Tight-rope

I haven't read the manga, so I'm reveiwing this only on the Anime.

Story 9/10.

Because it really is a bit diffrent than other voilence/yaoi out there. And the realtionship between the two main characters is sweet.

Art. 9/10

Because when it comes to yaoi. i've seen some horrible art, but Tight-rope is not one of them. I really did enjoy the art.

... Sound 8/10

Because the opening song was really nice and the voice actors won't annoy you.

Characters 10/10

They really do make you laugh, and the two main characters go together nicely I think.

Enjoyment 10/10

Even thought it's short, it's really enjoyable.

Overall 9/10

If you debating if you should watch this or not. I'm telling you that you should. It's really sweet and funny.

If you look at my list, you'll see that it is littered with yaoi and shounen-ai anime to which I have given really low scores. This may lead you to think that I really dislike shounen-ai, but that's not the case. I'm a gay guy (yes, I know, outside of most of the target audience) who likes romance and anime, and I think there is good potential to this genre that, as of yet, I have seen unfulfilled--with the exception of a few obscure doujinshi I've read. Of all the shounen-ai anime I've seen, though, Tight Rope comes closest to fulfilling this untapped potential.

The plot ... centers around an heir to a prominent yakuza family, Ryuu, and a life-long friend who eventually becomes his lover, Naoki. However, Ryuu feels he must choose between his yakuza inheritance and Naoki, and would prefer the ladder. Right off the bat, it earns points for being a shounen-ai that isn't some stereotypical shojo plot with gay guys stuffed in. There is also quite a bit of potential for character development in this plot and lots of romantic tension, as well as dealing with themes of the desire for love and happiness versus social obligation. Unfortunately, this potential is only partially tapped in execution, though it is passably well done and earns points for moving the genre in the right direction. It could have been a little longer, but the simplicity still makes it fairly good. 7/10

As far as animation and art go, it's nothing to remember for being particularly good. There are moments of awkward and slipshod movements, the background sets are pretty minimal and fairly forgettable. There is a bit of connection between the atmosphere and coloration, so it deserves points for that, and it is also directed okay. Overall, it earns a 5/10 for art.

When it comes to sound, there's almost no memorable music other than a few dramatic piano lines and only basic sound effects, but this doesn't strike against the anime as it overall has a simple vibe to it. The voice actors are decent and represent the characters well, but it's not exactly memorable for being out-of this world good. 6/10 for sound.

Characters are where Tight Rope falls way flat. The only two who really matter are Naoki and Ryuu, and there's not much development on either of them or personality to them. They're pretty much blank slates, which I guess is to be expected of such a short OVA. 4/10 for characters.

In final assessment, I enjoyed it overall, if for no other reason that it provides a glimpse to what shounen-ai could be as a genre. It repays a couple rewatches, and is well worth the little time invested in it, though isn't highly memorable for being great. I give it a 6/10 overall and for enjoyment.

That was horrible ! I really love this manga and Natsume Isaku works and I was very happy that Tight Rope will be adapted into anime... but, my expectations were too high. It was more like picture drama than anime. I really not reccomend it for people who are not yaoi fans.