Tokyo Marble Chocolate

Chizuru, a cheerful girl with a history of unsuccessful romance, is planning to break up with her boyfriend, Yuudai, since he never seems to reciprocate her feelings. However, as she arrives at what she plans to be their final date, Yuudai presents her with a gift that turns out to be an energetic and troublesome mini donkey. While Yuudai was hoping that today would be the day he could finally summon enough confidence to let Chizuru know the depth of his feelings, a series of misunderstandings threaten to tear the couple apart forever. With a rambunctious mini donkey doing its best to mend their relationship, Chizuru and Yuudai each wonder if they are capable of loving and being loved in return.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Chizuru Main

Mizuki, Nana Japanese

Yuudai Main

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Miniroba Supporting

Iwata, Mitsuo Japanese

Miki Supporting

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Chizuru's Ex-Boyfriend Supporting

Yamada Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Wada, Jouji Producer

Nakatake, Tetsuya Producer

Shiotani, Naoyoshi Director, Layout

Ebina, Yasunori Sound Director

Reviews

Mar 2, 2020

theRealGuyFieri

Recommended

Tokyo Marble Chocolate, a short but interesting OVA about the views of two lovers that both encounter tragic events.

I must say, I am impressed by what this short OVA had to offer. I feel that the idea of the two views of each character was such a fascinating concept, I think that there are others like this but this is the first time I've seen it in a show. The first episode I'll admit is fine, it's decent but there was a bit of a head-scratching moment as not everything was explained from the female's point of view. But once the second episode showed the ... view of the male, everything sort of clicked with the first episode. I think that the studio did a pretty good job on these 2 episodes they have, while a part of me wishes for a more solid story, I do realize that 2 episodes are not a lot of time. So I think they made the right decision on keeping the story simple but the concept interesting.

-SCORES-

Characters- 7/10: The weakest part, in my opinion, but there wasn't much time for the characters to be well built enough. All we had was the back story of the two and how they absolutely sucked at romance. The male is an awkward pacifist and the female is an indecisive and overly self-conscious person. Very interesting characters I must say. As for the mini-donkey, I want to believe that it is a symbol of some sort, likely the hidden 'correct path' chooser that was in both of them and that it helped them lead back into each other.

Art- 8/10: Neat, clean and unique. Definitely is a shock to see that this was made in 2007.

Writing- 8/10: Cool concept, interesting characters, and somewhat enjoyable plots. I definitely felt that this was worth an hour's watch.

Sound- 9/10: Fantastic OST for this short OVA. Definitely the music to scenes just adds a whole depth to the story.

Overall, a pretty good and enjoyable watch. It doesn't take up too much of your time, it's only 2 episodes long, I say take a crack at it.

Strong 7 to a Light 8

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 16, 2018

Pockeyramune919

Recommended

Even if Tokyo Marble Chocolate isn’t outstanding by any measure, it was a cute little anime, regardless.

Tokyo Marble Chocolate tells the story of a young couple consisting fo Yuudai and Chizuru. Both have been quite unlucky in the past when it comes to relationships. Yuudai’s negative trait is specifically being cowardly and mousy, while Chizuru is afflicted with rotten luck. Their date is suddenly halted when Yuudai gives Chizuru a present. To both of their shock, it’s a mischievous (and adorable) miniature donkey. The events surrounding this donkey brings the two lovers closer than before. Both episodes both portray the same two days, just with ... differing perspectives. The first episode is Chizuru’s perspective and the second is from Yuudai’s. Watching one won’t spoil the other, so the order you watch them doesn’t matter. If you plan on rewatching the show, it might be fun to switch up the order.

First thing to note is that the art is absolutely gorgeous. It’s so short that I have no problem telling you to watch it for the art alone. The backgrounds are simple, yet elegant. They remind me of a painting. The character designs are also quite striking. Again, they’re simple, but that’s what I find so charming about them. The “dot eyes” remind me of the characters from the Mother series. It’s a small detail, but I thought it was cool that the tips of characters’ fingers turned red in the cold.

The music is fine. The tracks that will most likely grab your attention are the two insert songs. Chizuru’s insert song is great for being an anime hip hop track and describing her inner turmoil perfectly. Yuudai’s is...fine, I guess. The lyrics don’t fit that well, but at least it sounds nice.

The story itself is good enough. A big part of a romance is development and with just short of an hour, the anime simply doesn’t have the time to pull that off. We don’t really see why the two characters love each other. We don’t really get much chemistry between the two.

Still, I can’t fault the OVA too much. With only so much time to tell a story, something had to be cut, and the story’s cute, regardless. Part of this cuteness comes from the miniature donkey, whose refreshingly non-invasive. He could have been quite obnoxious, but he’s just a cute little animal that lightens the mood. The producers really knew when to make him scarce, and I appreciate it. The characters themselves are also adorable, and I was rooting for them every step of the way.

Besides the art, part of what makes this OVA so unique is its split-perspective storytelling that allows us to see the full-picture of the couple. Its interesting to see the difference in their motivations at the beginning and then seeing them come together at the end. However, in terms of character arc, the OVA was a bit lopsided. We actually see Yuudai overcome his problem and that plays a part in the climax and resolution. Chizuru doesn’t really change and as such, the resolution can feel a bit unearned on her end. It’s probably because “has rotten luck” isn’t really a character flaw, or at the very least, not one someone can actively fix.

Overall, the anime most likely won’t blow your socks off, but it’s heartwarming regardless. You can skip it, but I recommend it on the basis of it being adorable. It might not be the best anime you’ve ever seen, but I promise that it’ll make you smile.


74/80

C

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Dec 13, 2018

megafat

Recommended

It’s hard to find a good Christmas themed anime, let alone Christmas anime all together. Often, if there is something set around Christmas time, it’s is a special episode or OVA of an already established series that takes place at or around Christmas, but rarely is there something original that is focused on Christmas from the get go. So it’s refreshing to get something like Tokyo Marble Chocolate that focuses on Christmas.

Based on a manga written and drawn by Fumiko Tanikawa, the anime follows two people who’ve had trouble dating in the past as their current relationship with each other strains as they try and ... figure out if the other one is their one true love. This OVA consists of 2 episodes, both involving the same events, but with each one told through the eyes of each our two main protagonists. The first episode is told from Chizuru’s perspective, someone who has been unlucky with finding a steady relationship, especially since she’s very clumsy, always tripping up no matter what. The second episode follows Yuudai, an incredibly shy guy whose shyness is always getting in the way of him actually talking to women.

After what initially seems yet another failed potential relationship, with Chizuru planning to end the relationship thinking that it’s yet another relationship, and Yuudai struggling to finally overcome his shyness and finally admit his feelings to someone, the OVA follows both of them through a series of both misunderstandings and happy coincidences, as they deal with what they think was just another unlucky date. And all of this stems from a donkey with a mohawk. Yep, a donkey with a mohawk.

Tokyo Marble Chocolate is adorable in a lot of ways. From it’s unique and beautiful artstyle, animation, and presentation to the characters quirky shyness and clumsiness, it’s a breath of fresh air getting something this short, simple, and sweet. And thankfully, the characters shyness or clumsiness get grating or annoying, something that could have easily ruined this OVA if it had been any longer or complicated than it was.

I don’t know how much i can discuss with Tokyo Marble Chocolate’s plot since not only is it so short, and the plot in both episodes are so intertwined with each other, so you can’t really spoil one without spoiling the other one.But I can say that it’s really easy to root for out main characters to overcome the obstacles in their paths and finally get together and find their true love once and for all.

Also, a neat fun fact. If anyone was confused at this OVA’s title, “Tokyo” refersto the setting and the Tokyo Tower, and “Marble Chocolate”is the name of the cafe Chizuru works on but it can also be a reference to a white chocolate, which is a traditional romantic gift from a girl to a guy in Japan.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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