Ano Natsu de Matteru

While testing out his camera on a bridge one summer night, Kaito Kirishima sees a blue light streaking across the sky, only to be blown off the railing seconds later. Just before succumbing to unconsciousness, a hand reaches down to grab ahold of his own. Dazed and confused, Kaito wakes up the next morning wondering how he ended up back in his own room with no apparent injuries or any recollection of the night before. As he proceeds with his normal school life, Kaito and his friends discuss what to do with his camera, finally deciding to make a film with it over their upcoming summer break. Noticing that Kaito has an interest in the new upperclassmen Ichika Takatsuki, his friend Tetsurou Ishigaki decides to invite her, as well as her friend Remon Yamano, to join them in their movie project.

In what becomes one of the most entertaining and exciting summers of their lives, Kaito and his friends find that their time spent together is not just about creating a film, but something much more meaningful that will force them to confront their true feelings and each other.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Takatsuki, Ichika Main

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

Yamano, Remon Main

Tamura, Yukari Japanese

Kirishima, Kaito Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga Japanese

Tanigawa, Kanna Main

Ishihara, Kaori Japanese

Kitahara, Mio Main

Asumi, Kana Japanese

Ishigaki, Tetsurou Main

Ogihara, Hideki Japanese

Rinon Supporting

Hidaka, Rina Japanese

Takatsuki, Emika Supporting

Horie, Yui Japanese

Kirishima, Nanami Supporting

Hisakawa, Aya Japanese

Kinoshita, Kaori Supporting

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Matsukura, Yuuji Producer

Ogura, Mitsutoshi Producer

Kawakami, Ryuutarou Producer

Ueda, Yasuyuki Assistant Producer

Reviews

Mar 26, 2012

Yukariki

Recommended

AnoNatsu is a strange case: a competent JC Staff romance anime, that works as an installment to an old series (the Onegai series), dealing with filmmaking, sci-fi, and summer holidays despite being a Winter 2012 anime.

Directed by Nagai Tatsuyuki (Ano Hana, Toradora!), this anime is a mix of the new and old conventions of romance anime: love triangles, genre fusion, and more. Kirishima Kaito (Shimazaki Nobunaga), who looks awfully a lot like Jintan from AnoHana, is your average geek interested in using an old film camera he found in the attic. Equipped with various ISO films, he practices cinematography along with his friend, ... Ishigaki Tetsurou (Ogihara Hideki). Tanigawa Kanna (Ishihara Kaori), a blue-haired Chie from Persona 4, joins to be closer with Kaito while Kitahara Mio (Asumi Kana), a quiet girl, helps out. Looking through the viewfinder, Kaito looks at the running field from his classroom and sees a girl with red hair, Takatsuki Ichika (Tomatsu Haruka), looking lost; his face blushes and we find ourselves watching a silly case of ‘love at first sight.’

I did not expect much from the work at first: anything by JC Staff, especially the art, these days frightens me. Yet, Nagai’s success in AnoHana shows no declining in this work; the animation quality does not falter below acceptable levels and sometimes astound me in the most dramatic episodes. Its art style is a rehash of AnoHana and yet, I don’t mind; it looks too beautiful. Does this work stop the negative perception of JC Staff? Of course not, but AnoNatsu is undeniably pretty; warm, saturated colors blossom everywhere and the summer season seems almost touchable.

Nagai shows his directing skills in AnoNatsu and excels in developing romances. What amazes me is how he puts all those boring, corny romantic scenes and twist it around into something different. Episode 3’s ending features the leads in a train station leaving; the sequence at the end may send Michael Curtiz, the director of the classic film Casablanca, packing. The editing and directing in most episodes are worthy of analysis; Kanna’s subtle gestures, like twiddling her hair, is a curious artistic touch. Anyone who enjoys observing the artistic subtle choices of directors and editors will have a fun time watching Ano Natsu.

AnoNatsu pays homage to the old romance works, especially its parent series: the Onegai franchise. If AnoNatsu goes to a cheese shop, it will be hard to differentiate parmesan and the work; it is after all a tribute to previous works. Romance can be as melodramatic as the ef series or cheesy as seen here. I admire its cheesiness; it’s honest and proud of it. I’d rather see a corny work once in a while than see the same ten melodramatic romance works. While I have not watched any of the Onegai works, it is worth pointing out that there are huge similarities: Yamano Remon (Tamura Yukari) is an almost direct copy of Morino Ichigo and some of the locations are a nod to the previous work too. There is something admirable about the cheesiness and homages AnoNatsu has.

Speaking of Remon, she and Kanna steal the show. Enigmatic Remon, a senior student, helps out filming and her antics are outrageous. Functioning both as comic relief and supporting character, Remon is an example of how smart a comic relief character can be. She can be seen as the mastermind behind the romances while having fun dipping her toes in the murky waters of love. Kanna, on the other hand, is how tsundere characters should act. Kanna steps beyond the stereotype and her character develops and hardens as the show goes on; she is someone you want to give a hug to. Kanna’s problems is woven inside the love triangles and her frustration and sadness show by the voice actress; I thought this was voiced by a professional, but she is voiced by Ishihara Kaori -- a singer in YuiKaori and somewhat new to the voice acting arena. She is one of the best finds in the anime industry and Nagai uses her skills wisely.

“sign” by Ray shows KOTOKO’s songwriting skills in full blast. As any KOTOKO song goes, the sounds of synthesizers undulate their way to your ears. The animation that goes with it doesn’t feel right; at the beginning of the OP, there are some great directing choices: a film reel shows Ichika smiling and cuts off while the title fades into view. As it goes on though, the animators get lazier and show the characters without inspiration: we see them sitting down, standing, turning around, and a close-up of Ichika’s breasts. It is disconcerting to see a KOTOKO song -- hyper, romantic -- accompany a botched work; this is the only sequence of animation that you can say, “Ah, it’s JC Staff.”

“Vidro Moyou” by Nagi Yanagi -- yes, she’s from supercell -- does a whole lot better. Copying AnoHana, the minimalist ED is beautiful, dancing gracefully with its bittersweet, soothing music. I’m in love with the ED and it ranks up there in my top ten favorite EDs. It’s hard to say much because it’s so perfect. Just watch the damn ED.

In defense of AnoNatsu, I think it is fair to argue against other reviewers and viewers for one thing: AnoNatsu is not AnoHana; stop comparing them. After hearing talk from both sides of the spectrum, I’ve been raising my eyebrows on any mention of AnoHana when it comes to plot; both works look similar aesthetically, but that’s as far as that path goes. AnoHana is a bittersweet dramatic work that focuses on the aftermath of losing someone precious to you; AnoNatsu is a romance anime. See the difference? A more logical approach: compare AnoNatsu to Toradora!. I’m not a big fan of Toradora!, so I will not go on that route; nevertheless, it is frustrating to see stupid comments on how much “AnoHana is better omfg >:(“

What I cannot defend is AnoNatsu’s numerous flaws. People can get irate from the cheesiness; this is, of course, caused by difference in taste and opinion; I think it’s rational to argue in that perspective even if I disagree with it. What I can get behind is the talk on the personalities of the two leading characters: Kaito and Ichika. Their romance is genuine, but they themselves make me yawn. There are so many things going on outside the leading characters’ reach that we don’t really get to know them; instead, we know more about Kanna, Tetsurou, Mio, and even Remon. When problems between the two leads do exist, they aren’t interesting at all -- they bore me. Most of their scenes are lackluster. I was more emotionally invested into Kanna than anyone else. What I say previously is true: Remon and Kanna steal the show.

There is also an exhausting episode dealing with the most pressing problem in summer: which sexy bras should the girls wear? This episode comes out from nowhere and you ask, “Do you really need a beach episode?” It also introduces other female characters that distract the deeply stemmed love decahedron. While its next episode saves AnoNatsu from being a harem show through Nagai’s ever creative decisions as director, I find the setting of that episode pointless. Most, if not all, beach episodes should just die.

The last three episodes feel rushed, giving negative vibes to anyone who has watched Angel Beats!. There is a huge amount of compression; AnoNatsu is a work that should have given itself more leeway and needs a few more episodes to make sure its ending makes sense. Episode 11 suddenly speeds up the pacing and it makes you wonder, “Am I watching a different show?” Some of the events presented in the final episodes are unbelievable because of the lack of buildup. For a cheesy straightforward romance show, it has one hell of a time confusing me.

AnoNatsu is imperfect, but it adds to the charm when I think about it. I’m a filmmaker and I know most student films suck. There are lovely shots, but everything else like story is terrible. There is beauty in creating imperfection though; the strengths are worth remembering for and we make nostalgic memories out of filming. We brush away the bad spots and think about the good things that happen; for example, there are scenes that has Kaito filming Tetsurou parodying Ultraman and Godzilla. They know it’s fun and games. There is something magical with the camera rolling when you see your friends acting; the fun of that is presented in the smiling faces of the characters.

Those smiles are the purest, untarnished forms of memories.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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May 25, 2023

Yemi_Hikari

Mixed Feelings

This Anime is a major disappointment. First off, when I picked up this Anime I simply expected it to be simply slice of life but in the very first episode you have the added twist that two new girls in the group are an alien and someone else with a big secret. The Anime doesn't really flesh that out. In fact, it really doesn't focus on them making the film but instead focuses on the relationships between the characters. Some of the moments were great and enjoyable but other times it felt like I was hitting my head against a brick wall.

Then there is the ... matter of the art work. In the first few episodes the animation was stiff and not very good. Not to mention the character designs weren't strong either when it came to the main characters. I know the two main characters are supposed to be geeky, but the way they were drawn honestly clashed with the designs of all the other characters who had more details and more realism put into their designs. The sound was all right, but nothing that stood out for me.

The characters are very likable and this is the shows strong point, but it is also why this show is such a major disappointment. We have these wonderful characters with wonderful personalities that just aren't allowed to be themselves. There are times they are stiff and at times the show is over wordy, not to mention painful to watch. Some of the interactions are also just not believable and feel forced. I'll state again, this Anime is a major disappointment for me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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Apr 7, 2016

PoeticJustice

Not Recommended

What happens when you run out of ideas? You take tropes from popular anime and mix them together. Harem? Check. Bad comedy? Check. Bad romance? Check? Love octagon? Check. Then you get Ano Natsu de matteru, the anti-thesis of good writing. A show so creatively bankrupt that it should never be watched by anyone.

The story starts out with a big breasted "alien" girl with glass who comes to earth. She tries to get back to her planet, and until then, she fits in with the humans. Little did she know, the ugliest guy with glasses and a camera fetish develops a crush on her. She ... greatly effects her group of friends. Now if you have seen anohana, clannad, or any litany of other romance shows, you will never need to see Ano Natsu de matteru. It sucks. It does not develop any subplot or character substantially and is a great waste of time.

The story mostly revolves around glasses guy and alien girl who have an awkward attraction but never speak on it, thus leading to many generic misunderstandings. And then, you have the friends, which concidentally all have crushes on each other leading to predictable drama. The show becomes so banal, so boring, so pointless that you will want to drop it after episode 3.

The characters are all very bad. They are never expanded more than, we like each other. They are bland, boring, subpar and uninteresting. The characters have the romantic chemistry of a dildo and toilet bowl. In other words, they have none.

This is just a quick review to deter anyone from watching this tripe. Thank you.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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