Cherry no Manma

"Misunderstandings, " they happen to the best of us, yet more often then not, they seem to find a way of resolving themselves. Enter "Cherry no Manma, " an OVA that shows us one example of this...

Story: 6/10
I have to say that when I read the details on this series, I was expecting maybe a short story regarding love and emotion, this was pretty far from it though, despite the main characters (a girl and two guys) living under the same roof. When I mentioned "misunderstandings, " that pretty much sums up this title. The anime revolves around a character named Yuki, who seems to ... have a bit of a pervy side to him, and is accused of stealing his roommate’s (Kanoko) underwear. Since this OVA is only 10 minutes long, what you read is what you get, and because it is so short, there is really nothing more I can mention about the storyline without ruining it for you. Now that is not to say this title is boring or bad, because it really isn’t. There will be some points where you are going to think that the main storyline will in fact be echhi, but again, it really isn’t. The main point revolves around Kanoko’s underwear, but you only see them as they lay about on the cloths line, or in her dresser, not once will you see any up skirt shots or anything like that. Now for me this was a nice touch, as it made the overall story seem very simple and easy to watch. I was worried that this OVA was going to be nothing more than fan service, but no, watching the characters get ruffled from this situation was pretty cute and funny. Kind of like watching your next door neighbors get into a disagreement--you know you shouldn't watch, but can't help to anyway. Of course it goes without saying that if you’re a fan of echhi-ness, then you will be dissapointed by this. Still, what the storyline does offer in it’s short time is sweet and to the point.

Art: 7/10
The art looks pretty good considering this was made in the late 80's, the backgrounds reminded me of the same style you would see in Sailor Moon, a bit washed out at times, but overall a nice looking scenery. Character design is the strongest feature here, they look quite well thought out and appealing. The only real bummer about the art style, is that the animation can be a bit on the stiff side at times. This becomes apparent when the cast try to do anything particularly athletic, ie: run, fight etc.

Sound: 7/10
My favorite part was with the actual voice acting, though not the best you would here in a series, the actors do bring the characters to life pretty good, and are well received. There is no opening theme, but the closing is pretty cute. Plus the background tracks are quite lighthearted and appropriate (they range from soft instrumental elevator style music, to what sounds like a life on a farm theme). It set the tone pretty good!

Characters: 6/10
Now I have to go on par of saying that I have never read any of the manga versions to this, and thus just wasn't able to really connect with any of the characters in this short run. They acted okay, but nothing really special. Yuki is a slight perv, Kanoko is quick to jump to conclusions, and Yuzuru seems to be the mature voice of reason between the two. I enjoyed them, it's just a shame there wasn't anything out of the ordinary with their personalities.

Overall: 6/10
"Cherry no Manma" is a decent little slice of life title, even though it suffers from not being anything particularly new, it makes up for it by getting strait to the point with its story. If you have never read any of the mangas like me, then this OVA won't have much of a lasting affect on you. However, none the less I am now interested about this series, and plan to read the actual mangas, and I think most viewers will feel the same way after viewing this.

“Cherry no Manma” is a short OVA based on the manga of the same name, and along with the similar title “Ano Ko ni 1000%,” it was included as a bonus on a VHS/Laserdisc volume of “Umi no Yami, Tsuki no Kage.”

The story follows a girl named Kanoko whose favorite pair of underwear has gone missing, and she accuses one of her housemates, Yuki, of stealing it. He insists he’s innocent, but the other guy she’s living with, Yuzuru, also takes her side, and Yuki runs away. Will Kanoko and Yuzuru be able to reconcile with Yuki, and will Kanoko ever find her panties?

This OVA ... does not work as a standalone piece, and likely was not intended to — it’s a bonus for fans of the manga, as well as a “trailer” of sorts to get people who bought the main OVA interested in the manga. Thus, we aren’t given any background on these characters (there are only 3), or how they came to live together. This makes the whole thing rather confusing. You’re left spending most of the time trying to figure out what these characters’ relationships with each other are and how/why they’re in their present living situation.

After watching this, I read some of the manga and figured out the synopsis of the story, and it’s a bit less innocent than it looks. Kanoko is the 15-year-old daughter of a yakuza boss, and her father is going to force her to get married when she turns 16. Before then, she wants to get a boyfriend and experience becoming intimate with him; that’s her driving motivation for the series. As for her housemates, one of the boys is her brother-in-law and was assigned to be her bodyguard, and the other is a boy she has a crush on and whom she came to live with due to various circumstances. Also, she has the “special ability” to cause people to blank out when she yells at them from a close range. The title, “Cherry no Manma,” is likely a double entendre, referring to both her cherry-patterned underwear and her virginity. It loosely translates to “She’s still got her cherry.”

Anyway, going back to the OVA itself, there is little character development, but at least the plot, as simple as it is, moves forward and has a satisfying conclusion. The animation is fair. The character designs are nice; the character designer would later work on “Fushigi Yuugi,” which is probably why one of the characters looks like a proto-Tamahome. The voice acting is not that great; in particular, I felt that Kanoko’s voice is a bit grating on the ears. The music is all instrumental and is pleasant enough, but forgettable.

As for objectionable content, there is plenty in the manga itself, but not so much in this OVA. A pair of girl’s underwear is the focal point of the entire piece, and one character accusing another of being a panty thief is what drives the plot forward. In that sense, it could be considered by some to be objectionable, but it’s not explicit; there is no nudity or anything like that.

Overall, I would not recommend watching this unless 1) you’re a fan of the “Cherry no Manma” manga; or 2) you don’t care for character development too much and just want to watch something simple with a “cute” ‘80s aesthetic.