Review of Waiting in the Summer

(This has been adapted from my reddit thread) I say this to a lot of people, but I am a big fan of romance. So, I decided to check out Ano Natsu de Matteru, which seemed to have romance as its biggest draw. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised with what was offered and can't wait for more. STORY The basic premise behind Ano Natsu is that the four kids of the local high school are looking to make a movie with each other in order to have memories that will last a lifetime. These four kids (Kaito, Kanna, Tetsuro, Mio) become friends with two older students,Ichika and Remon, who, now a group of six, set out to make this movie.

Much of the show revolves around a "love polygon" that is somewhat similar to Nagi Asu and Glasslip. "Somewhat" because instead of the usual convoluted mess of affections, it becomes apparent very early on that it is more like a "love line". This worked for the show fine; it provided interesting scenarios in which the characters had to deal with each other while knowing how the others felt about each other. While not as dramatic as other romance shows, I never felt that the show handled the drama poorly but it was never masterful either.

Other than this, there was never really an overall story arc that took precedent over the unrequited love that is prominent. Now, this isn't necessarily bad considering this show seemed more slice-of-life like.
As for the ending, I felt it was definitely appropriate and left me with a good sense of conclusion. However, while saying this, there is apparently a second season in the works. Take this for what you will, but it could definitely stand on its own.

ANIMATION

I found the character designs themselves to be fine. Other than the final few episodes, I was never overly impressed by the locales and backdrops. However, the character movements were nicely done and I never felt as if the show used any cheap tricks in order to cut down on costs or what not.

One thing of note that I found nicely done was the use of the "old camera" effect. This made it seem as if I was watching through the characters point of view at that specific moment, and made the show much more enjoyable to watch when it was occurring. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I guess it just made the show seem more real than it actually was.

CHARACTERS

For the most part, the characters themselves never see too much growth. While they personally have to deal with the feelings that they have for one another, the show never delves into more complex issues.

During the show, Remon basically acts as the facilitator by having everyone do the things that need to be done. This was probably one of this show's strongest points; the characters are never constrained to huge misunderstandings for too long. They all generally confront the things that need to be done in a timely manner, and don't waste time beating around the bush. I liked this a lot, and wish more shows would take this kind of step.

For me, the strongest character from the show was Tetsuro. He had to deal with a lot more pressure than the other characters while concurrently helping those around him.

As for the character interactions, I found them to be enjoyable. There are funny moments, sad moments, conflicting moments; the show does a nice job of putting them through different situations that best bring out their qualities. Furthermore, I never felt that the characters were too trope-y, but these types of romances have been done before, so it should be expected to see similar characters elsewhere.

SOUND

After hearing the OP so many times, it gradually grew on me. I don't like it but I don't hate it either. I think contrary to popular opinion, I actually did not like the ED, despite the visuals having a pretty cool effect. Furthermore, I found the rest of the soundtrack to be forgettable which tends to happen with most shows.

Besides the music, the voice acting was nicely done by all characters.

ENJOYMENT

As I stated previously, I am a sucker for romance. Therefore, I enjoyed this show quite a lot actually. Any time there is even a hint of feelings between characters, I get pretty giddy, especially when they start acting in a way that shows they truly care about each other. I am a bit biased, but I think that if you enjoy the romance genre, then you would definitely enjoy this show.

SUMMARY

Story: Fine, nothing super dramatic, just a fun romance ride

Animation: Fine, character designs and backgrounds felt right

Characters: Fine, nothing too complex, but enough character background to actually care what happens to them

Sound: Bad, OP was fine but the rest of the soundtrack was not to my liking

Enjoyment: Good, romance is always nice in my book, and the show did a good job in this department

Final Score: 5/10