Seven Cities Story: Arctic Front

Nana Toshi is a 2-episode science fiction based on the manga with the same name. It offers a small glimpse into the manga featuring a short battle between two city nations. The drawing style is mature, concise and the main selling point of this short story. Animation is simple but clever and well executed. Voice acting and music are kept simple but fit the seinen genre quite well. Probs go out to the directing of this show: within 2 episodes a cast of varying main characters is assembled with minimal introductions all while depicting several naval battles and political negotiations.. yet one can follow the ploteasily and get a sense of what the characters are all about. The battles themselves are naive and simplistic but it doesn't dim the entertainment value too much. Definitive recommendation! 7/10

Seven Cities Story: Arctic Front is a unique 90s naval combat and political strategy OVA, with an artistic and storytelling style reminiscent of the late 70s or early 80s. It exhibits a slow, measured pace, with a detailed but generally lethargic animation style. Beginning with the story, it is the strongest aspect of the anime. First, the worldbuilding is fascinating, taking place on an earth over a century out from an axial tilt shift that took the lives of billions, and in the shadow of a now nonexistent lunar government which controlled the earth via satellites which prevent any Terrancraft from rising above 500 meters from the ground. As such, airborne combat and travel are essentially impossible, and warfare has become a largely naval affair. The story is intriguing, if ponderously slow at times, with engaging depictions of military strategy. However, despite it being the far future, the world itself feels like it's at a 50s or 60s level of technological development at the absolute most. It certainly doesn't feel like the 22nd century. Apart from serious pacing issues and some confusion in the setting, the story is still essentially a strong one. The art has solid direction, but is lacking in its execution. The backgrounds and interiors are seriously impressive, as are the various pieces of military hardware throughout, but the characters look shoddy and amateurish, and everything is only just barely animated, with short bursts of random fluidity thrown in. The sound is a little lacking, especially with regards to the sounds of life and combat, but the voice work bridges the gap, which is good because there is a fair bit of talking, which can get drawn out and meandering at times. The characters are fairly strong, embodying various military and historic archetypes throughout. Of them, Kenneth Guilford and Amalrick Aswaer are the best, given that their respective Bismarckian and maverick demeanors contrast against each other so well, and make for a compelling rivalry. Overall, this anime is one with a lot of potential, but ends up falling somewhat short of what it could be. It feels like two episodes out of a much larger story, and the rich worldbuilding is left woefully underexplored in favor of long-winded dialogue and unnecessary panning shots. Overall, this anime has its strengths and weaknesses, but I feel you need to resonate with some unique aspect of this story to really enjoy it, because on its own it's a little lacking.