Subculture Anime Blog

OP: “Kokoro no Ato (ココロの跡)” by Riyu Kosaka – It starts off as a slow song, but starts to build up. The animation that goes with it is fitting, but I’m not amazed or anything.

Summary:

A young girl named Hibara Mizuki is out looking for flowers, such as a Nadeshiko. Her sister Shizuru finishes preparing a meal, so she tells her grandmother that she will go out to search for Mizuki. A dark figure approaches Mizuki when she finds what she is looking for, but it disappears when Shizuru finds her. Once inside, Mizuki expresses her inability to find certain flowers. Shizuru suggests that a place called Yojuzi Toge may have them, but their grandfather warns them against that place. Shizuru suggests that she will go out with Mizuki because she will be free, and they split up to look for flowers. The dark figure approaches Mizuki again, but this time it causes her injury. After Shizuru finds Mizuki and takes her home, her grandfather tells her that the dark creater is a Mikoshi. He advises Shizuru on how to face this, and to protect her sister. That night, Mizuki asks for Shizuru to let her hold her hand while they sleep.

The next morning, the family suggests that Mizuki stay home from school because of the cold she has obtained. This doesn’t stop Mizuki who is still wanting to look for flowers, so she sneaks out of the house while her grandmother is not paying attention. Mizuki sees the road to Yojuzu Toge, and she follows it despite remembering the warning. Shizuru sees her, so she runs to stop her. Mizuki becomes trapped in a circle of darkness, unable to move. Shizuru also walks in, as she sees the dark figure in front of Mizuki. Following her grandfather’s advice and declaring the creature a Mikoshi, she manages to save her sister. The sisters find the flower they were looking for, an Ominaishi, in the aftermath. Shizuru explains to Mizuki that the flower’s meaning is to keep a promise, before they return home to look at the beautiful blue moon.

ED: “Panorama (パノラマ)” by Mai Hashimoto – The ED is extremely generic, going through the events of the episode shown in a 90s style fasion. I’m not too crazy about the song either.

Preview: Mizuki heads to school and meets a new friend.

Impression:

Well, I guessed that this was going to be hit or miss, and it ended up being a miss. Many of us were comparing this series to Mushishi before the season started, but this is definitely no Mushishi. The art is a major turn off for me, as it looks very generic and out dated. The story itself is kind of slice of life and supernatural, but it really didn’t catch me. Honestly, the only thing this show has going for it is the seiyu. Two very talented voice actresses, Kawasumi Ayako (recently Mikan in Potemayo) and Mizuki Nana (Fate in the Nanoha franchise), are voicing the two sisters. Unfortunately, that is definitely not enough to keep me watching this show. Besides, I have class all day on Tuesday, and the slot might be filled with one of my Monday shows.