*Warning: Spoilers Within*
When I first read about, "His and Her Circumstances" in an issue of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, I was intrigued that this product came from Gainax, the creators of another of my favorite anime series, "Neon Genesis Evangelion". In addition, I had heard that it was also directed by none other than Hideaki Anno, whose work on "Evangelion" I had also respected.
At the same time, I began to wonder: What would happen when Gainax/Anno teamed up to stage a romantic comedy? Having already created a massive following of both supporters and detractors from "Evangelion", what fiendish mayhem would this duo come up with?
Thankfully, upon viewing 21 episodes of this series on DVD (I am still waiting to purchase the last DVD), I can say with a great deal of confidence that Gainax did not disappoint. While some say that they only stayed true to the core elements of Romantic Comedy, the great strength of this series in in the character development. After the first six episodes, I began to care for the lead couple, and hoped that in the end (which I still haven't seen), their relationship will prevail. Also, I noticed that in retrospect, the story contains rarely any filler episodes (despite an episode summarizing the events of the series up to that point). The small switches in focus (the Tsubasa storyline, for example) are justified, and only add to the overall enjoyment of the series.
My only pet peeve is the extreme amount of on screen text, with does seem distracting if you're not used to it. But you should be relieved to note that the text either explains certain aspects of the characters or accentuates what it seen on screen. In essence, it's like reading a moving comic book (which is what Anime is, to some extent.)
I encourage everyone with a love for Anime to go out and try out this series. You won't be disappointed!
When I first read about, "His and Her Circumstances" in an issue of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, I was intrigued that this product came from Gainax, the creators of another of my favorite anime series, "Neon Genesis Evangelion". In addition, I had heard that it was also directed by none other than Hideaki Anno, whose work on "Evangelion" I had also respected.
At the same time, I began to wonder: What would happen when Gainax/Anno teamed up to stage a romantic comedy? Having already created a massive following of both supporters and detractors from "Evangelion", what fiendish mayhem would this duo come up with?
Thankfully, upon viewing 21 episodes of this series on DVD (I am still waiting to purchase the last DVD), I can say with a great deal of confidence that Gainax did not disappoint. While some say that they only stayed true to the core elements of Romantic Comedy, the great strength of this series in in the character development. After the first six episodes, I began to care for the lead couple, and hoped that in the end (which I still haven't seen), their relationship will prevail. Also, I noticed that in retrospect, the story contains rarely any filler episodes (despite an episode summarizing the events of the series up to that point). The small switches in focus (the Tsubasa storyline, for example) are justified, and only add to the overall enjoyment of the series.
My only pet peeve is the extreme amount of on screen text, with does seem distracting if you're not used to it. But you should be relieved to note that the text either explains certain aspects of the characters or accentuates what it seen on screen. In essence, it's like reading a moving comic book (which is what Anime is, to some extent.)
I encourage everyone with a love for Anime to go out and try out this series. You won't be disappointed!