Super Sonico is already a character on her own so it was only a matter of time before this happened. If you remember my massive Cosplay Feature on the character, I had mentioned that her limited anime series was getting an English dub thanks to Sentai Filmworks. It was surprising at first (the good kind) when I found out that Jessica Nigri was asked to do the role (spoilers she told me hehehe :D). The more I thought about it, the more I felt that she could voice her amazingly. I can understand some people's initial reactions being somewhat negative considering Jessica is mainly a cosplayer and how the only other Voice Acting role she had was in RWBY. It's funny to think how she went from an evil fire wielding chick with Cinder to Super Sonico's bubbly personality.
I am super happy to report that the English dub is pretty damn good in my book. Course you can take that with a grain of salt considering I admit that anime isn't really my expertise. Having known Jess for awhile through conventions and chatting online, I knew how much of a love she had for Sonico. From her personality to of course her ridiculously cute/attractive body, Jess even cosplayed her multiple times. To start off with the easy basics, the anime consists of 12 episodes and was spread across 3 discs. I also went with the regular DVD version and basically watched it over the course of last week starting when it showed up in the mail (a lot earlier than I expected!). The discs each have certain special features such as an interview with Jessica, bloopers, and various trailers for the anime.
Throughout the anime, we're introduced to Super Sonico and her crazy lifestyle. She's a college student who lives on her own with 5 cats, works jobs at both a model agency and her Grandma's restaurant. Not only that but she also plays guitar and vocals in an all girl rock band known as First Astronomical Velocity. When the band name came up I actually had an "Oh that's where it's from" moment since it's the same name as the print I have of Jessica posing as Sonico with the exact same guitar.
Anyways, pretty crazy lifestyle right? We're also introduced to many of her friends and classmates. Suzu and Furi are her bandmates with the former being the leader/bassist and the latter the drummer. Then there are her classmates, the usual three patrons at her Grandma's restaurant, her modeling manager Kitamura (he's my favorite, WHAT'S UP WITH THE DEMON MASK DUDE?!) and a wide variety of other characters. Each episode is pretty much a stand alone story with not much of an over arching plot. It looks as if the whole series takes place within the course of one year so it really kinda connects everything together at the very end.
As a character, Sonico is very timid and naive, but also kind and supportive. She has with her that Japanese style of being super polite and an over apologetic nature. I honestly couldn't help but smile and think "awww come on, you don't have to apologize that much!". We get glimpses of Sonico's life before she is the way we see her now. One episode has her go on a journey in hopes of finding herself, another has her reminisce on how she got into rock and roll, then another involves Power Ranger knock offs as Sonico stars in a weird video only to be somewhat saved by her manager who has a katana on him all times. YAY RANDOMNESS!
If you have any prior knowledge to how Super Sonico looks like, then you should know that yes, gratuitous shots of her cleavage and butt are present. There's one episode where she accidentally wears an outfit that melts off as her body temperature rises...in the middle of a rock concert her band is performing in of course. Though Sonico is thoroughly embarrassed in most of these kinds of parts so it's not too bad, but just be aware that there is fan service here XD. The animation is actually really good and I imagine it's even cleaner and more crisp on Blu-Ray. The genre SoniAni falls in is comedy/slice of life and it couldn't be more of an accurate description. There were some parts where it got a laugh out of me though majorly it just left me smiling so much.
It's no secret that I mainly brought this to show my support for Jessica since this was a major role for her. It...really amazes me how awesome she voiced her. It's a little bit more high pitched than her usual voice (though I could hear that at some points and I'd go "yup that's her voice") and it fits so freaking much you guys. With the things Sonico says, it made me realize how much she and Jessica are alike. They both love their friends and family with all their hearts, super appreciative of any help they receive, and want to follow their dreams. I could absolutely picture Jessica saying the meaningful things Sonico said in some of the more personal episodes.
The music was super sweet and upbeat as well. I enjoyed how everything wrapped up in a nice little bow by the end. Though I figured it was expected. Whether or not there will be another set of episodes made is unknown at this point. Sentai Filmworks did a fantastic job with this dub and the other voice actors each gave a specific style to the characters which worked out big time! For you guys, I included some other snapshots from the anime.
I'm so proud of you Jessica! You definitely voiced your waifu well and I hope this gives you more opportunities in the future <3 :D.
Should you Buy this Anime?
Yes! If you are a fan of Super Sonico's character, you'll be happy to know that Jessica Nigri did her so much justice and captured her essence so well. If you're not a fan of Sonico (first of all, why?), but rather Jessica's work in RWBY or cosplay, still check this out. This is also great for those that are a fan of the genre this falls under!
(Disclaimer: I can understand if some view this as a completely biased opinion seeing as how big a fan I am of Jessica. I'm not saying that this is the perfect anime, but it's good and at least worth a purchase/viewing. This is my opinion, take it as you will :D)
