|
TO HEART (VOL. 1): NEW FEELINGS |
|
Friday, 20 April 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | THE RIGHT STUF INTERNATIONAL | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 4:3 FULL SCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | 7+ | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 02/27/07 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 04/20/07 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
Based off the popular cult hit dating sim and pc visual novels, To Heart is a gentle romantic anime revealing the daily lives of a heart-warming group of high school students. Essentially a romantic drama with comedy and charm, To Heart shows each episode almost as a stand-alone story, revealing the various girls of the school and how their lives intertwine with each other and with male classmate Hiroyuki.
In this first volume, we are introduced to the pure and sweet Akari who dreams only of sitting next to her childhood friend and true love, Hiroyuki. He is a blasé fellow who seems a bit oblivious to the feelings being directed his way whether it’s from Akari or someone else. But underneath his flippant manner is an honestly kid soul, something the anime shows time and again in his efforts to help the girls around him. Akari’s closest friend is Shiho, who is almost Akari’s opposite in personality. Shiho can be bossy and is very outgoing and her and Hiroyuki butt heads often.
My personal favorite in this first collection of episodes would be the one focusing on Serika Kurusugawa. The heir to a rich business conglomerate, she is nevertheless a quiet and shy girl who speaks in a mere whisper, causing Hiroyuki to often repeat what she says over again. She is also into the occult and the only member of the Occult Club. When a chance meeting leads to an invitation for Hiroyuki, mishaps and misunderstandings lead to a mildly dramatic moment and then a touching conclusion when Serika makes her first friends.
The fourth episode has young Aoi striving to make her Extreme Martial Arts Club gain recognition. She dreams of becoming as strong as her idol, Ayaka, who happens to be Serika’s sister (they look very much alike). It leads to a match between Aoi and the karate club member Yoshie. Naturally circumstances manage to see Hiroyuki and the girls (Akari and Shiho) getting involved to help Aoi achieve her dreams.
This is a sentimental look at the day-to-day life of these precious girls and kind boy. It’s not an anime series that is driven to go anywhere. It simply enjoys revealing the connections, relations, hopes, dreams and heart of each of these endearing characters. It’s an anime with a nostalgic look on first loves, childhood friendships and school life. The animation, although a bit dated, has a lovely watercolor theme to it to add to the nostalgic atmosphere the stories impart. It is an anime any shoujo fan will enjoy.
Fans of Comic Party will want to keep their eyes open for some crossover references with the comedic anime series within To Heart. Also, Right Stuf has done something a little unusual by allowing the opening and ending of the anime episodes of To Heart to play as the Japanese original. The English credits are only given at the very end of the Japanese credits and animation after each episode. It’s a nice alternative to having the original Japanese opening and ending sometimes being included in the extra section of DVDs for various anime series. Here you can experience the opening and ending in their pure form without having to go to the bonus features.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include a reversible cover, trailers of other Right Stuf titles, translation notes, line art gallery, and character bios.
IN SUMMARY:
To Heart is the quintessential shoujo anime. It’s a lovely slice of life in the world of pure hearted girls in high school.
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved
|
