Categories
Anime Episodic

Ano Natsu de Matteru – 05

So of course the all knowing Remon-senpai knows exactly how to manipulate all of the characters for maximum enjoyment on the set of the movie. She puts Ichika in the role of crash-landed alien who needs a place to stay… Meanwhile, the love polygon is in full swing as Tetsuro encourages Kanna to go for Kaito while he simultaneously wishes he was with her. And the useless girl (Mio) is still sort of just useless for the most part. All in all, an enjoyable episode.

One thing I’ve been wondering is what time period this anime is set in. I sort of assumed it was some time in the 70s or 80s since Kaito’s camera seems very old school. In this episode, Ichika mentioned that the camera seemed old and Kaito explained that it was his grandfather’s. So I think this pushes the timeframe forward a bit.

I saw a cd player in one scene, so maybe they’re in the mid 90’s. None of the characters seem to have a cell phone, and there’s rampant landline usage, so I’m guessing 90’s is a good call. Given the natsukashii nature of the series, I think it’s cool that it’s not set in the current time period.

State of the art
Categories
Anime Episodic

Amagami SS Plus – 04

I used to be a high school student like you, then I took a sparkler to the nii-nii.

I just finished Rihoko’s arc in Amagami SS Plus and I’m pretty happy with the results. Junichi (Juiichi?) finally manned the fuck up and told Rihoko how he felt (though it was after he overheard her confession, so I guess that kind of nullifies any manliness). My main issue with the way he did it (and my main gripe about the series in general) is that he told her that he’s always loved her, and just realized it now. And he’s gonna be with her forever, blah blah blah.

Assuming the alternate universes in this world do not diverge too much, then Junichi is simultaneously in love with Rihoko and other girls! Of course, that’s possible but it kind of ruins the romance if you think about it too hard. Junichi should just make less blanket statements and be a little more realistic. He is a manwhore, after all.

Oh, and the next arc is the swimmer girl, Ai. I can’t even remember what happened in her original arc. Some kind of little brother issue? Or a dog issue? Beats me. This one will probably be boring as heck.

Categories
Anime Episodic

Ano Natsu De Matteru: 01-04

One show I missed during my short season preview was Ano Natsu De Matteru. Apparently this show shares the writer of Onegai Sensei and Onegai Twins. The connection between the shows is instantly recognizable since Ano Natsu shares pretty much the same trope characters of childhood friends, wise-beyond-their-years manipulatie senpai (who do the “fu fu fu” laugh), super hot wingmen and alien meganekko main love interests.

In a way, Ano Natsu De Matteru is a throwback to a time when anime plots were simpler. The cast represents a precisely honed set of love triangles and leaves things to sort themselves out. While it’s extremely predictable (and I’m guessing that if there hasn’t been a Madoka-style twist by now, there won’t be one), it’s also super enjoyable. This is like the comfort food of anime for me.

If I’m right, and this anime doesn’t take any detours (though I think it would be pretty brave and awesome if it did), I’m guessing that the main dude and alien will have a series of misunderstandings, childhood friend might gain some traction but then lose out, alien girl will arbitrarily be taken away from main dude for an episode or two, and when they’re reunited, they will end up together. All the while, “fu fu fu” senpai will manipulate the rest of the cast for maximum enjoyment. Childhood friend will either hook up with blue haired dude, or maybe even with the third wheel girl (the one with brown hair that’s kind of useless) to spice things up.

This anime isn’t rocket science, and that’s kind of good. For now I will enjoy the production values and nostalgic feelings that I get from watching this.