Subculture Anime Blog

OP: “fly away” by THYME - It’s funny that this band is also doing the OP for To Love-Ru. THYME is a fairly new group, but most of the stuff they’ve come out with is pretty catchy. The animation seems fitting for the series, and I’m certainly liking it.

Summary:

After spending some time in her garden, a girl named Suzuki Sora tells her dog Joe that she is leaving to go to her mother’s place. At the Hara Magic Office, a man named Hara Seiichirou discusses Sora’s magic training with her mother on the phone. When Sora meets her mother in the country, she is overjoyed with the news that her internship has been accepted by the magic agency. Sora goes to give this news to her father afterwards, as she actually sends the message next to a large tree. She remembers that she had made a promise to her father, asking for him to wait for her. Sora talks on the phone with her friend Michiru afterwards who, although feels lonely that Sora will be leaving from Hokkaido to Tokyo, is very excited for her. When the girls meet, Michiru discusses her disappointment with a boy named Toyama transferring. Realizing that Michiru had feelings for Toyama, Sora attempts to help her express her feelings to him. The girls agree on a meeting place upon reaching Michiru’s home, but before Sora leaves, Michiru wonders if it is okay for her to do be doing such things before such an important event. With this, Sora is reminded of words her father gave her. When a time came that magic is needed, then magic would be used.

Sora’s mother treats her daughter to a large meal that night, in preparation for her leaving the next day. Sora meets Michiru afterwards, as she prepares to tell her feelings to Tomoya. When Michiru meets with Tomoya, Sora uses her magic to create snow around the two. Michiru recalls that Tomoya liked snowy days, then confessing her feelings to him. She then compares herself to something called Akiko, in that she will wait a long time through the winter for spring to come. With this, Tomoya expresses his gladness that he saw the snow with Michiru. Sora expresses her happiness in the bath once she arrives back home, as her mother reminds her that she can come back home if she ever had a hard time. Sora receives a happy message from Michiru later, but she then expresses her own inexperience with love. Sora gives her farewells to her mother the next day, as she finally starts to travel to Tokyo. While going through the airport and riding on the plane, Sora can only wonder what Tokyo will be like.

ED: “Hawai ta Hana” by micc - A pretty standard ED, but really fitting for the series. Its style reminds me a lot of the Beck or Parakiss EDs, and I dig it.

Preview: Tokyo.

Impression:

TRIAL AND ERROR! Oh man, I cannot tell you how pumped about this series I am. I actually ended up watching the original last week in preparation, which quite honestly, could have been better. The Things Important to a Mage: Summer Sky, on the other hand, is exceeding my expectations already. I was instantly hooked to the style, which reminded me a lot of Beck or Paradise Kiss (both series that are at the top of my favorite’s list). Coming from director Kobayashi Osamu, who worked on both series, this probably comes to no surprise. HAL rarely disappoints me either, and the visuals in the first episode were almost film quality. I’m already loving Sora who is played by Hanazawa Kana, as this seiyu has been playing a lot of my favorite roles in anime recently (Funny enough, she plays a girl named Sora in Sketchbook as well). As for the actually story, all I have to say is: Slice. Of. Life. If you’re not a fan of this, you might have a hard time enjoying it. If you are though, then you’re probably already on the boat with me for some awesome talks of life and growing as a person. The first episode already had some great symbolism and themes, but this being a first impression post, I’ll save the discussion on that for next week. Yes, that means this has become a guaranteed watch for me. In fact, it’s quickly moved to the top of my list.

Oh, by the way, this is definitely a spinoff and NOT a sequel. Rest assured, those wanting to pick it up without prior knowledge can do so.