Neon The Animation

Neon the Animation is a fascinating little set of quasi-commercials for Nipponbashi, Osaka's equivalent to Tokyo's Akihabara, a destination for electronics and hobby goods, which aired over the course of four years. there's not much to say of the story other than the episodes represent an interesting, engaging, and educational look into the city of Osaka, its culture, notable sites, and even how its culture is felt abroad. As for the art, it employs an interesting blend of animation and actual footage, resulting in a nostalgic and enjoyable project produced by the Osaka Animation College. Interesting divergences cover the city of Ximendeng in Taiwan, theTennoji Zoo in Osaka, and the history of Nipponbashi itself as explored through historical archive photographs. The sound is unremarkable, meeting the basic standards of quality for the time. The characters are limited, but Neon is a likable and well-designed mascot. In any case, the city itself, and Nipponbashi in particular, take on this air of being a character all their own. Overall, this is a neat little love letter to one of Japan's big otaku havens, and that alone makes it worth checking out in my book.