Natsuiro Kiseki is a combination of my favorite genres: slice of life and supernatural. It deals with a story of friendship, and this circle of four girls experiences a tremendous amount of growth and maturation throughout their summer adventures.
The story is amazing. I would even dare to say that it parallels that of Anohana. These four girls all start their journey as a circle of friends, but really not more than that. They have fun together, but they also argue and disagree on many things. Throughout the course of their last summer vacation together, they experience a wide variety of supernatural occurrences that causes them to become even closer friends. They grow up from acting like children and transition into adulthood, with a mindset of understanding and acceptance.
Some may argue that the story isn't well written, due to the second half of episode two (you'll know it when you get there), and several other awkward developments. However, I believe that the values of friendship that this anime teaches far overrides those scenes. I am judging the anime holistically, so I can only speak for the overall effect of the story, which was amazing. These scenes were not bad either; they added weight to the importance of friendship, and increased the connection between the watcher and these four girls. As a whole, this anime taught a profound lesson about friendship and selflessness that is far greater than a few weird scenes.
The art for this anime is absolutely stunning. I mean, completely brilliant. Every little detail in the art is picked up and magnified even further. The dancing scenes, the flowing hair, the magic-- it all just works beautifully and harmoniously. Everything is smooth, and the art style is great; everyone and everything is properly proportioned, and looks normal.
The sound is just as incredible as the art. Just search up the OP or ED! The soundtracks are all beautiful, and the amount of background music in this anime is appropriate. It always matches the mood, and serves to intensify the situation, and not distract from it. I am especially obsessed with the OP because it is just amazing. The ED is just as breathtaking, if not more.
The character development is definitely where this anime shines. Each girl is unique, so much so that they don't really fit into a category at all. They each have their own special quirks and personalities. It just goes to show that best friends don't have to all be the same. As the story progresses, they all become closer, but at the same time, their characters become more and more different. They mature in their own directions.
I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. It dealt with issues in friendship that I'm sure a majority of us can relate to. From a few naive girls in the beginning to a close-knit group of best friends in the end, the characters completely transform.
This anime truly was a Summer-Colored Miracle.
