Mizuiro (2003)

Brother and younger sister-in-law live in the house which parents are often away from. Yuki who is the younger sister is secretly yearning for Kenji who is the elder brother. However, one girl came to show up from the closet in Kenji's room after a certain night. Moreover, her body is transparent, and she looks like the ghost. Her name is Hiyori. She is a friend in their childhood. They are pleased with reunion though Kenji and Yuki are perplexed with the way of Hiyori's strange appearance. However, Yuki gets the mind shaken as Kenji and Hiyori become intimate, and the pain in her mind in the childhood is recalled.

At the childhood, Yuki was going to pass the light blue toy ring which Kenji had had to Hiyori in exchange for Hiyori's yoyo. However, because Hiyori became sick, and had moved, the promise was not an accomplishment. Their events in the childhood seem to be related to Hiyori's showing up in front of them.
A painful love story of Kenji and two girls progresses.

(Source: AniDB)

Hayasaka, Hiyori Main

Gotou, Yuuko Japanese

Katase, Yuki Main

Ayakawa, Rino Japanese

Katase, Kenji Main

Sato, Akemi Japanese

Shindou, Mutsuki Supporting

Yoshizumi, Kozue Japanese

Nakamura, Makoto Producer, Script

Matsunaga, Takayuki Producer

Isako, Kiyotaka Director

Watanabe, Jun Sound Director

Reviews

Mar 14, 2008

slpless

Recommended

Mizuiro (2003) started with a flashback with the 3 main characters as children. The animation and music did an exceptional job making a warm, nostalgic feel, with its muted colors and especially fitting music. Also, the warm and nostalgic feel is pretty constant through the ova not just in the beginning. The animation in the ova isn't really that special. Its pretty standard for an ova. The music however, was fitting and well done through out. The BMG (background music) consisted of primarily instrumental pieces that bring out the mood of the given situation. As for the OP/ED, ... it was....ok I guess, nothing special.

Next, Mizuiro makes it obvious where it came from… However, after the seemingly mandatory cameos the main story starts when Hiyori pops out of the closet....

The plot revolves around the love triangle with Kenji, Yuki, and Hiyori and their past. While the story is pretty standard it is nevertheless very touching and charming. However, it doesn't have enough time to really flesh out the characters and its plot. For the time it was allotted the character development and characterization was remarkably well done. The plot itself didn't suffer too much from the short length, since they decided to only tell a small part of their lives. Even after it ends you're not screaming "what happens next!?!!?"... well at least I didn't. I thought it ended nicely however they could have easily went on.

Mizuiro's length is its one fatal weakness nevertheless, Mizuiro was very well done despite it's short length. If it was given more time, Mizuiro would have easily ranked among my personal favorites. Nevertheless, Mizuiro gives me this warm and happy feel every time I watch it, recommend to those that want something short and sweet. Now if I can only find the ost.....

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 2, 2008

Sunao

Recommended

Despite it's simple and cliché plot (a promise between friends, [probably] a love triangle, etc) it's really well done.
It gave me a sweet, fuzzy feeling when I watched it. The soundtrack is really great and fits the atmosphere of the OVA very well.
The OVA itself isn't appealing and outstanding, but does a good job when it comes to entertainment and enjoyment.
Don't expect something deep full of drama and development of story/characters. It's short, simple and very enjoyable.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jun 20, 2023

rathlin

Recommended

This is quite a bizarre OVA and I'm surprised that it isn't more well-known, I'd definitely say that it is thoroughly underrated. Alot of people might be thrown off by the start which makes it feel like a generic slice-of-life VN adaptation but it really (really) picks up quickly and by the second episode things are tending more toward a Makoto Shinkai-esque story with a really nice, satisfying ending.

The animation style isn't anything extravagant, but it's perfectly alright. It's very, very '2003' and if you like that sort of visual style then you'll enjoy it, but if you don't then it'll probably just be ... par for the course. While the anime is definitely alot more grounded it might've been nice to see some more interesting movements or exaggeration in some of the comedy relief parts, though obviously that's a matter of directing taste.

The music was also pretty decent, though I think the ED on the second episode was the highlight. The voice actors are all pretty good, though Hiyori was by far the best, though I can't say if that's more her character having a bit more varied direction.

The only real complaint I have is that with such a short runtime, it does have a bit of a tendency to hyperfocus on seemingly random plotlines and ideas - some characters get introduced if only to deliver advice and are never heard from again and the anime 'doubles up' on some of the imagery and themes in a way that just makes them feel a little bit less focused and clear than they could have been. Honestly for what it is, I think it's really underrated and deserves more recognition.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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