If “Maoyuu Maou Yuusha” is this winter season’s anime with an undeniable fetish for large bouncy bosoms, then “Vividred Operation” is undoubtedly the show with a fetish for shapely tushies.
Perhaps this series can best be described as a mix of “Strike Witches” and “Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha” with a zest of “Sky Girls”. As a magical girl genre show, the question remains if it will pull off something unique like “Puella Magi Madoka Magica”, although that is doubtful.
Especially the similarities in style with “Strike Witches” are apparent, though that comes as no surprise considering Takamura Kazuhiro is the character designer & director for both “Vividred Operation” and “Strike Witches”.
So far, really enjoyed this silly magical girl show, although it does require heightened suspension of disbelief, even more so than with “Strike Witches”. However, one does not watch a show like this for realism, but as fun entertainment watching cute girls save the world.
The animation by studio A1 Pictures is excellent, with plenty of care and detail going into rendering the various girls and crafting fluid action scenes with flashy magical girl transformation sequences.
The gimmick of two of the girls combining into one more mature and powerful maiden to defeat the foe of the week adds a novel touch though it doesn’t exactly blow you away either. In fact, you may wonder if it’s not a ploy to sell more figures of the girls’ various incarnations much like how upgraded versions of a Gundam are in part a strategy to sell new gunpla kits.
Feisty lead Akane is voiced by Sakura Ayane, she voiced Marii in “Joshiraaku” and Merry in “Yumekui Merry”. Aoi is voiced by Murakawa Rie who doesn’t seem to be credited with many other roles.
Outsubo Yuka voices kendo girl Wakaba, she previously voiced Toshino Kyouko in “Yuru Yuri” and Kurei in “Haiyore! Nyaruko-san”. Himawari is voiced by Uchida Aya, who also voiced Shizuka in the “Strike Witches” movie and Ascoeur in “Kiddy Girl-and”.
The mysterious Rei is voiced by Uchida Maaya who tackled roles like Rikka in “Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai” and Rea in “Sankarea”.
Wonder if anyone else feels there’s an uncanny resemblance with professor Ishiki’s ferret form to the ermine Chamo from “Mahou Sensei Negima”?
Regardless of all its silliness which is in a sense also typical for a magical girl show, am enjoying “Vividred Operation” and will continue to watch. If you like “Strike Witches” then this show will be right up your alley.
