Copyright © Ashinano Hitoshi / Kodansha / Sony Music Entertainment
SRLM 5628
¥5800
Stereo CAV LD or VHS
29 minutes
21 May 1998

YOKOHAMA KAIDASHI KIKOU (An Account of a Shopping Trip to Yokohama) is one of those manga that most people will probably never hear of, despite its loyal following among Kodansha's AFTERNOON magazine's readership. The reason lies in its content. It is neither flashy nor artsy. The art, while very good in its own right, does not really grab one at first glance, and there really is not much of a story to speak of. However, it is one of the nicest manga that I have had the opportunity to come across.
In a sense, then, it is a good thing that this wonderful manga has finally been made into an anime. Sony Music Entertainment planned two parts, containing choice segments from the manga, with the first volume out on 21 May, and the second due exactly two months later, on 21 July. Its short length (29 minutes each) means that it is very accessible for people outside of Japan. Those who are familiar with the manga, however, will probably not help but feel apprehensive at this transformation. Fans of the original manga are likely to ask questions such as: "Is it possible to translate that mellow leisurely pace, those expansive backgrounds, all the different characters, into movement and sound?" and "How are they going to recreate the feel of the manga?" In particular, the latter is the question people always ask whenever a manga is slated to be made into an anime, but for YOKOHAMA KAIDASHI KIKOU, this is even more important than usual because this series relies almost entirely on feel and atmosphere.
This is not so much a story as it is a slice of life. Or rather, it is a look into portions of the life of a girl named Alpha, together with the people around her. Alpha runs a little cafe on the outskirts of Yokohama. There are almost no customers, but Alpha does not mind at all since she has the occasional company of the old man who runs the gasoline stand down the road, as well as that of his grandson Takahiro. This is a Yokohama of the future, when the sea covers most of the land and roads have disappeared under sand or water. Alpha is in fact a robot, looking after the cafe during her owner's indefinite leave of absence. The name of the manga comes from Alpha's trip to Yokohama to buy coffee beans.
The background setting sounds like it could be for a bleak science fiction series but, as you may have guessed, YOKOHAMA is nothing of the sort. It is a bright, beautiful world. There are almost no people around; instead, there are rolling hills, little pools, and groves of trees as far as the eye can see. Buildings submerged underwater still have their lights shining, and one can see the silhouette of Landmark Tower in the distance. When people look back on the past, there is no regret, simply nostalgia. As for Alpha herself, she is the most "human" of anyone in the story. Her behavior, her reactions, her thoughts and doubts and failings, they are wonderful to see. This has to be one of the warmest, most optimistic works I have ever read.
That much said, how does the anime compare, then? This first volume comprises Alpha and Kokone's (another friend of Alpha's) first meeting, and Alpha's subsequent excursion. The cast of the previously released drama CD reprise their roles, with Shiina Hekiru as Alpha and Nakagawa Akiko as Kokone. In addition, GONTITI, who composed the music for that earlier CD, has written another song for the anime as well. Not having heard the drama CD, I was a little doubtful of the cast's ability to pull off the characters. After seeing the anime, I personally feel that while the voice acting is very good, the actual voices did not quite match the characters. This would be my biggest complaint about YOKOHAMA.
In all other ways though, I thought the production staff did an excellent job of retaining the feel of the manga. The character designs are true to the original, and the backgrounds are very well done. Much care has been placed into the animation; Alpha's movements when wiping down the counter, for instance, are surprisingly smooth and natural. Overall, the OVA is pretty much a carbon copy of the corresponding manga sequences, so if you are looking for something extra, the only thing different would be the inclusion of a music clip written by GONTITI and performed by Alpha.
The LD jacket bills this as "healing anime" and I agree. It is definitely warm and relaxing, especially if you usually lead a hectic life. Unfortunately, by the same token, many people will find this too slow-paced for them. This is a completely different sort of anime from the other stuff out there, and so I cannot really recommend this to everyone. Because it is so short, it does not really convey all the charm of the original; only Alpha, Kokone and the old man are introduced in this episode. To be honest, I'm not really sure how someone not already familiar with the series would take to this. In any case, if you are looking for a change, or if you are a Shiina Hekiru fan who wants to hear some of the best work produced by her, then by all means do give this a try. You just might fall in love with it.