Animation Runner Kuromi (2001)
Animation Production: Akitaroh Daichi/Hajime Watanabe/ Yumeta Co., LTD
Released by: U.S. Manga Corps
Official Website: Animation Runner Kuromi
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Over the past two and a half years we have followed and written much about the adventures of several different characters and their quests for justice, world peace, championships, love, etc. This time out though, we are going to take a look at something really unique as we join Mikiko Oguro on her first week as production manager for Studio Petit, an animation studio in need of a strong and driving team leader.

Story

"Ever wonder what it would be like to work for an animation studio? Kuromi just landed her dream job at the famous Studio Petit, and boy is she in for a rude awakening! The new head of the ultimate team of slackers, it’s up to her to finish "Time Journeys Episode 2," or fans everywhere will be let down. Will Kuromi's love of cartoons clean up this horrible mess...or make an even bigger one? " -- U.S. Manga Corps Animation Runner Kuromi Website

Review

The story begins as we join Mikiko Oguro on her first day of work at a small anime studio, a dream come true for our very enthusiastic protagonist. Upon her arrival and hearty self-announcement she’s surprised to find an empty office, with only the current production manager on hand to show her around in a rather fast and lack-luster fashion. Once the tour is done she is put in the driver’s seat and Mikiko becomes responsible for the completion of one of the studio’s projects, Time Journeys (episode 2); a task made that much more daunting by the fact that she only has a week to finish what usually takes five weeks to complete from start to finish.

Now, with time quickly running our protagonist must do the impossible and manage her first project despite a lack of training and not knowing her co-workers at all. Armed with the studio’s car and a few hints from some of her co-workers she must travel all over town to not only collect the animation keys for the 2nd episode of Time Journeys, but also inspire the studio’s eccentric anime artists to work faster and more diligently to complete their assigned work. Will she be able to do this in time and get the episode into full production!?

Anime Runner Kuromi is an extremely fun anime OVA. Its light-hearted approach and overall story is very refreshing and a nice change of pace from the typical mecha and hero shows we watch on a daily basis at Japan Hero headquarters.

While a story that centers around a production manager trying to complete a project at work may sound more like something hardly worth exploring in any manner the director and writers of this OVA manage to pull it off quite nicely, giving us a memorable cast of characters and a brightly painted universe for them to live in.

Production-wise this OVA benefits greatly from having top-notch, quality animation that flows very smoothly from frame to frame. The color palette is colorful and gives everything from the characters to the backgrounds a gentle feel that is both easy and pleasant to the eye. I should also mention that the video transfer for this release is crystal clear, which really helps bring out the already great visuals.

The audio is happy and filled with fun melodies throughout. I particularly enjoyed the introduction BGM, as it perfectly captured the spirit of this OVA, and while none of the instrumental tracks really stand out on their own, they round off the rest of the package quite nicely.

Clocking in at 40 minutes more or less, U.S. Manga Corps saw fit to include a plethora of extras with this release that are sure to please all anime fans. Some of these bonuses include the following:

- An Interview with Akitaroh Daichi (Director of Animation Runner Kuromi)
- Alternate Angle Storyboard (The OVA in storyboard form)
- Interview with U.S. Voice Actor Lisa Ortiz,
- Art & Sketch Gallery,
- Trailers for Animation Runner Kuromi,
- Director’s Diary,
- The Animation Process (Documentary)

Final Thoughts

This is a highly recommended title for all anime fans out there, especially if you have any sort of interest in the animation process itself. Animation Runner Kuromi was a lot of fun to watch, especially with all the extras on the production and behind the scenes that were thrown in as part of the package.

Jeffrey Couto