review provided by Katie
Title: Kanamemo Blu-ray
Director: Shigehito Takayanagi
Studio: feel.
Author: Rika Nakase
U.S. Distributor: Maiden Japan
U.S. Release Date: June 25, 2019
Format and Length: Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Shoujo Ai, Slice of Life
Industry Age Rating: 14 and up
Overall Personal Rating: B
Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Yuru Yuri and Kiniro Mosaic
Synopsis:
Middle schooler Kana Nakamachi’s life drastically changes when her grandmother passes away. Leaving behind an empty house, Kana learns that no one can provide her lodging due to her young age. Eventually, she stumbles upon the Fuhshin Gazette, a local newspaper delivery business who is able to provide her with a place to stay if she works for them in return.
The small store is staffed by several unique people: the sweets-loving Yume Kitaoka and her girlfriend Yuuki Minami; the frugal Hinata Azuma; the alcoholic Haruka Nishida; and the young but mature Saki Amano. It is not all fun and games at the Fuhshin Gazette, though, as Kana must deal with long working hours, energetic dogs guarding mailboxes, learning to ride a bike, and confusing delivery routes. Add in a small rivalry with Mika Kujiin, a girl from a competing store, and Kana will have more than enough to keep her hands full!
Commentary:
Kanamemo Blu-ray is a very predictable yet light-hearted slice of life series. The comedy aspect is very hit or miss and while the ecchi is present, it does not take over the episode. The only main plot that I noticed was when Kana’s grandmother passed away and she ran away from the house when the movers showed up, thinking they would take her too. She ends up trying to find a job with room and board included and she eventually stumbles upon the Fuhshin Gazette. Her job there includes cooking all meals and delivering the newspaper on foot since she cannot ride a bike. She has to navigate neighborhood streets and avoid dogs and never be late delivering an issue of the newspaper.
The other characters were very typecast and very predictable. The yuri couple, Yume and Yuuki, are adorable and in their own world most of the time. Hinata loves money and is studying to take her entrance exams. She does anything to make money and also gambles a bit. Haruka is the ecchi drunk. She loves sake and actually brews it at college. She also loves to grab and molest younger girls. You would think she would have a permanent lump on her head from the others hitting her to make her behave. Saki is also known as Shorty and she is the manager of the Fuhshin Gazette. She is also in elementary school and is known to act very cute and innocent to get new subscribers.
One thing I do appreciate about the characters in general is that they’re shown as having goals and lives outside of the paper. Even Haruka is trying to become a sommelier. Although, in her case, that pretty much just translates to drinking a lot. I also like the way Kana’s character arc and consequential development are handled. If you exclude Haruka, I also like the dynamics you get with the characters. They work well for comedic purposes and characterization purposes. All of these characters are shown as having positive aspects to their personalities, except Haruka and negative as well, which helps make them a bit more rounded. For example, Saki can come across as cold and, possibly too serious, but she also displays genuine concern for her employees. Yume can be childish but she also has a kind heart and tries to bring joy to those around her. Yuuki can be possessive and needy when it comes to Yume but she’s also a hard worker, loyal and she mitigates her jealous tendencies with understanding.
The voice actors did a great job and really brought the characters to life. The opening and closing themes were catchy but I do not remember them well after a few days. The art was decent. The backgrounds were soft and brightly colored.
Kanamemo is one of those series that really works when it’s doing what it’s good at. Unfortunately, it also has a massive flaw that really hurts it. And her name is Haruka. Without her, I could say this was great, maybe even fantastic, and whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who likes slice of life. With her, I have to pull back and say it’s just okay. If you can tolerate Haruka in all her horribleness, you’ll probably appreciate all the fun, charming moments it does have. And it may be worth watching just for the Yume and Yuuki scenes.
Extras:
Kanamemo Blu-ray includes clean opening and closing animations along with other Maiden Japan title trailers. Kanamemo Blu-ray was released with Japanese with English subtitles as the only language options.
Overall Grade: B
