Ranked #1020

Mizu no Kotoba

There's not a lot you can do with nine minutes.

You can spend nine minutes waiting in a line, writing the first paragraph for a short story or even brushing your teeth, if you like to be thorough. But Mizu no Kotoba (or Aquatic Language as I think I've seen it dubbed) uses those nine minutes to create what is a quirky and very profound little anime.

We are given a cafe. In this cafe are clusters of people sitting at a table, drinking coffee or simply lounging, enjoying the quiet and relaxing atmosphere. And what Mizu no Kotaba does is give us several different stories within the one story. The plot follows every character in that cafe, and we see and hear what they are doing or thinking and feeling.

The art is well done. The characters all have a distinct look. There is only one setting, the cafe, and it looks pretty cool. The lighting is also well done; it really helps give off the aura of a cool, quiet cafe with the energy of the people contained to their table. The animation is experimental and unique: the camera switches from table to table, even while the characters are still speaking, intruding on conversations. It's as though we're seeing through the eyes of a ghost hovering from table to table, moving around and eavesdropping in on everyone.

The score is playful and interesting--it definitely stands out.

With several characters and not a lot of time, it's hard to create deep, three-dimensional characters who develop as the story progresses. But what we do get is an offbeat, ensemble cast ranging from the cool and collected waitress behind the counter, to gossiping girls and the 'main' character. I call him the main character as he is the one who the anime focuses on the most, and the one who sees something more than the others do.

And to think, that even in nine minutes, there is room for a plot twist.

I did enjoy watching Mizu no Kotoba. I loved it. I found it to be fun, artistic and a great venture in the science fiction and slice of life genres. I definitely recommend it. read more

It was clear to me after a few viewings that 'Aquatic Language' or 'Mizu no Kotoba' is a prototype for what would become 'Eve no Jikan' or 'Time of Eve.' Or, perhaps, more correctly, Eve is an expansion on the concepts put forth by Studio Rikaa in Aquatic. The animation style, scripting, 'camera work', layout of the coffee shop, the appearance of the cafe hostess (compare to Nagi), and even the ping at the end of Aquatic are all incorporated, albeit somewhat refined, into 'Eve no Jikan.'

I don't know why Studio Rikka waited 6 years from one project to the other, but from what I have seen of 'Eve no Jikan' I'm glad that they finally moved ahead. As a retrospective on the origins of 'Eve no Jikan' I would say that 'Mizu/Aquatic' is well worth watching. Aquatic seems to explore some things that haven't appeared in Eve yet, but since that series is in its infancy at this moment, it seems premature to assume that they won't appear.

'Aquatic Language' can stand on its own merits, but I think it has more value as a pre-history of the world of 'Eve no Jikan.' read more