Amanchu! is one of the uncommon Iyashikei / healing / relaxing / feel-good slice of life anime. These shows are light on comedy and drama compared to other episodic shows but still find a way to create situations that provide character development and events that make the main characters happy which in turn makes the viewers feel warm inside.
If you haven't watched the original Amanchu! anime, it's a show about a shy girl named Futaba who's moved to a new city and has trouble making friends. An energetic girl named Hikari (nicknamed Pikari) gives her a nickname Teko and introduces her to the diving club which causes Futaba's life to slowly change.
As for the OVA itself, it is a worthy sequel and feels just like every previous episode. Without giving away too much of the plot it relates to how Futaba/Teko's childhood friends from her original hometown visit her since they're worried about how she's been adjusting to her new life. It's a really nice story about the importance of old and new friends.
For those who have watched ARIA series (Aria the Animation, Natural and Origination) you may or may not be aware that the original author, Kozue Amano, wrote both the original manga for ARIA and Amanchu. Futaba/Teko's childhood friends are based on Akari and Aika from ARIA and have similar personality traits, character designs and even the exact same voice actresses! The characters are different enough where you can differentiate from them the originals and they have their own interesting personalities that relate to Amanchu's story.
As someone who considers both ARIA and Amanchu two of his favorite series ever, having a cameo like this was a really nice treat! Hearing the original voice actresses was nostalgic. The characters/story was different enough that this episode would still be very enjoyable even if there was no reference to the original ARIA characters here. It helped to make this one of my favorite references/cameos in anime/manga I can think of.
The art style is nice and bright, fitting for the relaxing/healing nature of the show. Anytime the characters go diving the animators show how nice it would be to dive that deep underwater, showing all the cool surroundings and how everything looks really nice.
The OP and ED are the same as the original anime, really chill and fitting for the series. The BGM within the series is also really good and fitting for the series. Lots of light instrumentals that fit a relaxing show about a diving club.
If you liked the original Amanchu! (and possibly ARIA series) be sure to check out this OVA as it's one of my favorite episodes in the whole Amanchu series to date.
