| Tactical Roar | |
Official Blu-Ray box cover from Japan | |
| タクティカルロア (Takutikaru Roa) | |
|---|---|
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Yoshitaka Fujimoto |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Kazuho Hyodo |
| Music by | Hikaru Nanase |
| Studio | Actas |
| Original network | TV Kanagawa, Chiba TV, TV Saitama, TV Aichi, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto |
| Original run | January 8, 2006 – April 2, 2006 |
| Episodes | 13 |
Tactical Roar (タクティカルロア, Takutikaru Roa) is a Japanese anime television series centered around the mostly female crew of a commercial Warship, the Pascal Magi, which is trying to fight pirates in the near future. The series is mix of serious combat, political intrigue, light romance, and comedy, a classic story of the underdogs trying prove their worth amidst superior enemies, and doubtful arrogant allies. The series was produced with mix of traditional and computer generated animation. This was an anime produced with cooperation from the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF) during a period that there was no collaboration between anime producers and fandoms of similar types of anime.
The show was broadcast on TV Kanagawa, Chiba TV, TV Saitama, TV Aichi, Sun TV and KBS Kyoto. Reportedly, the Pascal Magi was based on the Murasame-class destroyer, and the ship in the show was given a designation with the consent of the JSDF, which the producers worked with to create realistic battle scenes and models for the anime. The theme song, ending theme, and background music for the show were created by Lantis Co., Ltd.
In the near future, a hypercane has appeared in the Pacific Ocean, causing a series of worldwide climate changes. This storm, dubbed the "Grand Roar," has been stable for over 50 years. Climate changes make air travel and transport less reliable, and thus the world has begun reverting to a second naval age, particularly in the Asian region. However, the world's condition also heralds the return of piracy and the growth of maritime terrorism, causing many large international companies to arm themselves and setting up their own private naval security forces.
At the outset of the series, Systems Engineer Hyōsuke Nagimiya runs into the crew of the Pascal Magi, one such maritime security ship. He gets into a few typical compromising situations before finally being introduced as a software engineer assigned to update the systems on board the ship. He meets his stepsister, the captain of the war vessel, Captain Nanaha Misaki, who treats him as a stranger. Although he refers to her as 'sister,' he still thinks of her as a woman nonetheless. During the duration of his duties, the ship is called into combat, where Hyosuke begins to understand the nature of the Pascal Magi and its crew's battle potential as the vessel flings itself into the fight.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Aye, Shorty!" | Kenichi Ishikura | Yoshitaka Fujimoto | January 7, 2006 | |
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Due to an update on the Pascal Magi, Hyōusuke boards the all-female ship, headed by a captain known as Nanami. The question remains: what challenges lie ahead for the Pascal Magi? What danger will it face? | |||||
| 2 | "Her Reasons" | Jirou Fujimoto | Takahashi Shigeruharu | January 14, 2006 | |
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The Pascal Magi is attacked by a stealth ship which tries to sink them, headed by pirates of an unknown origin. Nanami rejects resolution and decides a battle cannot be avoided, while Hyōusuke wonders how Nanami has changed since he last knew her. | |||||
| 3 | "Smile and True Face" | Kenichi Ishikura | Kaoru Shinmachi | January 21, 2006 | |
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The new ship which fired upon the Pascal Magi is determined to be a Western Army ship which had been commendeered by the pirates. Nanaha lies to the military committee so she can keep her position, and her former role in the navy is revealed, while other tensions flare... | |||||
| 4 | "A Scenery With K" | Kumano Shibasuke | Takahashi Shigeruharu | January 28, 2006 | |
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The Pascal Magi is given the task of guarding the dignitaries which go to a huge ceremony of ships which are part of the Trans-Pacific Union. Gossip, speculation, and delision fly around the crew, especially because Nanaha and Hyōusuke, are sharing the same room. Meanwhile, the terrorist sisters continue their attacks, aiming for escort ships in the future. | |||||
| 5 | "Strikeback" | Yoshitaka Fujimoto | Kaoru Shinmachi | February 4, 2006 | |
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The ship goes through the infamous area known for traffic jams, and is tasked with delivering the Vice-President of East Ruth to a venue to view ships. This Vice-President seems to like Nanaha a lot, and her kiss unnerves her. The operation of terrorists continues, with nightmares continuing, including a missile attack on a docked fleet of ships, including the Coleman. | |||||
| 6 | "Converging Nightmares" | Koji Ito | Takahashi Shigeruharu | February 11, 2006 | |
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The Pascal Magi is warned by a patrol aircraft of a storm ahead. They struggle at finding an enemy which they can't see with radar. It remains to be seen whether the ship can survive this crisis... | |||||
| 7 | "Eniac Maniac" | Yoshitaka Fujimoto | Kaoru Shinmachi | February 18, 2006 | |
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The Pascal Magi continues its journey, but there is a threat from the outside, as someone has hacked the ship. The ship loses its functions, while Miharu determines that the CIC should be independent from the overall network. | |||||
| 8 | "Sunset Festival" | Satomi | Takahashi Shigeruharu and Yoshitaka Fujimoto | February 25, 2006 | |
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The crew of the Pascal Magi go on vacation on a tropical island. Tsubasa approaches Hyōusuke, inviting him for a walk, while there are tensions between Nanaha and Hyōusuke. On the other side of the island, government officials of Taaroa Island and the Ridil corporation meet on the island. | |||||
| 9 | "Butterfly Rush" | Yoshitaka Fujimoto | Kaoru Shinmachi | March 4, 2006 | |
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A joint effort between the Western Guard and Haru-Nico carries out an effort to gain control of East Asia while defeating pirates. The Pascal Magi joins the fleet with other ships but wonders about the aims of the operation. | |||||
| 10 | "Bottom Line" | Yoshitaka Fujimoto | Koji Ito | March 11, 2006 | |
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The pirates and a submarine are surprised, with the Western Guard forces damaged, forced to withdraw, while the Pascal Magi has to engage in anti-submarine measures with only one ship. Preparations increase for a battle and tensions continue to rise... | |||||
| 11 | "Flower" | Matsui Carp | Jirou Fujimoto | March 18, 2006 | |
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The Pascal Magi has been defeated after chasing an enemy submarine, and sustained heavy casualties. Nanaha has the challenge of visiting the families of those who have died, while others struggle in the aftermath of the battle in the previous episode. | |||||
| 12 | "The Ninth Thesis" | Yoshitaka Fujimoto | Yoshitaka Fujimoto | March 25, 2006 | |
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Everything continues to decline, with a military coup in the republic nearby East Ruth, with the occupation of the Embassy of East Ruth, and standing against those countries which constitute the Trans-Pacific Union. The guarantee of Haru-Nico decides to send a fleet to evacuate the people of East Ruth, with the Pascal Magi facing a danger that they hadn't faced before... | |||||
| 13 | "Outward Bound" | Mizumoto Hazuki | Kaoru Shinmachi | April 1, 2006 | |
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The battle over the nine thesis continue, with the Nachromema government army as a puppet of the Ridil corporation, and trying to create a second Grand Roar. While the Pascal Magi and Haru-Nico fleet try to stop the second Grand Roar from being established. The world's fate is in the balance... | |||||
There are many weapons shown in the show apart from the Pascal Magi. For instance, the Haru-Nico has frigates designed for commercial escort like the Rajdae class destroyer, Oliver, and Coleman. For the Western Army, there is a flagship, a support fleet flagship, and a destroyer. For the escort hunters, they have large ship which hunts escort ships, a stealth system, a missile boat, a supersonic missile named alfal, a camouflaged container carrier, and a Wecken attack helicopter. Additionally, there is the Wacken system which controls attack helicopters, an attack submarine called the Methusela, an electronic jamming device called an ECM buoy, anti-air mines, and a work research vessel that has the functions of sunken ship and floating dock called Friedkin, and many more.
The show has a number of different locations. One of the key one is Namba Island, a huge man-made island in the Western Pacific Ocean, as it is a small natural island in the center, with a donut-shaped artificial island surrounding it. Additionally, a large train operates on the artificial island, is connected to an airfield with a 4000m-class runway that floats far west of the island. The city is roughly composed of a resort area in the north, a residential area in the northeast, a commercial area in the southeast, an industrial area and a harbor in the south, and a Western Guard base in the southwest. In addition, a hydrogen plant group floats in a semicircular shape concentric with the artificial island on the eastern offshore. The haru-nico security guarantee Nanbajima branch office and the company's wharf are located at a corner of the port on the south side of the island, and the company's ships, including Pascal Mage, are moored. The show's other locations were also affected by the Grand Roar, a huge cyclone that suddenly appeared in the Western Pacific 50 years before the story premiered, the catastrophe caused when the cyclone occurred, and a spiral cloud that extends from the cyclone called the Spiral Band. These locations included the Column Ally, an infamous strait, with general shipping routes compressed due to the influence of the Grand Roar, the small country of East Luz in the Southwest Pacific, which suffers from corruption, poverty, and other issues, the plant nation known as the Republic of Nachroma which started when the refugees who had been generated in large numbers after the Grand Roar and who were discharged from economically vulnerable states living on floating regions. Finally, there is the Sea Realm Movement, a megafloat (artificial island) constructed on the sea should be recognized as a territory, and a movement to claim territorial waters and an exclusive economic zone based on it.
There are a number of terms used in the show. On the Pascal Magi, enemy ships of unknown affiliation which engaged in piracy were defined as "illegal," while condition zebra meant that all ships are now in full control of their combat regime, damage control refers to a department that provides first-aid measures when a ship is damaged by battle. There were also terms to refer to each side of the helm, specific call signs like "Current Alpha" and "Drop One" which both are used by the Pascal Magi. Additionally, the crew used the phrase "Aye, Shorty!" which is a synonym for "Aye, Sir!" (used on the Coleman), meaning that something will be immediately executed. Although the female form should be "Aye, ma'am!", shorty refer to a slang term for attractive women, girlfriends and girls. Also, the phrase "Aye, Fellow!" is uttered by a crew member understands when a crew member reports or makes a statement with "fellow" referring to "colleagues." Finally, Nanaha uses the term "Right over" meaning that she understands the matter, and it seems to be a response word used by the highest commander on the spot.
On the DVD for the show were seven short episodes, which were not depicted in the main story, directed by Yoshitaka Fujimoto, and storyboarded by Takeshi Ito. These accompanied each episode, along with images noting JSDF coverage, specific images, mechanical drawings of characters, and settings. Two singles of music from the song were introduced, as was the "Tactical Roar" Original Soundtrack. There were also models of the Pascal Magi (manufactured by Pit Road), and two other models of ships from the show. Also on October 6, 2006, Hobby Japan published the Complete Tactical Roar book, the characters were reportedly featured in a comic and an event was held relating to the show in some manner. The anime had a Blu-Ray release on December 24, 2015, with a retail price of 15,000 Yen.
Mai Nakahara, who plays Nanami, and Kana Ueda, who plays Sango, humorously talked on a radio show as their characters. A few years later, in a post announcing a DVD of these records said that Nakahara and Ueda's "logbooks," which aired from November 4, 2005, to June 30, 2006, before the show began airing, were "extremely popular."
Reception to the show has been generally positive. Some pointed out that this "futuristic science-fiction anime" has comedic moments apart from the "military drama, action, and adventure," with nudity present but "nothing sexual about it," while claiming Nanaha is openly lesbian, pointing out the "strong plot," 3D visuals, and drama. The same reviewer said that the anime run of 13 episodes is "normal for many Japanese anime titles," praising the show's premise, the focus on weather and climate change, focus on science, and the comedic elements. Another reviewer pointed out that Nanaha has been kissed by two characters, her stepbrother, Hyousuke, and Estrela, a vice-president, noting the show's yuri themes and its fan service. Others said that the anime resembled the Girls und Panzer anime due to its realistic military portrayal and "beautiful girl[s]" when reviewing an event with the show's staff. They also praised the "realistic contemporary naval warfare," while noting the anime's romantic and comedic elements.
Other critics praised the marine/naval battle action of the show, with most of the characters as women, and the commitment to the show's production, as part of an article which interviewed some from the show's staff and crew.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Also see the article's second page, also in Japanese.