Anime Sola

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][center][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/A7481-9.jpg[/IMG][/center]

Sola (the seemingly official translation from Sora, meaning sky), is a new anime that has just started running in Japan. As far as episode one goes, it so far resembles the anime usually based on bishoujo games (such as Kanon or Air) but actually isn't, and is simply based on a manga.

The story revolves around Yorito Morimiya, a high-school boy with an obsession over the sky. He is a photographer and has dedicated his life to taking pictures of the ever-changing sky. The story begins as he is setting up, off a park road near a riverside, at four AM, to take pictures of the horizon as it comes into view. Suddenly he hears a banging sound, and turns to see that a short distance away there is a girl banging on a vending machine (left foreground in above picture).

While helping to get the girl's can to drop from the old machine, he explains how he is going to take pictures of the horizon. Just as he notes that she will be able to se it soon, though, she suddenly disappears.

The next day Yorito is telling his good friend Mana about the events. After school, the two go to visit Yorito's sister at the hospital (where Mana's uber-polite little sister is already waiting) and also give her some birthday gifts. (his sister, Aono, has a personality reflection of Mai from Kanon). Before long, though, catching a glimpse of the seting sun from between the curtains, he rushes out to the roof to get a picture of the sky as it beautifully adorns an old cathedral across town.

Afterward, Yorito and Mana go home (apparently, they live together. This has not yet been fully explained). When Mana needs some ginger, she sends Yorito to head out to the store and buy some. On his way home, it suddenly begins raining, so he decides to wait out the storm under a wooden roof out it the park. Before long, he notices that once again, the strange girl is there, beating on the vending machine.

After helping her aquire her drink (which is apparently some sort of really disgusting tomato soup thing) the two begin talking once more about the sky (which Yorito notices is painted inside the girl's umbrella. The girl seems to take a lot of interest in what he says and yet is saddened by it.

What happens in the rest of the episode is really exciting so I wouldn't want to spoil it, but I will say this; the plot apparently involves vampires. If the story so far interests you at all, then go check it out. Personally, I thought it was a great firt episode, even moreso than the first episode of Kanon or Air, mostly because the characters don't seem to appear out of nowhere like they do in those shows. At this point, though, the story could go in just about any direction, so episode 2 will probably be a defining plot episode. [/COLOR]

[Itako0821]

I really want to see this show! I mean, it sounds so mysterious. I don't really live in Japan and the show didn't start where I live. (It shouldn't in a VERY long time because my channels are bad) I wished that you posted the rest of the episode. It sounds so good!

[indent][size=1][color=#007520]Please don't quote the entire post that's before yours, [i]especially[/i] when it's a novel of a post and the reply is only a few lines long. It just makes the thread a pain to navigate. -r2[/color][/size][/indent]

[De-Lor]

[SIZE=1]This really sounds like quite the interesting story, especially when you said the girl had a painting of the sky under her umbrella. It looks like the characters will probably grow pretty complex. I was wondering, where can I find this series in the states? Or is there any way to get it online yet? Maybe episode by episode?[/SIZE]

[Dagger]

Like you said, the weirdly fascinating thing about this production is that it looks, sounds, smells, etc. like any other ero-game adaptation--but it's actually an original work. (The manga is running more or less concurrently with it, so it's not an adaptation of that, either. Apparently a game really is on the way, too...)

The first two episodes left me with mixed feelings. I like the older man & loli-in-a-box couple, but all the other characters are too by-the-book. You could pick up Mana, Yorito, Koyori or Aono, exchange them for their archetypes in any other bishoujo game or anime, and no one would notice the difference. Matsuri is more interesting (okay, mainly because it's cool to hear Noto Mamiko in a role that's different from what she usually plays), but I'm not sure I'm happy about where they seem to be going with her character. [spoiler]The experienced yet innocent vampire/monster heroine[/spoiler] has already been done to perfection in Tsukihime, and Yorito is not nearly as appealing a protagonist as Shiki.

I love Nanao Naru's work, and her original character designs for this series don't disappoint. However, they don't seem to translate well to animation (just look at the beautiful ED illustrations to see how big the contrast is).

Oh well. I'll see where this one goes.

~Dagger~

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Episode 2 was pretty good, and I'm still enjoying this show, though it could still go anywhere in the 13 episodes remaining. Some people have complained that [B]Yorito [/B] isn't a good character, being that he has a totally faceless personality, and I kinda agree - he's just a guy obsessed with the sky with a lot of determination so far. Hopefully there will be some act of his in a further episode that will make him cool (turn into a crow, maybe? XD)

[B]Matsuri [/B] I enjoy so far. She is a little cliche in that she's the almost-impossibe-to-bother personality, and she's a little ignorant (kicking the microwave and such) but still very likeable. I'm curious to know how one who's seen the sorrows of [spoiler]centuries[/spoiler] will fit into a modern-day cutesy romance. Seems to me like they'd either be A. Scared of love or B. desperate for it, but shes yet to show signs of either.

At first I thought there'd be a bit of competition betweem [B]Mana [/B] and matsuri over Yorito's heart, but Mana seems like more of the older sister type. Meanwhile Yorito's actual sister has yet to come into her own, but I'm sure she will.

Sword guys cool as well, and i'm sure we're all anxiously awaiting an explanation of box-loli >_< [/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=DarkOrange]
At first I thought there'd be a bit of competition betweem [B]Mana [/B] and matsuri over Yorito's heart, but Mana seems like more of the older sister type. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Ah, if only...

Almost nothing actually happens in episode 3, but it does develop the conventional [spoiler]"Mana secretly likes Yorito"[/spoiler] storyline. Much of it left me thinking that I'd kick out a girl like that in a New York minute and make my own dinner, thanks. Nosy, plain-looking and wears a fish barrette? I'll pass.

Some of the comedy was quite good though, in a self-parodying way. I was all prepared to turn up my nose at it, but the part where Yorito imagines his sister [spoiler]holding up a knife and saying "I'll kill him"[/spoiler] started to break down my defenses. By the time he attempted to [spoiler]cover up Matsuri's secret with even more implausible stories,[/spoiler] I was starting to wish that this series were a full-blown comedy. Mana and Yorito [spoiler]sniping over the last time someone confessed to her[/spoiler] is way more entertaining than Mana being an insufferable busybody.

~Dagger~

[RobinWH]

i watched the first 2 ep. last night and they just didn't seem to hold my attention.

the premise/plot is neat, but it just seemed slow, and there wasn't too much action. although i did like what Matsuri could do, .... that was pretty cool. i probably will continue to watch though, at least long enough to find out what's up with Aono, and the loli-in-a-box girl.

i'm beginning to think that anime like this one might not be my 'taste'.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Oi, episode 3 time. Alright, as of halfway through, this episode seems to be focused mostly on the cutesy stuff, purifying itself as definite shoujo, though so far i'm just loving it. no, it's not real progress, but it's like watching [B]Chobits [/B] - you can't help but love the cutesy stuff. I really like [B]Matsuri[/B], especially after their conversation ofver the cup-ramen. I love how she can insult you and then get onto a new subject without even a change of expression - she's hilarious.

[B]Yorito [/B] has only further cliche-fied himself, but it's all goo dif things are good. It almost made me mad seeing the badguys literally doing nothing instead of plotting something -- did the writers just not think of anything in time?

Anywho, the scene with Mana barging in was nothing special, but man, you know people are distracted when [spoiler]they forget to close the freaking front door.[/spoiler] Also, the [spoiler]"i'll Kill Him!"[/spoiler] thing was plain awesome. I loled.

the rest of the episode wasn't much different from the first half -- cutesy moments, characters introduced to each other... like Dagger said, no real progress, but it's not like they need it that bad. After all, this isn't a dating sim and it won't have a bunch of recap episodes - it's got more free time than certain other shows, lol. I do think, though, if it hasn't picked up by episode 5 there will be a problem, heh.

[spoiler]Also, yeah, Mana TOTALLY is in love with Yorito[/spoiler]. I wonder how this will work...[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

Episode 4 was extraordinarily blah. I hope all these lame supporting characters die painful deaths soon. I haven't felt this bloodthirsty since Fate/stay night.

On the plus side, there was some nice music toward the end.

~Dagger~

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I'm now attempting to catch up, since I left off at episode 3.

After ep 4: This episode was very adorable and for once we get some real good character development as well as an actually good plot point and some touching scenes. Koyori is so very adorable -- if I had a daughter I'd want her to be just like koyori, lol. Plus we learn more about how aono thinks.

After ep 5: Matsuri with her hair in a ponytail = cutest look ever with the added bonus of her outfit. I find it funny how she can't seem to calculate the centuried correctly. I have come to the conclusion that [spoiler]Takeshi and the doll thing are brother and sister, though I don't know why his sister is in that crazy outfit[/spoiler] O_o the fight scene was pretty cool, even if there are already seeming to be continuity issues about the stepping into light thing. Matsuri's [spoiler]hidden power[/spoiler] is pretty cool, too. What makes me concernicus, though, is wether we'll have to deal with the repeating pattern of attack-retreat-eatatarestaurant-talk-attack-retreat-repeat.

ep 6: the beginnings of these episodes just keep getting weirder and weirder O_o The adorability of the futon scene was all-encompassing... and hold on, Mana and Yorito have only known each other for [spoiler]3 months?![/spoiler] What?! In any event, this episode is great and got me really on the edge of my seat. i can't wait to see more stuff about Aono and Matsuri's past, which looks totally crazy. Also, the only thing better than Matsuri with one ponytail is her with 2! [/COLOR]