Now I suspect the good review might be a wee bit due to the fact that this OVA left me hanging on a cliffhanger! I have so many questions that I fear will go completely unanswered and I suspect that no one could possibly fit enough into one movie, so I suspect I will be both enticed and disappointed once it comes out. But listen to me, going on like a Marsh-wiggle* when I should be giving a proper review.
The story is obviously very intriguing and immediately engaging. What I thought was going to be a typical Egro Proxy/Texhnolyze post apocalyptic world (a wee bit depressing matched with equal parts angst, nostalgia, and awe about a world past and "good feelings" for the moments in the world as it is now) took me completely by surprise! Upon its introduction, we meet Patema who loves to explore and generally makes us feel happy about an old subway tube (or something that we might taken equally for granted now). I was drawn into this world almost immediately and this feeling never dissipated throughout the anime.
Now let's talk about Jane Austen's favourite topic: Character! Yoshiura Yasuhiro is particularly clever when drawing expressions for his characters, so that you are immediately drawn to them and feel yourself wanting to get to know even the most mundane side characters (in fact most of them are likely just extras and Soldier A's, but I still want to know about all of them!). It's difficult being so attracted to slice-of-life anime and knowing what you are about to watch is so far from that genre. This is not likely to be an anime about getting to know your underground neighbors and their everyday lives and mishaps, so let's just move on to our main character, shall we?
Patema is everything one wants in a perky protagonist. She is cheerful, adventurous, brave, kind, and all around cheerleader ("don't forget to follow safety guidelines, ne?"), but still not afraid to break a few rules when it suites her needs (read: desires). In short, she is wonderful. She's Arietty and Pino [Ergo Proxy] all in one, and it's this pesky love of the unknown that leads her to a brave new world for our viewing enjoyment!
I think one of the main advantages the storyline gives the anime is the ability to give us multiple angles. And while this isn't the most artistically directed anime I've seen, it definitely was well thought out.
While this anime doesn't ask any tough questions or give one that wonderful peaceful feeling, it does tell an interesting story and leaves its viewer wondering and wanting more. I loved the imaginative quality of the ending and
am likely to continue thinking about it long past next week.
*10 points to the House that gets that reference.
