Introduce: “Gattai Girls” is a series of articles dedicated to reviewing giant robot anime that feature prominent female characters due to their relative rarity in that genre.
Here, “standing out” is primarily defined by two characteristics. First, the female character must be a main character (as opposed to a supporting or supporting character), or she must take on a role that sets her apart. Second, the female character actually has to control a giant robot, preferably the main giant robot of the series she’s in.
For example: Aim for the Top! would qualify as Noriko (the main character, controlling the most important robot in her show), while Vision of Escaflowne would not, because Hitomi does not participate in any battles despite being a character. main character, and so is Full Metal Panic! because the most prominent robot pilot, Melissa Mao, isn’t outstanding enough.
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This is an unusual article about”Gattai Girls”. Sakura Wars is one of Sega’s most beloved video game franchises in Japan, and doing a review/analysis of it based on the animated television adaptation would certainly mean I can’t get a handle on it. captures everything that makes up this series. However, we do have a solid example of an anime that meets the criteria of a mecha series with a prominent female pilot at its center, so here we are. As far as I know, the TV series has largely the same plot, but there are a few instances where major events (like a certain heel turn) don’t play out as they do in the games.
Sakura Wars takes place in an alternate Taisho-era mystical-steampunk Japan, where humans and technology flourish, but where terrible demonic forces also threaten the peace. The only people capable of fighting them on relatively even terms are the members of the Imperial Combat Revue: a group of girls whose dual role is to perform in musicals in the style of the Takarazuka Revue and fight as the pilot of a machine with special psychic powers. known as Kobu.
One of the attractions of Sakura Wars is that these girls are all interesting and memorable characters, but the face of the series is undoubtedly its namesake, Shinguji Sakura. To understand her overall popularity, one need only look at Sega’s 60th Anniversary Popularity Poll where Sakura came in 3rd place behind only Sonic the Hedgehog and Opa-Opa from Fantasy Zone . What makes her so compelling is that she is essentially the ultimate yamato-nadeshiko—classical Japanese beauty—but not a regressive figure bound by conservatism.
(Side note: While I admit that the series is filled with excellent female characters, the focus will be on Sakura as the female lead).
When Sakura first arrived for the Combat Revue in Tokyo, she was like a fish out of water. Wearing a kimono, everything about her is “traditional”. However, this was the Taisho era, a time of increasing Western values (such as marrying for romantic love). Much of Sakura’s development in the series involves adapting to the international nature of her new environment and her teammates—allies who come from different parts of Japan and the world, and people with different values — while still honing her swordsmanship and spiritual energy that made her a recruit for the Combat Revue in the first place.
I don’t usually take the time to discuss the voices behind the characters in these “Gattai Girls” entries, but I have to make a special exception here because Yokoyama Chisa is simply special. Her voice carries many different emotions, from strength to hurt, from joy to sadness, sometimes all at the same time. She is the lead singer in the Sakura Wars opening for this anime (as well as many other games), and it really feels like Shinguji Sakura is bringing the song to life.
I understand that romance is truly an important part of life. Sakura Wars game, as the player usually takes on the role of a male captain in charge of the team. In the case of the early games and related media, it would be Ogami Ichiro, and I believe Ogami and Sakura are the most popular pairing. However, romance is not really an important element in the anime and most of the story focuses on Sakura and the others developing relationships that help them grow as people and warriors, as well as make unravel the secrets of the demons that are causing trouble. Japan. In this regard, Sakura is shown to possess immense inner strength, focus, and courage, all of which will eventually help her become a great Kobu pilot over time.
The Kobu themselves look fantastic, their round shape and steam valve capturing the aesthetics of the scene better than anything else. They are very special and have a unisex design so there is no particular attention to the fact that the Kobu is mainly ridden by girls. Every character fights in their mecha using weapons similar to what they use on foot, and Sakura’s is a katana. Strength, will, and determination to protect the innocent are indeed part of Sakura’s appeal as a yamato-nadeshiko, but this is again shown less as an aspect of a a woman who is rigid but like an anchor that she can use for stability when needed.
Shinguji Sakura is the type of female protagonist who is often imitated but never duplicated. To be able to embody the seemingly contradictory values of progress and tradition while actually betraying both is not a juggling act that can easily fail. She is the surest sign that just because a character is of the dominant archetype doesn’t mean they have to be boring or bland.