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Apr 3, 2015 8:28 PM
#1

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Dec 2014
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
It feels more like a pilot episode of a generic Japanese daytime TV drama than an anime. Nothing really outstanding or bad, well-made?, sure, kind of like Natsuyuki Rendezvous.

Definitely the best in terms of theme and quality, yet nothing really memorable. If they do it in another manner like the father never shows up at the end to signal our MC still has a long way to go but no matter how hard it is she won't give up or something more grounded in realism, it definitely allows for more possibility than just a generic happy ending. And that's something that I really want to see from this project. R.I.P Anime Mirai.
raveninthemuddleApr 3, 2015 11:41 PM
Apr 3, 2015 8:49 PM
#2

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Oct 2012
1917
I was not expecting much from this since I was so disappointed with the other
"Anime Mirai 2015" entries. Considering that these things are simply meant to
be government-sponsored educational projects for entry-level animators, I did
not expect too much. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised.

In addition to good overall work, I noticed some added touches such as having
the light from the glowing screen of her smartphone on her face. Since these
projects are heavily subsidized by the Japanese government, I think they have
an extra-large budget to play with things like that. Ordinarily, a director can only
spend money on things that are central to the narrative.

The budget is approximately four times the normal cost of a 25-minute anime
episode. Naturally, they don't expect total beginners to be as efficient as the
veteran animators. It is more like an in-house practicum.

Apparently, playing those Taiko drums is harder than it looks.


http://animemirai.jp/index/img/img_akino_04.jpg

AaaaaaKun said:
R.I.P. Anime Mirai.


Yeah.
okanaganApr 5, 2015 12:05 PM
Apr 5, 2015 7:14 AM
#3

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3836
Great showcase for the animators but... super boring kinda :< I'd have rather spent this time peeling potatoes
the official MAL hall of fame/cursed comments is now open for business - you are welcome to PM me any potential quotes to include
Apr 5, 2015 9:51 AM
#4
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May 2014
986
That was much better than the one about singing.
The anime industry is dead, the otaku fanbase killed it.
Apr 5, 2015 10:00 AM
#5

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Apr 2010
9776
This was nice i would have liked more of it.
But i guess this is all we get.

It was a nice story and i liked the characters, the main was a bit dense tho,
Poor Naota.
The animation was nice as well i even noticed the makeup clearly, which added to Akane's personality.
Apr 5, 2015 12:38 PM
#6

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Oct 2012
1917
I liked this even more after watching it again.

If I understand correctly, the name of their soon-to-be-closed high school,
their soon-to-be-renamed town and their local shrine are all name Kariyama.
On the school sign I could see the two kanji

雁山
where
means "wild goose" and can be pronounced "gan" (ガン) or "kari" (かり)
means "mountain" and can be pronounced "san" (サン) or "yama" (やま)

At one point, it was mentioned that they were close to the city of Kumamoto
(熊本). Also, somebody said that Aki was speaking a bit like a person from
Kumamoto. I remember one time reading a long Wikipedia article explaining
the local dialects in different regions. I recall that the way that Japanese is
spoken in Kumamoto (and Kyushu in general) is the most distinct. Of course,
nowadays I supposed that people can speak standard Japanese as well.

I can't recognize accents. Was it noticeable that any of the characters were
either using local Kumamoto expressions or else speaking with a strong
Kumamoto accent?

Fans of "Girls und Panzer" (2012) might recall that the main character (Miho)
along with her older sister (Maho) and their mother were from Kumamoto. As
well, the voice actress for Miho (Mai Fuchigami) is from Fukuoka Prefecture.
That is also on the island of Kyūshū (九州) and not too far from Kumamoto.

The fact that they kept it free of fanservice means that it will be great to
keep on the shelves in middle schools and high schools all over Japan as a
recruiting film for prospective members of Taiko drumming clubs.


http://animemirai.jp/index/img/img_akino_03.jpg
Apr 5, 2015 1:14 PM
#7
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May 2014
4
As a fan of percussion I really like this anime. Still there's much more to be told between the moment she accepts the teaching job and the revived drum festival. At least 12 episodes slice of life and romance and, of course, drumming :-)
Apr 5, 2015 1:44 PM
#8

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Jan 2008
1740
I kind of wish they took this story and made a full 12 episode drama series, maybe with some romance sprinkled in. I think it would a lot more appeal being longer, and getting to really know the characters. Really liked the animation and character designs though. Aki reminded me of Madoka from Rinne no Lagrange, and Misaka Mikoto from A Certain Scientific Railgun combined.
Apr 5, 2015 2:13 PM
#9

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Jan 2013
2149
Nice short movie :)
I really enjoyed it, even though it was short.

Apr 5, 2015 2:53 PM

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Jul 2011
4423
This had such strong Omoide PoroPoro vibes!

I love the nostalgia and reflecting on her childhood. She came to this town simply as a favor to her old instructor, but it both reignited her passion and tied the loose ends and ended the regrets that she left the town with:

- her father finally came to a festival and saw her play the drums
- her friends are still involved with drumming
- the festival that she failed to bring back is finally back
- the club that she started is the one that brings back the festival

And of course, the fact that she's an adult with a career and life of her own. In the reveals of the past, there's little focus on melodrama or struggles (except with her father), but instead focuses on the highlights of her youth and her passions. It seems that the defining point of the town, to the MC, was the drum festival. And now that the town is on its last line, being merged with the next town over, the drum festival is brought back as a final sort of farewell to her town and childhood. It parallels the fact that while she is growing up and things are changing around her, others will carry her dream (life moves on), and she rediscovers meaning in her career and life.

In addition, there was no fanservice. Yes there was a bath scene, but the water was properly above the chest. The animation was very smooth - look at the drum playing! Just like watching actual drumming, you see the afterimages of the sticks. I love that they also showed her friends change throughout the years like people do - hairstyles, clothing, hobbies, etc. But also retained that their core personalities and friendships remain. (Her orange hair friend, when they're 13, her skirt is notable much shorter and the way she wears her uniform is different. She also has long hair in highschool, but in adulthood she has her characteristic short hair again, and has stabled her identity. Unlike what happens in many series, the characters don't look exactly the same from childhood to adulthood.)

The subtlety, nostalgia, and touch of realism really makes this quite enjoyable. I might look forward to more of the director's work.
Apr 5, 2015 3:32 PM

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Oct 2009
241
I can't believe one episode of show can be much more realistic and enjoyable than whole series which takes 13 or 25 episodes. I liked it.


you tellin me mangas aint japanese colouring books
Apr 5, 2015 3:50 PM

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Jun 2012
488
refreshing to watch seeing the main character get back on her feet as she is inspired by others and her own result.
Apr 5, 2015 3:52 PM

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Oct 2012
1917
Mirorin said:
This had such strong Omoide PoroPoro vibes!


Very much so! That thought very quickly occurred to me while I was watching.
A sad thing about "Omoide PoroPoro" (おもひでぽろぽろ, Only Yesterday, 1991)
is that it has never been released in North America. It got licensed by Walt
Disney Pictures but they never released it due to an irresolvable dispute with
Studio Ghibli. Nobody else can release it in North America as long as Disney is
sitting on it.

Mirorin also said:
I might look forward to more of the director's work.


I agree that the direction was clearly excellent. Oddly enough, both the Director
(Youhei Suzuki) and Animation Production Producer (Atsushi Fujishiro) are best
known for "The 'Hentai' Prince and the Stony Cat" (変態王子と笑わない猫, 2013).
"HenNeko" is an excellent series, by the way. However, the genre is extremely
different, to say the least.

I checked, and it turns out that Director Youhei Suzuki (鈴木洋平) has very
limited experience in being a director. He has done lots of other stuff. However,
"HenNeko" was the first time he was actually the director of an anime series.
"Aki no Kanade" is the second thing he has directed. His third directed work will
be released in July 2015. It is variously known as "Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga
Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai", "A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty
Jokes Doesn't Exist", 下ネタという概念が存在しない退屈な世界 and "Shimoseka"
as an abbreviation. From what I can tell, its fanservice is Ecchi in the extreme.

So I think that anybody who loved "Aki no Kanade" should just congratulate
Youhei Suzuki for his work. Don't hope that Suzuki will be creating anything
else so beautiful any time soon.

My own impression is that "Aki no Kanade" is a prestige project, where the
studio decided to make a big investment of quality into something that does
not have the commercial ability to earn the money back through sales.
Maybe I am wrong about this. In any case, J.C. Staff will not suffer since the
Japanese government gave them a subsidy of US$500,000. For that much
money, they could have produced three episodes of a normal anime series.
okanaganApr 5, 2015 4:00 PM
Apr 5, 2015 5:23 PM
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Nov 2010
377
I really enjoyed this, Makes me wish i went back and started drumming again or would go and sign up to rejoin the community orchestra
Apr 5, 2015 5:39 PM
Content Admin
Overkilled Red

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Aug 2013
7152
I mainly watch for Aki's beautiful character design, but ended up liking this more because of how passionate she is about drumming. The flashback was very nice too!

If this becomes a full series someday, I hope Aki won't be as dense as she was in this. That Naoto guy fell for her at childhood after that bright smile she gave him. :3

Probably the best of Anime Mirai 2015. Hope to see this project getting a full adaptation by J.C. Staff in near future.

Apr 5, 2015 9:21 PM

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Nov 2011
129327
This probably had the best animation quality out of all the Mirai stuff that aired so far for this year.

Idk how I feel about main lead Aki though. I mean, she has a father that doesn't seem to be close to her but she enjoys playing the drums anyways. I just feel like having an empty feeling after watching this. Seems average in the end.
Apr 6, 2015 1:42 AM
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Jul 2009
78
okanagan said:
I was not expecting much from this since I was so disappointed with the other
"Anime Mirai 2015" entries. Considering that these things are simply meant to
be government-sponsored educational projects for entry-level animators, I did
not expect too much. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised.


They definitely took the "training project" angle to heart. All the main staff are studio employees (which implies continued work at the company using these new skills), and most have little to no experience in their respective roles.

With other Anime Mirai productions, the intention isn't always clear. Sometimes it seems like an all-expense paid passion project (artistic inclination and a very experienced main staff.....), while at other times, so much of the work gets outsourced to animation assistance companies that you wonder if there's even a plan to develop and retain talent.
Apr 6, 2015 2:23 AM

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Jan 2013
4064
I enjoyed it, the theme was good and how the situation was dealt with too (though most of the time was a flashback).

That ponytail tho.
Apr 6, 2015 3:05 AM

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Dec 2013
106
Enjoyable short, better than what Deen made. But I wish both can get anime series anyway.

Cast:
Miyagawa Aki - Satou Rina
Yoshioka Michio - Hamada Kenji
Hayashida Naoto - Furukawa Makoto
Okumura Megumi - Kugimiya Rie
Matsumoto Akane - Nakahara Mai
Miyagawa Kae - Okada Megumi
Miyagawa Iwa - Miyazawa Kiyoko
Miyagawa Shouzou - Ono Atsushi
(i'm not bothered posting the rest, meh)
Apr 6, 2015 8:28 AM

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Mar 2014
18200
This was great, simply beautiful, from the character designs, to the background to the animation itself everything looked amazing and in this type of shorts that's half of the enjoyment for me. Really felt like I was watching a P.A. Works show, through and through.
I expected it to be a bit more depressing with that cover art and that it'd be about how she had a dream and it didn't work out and while it did go a bit over that and how she has no idea what she wants to actually do, in the end, everything kinda works out with how her dad shows up, I honestly forgot about the whole deal with her insecurities early on by that point.
And I'm glad it didn't get too negative, personally, that's not what I come to these shorts for and I imagine that goes for most people too, and while I'd have loved to see her insecurities and whatnot explored more there's no time for that here and I honestly wouldn't replace the awesome character interactions that we go with that.
Would removing the dad at the end change much? Eh, I imagine his role there is to signal the MC won't give up on her dream and continue forward but even if he wasn't there this would have ended on the same note as she's not really doing this for her dad or anything, it's just a bit of fanservice so everything ends on a happy note I guess.
I can see the potential for a series here but eh, it probably wouldn't turn out too well.
Paulo27Apr 6, 2015 8:32 AM
Apr 6, 2015 3:00 PM
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Paulo27 said:
This was great, simply beautiful, from the character designs, to the background to the animation itself everything looked amazing and in this type of shorts that's half of the enjoyment for me. Really felt like I was watching a P.A. Works show, through and through.

Definitely! Especially with the beautiful sceneries, I was also remind of PA Works. The animation great, you can easily tell that it was high budget as there were quite a lot of motion. As for the story, it was simple and the tone is really reminiscent of real life. It felt as if I was in the anime, mostly quiet, but also exciting with the taiko performances. I really like the overall feeling I got from this, nothing dramatic, just...life. And I think Aki is really easy to relate to, with her feelings about being a professional, but having to work second jobs and not knowing where her life will lead her. The beginning was set up to make you feel connected with her character. It's sad that her father had never been supportive of her, but I cried when seeing him in the audience at the end. Like Mirorin said, people change, and this was one of the change we see.

I felt that this was a really nice, relaxing, yet touching story. Tears fell down unknowingly at three points despite the short length, something about it moves my heart.
Apr 6, 2015 5:30 PM

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Aug 2013
1929
A full series plus romance would be heavenly.

Just think how nice a love triangle between Aki, Yoshioka-sensei, and Naoto would be. :P
Apr 6, 2015 10:57 PM

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Nov 2011
764
a refreshing and relaxing anime.
I really enjoyed this one.
Hate Keeps me warm
Apr 7, 2015 1:42 AM

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Aug 2012
161
SkyNoHoshi said:
Cast:
Miyagawa Aki - Satou Rina
Yoshioka Michio - Hamada Kenji
Hayashida Naoto - Furukawa Makoto
Okumura Megumi - Kugimiya Rie
Matsumoto Akane - Nakahara Mai
Miyagawa Kae - Okada Megumi
Miyagawa Iwa - Miyazawa Kiyoko
Miyagawa Shouzou - Ono Atsushi


Holy shit that cast.


I didn't even know Teh Rie and Nakahara were in it.

Mod Edit: Removed baiting.
KuniiJan 1, 2021 11:25 PM
Apr 7, 2015 5:15 AM

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Aug 2012
250
It was relaxing :3
animation was really pretty and it was no fanservice which is a good thing
I want this to be a full series someday .
Apr 7, 2015 6:29 AM

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Apr 2014
1022
I liked it, I agree with other posters before me, it reminded me strongly of "Only Yesterday" which is a good thing. Sadly it was short so we didn't really get to know more about Aki's friends for instance. Her relationship with her family and especially with her father felt underdeveloped and I wanted to know more, like, why her father was so against the idea of her playing the drums.
I give it a solid 7/10.
Apr 7, 2015 2:11 PM

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Oct 2012
700
I enjoyed watching this, so sad this only lasted 25 minutes. I wanted to know more about her friends and her family.
Nice cast and animation, I give it a 8/10, recommendable.
I'm learning English so maybe I make mistakes :)
Apr 8, 2015 1:18 PM

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Apr 2013
1286
this was fantastic

animation was good, art was good, liked the story
Apr 8, 2015 7:24 PM

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Aug 2008
2128
It was pretty cool! :)

I'm more and more into japanese traditionnal instruments now! Read a manga about Koto, and then Shamisen, and now a Taikou anime short in less than 2 months. lol
Apr 8, 2015 8:23 PM

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Oct 2012
1917
For anybody who liked this and wants to watch another beautiful OVA with a
traditional Japanese theme, I recommend Mitsuwano (みツわの ):

16-second PV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhCWfLVmlp4
http://myanimelist.net/anime/21649/Mitsuwano
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=16002
Official website in Japanese: http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mitsuwano/
Wikipedia: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%BF%E3%83%84%E3%82%8F%E3%81%AE
Blu-ray disk: http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%81%BF%E3%83%84%E3%82%8F%E3%81%AE-Blu-ray-Disc-%E5%A0%80%E6%B1%9F%E7%94%B1%E8%A1%A3/dp/B00HHGPXRA
Here are the actual locations in Kyoto where it is set:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z60v_I865QYs.kCZTBSkpLRC4
Photos of the actual locations in Kyoto used for the backgrounds:
http://togetter.com/li/662931

Note the unusual way the title is written, using three hiragana symbols and one
katakana symbol. There is a reason for that. The meaning of the title is "Three
rings".
Apr 10, 2015 5:58 PM

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Jul 2010
8334
I enjoyed it, the romance felt forced though.
Apr 10, 2015 11:48 PM

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Oct 2011
20844
Pleasant watch. Enjoyed the SoL vibes. Pretty cool especially since I had a passion about drums as a kid~ 4/5 though because it felt hollow at the end(like a drum? xD).
Apr 11, 2015 9:59 PM

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Nov 2014
9843
Tis was good

Apr 12, 2015 1:17 PM

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Oct 2012
5844
Wow, they managed to tell so much within those 25 minutes of slice-of-life, great movie!

Didn't expected something so memorable and high-quality like this from Mirai joint of J.C.Staff and P.A.Works. Attention to details was exceptional and the story was very touching.

8/10
Apr 12, 2015 4:48 PM

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Nov 2013
712
Pretty good I guess, 7/10

The art and theme was nice, but being a short duration movie, this anime can't tell much story (The last practice, how the MC struggled to become a pro, the romace, etc.)

Anyway, it's pretty entertaining :)
Apr 14, 2015 2:48 AM

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Feb 2012
1041
Relaxing to watch. Wished the romance was a bit stronger. It'd be great if it was a longer movie, or a 12 episode anime. Overall, it was still entertaining.

7/10
You can just be yourself. Do things your own way, one step at a time. You'll get there. Just be yourself, you'll be fine."
~Fruit Basket
Apr 18, 2015 2:05 AM

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Dec 2012
3006
Good OVA, better than Ongaku Shoujo. This episode was relaxing with all these flashbacks, little Aki was cute.
Apr 22, 2015 9:48 AM

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Jul 2008
4186
I guess I appreciate what it was trying to do, but 25 minutes made the story extremely rushed. Naoto grew up to be really handsome though.

The dad showing up at the end kind of came out of nowhere.
May 14, 2015 2:36 PM

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Sep 2008
4120
That music!
I love it!
I want more!
Jun 11, 2015 6:17 AM

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Jan 2011
26718
That was a pretty nice feelgood short.
Jun 12, 2015 9:01 PM

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Jul 2012
48256
Hamada Kenji was worth hearing I guess?

Otherwise, this is Chihayafuru without the goodness.

I do like the romance between Naoto and MC.

StevenHu said:
A full series plus romance would be heavenly.

^^^^^
Jun 16, 2015 6:53 AM

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Feb 2008
4958
Would watch a full series of this rather than Hibike Euphonium.

But that doesn't say much. It had a nice concept and theme, but it was still pretty generic and cliche with the storytelling.

"Your sight, my delight. Will you marry me?"
Jun 18, 2015 12:15 PM
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Jul 2013
23
I really enjoyed this! I wish it was a full length movie so they could have gone into a little more detail, but nonetheless it was great! On a side note: Naoto grew up to be a total ikemen. So hot!
Jun 22, 2015 12:02 PM
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Feb 2012
4070
A lovely little story.
The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one. - Albert Einstein
Jul 8, 2015 6:51 PM

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Dec 2013
2587
I actually like it. it was just sad that it's only a 25-minute episode. I honestly want to see more of this. The animation is okay and the story as well. This actually introduced me to Taiko, which I'm not familiar before. And I was surprised that Aki was able to (forced?) her friends to join the Taiko club lol.



★━━─
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵?
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺?


Aug 8, 2015 11:12 AM

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Nov 2009
1097
Loved the feelgood factor that came around in the last 5 minutes, for a one shot anime I liked it way more then what I thought I would.
Sep 25, 2015 12:29 AM
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Jul 2014
606
Best of the four imo
Has an interesting premise and would like to see this as a series one day.
Sep 30, 2015 5:51 PM

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Jan 2013
805
Really sweet OVA. The MC was 2cute.
-Nothing can stay unchanged. Even so, can you still keep on loving this place?

-Be still my soul; when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Oct 10, 2015 8:19 PM

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Aug 2011
1352
Loved this one, I get the message. "Keep pursuing your dream and you'll end up somewhere along the way"




**☾**
Feb 13, 2016 9:04 AM

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May 2015
3912
This was pretty decent for just 25 minutes. But yea, still too short for a story like this. Obviously, it became rushed. Nonetheless, it was definitely still enjoyable despite that.


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