Did it live up to them? Let's see.
Pictured: not Toradora! unfortunately
Ano Natsu is NOT Toradora!, in terms of quality or character design (at least not yet). The cast is very...nondescript and the background seems ridiculously cliché, but make no mistake, this series contains a lot - a lot - of potential.
The soundtrack isn't anything special. The OP (Sign by ray; written by KOTOKO) sounds like a regular anime opening that a studio could have crapped out in their sleep. Not to say it's bad, but it doesn't stand out. To me, that's sometimes worse than an actually bad tune. The ED (Vidro Moyou by Nagi Yanagi) is also stereotypical and not really worth listening to IMHO. However, I could be becoming jaded after listening to so many different anime songs and find out that they're all almost nearly the same, so take my advice with a grain of salt; I only try to give the most unique and well-made songs my praise.
The graphics are clean and drawn with nice, thick lines. It's virtually copying the artwork of Toradora! (ah, that feeling of nostalgia) and I can't say that I hate it. The lines and colors seem to be a bit thicker and bolder than in Toradora! though...almost like it's trying to portray an "older" graphics style. Interesting.
As for the plot/characters, I feel like this series has probably the best character interactions in the winter 2012 season. The characters act naturally and, what's more, don't hold back. There's no sense of "oh man, this character is keeping something a secret and now I'm gonna see an entire episode of filler crap just to find out what that secret is". A lot of the stuff is straightforward and the quick, realistic pace represents that. I for one am really, really glad that they chose to do something like this, even if it means that plot developments could turn out of control. Too many times have I raged at the lack of any real development in a 12-episode series due to its pacing. Not anymore - Ano Natsu has come to save the day!
Confessions and talking about deep stuff come quick and hard (just like they do IRL)but are nicely glossed by the perfection that is fiction. I like each of the characters for the unique role that they play in keeping the group as a whole intact, but sometimes I wish they were a bit crazier (like in Toradora!). However, this series seems to be less comedic and more romance/slice-of-life focused, so I'll definitely be more lenient on that aspect. I hope to see more unique character evolutions in the future though!
I've never heard that sort of threat used before, but man does it make me piss my pants.
As for the plot/characters, I feel like this series has probably the best character interactions in the winter 2012 season. The characters act naturally and, what's more, don't hold back. There's no sense of "oh man, this character is keeping something a secret and now I'm gonna see an entire episode of filler crap just to find out what that secret is". A lot of the stuff is straightforward and the quick, realistic pace represents that. I for one am really, really glad that they chose to do something like this, even if it means that plot developments could turn out of control. Too many times have I raged at the lack of any real development in a 12-episode series due to its pacing. Not anymore - Ano Natsu has come to save the day!
Confessions and talking about deep stuff come quick and hard (just like they do IRL)but are nicely glossed by the perfection that is fiction. I like each of the characters for the unique role that they play in keeping the group as a whole intact, but sometimes I wish they were a bit crazier (like in Toradora!). However, this series seems to be less comedic and more romance/slice-of-life focused, so I'll definitely be more lenient on that aspect. I hope to see more unique character evolutions in the future though!
Overall, I think this is one of the series that you should take the time to watch during this season, even if you're only moderately interested in slice-of-life. It's a refreshing change from all those other series these last few seasons, where everything felt dull and artificial. Ano Natsu de Matteru will be sure to add a bit of zest to your anime-watching life.
Status: Watching with high hopes.
ezpz
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