(CR) Ooyukiumi no Kaina

[Stark700]

Tsutomu Nihei and Polygon Pictures' new project is "Ooyukiumi no Kaina" with a TV anime directed by Hiroaki Ando scheduled for January 2023.

The "boy-meets-girl high fantasy" is set in a world where land is being swallowed by the encroaching Great Snow Sea. Humaniy ekes out a harsh life above the Tenmaku (a wordplay on the Japanese word for tent) that stretches from the roots to the tops of giant Orbital Trees. The story centers around Kaina, a boy who lives above the Tenmaku, and Liliha, the princess of the small country Atland in the Great Snow Sea.

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Sources

https://twitter.com/AIR_News01/statu...42661145542656

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/new...anuary/.181724

[Frontier]

I enjoyed Sidonia and am a sucker for a good boy-meets-girl story .

[Ragashingo]

Blame! was cool. Sidonia was some pretty good sci-fi. Yeah... I'll keep track of this.

[Blaat]

I admit I wish it wasn't CGI but it was an interesting enough first episode, I'm curious to find out more about the world and how it works.

[Alchemist007]

Always up for some survival in interesting settings.

[Frontier]

This definitely feels like a Tsutomu Nihei work with the Polygon Pictures CG and the general atmosphere and world-building. Not that that's a bad thing, I was a fan of Sidonia .

Pretty solid Opening showing all the cast and Kaina and Ririha's adventure together .

So immediately we're set into a world of a glass canopy covering a planet carried by trees, with people living in said trees, though it seems like they're slowly dying out with one young man, our protagonist Kaina, left among a village of older people. Also looks like the last vestiges of the modern world are billboards that only a few people can still read ?

It's kind of surreal seeing Yoshimasa Hosoya using a younger and softer tone of voice for a character compared to his usual range, but it fits Kaina .

But it seems like the main plot involves the sea of snow that is the world below, as Princess Ririha and Atland battle the elements to secure resources while fighting off what appear to be the antagonist Valghans. Poor Ririha (Rieri for the win!) ends up being the surviving member of her party .

Ah yes, you got to get in the "boy-meets-girl" in a fantasy setting out of the way .

The ED is pretty pleasant to listen too! Showing all the people Kaina and Ririha will meet on their journey together .

[Ragashingo]

Episode 1:

I really enjoyed it. I'm getting strong Naussica vibes with nature possibly having overgrown our modern world. Some of the backgrounds are just stunning. There's definitely some hints of Blame! in here, too. Humanity separated with lone travelers moving from village to village.

I enjoyed Kaina being something of a dreamer and wannabe explorer who could imagine people far below. Pretty sure he's about to get his wish to head off on an adventure. I wonder if the holes in the canopy are caused by the tree dying. Less water equals less flow to harden into the glassy ice? Less bugs come and drink the flow from the tree so less repair of the canopy gets accomplished?

Ririha's side of the story almost felt a bit Avatar: The Last Airbender to me. Water tribe being chased by a fire nation ship, anyone? I don't quite understand what her group was doing yet. Early on they mentioned they were negotiating with Valghians only to have a Valghians come attack them. They also seemed to be prepared to lasso a "floater" what with them pulling their hot air balloon basket, but the dialogue seemed to imply that catching one so low was pretty rare. And... is the land where a sage resides somewhere near the surface or were they trying to go up to the canopy?

Anyway, I loved the look and feel. It felt larger than life, epic even, to me in a way that few anime manage to pull off so quickly. And the story beats so far have a bit of mystery to them that I quite enjoyed. So far, this is kinda the one show that's drawn me in this season.

[scififan]

Perhaps some tragic events are coming soon, since it's the mangaka's typical style.

[frubam]

Not much to say. A slow, but promising start. Both main characters are interesting in their own ways. The story really has a video game feel to it; mainly in part to Kaina's curiosity and personality. I think I could totally vibe with a "two of the only people in the world" story(for lack of a better phrase, since I know the older villagers are still there), but eventually, they'll have to go back down to fight the good fight. Ririha's story on the underside of the Canopy really reminds me of Children of the Whales.

Originally Posted by Ragashingo

Ririha's side of the story almost felt a bit Avatar: The Last Airbender to me. Water tribe being chased by a fire nation ship, anyone? I don't quite understand what her group was doing yet. Early on they mentioned they were negotiating with Valghians only to have a Valghians come attack them. .

That comparison made me chuckle . If only AtLA was this showingly bloody(well, it'd still be just as good, but, well, more graphic).

[Ragashingo]

Episode 2

The expected setup episode. The adventure starts next week. Still, it was kinda amusing seeing the old people all excited about Kaina finding a girl. I wonder what the green glowing spirit-y thing that keeps appearing is. Spirit of the planet? Some high tech observer?

Also, a red laser knife...Wait, could that be a miniature Gravitational Beam Emitter?! 1 click gently cuts into a tree, 2 clicks burns a hole through a city? (Gravitational Beam Emitters have shown up in both the writer's previous works as the most powerful weapon... I'm wondering if Kaina's little knife might have far more uses than we've yet been shown.)

[Frontier]

The cheeks of a Rie Takahashi character are so appealing …

So the Varghians are being portrayed as pretty obvious antagonists with their control of the Snow Sea, hoarding water, and conquering other nations, but I wonder if it might be more complicated than that .

Bugs are both a surprisingly effective delicacy and threat in the canopy .

Why do I feel like this sage is going to have a pretty mundane (by modern standards) to resolving the water problem …

They were totally planning on Ririha sticking around and hooking up with Kaina, weren’t they? Even made her a “wedding dress” so she’d be one of them .

Kaina took it surprisingly well that he’d be joining Ririha on a one way trip to the Snow Sea and probably never see anyone in his old village again, but I guess he’ll just have to make a new life for himself .

[Dop]

While there's definitely a flicker of "We have Nausiccaa at home" about this one (something in the opening credits somewhat reminding me of the God Warrior) at first glance I don't mind that as I'm interested in the scenario and where it goes from here.
Wonder if the floating green things are some kind of watcher left behind which could kind of reboot the planet?

[Cloudedmind]

Is it just me or was there something weirdly wholesome about episode two.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Cloudedmind

Is it just me or was there something weirdly wholesome about episode two.

Despite the premise of leaving your family behind and never seeing them again as they pass on without you...yeah, kinda ?

[Anh_Minh]

All I want to say is that, should there be an apocalypse and only one writing system "survives", I hope to hell it's not freaking Japanese kanji.

[Frontier]

Nothing bonds a boy and girl more than climbing down a giant canopy together! Rie Takahashi can even make a girl climbing sound cute !

Dang, Katsuyuki Konish is in this!? This show isn’t skimping on the star power. I mean, the antagonists are Maaya Sakamoto and Tomokazu Sugita !

Maybe try not to think about what happened to the people in the village…

Some nice moments between Kaina and Ririha as they come to understand each other better. Both have lost parents (Kaina had it pretty rough losing both when he was born) and both saw the mysterious floating light that in its own way brought them together. Also Ririha finally said Kaina’s name! And they even slept next to each other! So cute !

So the Sage is either Kaina or the forest wasn’t obviously the Canopy .

I honestly didn’t think of the issue of Ririha doing her business while Kaina is practically right next to her. That rainbow though…also, Ririha knows how to throw a punch! Poor Kaina !

So the Valghians have found them, Ririha’s people have found them…what’s next for Kaina and Ririha under the snow sea ?

[Frontier]

Wow, below the Snow Sea is a beautiful underwater world! And a perfect excuse for Kaina and Ririha to hold hands and stare at each others' faces !

Dang, even after all that, Kaina and Ririha still get caught. The Valghians don't mess around. Then again, neither does Ririha. She straight up stabs a guy in the chest. She's hardcore !

Orinoga is a skilled warrior, but Amelothee is on another level. I don't known if anyone is up to her standard, though she seems to respect Orinoga's skills. Maybe even something more? Although I'm probably getting ahead of myself given they're enemies right now

Well, they got Kaina out of there, but Ririha is still captured, which is what they were after to begin with. But at least Kaina is learning more about the culture below the canopy through Atland .

Ririha's dad is a pretty stoic and serious man, determined not to fall prey to fatherly concern versus the needs of his nation...which sucks because it means they're not going to try to save Ririha .

Is that Sayaka Ohara as the kings' adviser? She doesn't seem like a nice lady, though he reaction to Kaina's "gift" was priceless .

So who is going to help Kaina save Ririha? Why, her little brother voiced by Ayumu Murase of course! Yaona seems like a pretty outgoing and concerned guy, for a prince, and him and Kaina might be Ririha's best bet at freedom given her father won't lift a finger and they're on a precipice of war. I don't want to see any more of Ririha locked up .

[frubam]

A naive boy versus a powerful military nation. I would generally think that there is no way he would be able to craft a plan around such a foe and manage to succeed, but you know what I was reminded of? Shu from Now and Then, Here and There. And I guess if he can do it, somehow Kaina will as well.

I'm kinda curious about what the endgame is. Kaina doesn't appear to have any special ability, but being that his name is in the title, he'll be a great contribution to the events of this story. I can't wait to see what those contributions actually are =03.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by frubam

A naive boy versus a powerful military nation. I would generally think that there is no way he would be able to craft a plan around such a foe and manage to succeed, but you know what I was reminded of? Shu from Now and Then, Here and There. And I guess if he can do it, somehow Kaina will as well.

I'm kinda curious about what the endgame is. Kaina doesn't appear to have any special ability, but being that his name is in the title, he'll be a great contribution to the events of this story. I can't wait to see what those contributions actually are =03.

I assume something from Kaina's experience in the Canopy or the fact that he can read Kanji will lead them to something that will result in peace between all the kingdoms.

[Alchemist007]

The half blind king guy sure is a cliché, though he does have a point of a war simply dwindling numbers so they have less mouths to feed.

Maybe I missed it but can't they just capture the precipitation for drinking?