Review of Waiting in the Summer
This anime exceeded all my expectations. I was expecting it to be a good romance comedy with some Sci-fi, but instead I got to see the best Romance comedy ever! Yes, I even liked it more than Toradora. Artwork and animation Strong colours: http://www.japanator.com/elephant/ul/21368-620x-Ano-Natsu-de-Matteru.jpg nice contrasts: http://randomc.net/image/Ano%20Natsu%20de%20Matteru/Ano%20Natsu%20de%20Matteru%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2002.jpgnice perspectives (camera angles):
http://randomc.net/image/Ano%20Natsu%20de%20Matteru/Ano%20Natsu%20de%20Matteru%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
well thought out use of light:
http://randomc.net/image/Ano%20Natsu%20de%20Matteru/Ano%20Natsu%20de%20Matteru%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2013.jpg
and great attention for detail:
http://randomc.net/image/Ano%20Natsu%20de%20Matteru/Ano%20Natsu%20de%20Matteru%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2006.jpg.
These are all ingredients for good artwork and Ano Natsu has them all. There are animes with better artwork out there, but this one is not far from the top.
The animation is very good as well. Even though most of the time it doesn’t stand out too much, there are moments that make you think: ‘wow, this was nicely done’. There is also something that I don’t see very often in animes: the way some facial expressions are made is elaborate. The faces don’t always suddenly change, but depending on the situation, you can see different phases in the way the eyes move the mouths form and the hair falls.
Plot
("This part" is copy paste)
"While testing his 8mm camera at night, Kaito Kirishima is caught amid a mysterious explosion in his small town. Strangely, Kaito wakes up the next day perfectly fine, but with no recollection of what exactly happened the day before. Unfazed by what seems to have been just a dream, he heads to school not giving much thought to the incident. Discussing with his friends about the camera, they decide to make a movie during summer break. They invite two upperclass students to participate in the project: recently arrived Ichika Takatsuki and the odd Remon Yamano. In a strange twist of fate, Ichika starts living with Kaito as his sister has to work overseas. Summer days are about to get exciting for the small film crew."
After seeing the first episode I thought: ‘Ok, so this is a combination of Onegai Sensei, Toradora and Ano Hanna… Great!’ Then halfway the series I realized this series is not just ‘a combination’, but a well thought out story with unconventional twists. The Sci-fi element is there, but it is not the best part of the plot. The best part is the way the relationships between the characters are. The filming contributes to the plot in a very good way. In some cases it also helps to emphasize the emotions from the characters.
Characters and their development
Kaito, the male protagonist is a very honest, normal high school boy. The honest part is something I really like; it makes him different to many other protagonists of romance comedies. His feelings for Ichika, the female protagonist develop very quickly. Meanwhile, Kanna has obviously a crush on her close friend… Kaito. Tetsuro and Mio also play important roles in this story, but telling any more would mean giving spoilers. The one character who helps the developments of relationships the most is Remon. She is one of the most interesting characters I’ve seen in anime.
Acting
Ishihara Kaori is a seiyuu who really deserves credits. Both her and Shimazaki Nobunaga had the difficult task to play many emotions and make them sound real. I must say they both succeeded perfectly. I am not easily moved by romantic scenes, but I felt something special every single moment that there was a revelation, a confession or anything that changed the way the characters would see each other. Also to all the seiyuus of the other main characters: Great work!
Soundtrack (openings and endings included)
The music composed by I’ve Sound is good and fits the anime well. Not much more to say about it I think.
The opening is normal, fits the anime just fine, but is nothing extraordinary. The song is nice though =)
The ending I like better. The song is nice, but what caught my eye was the colour symbolism. Maybe I’m just thinking too much, but I believe the colours of the characters were not just random.