Story: 9/10
The story of Photokano revolves around our main character, Kazuya Maeda, as he introduced into the world of photography when his father gives him his old camera as a gift. But what is a camera without something to take a picture of? Enter our heroines. This eight girls are inexplicably drawn to Kazuya and his amateur photography. This is where the story lacks the most. SInce each heroine only gets one episode (and a few scenes in the first two episodes) to get her story told, the "building up friendship" part is severely lacking. The omnibus storytelling more than makes up for this fact though. Each of these girls has her own unique personality that gives the viewer a fresh look at the series every episode. SInce the story resets every episode it is hard to get a complete look at the world and characters of Photokano, but it is this exact concept that makes Photokano such an enjoyable watch.
Art: 9/10
The visual style of Photokano isn't anything groundbreaking, but it is still very good. Sure, there are some rough edges around the characters every now and again, but this only adds to the overall charm. This is actually one of the departments in which this anime shines though. Every time Kazuya snaps a shot of one of the girls, the art changes to a stunning 3D/CGI look that is absolutely gorgeous. And Kazuya takes a lot of pictures. People spend hours playing through every route in a VN just to see images like these.
Sound: 8/10
This anime doesn't have a very diverse soundtrack, but that doesn't mean it's bad. You may hear a lot of the same BGM over and over again, but it's soothing nature makes it not only tolerable, but enjoyable. The OP was fantastic in my opinion. I've already listened to it at least a couple dozen times since I last watched the series. Not only that, but the ED is unique in the fact that each heroine gets to sing her own version of the song.
Character: 10/10
With a style like this, the entire anime hinges on the characters, and Photokano does not disappoint. Kazuya, our main character, is more or less your typical forgettable nice guy. Then again, what harem MC isn't? But we don't watch harems for the guy, no, we watch them for the girls, and this anime has a variety of them. A shy girl, student council president, airhead, childhood friend, heck, this anime even has an imouto character. Due to the nature of this anime character development is kept to a minimum, which is really too bad, but the creators did the best with what little time they had and did not disappoint. Even though you only see some of these characters for a total of 30 minutes, you feel like you can understand them. At least to some extent.
Overall: 10/10
Photoakano was a very enjoyable anime to watch. I happen to be a major fan of the omnibus format, ever since watching Amagami SS, so this anime was like a gold mine for me. Those looking for in depth storytelling and character development may want to steer clear of this anime, but for those like me who enjoy a good harem and a large cast of diverse girls, this anime is a must watch.
