Anime: Tanin no Kankei

Note: Yet another good anime that hasn't got a review up on AniDB. :/
I try to be as objective as I can when writing a review. But perfect objectivity is impossible and in my opinion, undesirable.
The average grade is completely irrelevant and shouldn't matter to anyone. I personally rated this show 8.

Overview

Homeroom Affairs is based on a short manga of just 2 volumes. Unfortunately, no scanlation of the manga exists as of summer 2010 and it is unlikely it ever will. The OVA hasn't been released on dvd and no "modern" fansubs exist. It was however released on VHS in the US and there is a copy of that floating around on the internet. That version has reasonably good quality and comes with a Japanese audio track and English subtitles. :thumbup:

Animation: 7

The art is similar to the style used in the '80s so it looks similar to Maison Ikkoku or Kimagure Orange Road. The character designs are good looking, but nothing great or innovative.
The animation however is a bit weak. They use a lot of still shots and panning. The backgrounds aren't badly done, but not great either. Although it is an OVA, it feels like it is one of those long running old shows that didn't have much of a budget per episode. It is however fitting for the story and gets the job done well enough. And that's the most important thing, isn't it?

Sound: 7

The sound, similar to the animation, gets the job done. The music is a sweet J-Pop that feels great within the show, but would probably be annoying otherwise. The other sounds are typical for the time the series was done and are of moderate quality. The seiyuu give enough of a good performance to make the characters feel alive and portray their emotions accurately.

Story: 8

Funny thing is this OVA is listed on Wikipedia's list of hentai shows, which is completely off. There is a lot of boob flashing, but sex is only implied and never shown. It is tamer than your average Hollywood action flick. Guess showing animated breasts scares the living daylights out of the "pure" western public.

This is an ecchi comedy without many of the genre's stereotypes. There's no harem, no ridiculous slapstick, so it's more like a believable romantic comedy. The plot is simple: boy meets girl, ends up living with her, their relationship builds up etc. So it isn't anything extravagant, but it is very well executed. In those 2 40 minutes episodes, no moments are wasted. Everything flows so well, I couldn't believe 40 minutes had passed when the first part was over. The second part is equally good and the ending is among the better ones in those kind of shows. It also has a few twists that keep the story from becoming predictable.

Characters: 8

There's only 3 important characters: the 2 leads and the antagonist. But they are well defined through their actions and thoughts. The different situations makes them seem real, not just puppets playing their part in a play. There's also growth in the 2 main characters and their relationship develops over a period of a few months. It is great seeing their love and feelings grow in time, not just popping out from nowhere like in other shows.

Value: 8

The OVA is a short, great romantic comedy with a solid conclusion. This makes it a great quick-watch. The rewatch value is extremely high because it doesn't lose its charm even if you know how things are going to turn out.

Enjoyment: 9

Unless you really hate nudity in your anime :roll:, I can't see any reason not to enjoy this title. Personally, I loved it. I loved the characters, the story and pretty much everything about it. It's a great quick-watch if you need to relax a little.

If you're looking for something similar, there's:

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