StoryAbout a year ago, Sothis approached me and helpfully pointed
the way to two Shounen Jump Anime Tour specials from 2008 in the hopes of
persuading me to write up their entries. The first was One Piece: Romance
Dawn Story, which I jumped on like a horny teenager; the second was Letter
Bee: Light and Blue Night Fantasy. I almost immediately fell in love with
the latter, so when I heard that it was to get a TV series, I couldn’t wait for
the 2009 fall season to begin.
Set in Amberground – a land of eternal night – Letter Bee follows the tale of a young boy named Lag Seeing. After his mother was taken
from him at a young age, Lag meets a man named Gauche Suede – a Letter Bee
charged with the job of ‘delivering’ the white-haired lad to his Aunt. The pair
strikes up a friendship, and as they part ways Lag vows to become a Bee
himself. Skipping forward a few years and our adolescent protagonist is about
to travel to his examination. After successfully making it to the Beehive he
receives a great shock upon learning that not only is Gauche no longer working
there, but he also has gone missing without a trace. Now alongside his Dingo
(partner), Niche, and his new friends and colleagues, Lag is determined to
become a great Letter Bee and find Gauche.
The series starts out strong by following Lag on his initial
journey from meeting Gauche as a young boy to his entry into the Beehive. These
opening episodes immediately grab attention by thrusting the viewer into the
middle of a plot where Lag’s mother has been spirited away to the capital by
mysterious men. Letter Bee then
proceeds to mix slower paced sections of development in the relationships
between Lag, Niche, and Gauche with moments of engaging action featuring the
Gaichuu (armoured bugs).
Sadly, around episode eleven Letter Bee switches from
an interesting plot-based fantasy and descends into a rather repetitive, and at
times dull, episodic slice of life. While I can understand that it ingratiates
the viewer into the life of a Bee, this segment of the show seems misplaced.
Normally the day-to-day aspect of a series happens towards the beginning in
order to set the scene while allowing for the more solid narrative to kick in
later and seize the viewer’s attention. Unfortunately by reversing this, Letter
Bee’s mid-section can feel arduous at times – also, those who have
previously seen Light and Blue Night Fantasy will most likely experience
frustration at episode seventeen, which is simply a re-hash of the half hour
special. Finally eleven and a half installments later, the series returns to
its storyline only for the series to end JUST as it reaches the really
interesting part. While this ensures that I will spend the next six months
chomping at the bit in anticipation of season two, having just waded through
what are essentially a dozen filler episodes, I can’t help but feel a certain
twinge of disappointment.
This irritating pacing is such a shame because Letter Bee boasts a strong narrative, particularly since Amberground itself provides an
impressive backdrop. A land of eternal darkness illuminated by an artificial
sun placed above the capital is appealing enough, but adding in the country’s
strict class system, makes it even more engaging. The capital remains reserved
purely for the elite while the farthest reaches of the country survive in
complete destitution – and with stringent rules controlling passage between the
land’s provinces each class stays segregated and unable to escape their
circumstances. But that isn’t all, as this alien world has one more trick up
its sleeve in the form of Gaichuu – massive metallic bugs that feed off of
human heart and emotion. These armoured arthropods pose an ever-present danger
to both Letter Bees and civilians alike and can only be slain by shooting
fragments of one’s own heart into the cracks in their shells. Throwing the
mystery of Gauche’s disappearance and Lag’s crusade to uncover what happened to
his mother into this world and you have a winning combination. Sadly the series
has neither realised nor made the best use of this potential.AnimationDear Studio Pierrot, thank you for restoring my faith in
your ability to actually create a good-looking series. Who’d have thought that
the company, which brings us a weekly dose of sub-par animation in the form of Bleach,
could actually pull out all the stops and provide such stunning visuals as the
likes of Letter Bee? Boasting luscious colours consisting of varying
shades of dusky Persian blues through to crushing amethysts, Amberground’s
perpetual state of night retains a glorious beauty. During ‘memory’ sequences,
the vibrancy of the cobalts and violets make way for a more muted and nostalgic
sepia pigmentation that is equally as gorgeous as the show’s normal hues.
All the series’ vistas have a softer, almost hazy
quality that, when coupled with falling memory fragments, successfully relay
the dreamlike nature of the show. Movement remains smooth throughout,
particularly when it comes to the Gaichuu, though these armoured bugs do give
rise to my only gripe when it comes to Letter Bee’s visuals. Studio
Pierrot opts to use computer graphics for the giant metallic insects. While the
animation is technically very impressive with exceptional motion and effective
colouring, shading and texturing, this polished CG feels out of place in the
otherwise subtle landscapes.SoundHaving provided Lag’s voice for twenty-five
episodes (and a special), Miyuki Sawashiro has officially nailed the ability to
supply a varied array of sniffling, simpering, crying noises. In all
seriousness though, Sawashiro manages to successfully convey the fear,
determination and sensitive emotion of the young bee. The rest of the voice
cast also performs well, particularly Naomi Nagasawa who voices Steak. You may
think I’m joking, but she manages to inject his exceptionally limited
vocabulary of ‘Nee’ and ‘Neeeeeeeee’ with plenty of life so that each change in
inflection allows the furry foodstuff to communicate with the audience in a
strangely effective way.CharactersTo use ThePatches highly appropriate and accurate
terminology, Lag’s entire personality needs but two words to describe it:
‘Human Faucet’. Seriously, the guy never stops crying! Sure, he has some other
personality traits – determination, compassion, loyalty, blah blah blah – but
let’s put it this way, you can incorporate a drinking game into this series and
have a shot every time Lag wells up and starts snivelling like a little girl –
however, I wouldn’t advise it, as you’d end up in casualty with alcohol
poisoning.
As with many shows, the protagonist is nowhere near the most
interesting personality; in the case of Letter Bee, Lag’s two
companions, Niche and Steak far outshine the blubbing crybaby. Niche’s
animalistic natures make her far more intriguing as a character. Without anyone
to tell her otherwise Niche will go too far in her attempts to protect Lag and
would spend her life “running free” without underwear. Her lack of human
interaction and comprehension leads Niche to see the world as black and white,
and only her ‘master’, Lag, can enlighten her to all the variations of grey
that life has to offer. This childlike naivety endears her to the audience and
even provides the opportunity for humour to present itself, particularly when
it comes to her lack of pants and the relationship with her live bait, Steak.
Letter Bee’s
supporting cast also impresses as the series delves into the histories and
motivations behind a selection of Lag’s companions. Although in the case of
Zazie, the anime does tend to reiterate his back-story on more than one
occasion – just in case we miss it the first time – which does annoy a little.
Yes, yes, we know that’s why Zazie is so angry, now tell us a bit more about
Connor instead… No? Bugger.OverallWith some of the most sumptuous visuals ever to
sweep their way across my monitor, and a compelling plot – well, when it’s on
track that is – Letter Bee is well worth a watch. Despite the flaws in
its story, I still eagerly anticipate the arrival of the Fall 2010 when series
two is due to hit our screens, and with any luck it will actually recognise how
strong the narrative is and make the most of it.