Categories
July 8th, 2010
Kanamemo [Review]
Anime Relations: Kanamemo
Note: All reviews are simply my opinion and based on how much I enjoyed the series in question. I am, by no means, a professional critic.
For me, Kanamemo was a fun anime. It didn't do anything revolutionary, it wasn't deeply touching, nor was there much of a plot. But it was fun! Sometimes it's nice to relax with an anime that can just be enjoyed for the heck of it. Kanamemo was that series. The characters and the scenarios, for the most part, were amusing.
Story
There was a story? Kanamemo begins, without preamble, with Nakamachi Kana's grandmother dieing. Or rather, she's already dead. Kana, being thirteen, is now left without any sort of guardian. And this is where the real 'story' begins. She flees from home, completely avoiding any sort of fostering system Japan might have, and searches for a live-in-job. By the end of episode one Kana has found a job at Fuhshin Shinbun amongst a cast of fun and lively newspaper delivery girls and their scary 'deputy', Amano Saki.
Grasping at straws here, I'd say the story is about growth and friendship. Kana is young, she's without family, and is afraid she is inadequate. She can't even ride a bike. Throughout the series she grows and finds her place. That's giving it a lot of credit, though. In reality the anime is actually about perversion and silly antics mixed in with newspaper delivery. The plot is pretty lacking, but the anime does well to make up for this.
Characters
Who needs a plot when you have this kind of absurd cast? The characters in Kanamemo are what makes the series. They are the plot. Their personality, actions, and reactions were what kept me watching. While each is unique in regard to one another no one personality is anything new to the anime realm. If you're looking for really deep characters I wouldn't look to Kanamemo as the cast is very rarely serious or faced with life altering issues. This reason is why the series is simply something fun to watch. The most devastating part of the anime is the absence of Kana's family. Which, to me, wasn't very devastating at all given the way it was approached.
Nishida Haruka and Amano Saki are probably my favorite characters. Haruka, whom is frequently drunk and has an obsession with cute young girls, really added to the enjoyment of the anime. In the real world I'd most likely avoid that sort of person, but when put into an anime its amusing and acceptable. She tends to grope and touch Kana and Saki (an elementary student) in a completely inappropriate way. I'm not usually a fan of ecchi. However, I find I don't mind how the ecchi-ness was done in Kanamemo. It frequently appeared, mostly when Haruka was around, but it was... tasteful? If even possible. Truly, it could be taken as offensive, given a college student is feeling up young girls, but it's anime. It only seems natural.
The Yuri Couple
Ignoring Haruka, Kanamemo features a Yuri couple. I'm not going to lie, I came across this anime during my search for shoujo-ai series. Kitaoka Yume and Minami Yuuki by no means take the spotlight. But they've got a special place in Kanamemo from the start. I found their relationship to be rather cute, especially with Yuuki being obsessed over her lover. My favorite YumexYuuki scene is when they get a cold together and Yuuki eludes to Yume being exhausted after resting with her. Also, Kujiin Mika seems to have a crush on Kana
Is Kanamemo worth the watch? Yes, but only if you're looking for a light and fun comedy/slice-of-life. If you want something deep, powerful, and meaningful... steer clear. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this series. Of course, I tend to accept an anime for what it is, not what I wish it were. Kanamemo is fun.
For me, Kanamemo was a fun anime. It didn't do anything revolutionary, it wasn't deeply touching, nor was there much of a plot. But it was fun! Sometimes it's nice to relax with an anime that can just be enjoyed for the heck of it. Kanamemo was that series. The characters and the scenarios, for the most part, were amusing.
Story
There was a story? Kanamemo begins, without preamble, with Nakamachi Kana's grandmother dieing. Or rather, she's already dead. Kana, being thirteen, is now left without any sort of guardian. And this is where the real 'story' begins. She flees from home, completely avoiding any sort of fostering system Japan might have, and searches for a live-in-job. By the end of episode one Kana has found a job at Fuhshin Shinbun amongst a cast of fun and lively newspaper delivery girls and their scary 'deputy', Amano Saki.
Grasping at straws here, I'd say the story is about growth and friendship. Kana is young, she's without family, and is afraid she is inadequate. She can't even ride a bike. Throughout the series she grows and finds her place. That's giving it a lot of credit, though. In reality the anime is actually about perversion and silly antics mixed in with newspaper delivery. The plot is pretty lacking, but the anime does well to make up for this.
Characters
Who needs a plot when you have this kind of absurd cast? The characters in Kanamemo are what makes the series. They are the plot. Their personality, actions, and reactions were what kept me watching. While each is unique in regard to one another no one personality is anything new to the anime realm. If you're looking for really deep characters I wouldn't look to Kanamemo as the cast is very rarely serious or faced with life altering issues. This reason is why the series is simply something fun to watch. The most devastating part of the anime is the absence of Kana's family. Which, to me, wasn't very devastating at all given the way it was approached.
Nishida Haruka and Amano Saki are probably my favorite characters. Haruka, whom is frequently drunk and has an obsession with cute young girls, really added to the enjoyment of the anime. In the real world I'd most likely avoid that sort of person, but when put into an anime its amusing and acceptable. She tends to grope and touch Kana and Saki (an elementary student) in a completely inappropriate way. I'm not usually a fan of ecchi. However, I find I don't mind how the ecchi-ness was done in Kanamemo. It frequently appeared, mostly when Haruka was around, but it was... tasteful? If even possible. Truly, it could be taken as offensive, given a college student is feeling up young girls, but it's anime. It only seems natural.
The Yuri Couple
Ignoring Haruka, Kanamemo features a Yuri couple. I'm not going to lie, I came across this anime during my search for shoujo-ai series. Kitaoka Yume and Minami Yuuki by no means take the spotlight. But they've got a special place in Kanamemo from the start. I found their relationship to be rather cute, especially with Yuuki being obsessed over her lover. My favorite YumexYuuki scene is when they get a cold together and Yuuki eludes to Yume being exhausted after resting with her. Also, Kujiin Mika seems to have a crush on Kana
Is Kanamemo worth the watch? Yes, but only if you're looking for a light and fun comedy/slice-of-life. If you want something deep, powerful, and meaningful... steer clear. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this series. Of course, I tend to accept an anime for what it is, not what I wish it were. Kanamemo is fun.
Posted by Techno-Hero | Jul 8, 2010 4:49 PM | 0 comments
July 7th, 2010
Aoi Hana [Review]
Anime Relations: Aoi Hana
Note: All reviews are simply my opinion and based on how much I enjoyed the series in question. I am, by no means, a professional critic.
How much did I like Aoi Hana? A lot. I think there is one perfect word to define this anime. And that word is 'beautiful'. I feel that Aoi Hana was a beautiful story from beginning to end. As far as anime go the characters, the story, and the style was very real. For what it was, I loved it.
Story
What was the story here? In a way, it is hard to define. There was no real 'goal', no 'protect the world' objective, no evil threat, or anything of the sort. Aoi Hana is definitely a slice-of-life anime. The story, essentially, is about life, love, friendship, and about the trials of being a teenager. No dramatic anime-style plot was required to make this series great.
The story follows Fumi Manjome, a quiet high school girl that is quick to cry. She just moved back to her hometown after being years away and, by a twist of fate, meets up with her childhood friend, Akira (Achan) Okudaira. Their close friendship is rekindled and together they go through the ups and downs of high school and life. Throughout the story many questions about love and sexual orientation are posed. "Who was your first love?" Above all, the story focuses on the depth of Fumi and Achan's friendship.
All-in-all, the story was lovely. I don't like rating things with numbers or stars, so let's just say 'lovely' is uber awesome.
Characters
I found that the character's had depth and stayed true to their personalities. At the same time they were dynamic. At least Fumi Manjome was. I felt she had grown a little stronger and more true to herself as the story progressed. The way she spoke up to Yasuko Sugimoto and turned her down towards the end was... satisfying, although I quite liked Yasuko. And at the end when she finally realized her first love. That was great.
Other characters made for a fun and interesting cast. I particularly liked Kyoko Ikumi. At first glance I thought she looked devious, like she'd be up to no good throughout the whole series. But Kyoko was one of the nicest, most loving, and open characters. I expected her to despise Fumi, and yet she did not.
Music & Opening/Ending
This is one of the few series I watched the opening theme for every single episode. Usually I'll skip it after the first couple times hearing/watching it. Yet, I loved the opening theme, both the music and the liveliness of it. It, much like the entire series, was beautiful. I looked forward to watching Fumi and Achan dance every time I started a new episode. As for the ending theme, I wasn't so crazy about it. Of course, it was very pretty and enjoyable, but I skipped it after seeing it once.
The music, in general, was very soothing and fitting to the anime. There was always one song that tricked me into thinking it was about to launch into some soft melody from The Legend of Zelda games. While pleasant and pretty I would not care to listen to the soundtrack outside of the anime, aside from the opening theme Aoi Hana.
Art
The style in which Aoi Hana was drawn is the sort of style I love. Realistic, well proportioned, and absolutely beautiful. The scenery, particularly the town, was amazing. There were, however, a couple scenes that had a stillness to them which I did not like. I felt that they needed a bit more movement or life. Otherwise I was extremely pleased with the art and how each character was drawn. Did I mention it was beautiful?
Overall Aoi Hana has become a memorable anime for me. I enjoyed it very much, nearly every aspect of it. The lack of typical anime antics (superhuman speed, chibi moments, crazy-impossible-actions, random nosebleeds, etc) was refreshing. What's more is how love was portrayed in this series. Call me weird, but I find that 'love' is superficial and sickening in that the word is so overused and misused (in my opinion). Fortunately, this series managed to capture a truer essence of love. A certain pure quality. The love between friends especially. I was very pleased to see Yasuko question her 'love' for Fumi, to truly think about it.
Above all else I thought the ending was perfect. I don't even long for a second season, although I'd gladly watch one. But, what more needs to be said? When Fumi finally realized her true first love, as I hoped she would, I became satisfied.
How much did I like Aoi Hana? A lot. I think there is one perfect word to define this anime. And that word is 'beautiful'. I feel that Aoi Hana was a beautiful story from beginning to end. As far as anime go the characters, the story, and the style was very real. For what it was, I loved it.
Story
What was the story here? In a way, it is hard to define. There was no real 'goal', no 'protect the world' objective, no evil threat, or anything of the sort. Aoi Hana is definitely a slice-of-life anime. The story, essentially, is about life, love, friendship, and about the trials of being a teenager. No dramatic anime-style plot was required to make this series great.
The story follows Fumi Manjome, a quiet high school girl that is quick to cry. She just moved back to her hometown after being years away and, by a twist of fate, meets up with her childhood friend, Akira (Achan) Okudaira. Their close friendship is rekindled and together they go through the ups and downs of high school and life. Throughout the story many questions about love and sexual orientation are posed. "Who was your first love?" Above all, the story focuses on the depth of Fumi and Achan's friendship.
All-in-all, the story was lovely. I don't like rating things with numbers or stars, so let's just say 'lovely' is uber awesome.
Characters
I found that the character's had depth and stayed true to their personalities. At the same time they were dynamic. At least Fumi Manjome was. I felt she had grown a little stronger and more true to herself as the story progressed. The way she spoke up to Yasuko Sugimoto and turned her down towards the end was... satisfying, although I quite liked Yasuko. And at the end when she finally realized her first love. That was great.
Other characters made for a fun and interesting cast. I particularly liked Kyoko Ikumi. At first glance I thought she looked devious, like she'd be up to no good throughout the whole series. But Kyoko was one of the nicest, most loving, and open characters. I expected her to despise Fumi, and yet she did not.
Music & Opening/Ending
This is one of the few series I watched the opening theme for every single episode. Usually I'll skip it after the first couple times hearing/watching it. Yet, I loved the opening theme, both the music and the liveliness of it. It, much like the entire series, was beautiful. I looked forward to watching Fumi and Achan dance every time I started a new episode. As for the ending theme, I wasn't so crazy about it. Of course, it was very pretty and enjoyable, but I skipped it after seeing it once.
The music, in general, was very soothing and fitting to the anime. There was always one song that tricked me into thinking it was about to launch into some soft melody from The Legend of Zelda games. While pleasant and pretty I would not care to listen to the soundtrack outside of the anime, aside from the opening theme Aoi Hana.
Art
The style in which Aoi Hana was drawn is the sort of style I love. Realistic, well proportioned, and absolutely beautiful. The scenery, particularly the town, was amazing. There were, however, a couple scenes that had a stillness to them which I did not like. I felt that they needed a bit more movement or life. Otherwise I was extremely pleased with the art and how each character was drawn. Did I mention it was beautiful?
Overall Aoi Hana has become a memorable anime for me. I enjoyed it very much, nearly every aspect of it. The lack of typical anime antics (superhuman speed, chibi moments, crazy-impossible-actions, random nosebleeds, etc) was refreshing. What's more is how love was portrayed in this series. Call me weird, but I find that 'love' is superficial and sickening in that the word is so overused and misused (in my opinion). Fortunately, this series managed to capture a truer essence of love. A certain pure quality. The love between friends especially. I was very pleased to see Yasuko question her 'love' for Fumi, to truly think about it.
Above all else I thought the ending was perfect. I don't even long for a second season, although I'd gladly watch one. But, what more needs to be said? When Fumi finally realized her true first love, as I hoped she would, I became satisfied.
Posted by Techno-Hero | Jul 7, 2010 2:02 AM | 0 comments