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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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"This seems pretty funny!" I said to myself while watching Candy Boy.* I had downloaded it on a whim, knowing nothing at all about it, and had included it on a home-burned DVD largely to keep some space from going to waste. The nice artwork, quality character designs, witty humor and the odd premise immediately enveloped me--this was just the kind of stuff I'd been looking for! Before it was over I was eager to search the 'net for more information and hopefully, other episodes. Was this an OVA? A standalone episode, or part of a series? A spinoff/sequel (it seemed that the viewer was expected to already be familiar with the characters)? And how come with a title of Candy Boy the cast seems all female? At first I thought Kanade and Yukino were lesbians, being as affectionate for each other as they are, then seeing their name tags on their dorm room caused it to dawn on me that they were sisters, probably twins. Never fear, however, a third girl, Sakuya, really is attracted to Kanade! This premise may make your eyes roll, but believe me, it really is handled in a realistic and fascinating, yet humorous, manner. I had a little trouble keeping up with the fast moving plot, but the problem was insignificant compared to the fresh, original, humorous story. How often does a mere eight minutes leave a person attached to the principal characters and craving more info about them? The last third of the fansub was composed of a sort of music video which didn't move me one way or the other. Afterwards, I was disappointed to learn that there are at present no other episodes of Candy Boy. Apparently this originated as an ONA in November, and has been released as an OVA (with the song) as well. I'm hoping it's a teaser designed to stir up interest in a full-fledged TV or OVA series. If so, it's certainly had just the right effect on me! I was delighted to find an all new 15 minute ONA episode available for download in May. The nice quality of the artwork struck me instantly as the new episode began. Actually, it didn't turn out to be as silly and fun as I remember the original ONA being, but it was good nevertheless. I hope it doesn't turn out like School Days, where the original ONA was by far the best quality episode and things went downhill from there. But I'm already hooked on this show, for better or worse. The story seems to continue on from the first ONA, rather than retell it as I had expected, so the viewer is expected to have already seen that one (but it wouldn't kill you if you hadn't). One of the funniest moments was when you notice a visual joke from that episode that is still present in this one. There was a priceless silly-and-funny-yet- Episode two confirmed by opinion that this series isn't as fun as the original teaser ONA, but I wasn't certain why. I couldn't say for certain that the jokes were any less funny. Perhaps the reason is that these seem to move at a much slower pace than I recall the original having. Still, I enjoy them. Kana is the smarter, more straight-laced sister who acts as the senior even though they are twins. Though not as smart, Yuki isn't an idiot by any means and can come up with fairly clever tactics to get the strange things she wants. Then there's Sakuya, who is somewhere between the sisters in terms of intelligence, is wealthy, behaves herself (not a stalker), and is determined to get what she wants. Yuki acts as Sakuya's source for Kana memorabilia (if the price is right), since Kana herself isn't interested in her admirer. The three work well together. *Me talking to myself is generally the most honest and reliable indicator of whether I'm truly enjoying a show or not. Another good indicator: I rewatched Candy Boy the very next day! Last updated Thursday, June 26 2008. | ||||||||
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Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Official AIC Japanese Website | http://www.anime-int.com/works/candyboy/ |
| Official Anime 2.0 Japanese Website | http://www.animation2.net/ |
| Official Cho! animelo Japanese Website | http://www.cho-animelo.com/candyboy |
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