Summary
Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night, a new anime series, focuses on Tokyo’s Shibuya district, offering a visual delight and unique charm. The official trailer features stunning visuals that bring the city setting to life, highlighting the creativity and inspiration at the heart of the story. A diverse cast of characters, including an illustrator, former idol, V-Tube, and composer, add an unusual twist that makes the anime a hit.
Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night, a new anime series scheduled to air in April during the spring 2024 anime season, is becoming a quirky slice-of-life show. The characters, their unique backgrounds, and the focus on Tokyo’s Shibuya district provide a different aesthetic than what most anime fans are used to. While cities are common places, most anime don’t make them visually appealing, but Jellyfish might be one of the few that joins that small group.
The first official trailer for the original anime gives more insight into the mood and feel of the show than the actual plot. However, the best visuals show the desire to bring the city to life. It shouldn’t brush off the image of the woman as it leads to so many “pretty girls doing pretty things”, because there seems to be too much under the surface.
Highlight creative challenges using colorful footage
Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night (2024)
The official Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night, which can be found on YouTube, offers many views of Shibuya, illuminated by lights, accentuated by shadows and detailed graffiti images. The anime is not only an original made by Doga Kobo; It’s the 50th anniversary of the long-running studio, which has worked on projects ranging from Galaxy Express 999 to Paprika, not to mention its independent works like Shikimori and Cutie. Those decades of experience pay off, with nightlife becoming an interesting source of art rather than narrative window dressing.
The anime’s website is still light on plot details, but it does draw attention to the cast’s roles: an illustrator, former idol, V-tuber, and music composer seem to be working together to create one. “Anonymous Artist”. The idea of creativity and inspiration seems to be the main thing of this story, and the diversity of works makes this people stand out. None of these characters are ones you would normally expect to see together. At the very least, this might be one of the first times a V-tuber’s career has been animated.
Overall, it might seem easy to write off this new show as just another cute slice of life, but the art shown in the film promises to deliver a more dramatic and deeper story that focuses on life in the city. Like Night Call or That Boy Kongming! It’s evocative of other anime out there, which similarly offers an upbeat look at urban life, albeit in a more dramatic way. Coupled with the usual location abandoned by the creators, the jellyfish can’t swim at night, and by April 2024, it could be a sleeper.
Sources: YouTube (King Entertainment Creative), Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night official website.