![[Review] From I](http://www.anime3000.com/images/front_page/ispure.png)
From I"s & I"s Pure Complete Set
"Dirty thoughts are very bad!"
I"s is a story about love, but not the heartwarming love that would make sense. Rather, it's about that kind of awkward love that exists between a borderline stalker and his semi-willing prey. Don't try this at home kids, unless you desire prison or, at the very least, a restraining order
Ichitaka Seto is a high schooler who is helplessly in love with Iori Hazuki, a desirable up-and-coming model/actress. However, there's another girl in Ichitaka's life: his childhood friend, Itsuki Akiba. A few of Ichitaka's friends and schoolmates round out the cast but they don't really serve much of a purpose with the exception of his best friend, Teratani,. Normally, focusing on so few characters isn't a problem, but with a main character as unlikeable as Ichitaka, any distraction would have been welcome.
From I"s is a quick two-episode OVA focusing on a promise Ichitaka, Itsuki, and another friend, Yosuke, made to meet again at a specific spot ten years later. Though not entirely terrible, the melodramatic and laughably ludicrous plot drags along jumping between Ichitaka and Itsuki's respective paths. The unengaging plot isn't helped by the sub-par voice acting, mediocre art and animation.
I"s Pure is a six episode follow-up series that follows the original plot from the I"s manga. The plot and art an improvement over From I"s. However, that not being much of an achievement to begin with, it just means that I"s Pure is still a below-average anime. Making matters worse is the voice acting which doesn't improve in the same way as the technical aspects. It's worth noting that even though the plot is more developed...
...It's creepy.
Since I"s Pure takes place while Ichitaka is in school, he interacts with Teratani more. Most of the conversation revolves around Ichitaka's obsession with Iori, and, likewise, the majority of Ichitaka's activity in the series is related to his almost stalker-like focus on Iori. The inclusion of an antagonist that actually poses a danger to Ichitaka an Iori does make Ichitaka's clueless/obsessive love seem less awkward, but it isn't nearly enough.
Capping things off is the the end of each episode, which each feature short scenes that can only be described as something which a young teen boy might use to 'find himself'. Though not quite porn, they end up being an even more uncomfortable addition to an already uncomfortable show. Needless to say, this is not the sort of thing one would watch with other human beings around and makes the entire I"s package an adolescent farce featuring one of the least likable main characters to grace an anime. There is an audience for it, but even that target audience might find I"s lacking. It's also worth noting that the 2 discs are mislabeled, so the From I"s OVA is on the I"s Pure disc and vice versa. It seems that this was also true for other publications, and appears to be the case for this box set. This show has its priorities mixed up in more ways than one.
Overall Rating: D
Review by: Sean "Pants" Mitchell
Director: Yousei Morino (From I"s), Mamoru Kanbe (I"s Pure)
Animation Studio: Studio Pierrot
Distributed by: Viz Media
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