Ranked #263

Kaleido Star: Legend of Phoenix

This short little fifty-minute OVA is... wow. Kaleido Star: Legend of Phoenix just does something that warms the cockles of your heart. The story itself is very simple, and can be summed up in one sentence: Layla Hamilton tries to find herself.

What should be surprising (if you've watched the actual series) is how out of character the above statement sounds. Because in Kaleido Star, Layla is one of the strongest, most professional, confident, and assured women you can find. In fact, her "character type" is rather archetypical. But in the later episodes of Kaleido Star, you see just how human Layla is and how strong she is for holding up the way she does, but Kaleido Star: Legend of Phoenix manages to take even that to the next level.

The OVA knows how pretentious "finding yourself" plots can be, and pokes fun at itself for the way Layla goes about actually doing it. It's very grounded and real, and although the dialogue-- and I will be the first to admit this-- isn't something I understand 100% of the time, the characters' resolve, their emotions, are all clearly felt. Layla and Sora share a very complex relationship, and I was terribly moved to see their relationship continue evolving as it had in the series. Sora had always admired Layla, and I think in this OVA, she connects with Layla on an even more personal emotional level.

After I finished the OVA, I felt soothed, comforted, and it had induced a generally uplifting feeling. Perhaps this experience can be best described as catharsis, one which I felt along with Layla. There is a special scene in this OVA where you feel like all is right in the world. It is, above all things, very innocent and poignant in its simplicity.

The art is much, much better than the series (as one would expect of an OVA) and the colour palette is soft, which fits the tone of Kaleido Star: Legend of Phoenix very well. The seiyuu from the series reprise their respective roles in the OVA, and Oohara Sayaka (Layla's seiyuu) even sings two songs for us. (They're listed as the "OP" and the "ED", but there isn't an OP or ED sequence; the songs play as the story begins and ends, so you're in for a solid fifty minutes.)

I highly, highly suggest that you watch Kaleido Star before even considering the idea of attempting this OVA, because there's just so much you'll miss on. It's still very beautiful on its own, but various details and the humour sprinkled throughout will mean less, as will the depth of the two female leads' relationship. I recommended this to those who love beautiful, poignant tales of self-discovery, though I sincerely hope whoever watches this will at least attempt Kaleido Star prior to it. It is a serious commitment, especially for those who do not necessarily like shoujo, because the series lasts for over fifty episodes. I will also warn you here that Kaleido Star, although a good series, has a less realistic take compared to the OVA-- "if you persevere, you can overcome anything". With that in mind, I hope you'll greatly enjoy this beautiful little OVA. read more