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KAMICHU: HOLIDAY CONFESSIONS (VOL. 4) |
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Thursday, 01 February 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | GENEON ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | 13UP | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 12/19/2006 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 02/02/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
The heartwarming tale of a girl becoming a deity and her life with her family and friends regretfully comes to a close in this final volume. Christmas time is upon them and in Japan it is a time of romantic love when confessions of the heart occur. Will Yurie be able to at last tell Kenji how she truly feels? If only the holiday rush wasn’t upon her she might just get the chance! Afterwards New Year’s is right around the corner and the tradition of getting money on New Year’s has Yurie’s hopes up, but when your cat is possessed by the God of Poverty Yurie’s problems are only beginning. Next Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Will Yurie be able to find the words that lay restless in her heart?
In a series of episodes focusing on romantic themed holidays we get to see the full circle of Yurie’s journey from girl to godhood, from confusion to seeing her now in relative peace with her position of helping out her fellow townsfolk, friends and family as both Yurie and as Yurie the deity. The storytelling has displayed consistently throughout its amazing ability to show the full life of an ordinary girl with ordinary concerns put into extraordinary circumstances. It makes the mundane magical, and the most fantastical sights and occurrences seem commonplace among the people and the town the viewer has grown to love. One cannot help but fall in love with this story and its characters. The tale is woven with such wonder and sentiment it enriches the heart and warms the soul.
The culmination of Yurie’s journey, despite its fantastical elements, is a fully developed tale of a girl in love and dealing with so many of the concerns a girl her age would have. So much so that the people, despite this being animation, come across as real. Their personalities and lives are so well fleshed out that they could be friends you’ve known, daughters you have or sisters you hold dear. This is part of its magic.
The animation remains nostalgically beautifully from beginning to end. It’s hard to believe this was a TV series as it is of such high quality and astounding beauty.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include reverse cover art, Geneon previews, a fold out insert with text commentary from Hideyuki Kurata (Screenplay), a full color production art gallery that includes text comments from both Japanese and English voice actors as well as Japanese production staff. Each volume also includes a limited edition pencil board while supplies last.
IN SUMMARY:
Kamichu is a divine slice of life showing the heart of an ordinary girl with extraordinary circumstances. This is one of the most charming anime of all time. You’ll fall in love with it and want to experience its heart warming enchantment over and over again. |
