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Aiura is a very pleasant, short slice of life series. Each episode is only 4 minutes long so it's a great time-killer and mood lifter.

Story:
The "story" consists of three girls who share the first semester of high school together. Don't even worry about it since it's obviously not the point of this show.

Art:
Relaxing atmosphere, nice use of colors, the actual animation isn't bad at all. For a short series, it's incredibly well-made. The aesthetic will probably remind people of KyoAni's Lucky Star and Nichijou, but the actual presentation and execution is evocative of Ichigo Marshmallow (to the point where there's an explicit visual reference).

Sound:
Again, calm ... and relaxing for the most part. OP was fun, ED is sweet. Moods are captured well in this show. Voice acting is phenomenal, every character sounds "like themselves".

Character:
No real development, but that's to be expected. Characters remind me of the ones from Ichigo Marshmallow. They all fit together well.

Only bad thing is not enough loli-voice teacher and Kyon.


Overall, I really enjoyed it. It does what it sets out to do and it does it well. It's also quite funny; there's a good sense of timing.

Anyway, if you like skirts and schoolgirl legs, watch this. If you like SoL, watch this. If you're praying for more Ichigo Marshmallow, watch this. Cute girls, watch this. Have time, watch this.

Yuri Seijin Naoko-san is a crazy little piece. It's a little hard to describe, but if you're familiar with the "denpa" aesthetic, you'll get this.

STORY: 6
There really isn't any story to be had here. Misuzu's sister left a while back and she's been replaced by a perverted alien who goes by the name of Naoko. Craziness ensues. The focus is obviously on the rapid-fire gags which will be hit or miss. There's one scene in which Misuzu dreams of her older sister which added a nice contrasting touch of nostalgia; it was very well done. Overall, it's all over the place, but that's the point.


ART: ... 8
It's very well animated. Seeing how it's only half an hour long or so, I would say watch it just for the pictures alone. It got me pumped up. The disconnected feel of the whole thing is both familiar and foreign--it's perfect for setting and motif. It's very denpa-kei.


SOUND: 9
BGM fits. OP and ED are awesome. If you like MOSAIC.WAV, watch it.


CHARACTER: 7
No depth. No development. Still, these characters are a pretty fun bunch and their interactions are lively.


ENJOYMENT: 8
I really liked this. It was very straightforward and it was a fun ride. Despite being little more than a half hour of gags, there's a sense of cohesion and scope. There's a sense of the ephemeral. When it isn't pounding you with excitement, it feels like you're drifting. Naoko-san can be summed up in the OP and ED. If anything, watch those.


OVERALL: 7
If you have time to kill, watch it.

One word: Underwhelming. Being a fan of Mamoru's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, I was unfortunately let down by Wolf Children.

STORY: 7
I'm ambivalent when it comes to the story. It is told in a very charming manner, but suffers in terms of pacing. I wasn't able to connect with the dramatic moments, particularly in the beginning with the father, with the conflict between the siblings toward the middle, and the end. It all felt incredibly predictable and haphazard. It couldn't even develop the conflicts so that they felt more believable or meaningful--it felt like empty drama. Wolf Children shines brightest during the peaceful and ... relaxing slice of life moments. The most poignant scenes for me were Hana fixing up the house/growing veggies, and Yuki's time alone in the school with Souhei.

Overall, the drama and conflict are predictable. The mechanisms used to bring us to the bulk of the story are flimsy and lack punch because they lack exposition and development. The best parts are when we watch Hana building a home, a garden, and a family. These moments are tender and beautiful, and the saving grace for an otherwise overdone experience.


ART: 7
I'll start with the strengths--detailed backgrounds and fluid animation. Scenes of the family flying through the forest and rolling down the hill are fantastic and exciting. The atmosphere of the quiet, subdued scenes that punctuate the film is wonderful. On the other hand, we have a heavy reliance on 3DCG that is ugly and unnecessary. Why anyone thought it was a good idea to add ugly robots walking every which way is beyond me. Some scenes had such a disjointed mishmash of 2D and 3D that it was distracting. I expect better from Madhouse. On top of this, the wolf-human blending was awkward at best. That "romantic" scene in the beginning? No, thank you. What could have been sweet and tasteful was instead disturbing.

That said, taken as a whole, Wolf Children is still a pleasure to take in and the work that went into it cannot be denied. The character designs overall were very pleasant and when everything "clicks" it's certainly an enjoyable experience.


SOUND: 8
I thought the soundtrack complemented the film very well, adding punch to dynamic scenes and serene calm to the more introspective ones. There's not much to be said here; it's very reminiscent of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.


CHARACTER: 6
I don't know about you, but my favorite characters were side characters. The neighbors that helped out and Souhei were the most colorful part of this film and made the slice of life moments what they were. Most of the characters felt flat and largely uninteresting.

Moments of clarity shine through, as with the adolescent expressions of Yuki and Souhei, and the struggles of Hana. On the other hand, we have the father who is nothing more than a plot device and the dramatic shift of Ume, which I found neither believable nor affective. I understand the symbolism of the two siblings in developing the internal conflict of living as a wolf-human and the concept of free-will. What I don't understand is why they decided to ream me with it and reduce the characters into little more than thematic contrivances. Wasted potential.


ENJOYMENT: 7
I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. I came in excited and left disappointed. Maybe if I was a furry I would like it more.


OVERALL: 7
Despite my criticisms, the film isn't bad. For every flaw, there's a moment of calm that sucked me in and kept me watching. Beyond the problems, it's cute and sweet, quiet and pleasantly meandering. Still, the problems are very apparent and they dragged this film down. I wanted to like this film, but there's just something "off" about it. Maybe it's the 3DCG or sloppy establishment of setting, plot, and conflict. Maybe it's the frustrating lack of character depth or dramatic artifice. Whatever it is, it left me underwhelmed.

First review. I just finished this so it's fresh on my mind and I absolutely must write about it.

STORY: 9
What we have here is a typical story executed in a wonderfully original way. KyoAni blends the comedic and dramatic into a nostalgic exploration of adolescence topped with their particular charm. I found myself laughing, cringing, and tearing up multiple times throughout. It's an emotional roller-coaster, yet I feel it manages to avoid the realm of melodrama by contrasting drama with gags. It does what Toradora failed to do for me. That said, I feel the show could have used one or two more episodes to ... ease into the drama. The shift comes fairly quick, but really, it wasn't much issue.

Overall, it's a nice balance. Juxtaposing comedy and drama--blending reality and fantasy--serves as an astute parallel to the theme of escapism and develops a touching story about growing up and the ambivalence toward leaving our younger selves behind.


ART: 9
Beautiful. The animation is absolutely fantastic. Action scenes are dynamic and larger-than-life. More relaxed scenes are nuanced and fluid. Character designs are seriously cute (even the guys). Atmosphere is used very well to complement scenes, whether it be a tender moment under a bridge or a restless heart trying to fall asleep. The only thing that knocks off a point is the occasional usage of fairly awkward-looking 3DCG. On top of a detailed background, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Overall, it's stunning.


SOUND: 8
This is really just a matter of taste. I liked the opening much more than the ending. BGM was sweet and melancholic and complements scenes well. During romantic scenes, there are insert-songs which I thought were a little unnecessary.


CHARACTER: 9
KyoAni has turned up the moe to 11 with Chuunibyou, and even the "anti-moe" Nibutani has her own appeal. That aside, every character's motivations are believable. Their interactions are dynamic and the source of both silly comedy and powerful drama. It's also nice to see an MC who isn't completely clueless when it comes to romance. That said, he still isn't an expert.

Overall, there's a fair amount of depth to these characters, and for the ones without it they're nice to look at. I found myself getting sucked into these character's lives and relationships. Despite how exaggerated some of these characters actually are, they feel very real.


ENJOYMENT: 10
This is an amazing piece of work. It looks phenomenal. It reminds me of Haruhi (primarily Disappearance), FLCL, Kare Kano, and maybe a bit of Haibane Renmei (atmosphere, pacing, climax). It hits like Makoto Shinkai.

There's something sweet and familiar, but gripping, touching, and anxious at the same time. Watching this series is like a trip into the past--one that's exciting and glorified and fantastic, distorted by time, but one that feels real nonetheless. It's nostalgia.


OVERALL: 10
More like a strong 9, but I'm going to round up. It's been quite a while since I've seen a series capture so many emotions so vivaciously and with such force. It builds from a very relatable theme and fully fledges into a compelling and imaginative comedy/drama about growing up. Coming-of-age stories are incredibly common, but Chuunibyou manages to establish a difficult balance between the tongue-in-cheek and the deeply sincere. The result is a piece that is as honest, real, and moving as it is funny. This is without a doubt one of the best things KyoAni has put out.