please excuse the small size; if there is ever a non-online version, I will make my own screenshots and replace these.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/letterbee01.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/letterbee03.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/letterbee02.jpg
Music/Sound: 10/10
To complete the perfection of this special, the music was also wonderful. It was at times sad, at times uplifting, and it was ideal for the portrayed situations. I loved the contrast between the rather gloomy opening and a cheerful ending theme after Lag successfully completed his delivery and moved on with his companions.
Overall Anime Rating: 10/10