(I won't include a summary of the story, since I assume everyone has read the official MAL one)
Story: 11
Yes.. 11! The story is quite simple to grasp. In a nutshell it shows two people, a young boy and a girl who are seperated by distance. Yup..that's the whole concept. But it's the ideas that enriched this concept and its execusion that made this anime a little gem. Because distance here has taken its most extreme form..that of some light years away. Mikako and Noboru are able to exhange text messages through their cellphones, but as if distance between them wasn't enough.. the messages sending times depend on how far away each time Mikako is from Earth. At first she sends mails from close planets, like Mars, but then the expedition she is part of draws further away, so the sending time of the mails is delayed.. resulting to mails taking up to a year to reach Noboru and more. As the story unwinds the feeling of a possible happy reunion gives its place to desperation, while every hope seems to dissappear. But what is beautiful is the connection that still exists between the two of them through those messages. And even if they both have to live for each moment, those messages,no matter how rare, have become the core of their existance, around which their lives are revolving. They could try to make their hearts colder and move on, but its like those messages are their real lives and the rest is just a duty they have to bear with. And the mails can transform to something more, a feeling as if one can maybe hear the thoughts of the other, as if they are still close as before.
Art: 9
I really liked the art! It was quite detailed and thoroughly done. Especially the colors were beautiful. The design of the mecha wasn't my cup of tea, as well as the design of the faces of the two characters. But these were minor things that didn't really matter in the end.
Sound: 9
The sound was great too, It really supported and enriched the story.
Character:10
There are only two characters, but you won't even think about that at all. The story is so captivating that you will love both the characters from the very start. Without saying more than its needed, they look deep and mature.
Enjoyment: 10
I surely enjoyed my almost half an hour of viewing. The story was sad indeed, but still it held something bright and beautiful in it.
Overall: 9.5
This is a must watch anime! I haven't watched so many anime shows up until now, but this was definitely one of those that I will remember long after I have watched hundreds of others. Because it's one of those anime that don't need to be excessive in order to be liked or seek various tricks to draw the viewer. It's beautiful as it is in it's own purity and that is rare to find. It won't pretend to be something more than it shows and that honesty is captivating. Don't miss this, it's like a small oasis of calmness in our every day craziness.
