Coffee Samurai... where to start?
Story: 7
Coffee Samurai is a 30-minute short with a truly unique idea. A Sengoku-era samurai wishes for an invincible steel body after he falls in battle, and in a bit of a cruel trick, he is reborn as a vending machine. Hemi, a college student, discovers that this vending machine is actually alive, and befriends him in her fascination. This eventually progresses to a bizarre love, and remains that way. The pacing is slow, but the idea is unique, and definitely charming. If you aren't interested in the story, then this anime doesn't have much to offer for you, however.
Art: 3
I was surprised to see this was from 2009. With it's simple and cute art style, I wouldn't have flinched if it was made thirty years earlier. I'm not sure if this was a stylistic choice or not, but the general assumption that all old anime have poor animation is reflected here a bit too much, and takes away from the experience in several scenes.
Sound: 2
While the art and animation are up for interpretation, the sound in particular was very obviously poor. While dialogue is sparse compared to most anime, voices are never quite clear. The quality becomes painfully obvious during the first action sequence. During the loud yells of battle, you could assume they were recorded on a $30 microphone in somebody's basement. Aside from the terrible quality issues, the voice acting never stood out, though there were no particular problems.
Character: 6
The bizarre relationship between Jin and Hemi is the only real character we see beyond their introductions, but in the 30-minute time frame of this special, Hemi becomes sweet, and a bit of an airhead, and Jin becomes protective, and clearly suited to his role as a samurai. These traits, while not original, are in very soft tones, and becomes almost endearing. Other characters we see throughout are forgettable besides their own weirdness, and add very little to the series.
Enjoyment: 5
My personal enjoyment for this series was a solid five. I watched it for it's strange concept, and saw exactly a strange concept. There is no real enjoyment to be found beyond your own curiosity, and without it, you're left with a sweet romance with a very lackluster production.
Overall: 4
Averaging out the scores brings a 4.6, though you may disagree and rate lower if you had expected more. Perhaps you may even rate it higher, as regardless of quality, as it's a nice short break from the torrential downpour of rom-coms and dramas in anime.
