Ranked #735

Strawberry Panic

I really should not have enjoyed this series nearly as much as I did. As a bit of a technical story snob, I usually find that well-animated and voiced series with somewhat weak storylines tend to rate quite poorly with me. I find myself dropping them, or rating them well below a seven, but this series just has that something compelling about it that makes you enjoy it thoroughly-- despite some glaring problems with the plot. If I had to sum this series up in two words, it would quite easily be: Guilty pleasure.

It is one of a very small number of series that I can watch repeatedly and still enjoy quite a bit, despite my somewhat low 'overall' score. As you can see, I found this series ridiculously entertaining which--for me--is sometimes more important than a good technical overall score.

Possibly the weakest part of this series was the plot. It was, at times, ridiculous, superficial, far-fetched, full of cheese and melodrama, but still oddly compelling. If it were a novel, the story would most likely be in a two-dollar bin in your local book store, yet there is somehow still enough substance buried in there to keep it afloat. Despite all I may say about the plot there are some truly touching moments buried in there -- and those are the little gems that keep you wanting more, despite yourself.

Essentially the plot is separated into two mini-stories: The main following bumbling transfer-student Aoi Nagisa from Miator, and the secondary following Konohana Hikari, a timid choir-girl from Spica. While the majority of the plot centres around Nagisa, there is enough material from Hikari's story to keep you entertained if you find yourself uninterested by the protagonist's antics.

With healthy doses of fluff and comedy, hefty smearings of romance and the odd tragic moment or two, there is certainly enough going on to keep the plot from idling. It was just a slight pity that they couldn't inject just a little more substance to enable me to rate it a little higher.

Visually this series is quite beautiful. While not on par with KyotoAni's breath-taking animation, gorgeous scenery, dynamic colours and interesting character designs, it makes for quite the pleasant viewing experience. That said-- there are times when the artwork looks a little awkward, though fortunately they are few and far between. And if you can quickly adjust to the stick-thin legs and arms that are common in this series, the character designs are quite striking, of special note are Hanazono Shizuma and Minamoto Chikaru, though with an ensemble cast of well over twelve there is bound to be at least one design to find pleasing.

Musically, Strawberry Panic is neither ground-breaking nor particularly breath-taking, yet there is a simplicity in the classical tracks that fit with the setting and overall tone of the series. Seiyuu performances are rather exquisite, with a cast consisting of: Nabatame Hitomi, Nakahara Mai, Shimizu Ai, Noda Junko and Kuwatani Natsuko there is more than enough skill to inject feeling into sometimes two-dimensional characters. Certainly there are some emotional scenes that are simply made by the skill of these masterful seiyuu.

As I mentioned earlier, this series is made of an ensemble cast, but unfortunately they tend to be rather two-dimensional or stereotypical characters. That said, there is a wonderfully subtle build-up in a few of the characters that really does surprise, and you can't help but empathise with your favourites as they are put through an emotional blender.

Despite it all I found myself strangely addicted to this series. Yes, the plot is weak, uses cliche plot progressions, makes no sense at times and is borderline ridiculous, yet I found it to be one of the most entertaining series in my collection. The chemistry between the characters, some brilliant work by the cast and some truly spectacular scenes mean that I enjoyed this series for what it was-- mindless fun. By episode twenty-six, I was more than disappointed that this series was over, and I would have to go elsewhere to find my fix of cheesy-goodness.

If you want a deep and sophisticated plot in a similar vein, watch Maria-sama ga Miteru; if you want hours of cheesy, light-hearted goodness: Sit down, buckle in and prepare to turn off your brain and watch something that will have you going through severe withdrawal when it is all over. read more

Upon writing this review, technically this is the first "Yuri" I have seen. While watching the first episode to the anime, and its story, it can seem re-hashed and to be targeted to a fanboy/schoolgirl fetish, however one must truly not jump to such conclusions. If you let go a little bit and try not to judge, its really a beautiful experience.

Story: As with any 26 episode anime, they have some time to fool around with the main story and obviously don't stick to having every episode be a pure advancement towards the ending. However, I felt that there were no filler or "go to the beach" episodes in the sense of simply wasting time with fanservice. Every episode helps the viewer get into the characters and the atmosphere of the three schools. Many of the episodes leave you in a state of such sadness or drama or even excitement. I felt that even though the ending was a happily resolved one, the went about achieving so whilst still having some unexpected twists. The story, while having its stereotypical moments, is definitely touching.

Characters: If you get attached to the characters of an anime, this one will be tough. Its really sad to see some of the characters be so upset and how they have to cope with in some cases simply watching from afar as they cannot attain their love. Theres some comic relief characters, as well as characters that grow throughout the anime and really change. Overall the relationship with Nagisa and Shizuma is the most interesting, while theres still a good balance that rounds out the cast in all the other characters.

Sound and Art: Sound and Art for me are one of the most important elements to a drama. It really needs to set the tone and make you feel like you were there watching these events go down and seeing the characters feelings. Classical and Orchestral hits always doing the trick for me. Also its nice to have a sort of tune that is the main embodiment of a characters relationship, such as the piano sonata nagisa and shizuma share. The art while some may call plain doesnt go for the shiny and sparkly, it simply is there to neither attract nor repulse viewers. It does its job. Both aspects blend well with the way the story is told.

Enjoyment: When it comes down to it, this is the most important part really. You can nit pick the story and characters and call it whatever you want, however whats the point. If you don't wanna spend the time watching it, just don't. I really don't understand when people flame this anime, or any others. If you devote the time to really "getting into" this anime, in my opinion, it pays off. For some this is just another yuri anime, but labels aside its a really touching story that can really get you suprisingly emotional. I still cannot rate it a 10 in this review (although for me it was a masterpiece). It has its flaws and stereotypical moments just like any other anime, but for me I believe that watching this anime was quite the experience, and I hope to find others that will leave me in the state I was while watching and finishing this show. read more