Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Anime REVIEW: Shinkalion: Change the World

Shinkalion: Change the World

Not to stop a winning combination whilst the going is good, TakaraTomy's Shinkalion franchise returned in 2024 for its third outing following a two-year break. However rather further the story that started out 2018-19's Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion and continued on into its 2021-22 sequel Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion Z, this time around it's a whole new continuity. Running for a total of 39 episodes (plus  three specials/recap episodes), Shinkalion: Change the World also brought along a number of other changes - dropping the "Shinkansen Robo Henkei" branding as well as Production I.G. and Signal.MD taking over animation duties from OLM. The series was also available to watch worldwide via the official Shinkalion YouTube channel, albeit without subtitles and most episodes only being made available their original week of airing.

Taisei OnariThe Unknown

Second year student Taisei Onari has transferred to the Shinkai Academy's Junior High Division in the hopes of finding a clue to the whereabouts of his older sister Ina, an alumni of the school that went missing two years ago. After making friends with the school's railway club, Taisei soon learns that it is actually a cover for the Evolution Railway Development Agency (ERDA) - an organisation that has developed transforming 'Shinkalion' robots to battle the giant mechanical creatures designated the Unknown.

When Taisei is revealed to possess high aptitude values to become a Shinkalion driver, Taisei remembers his sister's wishes for him to become "a cool person with something to protect" and joins the fight against the Unknown. Alongside his new friends, Taisei learns about his sister's involvement in ERDA - getting one step closer to finding her as well as the truth behind the Unknown attacks.

Shinkalion E5 HayabusaThe Shinkalion drivers

"Change the World" is just about the perfect subtitle for this series, given the steps taken to shake up the now established Shinkalion formula and present something new whilst also keeping the spirit of the previous series alive. The most immediately obvious of these is aging up the protagonists, with the show going for a more conventional high school age rather that skewing younger like its predecessors. Even little changes like the aforementioned change in branding, or not having idol group BOYS AND MEN return to sing the theme song, add to the show having a slightly different feel. But undoubtedly the most significant change of all is that the trains themselves take more of a backseat, at least in comparison to the  non-stop train trivia that was the first two series. While many of the characters that appear in the series are still railway fanatics and there are still plenty of railway facts present, Change the World definitely feels as though education is a lot less at the forefront. Which, speaking as a fan outside of Japan, is something of a shame as I enjoyed learning about the intricacies of Japan's railway system. 

As per the previous series Change the World generally operates with three main character drivers, with more being introduced for brief appearances and/or arcs as the series progresses. In this case it's railway fan and Metaverse builder Taisei, loud and laid back Shinkalion fan Ryota Kuzuryu and the more composed athlete Akane Folden. The team have good chemistry and all get good focus arcs over the course of the series, but generally it doesn't feel like any of them go through real evolution because of them. Their issues become the focus of the episodes, but following their resolution they don't really feel all that different as characters. Taisei's aspirations of becoming a "cool person with something to protect" feel especially vague throughout a lot of the series, and combined with his more reserved personality makes for a much blander protagonist. In fact there is often better story arcs going on with the supporting characters, such as female H5 driver Shion initially hiding behind a male avatar or the socially awkward Dr Yellow driver Morito learning to appreciate the real-world the same way he does his virtually-created one. However with the exception of Shion, these characters aren't really the focus enough to be all that memorable outside of their initial spotlights. Change the World's overall story is a very close-knit family affair - at first mainly concerning itself with Ina's disappearance before then moving on to Ina's past with ERDA instead. The series also once again features a female supporting character that doesn't get to be a driver, but despite being there for the entirety of the series Mai feels constantly relegated to the background. By the time the series reaches its final chapter, it's easy to forget that she's even there.

Taisei, Ryota & AkaneIna Onari

Another major addition to Change the World is its use of the Metaverse - a virtual reality where the characters are able to meet and interact as well as quite literally build their own worlds. The Metaverse has a huge impact on the series, influencing the story but also providing a means for the supporting characters (who in typical Shinkalion fashion are spread across Japan) to appear more. The Metaverse also offers an alternative to the robotic mascot characters from previous series, with Change the World instead featuring virtual navigator characters trapped to a mobile phone screen in the real world, but fully realised in the Metaverse. The main of these is Taisei's navigator AI Vina (modelled on a Shinkansen attendant), who does her best to support and guide him despite a relatively short temper. Others include Ido, an older style unit whose antiquated build struggles to fit in the rapidly evolving Metaverse (prompting what is easily Change the World's best story thread). Although far more technologically advanced, it's clear that Change the World is pulling from real-life breakthroughs and aspirations in its depiction of the Metaverse.

This however ultimately proves to be Change the World's biggest issue, as its moral becomes blurry within the realms of how we should perceive such things. Much like the previous shows Change the World is ultimately about promoting harmony with life different to humanity, but rather than it be a different race this time it's artificial intelligence. The early episodes of the series see the Unknown living up to their name, providing plenty of mystery around Ina's disappearance as well as ERDA's involvement in the whole thing. Though there are a few surprising twists along the way concerning both Ida and original Shinkalion driver Reiji (along with the obligatory black/evil Shinkalion unit), the conflict with AI is ultimately at the heart of Change the World. In some cases it's able to actually be clever with it, using AI's inability to sense nuance and thus take everything literally as a key point in the story. Other parts are far more problematic though, muddying its "is AI life equal to human life" argument by showing little distinction between actual AI and non-sentient data. This makes it far more difficult to see what the moral of the story is supposed to be, almost suggesting that nothing should ever be deleted because it may one day bear a grudge against you for being forgotten.

Taisei & VinaMori & Ido

Another problem Shinkalion faces when it comes to renewal is that it's fairly rigid in how it does the Shinkalion themselves, with the E5 always at the forefront of the series and the supporting units both appearing and functioning in roughly the same order. From a toy sales perspective, you can't just keep selling exactly the same toys to kids each series either. So for Change the World TakaraTomy mixed things up a bit - changing the trains into single-car units and further implementing a combining gimmick with non-rail vehicles, ranging from construction vehicles to boats and even robotic drones. Though it does add a lot more variety to the robots in terms of weaponry and abilities, there are times where it feels like these support units are the driving force rather than the trains themselves. Also while a key selling point on the toys is that the trains can presumably mix and match with the different units, onscreen each one tends to stick to one or two - making it seem like less of a gimmick and more just a part of each one. Most significantly of all though is that the transformation sequences in this show are excruciating. Shinkalion is certainly no stranger to long transformation sequences, but there's something about the drawn-out parts-forming of Change the World's mecha that makes it so boring. Of course, as more drivers come into the show the more of these stock sequences there are too - with later episodes featuring a whole parade of them that really eat into the running time.

The change in animation studio hasn't had a significant impact on the show, to the point where if you didn't know about it going in then you probably wouldn't even notice. Even the character design has that familiar Shinkalion feel, despite the drivers being significantly older than their predecessors. The mecha fights remain fully rendered in CGI, once again taking place in an artificial subspace to allow for less-detailed backdrops. It appears that the more some things change, the more others stay the same. Not that it's to say this element necessarily needed to change though, with the distinct approach to action scenes acting as a point of comfortable familiarity to viewers. The Shinkalion models themselves remain nicely detailed, the onscreen designs building upon the toys themselves so that synergy between the two sides of the franchise isn't lost. Though the CG itself isn't particularly standout for the genre, the juxtaposition of the fast-moving Shinkalions and lumbering Unknown provides a good dynamic to the fight scenes - topped off by the usual array of suitably loud, colourful and (most importantly) train-themed special attacks.

Shinkalion SRGThe Ferry support unit

Although the previous Shinkalion series also had valuable messages about understanding and co-existence, in being aimed at a slightly younger audience (or at the very least, utilising a younger cast) they also knew when to embrace their sillier side. This didn't just relate to character comedy, it also capitalised on its potential for collaboration - featuring a number of crossovers that instantly gave the shows wider recognition. While that certainly isn't to say Change the World needed something like Hatsune Miku or Galaxy Express 999's Maetel driving its equivalent of the H5 Unit, those kind of surprise inclusions have become so intertwined with Shinkalion's DNA that without them some of that magic just feels missing. Likewise the Neon Genesis Evangelion and Hello Kitty crossovers may have seemed strange, but both linked in to the wider world of Japan's real-life weird and wonderful Shinkansen collaborations. With the trains themselves taking more of a backseat this time around, the chance to do the same again is lost. Again even if it had included elements like these it wouldn't have saved Change the World in the other areas that it's lacking, it would have at least made it feel like it carried the same spirit as its predecessors.

Fun does come in some slightly different ways though, with the show's special episodes proving to be worth a watch even if they don't contribute to the main plot. The first of the three is largely just a recap through the battles ERDA had faced up until that point, but the narrative from commentator Akira Fukuzawa does bring some energy to it. It is however still the most forgettable of the three, particularly when the second sees Taisei's voice actor Hiiro Ishibashi take viewers on a behind the scenes tour of the show. This doesn't just take a look at some of the real-life railway sites that appear in the show, but also its production and the relationship between the Shinkalions' CG models and toys. The last of the three is another recap episode, but this time tries to inject that railway trivia the franchise is known for in a way that feels more in line with the previous entries. While it may not be much, they are at least proof that recap episodes don't have to be dull.

ReijiThe Chaos Shinkalion

As sad as it is to say, Shinkalion: Change the World is further proof of the Shinkalion franchise's diminishing returns. Stepping away from established continuity to create an all-new story with an older cast was a bold step, but in doing so Change the World lost a lot of the magic that made Shinkalion special in the first place. While some of these elements (the obnoxious robot gimmick, stepping away from some of the franchise's sillier parts) could be overlooked in isolation, when combined with bland characters and an underwhelming story with a confused moral it becomes a lot harder to see the good in the series. While I'd like to think there's still perhaps life in Shinkalion for a further series, stepping back to the drawing board once more may be in order.

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