16bit Sensation

is a Japanese manga conceptualized by Misato Mitsumi, Tatsuki Amazuyu, and Tamiki Wakaki and illustrated by Wakaki. It was first launched as a at Comic Market 91 in December 2016; Kadokawa Shoten started publishing it in collected volumes in September 2020, with two volumes released as of November 2021. An anime television series adaptation, titled ''16bit Sensation: Another Layer'' and produced by Studio Silver, premiered in October 2023.

Characters

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:A 19-year-old budding illustrator who finds herself in the year 1992 and does part-time work for Alcohol Soft. She is very passionate about ''bishōjo'' games. Konoha is an anime-only character.
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:He works as a programmer at Alcohol Soft, and son of the company owner. Some years later, he is still at the company, but refuses to make a game on a computer system using Windows 95 as he is very dedicated to the PC-98 platform. In the seventh episode of the anime, he is transported back in time.
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:She works at Alcohol Soft as a concept art, line art, and CG illustrator. In 1992, she and Maiko bring Konoha into the building after she asks Mamoru for help. Later, she asks Konoha to bring back Mamoru, who refuses to work on any game except one produced with PC-98. In the original manga series, and in some episodes of the anime adaptation, she is often seen wearing a cat hat.
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:She works at Alcohol Soft as a concept and line art illustrator, and is learning to become a programmer. She pushes to give Konoha a chance at Alcohol Soft.
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:The manager of Alcohol Soft. He is Mamoru's father. He later gets unknowingly involved with financial fraud, almost bringing down Alcohol Soft.
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:He is a scenario writer at Alcohol Soft and often wears a mask covering his eyes.
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:A 19-year-old shy girl who Konoha meets, when she time travels to 1996, and buys games with Konoha's moral support. When she comes upon Konoha later, in 1999, she is a well-known illustrator who is promoting her game.

Media

Manga

Illustrated by Tamiki Wakaki, in collaboration with Misato Mitsumi and Tatsuki Amazuyu on the story, and based on their real-life experiences at Aquaplus, ''16bit Sensation'' was first distributed as a at Comic Market on December 31, 2016. Kadokawa Shoten started publishing the manga in collected volumes on September 14, 2020. As of November 6, 2021, two volumes have been released.

Volumes

Anime

In December 2022, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime adaptation. The adaptation was later announced by Aniplex at AnimeJapan to be a television series titled ''16bit Sensation: Another Layer''. It is animated by Studio Silver and directed by Takashi Sakuma, with an original story written by Tatsuya Takahashi and Wakaki, character designs by Masakatsu Sakaki, and music composed by Yashikin. It premiered on October 5, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The opening theme song is "65535", performed by Shoko Nakagawa, while the ending theme song is "Link~past and future~", performed by Aoi Koga as her character Konoha Akisato. Crunchyroll licensed the series. Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.

Episodes

Reception

The anime adaptation was received positively. Christopher Farris reviewed the first three episodes for Anime News Network, arguing it is a series steeped in "niche nostalgia" with references that only some would know, arguing that Konoha is an energetic and effective guide to introduce audiences to this nostalgia, and praising the performance of her voice actress, Aoi Koga. Farris also notes the cultural framework of the adaptation, which is partially a spinoff from the original manga which "entirely took place in the 1990s," and notes the unique approach of the series to its material, and to ''otaku'' culture. In her review of the first episode, Cy Catwell of ''Anime Feminist'' noted that it tells a story of how Konoha gets a "second chance" to use her passion to more than "her current job" in 2023, called it "really cute", and said there was a potential for the series to become a feminist series which engages with "the feminine experience with eroticism and adult media".

In the three-episode check-in on ''Anime Feminist'', Alex Henderson said the series was becoming "something entertaining and pretty interesting," as a "love letter" to the 1990s, said they are enjoying the characters, and hoped that Mamoru and Konoha did not become "love interests". Steven Blackburn of ''Screen Rant'' said that the series offers "a unique twist on the typical isekai genre," with parallels between her predicament in 2023 and where she ends up after opening a game. Hosts of Anime News Network's "This Week in Anime" noted that Konoha proselytizes about the "storied output" of Key and other works, describing Konoha as a "wondrous recreation of a modern nerd".

Notes

References

Further reading

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External links

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* {{Anime News Network, manga, 26786

Anime and manga about time travel
Anime series based on manga
Aniplex
Comics set in the 1990s
Crunchyroll anime
Doujinshi
Japanese time travel television series
Kadokawa Shoten manga
Muse Communication
Television series set in 1985
Television series set in 1992
Television series set in 1996
Television series set in 1999
Television series set in 2023
Time loop anime and manga
Tokyo MX original programming
Works about video games