Asatte no Houkou
There's nothing like a strange twist to make an intriguing storyline, even if there's no way in hell it could ever really happen. No, correction, it's because it could never really happen that it's so fascinating. The plot of Asaate no Houkou seems to move slowly at first, probably because I'm impatient to see how these two girls will deal with their wishes being granted (be careful what you wish for...). It's not until the end of the first episode that Shouko and Karada make their changeover, and not until the end of the second that they find themselves obliged to explain what has happened to anybody else. A lot of time passes with just music and artwork, and no serious dialogue. But it's not boring, on the contrary I was sometimes surprised how quickly both the station break and ending of an episode came along. Karada has retained a child's mind in an adult's body, whereas Shouko has an adult's mind in a child's body; they could have just traded bodies, but this is turning out to be far more interesting. It seems a good deal easier to remember that Shouko in fact has a mature mind than to remember that Karada has that of a child--she is/was pretty independent for her age. Her age was confusing, too; it took me a long time to realize that Amino-kun and Karada are the same age, because he looks much older (five years, I'd have guessed) than her. But this is neat! I was sometimes giggling with excitement and anticipation as I went into a new episode, and that doesn't happen often. Clearly, Asatte no Houkou is an intelligent, engaging, adult show (and sometimes genuinely funny, too), the episodes of which are over much too soon. Shouko and Karada realize that nobody would believe they are who they might claim to be. As I'd hoped, Since they are in this together, so to speak, they cooperate to adjust to their new lives (like Karada posing as an adult to withdraw money from Shouko's bank account). Something has definitely been done right, as I quickly came to empathize with them and hope things would work out OK. In fact, this may well be my favorite new drama of the fall 2006 season. Character designs are pretty distinctive (but not quite good enough to do without some fairly outlandish hair colors). The OP and ED songs are well-chosen and nice to listen to.
As I neared the end of the series, Asatte no Houkou remained engaging. Episodes would end well with an effective teaser that kept me eager for the next one. They also seemed to go very fast, which is a sure sign of a fun show. I don't know if a series like this will wind up R1 licensed; other than Karada and Shouko's "wish" being granted, there's no sci-fi or magic, nor is there fanservice or lots of comedy. It's just a sweet (and slightly odd) love triangle involving a guy, his ex-girlfriend, and his little sister. Of course I've sometimes been surprised at what series have gotten licensed. I had mixed feelings about the short, 12 episode length of this one. On the one hand, I wouldn't want any show to overstay it's welcome and lose my interest, and it's generally a good idea to quit while you're ahead; on the other hand, I'd have loved 26 episodes if AnH could maintain the quality it has shown reliably. I like the Ureshi fansubs version, because it has interesting cultural notes and the translation of Shouko and Karada's opening monologues make more sense.
I must admit I was a little disappointed by the conclusion. I've got a feeling this will be one of those "Oh, the manga was so much better" shows, because the final episode seemed kind of confusing and rushed (or maybe time was not spent as wisely as it should have been). I was surprised when Shouko said that Karada had fallen in love (I won't reveal who with, though you've probably guessed); like I said, she seemed so young to me (10 or 12?) that love seemd out of the question, and my impression had been that she was just being nice to this fellow so as not to hurt his feelings. As the episode neared it's end, I was thinking that Shouko and Karada never would return to their original appearances (which would be awkward given the romances they'd developed). Let's just say that in the final 30 seconds or so we get an answer of sorts; as usual for anime, it was one of those "I think I know what just happened, but I can't be certain" endings. It's a pity that the final episode didn't work better (maybe it will, if I watch it a second time), but it won't change the fact that Asatte no Houkou is a charming, thoughtful show which begins with a strange twist but for the most part makes perfect sense afterwards. A sweet, fun show which I'm glad I watched.
P.S: This marks my 300th Series/Movie review! Yaay!
Last updated Saturday, February 17 2007.
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