An event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the TV anime "Concrete Revolutio: Superhuman Fantasy (Conrevo)," titled "'Concrete Revolutio: Superhuman Fantasy' 101st Year of Divine Transformation! Everyone Gather!", was held on June 19th at Shinjuku Loft Plus One (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo). As it wasn't a hugely successful commercial success, there might have been a core group of fans, but I wondered how many people would actually show up... My worries proved unfounded. Tickets were sold out, and the venue was overflowing with enthusiastic fans. "Conrevo" remains a unique and captivating masterpiece, even more than 10 years later.
◇ Not a “festival anime”
"Concrete Revolutio: Superhuman Fantasy" is an anime series that explores the theme of what would happen if all the superhumans depicted in countless works of fiction actually existed simultaneously. It is set in a fictional era called "Shinka," in an "alternate Japan" that has developed over 20 years since the end of the war, a time of rapid economic growth. The series garnered attention for its star-studded staff, including director Seiji Mizushima, series composition and scriptwriter Noboru Aikawa, and animation studio Bones. The first season of the TV anime aired from October to December 2015, and the second season aired from April to June 2016.
The series features a diverse cast of superhumans, including aliens, cyborgs, robots, monsters, and wizards. While it strongly pays homage to Showa-era tokusatsu and anime, and appears to be a "festival anime" paying homage to nostalgic works, its true essence lies elsewhere.
For example, Earth-chan is a human satellite of unknown origin that responds to the brainwaves of people in danger, rushes to the scene, and helps people. She looks cute, but possesses great power, and in cases where good and evil are unclear, the perception that Earth-chan is on the side of "good" has become widespread. There is more than one model for Earth-chan, but Aikawa revealed at the 10th anniversary event that she "depicts the struggles of the manga god."
It's not just Earth-chan. The other superheroes aren't just superficially reconstructed; they embody the background of the work's creation and the spirit of the creators who brought them to life. Using existing characters as they are might have resulted in copyright issues preventing certain expressions, but by extracting the essence and settings and elevating them into new characters, the series delves deeply into why the superheroes were born and how they are treated by society. It also succeeds in depicting taboos and contradictions that couldn't be portrayed in the original works they were modeled after, pushing the boundaries to the limit.
◇Complex structure and profound themes
As you can see from the "Divine Transformation Timeline" published on the work's official website, the fact that the timeline is shuffled is also a key point. You might be confused by its complexity at first glance, but all the seemingly scattered puzzle pieces have a purpose, and gradually the dots connect to form a line.
At the event, director Mizushima reflected, "We tried to summarize our Showa era," while Aikawa said, "We tried to portray the Showa era seriously, referencing newspaper articles and footage from that time." The film skillfully links real-world social issues such as rapid economic growth, politics, pollution, student movements, and the Vietnam War with fictional characters from diverse backgrounds, unfolding a multi-layered narrative. Rather than simply depicting the Showa era, it was a work that attempted to dissect the era through the fictional works that the Showa era produced, such as special effects, manga, and anime.
Its complex structure, with its interwoven timelines, and profound themes are its greatest appeal, making it a bizarre masterpiece that offers new discoveries with every viewing. This is likely the reason why it continues to fascinate core fans even more than 10 years after its initial broadcast.
It's currently available to watch on various streaming services, so whether you followed it in real time back then or have never seen it before, now that it's reached its 10th anniversary, we encourage you to dive into this intense world of "superhuman fantasy." (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
