RDG: Red Data Girl

Fifteen-year-old Izumiko Suzuhara just wants to be a normal girl, but that is easier said than done. Raised in a shrine deep in the mountains, she grew up extremely sheltered and painfully shy. She also has the unfortunate tendency to destroy any electronic device simply by touching it.

Despite this, she still wants to try and change her life. To mark her determination to follow through on this transformation, Izumiko begins by cutting her bangs, which shocks both her classmates and protectors. And that's only the start! Her guardian, Yukimasa Sagara, forces his son, Miyuki, to come to the mountain shrine and become Izumiko's lifelong servant and protector. Too bad Izumiko and Miyuki cannot stand each other. They have known each other since they were children, and Miyuki bullied her terribly. He simply does not understand what is so special about Izumiko. His father calls Izumiko a goddess, but that cannot be true…can it? Will Izumiko and Miyuki work past their differences? Is she actually a literal goddess? Find out in RDG: Red Data Girl!

Sagara, Miyuki Main

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Suzuhara, Izumiko Main

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Souda, Masumi Supporting

Kimura, Ryouhei Japanese

Wamiya, Satoru Supporting

Kugimiya, Rie Japanese

Sagara, Yukimasa Supporting

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Ricardo Supporting

Hayashi, Kazuyoshi Japanese

Kanzaki, Mikoto Supporting

Kobori, Yurie Japanese

Himegami Supporting

Tanaka, Rie Japanese

Souda, Manatsu Supporting

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Ogawa, Tomoya Supporting

Kanemoto, Ryousuke Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Horikawa, Kenji Producer

Souma, Shouji Producer

Matsuki, Ai Producer

Reviews

Jun 27, 2013

gumi-tan

Recommended

I'm supposed to be studying right now but whatever.

Okay, unlike the majority of the reviews, I actually liked Red Data Girl. It's surprising 'cause I'm easily influenced by the reviews here on MAL. Before I watch an anime or read a manga, I always check MAL and read the reviews so as to see if it the said anime/manga is worth it.

But before I read the reviews on RDG, I watched a few episodes of it. And well, I really liked it. I think the best factor that got me hooked into the anime was the art (and maybe Miyuki /shot xD) and also the ... theme. I always loved Japan and since the theme was about Japanese culture, I got myself interested.

Then around the middle of the anime, I got confused. (Yes, just like all of you who watched) Everything was going too fast and nobody was explaining things at all. So, just in case I wasn't the only one, I checked the MAL reviews on this anime. I wasn't surprised to see negative reviews everywhere. All complaining about the same thing I was complaining about. I was a bit discouraged to watch after reading all of the reviews, but when the next episode came out, I still watched it and even finished. :D

Sure there were so many unanswered questions but I think the anime was good enough. Although, it should've had more episodes so they could've at least explained some stuff.

Okay, let's talk about the characters now.

I really liked Miyuki's character development. (And I also really like Miyuki X3) He started of as the lean and mean bully who seemed to hate the world so much he'd rather jump of a cliff. But around the end of the anime, he started to warm up to Suzuhara. (*squeals*) xD

The other characters were okay, but nothing out of the ordinary. Suzuhara was the typical shy girl who struggles to become stronger in the end. Mayura, Manatsu and Masumi were cute, but again, they weren't very interesting. (Masumi got my attention a little bit tho. HE WAS SO CUTE IN THE END)

Music was good. I'm not good with critiquing sounds lol but I really liked the bg music and also the music when Suzuhara dances. :3

Okay so overall, I really liked RDG and if you're into Japanese culture, fantasy and the likes, then this is the anime for you. ;)

But if you're an impatient person and if you don't like getting confused, then I don't think you'll like this anime at all.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jun 8, 2013

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

Stories aren't always about narratives. Sometimes, we can discover more ideas by ourselves if we put our efforts through. And of course, discovery comes from experiences. For a certain shy and dull looking (I think she's cute though) girl according to her peers, she's about to experience some whole new changes in her life.

Her name is Izumiko Suzuhara, the Red Data Girl.

RDG: Red Data Girl is an anime series adapted from the light novel of the same name written by Noriko Ogiwara (The Good Witch of the West). Her talent of writing involves in the field of fantasy and supernatural so expect some of those ... themes from RDG. Otherwise, P.A. Works handles the production of the series. They are known for their usages of serene visuals and clearly does not disappoint; at least in the art department. However, the experiences I got out of this series is not exactly enthralling or exciting. In fact, it was something quite different.

In essence, this series is like a fantasy but takes place in modern times. The time period it takes place seems to be normal and likely perspective to our very own 21st century without high tech gadgets or space cars. Rather, it is a normal and typical school life setting in a modern civilization of development. Suzuhara Izumiko is the main female protagonist in this and she's always been shy. Even from the first episode, it's easy to pick out from the fact that she has a hard time socializing with others or being part of a group. It's not too surprising though by her nature considering the fact that she has been raised in the mountains. Or rather, Suzuhara has been associated with the Tamakura Shrine and along with her miko outfit, we can consider her to be a shrine maiden.

The series spells out some confusion and mystery. For example, Suzuhara seems to have a strange power that lies dominant in her and these powers are let out when she is near technology. This is proven when electronic gadgets she comes in contact with results in destruction. Additionally, her glasses when removed seems to gave her visions of the supernatural, or otherworldly beings. From an initial standpoint, it's hard to tell anything by how these powers came to be. For one thing, we know that it's some sort of ability and very likely has a connection with Suzuhara's origins. It spells out mystery and the viewers' curiousity may peak from some of these aspects; at least I know I did. Regardless of her strange abilties though, Suzuhara enrolls to Hōjō High School in Tokyo where her life becomes more normal. At least, that's what she originally hoped.

Then on the opposite of the globe is Miyuki Sagara. This guy is essentially introduced as a prick. His attitude is literally a bully by the way he talks to Suzuhara and behaves around her. For whatever reason, Miyuki seems Suzuhara as a nuisance and more so because he is assigned to be her protector. Luckily though, their relationship seems to get better and possibly even go on the road of romance. It's at least not in the friend zone section but the two definitely has some engaging moments. These moments are captured by their dialogues and some development, especially after a certain event that reveals an even deeper secret of Suzuhara.

The secrets in this series also reveals some other aspects with the character cast. Take example, Mayura Sōda who is known as a cherry girl with friendly demeanor. However, she has more secrets and particularly gets caught in a rivalry among the school grounds. Among other factors, perhaps the biggest secret revolves again with Suzuhara. We learn that there's a supernatural vessel within her. It could be something related to a divinity or a goddess. We don't know too much about it but it has connections with her origins and the mysterious powers that she possesses. Unfortunately for her, she knows little about her origins herself or those powers. She does have a knight in shining armor though. But even so, Suzuhara still can't live the normal life a young teenage girl. With the ability to destroy electronic devices through an unintentional or intentional touch, she won't ever be able to use iphones, listen to ipods, or watching anime on a computer like most people. Damn, shame.

Among other factors, there's the serene like atmosphere that is constantly present in the show. The mountain atmosphere gives off a fresh scent of the settings and brings out a sense of realism in Tokyo that makes you feel right at home. The way some of the structures are designed as well to fit within the traditional Japanese ways. Needless to say, it presents its Shinto themes in the right direction. After all, Shinto is considered a spirituality and in Tokyo, there are many practices that establishes connections between them. In RDG, we can see some of the way the characters are dressed, the monuments, the festivals, the clear mountains, and shrines that are all over the place. The school itself is traditional and consists more of the modern atmosphere rather than anything too out of place.

Unfortunately, the show is hard to grasp and connect together. There's a lot of confusion among the characters and what's there. The plot itself is also a bit loose and I find it dull at various occasions. The Shinto atmosphere might also not fit well for target audiences. In fact, RDG is more the type of the show where we have to expect the pace to start off slow, flow smoothly, and hopefully wrap up in a tolerable way. However, I find the pacing to be a bit intolerable. At many occasions, I find that the plot itself to be just too dull. It tries to present its story with a mythical narrative that plays along influences of the Japanese culture. At the same time, the way it executes it is not so exciting. Unless of course you're really interested in the Asian culture along with Japanese traditions, Red Data Girl may not be for you. However, there are instances though that I find the series to be interesting. The title character Suzuhara keeps her innocent outlook and seems to be on the side of a 'coming of age' drama. She is the 'miko' and host of a powerful divinity.

But for some things to care, there are the visuals. P.A Works handles the production of this series and the artwork gives a definition of beauty. As mentioned before, the artwork aesthetics gives the details to the surrounding atmosphere as well as the nature of the series. There's the mountain, the shrines, the outfits, and even spirits to match traditional Japanese ethnics. Of course, Suzuhara herself is drawn as a plain girl with the nerdy glasses and braids to match her statue. For one, I am pleased that P.A. Works is involved in this as it gave me a nostologia of Hanasaku Iroha and Tari Tari; at least in terms of visuals.

As for the soundtrack, the series maintains a balanced rhythm. It's nothing too special to take notice of as most of the time, the OST remains smooth and light. There's no intense beats or rock. Rather, there's this linear pace of natural sound. The OP song "Small worldrop" by Annabel is sung with a smooth voice and at the same time shows some possible foreshadowing. Then, there are the ED songs that plays off the traditional themes again. In the song itself, we can see that Suzuhara is walking as in a possible reference to her development in a modern coming of age/fantasy story.

Ultimately, I'd say this series is a gamble to watch. Some people may like the serene backgrounds along with the spiritual vibe that gives off while watching the show. Then of course, there are others who may be bored out of their lives of trying to figure out what is going on. Then, there are the folks who watches the show to pass time. It's a tough gamble but I hope it'll play well for you. Now, phew that was a lot of data to absorb, or rather info.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jul 10, 2014

toph4prez

Not Recommended

What the flameo happened here?

I know that it is easy to be a critic and all... but: This Anime is best summed up by an announcement made at 20:44 in the last episode of the series: "Uh, at this point we are still unable to determine exactly what is happening." If you watch that scene before watching the series you might think to yourself that you would be able to figure out what is actually happening if you had watched the entire series... good luck.

Admittedly my misunderstanding(s) and non-understanding(s) could be due to the fact that I don't know much about Shinto legends. ... However, I am human and I can usually follow plot points and basic story telling.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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