By: Fernando RamosSeason Premiere: October 6, 2009Director: Hiro KaburakiAnime Production: Production I.G.Story Sawako just isn’t having an easy time at school. Everyone in school calls her ‘Sadako’ since her long black hair makes her resemble that of The Ring’s star ghoul. Everyone, that is, except for hunky Kazehaya, who harbors a secret crush on our raven-haired heroine. Let’s guess where this is going…ImpressionThis is a show that will undoubtedly find its fans no matter what I say. It’s pure unadulterated shojo in its storytelling sensibilities. This is the world of heightened emotions, introspective teenagers that agonize over every single moment of their young, barely post-pubescent lives. It’s the sort of cliffhanger-heavy relationship drama that is all but tailor-built to find an audience that will praise it as the greatest thing since sliced bread.
At least it looks gorgeous in the process.
Sporting beautiful, fluid animation by Production I.G., the thin lines and cast of statue-esque characters evoke a little bit of a Ryoko Ikeda’s aesthetic for Rose of Versailles. However, the tone here is much more light-hearted – constant shifts into super-deformed abound along with the standard anime overreactions we’ve come to know and love. By the episode’s end, the scary whispers about Sadako the ghost whisperer become gentle coos of admiration as our heroine turns her situation around like it’s an ABC After-School Special.
Summary It’s all kind of been-there-done-that for this writer. As far as shojo anime goes, The Wallflower did the whole brooding heroine comedy in a much more clever way and His and Her Circumstances does the whole relationship drama thing in a much more intellectually interesting way. It’s like that, true to it’s heroine, it will reach out, grab audiences and become belle of the ball.
Written on Tuesday, 13 October 2009 10:08 by Fernando Ramos
