Ano Natsu tells the story of an estranged boy, who over the course of a summer, fell deeply in love with an alien. Yes, an alien.
So, what so special about Ano Natsu? Compared to other romantic dramas, it's a class of one. The momentum of the anime is dreadfully slow throughout, but like a sprint, the last few episodes surged the ideals of the anime towards the surface, and ends up leaving the viewer a sense of emptiness, and fulfilment. But like a sprint, majority of the anime was spent building underlying ideas, which by itself is insignificant to say the least.
The Story: a guy who loves to take photos was one night, mysteriously killed. The opening paragraph of the anime builds a sense of 'wtf' into the viewer - Not many anime starts off having the main protagonist killed after all. But like all Sherlock Holme novels, it paved the way for the entire storyline. In my opinion, what the producers established was a strong, no-bullshit, bond between the characters. His revival after 3 or so minutes into the anime continues the 'wtf happened' feeling within the viewer, needless to say, this helped the viewer to linger around longer. As the first episode progressed, you get more and more drawn into the world of Ano Natsu. Questions are thrown impatiently at you, and none of the answers are present, and you are forced to watch, and watch, and watch, until the dreadful 25th min approaches. The cliffhanger. You wait a full week to advance, to know what happened, yet the questions remain unanswered.
On a certain level, that is the best way to keep ratings high for the first couple, if not, few weeks. To start the anime on such a high momentous way was clever, but it also meant the high would die down very soon.
After the 4th or so episode, it settles into its 'filler' like regime. Slow, time-unmoving actions that on the face of it, seemed insignificant. But the anime is clever, subtle hints are buried in the episodes. They were preparing for the big finale.
Obviously I cannot tell you the end, however, like I previously mentioned, I can tell you that the 'dullness' of the middle is compensated by the explosive finish. I cannot help but feel a sense of awe and emptiness at the same time. Happy yet sad, not that the story's finished, but sad we're never told ALL the answers. Perhaps we could use our imagination to fill in the gaps? Nevertheless, I had never felt such contrastable feelings all at once.
So why would you want to watch it? Like a firework, the price you pay for a second of beauty cannot be justified. The commitment you have to have to finish the anime is high, but I assure you, the finish is worth it... at least in my opinion. The first episode will capture your interest, I assure you, but to continue to the end is the challenge. And I hope each and every one of you can overcome this challenge, to enjoy the forever contrasting feelings like I have felt.
