Ranked #1298

Candy Boy Episode 0

Have you ever read manga where there's this extremely tragic f/f love story that either ends up with one or both girls dead, or one girl decides she isn't going to stay in the relationship?

Well, Candy☆Boy is the complete opposite. It's a short ONA that doesn't even last eight minutes long, but it's really sweet and the ending leaves you with a heartwarming feeling.

As a bonus, if you haven't noticed yet, Nabatame Hitomi voices one of the main characters. And if you don't know she's practically seen as the queen bee of yuri* seiyuu... well.

*My usage of "yuri" does not connote anything sexual or pornographic in nature, hence my preference to use "f/f" to mean "shoujo ai" or "yuri".

The ratings to the left are as objective as I can put them; your perception and take of the premise will, of course, greatly influence your actual enjoyment or lack thereof.

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Major warning (and fundamentally slightly SPOILERish):

For those who don't like watching anime with sisterly incest-- then this is not for you.
The bottom line is, if you like f/f and don't mind twincest, then this is a must-see.

In any case, you only have to commit seven minutes and thirty-nine seconds of your life to see if it's a suitable assessment, should it have piqued your interest.

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EDIT: The DVD version's now out, and it's got an additional scene. The cuteness-- well, heck, it's off the scale. The total length should be around ten minutes for the DVD version. Most of the additional length is actually the ED, though. The scene in question lasts less than a minute but it's definitely worth the trouble looking for, as long as you heed the warning from above regarding the nature of the relationship. For those who are a bit more touchy about this and could just barely stand the ONA, don't watch the additional scene. It gives the relationship a bit more "definiteness" while still remaining tame. read more

There seems to be a new wave in anime where ONAs are surpassing anime made by large production companies or by the big names in the business. Most ONAs tend to be quieter, more emotionally complex, and have rather beautiful, melancholy atmospheres. I suppose this is due to the creator simply making an anime as art and not as a paycheck. The Candy☆ Boy ONA is a very good addition to the anime world.

Candy☆ Boy: Episode 0's story is a rather simple one. So simple, that in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. A personalised romance is not the stuff to move the world. It is, however, the stuff that shakes the two involved to the core, and that it what truly matters in the end. The anime follows two roommates, Kanade and Yukino, as they just go through day-to-day activities. They are pretty close, and they have a sort of silly repartee with one another. They share a good relationship. However, within the first couple of minutes of the OAV, conflict is presented. Kanade realises that Yukino is being pursued romantically by another girl. It saddens her, and she doesn't exactly know why. Or perhaps she doesn't want to admit why. The rest of the short follows Kanade and Yukino as their relationship grows and unfolds.

It probably makes no sense trying to avoid mentioning this: this anime has incest. If incestuous themes do bother you, then I can only tell you not to watch this anime. But I will give it kudos--this is one of the few anime I've seen to handle the theme of incest so well. In fact, it is done so subtly that you might forget at times that the characters involved in the relationship are even related. I think it accomplished what it set out to do; it presents a short, sweet little romance. That there is incest seems to be rather secondary. It's quite a break from the other anime of this type that have reminders every millisecond that there is incest present, it is wrong/it is good, love is love etc. etc.

The art is quite good. The lighting and camera angles used are very innovative and done quite well. A scene in a karaoke joint, for example, isn't bright, flashy and extravagant. Instead it takes on warmer, more personal hues of dull light and shadows, just the sort of colouring that one would associate with a a TV flickering in a dimly lit room filled with girls just bumming time away, sipping on their drinks, maybe getting up for a song. There are a lot of soft tones used in this anime. I quite like the character design as well.

As for the sound, well, I could have done without the extremely cheerful pop song at the end, but overall, the score is fine. It doesn't leave a lasting impression, though.

Despite it's short duraction, Candy☆ Boy does present us with two interesting lead characters. Kanade and Yukino have a great relationship, as I mentioned earlier. They have chemistry, if you can believe, and it is evident as they interact with one another on-screen. Kanade is sort of level-headed, a little reserved, and pensive. Yukino is exuberant, has a happy disposition and she's very silly. They are two likable lead characters, and watching them and watching them together is actually not that bad an experience. Then there's a third character named Sakuya who is mostly present as a plot device and for comic relief.

Admittedly, on my first viewing, I was rather sceptical about this anime. I didn't appreciate its themes, the delivery and the lack of action and development. I decided to give it a second (and third) viewing, to re-evaluate my opinions, and I realised that I overlooked exactly what this anime was about. I expected hardcore yuri romance, I didn't get that. And during subsequent viewings, it occurred to me that Candy☆ Boy is all about the quieter side of romance. It isn't the red roses and diamonds of anime--it's more of a walk in the park, holding hands sort of anime.

It may not be something I would call necessary viewing, but for any yuri fan who doesn't like their yuri shoved in their face, torn into pieces and exposed to them, then this may be the sort of short you should look at. Appropriate warning has been given about the content.

Candy☆ Boy, one of the most misleadingly and inappropriately titled anime I've ever come across, is a pretty sweet ONA not about the wonderfulness of falling in love. It's about the wonderfulness of realising that you've been in love all along. read more