Sola

I haven't written a review of an anime before, but this show both moved me, and made me feel things I wasn't expecting to feel. Maybe I'm just a sucker for romance, but right from the first episode, I felt Sola was something wonderful and different.

The story is a really sweet and beautiful one with the blossoming romance of two of the main characters. The beginning is slow. It helped to build the characters as who they are in the present and helps the watcher (you) get attached to them. This slow start may have the unfortunate side-effect of turning away those who go into ... it more casually, as the story doesn't pick up until about episode 5 and even then, slowly. The second half, however, has action and drama and backstory... and confusion. Everything makes sense on the surface, but if you look deeper, some things are just never explained. Sola has very well written characters, but stumbles a little in world building. The focal character changes in the last 2 or 3 episodes to add to a mysterious tone and for story reasons, but I personally was not fond of that

The art in Sola is wonderful. Which is to be expected when the characters and story find the beauty of the sky so important. I wasn't a fan of the actual photography that is prevalent in the ending credits, but I understand it's use. The action scenes are gorgeous and the character kept moving through space during it. In some anime, as soon as the battle is in the air, they just seem to float there when they fight. Sola doesn't have that, and that was very nice to see. The character designs are very good, especially on Matsuri. You can tell that a lot of effort was put into designing her, and I'm not one who normally finds anime girls beautiful, but I found her extremely so. Yorito has an emphasis on his normalcy, even in art. He's a good character, and the fact that he's so normal looking is of sharp contrast to the two female leads. Aoko is very very similar in both design and personality to Angel from Angel Beats or Rei from Neon Genesis Evangeleon. So that's kinda meh.

The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful. It wasn't perfect or outstanding, but it was really nice. Special emphasis on the opening theme for both capturing the allure the show, and to somehow remind me of the peacefulness and turmoil the sky always has.

The three main characters are... good. Again, Matsuri seems to have been spent the most time on. Her character is complicated without being confusing, and the fact that she can still be a source of humour and fun, made her a very enjoyable character to have on screen. I really liked Yorito's character, as he was normal without being bland, and he's not just our way into a more fantastic world, as he can still hold his own. His motivations are simple yet, anyone who's been in love can understand his occasionally rash behaviour. Aono's personality, however, was a draw on the show's emotional energy at some of the more intense scene's but it wasn't overpowering. It was especially refreshing the few times she breaks her emotional distance.

I loved the show. It made me laugh, it made me gasp in fear, it made me cry. It's something that's really hard to put down once the initial establishing character lull was over. There was one really odd thing with my enjoyment, though. While it was really hard to put down, it was also extremely hard to pick back up once I had. I marathoned it in three sittings... over the course of more than a month. I decided that I was going to write this review as soon as I had finished it, as Sola has the interesting trait that I kept forgetting how good it was and how much I loved it. It got to the point in which I'd skip over it for weeks at a time and have to almost force myself to pick it back up. But I have no idea why! I have no idea why it was so easy to forget the quality of this show, but maybe someone else had the same experience and can tell me why.

Overall, really, really good. It has its flaws, and even though I may have to remind myself repeatedly that I loved it, I still did.

Sola was a complete on the spur of the moment watch for me.
I've never been too into the whole "supernatural romance" genre in anime and other media, but I've known about Sola for a while and I've always been interested in it, I just never took the time to watch it. Also, I watched the first episode with my best friend who didn't end up watching beyond that and didn't really like that much either.
But I did.
There was something about the first episode, and the concept of Sola in general, that really grabbed my attention, to my utter confusion. Now that I ... finished the show (by binging no less!) I've realized that there's really nothing that special about Sola.

The pacing is slow, the art isn't that great, the story is blah, and the characters are kind of annoying. But somehow, all those mediocre factors work together to make this an enjoyable show. You need to look at this work as a whole to be able to appreciate it.

The story, though plot hole-y and slow, played out nicely throughout the whole series. My one qualm would be that the mood was all over the place at times. The story starts out very slowly and speeds up for just a little bit, then goes into this slice of life type thing but with the required supernatural-romance quirks. Then all of a sudden, all these plot twists are thrown into the mix, even though they're still trying to maintain the quirky slice of life tone. Even still, the story was interesting, despite being hard to follow at times. Sola also falls under the category of heartwarming and tugs at your heart strings (I actually teared up a couple times while watching it whoopsies).

I'm a sucker for good character development, but this show had very little (though I wasn't expecting it to). Our protagonist Yorito is a boy with his head stuck in the clouds and his face always behind a camera. Honestly, I liked this little thing about Yorito. His obsession with the sky was cute and was one of the likable factors of him. Our female protagonist, Matsuri, has these weird quirks about her that are kind of annoying, but sort of become endearing (Tomato bean juice). I suppose the character who goes through the most growth is Aono, Yorito's sister, but I can't really say without spoilers. I think my favorite character was probably Yorito's best friend Mana, who also had development in some way. I just liked that she was happy, and genuinely cared for her friends. She and her little sister Koyori lightened the story in a cute way.

The thing that stood out the most for me in Sola was the music. The OP, ED, insert song and the score were all beautiful and added to the whole feel of the series. The art is probably my least favorite thing about this series. Even though the scenery was pretty, the character art was... meh. There were quite a few wonky looking faces, and each character at least once had what I call "the dorito chin". Seriously, at times I wanted to pause and see if I could find the angle measure of Yorito's chin...

Overall, I liked this series. As I said, it's nothing special; it's not anything you haven't seen before. But it's a sweet story that's worth a watch, if you can get past plot holes, sporadic pace changes and (at times) cringe worthy art.

Also this is my first review so sorry for any mistakes I made or just overall mediocrity. uvu;;

I first watched this anime series maybe two years ago, then I watched it again just recently.
I found this anime very entertaining. In fact., it's one of my top favorite anime series to date. I just love the flow of the story, the characters' development, the action scenes were so flawlessly made, the slight romance (apparently, one of the very reasons why I was so fond of this series--one might think it's a harem type, but in point of fact, it isn't. I just love Matsuri x Yorito) and of course the shocking truth behind the real identities of the siblings.,
The ending was ... kinda sad though. But I understand why it had to happen.
All in all., Sola was a really, really wonderful anime.

Sola is an anime I watched solely for my participation to yearly Anime Challenge organized on the website. Although I just wanted to marathon it for completing one of the challenges, I'm honestly surprised and moved by this anime, so much I couldn't just leave it there without reviewing it right away.
First off one of my points concerning this anime is, in despite ten years passed after the airing of that piece of work, if one would argue it fits well in the old. It was at the quality you would expect from last decade animation, and I personally prefer it that way. In truth, ... anime who sorted in between the 2000s and 2010s are my favorite ones.

Art (9) :

One of the astonishing remarks I could assimilate upon that show, would be merely its artstyle. I don't specialize in knowing studios and the whatnot in behind the pieces of otaku culture, but it definitely looked nice to me. For once, I found it colourful, some of the background showed city environments, and a bit linked to the characters, the different skies. And I love this medium ever since I watched an anime scene taking place in sunset.
That was all of a paragraph dedicated to my love for old artstyle, and if I were to cite an equivalent level of design, although perhaps it could be a lot different, but none would say it isn't a bit close... This title would be a popular anime for every true fan, "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu" or "The Melancoly of Suzumiya Haruhi" as well for westerner fans.
I do not usually talk about animation in my reviews, even though there were action scenes, but it is merely because that is not one of the points I would watch an anime. Facial expressions, nonetheless, could be worthy of mentioning.

Story (8) :

Although the story in herself was sufficiantly delved throughout the course of the show, there were some plotholes here and there, such as small details that are nowhere from being explained. But that is in itself inherent to the animation, and perhaps the original source is enough advanced on that subject and that would only matter for the budget.
Even so, the ending (quite the ending, satisfying, giving you feelings, but still not being the most wanted from the viewer ; at least we can say the author did not mean to take in account the viewer's approvement for the ending) wasn't what I expected. Still it should be rated that high for the sole reason of being well-executed.

Character (8) :

Since the story gets a bit boring in the middle if it weren't for character development it would only be useless. Nonetheless they are well pictured and not only the main characters are deeply described. It is necessary to tell not every side-character is there for the sole purpose of forming a gag, only the cutie lover friend of Mana.

Sound (8) :

I did not take much into account the voices, therefore the only reason of judgement shall be soundtracks (there were some at interesting moments, piano was well fitting with the drama slow parts), sound effects (broken glass at the church, kicking the vending machine)...
But the opening was rather greatly accompagned with the animation featured, and the song was good.

Enjoyment (8) :

I had much fun watching it, although I kinda forced me at some parts. Nonetheless in the midst I was kind of looping episodes after episodes. Definitely good watch, this anime could be featured in my favorite anime.

Overall (8) :

You should watch it if you are into more elder titles, or the romance and drama parts attract you. Some should find the supernatural tagging kind of repelling but it serves the story, and this is precisely the point that gave off such a contestable ending. Similar titles I recommend from my experience are, as scale of comparison for points by points.
For the school life scenes, "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu" could be similar. If it was the romance, it shall be "Ef: Tale of Memories", and if it was the slice of life, something close to the fusion of "Higashi no Eden" and "Fate/Stay night". As of the surnatural tagging, there was one anime whose premise seemed kinda similar, "Omamori Himari".
Theorically as well, I managed to only cite anime from the 2000s and 2010s. I hope you will give any value to this review and if it encourages you to watch it, then it's definitely working.

Story
In terms of story, Sola is quite unique. What seems to be at first a general, boy meets girl, boy falls in love type of story, it is actually a bit more complex than that. It does follow the usual routine though, but along the way, it is not the usual events that lead to the usual ending. So anyway, the story to me is very nice. It gives a refreshing new outlook on the romance genre. Sola also incorporates some supernatural themes into it, which makes it a little extra special. The story can get a little boring sometimes, since at the beginning, it ... is very slow paced. However, the last few episodes are jam-packed full of action scenes and good dialogue so it definitely balances it out.

Rating: 8/10
“Nice story that incorporates more than just romance.”


Art
Exceptional. That basically sums all of it up. I am very picky about character designs and this is definitely in my top 5 regarding art and character designs/background quality. Must watch if you are looking for good art. Naru Nanao definitely is a master at drawing characters. She also drew Da Capo and the Ef series so you know its good.

Rating: 10/10
“Wonderful designs and backgrounds. Very nice and cute characters”


Enjoyment/Sound
Well, Sola was an enjoyable show for me. The first few episodes were a bit boring, and it was because of the art that kept me going. Good thing I did, since I really enjoyed it towards the end. The BGM was very good. The OP and ED were nice, as well as the animation that went with it. No problems with this section, except that the first few eps are a tad bit slow paced.

Rating: 9/10
“An enjoyable show to watch. Sounds are also good and helps accompany the story”


Final Rating: 28/ 30
“Nice show to watch. Recommended to people who like romance with a bit of action placed into it. A must watch for people who would enjoy good high quality character designs. I definitely enjoyed watching the show and hopefully, you would too!”

Okay, this is actually the first time I feel the need to write a review.

At first I was attracted by the art, I really enjoy "vintage" graphic, but I dropped it at 10 episodes out of 13 because the plot is just disappointing.
There is an attempt of mistery but they miserably failed: the only thing they did was to spread random memories once in a while which made me confused and less interested.

The characters are flat and stereotyped, I've seen such personalities almost everywhere and their background stories feel average to me.

I did not felt any sort of empathy nor feelings towards them, ... plus the music and OSTs are nothing special.

That was a waste of time.

Well, another anime had the potential to an outstanding anime. Don't get me wrong, it's a WONDERFUL series, but it often gets confusing and it feels you've been left behind at some points. I think most people will enjoy this series, so give it a try!

Story: Ah! The concept was astounding! However, it's poorly executed throughout the series. I feel this series should of had at least 24 episodes to make some room for the character relationships to grow. The romance genre for this series seems minimal to me and almost doesn't exist. However, that does not stop this anime from being one of my ... favorites in my opinion. 7

Art: See for yourself, and it'll explain itself! 10

Sound: I was hooked once I heard the opening theme. It draws you in and warms your heart. The overall music in the series is wonderful! 10

Character: I really wish some more episodes and romance were thrown in there! That would have been the icing on the cake for this series and easily could be an all time favorite. However, that's not the case. But there is indeed character development. We find out the true identies of people and the 'antagonists' motives. That part comes together nicely... sometimes. Other times leave us somewhat confused about the characters. 7

Enjoyment: Besides the lack of execution and romance, this was still a highly enjoyable anime and the ending was splendid in my opinion. 8

Overall: It was almost all there. The concept, the story, it was all set up and ready to go. But it seems something was left out at times which most of the time, fills in later. The romance section of this anime hardly exist (They really should've had at least 24 eps and more romantic development!). However it is still a great anime and I would highly recommend it. 9

An interesting tale but there are things that well...just don't make sense. Not really able to explain without spoiling so I will just say that what they are trying to do in the last couple episodes doesn't make sense given the options and in some ways denies how Matsuri said she felt about Yorito. Also, how the mind and memories were treated bothered me.

The best way to summarize Sola is to say that it's a great concept, poorly executed.
The story is awesome. Really awesome. Not since Kanon have I seen a story so semi-tragic and bittersweet. However, the art is terrible, and the voice acting is subpar. The way the story unfolds definitely could have been done better, and except for the song "Binkan Na Fuukei" by Ceui, the soundtrack is unexceptional. However, the story was so great I quite enjoyed it anyway.

So I just finished Sola. And I feel that my day is still incomplete. Most awesome possum anime leave you feeling sad, depressed, happy, you know the typical emotions that you feel after watching something that left a huge impact on you. And Sola, failed to leave that impact. What it left for me, was more of a "WTF? That's it?"

STORY: 6
OK I'll be sincere here. It wasn't so much as a boring uninteresting story, it was a story that felt like it left out important details. Like:

How did Matsuri become a Yaka in the first place?
What are the origins or Yaka?
What the ... crap is her power? Rusting objects? Why?
And if Yaka's cannot go outside in the daytime because they will burn from UV exposure (much like vampires) why not just use Google and buy yourself a UV suit? I just Googled how much they cost and they are like $5 for kid sizes! I'm sure you can find an adult size. There, problem solved. Now you can go outside all you like without the worry of turning into a walking ball of fire.

OK so enough with the obvious solutions to problems the idiots faced. The story had a nice end, but felt incomplete. You know when you have a delicious cake before you, with its beautiful taste of whatever your favorite kind of cake is but it's missing something? Yeah, it is missing those (insert your choice of topping). Or you're eating your favorite type of cookie but without any milk? (Idgaf if you are lactose intolerant. Milk is amazing with cookies) Yeah, that's pretty much what Sola did to me. It gave me an Oreo, but without any damn milk!

ART: 7
The art was decently and nicely well done. But sometimes, I look at Yorito's chin and I say "Man what the fuck is wrong with his chin? It looks so pointy. Well at least everyone else seems somewhat nor... HOLY SHIT Matsuri not your chin too! I don't want to feel like I'm watching Cyberchase!

SOUND: 7
The typical sounds of anime. As in the sounds from the early 2000 anime. I'll reserve this section for the actors/actresses:

Mana Ishizuki - VA - Honda, Youko:
Besides her name being that of a brand for cars she perfectly fit this character. Not squeaky or annoying, she sounded exactly like a normal high schooler. Just the way it was meant to be.

Yorito Morimiya - VA - Okamoto, Nobuhiko:
Oh thank you Jesus! He doesn't sound like a faggot! He sounds like any other real good protagonist that has no powers but has the gumption to take in the truth and say "Fuck it man, I've lived the way I wanted to of my own free will. And when I'm gone, I'll know I didn't regret smoking that weed!" Because I know I don't. ;)

Aono Morimiya - VA - Nakahara, Mai:
Oh hey it's Nagisa! Back from the dead I see? Oh wait, you're not Nagisa. You sound nothing like her. You sound like...Kanade? Except a bit more with a chilly feeling rather than a cute huggable, squeezable feeling.

Matsuri Shihou - VA - Noto, Mamiko:
Yes. Just yes. Hecate all the way! With a little of Tifania sprinkled on top. Maybe some Kotomi in there as well. Then again don't they all sound exactly the same? Anyways if you aren't familiar with this VA you will be now. Famous for her Hecate roll in Shakugan no Shana, Kotomi in Clannad, and Tifania in The Familiar of Zero, she fits so wonderfully with Matsuri and other somewhat soft spoken characters that she practically brings them to life. Although to me she is very infamous at the same time with her roles with vertically challenged little shits. Oh don't remind me of Kouta! Please don't!

CHARACTER: 7
Damn there was a lot of character development! I jizzed myself when a twist happened with Yorito! The sister's twist was obvious but even then still. WHAT A TWIST! Actually to be honest I'm dating this review as my most apathetic review ever! Every reviewer has to have an apathetic review to be known as a true critic. So this will be my first. Which means I can't be assed to write any further. So...

ENJOYMENT: 7
I enjoyed it yet wished it was done better.

OVERALL: 7
Watch it if you are bored and want a neat little anime to watch but get an ending that makes you wish you were watching Clannad instead. Or skip it and watch something funny instead like Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? to make you hurt with laughter. That upcoming review will actually be my most put in effort review ever. So it will be like 4-6hours of thought put into it. As for this one this only took me an hour and a half to write so feel free to put it down.
As for the feedback IDGAF. I'm too lazy to continue on with the review as most people are going to say I didn't even help them anyways. So that discourages me to even make this review any better. Feel free to also leave a comment on my profile insulting me on how I wasted your time also. KTHXBAI!

If you're reading this for the synopsis then you're reading the wrong review. If you're looking for a critique in a reviewer's POV then you're at the right place.

A romance-drama anime in the vain of Kyoani which means that it will take some time (around half-way through) before it launches itself to a climax. Fortunately it gives a lot of mysteries to the viewer to keep them interested all the way through.

I didn't like the character designs at first especially since the lead male looks quite odd when facing the camera. Then I realized that this difference in looks is a drastic change from ... the round faced lead-male. I guess the character designer is portraying him to be skinnier than average-skinny or something. The other characters look standard fare so the bigger the role that character has the more they're important to the story. Look at the picture at myanimelist.net to figure out who's major and who's not.

Backdrop-wise, the is attention to detail is breathtaking. From the sky, to the European flair of the town to the sun shines. Better than most animes. Believable to the point that it's almost like being there. An unforgettable backdrop.

Animes aren't music first so I'll get right to the point. The OP, ED, and IN songs fit the anime perfectly. They're also excellent enough that they deserve to be listened to. This is one of those very few animes that I don't skip the OP and ED. Which means it's great.

Character-wise the focus is on the 2 female leads of the story. I wouldn't tell you who they are but they're the two biggest faces on the myanimelist picture.

A romance-drama that with a mixture of folklore, mystery, the supernatural, and tragedy in more ways than one. One of the few animes that I have watched in one sitting which always equate to excellence. Unfortuantely I can't recommend this on myanimelist since there's a limit of 5 recommendations. However, I will recommend this to anyone. Even those who doesn't watch anime

This anime was not done the it shoud have look if you watch this, stop after ep11 trust me okay if you'll be sorry and wished you never watched 12 & 13 these eps took my score from an 8 to a 5 you do the math

While this anime is not as bad the reviews, I kinda get why it has a low rating. First it lack details, we just watch the story going without given enough background to connect with the characters, we just kinda guessed throughout the whole series and it's not even a mystery anime, by the time the truth came out I already didn't care enough for the character to get all emotional.

Honestly I LOVE sad animes (like Anohana, Angel Beats, Clannad, and Plastic Memories to name a few) but this one just kinda didn't get it right, while it has a heavy plot strangely it didn't ... piqued my interest. I liked the romantic development but it still feel incomplete. The good thing about this anime is it contains only small amount of cliches, where else would you find a loli that acts like a proper adult? Or a "childhood friend" character that's not annoying and even very understanding of the mc situation, or an older sister that's a "Kuudere"? It's pretty unique.

The animation is ok for an anime that's made more than 10 years ago. The sound could be alot better tho since in some sad scenes the music doesn't feel sad enough. I'm not sure if I can recommend it since it's kinda disappointing for me (and a lot of people).

A very nice anime if you like character romance developments with action on the side, a slightly comedic yet tragic anime, I just with it didn't end how it ended :(

I did enjoy the series for the most part but there were a few things that did bother me. Some stuff we just were not given answers for in the end. It's unfortunate because I did feel it had some decent potential overall. I was caught by surprise when we found out that Yorito was simply just a mere illusion. That was really when the show definitely piqued my interest. The character that I enjoyed the most ended up dying for the sake of giving Aono another chance to live as a normal human. I felt that the one truly deserving of being given another ... chance to live was definitely Mayuko. At the same time I do understand why Aono was given one, a chance to grieve over Yorito death I suppose. But it didn't help at all how over-possessive and bitchy she tended to behave. Definitely a character who deserves to be well disliked. It was more difficult to sympathize with her when you have Mayuko who's pushed aside. However to be somewhat positive on the ending, I did like how it emphasized on the sky connecting them all together. Perhaps for now I'd give this a solid 6. This is my first review but I just felt compelled to do one on this.

(This review is for those who have completed the show.)
(This is not a traditional review.)
This anime gives me a strange feeling, as some others might probably feel. In many ways it's a unique anime, and it's hard for me to give it a score.
It contains many rather normal and predictable plots, though. When Aono began to teach Koyori paper folding, I immediately knew it's an important sign. It's also easy to guess Mayuko's identity. Therefore, most of the moving parts in this show are not powerful enough for me. The main story is more startling to me rather than touching.
Still it ... is strange. First and the most superficial thing is that both male and female lead die at last. Besides, the story extends into many centuries before. (Actually I think this is almost like cheating, Loading the plot with the heaviness of history can always create the strong feeling.)
Both strongly remind me of Air. In fact the writer of Sola once belonged to Key and wrote the large part of Kanon. The cast is also strange. As some reviews have already pointed out, Aono doesn't suit Nakahara Mai. Nagisa in Clannad is much better. (Actually this reminds me of Tamura Yukari, who casted Mae in Kanon, somehow similar to Aono. Personally I think her performance of Sunohara Mei in Clannad and Kanako in Ore no Imouto suits better)
BTW I really like the drawing style, especially the eyes.

****Spoilers Ahead, Do not Read this Review before watching the show*****


So, I rated this one well, as it deserved it, HOWEVER, I did not like it. I regret having watched it, completely, I hate the melancholic end, the whole wrapping it up with the 'This is the life they gave me, I moved on' stuff. A good ending, without argument. A good story, without argument. In all ways, it was a great anime, and a great story, but I did NOT like it. Since I have the ability to view things objectively, I can say that this series is done very ... well, it is quite possibly a masterpiece in the romance/drama arena, HOWEVER. I did not like it.

"Sola" is a hidden gem in the world of anime, and I couldn't be happier to have stumbled upon this remarkable series. From its beautifully crafted story to its emotionally engaging characters, "Sola" is a true masterpiece that deserves more recognition. The plot, centered around the intertwined fates of a young photographer, a mysterious girl with a unique secret, and a heartfelt friendship, is both compelling and thought-provoking. The anime expertly blends elements of supernatural, romance, and drama, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats while tugging at their heartstrings.

The animation quality in "Sola" is breathtaking, with stunningly detailed backgrounds and fluid character movements ... that truly enhance the viewing experience. The character development is also top-notch, allowing you to connect with the protagonists on a profound level. Their struggles, growth, and unwavering determination are truly inspiring. "Sola" is a hidden treasure that every anime enthusiast should explore, and I can't recommend it enough for those who appreciate a well-crafted, emotionally resonant story.