Canvas 2: Nijiiro no Sketch

5 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: Surprisingly Entertaining

I didn’t really like harem anime series, but I actually liked Canvas 2. In fact, I think I looked forward to watching it. That’s really surprising, because normally I would avoid series that had ero-game written all over it. It was really interesting to see how Hiroki, the main character, would interact with the girls in his life, a lot of them under-aged, I might add.

Like your usual harem anime, Canvas 2 had ecchi scenes complete with unnecessary shower scenes and panty shots, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I didn’t mind it at all. As a ... conservative girl, I would detest any hint of fan service thrown my way, but truth be told, it wasn’t that repulsive. I’m not sure if ecchi fan boys will like or hate that.

Anyway, as expected, girl characters dominated the cast. I liked all of them, except Elise. I found her to be really irritating and fickle. I know Kiri isn’t charismatic enough to be Hiroki’s girl friend, but I really didn’t want Elise to end up with his cousin. You’d think I’d be used to cousin relationships after all the anime I’ve seen this year alone, but I kept hoping that Hiroki wouldn’t pick Elise. The fact that she kept calling him “onii-chan” made me think that Elise saw Hiroki as her older brother more than her boyfriend.

I was surprised to find Aya Hirano in the cast list. I guess her role as Sumire Misaki is one of her lesser known roles. Usually when someone says Aya Hirano, you think of Haruhi Suzumiya or Misa from Death Note. I thought that the voice she had for Misaki was closer to her real voice. Takahiro Sakurai, one of my favorite male seiyus, is also in the cast list. He did a great job of portraying Hiroki.

Animation wise, it was actually pretty good. It’s simple, and when I say that I mean there’s nothing that special about it. The art design is pretty similar to what everybody has seen in anime so far. I do love the wide variety of colors after all. It wouldn’t be as good if it didn’t have a whole spectrum of colors. It is an anime about art, after all.

The music, as expected, is cutesy. I realized that the opening song, "Plastic Smile (Niji-iro guitar version)", was sung by Honey Bee[YURIA]. I read somewhere that her work is used in a lot of adult video games, so I guess they picked the right woman to sing the opening song. I actually liked it, it was quite catchy. The same goes for the ending song, “NA NA IRO" by Sweets Tankentai. I learned both songs right away so I can sing with it when I watch Canvas 2.

I guess I watched it mostly because I wanted to see who Hiroki will end up with (and I cheered for Kiri the whole way). It was really fun to see him go back and forth between the two girls that captured his heart, and even if I have harem series before, this is the first time that I was seriously concerned on who the main guy will pick. I think that it’s the same for those who have seen this anime.

First of all, this is the first harem anime that I watched that I liked so much that got me into making a review for it.

Story:
The story is quite nice and somehow unpredictable. If you've watched Da Capo, it resembles most of it. But the way the story is presented, and the story itself, has a unique touch to it.
Even though it's harem (I don't like harem animes anyway) this is entertaining to the point that I really watched 11 episodes in one sitting and I never included this anime in my Dropped list. I gave the story a 9 because I enjoyed it so ... much; even though others doesn't like its ending, I personally have nothing to say about its end.

Art:
The art is better than other harem animes, and it's just good. It may not be the best, but the art is great.

Sound:
I couldn't remember other music here, but the opening and ending songs are nice because it actually gives a very simple feeling to the anime.

Character:
The characters have different strengths and weaknesses and it was presented in the story in a way that the main guy character is always involved in them.

Enjoyment:
I enjoyed it so much that I loved it!

Overall:
This is one harem kind of anime you might want to watch... ^_^

In the year of 2005 the japanese animation production companies made quite a few animes, one of them is called Canvas 2. Why it is called Canvas 2 is probably because it's based on Canvas ~Motif Of Sepia~ (an OVA which I suppose was originally planned to be hentai, but they were feeling extra original and didn't make a hentai, instead they made the masterpiece that is known as Canvas ~Motif Of Sepia~, do not be fooled, I was being sarcastic), but it's not really a sequel. I guess they thought it was witty to add the 2 even though it's not an actual sequel. ... I can't begin to stress how original and inventive it is that they added a 2 to their title "Canvas". It blows my mind.

It's called Canvas with a 2 added because it's somehow about painters and a highschool that takes extra care of their art club... or something. There's this guy in this school who's something like a trainee teacher and takes care of the art club. For a school who specializes in art and suchlike they sure are lax with their art teacher. Ah well. Let me get to the point though, this anime is so bad I don't even know where to begin. BUT! It's actually so bad there's some qualities (bad ones of course) almost worth watching this anime for.

Let's start with the screenplay; it is an abomination, I mean, I swear to you right now and right here that I, the one sitting infront of my computer typing up this review, could have done a much better job. I'm not even joking. The thing is, the screenplay is overall of such poor quality that I can't really explain why it is bad, it's just that what the characters say, how they say it and why they say the things they say is just plain dumb. It's poorly timed, it's poorly written and for all I care they could just aswell have talked about planting sunflowers for the entirety of the series.

Let us continue with the story. If I must take the story seriously for the first time since I started watching the anime, I would say it's very fleeting. It's unevenly paced and mostly it's about nothing at all. Two episodes were dedicated to make an omelet with rice. Yea that's right, two episodes. I'm not joking. Canvas with a 2 added tries to be cute aswell, it tries to be moe, but the thing is, it fails at this in such epic proportions that it really becomes funny. But what I can say above all else is that this entire anime feels really, really ridiculous. The script, the story and every single character are ridiculous.

Foreseeable is a good word, it's a word that fits in with almost every single harem ever produced. Canvas with a 2 added is one of the most foreseeable animes I have ever watched though. I knew exactly how 75% of the scenes in Canvas with a 2 added had to offer were going to play out, and that is not exaggerating.

Now, in harem anime there's always several girls liking the same boy, since Canvas with a 2 added is a harem it is the same deal here. It's just that, you know, you usually expect to find out why people like other people, in Canvas with a 2 added it's a complete mystery and I mean that's cool... I suppose. But then you have the male lead who is one of the most stereotypical male leads in a harem or in any genre I've ever seen and you just think to yourself; why?

Now, let's end this on a high note. No, you know aswell as I do this is not going to end on a high note, the reason being; there are no high notes in this review nor are there any high notes in Canvas with a 2 added. The art and animation in Canvas with a 2 added is horrendous, really, reallly, really horrendous. That means it's bad. There are many stills in this anime, usually in anime you find that stills are fairly detailed with vivacious colours because stills (a non moving picture/frame) are cheap to make and doesn't even require animation if you really feel like saving some money, but in Canvas with a 2 added the stills are usually a school building, that I swear to Tom Cruise I could do better with some crayons on a white piece of paper, and then some green and blue for the grass and sky. You know, stuff you expect from 6 year old kids in first grade doodling during their first ever art class. (Did you catch the intentional dis I just dished out towards Canvas with a 2 added HAHA?) You might think I'm being too harsh or disrespecting the key animatiors and painters, but no, I seriously am not.

In conclusion; my review do this anime justice, Canvas with a 2 added truly is as bad as I'm describing it to be.

Canvas 2 is a show that is not made enough in anime these days, a slice of life in the Modern day. It could have been set just as easily in New York or Chicago as it was in Tokyo and told its story. Having played the Bishoujo game that it was based on about a year or so before the series started in the fall of 2005, I was rather happy to see that the series was executed very well. That does not always happen with shows made from games(Think Shuffle!). Many people dismissed this series quickly as a harem show, but there were ... only two female characters that really mattered, Elis and Kiri. It was nice to see a decent regular guy as the lead in this show. Hiroki was the best male in a show like this since the likes of To Heart or Comic Party. To those who would say that it was too long at 24 episodes, I would have to disagree, I felt it was just the right length.

Much has, and will be said, about how the show ended. I really liked the show's ending and enjoyed the twist. Random Curiosity, an anime blog I visit on a regular basis, had its biggest response to a single episode of anime that it has ever seen when it aired and the discussion became very heated. It's one you will have to watch for yourself to appreciate.

Canvas 2 was definitely an unexpected series. Despite what the other reviews say, this show doesn't feel like a harem whatsoever. In fact, it's more of a love triangle. Take note that just because a show involves a male character hanging out and talking with a fairly big group of girls, doesn't mean it's a harem.
I have literally one issue with this series. What's the issue, you ask? Well, I'll tell you; The ending. I'm a person who values the path along the way to the ending the most, but you can't disagree that an ending to a series can affect your view on ... the series as a whole, despite the ride along the way being unexpectedly enjoyable. I don't know if this spoils anything, but I'm just going to say that the path the main character was taking for the entire series was one I really agreed with, until the last episode he decides to change his mind and turn everything around.
Story: 9
The story is simple and sweet. Hiroki Kamikura is an artist... well, an ex-artist, who refuses to paint anything after a certain life event. (Which you learn about later on.) He lives with his little cousin; Elis, who lost her parents in a car crash when she was little. (Afterwards, Hiroki decided to take care of her.) Due to trauma, she refuses to use the color red in her paintings, or freaks out whenever she notices the color. (Again, you'll learn why, and it's a completely understandable reason as well, considering how trauma works and how old she was when said accident happens.)
There are past events and other events that are important to the story, but all you need to know is it's about an awesome art student/student-teacher/teacher (Yes, the main character is a teacher, not a student) who gets trapped in a love triangle between his cousin and a childhood friend who ended up becoming a teacher at the same school. (Yes, there is incest to a certain degree. If you don't enjoy this sort of thing... you may not like this show. It's really not emphasized whatsoever due to the fact that the main character doesn't share his cousin's feelings, and doesn't even consider her a romantic interest. It's there, though, and it grows near the end.)
Canvas 2 is a drama and a romance. The story is, as I said, simple and sweet. I myself enjoy drama, a lot, and found that the drama in this show is fairly deep and organized well. Some events and decisions are ridiculous, but nothing too severe. (Disregarding the ending...) Think of drama in shows like Golden Time, or Toradora... it's similar to that. If you like this sort of drama, you'll probably enjoy Canvas 2. If that's not enough, then I'll explain more of my feelings for this show continuing with...
Art: 7
I don't know if this rating is considered fair or not for a reason; The anime is from 2005, and, from what I can tell, the average cheaper visual novel adaptation. When it comes to animation, that is. Shows like Myself;Yourself or H2O: Footprints in the Sand are along the lines of what I mean. Though, at times, the animation is definitely great, though most of the time the animation is just plain old "good". Nothing more or nothing less. Though the kids in this show are great artists.
Sound: 7
Again, I don't know if this rating is fair due to it's age and budget. The soundtrack is simple, and below average. Despite this, there are a few soundtracks that really stood out to me, and it fit the feel of the show extremely well. It's not a soundtrack I would spend the time looking for, though, and it's definitely not "great" either. Again, the sound, just like the art, receives a plain old "good", as well as a "Meh."
Character: 10
This is where the show stands out, in my opinion. Aside the romance, my favorite thing about this series was the main character; Hiroki. I don't know how to describe him with certain adjectives, but what I can say is that one of the main reasons I really, really enjoyed this show is because of him. He has a certain feel to him that you just can't help but love him, or at least, like him. You can't dislike him. At least, I think so. He's never gotten stuck in a cliche moments, not once. He was called a pervert? Doesn't bother him. He takes it as a joke, doesn't try to pathetically and desperately defend himself, and walks away. Plus, throughout 23 of the 24 episodes, he made all the right decisions. (Again, I did not like what he did in the ending. Seriously. I'm so mad about his choice in the end.) But despite the ending, he's seriously a great and funny character.
Of course, the other characters are wonderful too. The only character I disliked to a certain extent is Elis, Hiroki's cousin. As much as I like yanderes, her obsession with him is more annoying than you'd expect. It just... is.
Hagino is also a character that really stood out for me. She's an author who goes to the school Hiroki works at. She's adorable and has a wonderful attitude that is actually fairly unique. There are other characters that aren't emphasized as much, but you can tell what kind of person they are after a few episodes. Character development is outstanding.
Enjoyment: 9
My explanation for this rating is simple; I would have given it a ten... if it wasn't for the damn ending! Arrrgh! Either way, this show was surprisingly entertaining and fun to watch. The romance had me cheering throughout 23 of the 24 episodes, and I had a good time watching it. I laughed at a certain character I actually hated (Who I didn't mention in the character section) whenever he became sad.
This series was definitely a fun ride, and sadly, I'm going to be feeling a bit down due to the path the ending took... but despite that, it's a great series nonetheless, definitely underrated and even fairly unpredictable. plus, it's got good comedy to fill in the spaces between the romance! Now to try to find another VN adaption that lives up to something as great as Canvas 2.

A harem is a harem and Canvas 2 is definitely a harem.

Story: The story takes the route that every harem takes. One boy in a sea of girls who may or may not be interested in them. In this case, he or hs sister help them to accomplish their dreams through their high ranking academic school. Each girl has a different talent and a reason for why they're held back from reaching their tre potential. As do the two heroines of this story.

Art: I found the art well below average from what I usually watch. It's nowhere near intolerable to watch (little blabs), but I ... would expect an anime that's main premise is revolved around art to have an above average animation quality. The character designs are decent and once again not worth talking about.

Sound: The opening and ending themes go great with the series. They both reminded me of art and love. The voice actors were average at best. When lack of emotion was needed, they did a great job, but when it came time for the characters to get teary-eyed, it just sounded to flat to matter.

Character: This series is all about character development and reaching for one's dreams so the characters play a huge role. To be frank, the characters we pretty dull. They had petty problems and dumb reasons for not giving it everything they got. The solutions to their problems seemed a bit forced as well. When it came time to pull at the viewer's heart strings, the characters fell short.

Enjoyment: The best thing about this series was the animation and that was a bit lacking. It didn't make me laugh, it didn't make me cry, it didn't make me care. It was so utterly predictable that I couldn't help but yawn during every episode. The romance was boring and highly unlikely. It was just going around in circles the whole time!

Overall, I don't really think this series is worth the time. There are much better harems out there and plenty of series that follow the same "reach for your dreams" theme to even bother with this one.

For those who liked Da Capo and other 'slice-of-life'/romance animes, this one's for you.

[Story]
I was suprised at how good the story was. It had many complications. Some were solved almost immediately, but others were evident at the beginning of the anime but were finished off at the end. It was mainly the relationship between Elis and Hiroki that gave this anime steam. The Kiri and Hiroki relationship was just a plot device to further boost the Elis-Hiroki relationship, this was a little bit disappointing as you begin to pity Kiri who got ditched on a number of occassions. A very good storyline that i could ... describe for ages. Hagino acts as another plot device, feeding Hiroki answers to his relationship problems but masking them as ideas for her book writing.


[Art]
Not much to say here as its great!

[Sound]
The sound was great. Each of the characters fitting in with the style of voice. The music was also great.

[Character]
All of the main characters are fully fleshed out. The side characters are filled in just right, so you dont wonder 'who is this?' and 'what made her like that?'.
All character relationships were carefully thought out and went along smoothly.

[Enjoyment]
Very enjoyable. The ending was kind of disappointing, but then again, no anime is perfect.

[Overall]
Nearly the best slice of life anime ive seen. Beats Da Capo by a hair, too bad they didnt continue this anime!

From the start I enjoyed this anime, as it progressed upto the point where the two characters I liked were about to get togeather... then the author had a spasm of guilt and went in some horrible japanease fashion and paired him off with the one I hated instead.

I was soooo behind one character trhoughout the series and then the author just crushed my hopes flat.

I was a nice tale, drawn very well and story was quite nice. Which is why I didnt just crash the scores on the ratings. If you enjoy the ending then it is just that we have a difference of ... opinion on who should have been the female lead at the end.

this anime can be describable in one word... SHOCKING

you know watching every episode builds up the tense and romance between the relationship of each and every characters especially the protagonists hiroki and elis... every episode not only the protagonist's personality but as well as the deuteragonists and the supporting casts... you wouldn't know WHO will end up with WHOM... and also they did a great job hiding hiroki's true feelings...eventhough i find it a little bit of incest it kinda gave me an impression that hiroki and elis aren't just siblings... they give off an aura of lovers rather than relatives...

Being related to a poor OVA of the same name, Canvas 2 surprisingly had good content. The title and cover would make people think that it's just a typical harem anime with a whatever plot and tiresome service, but it isn't like that at all. It has good story material, serious drama, and good humour. Canvas 2 is unexpectedly enjoyable.

The story, unlike what you would expect from the cover and the OP, is not about a harem. If you look in the information section, you will see that harem is not part of the genre, that is because the story is mainly about an art ... college student's life and his love triangle with a cousin and a childhood friend. The story, despite having a lot of bugs in it, developed pretty well. The storyboard had a lot of holes and question marks, but somehow, it was able to flow well by sincerely following the three main characters' love story. It has serious dramatic nature, slice of life and some comedy which made it interesting to watch. It starts okay, continues well, but was unfortunately decided to conclude in a way that majority would not approve of.

The art is not bad. The character designs are fine, most of the drama and comedy were delivered well, and overall, the animation is plain and simple. Negatively, it has lame, unnecessary service scenes and the OP+ED makes it look like an ecchi/harem show.

As for sounds, the OP and ED songs are just okay, it has a soundtrack that fits the scenes very well and I believe that it has good voice acting for all characters.

The characters are mostly cliched, a lot of them were very unnecessary, and most of them did not have a clear background. It's not well casted, the supporting characters make the holes and question marks on the storyboard, but the important thing is that the main cast makes up the good story.

The series kind of ended up as a fail, because of the conclusion, but still, I enjoyed watching it, specially the funny segments after the ED song. The show had a lot of potential and I really think that it could have become great if the supporting characters were set up more sensibly and if the story had a better ending.

I stumbled across this anime purely by chance, and i must admit i was pleasantly surprised. The story has a nice continuity with almost no filler. Its one storyline that continues right up until the end.
The characters are all likable, which is something ive never really seen before. I have never liked all characters in anime before, but in Canvas 2. they all play their own part and are really well put together.
Im not going to write a synopsis because that's what the paragraph on the top of the page is for. But if you like nice, light stories, with not too much ... miind- bending, this is definitely an anime to put on your list. Its not a chore to sit through and a lovely way to spend a rainy day.

Characters: (7/10)

The characters personality of this series are easy to find in other anime's that you may have watched. Most include comedy, these characters are hilarious and funny to watch as they all grow closer to each other!

Art (8/10)

The art is one of the biggest things that i loved about this anime. It was clean, that is one of the biggest things in anime that makes me want to watch more of it. Not to mention this anime is about art, the artwork the was "drawn" had an amazing presence.

Story (9/10)

I loved the story, i ... couldn't stop watching it. It dragged me in within the first moments of watching it. The powerful heart wrenching scenes which just made me blubber like a baby to comedic and hilarious scenes which got me laughing so hard i could cry.

Enjoyment (9/10)

I enjoyed this anime all the way through to the end. I don't think i stopped watching, there was always something that made me want to keep on watching till the very end. But then again i love anime's that have a heart warming feel to them.

Overall: (8/10)

This whole anime came together and made it wonderful to watch. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys watching a good heart warming story and doesn't mind laughing a little bit. Has to be one of my favorite anime's lately and definitely re-watch quality.

So, I've read the Visual Novel before watching the anime and this review will be based on my knowledge of the game.

The soundtrack of the show is really bad at times, which is a shame because the VN has some good songs to it. While the art style is bad at times and could use a few more in between to check on it, it doesn't really take away the enjoyment.

If you haven't read the synopsis yet, I highly recommend that you do. The main character who lost his dream of becoming an artist is the main aspect of the show that I liked and ... can very much relate to. Hiroki the main character, is a pretty okay protagonist, not too clumsy and not too nice. I didn't like Elis in the novels but the anime developed her character a lot better and did justice to her character. Kiri started off similar to her visual novel counterpart, but as the story goes she gets surprisingly better than in the novels.

The show did a good job on telling the characters' motive and back story. The characters interact with each other well especially the side characters, who were given enough time to shine and development.

While the romance of the show is not the strongest part, the comedy is enjoyable, especially if you've read the novel. Unfortunately the writing of the show leaves much to be desired as the closer the story reaches to the end.

Overall it's not a completely bad experience. It wasn't anything amazing, but it's not far from the worst shows I've seen, at least it had a conclusion. If you think about picking up this series I highly recommend reading the visual novels first see what routes you like and then come back and have a good laugh as you can guess what might happens next.

This has spoilers, so read in your own caution:

I have been very hesitant to do a review on this show. I saw this show about a month ago, and it left a mark. This is my first review for any anime so you can guess it left a pretty big impression on me, enough to do this.

To me and I think a lot of people who has seen this will agree. The ending of the show determines whether this is a masterpiece of a fail. I don't think it has a middle ground, not after the ending that it chose. It could have gone like ... every other harem show and went with the safe ending but it chose otherwise.

And choosing otherwise isn't bad, it makes the viewers think...but the way that Canvas 2 chose there ending was very extremely illogical. From the first episode, you know who Hiroki is in love with. He always blushes when he sees Kiri and vice versa. He regrets not accepting her love back in their high school days.She seemed like the obvious choice.

But in the spur of the moment, in a moment of insanity I would like to say, he goes the opposite route of what the whole entire show has been about and he goes with his blood relative.

At first, I was utterly disgusted..I almost gave the show a very low score because of the ending, and a lot of people out there felt the same way...but after a month..I've started to feel differently about Hiroki choosing Elise. I was content with it. Sure, it was more logical for the story line if he had stayed with Kiri, and i really do feel bad for her. At the same time, though, I realized that this is the author's story, if he wants Hiroki to be with Elise, there's nothing to say about that. And I also came to a big realization...

THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT HIROKI IN THE FIRST PLACE..

nobody really cared ab out how hiroki felt, the show really never focused on his feeling..it was always between Kiri and Elise..it was a competition..it doesn't matter that Hiroki chose his cousin because Hiroki doesn't matter at all..he's just a trophy, with this Elise has won, and Kiri has lost. Looking at the ending like that changed my perception a little bit. I still hate the ending but it's not as disgusting as it once was.


Music:
Great, I love the soundtrack.

Character:
Watchable, a few memorable characters.

Enjoyment:
I really enjoyed the show, the whole ride was awesome. There wasn't any epiosde that I was bored with, it didn't keep me at the edge of my feet but it was enjoyable nonetheless. This show would have had a way better score from me, if it wasn't for the ending. Maybe even a 10.

Overall:
If you had asked me a month ago about this show, I would have told you that it's the worst thing since school days, don't bother watching this crap, and if you do only watch up till episode 23.

But now, I realize how much this show was enjoyable and the ending shouldn't really take that much away from it. I didn't hate Elise, I do want her to be happy, I just think the way they went about it was irrational. But isn't life sometime irrational, I see people do irrational things all the time. It's part of human nature, Hiroki made a mistake..he let Kiri go but that was his choice. Whatever!! It doesn't take anything away from the overall show.

I would recommend this to anyone. And please after you see the ending please give it time to sink in before you make judgements about the whole show.

First and foremost, this is my very first review of an anime, I'm looking forward to opinions and such.

Story: 7/10
The story in it's own is really good, but at some moments it gave me a WTF feeling. But it does have a unique story up until the the end where it goes completely cliché.
I am a big fan of harem, and as some people know, harem usually doesn't have very plot. I gave this an 8 at first, but as the story went on, It went down for me.

Art: 7/10
The art is nice, but it looks more common around now a days.

Sound: 6/10
I can't ... recall much on the music, but I liked the Ending and the song Sumire-senpai sings. Very nice. Other than that, I don't think much of the music.

Character: 9/10
Now, the characters will decide if you like the show or not really. I, personally, loved the childhood friend character and I'll just say, Hiroki disappointed me. All of the characters have an arc in the series that makes them unique. But they did introduce a character out of the blue and that got me off guard. Hiroki is like me, oblivious, too nice for his own good, and they comes back to bite him.

Enjoyment: 7/10
I enjoyed the series so much. But the ending, and this is for those who like a certain character, will not enjoy it as much OR enjoy it to their hearts content.

Overall: 8/10
Overall, I really liked the series and this is something you will want to watch.