Plastic Memories

Analyzed by: Anthony Polidura

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SPOILERS, This is your warning.

“If my own lifespan was predetermined…I wonder how I would take it.” - Tsukasa

What’s it about?

• Plastic Memories is a limited series anime that came out in 2015. This was an original anime (originally supposed to be a screenplay), meaning it was made without any sort of source material (manga, light novel) unlike most popular anime.
• This show is labeled as a Sci-fi Romantic Comedy-Drama.
• Plastic Memories is set in a city in which humans live alongside androids known as “Giftia”.
• These Giftia have emotions and memories, just like humans do. The only difference is that the lifespan of a Giftia is predetermined (living for about 9 years and 4 months) due to limits in software.
• The two main characters are part of a company (SAI Corp) that deals in retrieving these androids before they pass their expiration date. If they aren’t retrieved beforehand…they become a “WANDERER”

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Why Would People Buy Giftias?

• In the show, we see many different roles the Giftia play. From a son, granddaughter, mechanic, office worker, they can serve any purpose. They are owned by humans, not other Giftia.
• This show focuses more on the use of Giftias as family members and romantic partners. As with most family members, it’s great to have that love and affection, but it is hard once they leave you.

Meet the Staff (*Main Characters)

*Isla

*Tsukasa

Giftia

Human

Michiru

Zack

Human

Giftia

Kazuki

Human

Team

Team

Isla’s old partner

Main Character Maps

• Tsukasa
• Wants: Isla to be happy, a relationship with Isla
• Needs: To accept the painful truth
• Strengths: Upbeat, Optimistic, Caring
• Weaknesses: Pushes himself too hard, keeps his pain inside
• This character starts the show clueless to the fact that Giftias exist, ends with the realization of the love and pain they can bring.

• Isla
• Wants: To be Forgotten, to not pain anyone when she leaves, relationship with Tsukasa (later)
• Needs: to enjoy what she can
• Strengths: Tea, Persistent, Good with Clients (later)
• Weaknesses: Rusty in field, clumsy, about to pass on, shuts everyone out
• She doesn’t want to pain anyone, but by being closed off, she is hurting those around her. By the end, she is thankful for the memories she has made, though regrets being unable to do so earlier.

“That’s human nature. We go on blaming ourselves forever.” – Kazuki, talking to Isla about regret.

Core Conflict

• The core conflict in this show is TIME.
• Isla is a Giftia who is at the end of her rope. After breaking a 6-year partnership with her old partner Kazuki, her only duty was to make tea for the staff in the office. Three years later, there’s a new worker, Tsukasa, who is assigned to this office. He needs a Giftia partner. What better than the one who’s had the most experience, right?
• The reason her past partnership ended was because Kazuki felt she was too attached to Isla as a person and friend, and she “was not strong enough to deal with her loss”. This ideal is what ultimately makes Isla closed off.
• Tsukasa tries to get Isla to open up throughout the show, ultimately developing a romantic interest in her, despite the limited time she has.

Series Map Arc 1: Introductions (Episodes 1-3)

• Premise Pilot. Establishes what the world is like and how the story will move forward.
• We meet the cast
• We learn that Isla is already near her expiration date
• Tsukasa learns the job with Michiru’s help.
• Tsukasa and Isla move in together (since partners must live with each other)

Episode 1: The First Partner

• This is Isla’s first assignment in three years, and Tsukasa’s first assignment. They must retrieve a little girl from her “Grand Mother”. This, however, ends up being much harder than they anticipated (and quite funny until this scene at the end).
• Isla learns that tea can’t solve everything, until it does.

Series Map Arc 2: Wanderer (Episodes 4 & 5)

• We meet Souta (boy in bottom right) and his Giftia Marcia (girl in both photos).
• Marcia is Souta’s older sister and becomes his primary caretaker after the death of his parents. She is very loving and motherly.
• Once Souta learns that Marcia will one day have to leave just like his parents, he resents everything she ever was to him.
• Unfortunately, some people in the black-market stole Marcia, making it so Isla and Tsukasa are unable to retrieve her.

Episode 5: The Promise I Wanted to Keep

• Tsukasa promises Souta that he will get Marcia back. Sadly…it doesn’t end well at all.
• We are introduced to a Wanderer. When Giftias are not retrieved before expiration, they slowly begin to lose their memories, and their inhibitors deteriorate. Feats of immense human strength and speed are now Child’s Play.
• We learn that Michiru’s father was a Giftia, and she didn’t want to lose him. He ended up becoming a Wanderer, and she watched in terror as the police tried to take him down.
• We also learn that Kazuki was the one who was supposed to retrieve her father, but he couldn’t be talked down, resulting in a broken/amputated leg.
• Kazuki’s kindness in trying to work with Michiru about her father is what led Michiru to work in the office with Kazuki.

Michiru in top left. Her father is next to her. Kazuki is in center. Police on the right.

Marcia Loses It

We Lose Marcia

We Actually Lose Her (Skip if needed)

Series Map Arc 3: Breaking Through to Isla (Episodes 6 – 9)

• Tsukasa fully learns about why Isla is the way she is (in terms of her closed off nature).
• Isla trains, tricking herself that her training is helping her body from getting weaker.
• Tsukasa tries to ask her out on a date, only for him to pass out on it due to overworking himself.
• Tsukasa finally confesses his feelings for Isla, only to get rejected.

Episode 8: The Fireworks I’ve Never Seen

• In this episode, we follow the team as they hangout with a friend from work and their friends’ old childhood Giftia friend.
• Isla has never seen fireworks, hence the title.
• They learn that the childhood friend isn’t the same as before, meaning it had its memories erased, but kept the same model/body.
• Tsukasa is shown proof that there is no way a Giftia can stay the same after retrieval. There is nothing he can do.

Confession

Series Map Arc 4: Making Memories (Episodes 10 – 13)

• Isla and Tsukasa begin to make memories together.
• After rejecting his previous confession, Isla confesses now.
• Tsukasa is forced to sign papers for Isla’s upcoming retrieval.
• The office celebrate Isla’s time and work she’s done.
• Final Ride (The finale is very well done from a writing standpoint in my opinion)

Confession

Isla is Afraid to be Alone (Episode 12)

Final Thoughts

• We learn in the beginning how the story is going to end. This doesn’t take away from the writing or story telling of the show.
• The audience is like Tsukasa. We know something is going to happen, so we try to brace ourselves for it. Some of us, however, are also like Tsukasa, and break down when that moment happens.
• Knowing what’s going to happen since the beginning may make it even harder to accept the ending.
• Sometimes, being predictable is better than being unpredictable.

Conclusion

• Where to watch:
• Hulu
• Crunchyroll
• Other Places where you watch Anime

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• This concludes my presentation on Plastic Memories, one of my favorite shows of all time. Watch it for yourself, preferably in one sitting and at night (about 4-5 hours). I would love to hear thoughts on the show, and especially about the ending.