Anime Reviews (2010-2019): 7SEEDS – Part One (2019)

I was absolutely captivated by “7SEEDS” and I can’t wait for the second season!  Definitely recommended!

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TITLE: 7SEEDS – Part One

ORIGINAL SERIES DATE: 2019

DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, DTS-HD Master Audio: English and Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV MA VSD

Release Date: December 8, 2020

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Originally Created by Tamura Yumi

Director: Takahashi Yukio

Series Composition: Machida Touko

Character Design by Satou Youko

Music by MICHIRU

Art Director: Ikeda Yusuke

Anime Production: GONZO

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Featuring the following voice talent:

Fukuyama Jun/Alejandro Saab as Arashi Aota

Yuki Aoi/Caitlynn French as Hotaru Kusakuri

Asumi Kana/Chaney Moore as Matsuri Tendō

Ishida Akira/Clint Bickham as Chimaki Yamori

Inoue Kazuhiko/David Wald as Kaname Mozunoto

Toyama Nao/Jad Saxton as Natsu Iwashimizu

Soumi Yoko/Morgan Berry as Botan Saotome

Konishi Katsuyuki/Scott Gibbs as Semimaru Asai

Nojima Kenji/David Matranga as Fubuki Samejima

Sasaki Nozomu/Justin Doran as Takahiro Aramaki

Kuwashima Houko/Sarah West as Mitsuru Kagurazaka

Sakura Takahiro/Adam Gibbs as Ryō

Kotobuki Minako/Allison Sumrall as Maria Miki

Hayami Sho/Amber Lee Connors as Hana Sugurono

Ono Kensho/Andrew Love as Ango

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The meteor strikes wiped human civilization from the face of the Earth, then even the face itself changed, transformed into something alien and hostile as devastating climatic shifts, global darkness and unprecedented geologic upheavals reshaped what was once our world.

But, even in the aftermath of mass extinctions and world sweeping firestorms, life managed to find a way, evolving to new forms, some close to what came before, others from beyond our worst nightmares. It is into this toxic landscape filled with flesh-eating cockroaches, telepathic wolves, and man-eating plants that humanity’s last survivors are released from frozen cryogenic slumber. Five groups; each consisting of seven youths and one adult survival specialist. They are mankind’s last hope, and if they fail to survive in this strange and horrifying new world, the human race will end forever.

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From Tamura Yumi, the creator of “Basara” and “Chicago” comes “7SEEDS”.

“7SEEDS” was made its premiere on Shogakukan’s “Bessatsu Shojo Comic” magazine back in 2001 before appearin on “Flowers” magazine in 2002 and would be serialized until 2017.

Collected in 35 volumes, the series would win “Best Shojo Manga” at 52nd Shogakukan Manga Award in 2007.  The manga would receive an anime adaptation courtesy of GONZO, directed by Takahashi Yukio, and would be released worlwide as an Original Net Animation (ONA) through Netflix in June 2019 and a second season which was released in March 2020.

The first season would be released on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

“7SEEDS” begins with people enjoying life in modern Japan. Next thing you know, when these individuals wake up, life has changed as they have awakened in a place that they are not familiar with.

A few people are taken aboard an inflatable boat as they paddle to a nearby island but all of them have no recollection of what is going on.

We are introduced to Aota Arashi, Iwashimizu Natsu,  Asai Semimaru and Saotome Botan, who begin look for food and water.   Meanwhile, another group arrives on the island which includes Sugurono Hana (who happens to be Arashi’s girlfriend), Tsunomata Mansaku, Amacha Fujiko, Yukima Haru, Nobi Momotaro, Taiami Chisa, Nigusa Hibari and their leader Yanagi Dosei are attacked by super large insects.

We then see another group who awaken from their cryogenic chambers and when they meet their leader Unami, the group shoots him down.

Eventually it is learned that the Earth was hit by a meteorite which killed human life and changed the climate of Japan. In order to allow for the survival of humanity, a project known as Seven Seeds was developed.

Each country agreed to preserve a few healthy young people through cryogenics and they would be the survivors of the impact.  And as their computer for their cryogenic chambers determines that Earth is safe for human life, they are revived.

The Japanese government has created five groups of survivors: Winter, Spring, Summer A, Summer B and Fall.  Each group has seven members.  None of them are told what would be happened when they went into cryonic preservation and each group is scattered throughout Japan.  Some who are awakened earlier than others.

And the new Japan they have awakened to has no human life, cities are no more and insects and animals become humanities primary danger as they, and plant life have evolved. Along with the changes in the world leading to a hostile environment.

Alone and not knowing whether other humans they come across from other teams are trustworthy or not, “7SEEDS” is a story of human survival

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“7SEEDS” is an anime series that I found to be surprisingly good.  I admit at first, I thought this was going to be some kind of “Battle Royale” where teams were going to off each other but the storyline is primarily about survival.

The other thing that at first I was questioning was the over-abundance of characters and how in the heck we would care for any of them.

But as the episodes progressed, the writers managed to place a focus on a few characters and their groups.

The primary characters are members of Summer Team B, a team that has been split up and a team that are “back-ups” after the four other Japanese teams.  These are healthy but rebellious people and are looked down by other club members.  And members of the Spring Team.

Aota Arashi of Summer Team B and Sugurono Hana of Sprint Team are boyfriend and girlfriend.  Both have not seen each other since the cataclysm and being put in cryogenic chambers.

Aota Arashi is brave, resourceful and always wanting to protect his girlfriend.  He is joined by the incredibly shy Iwashimizu Natsu and likes Arashi.  And the other joining them is the rebellious Asai Semimaru.  These three have been separated from their group and are continuing their adventures of finding other survivors and for Arashi, desperately wanting to know if his girlfriend is alive.

Meanwhile, Sugurono Hana is strongwilled and has wilderness survival skills which she learned from her father.  She desperately wants to find her boyfriend Arashi but right now she helps her team, which includes music prodigy Yukima Haru, 12-year-old genius Nobi Momotaro and is joined by Winter Team’s Aramaki Takahiro, a famous high school baseball player who now survives with two wolves and their cubs.

It may seem like a lot of people but the series manages to focus primarily on Aota Arashi and Sugurono Hana and those close around them.  And then the people they eventually meet.  But also from other teams and learning about how their team members eventually didn’t survive.

While I don’t want to spoil the storyline, we learn about how Arashi’s group comes across the Fall Team and their cold, dominating nature.  Near the tail-end of season one, we get to know more about another team known as Summer Team A.  We also get to learn about those who died at the Ryugu Shelter which Hana and others find.

So, in a way, each episode is quite fascinating and learning how challenging it is for humanity to live in this new world where animals have run rampant and have evolved to become even more deadly, plants also evolving and becoming deadly and humanity pretty much using skills they knew, but starting from scratch to survive and learning about what works as medicine, what works as food but can they all co-exist or will these teams become each other’s enemies?

I was absolutely captivated by “7SEEDS” and I can’t wait for the second season!  Definitely recommended!

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