The drawing style is at times a big strange. Faces in particularly sometimes come acorss as weird, but they can also be cute.
The story however is engaging and fairly serious for the most part. It seems to start innocently enough, but as the young characters being to mature the story begins to deal rather frankly with matters of growing up.
All during the time I'd been talking, other things came along that grabbed my attention.
I located the cel below as part of a set with 3 other cels, all 4 sold as "series unknown". To this day I have no idea what the others cels are from, but I recognized this one almost immediately. Yes, it came with the matching douga.
Forgotten Anime #2
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Exhibit #1 - Single Cel Layer
Mizuiro Jidai ("Aqua Age"/"The Blue Green Years")
Episode 26 - "Carefree Yamada-kun", Sequence No. D2
Runtime Location (approx.) 00:09:19:00
Single Character: Yuuko Kawaai
The Cel
Final Production Shot
About the Series
Mizuiro Jidai is an anime series spanning 47 episodes, originally broadcast from April, 1996 to February, 1997. It is based on two manga series-Mizuiro Jidai, and Shin Mizuiro Jidai, both by author Yuu Yabuuchi. Mizuiro Jidai tells the story of the plucky young middle schooler, Yuuko Kawaai. Occasionally called "Yuu-chan", but we'll stick with Yuuko for the most part-I have plenty of "Yuu's" to try to keep up with as it is.
In particular, the core focus remains on her relationship with nextdoor neighbor Hiroshi Naganuma. While they were friends their entire lives to this point, Mizuiro comes just in time for a potential "change in the winds" between them.
Core Characters Overview
Of course, it wouldn't be interesting if there were just these two characters. We are quickly introduced to Yuuko's best friend-a rather loud, boisterous girl named Takako Takahata, or often just "Taka-chan".
Perhaps the easiest way to describe Yuuko is by contrasting her with Taka-chan. Visually Yuuko has black hair, while Taka's is brown. Taka is taller with a more mature figure, which is shown to sort of bother Yuuko at times. Their eyes are sized and shaped a bit differently. Both start out with moderately long hair, Yuuko's being straighter.
As to personalities, Yuuko is shown to be quiet, and not generally looking to rock the boat. She is very much a "go-along to get-along" type, which in her case often ends up backfiring.
Taka-chan on the other hand has a tendency to be very headstrong and forward, at least with Yuuko. She's not shy about letting her friend know the score, and her insights are often surprising considering her bluster. Taka-chan loses her temper fairly easily, and she can be very vocal about it too.
While I could go on, I should bring poor Hiroshi-kun back into the mix. He's a good natured, generally friendly sort of boy. He can be a come across as a bit unconcerned about Yuuko's feelings from time to time, but it's mostly just misunderstandings.
If I tried to go over every nuance of the series, there's no telling how long this would be. I do want to bring a few other not quite-so prominent characters briefly into the mix. Among Hiroshi-kun's male friends are Miyauchi (often shortened to Miyau) and Hashimoto. Miyauchi is ultimately shown to have feelings for Yuuko. He seems like a kind fellow, if perhaps a bit obsessed. Hashimoto on the other hand is a more of a trouble-maker. He comes across as something like a know-it-all about him, and at times he is the most boorish character on the show.
Adjusting One's Glasses
It is worth noting that Hashimoto has an analogue among the girls of Yuuko's acquaintance. Maririn (sometimes called "Marilyn" in the subtitles), is a rather snide little rumor-mongering troublemaker of her own, though of a somewhat different sort from Hashimoto. While he prefers to scheme and plot, Maririn is quick to "help" Yuuko with relationship advice. Yuuko is of course not the only girl with a potential interest in Hiroshi-kun, and Maririn wastes no time in informing her of specifics, as well as offering her take on how to keep him. No, Maririn does not have a boyfriend. She's the series resident "(Theoretical) Relationship Advisor".
I singled these two characters out for one other visual commonality. Maririn and Hashimoto, the latter probably a surname, are the only two recurring cast members among the children who wear glasses. As someone who wears glasses myself, I wonder whether there is any significance to this. It seems like both of them have glasses that occasionally are shown glaring, but it isn't nearly so obtrusive as it could be.
The Scene in Context (Video of Scene)
As to this exact cel, it occurs just past the middle of the series. Yuuko, Taka, and Hiroshi are taking summer classes at what is called "cram school" , with Hiroshi-kun in the Advanced Class. In this episode, we are introduced to a rather goofy sort of good-timing lad known as "Yamada-kun". He rather quickly tells Yuuko he loves her, in a very casual off-hand manner. While she has been guardedly civil, Taka-chan makes no bones in letting Yuuko know her opinion of Yamada-kun. In fact, it is actually Taka-chan starting off the video.
As others have heard him tell Yuuko he loves her, this sets the rumor mill a-flyin'. Yuuko and Taka are discussing the matter with two girls they met at cram school, as well as new friend Kitano-san. Kitano-san is in the same cram school class as Hiroshi-kun, but has not to this point heard the rumors within their class. Worrying over what to do, poor Yuuko is alarmed to hear Hiroshi-kun greeting her from behind. Her friends quickly come to her aid, forming a tight huddle and begin pretending the were casually chatting more generally. She hustles him out the door, insisting that he head on home without waiting for her- they are engaging in "girl-talk". Obviously perplexed, Hiroshi-kun leaves for home, with Yuuko watching him through a window on the inside.
"It doesn't look like he knows." Kitano-san offers. When this scene first appears on screen, Yuuko still seems to be watching him leave. She closes her eyes as she starts shifting attention to Kitano-san. It is this split-second while her eyes are closed and attention shifts that is rendered onto the cellulose in the photo above.
Taka-chan insist that Yuuko must have nothing further to do with Yamada-kun.
It is interesting to see these sorts of shifts occuring as single frames. Perhaps it's not the best view of Yuuko, but these transition frames are positively necessary for making the animation believable.
Condition of Cel and Douga
The matching douga came slightly stuck to the cel. To my relief, the douga came loose with only minimal damage.
Thoughts on the Series
I'm very pleased to have this piece in my collection. If you've seen me mention "Mizuiro Jidai" and wondered what I was talking about, this is it. While it has a bit of shoujo romance about it, it is a very different feel from Marmalade Boy. The latter deals in emotional gut-punches, throwing the series leads from one potential rival (or other contrived disaster) to the next.
Mizuiro Jidai is much more subtle-while Yuuko has difficulties to overcome in her relationship with Hiroshi-kun, in some ways they feel like real troubles. It's not adversity purely for the sake of drama. Their troubles feel real.
It has elements of modern "slice-of-life" about it, but it really isn't that either. In some respects it feels almost like the re-telling of a real girl's struggles to navigate the minefields of adolescence. I say this not having the experience of growing up a girl, so feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt.
While the drawing style takes some getting used to, the core of Mizuiro Jidai is quality drama, and I would say at least solid voice acting.
Voice Talent
For this article, I have decided to touch very briefly on the voice acting, specifically series lead and co-lead, Yuuko and Hiroshi[-kun].
Yuuko was voiced by Masami Suzuki, whose roles include Hikaru in the Pokemon TV series, Amelia/Ameria in the Slayers franchise, and numerous characters in the One Piece TV series. I especially like her approach to making Yuuko sound uneasy.
Hiroshi-kun was voiced by Jun Akiyama. The only other voice role I see for him on Anime Encylcopedia is that of Takan-kun in Coji-Coji, which I had not heard of until typing this. There are several listings for this name on IMDB. I would think it's possible any of them could be the same one.
I really like Hiroshi-kun's voice, it has a highly authentic feel. He usually speaks softly and thoughtfully, though he can definitely let you know he's angry or troubled. His voice even seems to change as the series progresses. It's sort of a shame Akiyama-san doesn't seem to have done much voice acting. Overall, I liked his performance, and would have been interested to hear him in more anime.
Content Notices
If you decide to watch Mizuiro Jidai you can probably find it somewhere if you look around. As far as I know, it is not currently licensed for distribution outside of Japan. Certainly not in the US anyway.
I would advise discretion in watching it, however. While I wouldn't call it graphic nudity as such, they occasionally make jokes showing Yuuko's dad naked from behind (unintentional on his part, apparently). I don't find those jokes very amusing. Also, very near the end of the series they show up close a new mom clothed but breastfeeding her baby, which I could easily have done without. There are other occurrences, but the last one mentioned is by far the most revealing in a sense. I would call it graphic.
Sex is also occasionally mentioned-though not in detail as far as I can tell, as are reproductive changes in girls as they mature. It's not hard to guess why reproductive changes would be discussed. This is what I meant when I said--
Anyway, thanks for letting me share my thoughts on a relatively unknown series with you. Stay tuned for more in the future, and don't be surprised to see this series mentioned again soon.Pixel wrote:... as the young characters being to mature the story begins to deal rather frankly with matters of growing up.
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BONUS: Detective Work - Locating the E26/D-2 Yuuko Cel
As a special bonus feature, I thought I'd use this cel to share with you how I go about locating a cel within a series. It is enormously helpful if you have some way to watch the series episode by episode, but that isn't always possible-especially if the series isn't "mainstream", and was never licensed outside Japan.
Let's assume you have access to this information.
Ask yourself "What is the character wearing, and why?" In this case, Yuuko is wearing a white short-sleeved top and blue skirt. The accents signify that this is a school uniform. Because the top is short sleeved, this is a summer uniform. The winter variant has a long sleeved top that is dark blue, matching the dark blue skirt. Since anime typically don't show both summer and winter school uniforms in the same episode, if your cel features a character in a summer uniform, you can usually rule out any episode featuring that character in the winter uniform.
When I say "summer uniform", perhaps "spring-early summmer uniform" is more accurate. Japanese students have summer vacations similar to Americans, but it's easiest just to call it a "summer uniform". Basically it is a uniform designed for warmer weather.
Many anime feature school uniforms with light-colored tops during the spring-early summer, and darker ones during the winter. Many times, the boys will wear a suit coat or something similar during the winter, but only a dress shirt for a top during the summer.
It has been my experience that the girls' winter uniform in most anime is what best resembles the imfamous セーラー服 or "sailor-suit" that has become well-known in the years since anime began to be regularly exported to the West.
Unique outfits such as some personal clothes, kimonos, and swimwear can be excellent visual cues to help you find a cel. If your character is wearing a kimono for example, and you're sure that they only wore that kimono in a single episode, then you've immediately eliminated a large chunk of work in locating your cel. Of course, sometimes a number of outfits are worn by a given character scattered across several episodes. Still, you stand a very good chance of narrowing down your search with certain outfits.
So we've got a good start, what else can we go on? The hair bow-it's a fairly dark pink, and pretty small. Yuuko also has some small yellow (or pink) beads she sometimes wears in her hair in place of the bow, so scenes showing those beads in her hair can be ruled out. She also has another similar hair bow that is larger and a bit brighter pink, so this is where you have to pay careful attention.
Speaking of hairstyles more generally, this is more-or-less Yuuko's hairstyle for much of the series. Occasionally however she will put her hair up, and even wear a hat.
The girl in the middle on the other hand, Taka-chan, her hair changes more dramatically. She cuts it early in the series, and it gradually grows back throughout. This can be particularly helpful in locating scenes featuring her. In fact, paying attention to the length of Taka's hair is a pretty good way to gauge roughly where in the series the scene is, but there is a complication.
There is a point in the series where both Yuuko and Taka have had their hair put up in double braids by the sempai in their music class. The only time the two girls' are shown with double braids like this is in episode 1, in a roughly 2 minute segment. This is what prompts Taka to have her hair cut. Actually, from the time Taka is shown in braids to the time she is shown with her hair cut is very close to 2 minutes even.
This may sound strange, but for the most part Taka-chan looks much better with her hair cut. The short hair suits the shape of her face well and makes her look cute.
Caveat-series breaks, see further down.
Study the cel carefully. Think about the direction and pose of the character. Track the character's position through several scenes to see if it is reasonable for the everything to eventually line up for a sequence containing this cel. Here, Yuuko is on the right side facing left. Think about where that would place her in other perspectives.
Caveat-A surprise camera angle shift can sometimes throw positioning out of whack. This is why careful observation is so important.
Looking up at the top right corner, we see that this cell is sequence number D2. The presence of a D-Layer cell suggests a busy screen, such as multiple characters on screen at once-this is another good clue. It can also suggest a setup for particular types of motion for a single character. This is where being familiar with a series helps. Knowing when multiple characters appear on screen, as well as moments showing characters in close-up, should prove useful in determining the use of a certain number of layers. Often times, if a character is shown to just below their waist, this is a pretty good sign there's another character somewhere in the shot-especially if the character in your cel is painted with a lot of empty space surrounding them.
As you can see here, we have Kitano-san (left), Taka-chan (middle), and of course Yuuko (right).
My guess is this layer stack works as follows, from back to front--
BG Layer
A - window shine effect between BG and characters.
B - Taka-chan (Takako Takahata) [Camera Center]
C - Kitano-san (Miyuki Kitano) [Camera Left]
D - Yuuko (Yuuko Kawaai - series lead) [Camera Right - my cel]
Note that I said "My guess...". While it is easy to think that layers labelled further along in the alphabet indicate characters/objects closer to the camera, you should not assume that this is always the case.
Moving on, consider the character's facial expression. Yuuko's eyes are closed, and her lips are in a strange sort of curl. Think about this expression, why does it seem so strange? Many expressions seem strange in still images that are barely noticed when animated. In this case, it's part of an overall facial expression shift as she focuses attention on the speaking Kitano-san. It also indicates a bit of nervousness.
Look for matching line shapes, and consistent line discontinuity. Sometimes lines on a cel are missing from age and deterioration. But sometimes cel lines are discontinuous from the moment they were originally photographed. There's a gap in the line representing the seam between Yuuko's shirt sleeve and the shoulder portion, near the crest of the line. There's also some thinning of the line near where the seam runs into the lower part of the sleeve. Caveat-video encoding (see below).
Caveat-Series breaks.
The last 10 episodes are not told as part of the main series, but rather a certain character is featured in each episode, giving that character "episode lead" status. That character "remembers" something that happened during the main series, but was either only mentioned in passing, or not previously referenced at all. These are whole-episode-level sequence breaks, or simply "series breaks"
Taka is shown with short hair in episode 45, because this is one of those episodes. Episode 45 seems to be set somewhere around the same time as episode 15.
Not all characters show up at the start of a given series. For example, Kitano-san on the left doesn't show up in the full show until sometime around Episode 9, making it pointless to look for her before the previous episode. Keep in mind that new characters are sometimes shown off in previews for the next episode.
Be aware that video encoding may create issues. Poor quality encoding in particular could really wreak havoc with cel identification/location. There may not be much you can do about this.
There are plenty of other tricks I'm sure, but these are some of the ones I can think of and demonstrate. Happy hunting.
As always, feel free to leave comments or perspectives on this series-Perhaps you remember it?