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There seems to have been a trend for -- or at least chatter about -- more mature, and often thematically "darker" takes on the magical girl genre. Arguably started by series like Mai-HiME and Nanoha in the mid-noughties, it became very prominent following the release of Madoka Magica, and has since been responded to in Yuuki Yuuna Is A Hero. While this is certainly an interesting idea to ponder, this approach runs the risk of making the story more driven by theme/symbolism needs than by in-universe setting interactions. Meanwhile, Umi Monogatari -- a lesser-known series spawned from a pachinko game, of all ... things -- seems to have done this idea right, perhaps rather unexpectedly.

Umi Monogatari ("Sea Story") is a 2009 magical girl series that I feel really represents best the idea of a "mature" show, especially one without the pretense that "darker" themes such as despair, philosophical quandaries, and hopelessness of the universe are what are specifically needed to make a story "mature". Instead, it derives, from its characters and setting, a thoughtfully complex yet emotionally meaningful story, and may even prompt the audience to reconsider what "light" and "darkness" mean.

Umi Monogatari is primarily a story about characters, their interactions, and their emotions. It does this not with shock value nor with too much spectacle. Instead, it focuses on those interactions and their consequences. Like you might expect, things are not exactly as they first seem, but rather than subverting tropes for for the mere sake of subversion (only questioning our presumptions about the story), the story also works those tropes in ways that form a coherent whole as well (thus providing meaningful answers to that questioning).

Umi Monogatari is also "mature" is another sense -- it might bore younger viewers. The show is heavy on details of emotion, and dialogue is quite common, as opposed to spectacle or high drama. In a similar vein, the soundtrack -- small-ensemble jazz by Ken Muramatsu, apparently recorded live, improvisations and all -- is often contemplative and features relatively simple instrumentation that's used throughout the soundtrack, as opposed to bombast -- even when one might expect bombast. This suggests a patient and introspective approach to the story. The simple instrumentation also lends a bit of a folk-tale motif to the storytelling.

Overall, Umi Monogatari is an experience that connects thoughts and emotions, but is built by neither alone, instead connecting both in a way that weaves together light and darkness. At the same time, it works with some tropes typical of the genre but redirects them in ways that are well-justified by the setting and present a coherent narrative once all the pieces are revealed.

As some more interesting trivia: Umi Monogatari is set at the fictional island of Amamiko, which is based on the real-life island Amami Oshima, one of the many Ryukyu Islands that form the southern tail of Japan. The story features a number of cultural and geographic cues related to the real-life island, and the song sung by the miko seems to be in the local language called Amami.

(updated 18 June 2010)

Well, unlike the several other rather negative reviews of this show, I gotta say, I liked it, and I recommend it. That said, here's my take on the good and bad of the show:

Summary: Great soundtrack, emotional appeal (lots of heartwarming moments), interesting story themes. Plot not sufficiently coherent, and generally tries to do too much. Also, minor fanservice warning.

It's great for the following things:
* Characterization, especially of Éclair. Even though I'm just an ordinary person in the present, and Éclair is a superhero from a space-based future, I felt that I could relate to her and her ... feelings very well. The show really does very well in portraying her emotions and her experiences in a very "show don't tell" way, and while you'll have to consult info-books (or research on the web to learn specific pieces of backstory, I found that I didn't really need to know it to feel what she's feeling. For what it's worth, I've seen the FUNimation dub starring Colleen Clinkenbeard as Éclair, and she does a wonderful job with her role.
* Soundtrack. The soundtrack by Shiro Hamaguchi is very epic and very fitting.
* The first 2/3 of the plot. The plot starts out as a buddy cop show with fanservice, then, as I like to put it, "becomes sentient" and goes on its own way. The dissonance between the first and second thirds of the show is notable and very effective.
* Emotional appeal. Time and time again, this show manages to really pull me into it emotionally. There are at least six episodes that are very intense in this regard, in my opinion. I won't say which eps those are; enjoy discovering them as they unfold. And be very delighted when you hear familiar music in the soundtrack.
* Unimportant characters that actually reappear later. This is a pretty insignificant point, but nevertheless, this was nice to notice.
* Themes. The story tries hard to touch on several different themes, including class conflicts, facing one's past, and more. However, note that themes is listed twice in this review.

It's not great for the following things:
* Plot "wholeness". The third one-third of the show dials back the conflict introduced in the second third, tries to install a new plot driver, and does a sort of messy job at it. It kinda ruins some of the tension, starting with the deus ex machina in episode 15.
* Also, as I mentioned above, if you want plot details, this show is definitely not "self-contained"--you'll have to do your own research on the internet to find full details concerning the backstories of the two main characters.
* Plot holes. Lots of them. You learn to ignore them after a while, as most of them don't matter too much.
* Themes. While the story tries hard to touch on many themes, it doesn't succeed at really making a full statement about any one. Note that themes is listed twice in this review.

For what it's worth, I'm a huge fan of Éclair, by the way, who I see as a symbol of idealism in a cynical world. I'm also a huge fan of the soundtrack.

Personally, I rate Kiddy Grade at a 7, because it's too imperfect to really merit a higher rating (though some people complain that I rate things too low in general), but I nevertheless recommend Kiddy Grade. You should watch it. It's inspired a potential story idea on my part--a "retelling" using the same charcter concepts but a new setting and plot, this time hopefully doing a better job. I just like the characters too much.