To enjoy "The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬," which begins airing in January 2021, it's best to research the characters, the story's background, the production team, the expressive techniques used, and the themes it's trying to convey. While it can be interesting to simply accept the content of a work without any prior knowledge, to enjoy it more deeply, it's best to first grasp a certain number of elements and then aim for a deeper understanding. This article briefly introduces "Kiki's Delivery Service," a work that shares a similar theme with "The Quintessential Quintuplets," and outlines its similarities and differences. This article goes beyond a simple understanding of the work, delving into the themes and ingenuity of "The Quintessential Quintuplets" as one of many works. It's a somewhat advanced read, and I believe it will satisfy even advanced anime enthusiasts who find ordinary anime introductions and analysis articles unsatisfying. In introducing works with similar themes, I will first introduce the theme and message of "The Quintessential Quintuplets." However, I would recommend first reading my other AnimeMiru article, "The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬: A Thorough Explanation of the True Theme Hidden in This Series! If You Call Yourself an Otaku, You Must Watch It!", which provides a detailed explanation of the series' theme.
What is the theme of "The Quintessential Quintuplets"?
First, I will briefly explain the theme of "The Quintessential Quintuplets." The works I'll introduce next are thematically similar to this work, so I'd like you to understand what "The Quintessential Quintuplets" is ultimately trying to say before introducing works with similar themes.
Acquiring Individuality
At first glance, the concept of quintuplets might seem like a no-brainer, a nod to the idea that cute girls being quintuplets would be popular, but that's not the case at all. "The Quintessential Quintuplets" has an important theme: "acquiring individuality," and the "quintuplets" setting is the biggest device that makes this theme most noticeable throughout the story.
Acquisition of Individuality and Growth Theory
First of all, human individuality doesn't generally exist in childhood. Individuality is gradually acquired as people imagine how others see them and aspire to be seen and become the kind of person they want to be. This process of acquiring individuality, or, if you like, identity, is what adolescence is all about. For this reason, many works featuring adolescent boys and girls often deal with the theme of individuality.
The Meaning of the Quintessential Quintuplets
As such, children who have been supported unconditionally by their parents even without a Quirk now face the challenge of getting married and starting a family. The first thing they do is acquire a Quirk. Girls might start wearing makeup, and boys might try to appear strong in order to be needed by others. In order to be with others, they must become special to others. Works depicting children struggling in this situation where no one will notice them unless they acquire a Quirk are called coming-of-age stories. What makes "The Quintessential Quintuplets" unique among these works that are often considered coming-of-age stories is that it makes all the heroines quintuplets, suggesting, "If I'm going to feature heroines who don't share a common identity, why not make them quintuplets?" While seemingly mundane, I think it's no exaggeration to say that this quintuplet setting was a major discovery among works that are considered coming-of-age stories.
Why are "quintuplets" so impressive?
By making the heroines quintuplets, it's possible to create a setting in which each one has a complex about being "exactly the same," such as having identical bodies. In other words, the work's theme of breaking away from individuality is more easily explained to readers. That's why Fuutarou chose Yotsuba as the heroine, as she was the one among the quintuplets who most strongly desired her own individuality.
Why Watching Works with Similar Themes Makes "The Quintessential Quintuplets" Even More Interesting
The theme of "The Quintessential Quintuplets," "acquiring individuality," is by no means unique to this work. In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that it's a staple theme of coming-of-age stories, a theme that has been used in many novels, manga, and anime since ancient times. However, this is precisely why, to fully understand the themes of "The Quintessential Quintuplets," it's necessary to first examine previous related works and consider further questions such as how its approach differs from those works, how it's influenced by them, and what unique innovations it employs.
"Kiki's Delivery Service"
Well, that was a long introduction, but let's get straight to the introduction. It's "Kiki's Delivery Service," directed by Hayao Miyazaki. To briefly explain the plot of Kiki's Delivery Service, it's the story of a young witch named Kiki who leaves her parents and lives alone in the city. The story's backdrop is a common theme in Japan at the time: a woman from the countryside travels alone to Tokyo, growing up through repeated conflicts and hardships in an unfamiliar place. In other words, "Kiki's Delivery Service" is a coming-of-age story for a young girl. Created by Hayao Miyazaki, a master of Japanese animation, it's an unparalleled coming-of-age story, making it an incredibly beautiful work. It's also an extremely important resource for understanding "The Quintessential Quintuplets."
"Acquisition of Individuality" in "Kiki's Delivery Service"
Kiki's Delivery Service also clearly embraces the theme of "acquiring individuality." The main character, Kiki, is known for her distinctive red ribbon, which, like Yotsuba, is evidence of a girl on the brink of adulthood struggling to "gain individuality."
Differences from Adult Women
If you look at Kiki's mother, you'll see that she only wears a black bandana and no other eye-catching accessories like red or gold. The same can be said for the grandmother who gave her the pie and the lady at the bakery. In other words, women who are already married and in relationships already have someone who cares for them, so they don't need to acquire or emphasize their identity more than necessary. Do you notice that women who don't yet have a significant other wear distinctive accessories? This is evident in the heart-shaped earrings worn by the senior witch who appears at the beginning of the film, and Ursula's red tank top and red hair clip. This is the struggle of the women to "gain individuality," which Hayao Miyazaki skillfully weaves into his characters.
Differences in "Gaining Individuality" Between "The Quintessential Quintuplets" and "Kiki's Delivery Service"
So, what are the differences between the "gaining individuality" in "The Quintessential Quintuplets" and "Kiki's Delivery Service"? One major difference is whether the story is told to the end. In "Kiki's Delivery Service," Kiki has not yet met someone special, so she still wears her red ribbon. In other words, the story is not yet complete, and as you can see from the final letter, the story is about a girl who has come out into the city alone and has grown to the point where she can tell her parents, "I'm fine now." On the other hand, in "The Quintessential Quintuplets," Yotsuba, who was the first of the quintuplets to try and acquire a quirk by wearing ribbons and other efforts, eventually finds someone important in Fuutarou, no longer needs to emphasize her quirk, and somehow reverts to being a normal, unremarkable woman. The fact that no one knows who the bride is makes a lot of sense if you fully understand the underlying theme of "acquiring quirk."
The great thing about "The Quintessential Quintuplets" is its overwhelming ease of understanding.
From these points, we can see that the great thing about "The Quintessential Quintuplets" is its overwhelming ease of understanding. When it comes to girls' coming-of-age stories, there's no substitute for Hayao Miyazaki's "Kiki's Delivery Service." Unfortunately, Miyazaki's works are extremely difficult to understand, and the theme of "acquiring individuality" can only be fully understood by paying close attention to each character's clothing. However, "The Quintessential Quintuplets" successfully conveys the theme of "acquiring individuality" to readers by setting the heroines as quintuplets who are all identical. This successfully conveys the theme of "acquiring individuality" to readers without the complexity of "Kiki's Delivery Service." The story is carefully crafted to make its theme easy to understand, including a full-length ending. Understanding the story doesn't require the arduous task of plastering sticky notes on every page. It's often said that a good work is deep enough that it can't be understood in one or two sittings. However, rather than pursuing a deep theme that everyone won't understand, "The Quintessential Quintuplets" focuses solely on how to convey that theme and then portrays the characters in a truly adorable way. This boldness is what makes it so appealing.
Summary
What did you think? This article was quite technical, so even those who found other articles that simply introduce plot summaries and settings unsatisfying should be able to enjoy it. As with any work, when an author creates a story, they always refer to various other works to explore themes, expressive techniques, etc. No matter how groundbreaking a work, there is always a source of inspiration or a theme somewhere, so researching classic or famous works that may have a related theme beforehand is a very important element in understanding that work. In this article, I explained the similarities in the themes of "The Quintessential Quintuplets" and "Kiki's Delivery Service." I have also made similar considerations for other works, so I hope you will take a look at those as well.
