Tanjou: Debut

Tanjou: Debut is an odd little OVA, with two episodes of completely different substance and style that feel like parts of two different anime- a disjointedness which diminishes the overall quality of this title significantly. Still, each episode when considered on its own isn't necessarily bad, just somewhat unremarkable. Beginning with the story, it feels fractured as a whole, but passingly entertaining on the basis of individual episodes. Episode 1 feels like a bog-standard mix of shoujo and slice of life, with a dash of somewhat generic 90s flare thrown in. Episode 2 feels like a bizarre supernatural plot, with ... an eerie if somewhat confused paranormal mechanism at play. Each on their own is fine, exhibiting nothing especially good or bad, but the fact that they seem to take place in two completely divorced timelines is downright jarring, especially since they don't bother giving you any warning whatsoever. It's so disorienting seeing two characters who were essentially sworn rivals in one episode being lifelong childhood friends in another, and even more bizarre that one character who is a high school girl and regular supporting character in the first episode, died in childhood and is essentially some sort of bizarre benevolent spirit character in the second. If this was established more clearly in the show, or through its description, or even any of its branding, this would have been less jarring, but it wasn't established, and it is extremely jarring. This is the show's greatest sin as far as I'm concerned, and costs it dearly in terms of the score it receives.

Next, the art meets the basic standards of quality for the time, with perhaps some outrageous aesthetic choices, like the whole 'wrapping paper isn't hair' joke that's sprung up among the few who have watched this anime at the time of this writing. It's hard to judge it in the first place, given the available copy for this review was a truly ancient VHS rip in glorious 480p, but it's clear enough that the animation isn't all that bad, but the art direction can go a little over the top at times, and it really does earn that joke about the hair.

The sound is perhaps the strongest aspect of this anime, with voice acting that feels surprisingly emotional and realistic considering the project it's in.

The characters are fine, if a little shallow, and it's not really worth picking favorites considering the fact that Aki, Kumi, and Saori all get a pretty even share of characterization, but Aki is probably the most established, if by a thin margin. Overall, Tanjou: Debut is a pretty forgettable little OVA, but nonetheless brings something to the table for people really interested in domestic 90s aesthetics laid on as thick as possible, especially in episode 1. This is best considered supplementary material for the relatively obscure game it's adapting, and otherwise feels confusing and orphaned from essential context. There are worse OVAs out there, but there are also much better ones, and definitely ones which make more sense than this one.