Kita e.: Diamond Dust Drops

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 ... lot of money, and Atsuko has to work while her friends go out to have fun. There is a guy who wants to marry her, and he would help with her finances, but Atsuko has a crush on a jazz musician, who tells her the story of Diamond Dust. She doesn't want to marry for money, and wishes her mother would see that. But she doesn't realise that her mother understands her feelings more than she knows. Her story is about mother-daughter relationships, as well as searching for your happiness: what makes us happy? Money? Love?

Episode 3 & 4 are about Karin Shiraishi, a 15-year-old girl who is hospitalized with a serious illness, but refuses to go through with surgery because she is scared. This story is about self-discovery, and being able to find the courage within you to go forward. I like this story the most, because I'm able to connect with it and relate to it the most, because sometimes I think I really am spoiled, and I don't even realise it. And we all have moments when we're scared and find it hard to discover the couragous side of ourselves. Karin is a pretty human character, because she is selfish and spoiled, but also kind and wants to get better even though she's scared.

Episode 5 & 6 are about Kyouko Asahina, who is rather uptight and bossy. She's just too driven on her own goals to see what everyone else must be feeling. A talented film-maker, she wants to create the perfect film to win the festival, but is frustrated that nobody can understand the pressure she's going through, not even her boyfriend. In the process, she forgot why she started filming in the first place, and how fun filming was. It takes some trials for her to finally realise what it is that she wants to create. Her story is about learning to appreciate something while you have it, because sometimes, you don't realise how much it means to you until it's gone. I didn't like Kyouko's character too much at first, because a lot of times she really is unreasonable and selfish. But she's also very passionate about what she loves to do, and that passion blinds her judgement sometimes. Really, Kyouko is a very human character, representing the selfishness and passion in all of us.

Episode 7 is about Suomi Kitano, a figure skater who had an accident and stopped competing because of it. The accident involves her best friend and skating rival, whom she wished back then on the Diamond Dust to share the gold medal with. Then she meets Haruto, a skater who fought with his friend because of skating, and he asks her to skate with him. Going onto the ice, Suomi remembers how fun skating was, and how it shouldn't come between friends. Her story is about friendship and loving what you do. Even though her friend was skating rival, neither of them let that come between their friendship. Her story is the only one with one episode, and I wished it would be longer. Suomi is a bit strange, but she is cheerful and gives good advice.

Episode 8 & 9 involves a radio-broadcaster named Shouko Saibara, who is having an affair with a married man, but he doesn't answer her and doesn't see her much. It got to a point where she wonders if she's always talking to an answering machine, just like how she's only talking to a microphone at work. Her show involves people sending in stories and questions about romance, and she gives them advice. But one day, she wonders if she should really be giving other people advice on love when she can't even take care of herself. Then she starts to wonder if she can be heard at all, or is she merely talking to the microphone. This story is about knowing that you are heard, and that you are important to someone, even though you may not realise it. Shouko is also very human, in that she has doubts about herself, like we all do sometimes.

Episode 10 & 11 focus on Akari Harada, whose father drinks a lot, and goes to find gold dust instead of working. He is the one who tells Akari about the Diamond Dust, and how he went to see it with her mother. At first I thought her father was horrible, but later on, I realised that her father is just a man who wants to chase his dreams and live the way he would be happiest. He passes this message on to Kurokawa, a friend of Akari's at work, who gave up making sweets because he didn't think he was good enough. This story is about chasing your dreams and not giving up. This one is perhaps the saddest out of the six.

The last episode ties up everything, and brings everyone together, and answers some of those questions left in the previous episodes.

The stories themselves are really touching and sweet, despite their rather ordinary settings and plots. And this is what makes this series special: the ability to move the audience.

ART

The style of the characters is not all that special or different. But perhaps that is meant to be, because the girls are meant to represent typical girls.

However, the backgrounds are very beautiful. Many of the settings are based on real places in Hokkaido. The night city in episodes 1 and 2, and the sunset scene in episodes 5 and 6 are especially memorable. Also, I love how they represented the beauty of the Diamond Dust itself.

VOICES

The voices are mostly well-done, suiting the characters. I did find that Atsuko's voice is a bit too high-pitched for someone her age. But otherwise, the girls are well-portrayed, even though nothing really stands out all that much.

MUSIC

Music is one of the strength of this series. The background music is rather unique. It sounds like a mixture of Chinese bamboo flute and Erhu (Chinese 2-stringed fiddle), and it's quite soothing to listen to, and a bit sad. It helps bring out the emotions of those important moments. However, the same (or similar) song is played throughout the series, and I wish that there were a bit more variation, or a theme song of some sort for each girl. The most memorable is the ending theme "Aitai ~Love Theme from Kita e.~" by ALLEY:A. It's beautiful and moving, and very suitable for the series. I'm not too fond of the opening theme "Hop Step Jump" by Five Spirits. It's a high-energy and happy song, which, while energizes the audience, doesn't quite fit with the theme of the stories.


PRESENTATION

I think this is the greatest strength of the series. I love how it's set up like a series of short stories, connected with a common theme, and tied up at the end. It is ordinary at first glance in terms of plot and characters, but I found it special because of the emotional impact it has, and how I am able to relate to the stories (yes I cried a lot, get some tissues ready). It's not for those who like action/adventure or fast-paced stories, but if you're into drama and slice-of-life romance, and want something sweet and touching, then I definately recommend it.

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.

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.