2020 has extraordinary significance for the animation industry.
Miyazaki's Spirited Away held a box office record for 18 years, when it was broken by Ghost Blade just as the New Year was approaching.
The most cross-cutting scene in the history of Japanese animation finally happened.
At the same time, "Devil's Blade" has news that it will introduce mainland theaters, but it has not been finalized.
In the long wait for the finalization, there is a new film with the same novel and strange painting style, which quietly appears.
I can guarantee that this new series is definitely worth watching -
Spells back to battle
Magic Battle
Director: Park Ho-ho / Ryohei Takeshita / Kyaw Chi Ihoku
Writers: Hiroshi Seto / Wasabi Shimo
Starring: Junya Enoki / Yusuke Uchida / Asami 濑户 / Yuichi Nakamura / Ryoichi Ryobu
Premiere: 2020-10-02 (Japan)
Episodes: 24
Episode length: 24 minutes
Douban score 9.2, the number of plays exceeded 200 million, 5.76+ people are chasing, the total number of bullet screens as high as 1.22 million.
Adapted from the manga of the same name under Wasami Shimo, it was animated by MAPPA.
That's right, it's the MAPPA that made Yuri on Ice and The Monsters and took over the fourth season of Giants.
The original book was a hit in 19 years, and it has a certain degree of heat in itself.
After the animation was broadcast, the cumulative circulation of the series quickly exceeded 15 million copies.
Waves of fans flock to the manga world in an attempt to solve the mysteries left behind by the unfinished anime.
Want to see the so-called reversal, the final result of the CP chaos stew, or learn more about the overall worldview...
Even the eyelashes of male characters can become a topic that everyone has been talking about for a long time.
This manga, which already has a certain fan base, has finally exploded again with an anime adaptation.
The reason why "Spell Return War" can be fired is that it has achieved the "evil code" to the extreme.
What exactly is a "cult"?
Cult movies, we usually call "cult movies".
Cult films are not a strict genre or style, but a symbol of status and label.
Most cult films have a special image style, some are bad taste to the extreme, and some are terrifying and bloody to the point of madness.
In the field of animation, cult works are mostly filled with strong sensory impact.
For example, "Attack on Titan", "Parasitic Beast", and last year's phenomenon-level work "Ghost Blade", all contain cult elements.
In "Spell Return", the "evil code" is not limited to the senses, but is full of all aspects.
First of all, from the perspective of the setting, it revolves around the power of the "curse" to visualize the devastation of human resentment.
In anime, there are more than 10,000 unidentified deaths and disappearances in Japan each year, mostly due to curses.
The source of the curse is the negative emotions of human beings.
Pain, regret, shame, these negative emotions accumulate and mix, and they can form a curse that is extremely harmful.
The curse, on the other hand, can only be destroyed and lifted by the curse itself.
Learn how to absorb and control negative emotions as spells, and you can use them to fight curses.
The most evil thing is this, "attacking poison with poison."
Secondly, in terms of art, the style of the whole film is strange, bold and fierce, and extremely heavy on taste.
A variety of creepy "spell spirits", just the monster image, interprets the potential and dimension of imagination.
The unique scene design and strong and gorgeous color matching not only provide a rich visual experience, but also complete the psychological hint to the audience, and show the "cult" style vividly.
The core is that the story of "Spell" is even more evil.
The protagonist, Knotweed Yujin, is an unremarkable Japanese male high school student, just like the male high school students in other Japanese manga.
He does not get tattoos, does not smoke, actively participates in club activities at school during the day, and goes to the hospital to take care of his grandfather after school.
As a member of the Psychic Society, Knotweed was often stalked by the teacher of the Athletics Club, who asked him to join his club.
It turned out that this "ordinary high school student" with a pink hair and a scream was famous for his well-developed limbs and clear bones.
A shot of shot put can break the world record, and the sprint results are even more amazing.
"Fifty meters per second"
At first glance, it is just another nonsensical secondary two anime, where can we talk about evil?
Don't worry, the key is behind.
The camera turns to the hospital where Grandpa Knotweed lives.
Warm-toned graphics and soft music, accompanied by knotweed chatter.
It seems to be a warm scene, but the topic of discussion between the two is around "death".
The arrogant grandfather, who had always played tricks with him, turned to the side this time and said something meaningful to knotweed solemnly:
"You're strong and you're going to save others."
"You're going to die in the midst of all the people."
For a brief moment when Knotweed pondered the significance of these words, Grandpa passed away without warning and in utter peace.
Despite the sadness, knotweed also calmly accepted the reality.
Because he believed that Grandpa's death was the end of his life and was "right."
Before leaving the hospital, knotweed was stopped by a mysterious man dressed in black.
He calls himself "Fukuro of Spell High School" and is a spellcaster who knows how to use spells to fight.
The reason why the knotweed was traced was because this man had a very dangerous "special spell" that he was looking for.
Knotweed disagreed, and told Fukuro that the things had been handed over to the seniors of the Spirit Research Association, and they planned to uncover the spell paper tonight to find out.
Unexpectedly, Fu Hei listened with a look of horror: "They will die tonight." ”
By the time the two rushed to the school, the spell paper had been removed and the seal of the spell had been lifted.
The powerful power of the curse was unleashed, and the elder sister of the Spiritual Research Institute was in crisis.
Strangely shaped spell spirits wandered the corridor, and the smell of death was everywhere.
Fukuro waited outside the school and went to the rescue alone.
Stunned in place, knotweed felt the smell of decay and despair coming from his face, and for a moment he suddenly thought of his grandfather's death.
"How is Grandpa's death different from the death that happened in front of him?"
That last word, whose meaning was unclear, suddenly had a concrete meaning at this moment.
Grandpa's death was correct, but this side's death was incorrect.
He wants to do his best to prevent those who are "not right", at least to let those he know gets the right death like Grandpa.
The epiphanous knotweed leaped into the window and saved the student whose life was hanging from the monster's hands.
The special spell that Fukuro was looking for was a finger called the Cursed Finger, called the "Finger of the Two-Faced Hangover".
As Xuejie unveiled its seal, the powerful curse power released attracted monster spell spirits that longed to become stronger.
Just swallow this finger to absorb the spell power it has.
During the battle with another attracted spell spirit, Fukuro, who was a spellcaster, was unable to withstand its fierce attack, and was pressed to the ground and beaten to the ground with blood all over his face.
In order to save his knotweed in a hurry, he swallowed the finger of Su Dao in one bite.
Special spells, this is highly poisonous.
Fu hei thought that knotweed would die.
But Su Dai was parasitic in the body of knotweed.
He became one with the curse.
What is even more surprising is that the knotweed that becomes the "container" is not controlled by the suzerain, but successfully traps it in the body.
After learning that he may be the only one who can subdue the suzerain, knotweed once again recalls his grandfather's dying words.
"Save others and die surrounded by people."
Believing that this was his mission, he followed Fukuro to the Tokyo High School of Spells and learned spells from the invincible spellcaster Gojo Goku.
From ordinary high school students to containers for special spells, from the death of relatives to the true meaning of death, such a huge amount of information is only the basic content of the first episode.
That's where Spells get addictive.
The plot is refreshing and not procrastinating, the action scene design is smooth and exquisite, and several character images appearing are vivid and unpretentious.
Causes extreme comfort in the movement design
Knotweed Yuren, a humble one, can fight and resist, and the type of favorite is the eldest cousin Jennifer Lawrence.
After his grandfather's death, he was not plagued by pain, but accepted his rightful death freely, shouldering the mission he gave himself to continue to move forward.
Fu Hei Hui, beaten and responsible, a black-haired beauty with a hard mouth and a soft heart.
He saw through the inequalities of the world and declared that "we must save others unequally" so that more good people can enjoy equality.
Gojo Goku, the strongest spellcaster, force + face value ceiling.
But Hang Er Lang Dang has the world in mind, as the "strongest" but despises authority, and single-handedly resets the spell world.
Rose Ofsaki No. Uzumaki, a classmate of knotweed and Fukuro, came to Tokyo as a spellcaster from the place.
Stubborn, fierce, and personal, she "lives only for herself" and is a female character who escapes the male gaze.
In addition to the human design, what makes this cult comic stand out is its core.
In a world where "meaning" is hard to find, how can people discover the value of living?
When everything has no meaning, how do we seek the meaning of our lives?
Knotweed's answer was, "Let more people get the right death." ”
Grandpa's death was right, the end of his life, a peaceful departure.
And the student's is not, so he has to try his best to stop it.
This is the way he defines his worth, the meaning of his life.
Sartre wrote in Existentialism is a Humanism—
"There is no content in living before no one lives; its value is precisely the meaning you choose.
What man needs is to find himself again, and to understand that nothing can break free of him. ”
Perhaps what Spells want to present to us is the still twinkling, existential brilliance in a nihilistic world.
*Author of this article: Eat Eat Eat