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Jul 20, 2014 1:48 AM
#1

Offline
Oct 2012
1917
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
It took me a lot of work to figure out what the story is about, but in the end
I really enjoyed watching this OVA. For one thing, the background art of the
streets of Kyoto was beautiful. I have never been to Kyoto, so I feel curious
about whether they have realistically recreated some neighborhood. It looks
as if they tried hard to do a good job. I can't think of any other anime series
which is about Maikos, so this is certainly not an overdone genre.
Jul 21, 2014 2:03 AM
#2

Offline
Nov 2007
4626
Been wanting to watch this one for ages, but glad to have finally seen this OVA. I agree with you, on how fascinating it is follow the story of aspiring maiko. Very rare topic in anime, if not at all been done before.

Probably not enough for a 1-cour anime series, as the light novel is only 6 chapters long, and also not much interest in the anime buying community unfortunately.

Rank / Last week rank / Weekly sales / Cumulative sales / Weeks Charted / Anime Title

BD
74 *** *,308 ***,308 **1 Mitsuwano
EjcJul 21, 2014 2:08 AM
The News Club: Quality News/Discussion (anime, CDs, manga, novels, games, seiyuu), & sales data (daily, weekly, mid-year, yearly).
Jul 22, 2014 4:42 PM
#3
めんどくさい

Offline
Sep 2011
2874
Whoa. Very cool story. But...not a world I understand.

I found it interesting that when dressed up even Riko's hair was dark. I didn't think they wore wigs?

Sorry, I couldn't follow everything. Was Mai homeless/run away?

okanagan said:
I have never been to Kyoto, so I feel curious about whether they have realistically recreated some neighborhood.
Oo! Oo! I have! But, though I spent three days in and around Kyoto, I was never in that part (which I assume was Gion).
Jul 22, 2014 6:34 PM
#4

Offline
Oct 2012
1917
The official webpage (all in Japanese) for the OVA is here:
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mitsuwano/

There it gives a brief explanation (あらすじ/arasuji) of what is going on in the
story,

一ノ瀬舞依は、修学旅行中に出会った一葉に憧れ、舞妓になる
ことを決意。反対する親を説得し、中学を卒業後、京都にやって
きた。しかし、お世話になる予定だった置屋が、急遽、店を畳む
ことになったことを知らされ、舞依は途方にくれる。しかし、そこ
で偶然、一葉に再会。一葉がいる置屋の「菊屋」の女将さんを
紹介してもらい、ここで修業させて欲しいとお願いする。女将さん
から入門の条件として課された試験に合格した舞依は、同じく
舞妓志望の四十川翠や、菊月莉子とともに、菊屋で修業するこ
ととなった。


Besides that, the Japanese Wikipedia article gives a lot of background of who
the characters are:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%BF%E3%83%84%E3%82%8F%E3%81%AE

Before I explain the meaning of the "arasuji", here is some background
information. First, there are five main characters, and I have given links to
their pictures to help you recognize them:

一ノ瀬 舞依 Ichinose Mai ... light brown straight top eyes
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mitsuwano/images/img_chara01.jpg
四十川 翠 Yonjikkawa Midori ... purple eyes
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mitsuwano/images/img_chara02.jpg
菊月 莉子 Kikudzuki Riko ... light brown droopy eyes
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mitsuwano/images/img_chara03.jpg
一葉 Ichiyō ... light brown rising eyes
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mitsuwano/images/img_chara04.jpg
志乃 Shino ... blue droopy eyes
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mitsuwano/images/img_chara05.jpg

The first three girls, Mai, Midori and Riko, have all just graduated from middle
school and they are all the same age, I surmise. Mai is the main character of
the story. Then there are the two older girls, Ichiyō and Shino. Apparently,
they are the same age. In any case, the two of them are at the same level in
their training as Maikos.

Since the "arasuji" does contain some content which is not explicitly in the
OVA, I'll use spoiler tags:


Trivia:

The title of the light novel and the OVA is "Mitsuwano", which is written
as みツわの. However, my guess is that this can also be written in kanji
as 三ッ輪. That means "three circles" or "three rings" or "three loops". All
throughout the OVA, we see the symbol of three interlinked rings many
times. I don't know what connection this has to the story.

Midori's given name is 翠 meaning "jade" which is a green-colored stone.
"Midori" is also the word for "green". Midori always wears green clothing,
and her Kimono is also green.

Prior to the story coming out in March of this year as a light novel, it had
been serialized from June to December 2012 in the online magazine
BOX-AiR which can be read on smart phones using an app. The issues
can also be read as pdf documents in an internet browser on a laptop.

The light novel (printed as a book on actual paper), came out as a single
volume on March 4, 2014.

The OVA went on sale on March 12, 2014. The Amazon Stalker points
are 309 for the Blu-ray and 216 for the DVD.
okanaganJul 22, 2014 7:38 PM
Aug 2, 2014 9:34 AM
#5
めんどくさい

Offline
Sep 2011
2874
Just watched a sub'd version, which filled in a few details I didn't get before. Still, I don't really understand the context of Mai's flashback in the rain. No, I mean, I understand it was the seed that caused her to want to be a maiko, but I don't understand the setting itself. What was she doing setting there alone in the rain? (without okanagan's 'spoiler' above, it makes no sense is what I mean).

Those box-pillows. Been wondering this. Are they part of the training, like sitting under a cold waterfall or something it's supposed to make they better maiko...?
Aug 2, 2014 9:57 AM
#6

Offline
Jul 2013
1760
Somehow I hope this gets at least a 12 (or 24) episode adaption. Pretty much I don't really get the story and characters in here. Well the MCs stand out a bit but I wasn't drawn into them.

I would say the Maiden Performance was good but I want to see a Maiko performance or something :D. Basically I'm having a relaxing feel from this OVA.

Aug 2, 2014 2:11 PM
#7

Offline
Jan 2009
1171
the maiko stuff isn't my thing but really love the whole calm vibe of the show along with the orchestral / soothing music

7/10
俺の命を百合に。
Currently translating Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke o - Atelier no Koibito-tachi -- when bored.
Above visual novel is 22.22% translated with progress uploaded to youtube; if you're into yuri VNs, check out my channel.
Aug 2, 2014 4:15 PM
#8

Offline
Oct 2012
1917
I certainly feel happy that I was lucky enough to spot this OVA as it came out. I
don't expect to have the opportunity to visit Kyoto, let alone the legendary Gion
district. My past knowledge of the world of Maikos and Geishas was limited to
some rather stilted English-language documentaries along with that 2005 movie
"Memoirs of a Geisha". So it is great to see "the real deal" here. I don't know for
certain that this is technically accurate, but it seems that they went to a lot of
trouble to fill in details.

The BD/DVD which went on sale in March is not a best seller, with Amazon
Stalker points of 309 and 216. That is really lousy. So their income from sales
was low. On the other hand, there was some income from sales of the light novel
which also went on sale in March, and I don't know where to access numbers for
that.

Was the OVA intentionally made at a financial loss as an advertisement to boost
sales of the light novel? If I was in a bookstore, I would at least want to read
Chapter 1 to learn about Mai's past. How did her parents react? Why was Mai
sitting out in the rain looking all dejected while she was in Kyoto on her school
trip? The official advance information in the article in Animate.tv magazine offers
some tantalizing details which I won't spoil for you. So the OVA along with its
publicity will strongly motivate people to at least look inside the book's covers.

Is it possible that they got financial support either from the cultural office of the
Japanese government or the tourism bureau of the city of Kyoto?

In case anybody wants to follow up, here are some links to related information,
all in Japanese:

Wikipedia article on the novel and OVA:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%BF%E3%83%84%E3%82%8F%E3%81%AE
Official webpage for the OVA:
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mitsuwano/
Two-page article in "Animate" magazine from December 19, 2013:
http://www.animate.tv/news/details.php?id=1387361192

Regarding the box-pillows that we saw the three girls sleeping on, apparently
Maikos and Geishas rest with their necks on small supports called "takamakura"
(高枕), instead of normal pillows, so that they keep their elaborate hairstyles
perfect. It takes a lot of practice for them to learn not to roll in their sleep. You
can search on Google Images for either 高枕 or "takamakura" to see what they
look like.
okanaganAug 2, 2014 4:23 PM
Aug 2, 2014 4:34 PM
#9

Offline
Nov 2011
128111
Eh I'm not sure how I feel about this. There isn't enough development and it felt like watching Hanasaku Iroha but without much of the comedy.

Rating this barely just a 6/10. The girls looked cute though and the music was nice.
Aug 4, 2014 3:57 PM

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Mar 2012
1853
I didn't like this OVA that much, 6/10, I already knew the story wasn't promising...
Aug 4, 2014 8:36 PM
Offline
Jul 2014
606
Not sure how I think about this, it felt too short. Nice music though. The music reminded me of the Gion district; it was captured well.
Aug 9, 2014 2:55 AM
Offline
Mar 2012
12938
Beautiful animations, but overall it was pretty boring.
Mar 6, 2015 10:08 PM

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Apr 2009
4223
Not really into this but since it's from another culture I'd like to maintain an open mind about. Anyway, feels like a slice of life genre, I didn't expect much so I wasn't disappointed overall it was pretty OK. 5/10
You see there's no need to wonder where your god is,
Coz he's right here! ...and he's fresh out of mercy.
Mar 24, 2015 10:52 AM

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Dec 2013
202
boring ova about 3 cute girls studying to be traditional japanese prostitutes

5/10
Apr 12, 2015 3:58 PM

Offline
Oct 2012
5798
It was nice change of pace to see life of maiko apprentices but it wasn't anything special either.
Their main conflict was based on mere misunderstaning and that wasn't enough to make this stand out.

I take it that maiko preparations are tough and stereotypical but we only got to very small part of their life. Maybe if this was a series it would be better.

Kyoto dialect was nice though.

6/10
Apr 23, 2015 3:57 PM

Offline
Jun 2013
1771
Re-watch 4 times already

This anime needs full TV series adaptation
Jul 2, 2015 8:12 PM

Offline
May 2012
25827
It had quite a nice atmosphere and setting but the pacing was a bit on the slow side. In general it sure was a lovely ova!
Jul 9, 2015 8:45 PM

Offline
Dec 2013
2571
Not bad. Another anime that introduced Japanese culture to international viewers. The animation and story is okay, and it would also be cool if this is a series.



★━━─
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵?
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺?


Apr 24, 2016 3:53 PM
Offline
Jul 2018
564491

Very nice atmosphere and overall vibe from this OVA.
Same nice feeling about the art, characters and music.
May 1, 2018 1:42 PM

Offline
Aug 2014
210
meh boring conclusion

i wouldve prefered it only being two of them were chosen and the mc deciding to quit and then the show continues to follow her doing whatever else..
Jan 11, 2019 8:04 PM

Offline
Oct 2015
6915
This should be a full series because it has potential. The dance and outfits were amazing, I hope those three become Maikos (too bad I won't see them become them). I hope in the future some studio will pick up a full anime of this one.

7/10.
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove

Sep 3, 2020 2:19 AM
Offline
Jul 2018
564491
The artwork and the backgrounds were beautiful. The rest was just boring.
4-5/10

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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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