Sora wo Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai

I was already a fan of the Munto series before this series was released so I was quite interested in seeing the conclusion. While I was originally very excited Kyoto Animation was giving Munto a TV adaptation, I was a bit disappointed to learn that it would contain a remake of the original material already released before. Still all Munto fans should not miss this series.

As mentioned this is a retelling of the original series with new footage. So the first 6 episodes are pretty much entirely identical to the two original OVA. There may have been a few new scenes ... intermingled in but there are basically no changes. This also means that it is not necessary for anyone to have any prior knowledge of the series in order to start this. The original series has been at times hard to find so if you have been curious about this show then you can dive right into this version without worry.

Overall I found the plot to be interesting and enjoyable but it does have some annoying flaws. Namely being that it seems to jump around to much and leaves you feeling a bit confused as to what’s going on. Things tend to be adequately explained eventually but there were quite a few head scratching moments for me. Exacerbating this is the schizophrenic way the story jumps from action packed battle scenes back to slow paced school life. In addition the dialogue at times is incredibly silly and pompous. Its possible translator did a poor job with it but I feel it probably sounded just as bad to someone fluent in Japanese.

The story, while it feels like it’s over still doesn’t feel done. I am not going to rant and rave about yet another piss poor anime conclusion because this isn’t one. However there are several key plot elements that are left intentionally vague, whether to either set the stage for a future series or just to avoid having to explain things the plot didn’t tell adequately in the first place.

Munto's main protagonist Yumemi was an interesting character. We get to delve into her personality rather deeply and most of the story is told through her perspective. I think she will be a relatable heroine to viewers as she struggles with just normal teenage girl issues and with her special ability to see the sky in a way nobody else is able to. She grows up a lot as well and discovers things about herself and learns to be more confident.

Munto himself has his own back story and motivations well fleshed out in a series of flashbacks. Though even with this I never really felt that I really got to know him all that well. Most of his screen time seems to involve him grunting and yelling, blowing stuff up in spectacular magical attacks, or pleading with Yumemi to help save the world. I can’t really say I cared much for him.

The only other character with any real depth is Ichiko. She is Yumemi's best friend and struggles to understand her and protect her from all the mysterious things happening around them. I got the feeling that she felt love for Yumemi in more than a friend kind of way but this was never pursued nor did I feel that this love was returned in kind from Yumemi, other than her own deep feelings of friendship.

The rest of the cast is mostly forgettable. Mostly because there are just too damn many of them. Many of them take up way too much story time that should have been focused on the main characters. Other than Suzume your unlikely to even remember the names of any of the others. The series would have been a lot better with half as many. Even the villains are weak and don’t have much depth. If you don’t know the bad guys name or why he is fighting against the hero then how can you care about anything they do? It basically breaks down to, I’m bad so I fight you or I’m a pompous ass who thinks only I have all the answers.

KyoAni is well known and respected for their exceptional animation work. With Munto it’s a bit of a mixed bag. They took the original OVA material and basically just touched it up but the quality of the animation as a whole feels very inconsistent. However the last few episodes which were mostly new material looked quite stunning. So even though I didn’t find it quite lived up to the high standards they have set for themselves it was still pretty good.

The music and acting are solid. Though there was a lot of screaming dialogue and a couple annoying characters who grated on my nerves. The music was good and both the OP/EN sequences were beautifully performed.

I ended up enjoying Munto quite a bit though despite my complaints. As a fantasy-adventure story it makes for an entertaining experience. While it won’t go down as a classic, I think it will be mostly liked by those who view it.

Sora wo Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai (or Munto TV for short), is the "sequel" to Kyoto Animation's original series Munto. Before you wtf and ask yourself wtf happens to the animation throughout the anime please take into consideration that most of the series consists of the recycled original OVAs that were produced a couple of years ago already.

Story: The story revolves around Yumemi, a normal girl who has a secret power in her which allows her to see the world of the magical beings who live in the sky. In that world Munto, the King of the Magical Kingdom, is in a ... constant struggle in order to save his people from various different crisis who mostly revolves around the world's energy source, the Akuto. Munto seeks Yumemi for help to save both worlds who are in danger. The premise of the story is an interesting one, however lazy writing and a constant problem of leaving plot holes unexplained can leave the viewer confused and disappointed in the story. It is a shame since the story could've felt so much more complete if better explained, and why is it only 9 episodes? extra episodes could've helped get your story pieced together better. Despite all that the story is still rather enjoyable and is definitely not the worst you'll see.

Art: This one is tricky to judge. As previously said the first couple of episodes consists of pretty much copy/pasting scenes from their original OVAs and then just giving it a color adjustment. This is a real letdown since this creates big inconsistencies in the animation as the show progresses. The first 3 episodes are OVA 1, which was produced 6 years ago, which if compared to today's animation it will certainly look inferior. The next 3 episodes are OVA 2, which where made 4 years ago, the animation is greatly improved from the first 3 episodes but the sudden change in styles may not get on people's good sides. The final 3 episodes are completely brand new Kyoto Animation animations and as expected it looks great with very fluid motion, however the sudden changes in art style might not please some people. The end result however was not a bad one and I really did enjoy the visuals for most of the show.

Sound: Something the original OVAs lacked greatly was a good OST, and this anime gives you a rather awesome one. A lot of the scores in the anime sound very impressive and gives a sense of epicness to some of the great action that this anime brings. I was really pleased with this soundtrack and it really made the show much more enjoyable.

Character: Another one of the animes rather weak points were the characters. Aside from Yumemi and Munto the anime just kinda throws characters at you whose roles end up being insignificant in the end. The main villain of the show was not that interesting, and was rather unimpressive to say the least.

Enjoyment: Despite having some issues, I really enjoyed this show, it was quite an interesting thing to see KyoAni tackle a more action oriented show and I was not disappointed by the end result. However it does feel like the production got lazy for reusing 6 year old animation instead of just remaking it from scratch in the beginning.

Overall: Munto TV was a pretty enjoyable show. If you like seeing great action accompanied with good music in a magical/fantasy setting. Then I recommend you check it out.

Story:
On one side you have the peaceful humans and on the other side are the magic-using, war-hungry "Heavenly Beings". Friends trusting each other seems to be a recurring theme in the plot. It's not your standard fantasy story with demons and rescuing a maiden though! The story requires you to pay attention. Not all concepts were explained properly, but that was okay with me since it didn't stand in the way of fun.

I didn't really have any big issues with the story. One of the characters, Suzume, gets her own little side-story early on which I thought had no relevance to the main plot. ... The only reason I can see why is because she would have had no depth at all otherwise.

Art:
You've probably seen by now that this is made by Kyoto Animation who also animated Suzumiya Haruhi, Clannad, K-On! and several other extremely popular shows. The animation may not be state of the art, but it's still pleasing to the eye and very colorful. I didn't notice any scenes where the characters looked awkward if there were any. Definitely be on the lookout for small little details you might have missed on your first time watching if you're watching it a second time like I did.

Sound:
Not much to complain about here. The opening song is by Eufonius, best known for remixing Mag Mell for the first Clannad season. The ending song is by Ceui, who also made the ending song for the anime "sola". Personally, I liked both songs. The background music throughout the show helps set the mood and raise the tension where needed.

Character:
Yumemi, the main character, has great character development throughout the show. It's a nice change to see a girl character who isn't a total doormat for once. She is actually the one who saves the day instead of being saved every time. Her friends are there to support her which makes me like them and Yumemi more.

The other main character, Munto, who the series is named after also gets some good back-story and development. He starts out rather impatient but slowly learns to trust Yumemi. His back-story was understandable but it could've gotten more attention in my opinion.

The rest of the characters are not so developed but that's understandable due to the shortness of the series. One thing that bugs me is that they could've explained the motivation behind the main bad guy better.

Enjoyment:
I enjoyed this anime even more the second time I watched it. What I enjoyed the most is how I got sucked into the Munto universe for awhile (no pun intended). It's original fantasy fun.

Overall:
This show is a mix of several genres like fantasy, romance, action and slice of life all put into a short nine episode show. If you like any of those then why not try it? I wish there were more episodes.