If you have not already listened to the podcast of this category, this is the final results, so this will spoil the course of the discussion on that podcast! Be warned!
I’m still kicking myself for choosing the wrong Call of the Night song to show Six, but oh well. In spite of my grave tactical error, the three anime tracks we ended up choosing are absolute bangers, and I’m more than happy to celebrate these picks.
The Winner
Shukufuku (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury)
After Iron-Blooded Orphans wrapped, Gundam took a lengthy break from their traditional, full-length TV drama, opting to fill the blank slot with a chibi take on Three Kingdoms and a gunpla battle show instead. Breaking a seven-year hiatus is no small feat, but Sunrise had opted for an even bigger challenge: The Witch from Mercury would mark TV Gundam’s first-ever female protagonist. They were determined to re-enter the scene with a bang, and they needed one hell of a good opening.
Thankfully, J-pop superduo Yoasobi were more than up to the task. Vulnerable, wistful and dotted with moments of tense, virtuosic danger, Shukufuku (localized in English as “The Blessing”) perfectly represents its titular “Witch,” Suletta Mercury. It grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go, filling you with empathy for the poor girl before you even see her in action. And yeah, it makes you eager to see her get out there and kick some mobile suit ass.
Judging from Six and Allen’s increasingly negative opinion towards the show as its first cour wrapped, it sounds like The Witch from Mercury waded into troubled waters as it went. But no one can deny that Shukufuku did exactly what it needed to do: it warmed everyone to Suletta, then made them excited for the bombastic return of Mobile Suit Motherfucking Gundam.
The Runners-Up
Konya wa Hurricane (Bubblegum Crisis)
Let’s be frank for a moment: this memorable, scene-setting moment from Bubblegum Crisis was ripped right from 1984’s Streets of Fire. A glam rock goddess hits the stage, mic in hand, belting out lyrics that mix the trials of love with the tension brewing in the city around them: the camera repeatedly cuts to “trouble” happening outside the concert venue, taking the form of an approaching biker gang in Streets of Fire, or all-out street warfare between police and robotic human in Bubblegum Crisis. Watch the two back-to-back, and the comparison is all but unavoidable!
Konya wa Hurricane may not be original, but that doesn’t detract from its power, especially when our trio first saw it in 2022. The song itself transports you right into the sweaty, packed venue from its opening: the night is young, there’s danger in the air, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. Even after we moved onto other shows for Oops All Anime, this track regularly found its way to my headphones for yet another listen, one of the surest signs that it escaped the gravity of its cult classic inspiration.
Super Driver (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Six and Nick took on the unenviable task of covering the Endless Eight arc of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya for a podcast. And while they certainly had their fun with the material (and the folks listening along), they sure had to swallow a lot of repetition as they went about their mission! As Six put it, it says a lot about the strength of Super Driver that it made it into our Top 3 in spite of said repetition.
Listening to it during our awards show, I instantly understood the appeal. It’s an upbeat, energetic rock anthem with Haruhi herself, Aya Hirano, leading the charge on mic. And the lyrics describe Haurhi to a T: against the opposition of the universe itself, she takes life as she pleases, turning the impossible into reality every day. Above all else, Super Driver is a certified jam, and I’m glad that Six introduced me to it!
Well, that’s it for now: we’re two weeks into our annual awards season, but there’s more to come, including a Game of the Year list from yours truly! Be sure to stop by on Monday for our next podcast and write-up!
Our art for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
