Monday, January 16, 2012

Ano Natsu Matteru - 01 (あの夏待ってる)

Wait what? this is how Ano Natsu Matteru begins?

"Super mega nose bleed?..."

Being out of the loop for the past few weeks about what anime series I should watch this Winter 2012 season, I decided to pick anything that seemed interesting without, beforehand, knowing much about it. To my surprise, Ano Natsu Matteru hits high on my list of favorite anime series. After noticing many familiarities with an another anime (Ano Hana) I decided to actually check out the information about this show and to my surprise this series happens to be directed by Nagai Tatsuyuki, who is credited with amazing series such as: The Honey and Clover Series, ChobitsToradora!, and off course Ano Hana.

"I really enjoy this kind of school settings"

Ano Natsu revolves around Kaito Kirishima a regular high school student who lives with his older sister after both their parents passed away. It seems that summer vacations are around the corner and so Kaito and his friends decide to help each other on making a movie with an old school camera that seems to have belonged to his deceased father or mother. (Tamayura Hitotose much... ugh)

"Enter Itchika Takatsuki"

Just as Kaito's plan begins to take shape everything seems to change when a new student transfer to his school (where have I seen that before?). Itchika Takatsuki a red haired senior is introduced as a timid and rather weird character. From the get go there seems to be something really weird about this girl, and it doesent take long before her classmate Lemon(Remon) Yamamoto catches interest on her.

"O.o T..Taiga?"

Lemon seems to fulfill two roles, generic loli character, and third main character with a very secretive and interesting background. Lemon saves Itchika from the swarm of students interested on the exotic new transfer student and seems to begin a friendship fulled by curiosity.

                                 "Tetsurou i going to be hilarious"                       "Mio and Kanna :3"

Other characters include Tetsurou, Mio, ad Kanna, who seem to be Kaito's closest friends with Testurou being the carefree cool guy, Mio being super kawaii and innocent and Kanna coming to us right out off the bat as one of the love interests. As the day progresses Tetsurou and Kaito curiosity drives them to meet and invite Ichika to be part of their movie and end up having Lemon apparently helping with the scrip much to their discomfort.

"Mio and Kanna MOE"

After Kaito comical meeting with Itchika something seems to begin bothering him. A small rash growing on his neck that makes becomes the center of attention and speculation of the source of such thing. Tetsurou insisting it is a love mark the girls become seriously suspicious of Kaito who seems not to know what it was and the only explanation could be a bug bite from the night before when he was testing the camera. Strangely it seems that Kaito himself is unable to fully remember what happened the night before.

"Dreaming in broad daylight has its consequences"

Be it luck, walking back home Kaito notices Itchika trying to fish on a fish-less river. Trying to play his cool card he tells her about a different area in where she could fish and directs her the way. Right after this Kaito's mind begins to drift into a fantasy in where Kaito actually invites Itchika to stay at his home after noticing the luggage she was carrying. To his misfortune Itchika actually is present at the time he dream out loud and ends up staying at his house.

"Caught on the spot?"

Almost immediately Itchika is in need of a shower and thus the awesome series of misunderstandings begin to approach. Seriously we know this formula already, naked transfer student in the shower of the protagonist  home in where the older sister live, what could go wrong? Interestingly not everything is as predictable, instead of throwing us a "super" ecchi event, Kaito actually begins to experience pain from his rash shown earlier and seems to loose consciousness which alerts Ithcika. She rushes to his help and for the first time we get a look to the real Itchika activating some king of companion that comes out of her suitcase and trying to save Kaito's life from whatever is causing this mark.

"Awesome sci-fi kiss"

This show really brings me to love it for these reasons, clorful and detailed art, interesting love story, and the backing of an awesome director that is known for directing lovely series. To some this might be the same thing over and over again, to tell you the truth you can argue that it might be another take on "Onegai Teacher" or even a lesser ecchier version of "Lo LOVE-Ru" but knowing the people behind this animation and having experience watching their work before really gives me hope that this show will make justice to its background and deliver a very entertaining season. 

"And so it begins winter 2012"

Oh yeah I almost forgot, Kana (Love interest) and Kaito's sister actually walk on their sexy sci-fi kiss, it was full of WIN!! now go watch it!

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