Anime Reviews by Moi

These are some review I wrote for a site that hasn't gone up yet and may not go up any time soon, but I thought I'd share. =) Actually, I'll just share one for now, since they're kind of long and it'd look silly if I put them all together. =)

Review Subject – Ai Yori Aoshi
Type – TV
Author – White_Sqrl

I am a sucker for love stories, and Ai Yori Aoshi sucked me right in. I love this series, not quite as much as I love Love Hina, but damn close. Ai Yori Aoshi has a lot of humorous moments, but it also presents a very powerful story full of emotion. If you sit through this with nary a tear coming to your eye then you sir or madam, are a monster!

Ai Yori Aoshi tells the tale of Karou Hanabishi and Aoi Sakuraba, two youths whose marriage was arranged when they were little children. From the first time they met Aoi fell in love with him. While she was growing up everything she did was for him, in preparation for becoming his wife. One day however she was told that the marriage was off. She couldn’t believe it and set out to find Karou and find out what was happening. What ensues is a tale of a love so powerful, that all you can do is sit there and wish that was you on the screen. *sigh*

Ai Yori Aoshi is a fairly new anime with the DVD’s currently being released in North America. I already have my first volume with collector’s box, do you?

The animators really knew what they were doing here. The animation is consistent through out the series, straying into different styles when appropriate to emphasize things to make them more humorous, or to better portray some emotion. Some of the backgrounds in the series are just amazing, and I love the scenes with cherry blossoms in them, as well as some of the skies, such beautiful skies.

I also really love the music from the show. The opening and ending sequences fit the series perfectly and help promote that whole love story feel good feeling of the show. The sounds and bits of music in the show are very good as well. The entire sound track adds to the series, which is often taken for granted. I’m sure it takes some effort to be able to get the music just right that it fits in with what’s going on without distracting the viewer, so good job to whoever was responsible!

The characters of Ai Yori Aoshi are great. You can’t help but love them, quirks and all. All of the characters have traits that make them unique, and they all compliment one another very well. In fact the relationships between the different characters are one of the major contributors to what makes Ai Yori Aoshi a successful anime. The relationships between the characters help to reveal more about the characters as the series goes on. After a while you start seeing some characters in a different light, and even feel touched when they do something which seems out of place for them in order to help out one another. Best of all, the relationships between all the characters, account for the character development. All the major changes in the characters come about due to the actions of the others.

One aspect of the characters I didn’t like however is that there are a couple of them that we don’t get a lot of background information on. We get to know a lot about some of the character’s pasts while there are a couple that we don’t seem to get any background info on at all. Miyabi is probably the best example of this. Sure we know that her job for the past however many years was raising Aoi and handling business stuff for the Sakuraba family, but other then that we don’t get to know a thing about her growing up, how she got her position in the first place, etc, etc. Oh well, I guess it can’t be too important, maybe it’s just because I have a thing for her.

If you’re looking for a romantic story with lots of emotion and a little humor to help it along, Ai Yori Aoshi is your show.

Rating – 4.5 / 5.0 Cinnamon Hearts


Characters

Karou Hanabishi – A nice guy who’s been given a really crappy hand throughout most of his life. He’s kind of shy and has an over-active imagination some times, but he’s a really hard worker and he really appreciates Aoi.

Aoi Sakuraba – She spent most of her childhood in preparation to become Karou’s wife. She totally loves and she’s such a sweet person. She’s very formal and polite, and seems to value tradition.

Miyabi Kagurazaki – Aoi’s caretaker, friend, trainer, guardian, etc. She acts really tough and gives a bad impression at first, but she does have a softer side and takes everything into perspective.

Tina Rodgers – An American girl who has lived and been raised in Japan since she was 5. She’s a very energetic person who loves animals and is very playful. Listening to her sing or try to speak English is hilarious. She likes to drink a lot and has a “bad habit” that makes for some interesting confrontations/acts as a form of fan service.

Taeko Minazuki – A well endowed, clumsy, gullible girl. She lacks self esteem but always works so hard that others can’t help but admire her steadfastness.

Uzume – Awww! Look at the cute lil ferret! Isn’t it cute? Admit it, it’s cute. If you don’t agree I’m hunting you down and stealing all your pocket lint. >=| Uzume may just be a pet, but the cute little ferret is the star of one show and steals the spotlight in parts of a few others. =)

Mayu Miyuki – Mayu is super childish for her age. Whether she’s being selfish or being super playful with Karou it all comes off as childish. She really likes Karou and wants to be his girl which makes for some hearty fights with Tina.

Chika-su Minazuki – Taeko’s younger cousin who’s got just as much energy as Tina if not more. She really likes Taeko and has her best interests at heart. Some of the things she does for Taeko make for some real fun situations. Chika is also a hard working individual, and loved by all the characters except for Mayu.

Sato – Vice-President of the Photo Club that Karou, Tina, and Taeko are in, also one of Karou’s friends. He’s got a serious cosplay fetish and he fits the chubby pervert stereotype pretty well. He doesn’t show up too often but seems like an ok guy.

Suzuki – The President of the Photo Club and another of Karou’s friends. He looks like a tough guy with big muscles and his cool shades. He has a rather disturbing thing for trains though. O.o He also doesn’t appear too often in the series but like Sato seems like a good fellow.