is a Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series produced by

A-1 Pictures is a Japanese animation studio founded by ex- Sunrise producer Mikihiro Iwata and it is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex. History The studio was established by SMEJ's animation production division ...

and

Aniplex is a Japanese anime, music production and anime licensee company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Established in September 1995, Aniplex has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime series, such as both '' Fullm ...

and directed by

Mamoru Kanbe is a Japanese storyboard artist and director. He is best known for directing the anime series ''Elfen Lied'', ''Sound of the Sky'', and '' Kimi to Boku''. Filmography * '' Ninja Ryukenden'' (1991) Director * ''Nana Toshi Monogatari'' (1994) Di ...

. The 12-episode anime aired in Japan on the

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...

television network between January 4, 2010 and March 22, 2010. The anime was also simulcast on

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

. ''Sound of the Sky'' was the debut project of '' Anime no Chikara''. A

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

adaptation illustrated by Yagi Shinba began serialization in the January 2010 issue of ASCII Media Works' '' Dengeki Daioh'' magazine. A

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

developed by

Compile Heart is a Japanese video game developer founded on June 2, 2006 as a subsidiary of Idea Factory. The company was formerly managed by Compile's former executive Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani, most well known as the creator of the ''Madou Monogatari'' and ''Pu ...

was released on the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

in May 2010.

Plot

''Sound of the Sky'' revolves around a young girl named Kanata Sorami who is inspired to join the military after witnessing a rendition of "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

" by a mysterious trumpeter of the Helvetian Army. Becoming a

bugle The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

r, she is assigned to the 1121st Platoon stationed in the town of Seize (inspired by

Cuenca, Spain Cuenca () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. It is the capital of the province of Cuenca. Etymology Its name may derive from the Latin ''conca'' meaning "river basin", referring t ...

) in Helvetia (another name for

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

), where she is taken into the care of 2nd Lt. Filicia Heideman, M/Sgt. Rio Kazumiya and the rest of the 1121st Platoon. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world after a great war regressed humanity's technological capabilities back to early-to-mid 20th century standards.

Characters

; : :Inspired by the song of a mysterious military trumpeter, 15-year-old Kanata joins the army as a

r and is assigned to the 1121st Platoon. Despite being gifted with absolute pitch, Kanata initially lacks musical prowess, but gradually improves as the story progresses. She is portrayed as optimistic and cheerful, yet dedicated to her duties as a soldier and as a member of the platoon. ; : :Rio is a 17-year-old Master Sergeant who is also a bugler and

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

er, and the sole instructor of Kanata in learning military calls and signals. Rio is shown to have a no-nonsense attitude and is stricter in her discipline and the issuance of orders as compared to her commanding officer. Later in the story, she is revealed to be the half-sister of the late Princess Iliya, as well as the second heir to the Arkadia family. Due to her strained family history, she joined the 1121st as a means of escape, but later leaves in order to save the peace talks with the Roman Empire and prevent war. She is later promoted to Lieutenant upon rejoining the platoon after the war ends. ; : :The 18-year-old platoon leader of the 1121st with the rank of

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

, Filicia tends to stray away from military convention, preferring to exercise a more casual leadership. Filicia does away with addressing rank with members in the platoon so that everyone is known on a first name basis. Her kindness and gentle nature is well known by the girls as she acts as a type of mother figure to them. Prior to her commission of the 1121st, Filicia was previously assigned to an active combat tank platoon of which she was the only survivor. She is later promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. ; : :A private and the platoon's designated gunner, Kureha is the youngest of the girls in the 1121st at the age of 14. Kureha has a strong respect for military code and obeying orders. Her parents died when she was very young and she only knows of them through stories told by others. Her father was once a respected tank commander, and because of this, she took an immediate liking to Major Claus, having believed him to be the one and only "Desert Wolf". ; : :The platoon's 15-year-old designated pilot and appointed mechanic with the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

, Noël is often portrayed as sleepy and tired, resulting in her falling asleep when in the company of others or in the middle of something. She spends most of the time repairing the platoon's battle tank, the Takemikazuchi, which is considered a technological relic from the previous age of prosperity. Initially, Noël is unsociable, but slowly breaks out of her mold due to Kanata's friendship. She was purportedly a genius in the Helvetian Academy, earning praise by military officials who used her to help them resurrect a bioweapon technology dubbed the Invisible Reaper. As a result of the terrible devastation and loss of life caused by such weapons, Noël was branded by the Romans with the moniker "Witch of Helvetia". ; : :Yumina is a priestess at the local church who looks after orphaned children. She also acts as a nurse when people fall ill and is fluent in the language of the Roman Empire, which in the story is presented as modern-day

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. ; : :A commissioned officer holding the rank of Major, Claus is a

despatch rider A despatch rider (or dispatch) is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle (and occasionally in Egypt during World War I, on camels). In the UK 'despatch rider' is also a term used for a motorcycle courier. Despatch riders were use ...

and close friend of the 1121st. He is mistakenly identified by Kureha as the "Desert Wolf" or "Miracle Claus", a tank commander of the same name and similar appearance who is renowned for his courage and service in the Helvetian army. Due to Kureha's admiration and awe for his supposed reputation, Claus finds it difficult to reveal the truth to her. ; : :Naomi is the owner of a glassware shop who also acts as the front man for some of the 1121st Platoon's dubious activities, including an illegal alcohol distillery. ; : :Mishio is an orphaned girl under Yumina's care. She is very protective of who braids her hair, since her mother used to do it for her. ; : :Seiya is an orphaned boy under Yumina's care. He is hostile towards soldiers, whom he blames for his parents' deaths, although his view of the soldiers at the Clocktower Fortress improve with the passing of time. ; : :The late first Princess of the Archduke of Arkadia and the half-sister of Rio, she died two years prior to the story. Iliya was the trumpeter of her squad and is known for her renditions of ''

'', which at various times in the past had inspired members of the 1121st platoon. ; : :Aisha is a Roman scout that Kanata and Kureha discover unconscious and injured while on patrol. While in their care, the platoon quickly befriends her despite the language barrier (as she only speaks in her native tongue) and her status as the enemy. Aisha is revealed to be connected to Noël in the past, having been a survivor of the onslaught caused by the Invisible Reaper. ; :Shuko is a northern white-faced owl that the girls find and decide to keep as embodiment of their mascot. He is thought to have been owned by Princess Iliya in the past. ; : :A feared Colonel of the Helvetian army, also known as the Demon of Vingt. His desire is actually to provoke war from the Roman Empire. He plans to do this by kidnapping and executing Aisha, but she escapes and is found by the 1121st Platoon, who foil his plans and end the war.

Media

Manga

Before the anime's release, a

adaptation illustrated by Yagi Shinba was serialized between the January 2010 and June 2011 issues of ASCII Media Works' '' Dengeki Daioh'' magazine. The story is written by Paradores who provided the original concept for ''Sound of the Sky''. Two ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes were released.

Anime

''Sound of the Sky'' is the debut project of '' Anime no Chikara'', a joint project of

's anime department and

aiming to assemble creators to develop original anime television series. The anime aired in Japan on

between January 5 and March 22, 2010, and it was also simulcast on

. The anime is produced by

, with animation produced handled by

, and directed by Mamoru Kanbe. The screenplay is written by

Hiroyuki Yoshino is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with Sigma Seven. On leading roles, he played Yoshimori Sumimura in ''Kekkaishi'', Yuji Kagura in ''Tona-Gura!'', Takumi Nishijō in ''Chaos;Head'', Yusuke "Bossun" Fujisaki in ''Sket Dance'', Me ...

who based the story on Paradores' original concept. Character design is provided by Toshifumi Akai who based the designs on

Mel Kishida is a Japanese illustrator. His works include both light novel illustration and anime character design. His major works include the character designer of the ''Hanasaku Iroha'' anime and character designer for the ''Arland Atelier'' game series, ...

's original concept. Music direction is led by

Michiru Ōshima is a Japanese composer and arranger. She works on music in wide range of areas, such as anime, films, television series, video games and concerts. She has written scores for over 100 movies, over 200 television titles, video games, various typ ...

. The first BD/DVD compilation volume containing the first two episodes was released in Japan on March 24, 2010, distributed by Aniplex. Two

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

episodes were released on the fourth and seventh BD/DVD volumes that were released in Japan on June 23 and September 22, 2010, respectively. At

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first w ...

2010, anime distributor Nozomi Entertainment had announced that they have licensed the series. They released the series in a series box set on July 5, 2011. At AmeCon 2010, European anime distributor Beez Entertainment announced that they have the distribution rights to the series. Two pieces of

theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

are used for the series: one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is by

Kalafina was a Japanese vocal group formed by composer Yuki Kajiura in 2007, mainly to perform theme songs for the anime ''Kara no Kyōkai'', but later expanded to include many other theme songs for other anime shows and films including the '' Madoka Mag ...

and the

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

was released on January 20, 2010 by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

. The ending theme is "Girls, Be Ambitious." by

Haruka Tomatsu is a Japanese voice actress and singer, employed by Music Ray'n. She received the Rookie of the Year award at the 3rd Seiyu Awards and the Synergy Award at the 9th Seiyu Awards. Tomatsu voiced Asuna Yuuki in ''Sword Art Online'', Zero Two in ' ...

and the single was released on January 27, 2010 by Music Ray'n. The anime's original soundtrack was released on March 24, 2010 by Aniplex.

Episodes

Visual novel

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

based on the anime titled developed by

for the

was released in limited and regular editions on May 27, 2010. It introduces an original character, (voiced by

Marina Inoue is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. She was signed into Aniplex until 2007. She was chosen out of 2,000 people from the "Gonna be a star" auditions (hosted by Sony Music Entertainment ...

References

External links

Official website

''Sound of the Sky''
at

Visual novel official website
* {{Hiroyuki Yoshino 2010 anime OVAs 2010 anime television series debuts 2010 manga 2010 video games A-1 Pictures Aniplex franchises Anime with original screenplays ASCII Media Works manga Dengeki Daioh Japan-exclusive video games Music video games PlayStation Portable games PlayStation Portable-only games Post-apocalyptic fiction Post-apocalyptic video games Slice of life anime and manga Science fiction anime and manga Shōnen manga Video games developed in Japan TV Tokyo original programming Visual novels