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Feb 9, 2015
This brief OVA breaks the traditional shoujo-ai mold of tragedy. Instead it is all about fluff, happiness and two people realizing that they are meant to be together. Basically it's a perfect short romance!
This is a good introduction to yuri series. It’s not explicit at all and it's very sweet. Normally with incest especially, a topic popularly portrayed in anime, relationships often seem unnatural and forced, but here the interactions are smooth and natural. The sisters banter back and forth like really siblings but there is always that hint of underlying affection in their words and actions that clues you into their real feelings
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for each other.
For the short ten minute run time much is accomplished: the sisters stop being affectionate for a brief time, are conflicted over their feelings and then resolve their problems. It even adds in some comic relief which is quite well done with a stalker underclassmen.
Speaking of characters this is one of the ONA’s highlights. Their design is well done and the characters are very expressive. Even though there is little dialogue, it is always easy to get a sense of the characters varying feelings from their expressions. Similarly, the acting is more expressive and is very entertaining. The actors convey a wide variety of different emotions and the sound effects are stand outs. The ending song is a bit dated, but the lyrics help frame the sisters feelings for each other and serve as a nice coda.
The art is very natural looking, the colors are muted but the backgrounds are bright and cheery mimicking how the characters feel. It is almost photo-realistic. Due to the low budget, the camera angles are slightly unconventional. Sometimes there will be a few interspersed shots of perspiration or a glass of water which adds to the tone of the scene.
Yes, it's nothing memorable but it doesn't try to be. It's about cute fluff and sisters growing together. It’s short, it’s pretty and it’s adorable. Why wouldn't you watch it?
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 9, 2015
In many ways this is a subdued yet sweet story of two sisters’ nourishing their budding romance. It never turns explicit, but instead moves slowly through everyday moments. It is easy to sense that the sisters relationship is a true progression built top of many years which allows their interactions to feel natural. Best of all is their banter, which is highly enjoyable, and feels like two siblings reminiscing and having fun together.
Like some slice of life shows Candy Boy meanders, but in a good way. The characters are school girls and so the story follows the trials and tribulations of their simple daily
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lives. There isn’t really much drama to speak of and it’s all about the fluff. The love that the two share is never clearly defined. It is suggested to be romantic in nature but the two rarely do anything of that nature when they are alone. If anything they just seem a little closer than “normal” sisters: they hold hands and flirt with each other. Their relationship is all about living in the present; they wish to stay together for the foreseeable future but they never worry about the small things. It’s light hearted and sweetly innocent.
Being so brief, you can watch it quickly; however the show easily touches the heart. It fleshes out the lives of the sisters, and is about the small moments in a relationship such as sharing an umbrella, shopping for a Christmas presents, etc. which is part of what makes it so charming. The characters don’t make grand overtures, rather they illustrate their love in small and tender ways.
One sister, Kanade, is a bit shy (she’s a little bit of a tsundere) but you can sense her affection for her sister. The other one, Yuki, is the complete opposite. She’s cheerful, spirited and outgoing. The other character is the stalker underclassman, Sakuya, who provides the comic relief of the series. Her amusing fangirl ways add some spice and vary the tone.
The animation looks dated but it has a certain nostalgic air. The colors are muted but cheerful and the characters are well designed. The characters eyes in particular are well detailed and convey more than what the characters say along with the movements of their bodies. Their faces always are exceptionally expressive and the backgrounds can be dazzling with natural scenery. It’s almost as if the whole show is in love like the main characters.
The music is... Not the best. To be blunt it sounds like upbeat elevator music. The ending song is an outdated 90's pop ballad that seems overly saccharine for how restrained the series is.
In closing, all I can say is that I really think everyone should give this series a try. While it may not be to everyone's tastes, with the way the series deftly handles everything, most should find little objection to it. It treats these two like a normal couple who are easily empathetic and lovely. Their love isn’t a flashy love, rather it is quiet, sweet and simple, and all the better for it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 5, 2014
The new special was a shock to us all. Mushishi is, well let’s be blunt, an older series – and being “old” (returning after almost nine years have passed) it has all the charms of seeing an old friend after a long time. Or falling into your bed after being away from home a long time. The world is nebulous, the time frame uncertain, but it is unquestionable blend of Japanese folktales, pre-industrialization Japan and modern world technology. Like the word itself, viewers can suspend belief when it comes to the supernatural mushi. And that belief has a kind of subtle magic. For fans, the
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re-visitation of the series was good one, a nice segaway for the new season coming out in 2014. Additionally, there are some "Easter eggs" to please return watchers.
The plot, like the episodes before it, can be described simplistically. Ginko has to save the day, and he ends up doing so. The “deep-ness” of the plot though has never been what Mushishi was about. Rather it was always the characters and the focus that, though the Mushi initially appear as harbingers of doom, their relationship with humans is symbiotic. They are merely a mirror reflecting back at us. To classify them as monsters misses the entire point. The show never takes a accusatory tone for the havoc that mushi can wreck, and the same point is articulated beautifully in this special. There is one particularly lovely scene where Ginko, in his understated way, talks to a young girl about she is similar to the mushi. It’s not to be missed – it’s touching, emotional and thought provoking. At moments like this, the special really shines.
The length is somewhat of a detriment to the show because of additional subplots which weaken the air of relative simplicity that the anime had, and undermined the potential for melancholic feelings. The studio crammed too much in to allow the creativity of previous episodes, and the lingering camera shots of scenery that developed the mood in the anime. Unlike other storylines that were thought provoking, the message of this special was less subtle – more like being hit in the face with a sledge hammer. It wasn't the strongest writing for certain.
The characters and their seiyuu are what make this. The use of child actors gave authenticity. Ginko is as enigmatic as ever, and undisputedly the star of the show though he never dominates screen time; not much development is done on his character in the special. But he seems like a man without a particular time and place, calm and helpful, slow paced. He has a type of quiet charisma, just like the show itself. There are no gimmicks, no flashy action sequences, but rather characterization and relationships that bloom with the passing of time. The special has impact because of the emotions it evokes, not the plot or the characters in their own right.
The animation is, in particular, a tad bit disappointing. It appears almost identical to the show even though it’s nine years later and suffers consistently from quality issues throughout. There are some very noticeable “animation bumps,” unnatural movements made by humans, lip-synching issues and plainly noticeable CGI. It also suffers from a lack of variation in character design; at times, characters are indistinguishable from each other. Some scenes can be incredible beautiful and painterly with subdued, watercolor-esque colors.
It has some absolutely stunning songs that help express the feel and the tone of the story. Traditional instruments are used to great effect, and frequent repetition of a few songs over and over help unite the story. The music is haunting, beautiful and eerie – everything it needed to be. I can’t imagine the story having a similar effect without it.
This "special" is hard to review - why? Because there are many issues, but it's very charming. It hearkens back to the "golden age" of anime where studio's took risks and were inventive. It was about pushing boundaries and not all about the money. Having Mushishi back is like a return of those ideals - just let the music, animation and atmosphere flow - it's as one reviewer put it "a calming drug." It may not be prefect but is relaxing and simplistic. It's the type of thing that anime and viewers occasionally need. It's nothing new but enjoyable, a feeling to bask in long after it's over.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 1, 2014
Loved Sword Art Online so much that you want to see it again? Than this is the show for you... because essentially that is what this extra edition is - the same soundtrack, art, clips and even the opening song. Basically it is like most every OVA/"special episode"/or first film - the dreaded recap.
Yes, I may come off as unnecessarily harsh but the fact is that very little new content is introduced in what is about a feature length film (~100 minutes) in regards to plot and character development. It starts of well though - Kirito has a "special" appointment with the counselor which seemed
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like it had potential because, after all, being in game for almost three years is bound to have psychological effects. Nope, it's a government man coming to interrogate Kirito - again had the potential to be interesting because it could have examined the relationship between the players and Japan, or Kirito "the gaming genius" and the government. Nope, instead it's just a recap like the viewer's were idiots and didn't watch the last season. There is nothing new in Kirito's narration which, by the way, takes up the majority of the episode. The clips are taken directly from past episode's and the summary isn't even good, in fact they seem contrived. It just really feels like a bad filler episode. The whole thing is just recap, recap and more recaps - it gets tiring after awhile.
As for the sideplot, well quite honestly this should have been called "Swimsuit Art Online" because almost the entire plot is well - cute girls in swimsuits with the flimsy excuse of "well we have to teach Sugu to swim!" There is plenty of fanservice shots that are none to discreet and this part of the plot feels as if we are in the classic harem show. Basically this ended up being the beach episode that we never got in the actual anime itself - fanservice with just a dash of plot.
By the time the show even get's to Alfheim, the majority of the time has past so to preserve time, the "quest" is reduced to a mere slideshow, just a couple of stills. Without giving too much away, the actual story ends really anticlimactically - it’s all bark and no bite. Big names and creatures appear, but it’s all done without tension or consequence (Seriously, how can you make a fight against a Kraken AND a Leviathan, boring?)
Because the music, animation is mostly the same, there's not much to say except Asuna looks bizarre.
The fact was that with that much time so much could have been done - it could have been epic, could have explored the psychological effects on players, or examined the problems created in Japan. Instead it's: swimsuits, cute girls, and recaps, recaps and recaps. If that's your sorta thing, feel free - go for it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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