Concrete Revolutio: Superhuman Phantasmagoria (コンクリート・レボルティオ ～超人幻想～, Konkurīto Reborutio: Chōjin Gensō) is a Japanese superheroanime television series created and written by Shō Aikawa, directed by Seiji Mizushima, produced by Bones, and featuring character designs by Yoshiyuki Ito. It began airing in Japan in October 2015. A second season debuted on 3 April 2016.
Plot
In the year Apotheosis 41 (AD 1962), Earth is currently home to superhumans and paranormal phenomena of all kinds, from aliens and magical girls to ghosts and transforming robots. However, official knowledge of these beings is officially kept under wraps by the governments of the world. The Japanese government has quietly set up the "Super Population Research Laboratory", a.k.a. the "Superhuman Bureau", to keep track of all superhuman beings in the country and eliminate them if they pose a threat to humanity. In the present, Bureau member Jiro Hitoyoshi finds himself recruiting new superhumans for the Bureau in the course of his job. However, five years later in Apotheosis 46, Jiro turns into a vigilante on the run from the Bureau while the rest of its members deal with the consequences of their earlier actions.
The male protagonist of the series, the point-man of the Superhuman Bureau and the only real human of the group. He is an "ally of justice" and seeks to protect all superhumans, both heroes and villains. In episode 4, it is revealed that he has a superhuman ability himself: the ability to produce and control large crimson flames from his left arm. These flames tend to burn anything they come in contact with, though he tends to lose control over it. Jirō's left arm has white straps with red markings and three gears inside his arm, which can be unlocked to activate his power. Once the third gear is unlocked, he loses control of himself and goes berserk. Emi is the only one who can close up and seal the gears back into his arm, reverting him back to normal. He drives a silver-plated supercar that can transform into a quadrupedal mech named "Equus." Jirō is later revealed to be a Kaiju from another dimension, which is where his powers originate.
A magical girl with an interest in manga, especially for its fictional portrayals of magical girls. Ullr mentions that Kikko is actually a demon from another dimension who gains power by indirectly forming a sort of contract with those she saves. As a demon, she is a candidate to become the queen of the demon world and was sent to the human world in search of a husband. When she transforms into her magical girl form, her hair turns lavender and she wears an extravagant dress. Kikko uses a staff that is topped with a star ornament, although she can also use this staff while untransformed. In her devil realm outfit, Kikko is wearing full-on black with much less coverage. She wears a cape, unusual helmet that borders her face and uses a weapon called "Comet Tail" that seems to come out of Ullr's star. While in her devil form, her personality is ruthless and she is much more powerful. Kikko develops feeling for Jirō and is a rival to Emi for his affection.
A half-human half-yōkai who has lived with Jirō since they were young and whose powers include controlling birds and shape-shifting. She is very protective of Jirō and has had feelings for him ever since they were young and once claimed to be his fiancée. She hates when Kikko gets close to him as she sees her as a rival for his affection. Emi wears a white and blue outlined coat. Underneath the coat, she wears a dark gray long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves coming up and cutting off at her knuckles. This is coupled with a cranberry pencil mini skirt and very high dark gray boots with heels and golden buttons. She is also the only one who can restore the locks holding Jirō's flames at bay without getting killed. Emi is also able to control spirit-like foxes that are able to follow and track people.
A ghost who can change shape at will and phase through inorganic objects. He loves playing childish pranks on people, and is stuck forever with a child's body and personality. Jirō recommends him in joining the Superhuman Bureau.
Usually called "Mr. Jaguar", Yoshimura is a man from the 25th century who was sent by the Time Patrol to destroy the Advocates of Free History. His powers include transformation into a jaguar and stopping time using his pocket watch. He is also a genius physicist and created Equus. He decided that he could make the future better if he changed the past, thus leaving the Time Patrol and forming IQ.
A formerly-human detective who was killed during a case, his personality was implanted in the body of an android by an unnamed scientist. Raito is the only detective in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police who works on superhuman cases, though he finds himself stymied by the Superhuman Bureau as they cover up evidence.
A professor who serves as the technical expert of the Superhuman Bureau. Though his knowledge is mainly in physics and robotics, he also has studied enough anthropology to deal with organic superhumans.
A police officer named Akira fuses with a crash-landed alien, Grosse Augen. He used the alien's power to fight giant monsters and outer space threats, while sharing his own life to ensure Augen's safety. However, when the Superhuman Bureau sees him as a threat due to his size, Hitoyoshi was sent to kill him but in reality he ordered Akira to give his life to Augen for the alien to leave this planet while taking an unconscious S Planeterian as a substitute, allowing him to fight as a superhero once again. In Apotheosis 46, he assisted Hitoyoshi after he was on the run from the Superhuman Bureau.
An alien invader and Grosse Augen's nemesis. He was defeated by Augen with the help of Equus. He was shrunken and rendered unconscious, allowing Akira to use his body while Augen return to his home planet. His body has blue markings, which changed to red when being possessed by Akira.
Tartarus Bugmen (タルタロス蟲人, Tarutarosu Chujin)
A race of prehistoric bugs from the ancient years, they maintained their existence in the modern era and signed a contract with humanity to reside the forest. But after corrupted politicians ordered the deforestation of their homes, they sought vengeance until Fuurouta threw a canister of ancient virus which successfully halted their attack but endangered their race.
The queen of the Tartarus Bugmen, one day she was caught by a bug salesman and offered for sale at ¥100,000 Yen until Fuurouta rescued her. She is able to take a human form of a young girl, which later changed into an adult woman seven years later. She sparked an interest on Fuurouta and befriended him but after he killed the majority of the Bugmen, she tried to take revenge seven years later in Apotheosis 48, though Hiyotoshi's interference halted her assaults. Despite having ceased her vengeance, she is incapable of befriending Fuurouta due to his age and appearance.
Development
Bones first unveiled the project on 1 July 2015. The series is directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Shō Aikawa.[1][7] Yoshiyuki Ito provides character designs and animation direction; Noizi Ito, Hekiru Hikawa, and Ryō Hirao are in charge of character creation and concept design; and Kanetake Ebikawa, Takayuki Yanase, Toshiaki Ihara, and Hideyuki Matsumoto are in charge of SF concept design. Ken Ohtsuka is the series mechanical animation director, and Hiroki Matsumoto provides the series art design.[3][4] Masafumi Mima is the series' sound director.[5] Anime Consortium Japan co-produced the series.[8]
Media
Anime
The anime began airing on 4 October 2015, to run for two cours (half a year),[1][7] airing on Tokyo MX, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, and BS11.[9] The series is streamed worldwide by Daisuki,[8] and in North America by Funimation.[10] Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.[11] The opening theme song, "Katararezu Tomo" (カタラレズトモ), is performed by ZAQ, and the closing theme song is performed by Yohske Yamamoto.[12]
The second season premiered in April 2016.[13][14]
While working as a waitress at a cafe, Kikko Hoshino is asked by a man named Jiro Hitoyoshi to do a job for him, preventing a top Japanese scientist named Professor Onda from selling research secrets to a corporate spy. Strangely enough, the supposed spy is seen giving Onda a package instead of taking one from him. Even so, Kikko stops Onda from leaving, as the spy reveals himself to be an alien from Planet S. Kikko reveals herself to be a magical girl, and teleports outside with the package. However, the alien follows and grows giant-sized until the giant superhuman Grosse Augen appears and vanishes with the alien. With Kikko and Jiro's help, Grosse Augen defeats the alien, but Jiro tracks down his alter-ego anyway and confronts him. Grosse Augen turns out to be an alien borrowing a Japanese policeman's body as it would have died otherwise, but the strain is supposedly killing them both. Jiro appears to take Grosse Augen into an alleyway and vaporize him.
The scene flashes to a point five years later, when it is revealed to Kikko that Jiro freed Grosse Augen reach his home planet while reviving the policeman in the body of the defeated S Planetarian. As a result, the Superhuman Bureau made Jiro a target, and he refuses to go with Kikko as he escapes with the policeman.
2
2
"Inside the "Black Fog"" Transliteration: ""Kuroi Kiri" no Naka de" (Japanese: 『黒い霧』の中で)
Hiroyuki Ōshima
Shō Aikawa
Hideyo Yamamoto
11 October 2015 (2015-10-11)
A ghost named Fuurouta plays a prank on a class trip, freeing a prized green beetle from its cage while a mysterious black fog rolls through the area. Shortly after the incident, the black fog settles on the Japanese Diet building as the Superhuman Bureau restrains Fuurouta, unsure of what to do with him. While escaping from captivity, Fuurouta runs into a strange girl named Campe and offers to be friends with her. Meanwhile, Jiro finds the corpses of Japanese Public Security superhumans who were defeated by the Tartaros Bugmen from inside the black fog. Fuurouta overhears Professor Hitoyoshi describe how he has revived an ancient virus to kill the Tartaros Bugmen, and the next day Fuurouta offers to help the Bureau kill them in exchange for letting him join. After taking the virus, Fuurouta shelters the green bug from before, then tosses the virus container like a bug bomb, killing the Tartaros Bugmen and dissipating the black fog. Later, Jiro casts the deciding vote to let Fuurouta join the Bureau.
Five years later, Fuurouta is attacked by a grown-up Campe, who turned out to be the green bug he rescued from before. However, after his actions she became the last of the Tartaros Bugmen alive while the politicians who destroyed their forest habitat went unpunished. Jiro appears and talks Campe down from attacking a remorseful Fuurouta. As she leaves, Fuurouta cries that the black-and-white world he thought he knew became more complicated.
3
3
"An Iron Couple" Transliteration: "Tekkotsu no Hito" (Japanese: 鉄骨のひと)
Osamu Kamei
Shō Aikawa
Yūdai Kubota
18 October 2015 (2015-10-18)
Haneda Airport recovers from what seems like a terrorist bomb attack, though no threat or demand was sent. Detective Shiba suspects superhuman involvement, but all the evidence is taken from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police by the Superhuman Bureau, so Shiba tries following a lead to Yatsuka Heavy Industries. Along the way, Shiba meets a girl named Mieko, but quickly discovers that she is a robot as the Superhuman Bureau intervenes and Shiba is caught in an explosion. While Shiba recovers at the Bureau, Professor Hitoyoshi mentions that Mieko was the "female" half of a human-looking robot pair, programmed to seek out a "male" counterpart to form a large explosive in enemy territory. Jiro wants to capture Mieko alive, but Shiba and others at the Bureau want the robot destroyed to prevent an explosion in a populated area. Despite Jiro's efforts, Shiba takes matters into his own hands, but Mieko decides to jump into a reservoir and self-destruct without killing anyone.
Five years later, Shiba attacks a military truck escorting a male prisoner and frees him. He discovered that the man was the male robot of the pair, and that Mieko did not actually self-destruct but merely slept at the bottom of the reservoir before it was drained for urban development. Shiba commands the male robot to merge with Mieko for the sake of his terrorist plot, until Jiro appears and inserts a chip into her frame. As the male and female robots merge, they decide not to follow Shiba's command. Enraged, Shiba beats up the merged robot, and then turns his anger on Jiro.
Shortly after the incident with Grosse Augen, beast (kaiju) attacks are on the rise across Japan, though there are ample numbers of superhumans to deal with them. Fuurouta discovers that one of his friends is secretly feeding a tiny beast called GaGon, and through him the Superhuman Bureau meet up with "Beastly Radio Wave", a small group of peaceful beast enthusiasts. However, Jiro soon discovers that the radio group is actually using GaGon to clone several giant beasts for their own purposes. One of the beasts grabs Jiro, forcing him to unleash the locks holding in his own superhuman power as he burns the radio station to a crisp.
Tomoyuki Kurokawa, Hitoshi Nanba[b], Ken Ōtsuka, Seiji Mizushima
1 November 2015 (2015-11-01)
The Superhuman Bureau infiltrates a nearby college as students plan to march in support of the beasts and against what they see as their cruel use as weapons by the bigger countries. However, the protesters are manipulated by beast fanatics. While reviving an American-sent beast using GaGon's cells, one of them injects Jiro with a similar drug that causes him to go on a violent rampage in Equus, later stopped by the revived beast, MegaGon. As MegaGon leads the protesters through the streets, the heads of the Superhuman Bureau devise a plan to use a fuel train derailment to incinerate the beast. Kikko, afraid of the possible collateral damage, tries to stop MegaGon before the train crashes, but Daishi possesses the oil-filled cars himself and crashes them into MegaGon, sending him into a mindless rage. As Jiro faces him with Equus, he starts questioning the true nature of the beasts.
6
6
"They are Always Laughing" Transliteration: "Yatsura wa Itsu demo Waratteru" (Japanese: やつらはいつでも笑ってる)
Tōru Yoshida
Shō Aikawa
Tōru Yoshida
8 November 2015 (2015-11-08)
A quartet of comedic rock stars called "Mountain Horse" unexpectedly gain superhuman powers after listening to a rock concert they opened for. The powers themselves are not very strong, but enough that they get noticed by Fuurouta of the Superhuman Bureau, and a publicity agent named Fugimoto. After overhearing Fugimoto's plan to sell chocolate with an experimental anti-superhuman chemical inside, the group decides to infiltrate the warehouse and destroy the chocolate before its distribution, though they have to fight against a giant security robot and a rival superhuman rock band. After one of them gets killed in the fight, the band successfully destroys the chocolate, and keeps one sample as insurance against Fugimoto. Despite Fuurouta and Jiro's offer the remaining band members decide not to join the Superhuman Bureau, and instead continue going on stage as a comedy group.
7
7
"Go Beyond the Sky and Stars" Transliteration: "Sora mo Hoshi mo Koeteikō" (Japanese: 空も星も越えていこう)
Takanori Yano
Shō Aikawa
Susumu Kudō
15 November 2015 (2015-11-15)
Superhuman Judas, or Hikaru Misumi, was part of the armed robbery group Diamond Eater, but had a change of heart after being defeated by Human Satellite Earth-chan. After being released from prison, Hikaru is registered in the Superhuman Bureau, and decides to protect the activities of young people like him. However, the extreme actions of Earth-chan, who reacts to the brain waves of people calling for help, become recognized by society as absolute justice. During the student protest at Haneda Airport against Japan's participation in the Earth Defense Corps, Earth-chan appears while she is guarding the Prime Minister.
8
8
"Nobody knows about the Rainbow Knight" Transliteration: "Tenkyū Naito o Dare mo Shiranai" (Japanese: 天弓ナイトをだれもしらない)
Tomo Ōkubo
Shō Aikawa
Ken Ōtsuka
22 November 2015 (2015-11-22)
The Secret Detective Team BL led by Yumihiko Otonashi refuses superhuman registration and has continued to act on their own with a massive robot named Gigander Seven. Then, Yumihiko receives a notice saying the evil superhuman Lucifer's Eyes will steal superhuman Rainbow Knight's "Crescent Gun" from a collector. Rainbow Knight is a popular superhuman who gave hope to Japan after the war, and Jiro too holds dearly an experience where he was saved by Rainbow Knight. However, Rainbow Knight, the hero of justice, has been labeled as the culprit of the "Otetsu Kidnapping," and there was a conspiracy theory regarding the death involved...
9
9
"End of the Endless Family" Transliteration: "Hateshinaki Kazoku no Hate" (Japanese: 果てしなき家族の果て)
Housewife Sanae Hatakeyama and her family of six live in the antique shop "Mori-no-ya." Her husband Minoru was the first Japanese prisoner when war broke out with the U.S., and close to 30 years had passed without his return. The seemingly ordinary Hatakeyama family had survived a great disaster that occurred at a nearby chemical plant, and had also been witnessed several times over the years with the exact same family members. Therefore, there were suspicions that they were immortal superhumans. After the Superhuman Bureau gets curious about the family, Fuurouta and the others start on a secret investigation. But then, Sanae receives word that Minoru is returning.
10
10
"Mirage of Destiny" Transliteration: "Unmei no Gen'ei" (Japanese: 運命の幻影)
Osamu Kamei
Shō Aikawa
Osamu Kamei
6 December 2015 (2015-12-06)
Infernal Queen is a fanatical organization that ruthlessly kills everyone from politicians to criminals if deemed evil by the organization. Their scientifically almighty mothership IQ has flown from the American continent to Japan, where the Superhuman Bureau is, and started executing criminals. Suspicion is placed on Hyouma as he looks like the leader of IQ, and the masked Public Security Force Chief Shakko comes to the Superhuman Bureau. Are the same two people existing at the same time? Hidden behind the mystery was the secret of Jaguar, or Hyouma, that absolutely cannot be shared with others.
Along with the return of the Ogasawara Islands, the U.S. Navy's state-of-the-art submarine Antares will be coming to Yokosuka. Students flock to the port in order to see the show by the popular group "Angel Stars." Then radical superhumans hiding amongst the crowd start to protest, and there is chaos after musical notes materialize in sync with the performance. And then, a superhuman calling himself Wonder Sword Claude slices the submarine in half and starts to uncover the terrifying secret hidden inside Antares.
Murders targeting doctors and nurses have taken place in Sapporo. During the investigation of SPR children who manipulate magic and science, it is revealed that superhumans are used as guinea pigs for a horrible experiment. What is the goal of Wonder Sword Claude who is suspected as the mastermind? Kikko visits the Municipal Hakko High School when the heroic superhuman Galboi Riker who flew from the Soviet comes falling down in a horrid state. The students get a testimony saying he was shot down by the Self-Defense Force and the American superhuman Master Ultima, and rise up against the tyranny of the government.
13
13
"Riots in Shinjuku" Transliteration: "Shinjuku Jōran" (Japanese: 新宿擾乱)
The youth who had awakened to superhuman powers have shifted their sense of justice towards anti-war, anti-America, and anti-establishment, leading them to be called "Superhumanists." Human experimentation and at the Ogasawara Islands and governmental use of superhuman powers come to light. The enraged students rise up for a large-scale protest in Shinjuku, Tokyo in order to realize a "Superhuman Revolution." Jiro gets into action as well, to make Kikko back to normal after she transforms into the queen of the demon world. While Wonder Sword Claude works in stealth, will Jiro be able to follow through with his ideal of "Protect all superhumans"?
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2016)
Nick Creamer of Anime News Network praised the show for its "rousing exploration of the nature of justice in the context of post-war Japan", but criticised the narrative for being confusing at times.[19]
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