Coming into the winter 2012 season, I had two definite shows on my radar: Nisemonogatari and Guilty Crown. I tried out a few more shows but noticed I didn't have a romance anime slated in (I try to have one to balance all the action/comedy out). I caught wind of Ano Natsu de Matteru and decided to give it a go. Not familiar with the individual works of director Tatsuyuki Nagai (Anohana) or Yousuke Kuroda (Honey and Clover), or their collaborations (Onegai Teacher/Twins), I dove in. What I came away with after three months was a ride I wasn't expecting; many manly tears were shed
...
in various episodes, and an anime I came in with no expectations ended up becoming my favorite romance anime.
Story: 9/10
Ano Natsu de Matteru really didn't break any barriers or do anything new in terms of storytelling; it was just its execution that really made it a great experience in all its happy highs and heart-wrenching lows. The main character Kaito falls in love with an alien who crash lands on Earth and almost kills him, though he doesn't know that. Yes, an alien. Before you think Ano Natsu is just another cliche "they're gonna fall in love, and she's going to have to leave Earth", consider how other animes of this nature are done, and then watch how Ano Natsu progresses. The feelings of the characters and the chemistry between them drives the story, and this works out beautifully. Every episode grips you, not simply because of the subject matter, but because the growth the characters go through is very similar to the love and friendship pains that you and I have experienced in our lives. In the scenes that truly touch your heart (episode 9 is one in particular), you will find yourself smiling and feeling like Kaito (during the happy times) or teary-eyed and distraught (during the sad times). Yes, people usually watch anime to escape reality, but Ano Natsu hits home and reminds you of past loves, or friendships, or the growing pains and conflicts that come with adolescence and falling in love.
As amazing as the story is to me, I was sometimes disappointed that, yes, Ano Natsu was as cliche as it could get. Granted, often times the story would make up for it, but the fact that you could see certain things coming was a tiny bit off-putting. All in all though, this story will still strap you in a roller coaster of emotions and each episode ending on a cliffhanger will keep you wanting more. This and Nisemonogatari were the two shows that I would be looking forward to all week.
Art: 9/10
The art is beautiful. The character design is great, but in my opinion, leaves more to be desired. This may be because I'm used to more elaborately drawn characters; however the simplicity of the character design does make sense. The settings are drawn well: beautiful skies that reflect the mood, exquisitely drawn lakes, etc.
Sound: 9/10
The soundtrack of Ano Natsu de Matteru is simply amazing. The background music in scenes really accentuates what the characters are feeling and add extra emotion to already extremely emotional scenes. All of that adds up to emphasize the feelings each character in a scene is feeling. The opening "sign" by Ray is a decent song to me, but the ending "Vidro Moyou" by Nagi Yanagi (formerly supercell's singer) is amazing. An instrumental version of the ending would begin to play at the climax of an emotional scene at the end of each episode, which would ultimately build up to a cliffhanger. It is an amazing use of a peaceful yet emotionally charged song to drive home the emotions of the story.
Characters: 10/10
The driving force of this show is the characters and the chemistry that exists between them.
The main character Kaito is your average high-schooler, a shaggy-haired, thick-glasses-wearing photographer/videographer who ends up maturing faster than I've seen any main character in a romance anime.
Ichika, the deuteragonist, is the aforementioned alien, whose shy nature and naive innocence toward love, and eventual lovey-dovey demeanor is portrayed perfectly by Haruka Tomatsu.
Tetsurou, Kaito's best friend, seems like a playboy but is hung up on love just as strongly as the next character I will mention.
Kanna, Kanna, Kanna. She is Tetsurou's childhood friend and completely head-over-heels in love with Kaito. In my opinion, she is the strongest character in Ano Natsu for all she goes through, but the next character I will mention gives her a run for her money.
Mio, who is good friends with Kanna, starts off as the meekest character in the show but eventually becomes one of the strongest and most mature characters in the show.
And then there's Remon-senpai. The trollest troll character I've seen in awhile. She adds the comedy and entertainment to the all the people in love, by either getting them drunk and egging them to make moves, and in some cases even helps characters get over their fears and self-restraint in order to show their true feelings.
The love and relationships between the characters creates the emotions, tensions and conflicts that help keep this show's story so heart-wrenching and powerful. Kaito loves Ichika. Ichika begins to love Kaito. Kanna loves Kaito. Tetsurou loves Kanna. Mio loves Tetsurou. Remon looks over this chain of love like a trolling overlord.
There are a number of scenes that reflect the tensions of love that each character endures, and the one that sticks out the most to me is in episode 2. One can relate to the unrequited love that each character feels, and subsequently feel the turmoil that they do. Even the side characters who only make a few appearances contribute to the plot in major ways.
Enjoyment: 10/10
Like I said before, there were only two shows that I impatiently waited for and was extremely excited over in the spring 2012 season, and Ano Natsu was one of them. I haven't been this excited over a romance anime since Toradora, and I feel like this surpassed Toradora in terms of my sheer enjoyment of it. I loved the roller coaster of emotions that hit me every episode. I loved the cliffhangers that made me ponder what was going to happen next. It was an amazing experience, and even watching the ending brought me to manly tears.
Overall: 9/10 (more specifically 9.5/10)
Ano Natsu wasn't the perfect romance anime; it didn't break any new ground, but it didn't need to. The excellent writing and execution of scenes, as well as the character-driven plot made this anime go. The emotions of love, happiness and heartbreak that each character felt hit close to home, even if I never fell in love with an alien before. The ending wasn't what I expected it to be, but I still loved it. To me, the emotional ride was similar to Toradora but I actually really felt all the feelings of every scene. I can't say that I felt the same for Toradora (which was my favorite romance anime before I watched Ano Natsu), but I also was constrained from really reflecting on the show due to the fact I was pledging a fraternity during its airing. That being said, I believe that Ano Natsu de Matteru is an experience that every anime fan, whether a romantic or not, can relate to and can love.
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Mar 27, 2012
Ano Natsu de Matteru
(Anime)
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Coming into the winter 2012 season, I had two definite shows on my radar: Nisemonogatari and Guilty Crown. I tried out a few more shows but noticed I didn't have a romance anime slated in (I try to have one to balance all the action/comedy out). I caught wind of Ano Natsu de Matteru and decided to give it a go. Not familiar with the individual works of director Tatsuyuki Nagai (Anohana) or Yousuke Kuroda (Honey and Clover), or their collaborations (Onegai Teacher/Twins), I dove in. What I came away with after three months was a ride I wasn't expecting; many manly tears were shed
...
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Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
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If you had told me a few months ago that a magical girl anime would become one of my favorite shows of all time, I would have laughed at you, slapped you upside your head and then continued to laugh. Don't let that label fool you however, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is not your run-of-the-mill magical girl anime. There have been a few series, such as Nanoha that have gone against the grain in terms of the magical girl genre, but Madoka seriously flipped the script. This ain't no sunshine, happy, cute, fluffy, fuwa fuwa magical girl show meant for little kids. Not by a
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