D.C.: Da Capo

Hatsunejima abounds in mysteries—one of which is the town's unwithering cherry trees that are said to grant the most genuine wishes. There are also rumors of people possessing supernatural powers, like Junichi Asakura, who can see other people's dreams and create sweets out of nothing. Alongside his sister Nemu, he enjoys living in peace with his friends at Kazami Academy but chooses to shroud his identity in secrecy.

His tranquil school life comes to a halt when he finds out that his childhood friend Sakura Yoshino has returned from America after six years. She is there for one purpose: to fulfill the promises she made long ago with Junichi. Little does anyone know, however, that Sakura's appearance is bound to change everyone's lives—for better or worse.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Asakura, Nemu Main

Nogawa, Sakura Japanese

Yoshino, Sakura Main

Tamura, Yukari Japanese

Asakura, Junichi Main

Tai, Yuuki Japanese

Shirakawa, Kotori Supporting

Horie, Yui Japanese

Utamaru Supporting

Momoi, Haruko Japanese

Suginami Supporting

Kishio, Daisuke Japanese

Mizukoshi, Moe Supporting

Itsuki, Yui Japanese

Sagisawa, Misaki Supporting

Matsuki, Miyu Japanese

Amakase, Miharu Supporting

Kanda, Akemi Japanese

Mizukoshi, Mako Supporting

Matsuoka, Yuki Japanese

Kawasaki, Tomoko Producer

Nagatani, Takayuki Assistant Producer

Miyazaki, Nagisa Director, Storyboard

Kikuta, Hiromi Sound Director

Reviews

Dec 30, 2022

Stripey

Recommended

Da Capo is not for everyone. Especially anti-bishoujo vigilantes who'd surely find plenty of flaws to reinforce their misconceptions of a very very misunderstood class of anime. However, for those who are willing to look beyond its sub-tag of 'harem' and ‘eroge’ (adult games), you might just find an anime gem that few in the genre can outsparkle.

Story - 8

Da Capo has a very interesting premise and is a surprisingly coherent story. It achieves this in 2 ways. First, by never forgetting the thrust of the series. It could be an episode featuring one of the numerous side characters or typical high school hijinks ... yet it never fails to leverage on these situations to further develop the central plot or characters. Grafting the various characters' stories onto the overarching theme is the 2nd avenue by which the series remains relevant despite its seemingly meandering series composition. Although I have to say the the first 15 eps could have been a lot tighter which accounts for the mildly-diminished score of 8 for this segment. Nevertheless, the series more than makes up for it with tightly-knitted and well paced 2nd half (ep 16 onwards).

Art - 9

For a 2003 production, the animation quality was nothing to write home about. The definition of art here extends beyond mere portrayal of visuals that the eyes can capture but sight that can touch the human heart. Da Capo clinches a 9 for this category because of its excellent art direction (which frankly is probably lost on most anime viewers.) Artistic scene transitions, panning shots that accentuate the mood of the scene etc are just some of the reasons why I believe Da Capo to have one of the finest cinematography in the genre.

Sound - 9

Da Capo soundtrack is undoubtedly the best of the genre. Not only are the pieces beautiful standalone musical compositions, their effect is greatly magnified in the various poignant scenes when employed skillfully under the anointed direction of the Da Capo crew, making its musical component one of the most memorable aspect of the production.

Character - 8

Da Capo has an endearing cast which sadly was not fully developed, at least for many of the fabulous side-haremettes. Again the series more than makes up for it with its wonderfully fleshed out leads. By digging deep into their psyche, motivations and struggles, one cannot help but empathize strongly with these girls binded by chains of cruel love. Few harem series does 'love' and even fewer do it with the depth and maturity of Da Capo

Enjoyment - 10

Well-crafted characters, poignant drama, impeccable music and an artistic flair to meld all these ingredients into a solid production is the reason why I enjoyed the series to. the. fullest.

Give DC a shot if you are not adverse to the much maligned bishoujo genre. Recommended only if you have an open mind, loves good drama, coherent plots and consistent characters.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 8, 2010

lonehunter88

Mixed Feelings

Okay, so it's one of the most popular harem titles in japan, probably only second to KEY's big hits. It's even tiring to try to track the amount of side stories and sequels and doujin productions for this huge title.
But surprisingly despite all the hype this series gains, it totally killed all my expectations.

Story:
Okay honestly it started pretty nice.. with all the moe charm points you would find in any harem title. But it isnt really cool when the introduction episodes are cut to half time and u're forced to watch gravure videos of some of the seiyuus. they could have put more ... effort into developing the story.
So when the real story actually started honestly thought it would be great. but it disappointed me at every turn. most of the plot is too cliche, too flat, too boring. i couldnt help sighing and hoping it would end sooner in the last 4 episodes.

Art:
The only thing commendable is probably the art, which is obviously the inspiration of many of the moe animes out nowadays. this is one of the main reason i watched this anime. everywhere you go in akihabara, you see da capo's art. it's that impressive.

Sound:
I understand that 'da capo' is a musical term, so i was expecting some beautiful music. instead, it's so poor that i had to skip the OP and ED and sigh at all the scenes that were supposed to be touching. it's disappointing that they didnt work more on the music. as for the seiyuus, the big names are all over the place, so there's really not much to complain about.

Character:
Wow we have so many moe characters. You have your imouto, loli, osananajimi, senpai, and even an esper! What should we do? Decorate them in your bedroom! Yes, that's very much all there is to the characters in Da Capo. well, some of them have interesting backgrounds and personalities.. but in the anime they're prematurely developed, and leave much to desire. the characters are like pictures of people without a background. beautifully drawn, but shallow and monotonous.
And the worst character i've seen in a very long time is the main male character. each of his scripts make me sigh and wish it would end right there and then. it's so painful to see that pitiful soul. oh god please strike him with a bolt of lightning.

Enjoyment:
I started watching this with a lot of expectation, but the result is overwhelming disappointment. I should have been able to finish this in one day, but i couldnt stand watching it straight.. the shortcomings are so terrible it's depressing.. im not depressed because of the melancholy in the story, but because of the bad story.. sighs..

Overall:
A good example of animes which dont live up to their popularity and fame. If you're going to watch this, make sure you're ready for disappointment

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Nov 28, 2023

MxS7HGS

Not Recommended

Da Capo is a harem anime that is tedious to watch. It features a male protagonist who is pursued by a series of girls who differ from one another only in their hairstyles and personalities. Unfortunately, the series fails to introduce any novel setting or plot, making it a monotonous experience.

Da Capo fails because it lacks any kind of friction. There is no adverse force to challenge the characters and no conflict between them. There's not even a personality clash worth mentioning. The series feels like an endless bombardment of fake smiles. Despite more than one girl being attracted to the male lead, none of ... them seem to care enough to do anything about it, aside from a few trivial scuffles between the two primary love interests. The male lead, Junichi Asakura, could have just drawn up a rota and saved everyone a lot of time.

Da Capo threatens to excite the viewer only twice in the series, but these moments of drama are abruptly extinguished. What seems to be a dark ploy and compelling character shift turns out to be an accident and a misunderstanding, and the series returns to its peaceful monotony. The later episodes finish early, augmented by a five-minute side episode of unfunny nothingness and dull arthouse surrealism, followed by two moments of mild and stylish intrigue and one final burst of pointlessness. A single good idea is diluted with blandness and then struck down before it dares to captivate the viewer.

The animation is good but not spectacular. Nothing is striking or memorable, aside from some overused face-distorting conceits that are as unfunny as they are annoying. The soundtrack is all right, and the opening and ending tunes are a bit generic. Most of the voices are okay, but some characters stretch out every sentence irritatingly, driving their superficial personalities home with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

Most of the cast of Da Capo is lackluster and uninteresting, with no originality to speak of. Ironically, the two characters that stood out the most, Nemu and Sakura, were the ones I ended up disliking the most. Their actions and dialogues were nothing but frustrating, be it their petty jealousy or their poorly written lines. Kotori is the only character I ended up liking.

Overall, there are only a few redeeming features in Da Capo. It is dull, unadventurous, and humorless and lacks any element that may make it worth watching.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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