Anime: Miyori no Mori

Miyori no Mori is a TV-special, but it could as well be considered a movie, with a length of one hour and forty minutes. The storyline is nothing special. Evil construction-workers are planning to destroy a forest, somewhere in the Japanese mountains by building a dam, and the forest and the local children fight back to stop them. It was quickly clear that the success of this anime would depend on its characters.

Luckily, Miyori proved to be more than able to carry this TV-special. She’s a great example of a well-developed tomboy, and she easily goes beyond this stereotype. Throughout the airtime, it was awesome to see her get used to her new surroundings, including the highly imaginative creatures of the forest. Her voice-actress also shines, giving off an excellent performance. The only downside to this is that there are quite a few side-characters who do lack development: especially the bad guys are a bunch of stereotypes; they just bleak when compared to Miyori herself.

Another major plus in this production is the graphics-department. While the animation is plain and simple, the art itself is incredibly detailed, both for the character-designs and the background art. Especially Miyori’s got some excellent character-designs, while she still looks like an ordinary girl. The forest itself is brightly coloured, and a real feast for the senses.

While the soundtrack isn’t among the best, it definitely contributes to the overall scenes. Especially the tune that was played during the climax was excellent. Despite the flaws, I’d recommend this series to any slice-of-life fan, just because of Miyori. She’s a great character, who totally made this TV-special worth the watch.