The creditless opening (OP) video for the TV anime "Your Forma," based on the light novel by Dengeki Bunko (KADOKAWA) author Mareho Kikuishi and illustrated by Tsubata Nozaki, has been released on YouTube. The video features the buddy duo Etica and Harold as they investigate a difficult case, and shows an action scene of the electric search (diving into people's memories to search for clues to the case), which is the key to the story. The opening theme "GRIDOUT" sung by singer yama plays.
The first episode of the mini-anime "Petit Forma Electric Crime Bureau Diary," featuring Etica played by Kana Hanazawa and Harold played by Kensho Ono, has been released on YouTube. In stark contrast to the main anime, which depicts a tense and suspenseful story, this is a spin-off work that depicts the daily lives of Etica and friends who are deformed.
Director Ozaki Takaharu, who worked on the anime, spoke about the appeal and attention to detail of the work. Regarding the appeal of the work, he commented, "Although ' Your Forma' has a science fiction look, I think it is actually a very modern work. For example, the cyber world depicted in the work is like having the functions of a smartphone in your head, and AI that helps people's lives like Harold is already present in our society, even though it is not a humanoid robot. The world view is easy to understand and skillfully incorporates social themes that you are probably interested in right now, and I felt that this interestingness is one of the charms of the work. And I think that the universal human drama that unfolds in this science fiction world view is the foundation of this story and its greatest appeal."
When asked what he considered important when adapting the work into an anime, he said, "This ties in with what we've just been talking about, but what I wanted to portray in this work is, after all, the connection between people. So, rather than science fiction, I wanted to make it most important to focus on portraying it as a human drama. This work features humanoid robots called Amicus, but I deliberately did not think of them as robots; I created them with the feeling that "everyone who appears is human." Humans sometimes think that everything, whether it's a robot, doll, object, or nature, has a "heart." For example, as you talk to a chat AI, you start to feel a sense of familiarity with it. When that "heart" exists, what is it that connects us to each other? I would like to explore this as one direction."
Regarding the charm of their buddy partners, Ethica and Harold, he commented, "Ethica is human but very mechanical, while Harold is a robot but friendly to everyone. At first glance they seem like complete opposites, but they actually have something in common - they are both very bad at expressing their true feelings and inner thoughts to others. In this drama, the two of them miss each other many times, but eventually they learn what each other's true feelings are. I think that awkwardness is what makes them so adorable, and also what makes them so charming."
Regarding Hanazawa, who plays Ethica, and Ono, who plays Harold, he said, "I have an image of Ono as someone who normally speaks in a gentle and friendly tone, so I thought she was a perfect fit from the start. On the other hand, I didn't really imagine Hanazawa playing an introverted, clumsy character like Ethica. However, when she actually performed, she expressed the volume of emotions wonderfully, and I was impressed. I liked her acting, where she suppressed her voice but let her emotions overflow, and the casual conversation between Ethica and Harold was also very charming. I hope you will pay attention to the natural conversation between the two, such as when Harold asks Ethica a mischievous, teasing question and Ethica answers it."
The work won the grand prize at the 27th Dengeki Novel Prize. Set in a world where people's memories are recorded on information terminals (Your Forma) implanted in their brains, the story follows Etica, a genius girl who becomes the world's youngest special agent and electric intelligence officer, as she and her humanoid robot partner Harold take on crime. The anime will be directed by Ozaki and produced by Geno Studio. It will air on TV Asahi's nationwide anime slot "IMAnimation W" every Wednesday from April 2nd at 11:45pm.
◇Cast (titles omitted)
Etika Hieda: Kana Hanazawa ▽Harold W. Lucraft: Kensho Ono ▽Biga: Nao Toyama ▽Totoki: Aya Endo▽Fokine: Aya Endo Nobuhiko Okamoto ▽Dahlia: Ayaka Nanase ▽Sozon: Jun Fukuyama ▽Lexy: Chiwa Saito▽Liza: Hisako Tojo▽Benno: Isamu Hayashi▽Shubin: Tomokazu Sugita ▽Napolov: Koichi Yamadera
