Otona Joshi no Anime Time

"With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone." - Oscar Wilde

With the passing of every year one can't help but feel nostalgic at times. As you get older, you might find yourself asking, "Where did all the time go?" or "When did I get so old?" In those moments, we often find ourselves looking back towards the past. There were moments that you felt happy and sad, content and depressed, ecstatic and lazy, full of love and full of regret. There were the soaring highs and there were the abysmal lows. There were moments when you wondered what if. Would things have turned out ... differently? Did I make the wrong choices? The possibilities are so vast that they can make your mind wander endlessly. However, the past is the past and what's done is done. After all, what good is a life that starts with an "if"? You are right here.

Otona Joshi no Anime Time is a set of four short stories that peer into the lives of Japanese women. This isn't a series that's full of bliss, but rather a crude, unpolished look at what life really is, and can be like. For some, it may be extremely touching and heartfelt. For others, it might seem uninteresting and boring. Having completed all four of the episodes myself, I would say that this series is deliberately intended for a more mature audience. It's a series that makes you look over your shoulder, wondering if you made the right choices. It's a series that makes you afraid of getting old. It's a series that makes you want to go home and tell your mom that you love her.

Each episode has their own varying degree of earnestness and subtleties; some of the stories come off as very disheartening, and others empowering. However, within each episode lies a lesson. Using well-crafted symbolism, dialogue, and direction, it's as if you've been bestowed with a little bit of life's wisdom after each twenty minute segment. It's empowering and it's beautiful. The art, animation, and sound were good, all being somewhat different, yet fitting. But that's not what's really important here. It's not something you watch to be wowed by visuals. It's something you watch to be wowed by realism.

At some point or another in your anime-watching lifetime, you should watch these episodes. It's not because they're episodes full of cutesy girls doing cute things, mindless shounen asspull entertainment, pixelated crotch teasers, or 2deep4u plot twists. You should watch these episodes because they showcase what it means to live.

Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze is one of those rare anime that gives a beautiful yet painful look into a woman's life. There are no gigantic eyes, no moe blushes, just a brief inner monologue concerning hopes and dreams, reality and all of life's "what if's."

With only 24 minutes, Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze manages to give us a highly in-depth into Noriko's life, from her adolescent days to the near-finish of her lonely marriage. While it would be hard to describe the plot without giving much away, just know that it's good.

The art and sound are nothing revolutionary, but fitting. The animation mixes photo-realism and a ... soft and simplistic style, but manages to be incredibly expressive. There is nothing particular in Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze that makes it 'stand out,' but the soft colors and gentle narration creates a calming atmosphere that manages to draw the watcher in flawlessly.

Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze is by no means a perfect piece of work, but the sometimes heart wrenching portrayal of Noriko's life is something so rarely seen in anime today. It cuts straight to the heart of things and manages to stay grounded in reality. While said to be aimed at middle-aged women, Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze can be enjoyed anyone looking for a brief and beautiful portrayal of the modern Japanese woman.

Moderator note: The following review is for the first one-shot, Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze. Three additional one-shots aired under the same title and were merged into this entry in 2013.

„Though the Asano River is known as the woman river, she always used to feel like an independent girl. Looking at her now, her banks sawn by slabs of concrete, controlling the current, this river is now more of a crude lady.”

Noriko, a 33 year-old woman, who lived abroad for 5 years, returns to her home town with her 4 year-old son. While she walks the small town she used to live in, we ... slowly get to know of her past and her current life.

This anime takes us not only into the mind and feelings of the main character. It tells us a story of life, decisions we made and reminisces of what could have been if we had followed a different path.

The style in which this anime is directed is wonderful. Small gestures, the movements of the eyelids, the many different appearances of the main character in each time skip, they all tell us more of Noriko than the many monologues we’ll hear from her, can describe. And the monologues are great. They are thoughtful yet never haunting; throughout the episode she narrates her story in a level-headed impartial style, which leaves us only our own opinion to judge her in the end.

The music is fitting; it is most of the time subtle but takes action when needed and contributes nicely to the atmosphere of the story. The animation is solid.

This anime may not be that enjoyable for those who are still not old enough for having to face important decisions you made. But for those, who have already set foot onto a path they have chosen, this anime is a nice intermission to look back for a moment, getting nostalgic and then turn your head and step towards to the stories life will offer in the future.

Given, that this anime manages to tell such an intriguing story in a single episode of 25 minutes, I gave it a score of 9.
In this short amount of time, this anime did everything right.

I’m looking forward to seeing more from the director of this anime.

And the morale of the story is, "Live for yourself and to the fullest because life waits for no one."

After watching all four of the short stories the experience left me feeling nostalgic, and with an overall sense of warm happiness, [b]however[/b] it also left me with a feeling of fear in regards to the future.

The short stories center around the lives of 4 different women between their late 20s to early 40s. The stories primarily focus on the age old theme of love; whether that be love in the form of friendship, motherly love, love of an old lover, or the love within ... a new romantic relationship. It also delves into matters of life in general through the eyes of these women; life as a mother, wife, girlfriend, and worker. Sometimes things are lighthearted and fun, while at other times there is a stark portrayal of a dull grey life.

It is a slow paced, slice of life romance josei drama so if you don't like such genres you may not enjoy it. However, I have to admit that I personally don't usually watch enjoy such genres but this I did enjoy immensely. Even though I am pretty young, I could still relate to their problems and emotions which was probably why I enjoyed it so much.

In conclusion, I really did like this anime and would recommend it to most girls but possibly only guys who like slice of life, drama and romance anime.

This type of anime is probably my favorite , i love the calm story-telling anime with new characters every episode very much but this one was a bit different .
I didn't like this one probably because of the way it was presented , the anime tries to make it like all the main characters are good characters and what they did was right , for example : the first episode had a very very shitty person as the main character , someone who cheated on their lover and hid the fact that she was pregnant from another man from her husband , the same thing ... with the 2nd episode .
While it may not have been planned but it feels like the anime is trying to say that cheating is ok as long as you don't love your husband/wife and tries to say that they deserve to be happy despite cheating on their loved ones which i personally hated that .
The 3rd episode was nice tbh i thought for once in a while that an adult looking older character was cute and it had that funny ending with her so called "childhood friend"
The 4th episode was the best one because it had someone with actual dignity in it that was trying to defend herself and be a good person and it also had actual relatable worries and dealing with them not just using excuses to cheat or run away like in the first 2 episodes .
So pretty much i give the episodes these ratings : 1 , 3 , 6 , 8.
Overall i give it a 5 but wouldn't recommend it to anyone .

Otona Joshi no Anime Time is a series of four episodes. Every episode has a different woman as the main character and we get to see a bit of her daily life as well as get to know her thoughts. I really liked this show because the women depicted are just ordinary people and even though nothing really extraordinary happens to them it is easy to empathize with them. Every episode has a different type of animation and they all look really good.

The first episode has a somberness to it. It kinda of reminded me of a Murakami short-story.
The second one is cute and ... romantic but hides some serious subjects.
The third episode was the one I enjoyed the most. Probably because it's the funnier and the main character learns to laugh at herself.
The last episode is the one that seemed more common, as in more relatable. I can think of a few women I know that have similar lives to the life the this main character has.

None of the episodes has a conclusive ending to it and there's no big changes in these characters lives. Some learn lessons, other don't, but that isn't the point. The objective is to show that everyone has wishes and desires and hopes and regrets. The show does not really pass judgment on any of these women, it just shows who they are. And there's something very relatable on every of them. The honest and intimate way their thoughts and actions are portrayed brings out the viewer's emotions and insecurities. All of the characters seem real and that's one of the bigger compliments I can think of.

Not for kids. You guys have read the Synopsis. All the 4 stories comes down to choices that women make. They are really powerful stories. Each story presents a different perspective. This is a definite watch for adults with open mind.

Episode 1 fells like the woman made the wrong choice, but who was to say how the world would have been like of she made the other choice. We just make a choice and hope for the best, but those choices are bound by our desires, like money, status, respect among everybody or a nice man with whom one might not have a rich life ... as per society's standards but definitely a rich life as a small good happy family. She couldn't decide, went for a social richness and somehow everything just falls apart. She tries to come back, but sees the other road is no longer open. She makes decisions again, smiles, lies and sitting at the river of her hometown she sees she is now left alone only with her little kid, alone at the place where it all started, a place which held possibilities, but which now only seems like a faded dawn, yet she smiles.

Episode 2 might be only one with perfect positive ending. A married woman who has always been told to do thing, parents, husband, in-laws and even her younger sister. A woman who always takes care of her responsibilities, but is never appreciated by anyone. She finds someone, whom she feels is a nice man and wants to be with him. Running away, living with the person she finally loves she comes to the realization of why she loves him, why she needs him. In the end everything works out well for her with an event where she thinks that the husband she ran away from might not be as bad as she thought, or rather she might be worse but everything coming to closure as she looks forward to the new life with her lover, who above all appreciates her.

Episode 3 shows the crisis of a 40 year old unmarried woman, who wants to have a happy life. Her excited school reunion with her middle school crush turns out a scam, she just laughs it off. True it might not be anything dramatic, rather something to just laugh and walk on, she again realizes she still has no person to share her life with.

Episode 4, might get some people down. A 43 year old housewife who takes care of entire family, even works part time at night when her husband loses job, is unappreciated by everyone. A son who says he hates to have dinner with his family, a daughter who doesn't come home, a mother who just keeps makes her life worse, a guy who tries to hit on her. When her relationship with her daughter turns somewhat sour how she comes back to take things, if not much, slightly in control to realize that she is not just living for others she has or rather will live for herself as well.

This is more or less a short movie. A very light hearted storyline with more inclination towards reality and pragmatism and the way we lead our lives now a days. This is about a girl who looks back into the past and ponders over the decision she took then "what if". Our whole life revolves around such "whats if"s. Its a simple and peaceful story with a lot of hidden meanings inside. Watching it brings calmness to your mind and you feel a lot of warmth inside you.
I won't recommend this to just anyone. But people who love anime and are mature enough to understand ... how life actually revolves around them. It is in short an adorable movie.

Otona Joshi no Anime Time is a best way to tell story about realistic adult woman.
story 7
at first glace you may think that this is just a pure netorare story, but the hidden values and story is more than that, NOT ONLY ABOUT CHEATING. Especially episode 3 and 4 is show what's the meaning of growing up and be more mature+STRONG woman.
on one side we may think that the moral values of this anime is extremely bad,
character 7
on the other side this is a realistic-modern story about independent woman, a woman who don't care about what people say as long as they can achieve happiness ... after going through so much pain.

art 10
they combine animation and real setting, which is it is very unique and fresh
the art use good colour too, i can make anology that the art is as same as vintage wallpaper.

sound and enjoyment 10
i am quite sure that it's hard to predict the ending of this anime, which is always keep me watch it non stop until the end (especially episode 3).

overall 8

The best parts of this were the sound effects and the artwork. Mixing the usual soft sytle for the characters with some kind of photo extrapolated backgrounds really added to the overal picture. The sounds were so realistic that when I was not looking, I would have believed it was live action.
The main problem I have with this special was the characters, mainly the lead. I don't like her. I don't hate her, but there is just not a lot to like either. She regrets the decisions she has made, but anyone with some common sense could have advised her ... better than what she did. Whenever she discribed her marraige, it seemed like it was just something to accomplish without really dealing with any strong emotions. Then having trouble when they grow apart. Big surprise there.
Overall, I won't remember this a day or two from now. The only surprising thing was when the boy smiled at the end. Was trying to be cute but came of pretty creepy to me.

So obviously this anime isn't for everyone, but for me (29 F), it was perfect. Everything from the stories to art style were very enjoyable for someone who has aged out of a lot of anime. I was looking for a short, simple, more mature show I could enjoy with a drink and whew boy I found it.
Each ep revolved around a different matured woman, a POV in anime rarely seen. These women tended to have some degree of a selfish streak, but you know what? Good for them. I found myself rooting for them no mater how flawed their approach to life was. ...
I think many fellow older women will find these 4 stories relatable and enjoyable, especially if you still haven't quite found your way.

So I’m writing this review just to clear up my thoughts on this series. Otona Joshi no Anime Time is a collection of four stories, each bearing a different message and each presenting new characters. The show was mesmerizing for the reason that it was done by studio Bones, a studio you should rely on when it comes to aesthetics. As soon as I saw it, I put it in my plan-to-watch list — it’s been there for quite a while now. So I finally decided to check it out, and here are my thoughts.

I will list all four stories and what I thought about ... each.

Episode one:

My first impression with this episode was that studio Bones lived up to my expectations and did a pretty job with the visuals.
Now, going into the story, we are greeted by Noriko, the protagonist. She has a child — but that’s not what’s interesting about her. What’s interesting is the fact that the story goes back and forth between the present and the past, putting a contrast between young Noriko, and old Noriko.

There may be a lot of shows that do this — going back and forth between the past and present — but I haven’t seen it done in anime frequently (again, I know it has been done before, just not very commonly). Even something like Naruto with its filler episodes doesn’t count as what I’m describing. Because with Otona Joshi, it very frequently goes back and forth — which was the main thing that made this show engaging. “Great. A show that’s done something not commonly done,” I thought.
Going to the main story though, this show isn’t really special with its storytelling. It wasn’t really bad though — I actually prefer this episode/story over any other episode of this show (except for episode two). But this was pretty much your everyday, “I slept with a guy, and then many years later, I got married with another one. Then I beget a child, and that child isn’t my husband’s, but the guy I slept with.”
Even though I’ve seen this many times before, I still pretty much liked this episode.

6/10.

Episode two:

Unpopular opinion: this is the best episode of this show. Well, aside from the fact that the guy compared the girl to a freaking — I’m not joking — a bird, cat, or whatever. This was the most “WTF” moment of the whole show. Actually, I take that back. Read episode three to discover something more “WTF-y”.
In any case, this is an odd story about a woman who falls in love with a waste collector/dustman, because she can. That’s literally the only reason. That’s why this story is more “odd” unlike the last one.
Because Mimi’s reason for existence is not that relatable, unless you are a housewife of something. Her reason for existence is to cook for his lover, have intercourse, sleep — that’s it. This is basically a slice-of-life episode. But that’s why I liked it.
As for the visuals, I’m highly disappointed. No one has a nose.

I have nothing more to say for this episode aside from WHO THE HELL CALLS HIS LOVER A FREAKING ANIMAL?

6.5/10

Moving on to episode three:

The worst episode by far. One thing that I hate, which is commonly used in fiction and self-help books, etc., is this: “I was a child and thought of the future as though I’d get married at 20 and have children at 30 and have white hair at 50 — but that’s not what happened. I ended up having such a depressing life and I became addicted to alcohol and became depressed, and addicted to alcohol, and became depressed, and did I mention the fact that I became addicted to alcohol?”

I hate this trope so much. That’s not how life is at all. Life is actually pretty mediocre and not as depressing as they make it out to be. 95% of the time, life IS just graduating from college, getting married, having children, and growing old. What else is it otherwise? Such a misrepresentation, so commonly used... so incorrect.
Anyway, I mentioned the fact that episode two had a “WTF” moment, but episode three had worse. What exactly is more ridiculous that calling your girlfriend an animal, you ask? A random guy suddenly appearing and cosplaying as your old crush back in school and having intercourse with you in a hotel, and then you finding out the fact that he wasn’t actually your old crush, but a stranger you haven’t met before. How did he know her name and for what reason he did that and how much of a chance is there for a doppelgänger to appear, I don’t freaking know.
Such a meaningless episode. I hated it. Visual-wise, it was meh.

2/10

Last but not least, episode four:

Umm, what...? I’m not trolling right here, what happened? I can’t, and probably can‘t ever comprehend what happened in this episode. Maybe because I’m not a parent? (Also, why is every protagonist from this show a female? Not to be sexist or anything, just wondering)

Visual-wise: meh.

4/10

The end.

Don’t look into this review much. It’s as mediocre as any review on MyAnimeList can get. I just wanted to clear my thoughts.

I hope you enjoyed the read :)

I only watched the 4th episode after completing the 1st. Found this series through an article about mature romances, but it was just straight depressing. The woman from the first episode is an evil piece of shit. She passed on a dude that had feelings for her even though it was mutual, ignored him for 10 years, fucked him before her wedding with another man, got pregnant with the dude and never told the man she married that he wasn't the father; went back 5 years later to check up on the other dude, and lied to him about the age of her son so ... the guy wouldn't know that it was his kid.

She's evil because she committed paternity fraud by cheating on her husband and forcing him to pay for another man's kid for 4 years, and then she hides the kid from his actual father. I feel so bad for all the men in this situation, especially the son, but the show doesn't punish the woman or show her in a negative light. It doesn't praise her either, but what was the point of it all? I thought it was supposed to be a mature romance.

The fourth episode was rough too. I like how it ended with the character trying to adopt a better outlook on life, but the part where she accused her pushy asshole coworker of rape felt weird because all he done up to that point was drive her to get drinks. Just seems like this show demonizes men, but never holds the female characters accountable.

This is a very good one, however not an anime I probably would have enjoyed watching in my teens or even my early 20s. There are some obvious low-effort artworks and animations in the episodes. At times the plot does not seem to move along fast enough. Also there are points when the expected plot development fizzles out somewhat. Yet, I loved it. I love to find that there are anime shows like these for someone at my age.

This show consists to 4 episodes, with 4 short-stories as plots for each, with central characters all women.

If you are past the age to watch ... anime shows targeted towards teenagers or YAs, give this a try.
Yeah, I know... there are not many you get to watch and re-watching old favourites can be tiring at times.

Otona Joshi no Anime Time, This anime is beyond trash level.. You recommend NTR<cheating> fetish of yours, and I guess maximum viewers haven't that kind of interest. REVIEW
STORY1- FMC<The lead character> married and they have a child. But they only a married couple only on paper, she is fine with taking care of her son while his husband busy in work, she even considered divorce also. But the reality is different. She had affair with a crush just before marriage<she wanted to spend one night with her crush, before marriage>. Her crush even proposed to her and ask not to leave him, But she left<I ... guess she dated her husband before and she came back only for one night stand -- LOL> In fact the child is also his crush's <lol cheated before marriage>. So she decided to move back to him and divorce her husband. But she found out her crush lived a happy life with his own family, so SHE decided not TO reveal the identity of her son<lol>. Still, I feel bad for her husband-- NTR
STORY 2 - FMC married a workaholic guy who didn't appreciate her cooking. So she felt sad and start an affair with a normal guy<who collects garbage> and she was happy because he appreciates her cooking. Later her husband found about her cheating, so he decided to give divorce and not disclose the cheating thing of his wife. later the wife<FMC> married to worker guy. HAPPY end<LOL>
STORY 3 -- I skipped
STORY 4 -- FMC is a housewife having 2 adult children. She also works in a convenience store for the financial issue. None of her children respects her. Her daughter lives somewhere else in her friend's house and her son even don't want to eat with his parents. She feels sorry for her daughter, one day her daughter decides to leave her house permanently <because she doesn't like her family-- again lol, I don't find any reason, she just hates the way her mother lives, seriously lol excuse or pathetic anime whatever> Then she suddenly asked her son to give the keys of bicycle<she has her own bicycle.> when her son is okay then she suddenly asked another question that if he wants a bicycle then he has to ask permission. Then her son told that the bicycle is his graduation gift, so she angered over his reply and slapped him. She has various thoughts as she treated as an object for her family yet no one praise her<lol that's called responsibilities, lol her daughter is obviously mental and at the end, she also becomes one -- probably when her son also leave her<btw her husband doesn't give appreciation to her work, she even thought if she was younger she had the chance for cheating>
SO OVERALL STORY--- IT ONLY GLORIFY CHEATING AND ITS COMMON IN ALL STORY THAT THEIR HUSBANDS DON'T GIVE APPRECIATION THEIR WORK, SO IT'S OKAY TO HAVE AFFAIR/CHEATING...
IT CAN BE UNDERSTANDABLE TO THE NTR FETISH PEOPLE BUT NOT FOR NORMALPEOPLE