Windy Tales is one of those offbeat, pensive, largely un-marketable shows that filled out timeslots and release schedules for anime distributors in the 2000s, when the Western anime boom encouraged them to localize anything they could get the rights to. It's about as far as one can be from the battle shounens, shoujo rom-coms, and loopy gag shows that dominated that decade. A largely episodic story about a group of schoolgirls who discover a secret ability to manipulate wind, this unexpected superpower is introduced into an otherwise un-fantastic world, albeit one with healthy amounts of whimsy. As the characters enter their last years of school,this "wind in the heart" serves as a symbol for untapped potential and childhood innocence (which most users lose at a certain age, but some rare adults manage to retain). There are no wind-based fights if that's what you're looking for, and this ability often takes a back seat to more low-stakes stories about the characters who fill out the show's neighborhood. As a coming-of-age show about the cusp of adulthood, Windy Tales is sometimes languid to a fault, and most inner conflicts are merely hinted at or left unresolved, true to the show's ethos of melancholy magical realism. No one in the show has any major problems other than the usual doubts and misgivings of a person wondering what their life is going to be like. This leisurely, muted tone is contrasted against a nearly-abstract, unique art style of sketched-out, disproportionate characters, and backgrounds--courtesy of Shichiro Kobayashi--that seem inspired by Expressionist paintings (the show's memorable depiction of the sun in particular strongly recalls Edvard Munch). There is a sense of unreality and timelessness to Windy Tales' world--compounded by Kenji Kawai's soundtrack--which fits the seemingly-endless summers of adolescence and the equally-endless days of school. It's not the kind of show you should binge, but one that should be taken slowly and casually, the kind of thing that could hypnotize you if you're ready to get on its wavelength. If you've ever wanted Dennou Coil's sense of urban mystery with Tekkonkinkreet's abstract-fantastical sensibilities, Windy Tales is your show.