Fantastic Children | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Fantastic Children

In the mood for a series built around the daring genres of Mystery, Sci-Fi, and Thriller? When it comes to anime, the time of production pays little contribution to exactly how good it is, so no matter how much time passes, certain titles will forever be great classics. There is plenty of good anime that fall under this category, but which of them is worth the watch is the real question. Among them are a few underrated titles that just don’t get enough attention as they deserve.

Fantastic Children is a 26 episode TV anime series that began airing on 5th October 2004 and concluded on 29th March 2005 as a Fall 2004 series. The title was licensed by Bandai Entertainment and brought to life by Studio Nippon Animation.

The main staff behind the production are Nakamura Takashi (Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Character Design, Original Creator), Kaburagi Hiro (Episode Director, Storyboard), Hayase Hiroyuki (Sound Director), and Shimizu Kenichi (Episode Director). It boasted many genres, including Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, and Thriller, and has a rating of PG-13 for teen audiences or older.

This original series is adapted from the “Fantastic Children: Tokei Jikake no Tabibito-tachi” Manga, which spanned two volumes from 2004 to 2005, by Author Nakamura Takashi and Artist Miyano Momotarou, serialized by Comic Flapper. A sequel was released in the form of a single Special episode on 23rd September 2005, under the sole genre of Slice of Life.

The story revolves around a small group of mysterious white-haired children who have been spotted at different times and locations all across Europe for over 500 years. They always have the appearance of 11-year-old children, behave far more mature and experienced than they should be, never seem to grow old, and to top it all off, seem to have supernatural powers.

Their one goal for existence is to seek out a certain girl, and they only have one single clue to find her, a picture with a crescent moon. The current year in the anime is 2012. The cogwheels of fate begin to turn as an athletic boy named Tohma is about to be involved in this whole fiasco, finally unraveling a centuries-old mystery.

Fantastic Children’s story starts off with a good amount of mystery and adventure, focusing on the group of platinum blonde kids randomly appearing throughout the centuries. They soon shift their focus to the protagonist Thoma, who fatefully meets an antisocial girl named Helga Lui and an energetic boy named Chitto Kulana. Initially, the story can seem pretty underwhelming, but the series will instantly hook viewers to it once the hidden agenda starts to unfold in later episodes.

The story is epic and unique, with seemingly countless twists and turns along the way. The series will keep viewers watching episode after episode on end; thus, the end will draw closer without one realizing it.

The beginning, simple character designs, and title can be pretty misleading as per the true nature of this series. It is pretty intense, possesses a memorable and complex plot, and comes with great storytelling that will draw even mature viewers to it in high anticipation of what will unfold next. “Who are they?”, “Where are they from?” and “Why do they keep on reappearing?” are the most prominent questions that get answered slowly throughout the series.

The other group of kids, centered around Helga, have run away from the local orphanage and are searching for a place they want to go. These two groups would typically have nothing to do with each other, but the two converge at the middle of the series, and a groundbreaking connection is made. There are also a few side stories revolving around a few adults and something supernatural. They may seem random and unrelated at first, but they connect to the main plot in some way and are woven together by the final episodes.

The story is complex and intricate but not confusing. It can be understood while paying little attention to it. The surprises, twists, turns, and secrets will keep viewers guessing and on edge throughout the series.

The leading tone is serious, but there are bits of humor and lighthearted fun here and there. Even a few philosophical questions are addressed; “What makes us who we are as humans? Is it our souls or our current selves?”. In addition, themes like romance, family, friendship, unrequited love, and all things broken are also brought to light.

The characters of Fantastic Children are all connected to each other in one way or another, and these very connections are revealed bit by bit as the story progresses. The Children of Belfort (the seven white-haired, blue-eyed children) had appeared 21 times in the last few centuries.

They gather and run away from their homes at the age of 5 and never live past the age of 11. They search desperately for their goal before their time is up. They act like full-grown adults; they seem cold, distant, and even malevolent, but each of them possesses a different personality.

As each of their unique stories and pasts are revealed, viewers will start to feel for them and their mission. Helga is portrayed as kind, meek, timid, always in a daze, but lonely. She has a place in her memories, which she truly wishes to go to, and runs away from the orphanage in search of it. Chitto is determined to help her get there. Thoma meets these two by chance and is drawn to help Helga as well. He is committed, open and emotional. All of the characters are very human, and despite being children, their circumstances and how they deal with them make them seem much older, making them a very relatable cast. By the end, viewers would find themselves sympathizing with all of the characters, even if they were unlikeable at the start.

The Character designs, Art style, and Animation of Fantastic Children are quite lacking but are unique. They are certainly not eye candy, can even be called boring and overly simple. The children all look short and chubby, with little to no detailing. The outfits are boring as well, with a bit of country style here and there. In contrast, character expressions are done really well.

The backgrounds are also very beautiful, with multiple lush forests and unexplored islands; thus, the setting of mainly semi-tropical environments brings out a lot of beauty to the anime, with an exotic island feel. The cities have a 19th-century European style to them. The different art style takes some getting used to and is an excellent look back at the styles of older animes.

The color palette is generally dark, with many scenes occurring during storms or at night, making it all look a bit drab. There are exceptions, like scenes occurring in forests on islands, boasting brighter colors. These factors, however, compliment the sadness and lonely feeling of the series, paying more attention to the story itself and character development.

The Music and Sounds of Fantastic Children are also very well done. The Opening theme is "Voyage" by Inori; it is a dramatic, uplifting, gentle, calming, and a perfect fit for the series. The ending theme is "Mizu no Madoromi" by ORIGA. It is sad, nostalgic, and also an excellent fit for the series.

The background music and OSTs range from being sad, gentle, pretty, upbeat, tense, soft, suiting the characters well, and overall quite memorable. The sound effects are instrumental sounds rather than edited sound effects, which also fit the series’s themes well. The Voice acting is decent, generally pleasing to hear, and suits the characters well.

They do a superb job portraying the emotions, so much so that viewers can almost feel the characters’ pain or joy.

Overall, Fantastic Children is a great series to watch. Just don’t let the title, cover, and art style mislead you because hidden behind the bland appearances is an excellent show with a unique and exciting plot, a good cast of characters, and memorable OSTs. It is a worthy watch, an enjoyable series, and is highly recommended. Considering how entertaining this anime is, it really ought to get more attention within the anime fandom.