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Tegami Bachi
Anime Review
We anime watchers tend to reward creativity. Sometimes it comes from making high-school girls gods, or adding lasers to things that would normally not. However, this time, the creativity is in an anime series solely focused on the trials and tribulations of mail carriers.
Of course, Tegami Bachi's mailmen/women are facing issues much larger than sprinklers and unleashed pets. Set in a world of perpetual night, humanity lives in caste based cities, separated by dangerous monsters. Then again, these postmen are more than capable. Armed with weapons specifically built to combat the otherwise difficult monsters, they fire bullets that are said to literally contain fragments their heart. The duality of this power is that the carriers are destined to lose their heart if they continue for too long.
 This might seem drastic, but travel between cities is so dangerous, it is actually illegal in most cases. Dividing the world into three zones (poor, middle, and upper class), the "tegami bachi" (letter bees) are the only one capable of transitioning to and fro in this caste system.
This is traditionally where we would discuss the actual plot of the story, but in this reviewer's opinion, it takes a backseat to the colorful world setting. Opening with the super amazing, perfect letter bee Gauche, he picks up an important postal package, only to realize that it's a poor, orphaned child (Lag Seeing.) Gauche protects the boy and demonstrates some powerful lessons about life, so much so that lag vows to become a carrier himself, and meet Gauche again as equals.
 This is first two or so episodes, and while everything about its wide eyed protagonist screams cookie-cutter, The underlying emotion of the series is quite enjoyable. While his spunky, can do attitude never really changes, the dark tone and twilight themes contrast well. In a mostly episodic format, the series focuses on the "heart" people put into their messages, the value they carry. Sometimes sad, sometimes sweet, Lag takes an overly personal interest in delivering the intent of the letter, not just the contents.
Though it should be added that the world building Hiroyuki Asada used is incredibly enjoyable. The series seems to be bits and pieces of fantasy, sci-fi, and steam-punk rolled up in one nocturnal package. Despite being in a world of eternal twilight, the night feels soft, not scary. This is, in part, due to the fact that the only source of light is an entirely artificial sun. This sun itself helps define the societal boundaries, with it's the majority of its light resting on the rich, while little reaches the poor.
Stretching across two seasons, Tegami Bachi can be seen for free on Crunchy Roll.
Reviewed by John Martone, January 2011
Below: Scenes from Tegami Bachi.
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