First Impressions – Akanesasu Shoujo

Boy, was I surprised when I woke up this morning and discovered this delightful anime! Akanesasu Shoujo or ‘The Girl in Twilight’ was definitely not what I expected on first viewing. According to Anime News Network, the plot line is this:

October 2018. Girls who live in a provincial city perform a certain ritual. The girls are in the “Crystal Radio Club.” It is an interest circle that Asuka Tsuchimiya, a girl known for her cheerfulness, started with friends in her high school. That ritual was considered just an urban legend. However, with several conditions coincidentally falling into place, it stops being fun and games…

(Source: Anime News Network)

However, despite expecting an almost horror/supernatural/murder-mystery-esque anime, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this is definitely not the case. The story of Akanesasu Shoujo follows Asuka Tsuchimiya (Tomoyo Kurosawa), a chikuwa loving member of her high school radio club whose family runs a Japanese miso shop. Akane spends her days having fun with her friends, the gentle Mia Silverstone (Nao Touyama), the quiet Chloe Morisu (Marina Inoue), the strict club president and honour student Yuu Tounaka (Lynn), and the capricious Nana Nanase (Ami Koshimizu) playing pranks on the teachers and drinking coffee at their favourite café. But, they also have a secret hobby. On the odd occasion, they gather together at an old shrine to perform a ritual to access parallel worlds. That’s right, parallel worlds! One day after performing another failed ritual, Chloe discovers a strange stone which plays an odd sound when played on a crystal ritual. Deciding to try out the weird radio frequency, Akane uses the mysterious signal in her cassette player during their next ritual which transports the group to the Twilight World, a golden world where mysterious yet dangerous creatures live. As the group is about to be attack by giant yellow snow bunny/snake like creatures, a strange girl who looks just like Akane appears and saves them by transforming into a mecha girl using a red magical cassette tape. Transporting the group back to their world, the strange girl collapses and Akane takes her back to her house to rest where she eventually discovers that the girl may be an alternative version of herself from a parallel world.

So that’s the basic premise of the first episode. While the animation is beautiful, the main draws of the series is definitely the comedy, action and mecha girl elements. The voice cast is stellar, and the battle music is incredible. The opening theme song music played at the end is mysterious and moving and does a great job at creating an almost eerie supernatural tone for the series overall. I definitely recommend this anime to anyone who wants to watch it.

So, please watch it and feel free to comment on my site!

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