NanashiMoriko

This was short and sweet. I originally was just checking it was subtitled before I put it in my ‘to watch’ pile but ended up watching it all the way through. The plot was good and really made the story realistic. It dealt with issues that someone like Shizuka would go through without overdoing it. It was short though which in this case was good as any longer and it would have drawn the story out too much. And it managed to keep you caring for the characters and wanting to find out what happens next. As well as shouting at the screen ‘kiss him dammit!’The characters were great and highly believable. Even the side characters, whose time on screen was brief, were interesting. I’d most definitely want to find out more about Shizukas room mate, he seemed like he had an interesting back story. Due to length of this OAV there wasn’t much time to see the characters develop. But it was interesting to see both of the male leads try to sort through their feelings for each other, and this was handled well. The main let down for the anime was the length. It had so much potential for a deep story it could have been longer. Not necessarily all focusing on before the boys sort their feelings out but showing us a bit of the aftermath. How it affected other relationships as well as some yaoi goodness. Maybe one day it will be picked up and have a series made (a girl can but hope). The characters were well done and the animation style was a breath of fresh air from the normal style these days. It really was written well and captured high school life. I can only hope that they release it on DVD as VHS quality is more than pants. Most definitely recommend to anyone who likes a bit of yaoi, angst and romance Nanashi Moriko 9/6/06

paintbubble

Easily one of the cutest OVAs I’ve seen in a long time. It can be summed up pretty simply ; two high school boys at a boarding school fall in love. The setting and characters are what really makes it stand out. It’s simple, easy to watch, and the characters have just enough depth to keep any viewer invested. While women in these types of shows are infamously misrepresented, this isn’t the case for once. The side characters are interesting and well crafted. Most importantly, they move the plot ahead rather than plotting to destroy the romance - which is a refreshing change. There’s an endearingmonologue one character gives to motivate the protagonist into following his heart; which seems like a sweet little self-insert from the writer. The animation is dated. Not in a bad way, it holds up well if you know what you’re getting into. There’s parts where it’s obvious the artist is just guessing, and it adds to the charm. The mild issues with anatomy and perspectives aren’t downright offensive. If you’re into the classics, it’s on the higher end of quality for the era. Great casual watching for any gays out there. 10/10