This was a solid OVA, though it felt like the beginning to something better. It had a solid enough cast and premise. The main character, Takeo, has a sword that his father wanted him to purify. Takeo hitches a ride to one of those villages. You know the type. That's out in the country and far from the city center. The village has a shrine, and he and his friends stay with the head Shaman. Takeo is going to purify his sword. His friends are going because they're making a play about an ancient event (tribes andwar). They're going because they want to study the people of such a traditional village, in order to write an authentic play. As coincidence would have it, they happen to visit on the day of a ritual, and the day before an even more important ritual.

The premise is intriguing and the cast is solid. Takeo and Kuraki are good foils. One is a bit darker and sneaky, while the other is described as "too nice for his own good". Kuraki's sister was nice, and Takeo's friend who wanted his notes was great. Kuraki's dad was great as well. Those 5 form a solid cast. Of course, this was back in the day. Some shows during this time had that one side character that was annoying, and the show would be better off without them. This show had two, but they were a couple, so a package deal. Yeah, they brought this anime down. They were unnecessary, and just outright annoying. I still don't understand the purpose of their characters, other than being a plot device. Though at least the main characters and the good side characters made up for that couple.

The ending left a lot to be desired. And I mean that literally. It just felt like a prologue, or an introduction. It wets your appetite a bit, but that's all it does. There's a lot left out. A lot of things unanswered and unexplained. In a way, it's a true OVA. This is that "want the rest of the story and understand what's going on? Read the manga!"

With that said, I think it's solid overall. It's a 6/10. It was definitely above average, but it wasn't particularly good. Like I said, too much was left out and we only get to semi-connect with two characters.