Title - "Ai Yori Aoshi"
Alternative title(s) - "Bluer Than Indigo"/"Love Over Depression"/"True Blue Love"
Genre(s) - Ren'ai, drama and comedy
Before I forget, I bet you're wondering, "Love Over Depression?" There are many ways to translate "Ai Yori Aoshi" or "Aya" as I will call it from here on. The fan sub groups that worked on "Aya" translated the series's name as "Bluer Than Indigo", which is its literal meaning. In Pioneer's release, they translated the name as "True Blue Love". I gave it the name "Love Over Depression" because the series is all about love and overcoming hardships. It may not make sense at first, but you would expect to associate blue, green or indigo with depression. That's why I gave it the name "Love Over Depression" or "Lovelier Than Depression" as in romance being more nice than depression.
"Aya" is based on a 1995 manga of the same name by Fumizaki K
-sensei. (Don't know if the year is right. I have look at the manga again to be sure.) The first anime segment is a 24-episode run that came out the year before last year and the second run, which one, is set two years after the first season and two, is named Enishi (or "bonds" more or less in Japanese), came out last year in a span of 13 episodes. J.C. Staff is the studio behind both runs and Ai Aoi Planning worked on the second run as well. I don't know why did I review this series because honestly, I only saw the first episodes of both runs due to the many series I was dealt with at those times. Oh and I saw the preview of "Enishi" also.
Hanabishi Kaoru is your standard university student. One day, he encounters a girl who is trying to find a certain location, but she isn't familar with the surroundings of the city. So Kaoru ends up helping her since they were going to the same train stop anyway.
The location the girl was going to was torn down, sadly. As the two were have a discussion, the girl showed Kaoru a picture of the person she is looking for. To Kaoru's surprise, he recognizes the picture. The photograph shows himself as child and with a girl beside him. Then the girl tells him that she is the Sakuraba Aoi, that girl in the photograph.
Aoi is one of Kaoru's childhood friends. Now that the two have reunited, there are questions that need to be asked. "What has been going on lately?" "What's with the appearance all of a sudden?" "Why are you calling me your future fiancé now?"
What should I say now? Do I wish that I saw more of the series? Yes. If I get the opportunity, will the viewing process be really hunky-dory? I want it to, but it will not be to a good extent and I will explain why this is the case.
Fun - 6
Let's start with the good side. If this is the first time you have ever encountered this series, most likely you will think, "Oh man! I bet Kaoru will be another cliché character." Wrong! Kaoru is a pretty smart student and he is really likeable.
When I was introduced to this series, I said, "Okay. I might like 'Aya' after all." Well, to some extent, I am right. The romance is nicely done and it shows.
Now, let's go to the bad side. First off, Aoi is a love/hate character. You will either love her or hate her. Personally, I think that she's a so-so character. I don't hate her, but I don't think that she's a character that would be really loveable in my eyes.
Maybe it's just me, but other than Kaoru, there aren't many other characters that stand out. I'm sure they bring spirit to the series. However, they're not doing it as well as I hoped.
Finally, here's the part that hampers the series the most. Does a series like this really so much fan service? Now, I am not a person that gets turned off by fan service easily. I mean, there are times I like seeing sexy moments, but I don't think a series like this needs so much of it. Yup, that's the one statement I knew that would bother me if I was planning to see the series. The manga actually has more fan service than the anime believe it or not.
I guess I have to remember that fan service sells. That is a fact for the most part. You can't deny it.
Life - 6
To keep or not to keep? I'll leave that up to you. If you need my advice, read until the end.
Story - 8
See the Fun section for my long discussion.
Audio - 7
The music is so sweet and it brings a romantic feel. I especially love "Towa no Hana"/"Flower of Eternity", the opening theme by Ishida Yko-san. You have just got to hear it.
Seiy
: I want to say that it's nice to see that so many actors that are not known by many anime fans are in here and they do get time to shine here. I mean, if you think about it, when you have people like Kawasumi Ayako-san as Aoi, Hoshi Sichir-san as Kaoru and Yukino Satsuki-san as the American exchange student Tina Foster, you'll know from there, this series helped them really get some recognition. (Yes, I know who these three are and yes, I'd say that they're good.) We need more series like this, though as of late, you have seen series like this.
Since you already saw Pioneer's name earlier, you should know that they translated this series and I have heard the dub samples. (I think this, being the situation of Pioneer translating this series, was that other reason why I never did see all of "Enishi".) You want my opinion? The actors have talent, but in terms of them acting in this series, their overall execution is a question mark.
Art - 9
Let's face it. "Aya" has good art. For the most part, I like the character designs and I like the environment. When I first looked at the short introduction movie on the official site a while back, it made me want to hug a pillow and feel comfortable. I don't know why, but it gave me that urge to do so.
I will admit that this series is a lot like "Love Hina". Shoot, when I first learned about this series, the first comment I heard (or one of the first comments I heard) was that it's a darker version of that series. Well, the reason I subtracted isn't because of the fact that it's a lot like "Love Hina" (even though I said that earlier. I think at the time, I was totally rushing matters and I neglected to fix this review since). The reason I deducted a point was because, well, there are just some characters that don't have outstanding designs. Nothing more.
Overall - 7
So, is "Aya" a good series to watch and keep? That depends. Realistically, "Aya" is not a series in which I can easily say, "You should watch this." I wish it is. It all depends on the viewer's preference and as for it being a keeper, I suggest that you either rent the series or borrow from a friend. Then, decide from there.
+
I love the opening song, Kaoru is such a wonderful guy and the romance is done well to an extent.
-
This is a series of demands, especially since the amount of fan service is questionable.
Date of creation - 6/27/03
Last update - 8/10/04