Ranked #4429

Hitsuji no Uta

Considering that this series obviously had a rather crap budget, I'd say it was done rather well. Not that it doesn't have it's problems, but it's story still manages to be enjoyable, if you can get past it's faults.


STORY:

A sort-of non-traditional take on vampires. Kazuna and Chizuna are vampires, but vampirism is more of an illness and a hindrance than it is anything else. It's quite a sad story, following how the illness ultimately destroys their lives. The anime's ending differs from the manga, however, as well as leaving out a couple side characters entirely, but as the story (in the anime) is focused mainly on Kazuna and Chizuna's interaction, it's not a major issue.

VISUALS:

PROS:
- The backgrounds/settings are rather gorgeous. The muted palette overall reflects the melancholy tone of the show, and the style the characters are drawn in make them all the more striking, in my opinion. The eyes, especially, were haunting, and I particularly liked the dark outline for the noses (rather a change from the disappearing noses that are standard anime fare).

CONS:
- Doing more than an OVA with such a character driven story would have been a mistake, but it wouldn't have hurt to give it a bit more cash for the four episodes. Man did I get sick of Kazuna's "attacks" (they looked like someone splatted some blood patterned brushes on a multiply layer in Photoshop), the wind chime, the moon, and (omg) the RED moon, not to mention the picture of Chizuna as a little girl, and a bunch of other reused shots/frames/misc. The obvious lack of budget inspired a drinking game in which the viewer would pass out from alcohol poisoning within the first episode if they were to actually put it to practice.

I give it a 7 for animation because, despite all the reused visuals, the visuals that were presented were rather pretty. Woulda been nice if things you know... moved more, though.

SOUND:

PROS:
- The ED is really hauntingly beautiful, and sad. It's actually one of my most played on iTunes. I'm a sucker for sad songs, what can I say? ^.^;;

CONS:
- Woulda been nice if they had coughed up the cash for an OP, or even just better background music. The only real saving grace is the ED, music wise.

7, if only because I fricking love the ED so much.

CHARACTER:

Like I said, what this series is entirely about. Very well done, I thought. Chizuna was probably my favorite, but all the characters resonated emotionally, I think.

10.

STORY:

This series isn't so much about a "story" or "plot-line" as it is about Chizuna and Kazuna, specifically. More of a slice out of their lives, than anything else.

7. It's all coherent, and there are a few decent "twists".

ENJOYMENT:

Well, if you can't get over the lack of budget, not much. But if you like a good story, with good characters, and some... a lot... a whole bunch... of angst, then this show is totally for you. If those things aren't your piece of cake well... *shrug* For me, an 8, leaning towards a 9. 10 if I count how fun it is to rewatch and make fun of for it's lack of budget. Or how Kazuna totally wants to do Chizuna.



read more

Story:
In the space of four episodes, this story manages to deliver one major epiphany, but every episode manages to crank the tension up a notch. The story-telling style relies heavily on flashbacks to memories, slowly mounting tension, and uncomfortable stretches of emotion-laden silence in the middle of conversations.

By the end of the story, I was left wondering whether the creators hoped to do further episodes, because they certainly left a lot of potential story arcs untouched. The themes of sickness and desire received a very interesting treatment. But this treatment might fail to satisfy hard-core fiction critics who have a broad basis for comparison.

Art:
Except for the ever-present tears trembling in eyes, this anime is almost a slideshow. Very often mouths are not animated when characters speak. It's impressive that they managed to produce this story in the first place, since apparently they had no animation budget at all.

Sound:
The voice actors certainly worked hard. The ending song is moody.

Character:
The characters were quite well-written. The introverted, forboding personalities were like something out of Faulkner or Walker Percy.

Enjoyment:
I was initially intrigued by the first episode, but after I watched the others, I felt that the series opened up too many questions and only answered one of them. Also, the slow pace was essential for the story -- if one tried to do the same story with normal pacing it wouldn't work -- but I was bored. This show will appeal to viewers who like slow-paced stories.

Overall: I don't recommend this as a first choice, but if you're a compulsive anime viewer, you should spend the two hours necessary to complete this OVA. If you hate it, you can skip past the ending song to make it move faster. read more