Anime: Rec

Rec is a thriller movie about zombies that… wait, wrong title. Rec is a short anime series about a voice actress having to stay in the same house as a bland MC. While it seems to be a forgettable mediocrity like so many other romantic comedies, it stands out by doing things differently.

It’s an overall low budget series, with nothing eye-popping about it, made in an era when studio SHAFT didn’t try to shove as many head tilts and repetitive Shimbo minimalism as it could. It looks dull, but it’s also what makes you focus on what is going on instead of spacing out because of the pretty colors.

It is slice of life, which means there is very little to pay attention to theme-wise, but it also doesn’t resort to fan service so it can distract the horny audience from realizing they are watching absolutely nothing of substance. The females have normal proportions and don’t run around half naked by default.

There is unfortunately some ecchi, but it almost feels excused based on the circumstances. It is not a deal breaker and it doesn’t prevent you from having respect for the characters, instead of objectifying them as masturbation material.

It’s also short, it has no time to waste, it gets straight to the point, and thus it’s extremely well paced. It doesn’t stretch events so every episode will last 20 minutes, and it ends before it starts to get boring.

The premise is about voice acting but it doesn’t really go anywhere. It is showing what it means to be one with the voices changing depending on the role and the mood, but it’s not a theme that gets much exploration. It’s more of an excuse to kickstart the sudden cohabitation of a voice actress with a guy whose love life is going bad.

And before you think it’s just going to be another cocktease of constant misunderstandings that never lead anywhere, be informed that the two of them have sex in the very first episode, something doesn’t happen in 99.99% of all anime that are supposed to be romances and are just going in endless circles before ending with nothing resolved.

And I am not saying the show is a masterpiece of plot progression either, since not many things are happening, not much is explored, and the ending doesn’t really wrap up everything. It’s just that despite the simplicity and the shortcomings of the nothing ever happens genre, it’s still way better than most of whatever comes out today.

It’s not about time resets, trapped in videogames, dark and edgy gorefests, or constant tits and ass. In effect, it’s more real than any of the overhyped bullshit of today that everybody calls realistic when it’s just blatant self-indulgence.

It is not very memorable but it’s a fine example of why average beats flashy trainwreck and why once again retro always wins.

The best words to describe this anime are "cute" and "short and sweet". This anime is only 9 episodes, each of which have only about 8-9 minutes of content (minus the opening song) but despite that the anime brings forth mature themes (such as the stress of trying to balance a job and a relationship).

This anime is about a girl named Aka, whose apartment burns down and begins to live with Matsumaru, an advertising employee. Aka, a voice actress whose favorite actress is Audrey Hepburn (indeed, she utters many lines from her movies and every episode is given the title of one of Hepburn's movies such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or "Love in the Afternoon"). The anime deals manily with Aka and Matsumaru's relationship as they go through the ups and downs of their careers.

The content of this anime is exceedingly ordinary; but I think that very realism gives the anime some of its' charm. You won't find much in the way of plot twists or surprises, but (partly due to the short length of the anime) you won't be bored by the plot.

The two main characters are surprisingly well developed for the length of the series; it is very easy to relate to both characters and their struggles. Also, unlike series like Kimi Ga Nozomu Ein, characters do not display over-the-top reactions to every situation; they act like any reasonable adult would.

However, de to the length of the anime the side characters are given at most cursory parts in the story which only serve to drive the plot along.

The animation isn't very good; besides Aka the character designs are bland and not very detailed. The backgrounds are also similarly uninteresting and static, and it does not feel like a realistic environment (bystanders standing around like statues when the focus is on the main characters).

The soundtrack is a bit boring, and the opening song isn't too good. However, this is countered by the strength of the voice actor who played Aka. The sheer range of voices and situations faced by this voice actor required a lot of talent, and she was able to come through perfectly.

I would reccomend this to just about anyone due to the relative enjoyablity compared to the lack of time spent. This entire anime can be finished in the time it takes to watch 2-3 episodes of regular anime series, and is very enjoyable.

Probably the easiest and most well spent hour and a half of anime viewing out there.

REC, (which I assume is the abbreviation for 'Recording?') manages to do something in such a short time that most shows cannot accomplish in an entire season. I can't stress enough how amazed I was at the end of each nine minute segment. Every one of its short episodes felt like a complete and immersive experience.

Animation:

The artwork here is extremely plain. The male characters especially, seem very cookie cutter-esque. It's odd to see Aka and Matsumaru in the same frame together, because her character design is cute, and colorful, whereas the rest of the cast shares very similiar features. One instance of this, would be Aka's red hair, and petite figure, drawing massive attention to her.

When one character is talking/moving every other character on screen freezes, as if they were statuettes.

Sound:

The Opening theme: Cheer Makkana Kimochi by Kanako Sakai, (also the voice actress for Aka Ondo) was one I listened to the first time through, then skipped through. I thought it was excessively cheesy, and a tad on the annoying side. The version I watched did not have an Ending theme.

Without a doubt, the star of this show, harmonizes voice with personality. Aka Ondo is a voice actress, and demonstrates a diversity in her style and ability, from the moment she appears on screen, till the last episode, she shows her ability to be dynamic.

Story:

Here is a pleasent surprise. A story that provides a totally fulfilling experience, introduces you to the plot, characters, plight, and conclusion, all within just ninety minutes. The best part of all, is that you will feel like you've been watching this show for about ten times the amount that you actually have. The development is something that's hard to explain. The first episode is one of the best first episodes, I've ever seen.

Not only does the show provide you with a bit of education into the field of voice acting, but also enhances our own sense of morality, and gives a realistic and genuine message that "nothing is beyond reach, if you try hard enough."

There are some elements of coincidence that may tarnish the remarkable feeling of realism and humanity of the story, but for having such an asperse effect, regardless of its short length, It's impossible to rate it any lower.

Character:

Aka Ondo is a strange girl. Anyone who would walk up to a total stranger, and personify a pair of tickets, is probably not too common. However, it takes a pretty empathetic soul to be able to voice act, doesn't it? The moment Aka appears on screen, she is instantaneously lovable. You'll find yourself cheering for her throughout her quest to become a professional seiyuu. She is eminently passionate about her profession, and it shows. She practices often, and quotes many lines from famous movies. Her youthful and inexperienced spirit is revealed at one point in the show when her manager quotes a line from a movie she has not yet seen, yet that movie contains her favorite actress.

Fumihiko Matsumaru isn't a big shot. He works at a company that makes snack food. He is an incredibly easy to relate to character. It's hard to explain without a spoiler, so I'll just say to all you guys out there, I'm sure that while watching this show we can all sympathize with some of the trying situations he gets into. In one situation in particular, he says things, while his inner dialogue powerfully contradicts it. He is a man with good intentions, but he's not an overly dramatic goodie-good hero. He's not a smooth, womanizing, Don-Juan, yet he has his own unique charm.

Getting to see the evolution of these two over the short life span of this show, was a great gratification.

The supporting cast is thankfully small, and all given what seems to be a perfect amount of screen time.

Value:

It's a shame there isn't a way I could rate an '11', because in this case, I most certainly would.

You absolutely will not find a better way to spend your time, as far as watching an episode-based anime. REC gives twice as much impact as your average Romantic-Drama, in litterally one-ninth the amount of time.

If you're into this type of show, and have not yet seen it, than there is absolutely no excuse not to watch REC.

An experience that a series multiple increments larger would kill to give, in marginally less time. A compendious, yet nectareous treat.

The best enjoyment per minute ratio I have ever seen.

First off: yeah, I know such a short series as this hardly justifies the longest review in my reviewing-career, but I think it deserves to be picked apart like this.

Rec is a good show, mostly because it manages to be enjoyable and features characters which are actually likeable. Seeing the episodes are short, one would think the show won't leave any impression at all. The opposite is true though, since this might be the most enjoyable 'short watch' I have seen in my entire anime-career.

Animation: Good character designs, average animation overall.

I think the animation might be the least good of the entire show and I couldn't come up with anything better than the above catchline because of that.
The animation by itself isn't that outstanding. In fact, the animation is - despite the nice choices for colors - only average. Perhaps even a bit below that. Lucky for the series, it isn't that noticeable because the rest makes up for it. One thing which does make it good was the fact that there were no overused scenes, or reused frames. One wouldn't expect that in such short animated shows, but I have seen that happen.

Character design
It has really good character designs, refreshing and colorful, which does the anime a lot of good.
Aka is different from other characters in the sense that she doesn't suffer from bigbreastity while still being attractive without being overly pretty. She is a normal girl you can fall in love with without knowing why.
So a 6 for the animation and an 8 for the char design make up for a meager 7.

Sound: Ever realized what a seiyuu can do with her voice?

Voices
The best aspect of this is the fact that the girl playing Aka makes the most use of her voice. Like a real seiyuu (voiceactor), they have to use all kind of voices for the roles they play and talented ones are the ones who can reach great variety with their voice. The voiceactress for Aka shows this well, with using different voices for different situations/roles. While she might not be the best voiceactress I've heard, it's definitely the first one who manages to use so much variety in a single show. That at least gets the message across about what it is to be a seiyuu.

Matsumaru has a good voice too. While he doesn't do that much with his voice (and his voice isn't even attractive), his voice suits the character very well. His voice is also much more full/round, unlike the voices we know so well from regular men in anime. It's hard to express properly what I mean, but I guess it'll be sufficient to say that his mature voice adds to his own character. Both voices are done so well that I would have given it the full mark - if not for the music.

OP/ED and BGM
As said before, all episodes of 12 minutes actually have an OP and ED song. Usually series of such format have either only an OP or ED, but this one does both, which reduces the actual playtime from 12 to less than 9 minutes. Is it worth it? I'm not sure, but although the animation of the OP and ED was everything but great (it looked more silly-happy than the series itself) they did add to the atmosphere. The songs being used were also done well, reflecting the happy feeling Aka tries to emit.
As for BGM, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of music, but I shouldn't be. Who would expect there will be lots of good music in a 9 minute ep? Instead, there was a good set of sounds, which gave the series a more mature feeling. Still, I cannot feel like giving it the maximum value.

Story: Simple, straight story, yet mature.

The story is simple, straight and breathes an atmosphere of maturity and slice-of-life. If you have seen Koi Kaze or Rumic Theater, I think you will understand what I mean. For the people who have not seen those shows, I think it's best to say that there is not that much happening.

Due to circumstances our male protagonist meets up with the always-positive female protagonist and the end of the very first episode already shows that this series is not meant to be childish and silly, while the beginning may seem like that.
There are several scenes where silliness seems to get the upper hand, but they show the silly (and sometimes rough) realism (a product always needs a mascot, for instance and there is always someone who behaves like that particular co-worker) and sometimes it's just a little silliness which can still relate to reality. Add a little ecchi in one or two scenes which is also not out of place and you will realize that this series combines a lot of aspects in its realistic setting.

Good pace, good flow.
Although the story might sometimes seem silly and with the limited timespan you can hardly get any proper story across, but for this anime, the story works. I didn't think they could make a coherent story with this, but they pulled it off. Moreover, it is a fresh and enjoyable story with only 1 or 2 scenes not being as good as the rest. But that is being compensated for with the pace of the series. The flow of the story is often most important and although short, this series has decided on a pace which makes the story flow well, without cliffhangers and without forced endings of episodes. A 9 for this is high, especially when you consider the product "Ha" sounding pretty silly, but I think it deserves it. Usually these short stories get tangled up in its own plot, but this time it plays well. That alone is worth raising it from the initial 8 I had in mind to a 9.

Characters: Mature, magnificent, masterful.

Matsumaru
At first sight our dear male protagonist looks a lot like Chobits' Hideki, but after only a few minutes (!) he grows up, matures and becomes a full character. More important, he keeps that stature throughout the entire series, without degenerating into a comedy-character. Still, he's a lighter character than the sometimes heavy mooded Koshiro from Koi Kaze. No, he is not a flawless character, but he is one of the most realistic, grown up protagonists I have seen in my anime.

Aka
But other than him, our dear Aka pushes the mood up with her positive appearance. The little woman, hardly tall enough to take serious, is a worthy character to have in your anime. Her character is attractive (her appearance too, btw) and likeable and while she has a really positive attitude, she never gets the treat to become annoying (as so many others do in other series, unfortunately).

Other characters
There are not many real characters other than them, but the characters who do return on an occasional base do give some extra atmosphere to the show. They are only there because they need to be there, but they don't really feel out of place.

But because the two main characters are so good, I will give them full points. And I don't usually give characters a 10, really ... not to mention they earn that in a series as short as this.

Value: Good rewatch format with likeable characters.

It has a format which makes it really easy to rewatch. The episodes are short and you can watch them in the time you wait for a pizza in the microwave.
Next to that, we have likeable characters and if you have seen this show the first time, I don't think one would have any complaints when having to watch it a second time. It's just that kind of series.

Audrey Hepburn
It is apparent that the creators were quite the fans of Audrey Hepburn, seeing how Aka has based her entire to-be-career on Audrey Hepburn. Because of that, there are a lot of references in this anime regarding movies where Hepburn played a part in. I doubt there will be many people who get all the references (I couldn't even recall half of them and I have seen quite some of her movies myself), but as long as you get at least one of the references, I believe the series gets much more enjoyable for you because of the recognition value.

Enjoyment: The first anime which enjoyed me in a long time.

If you can enjoy slice-of-life, or a quick-watch with romance and some comedy/drama built in, this is your cup of tea. And if it isn't, what do you have to lose when the episodes take only 12 minutes? In the span of 2 normal eps, you would have seen half of this entire series, so I'd urge you to watch this if you want to at least give it a try.

A 10 for enjoyment? Isn't that silly?
A 10 for enjoyment ... I don't think I have given any series a 10 for enjoyment in the past 2 years. Does this series deserve it? After considering it several times, I decided on a yes. It has everything I liked to see: slice-of-life, good realistic characters, a visually appealing female protagonist I gradually started to love more and more as the series progressed, and the pace which is about next to perfect. Of course I can downrate it to a 9, but it has been so long since I have been enjoying a series this well that it deserves that 10.

I thought it would be a silly comedy. I'm glad they proved me wrong.

One of the cutest short animes ever.

As strange as it is, I find myself easily tugged in by warm, short series such as Rec. The plot doesn't get ridiculously complicated, so you don't have to care whether people are meant to be alive, or just stereotypes. Sometimes, or rather in Rec's case, it reflects more on daily pains than something extraordinary, doubling the effect.

Seiyuu ni naritai! (I want to become a voice actress!)

Matsumaru was stood up by a girl he had been looking forward to dating for quite a while. Sad and feeling abandoned, he somehow winds up meeting a shorter, cuter girl named Aka Onda. She is studying to become a voice actress, and is full of sweet lines to entertain him for the evening. They go out for a night of drinking, finding things out about each other, and go their separate ways.

All seems well, until Matsumaru wakes up in the middle of night to see that Onda's apartment has been destroyed, and she has no place to live...

I feel the the first and last episode of this series perfectly compliment the hilarious, episodic nature that flows out in the middle. The first episode begins with a bit of comedy, gets a bit serious, then follows up with more comedy until the finish line. Each episode follows a somewhat similar pattern, although because of the length of time available nothing can get particularly deep.

However, I do think this is a good thing. Because Rec's screen time is so short, the lack of development prevents the story from losing its focus. Since the series hovers around two people striving to make success, spending too much time developing them could have produced a series much more boring or lopsided.

The story follows this basic idea: Matsumaru struggles to keep his job, while Onda desperately pursues a career in voice acting. Their relationship stimulates complication, having to live in the same apartment every day. Soon enough, life's little perquisites/irritiabilities begin to pull them together or push them apart. There are no serious conflicts, no intense nor overwhelming scenes, but instead just simple heartfelt comedy and drama.

Altogether, additionally wonderful characters. Matsumaru seems boring at first, but he's actually quite a hilarious shounen. Also, the ideas that he makes up, the costumes he wears, and just his overall personality is entertaining and somewhat human, if you think about it.

On the other hand, Onda's personality imitates something sillier. She at first comes off to be really cute and sexy, and even easily appealing as a sexual icon to pathetic single men like me. Also, her voice talents concerning lines of Audrey Hepburn or theatre classics such as My Fair Lady are cute little references that make any scene concerning her very sweet and romantic. Oddly enough, as the series carries on, more and more of her selfish and brash nature comes out. I find her character to relate very well to my ex-girlfriend, although I enjoy her presence in the anime more than the real-life version I once had, heh.

The characters do get somewhat cliché. A lot of the ecchi in this show is pretty typical, but what rescues it is sheer unpredictability. The funny thing is that the typical ecchi in Rec is still better than the predictable, pathetic stuff in Kore ga Watashi no Goshujin-sama or Girl's Bravo.

**Writer's Note: I am willing to defend to the death these perfect markings, simply because the show doesn't do enough in error to harm the atmosphere it creates. Therefore if you disagree, feel free to let it out in a private message.**

10 minutes of fun. Eye catches?

For a 10 minute show, I don't think I've ever seen so many eye-catches ever. It's not annoying, but I do find them to get rather stupid to put up.

As for the animation, it's cute and round, without too much or too little accent on the dark lines around the characters. Sometimes, though, it seems like that characters look out of proportion, so I'm guessing the production team was small and working rapidly or something. Unfortunately though I want to, I can't give the animation a higher rating because of these things.

As for the sound, I can't give entirely too much either. The opening theme got really annoying really quick, and I found myself skipping it by the 3rd episode. In contrast, though, the background music was wonderful! There were a few scenes in particular where the music just made the moment just all that much better (especially the ending.)

Avid fan, that I am.

This show, obviously, is EASILY rewatchable. I don't intend to put this one away for quite a while, since it's a simple show to start up and enjoy with a friend, or just reminisce about when you are bored. I give full credit in value simply because of the free flow and short span it takes of life. I strongly recommend that anyone taking up this series has seen at least one ecchi comedy before taking this series up. While the ecchi scenes aren't particularly filthy, they do exist. I only caution for the safety of eyes that don't want to be pampered by fanservice.

Also, since it's only 9 episodes, it collectively is as long as an average length movie. Consider it the perfect watch if you want to show it to friends or family to show your love of anime.

And last, but not least, I have a few words to those of you have already seen this series...

...all hail the Neko-ki!

This is a pretty good series to watch in between while waiting for the new Karin or whatever episode your waiting for.
This small serie has enough of the comedy and romance that you'd see in a 20 minute / episode series,but packed in a 10 minute / episode series.
Starting off pretty strangely,the storyline starts to evolve fast enough to understand it and to enjoy it.
Try for yourself,download them all 9,they're around 100mb each,so it's really not that big.

If your not one of those persons that'll only watch the most popular ones like Naruto,bleach,love hina and Ah my godess! and such,then you'll definitely like this one. Try for yourself ^^