Someday’s Dreamers
Someday’s Dreamers is a deeply touching and philosophical anime. Although superficially a coming-of-age story with a girl (Yume) who has supernatural powers as the protagonist, I believe that the magic in Someday’s Dreamers is just a tool this anime series uses to propel itself along. I briefly thought that Dreamers might have an unintentional message that would make it a Libertarian anime, but while the role of law and government is examined a bit, Someday’s Dreamers is really an anime about people, by themselves and in society.
In the world of Someday’s Dreamers, some people have innate magical ability, simply called “Special Power”. Yume is the daughter of a famous mage, and has gone to Tokyo from a more rural environment to spend the summer as a mage trainee. Mages are nominally legally prohibited from using their power, except as directed by the Bureau of Mage Labor. Her teacher is Oyamada, who uses a building that he owns to take on cases where special power may be useful during the day; at night, he manages the bar and Salsa Dance club on the ground floor. This brings me to the number one question that was in my mind as I watched this anime – when does this guy sleep?
The attitudes toward mages in this society are not always positive. While some people are grateful to have them, others consider them dangerous or aloof. Smiley, a bartender for the salsa club, is particularly curious about the nature of special power. Runa, a young girl that Yume meets, wants to use special power for a parting gift for one of her teachers. It becomes clearer as the series goes on that Oyamada has his own emotional issues with his powers, and, wondering if the mage actions she’s performing are really doing any good, Yume begins to question her role and destiny.
The style of Someday’s Dreamers is high-quality and believable, if occasionally just a bit surreal. In the first episode, Yume propels several cars into the air into order to avoid being run over while crossing the street.
Information on other sites:
Buy Someday's Dreamers at Amazon.com