This OVA initially started as a fundraiser with the goal of raising 100,000 USD to create an anime adaption of the popular Visual Novel series Nekopara. By the time it was completed it had raised nearly a million. To say that there is hype surrounding this OVA is undeniable. The better question is, does it live up to it?
Unfortunately no.
The OVA suffers primarily from poor pacing, as they attempt to cram 4-5 hours of visual novel content into a 1 hour show. Rushed scenes and illogical cuts from humor to seriousness are almost laughable. The story itself follows the VN almost word for word with the exception of a single scene which felt odd and out of place. To say that you would get much more content out of the Visual Novel than you would this OVA mirrors the opinion of every "The manga is better" believer out there, but in this instance it could not be truer.
The art itself was interesting. For a new studio it seemed to do fairly well, but odd dips in quality combined with horrendous chibli forms turn it into a simple "Meh".
Sound was once again almost note for note the same as the visual novel, so really no complaints there. The opening theme was nice but hardly catchy.
Characters were another aspect I felt was crammed. Reviewing this from the perspective of one whose played all 3 visual novels is different from one who has only seen the OVA, but either way the characters seemed to fall flat. They simply lacked a personality beyond a few tropes, which is unfortunately becoming more and more common
Despite all the negativity I may seem to be conveying, I genuinely enjoyed this OVA. It was a fun "Turn off your brain and watch cute catgirls do things" type of series that could hardly be called a waste of time. If you enjoyed the VN, like catgirls or are simply alone on a Friday night it's certainly worth a shot
