Anime Limited have long held a strong working relationship with the famous Kyoto Animation and also a number of special screenings for UK anime fans. But the two dovetailed at this May’s MCM London Comic Con to present the world premiere of KyoAni’s Sparks of Tomorrow, due to launch on Netflix in July.
In an alternate Meiji era Japan, electricity evades the island nation and instead steam power has been pushed to extremes in the resulting void. The charismatic Seiroku Sakamoto vows he and his younger brother Kihachi will bring the age of electricity to their country but when Seiroku never returns after being summoned to fight in war, the dejected Kihachi commits himself to quietly working on electrical inventions. A chance encounter with the clumsy but optimistic girl Inako Momokawa leads Kihachi to become aware a part of his brother’s legacy survives- the 20th Century Electrical Catalog, a journal containing Seiroku’s plans and ambitions. But others seek the Catalog for more selfish purposes and are prepared to go to any lengths to obtain it…
Director Minoru Ota has been quite open he and his production team wanted to deliver something new with Sparks of Tomorrow and watching this world premiere it quickly became clear they had succeeded. There is no shortage of comedic anime each season but if you’re an old hand like me (40 this April) you’ve likely seen the same gags and timing done over and over, to the point they feel far more telegraphed than actually funny. Sparks of Tomorrow instead carries itself far more originally. There are a range of comedy moments in these two episodes ranging from subtle to bombastic and all land in a way only the masters at Kyoto Animation could find a way to do. The entire audience were laughing our heads off whenever one occured.
More importantly, the comedy in the show organically highlights the uniqueness of each character and who they are in moments where other emotions take the lead. Having seen his brother’s work first-hand as a child, Keihachi is entranced by the value he believes electricity could bring to the Japanese population and bristles at the nation’s seeming widespread stagnation under steam power. Inako is a sincere but clumsy girl carrying a deep sadness over her deceased mother but who simultaneously carries an open willingness to believe in better, a natural counterpart to the more cynical Keihachi. And both play beautifully off Yosuke Mizoe, the foppish eccentric young heir of a major corporation who will happily use any underhanded means to secure the Electrical Catalog. The screening we saw was presented in the show’s original Japanese and Yosuke’s habit of mixing in random English words to his self aggrandising dialogue added an extra element of humour to this antagonist who perfectly straddles the line between clown and intimidating threat.
In terms of setting Ota has chosen to use water colour style backgrounds. It’s a type of painting that I’ve always enjoyed so here it’s very easy on the eyes and as ever Kyoto Animation talent really know how to pack in the detail. Quite honestly there are elements of this production that feel like theatrical quality. Another choice made is to use a largely brass soundtrack and again it really helps the show standout. There is no shortage of experimental soundtracks in Japanese animation but I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever heard one that focused on brass instruments. It was played on repeat as accompaniment to the talk section of the screening with Ota and producer Ryona Kuyama and if I can listen to a piece of music looped for close to an hour and feel cosily nestled in it you’ve clearly done something right.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Sparks of Tomorrow. Kyoto Animation productions are essentially uniformly winners but this easily stands out without requiring that pedigree. Minoru Ota has delivered one hell of a directorial debut and having heard him first-hand discuss how he encouraged his staff to explore ideas only deepens how impressive this is. I’m eagerly awaiting July to continue this journey and find out where the story goes.
Sparks of Tomorrow will stream from 5th July on Netflix, with new episodes premiering on Sundays.
