Sometimes it’s fun to jump out of the 2D animation and see the places and people that make and inspire an anime; in the case of Kyousogiga, the place is Kyoto and its environs, and the people who show up in the flesh are Shiraishi Ryoko, who voices Un, but who we’re most familiar with as the voice of Onizuka Hime from Sket Dance.
Newbie Nakayama Erika accompanies Shiraishi, and veteran Kazuki Yao also makes an appearance. We’re hardly experts on live-action Japanese television, but we love the energy and enthusiasm the trio bring to the proceedings. There’s never a dull moment, and it’s especially fun to see them just as bowled over by their venerable surroundings as we are.
The episode is a tour of all of the places that inspired the creators of Kyousogiga: from Genkouan, home of the round and square windows (representing dreams and reality), to the gorgeous Kouzanji, home of the real Priest Myoue and the oldest tea field in Japan, as well as the Choujuugiga, four ink scrolls of “bird-men and beast-men at play” that is ostensibly a precursor to manga and anime.
We learned a lot, but were also entertained along the way, and now have a lot more appreciation for the detail that’s gone into the anime. Plus it’s always cool to put real-life faces to the talented voices we hear every week. Oh, and the desserts the ladies sampled at that fancy bakery looked amazing:
RABUJOI - An Anime Blog 