Kita e.: Diamond Dust Drops (Diamond Daydreams)

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Alternative Titles

English: Diamond Daydreams

Synonyms: Northward: Diamond Dust Drops

Japanese: 北へ。～Diamond Dust Drops～

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 12

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jan 20, 2004 to Apr 5, 2004

Premiered: Winter 2004

Broadcast: Unknown

Producers: None found, add some

Licensors: ADV Films

Studios: Studio Deen

Source: Visual novel

Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 6.70¹ (scored by 1,995 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score. Please note that 'Not yet aired' titles are excluded.

Ranked: #4903²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #4638

Members: 6,891

Favorites: 8

6.70

Ranked #4903Popularity #4638Members 6,891

Winter 2004TVStudio Deen

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Episodes: /12

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Synopsis

If a couple sees the diamond dust together, then they will certainly find eternal happiness. Or so it is said. This is a drama about the romances, friendships and conflicts of six girls from Hokkaido and how the diamond dust affects them and eventually links them together in the search for happiness.

(Source: ANN)

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Related Anime

Side story:	Kita e.: Diamond Dust Drops Special
Other:	Kita e: Pure Session

More characters
Characters & Voice Actors

Asahina, Kyoko

Main

Noto, Mamiko
Japanese

Shiraishi, Karin

Main

Takahashi, Ao
Japanese

Kitano, Suomi

Main

Amase, Mayu
Japanese

Harada, Akari

Main

Watanabe, Akeno
Japanese

Saibara, Shoko

Main

Takano, Urara
Japanese

Akanegi, Atsuko

Main

Ishihara, Eriko
Japanese

Kurata, Jouji

Supporting

Takada, Yuji
Japanese

Jinguuji, Minoru

Supporting

Kamiya, Hiroshi
Japanese

More staff
Staff

Shirahata, Nobuo

Director

Kobayashi, Katsuyoshi

Sound Director

Kosaka, Harume

Episode Director, Storyboard

Okada, Mari

Script, Screenplay

Edit Opening Theme

"Hop Step Jump" by Five Spirits

Edit Ending Theme

"Aitai ~Love Theme from Kita e.~" by ALLEY:A

More reviewsReviews

Sep 12, 2008

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

MapleRose (All reviews)

28 people found this review helpful

STORY

Diamond Dust, when the moisture in the air freezes in the cold mornings, it sparkles like diamonds. The legend of Diamond Dust says that if you're lucky enough to see it with the one you love, you'll be happy together, or you can wish upon it and find happiness.

This is the central theme to the stories of love, friendship, and self-discovery about six girls in Hokkaido of northern Japan. Each has two episodes dedicated to them (except for Suomi).

Episode 1 & 2 focus on Atsuko Akanegi, a 20-year-old girl who runs a fish-market with her mother that her late father left. They don't have a read more

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Apr 26, 2008

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

NotARandomName (All reviews)

19 people found this review helpful

I have been eyeing this series for a while but always put it towards the bottom of my to-watch list due to its obscurity. Now that I finally managed to watch it, I have to say I'm very surprised this series hasn't had more recognition.

The series is a collection of several virtually unrelated short stories each spanning 1-2 episodes and a final episode tying them all together (sort of). It may seem a bit off-putting to some, but I found that this partitioning was a great decision on the part of the team and managed to keep the whole series lively. I can confidently say that there isn't even one scene that feels dragged on, which is a fact that many longer series could learn a lot from.

Story

If you're looking for original plot, prepare to be disappointed. All of the stories in this series follow classic romance/drama plots - there's a young girl fleeing from arranged marriage, a hard-working girl taking care of her drunkard father, a stalker story - in short, it's the same plots used in tens if not hundreds of romance stories for centuries. However, you shouldn't judge the book by its cover, as each of these stories is not only very well polished, but also has a little unique twist somewhere that sets it apart from the sea of mediocre romantic fiction. Of particular interest are the endings; I'm yet to see a series with ending as well-fitting as Kita e's. They're neither universally sad nor universally happy, but every one of them felt just right - as if it was meant to be and the story couldn't have possibly ended any other way. The only reason this is not a 10 is that some of the stories have a little bit more drama than romance, which is not necessarily bad, but not what I personally prefer.

Art

The animation is certainly good, and the colours in particular strongly enhance the serene atmosphere. However, there're two problems: first is the character proportions being a bit unnatural for adults which the characters are supposed to be. The second is that the details quality seems to jump wildly every once in a while. Some scenes feel very awkward - as if the artist had a great vision and selected the best colours for the job but ended up not being able to put them into shape so the whole scene is flooded with distorted lines, strange camera angles, blurry borders and clashing surfaces that no longer feel three-dimensional. Thankfully, that happens only a few times and the rest of the show is drawn very beautifully.

Sound

The voices are cute and background audio is good on the whole, but there're a few points where the silence lasts longer than it probably should, and in the last episode the tinkling of diamond dust that's supposed to be so very special didn't sound much better than nails on a chalkboard to me, but it's probably just my own prejudices. The opening song is simple and lively but feels a bit out of place, since the rest of the show is somewhat mellow and nostalgic. The ending, with its slow, flowing vocals and gentle music, on the other hand, complements the atmosphere perfectly.

Characters

Most of the main characters are very likeable and the few that aren't at least have very distinct and memorable personalities - there're almost none of the usual cardboard filler extras anywhere in this anime. Despite the brevity of each story, the writers managed to fit quite a bit of character growth into them, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that they were using tried and true plots rather than inventing their own problems and solutions to fit the characters.

Enjoyment

The show is as enjoyable as they come. Its gentle, nostalgic atmosphere puts the viewer at ease, while the excellent pacing keeps it from getting boring. Being divided into short stories also makes casual watching much easier since you don't have to keep track of a hundred intertwining plots.

On the whole, Kita e is a very solid show that puts together the best parts of romance anime and polishes them to perfection. Highly recommended.

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Nov 26, 2009

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

Shidira (All reviews)

7 people found this review helpful

Story: This story is done in a non-typical fashion. This is a story about six different women who are dealing with situations that are not outside the realm of occurrences that could happen to anyone. This anime takes each woman, except one, and dedicates two episodes to their brief daily story. Each story starts by showing that woman within her everyday life, and by the end of the first episode, shows one major conflict in their life. The second episode picks up where the previous left off and continues to show what each woman finds as a solution to their conflict, tying up each story nicely. The only exception is the woman in episode seven, which is done all in just that single episode.

While each of these stories seems to have nothing in common, the final episode actually ties them together really well. It takes these individual characters who have never met, all from different parts of Japan, and brings them together with one thing in common, diamond dust, which is said to bring couples eternal happiness if seen together.

I gave the story a nine due in large part to episode seven. While the rest of the women were dedicated two episodes, this woman only got one. Her story was done decently, but it either could have been removed or expanded to one more episode. It felt a little like laziness at that point. Besides that, the rest of the story was done well, for what was trying to be accomplished at the end.

Animation: The animation used was well done. Bright colors were used as much as the more neutral colors and were placed in good spots. The usage of colors throughout these episodes really helped evoke the appropriate emotions during specific times. The night view of the city in episode one, the sunset used in episode five, and the diamond dust shown in episode eleven are just a few examples of the beautiful animations used. The characters were drawn decent, though a touch bland, but not enough to detract from the enjoyment of the animation this series brings.

Sound: The sounds used were excellent! The opening and ending songs were brilliant and fit the series well. The music was an incredible source for bringing out each emotion as it fit each situation. Each song was well placed and fit the mood perfectly. The sounds used for the everyday events were done just as well as the rest.

Characters: Though the worst rated section of this review, the characters were actually really well done. The characters had interesting stories, but were not done unrealistically. Each woman's story was something that has most likely happened in one form or another to someone in real life. There is not much known about each character outside the events within the episodes, but for this type of anime, it is not needed. The stories each character goes through is just enough to see what a part of their life is like, which is exactly how the viewer is supposed to see it. Never to get the whole story, but glimpse just a small part of everyday life.

The characters were given an eight because of a few minor problems. The girl from episode seven could have used a little more back-story, as previously stated, so another episode should have been given to her or just had her taken out. Some of the other characters acted in ways that people of their disposition would not act. For example, in episode nine, the main character, who is a radio talk show hostess, goes through a rough spot in her life and she accidently broadcasts it over the radio. One of her biggest fans breaks into the radio station to help her out of her depression and she lets him get arrested, even though he is portrayed as saving her career.

For the little time each character is given, they progress from one point to another in their lives very well.

Overall: Minus a few small problems with some of the characters and a little part of the story, this anime was very well done. For those who enjoy a slice-of-life anime, this is one of the better series out there. For those who do not enjoy much romance or slice-of-life, the music, animation, and the way the story is told make it worth the watch. This anime presents a perfect balance of comedy, everyday life, romance, and basic human conflicts. Even with the few problems, this anime definitely warrants a nine.

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Jun 6, 2017

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 6

DanglesMcNulty (All reviews)

2 people found this review helpful

This review contains no spoliers.

Kita e.: Diamond Dust Drops is broken up into various 2-3 episode vignettes that follow various female characters and their lives in Hokkaido. They all center around romance.

First things first, because this anime is broken up into these vignettes it is EXTREMELY hit or miss. At times I wanted to give certain story arcs an 8/10 overall but others a 3/10. The setting of the show is probably the best part. Not enough anime are set in winter/Hokkaido. To be honest, I would skip the story arcs that you don't enjoy and watch the ones you care about read more

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	Poll: Kita e.: Diamond Dust Drops Episode 12 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 28, 2013	3 replies	by rsc-pl »» Nov 17, 2017 2:24 PM
	Poll: Kita e.: Diamond Dust Drops Episode 11 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 28, 2013	3 replies	by rsc-pl »» Nov 17, 2017 1:54 PM

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