Unfortunately, over the past few days I have been quite busy, so I haven’t had the chance to work on Yume ni Aruku. However, this off-topic post will be my third post on the anime I have watched. I will list my impressions on some of the anime currently being simulcast which I am watching, as well as give my thoughts on some of the anime from my backlog I completed. For detains on my grading scale, see my second anime post.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
If you don’t want to see spoilers, do not proceed any further.
Spring 2016 Anime
First off, the anime adaptations of Manga Time Kirara manga.
Anne Happy (Manga Time Kirara Forward)
This is about five girls who each have specific misfortunes. As one can see, Hanako is considerably unlucky, and animals hate her. While I would feel sorry for her, she always looks on the bright side and always brushes off any misfortune which falls on her. In many ways, she’s a “Pollyanna”-type character. Hibari has fallen in love… with a construction sign? Botan’s body is so fragile, I don’t know how she’s able to even get to school without an accident happening. Hibiki, well, she can’t find her way anywhere (she once thought Hanako was following her when in reality, she simply went in a circle). Ren has the uncanny ability of making females of any species fall in love with her, but note the “of any species” part. Yes, that means animals will always gang up on her (if they’re not trying to attack Hanako).
Of the episodes I’ve watched, I get the impression… that the school is not able to find a way to remove or ameliorate the misfortunes of the students of class 1-7, and that they’re simply playing around with them. However, the interactions between the girls provide a source of comedy (one part I liked was when Hibari gave the nickname “Hanako” to Hanako, which confused her despite calling Hibari “Hibari-chan”; note that both nicknames are derived from their surnames, with Hanako’s given name being Anne and Hibari’s being Ruri).
My current grade would probably be an A-.
A side note is that Silver Link, which adapted Anne Happy, will also adapt Magic of Stella (Manga Time Kirara MAX). MONACA, which composed the soundtrack, also did the soundtrack for A-Channel (Manga Time Kirara Carat) and Hanayamata (Manga Time Kirara Forward).
Three Leaves, Three Colors (Manga Time Kirara)
This is about three girls with wildly different personalities, all of whom share the kanji for “leaf” in their names. Futaba is a glutton, and she’ll eat far more than you would think would fit in her body (one part which made me laugh was when she lunched on a whole uncut loaf of white bread). Teru seems to be an angel; however, that best describes her older sister Kō. Teru is, in reality, more of a demon. The anime initially follows Yōko, who looks like a rich girl, acts like a rich girl… but is actually poor (her father’s company went bankrupt).
While the interactions between the three main characters do provide a source of comedy, the supporting cast also makes a contribution. The former servant Yamaji, who follows Yōko around to help her (or something like that), and is described as a “stalker” by a number of characters, including Futaba. The former maid Sonobe, who has started her own shop. Futaba and Teru’s classmates Nishiyama and Kondō, the former being Teru’s self-declared rival.
Overall, I am enjoying this anime. As the manga began in 2003, before Hidamari Sketch, it goes back to a time when there was no emphasis on having all-female casts with tons of yuri subtext in schoolgirl anime/manga. While the manga is Cherry Arai’s first manga to be published by anyone, it has spawned a number of side stories, one of which is currently running. In fact, the main character of one side story and a character from the currently running one make an appearance in a flashback in episode 4 (with voiced lines). The one thing which surprised me was that it took this long for it to even get an anime adaptation (in comparison, it took less than five years for Engaged to the Unidentified to get an anime adaptation).
My current grade would probably be an A.
A side note is that Dogakobo, which adapted Three Leaves, Three Colors, had adapted another of Cherry Arai’s manga, Engaged to the Unidentified. Dogakobo will also adapt New Game! (Manga Time Kirara Carat).
That’ll be it for now with regards to simulcasts; I may post more later.
Backlog
For this section I will be mentioning two of the anime adaptations of Manga Time Kirara manga which I have completed. I would talk about other anime, but I’ll leave that for a later post. In particular, I wanted to talk about the two anime adaptations of Manga 4koma Palette manga I’ve watched to completion, Engaged to the Unidentified and Locodol, but I don’t have much time.
Sakura Trick (Manga Time Kirara Miracle!)
Haruka and Yū were inseparable in middle school. However, in high school, by a cruel twist of fate, they are… seated at opposite ends of the classroom. So the two decide to kiss to mark their friendship. Their classmates include Kotone and Shizuku (who kiss each other), and Kaede and Yuzu (who don’t kiss each other). Not only that, it seems that Mitsuki, Yū’s older sister, has feelings for one of her younger sister’s friends. Rina seems close to Mitsuki as well. Okay, if you don’t fully understand, this is yuri. There will be two kisses per episode.
I like how this isn’t just for the sake of kiss scenes. While there is the obligatory kiss scene every half-episode (except for one episode, where the kisses are only implied), the anime and manga go into some detail about the development of the relationships between the pairs. The fact that both Yū and Mitsuki are both in love with Haruka (not to mention Haruka and Yū getting caught kissing by Mitsuki and Rina), as well as the conflict involving Kotone, Shizuku, and the fact that Kotone is supposed to be engaged, are explored in detail in their respective stories.
My rating is an A-.
Hanayamata (Manga Time Kirara Forward)
When Naru sees what she thinks to be a fairy dancing in the moonlight, she follows her and asks to join her. The “fairy”, of course, is actually an American girl, by the name of Hana. Naru is introduced to yosakoi dancing, and they, along with Naru’s childhood friends Yaya and Tami, and the student council president Machi, aim to perform in the Hanairo Festival.
This is one of my favourite Manga Time Kirara anime. Seeing Naru grow out of her shell by becoming a yosakoi dancer, and gain the confidence she never had, makes me happy. Of course, there is a fair amount of comedy as well (I especially liked the bit where Hana appeared outside the window… on the second floor). However, it also had its fair share of drama, and the anime shows that, no, you cannot become good in a week. The girls have to practice, and practice, and practice, and even by the time of the festival, they’re only good enough not to stuff up. Each character has their own issues they have to overcome (Naru has to become more self-confident, Yaya has to get over the fact that her band is disbanding, Tami is unsure of her direction in life, Machi has… sister issues, and at one point Hana moves back to America).
My rating is an S-.
P.S. I finally figured out how to put subheadings into my posts.
P.P.S. Happy birthday to Yuno of Hidamari Sketch. I really want to watch this anime, but I can’t find a legal service which will stream it (in my region, anyway) so…
Edit (6/5/2016): making corrections.