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A-Channel the Animation (anime review)

A-ChannelTitle: A-Channel the Animation on Blu-ray

Director: Manabu Ono

Written By: Tatsuhiko Urahata

Original Creator: bb Kuroda

Studio: Studio Gokumi

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Jan. 27th, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 12 episodes, 2 OVAs / 300 Minutes

Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Girls High School

Age Rating: TV PG

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Toru and Run have been best friends forever, so when Toru learns that she’s managed to get into the same high school as Run, she runs to tell her… only to find Run in a compromising position with yet another girl, Yuko. Needless to say, that makes things a bit awkward at school, with Toru fending off those who might be interested in Run while Yuko and their other girlfriend, Nagi, have to deal with Run’s own penchant for drama.

But it’s not all angst all the time, and as the school year progresses the four girls and their many classmates find time to laugh, play, and figure out how to handle the unexpected problems life likes to throw at the them. Like bugs in the house, accidentally giving each other horrible haircuts, freezing up at karaoke, or forgetting to put your underwear on in the morning.

Commentary:

Taking on the world of girl high school slice of life series is a tough road when you have series like Lucky Star, K-On!, and even The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, but A-Channel does a great job of jumping right in. There is plenty of simple cuteness and comedy though out the series and with a straight forward plot it is easy to get connected to the characters. I have to hand it to the creator (bb Kurada) for not making things too complicated and just letting these girls live in this rather happy world.

The real strength behind the series is the character development or should I say simple character development. A-Channel isn’t trying to make any grand gestures or give us something to contemplate over the year. It is just trying to give us something to smile about about and that is exactly what it does. I can’t say that there is a character in the series that I don’t like for some reason or another.

Overall Grade: B

The one area I felt was lacking was the animation. I get that the story is about these girls moving though their daily lives in high school, but the look flattened it out too much and left some of the enjoyment of the characters out of the equation. I understand the cute or Kawaii aspects to their almost chibi forms and do see how it might attract a wider female audience. For me I was a little less attracted to these girls because of the big heads and tiny limbs rendering of their forms. I guess that I just am not a fan of this look and also found it to be a little off putting with Lucky Star and some of the slice of life series that pick this basic form. For A-Channel and the simplistic approach to the plot line the animation style just left me a little flat. It would have been more suited to stylistic work done in Aria where the girls take on a much more human form rather than the big head thing that is happening in the series.

A-Channel is a solid comedy that tends to make you smile more than laugh out loud. The story is simple and this provides a carefree viewing experience that is sometimes just right.

KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection

KinMoza!review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection

Director: Motoki Tanaka

Studio: Studio Gokumi

Author: Yuniko Ayana

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U.S. Release Date: August 26, 2014

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: K-On! and A-Channel

The British are invading Japan once again.

Synopsis:

Shinobu Omiya loves anything and everything English. While still in middle school, Shinobu had the amazing opportunity to join an exchange program and was able to study in England. Funny thing, she still has problems in her high school English class. The daughter of the family she stayed with in England, Alice Cartelet, decides that it is her turn to study abroad so she comes to Japan to attend high school. Hilarity ensues once Alice meets Shinobu’s friends Yoko and Aya. Then Alice’s friend, Karen, shows up and nothing will ever be the same again. Will Shinobu be able to pass her English class? Will Alice and Karen find their place in the Japanese high school? You will have to watch KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection and find out.

Commentary:

KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection is a very heartwarming anime that brings entertainment and relaxation to its viewers. It is a funny, yet entertaining show that anyone can and will enjoy. However, you will not find any fan-service or complex storylines in KinMoza!, but do not let that keep you from watching this amazing series. The first episode is a little weird and full of Engrish, but do not be frightened as it is not how the rest of the episodes are. The story line flows well for being a slice-of-life anime and the art reminds me of Kiki’s Delivery Service, especially the scenes set in England.

KinMoza! mainly focused on five characters. Those characters include Aya, Karen, Shinobu, Alice and Yoko. Of those characters, I would say that Shinobu and Alice are the main characters with the other girls being a close second. Shinobu, or Shino as her friends call her, is your normal 15-year old air headed girl who is extremely fascinated with foreigners, especially blonde girls. She can get into loads of trouble unless someone looks after her. She dreams of being an interpreter, but she needs to pass English first. Alice is your typical blonde moe loli that likes Shino. Alice is probably the most level headed people in the group, although she finds herself embarrassed when she is in strange situations. Yoko is the energetic and loud big sister of the cast and is described as a convenience store by Karen because of how dependable she is. Aya is bright and graceful but is also timid and shy occasionally. She displays tsundere tendencies towards Yoko. I also think she is in love with Yoko. Finally, Karen is the other English transfer student. She is a half-British and half-Japanese girl who is very energetic, almost more than Yoko. She is also very outgoing and not afraid to show her emotions. Karen loves to make Alice jealous by saying that she loves Shino more than her. That makes for some very interesting scenes.

KinMoza! shows the everyday lives of these five friends that are filled with humorous situations. The characters are drawn so well that they jump to life off the screen and the seiyuus, or voice actors, did an amazing job on making you love these characters. I am so happy that the slice-of-life genre of anime is coming back around because you really can get drawn into the series if you enjoy the characters.
Extras:

KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai trailers as special features. This series was released with Japanese with English subtitles as the only language option.

Overall Grade: A-

KinMoza! is one of the most enjoyable animes I have seen in a while. If you enjoy anime series that are the cute girls doing cute things genre then you will love KinMoza!.