Anime: Candy Boy

This is the short and simple tale of two twin sisters in love… with each other. Yes, it is designated as yuri but outside of a few scenes it can easily count as a normal family oriented show… But then again it’s that perverted lesbian friend of theirs doing her hentai stuff, so don’t try that family thing.

First of all I’m not really into yuri stuff. The only anime I dig with such a thing is Revolutionary Girl Utena and only because it had artistic expression, mystery, character depth, swordfights, shadow theatre play, thorn roses, wtf ending, a movie version and a great place in anime history as a really revolutionary series. Candy Boy has none of the above.

Not that all shows need to be so epic in scale or complicated in thematics; some can be just good to ease the mind after a hard day. Aria for example is quite good at this. Some even find Gintama relaxing. Candy Boy is like that too, only it lasts way too little to make a permanent impression.

The pacing of the anime is by all means just fine. It has no major heights or lows and hardly any conflict. It has a steady feeling of fuzziness and silliness all the way, with a few very simplistic emotional issues thrown in for a few minutes just for the heck of it. It is otherwise the normal lives of two sisters who love each other. No kisses or fights and separations at all; just silly comedy and every day actions at school or at the dorm. And yes, it does the trick.

The question is, would it work without the yuri subtext? I sure sat to watch it because I was curious about that. If it wasn’t there I wouldn’t even bother. So it is a nasty bait of sorts who one may ask “Why in blazes did I fall for that?” It is basically guilty pleasure working here; no deny that the girls are drawn cute and sexy in a fuzzy calm setting. It works but again it’s basically carnal guilty pleasure; something Aria (or even Gintama) needed in order to work.

Another thing is how the characters are not really changing or maturing in any way. The few emotional problems last too little to really make a difference. They are otherwise very simplistic, with the lesbian friend being a silly comic relief otaku. It may work while watching but they are not memorable afterwards for the same reason.

All these wouldn’t work without proper production values and Candy Boy excels in this. There is a great deal of detail given to backgrounds and the characters are very well drawn all the time without any significant quality drop anywhere. My only qualm is that there isn’t that much motion in this series. All background crowd and even the main characters don’t move too much.

The soundtrack is actually a very good set of pop songs; very fitting to the mood of the series. Each episode features its own song too. Still, nothing worthy of remembering. The dialogues are also very likable, full of simple yet direct with emotions context. But boy, they are repeating the –chan honorific, like, a million times.

But after all that, this anime is simply not something memorable. The fuzzy feeling may stay with you but it is not something Aria didn’t achieve as well with far more duration, equally good production values, far greater duration and in no need of yuri baits. So not much value is to be found in this.

Overview

It's the story of two twin sisters from Hokkaido who are attending highschool away from home, in Tokyo. We get to follow them around for a few weeks at school and when they go back home to visit their family.

After some of the other reviews I kind of feel I need to state it: this is not really yuri (in the Western sense). Its not even romantically explicit much, other than for the purpose of comic relief. If you prefer to read too much into it, that's your choice. The intimate undertone is definitely there and I can't honestly assume the producers didn't count on it being a major attraction.

But that's the key difference: it's about intimacy, not sex. We're being allowed to peek into the personal space and close relation of two twin sisters and there's huge amounts of value right there without having to go for anything more explicit.

Animation

Really smooth artwork, you can tell they've put a lot of work into this. There's a lot of detail, both on the characters and the backgrounds, no reusing of scenes, no cheap tricks. All the frames, even the most mundane ones, are so chock-full of interesting little details I had to frequently pause it to examine everything. The images are so rich they tell maybe half the story almost all by themselves. And I particularly enjoyed the way they draw the characters themselves: the hair, the clothing, the accessories.

This is outstanding and the only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because I didn't get to see it in HD.

Sound

The soundtrack is quite pleasant. I wouldn't call it memorable but it fits very well with the mood of the scenes and the ED tracks (yes, there is more than one! featuring various artists) are perky and nice. BTW, make sure to watch every episode to the end, past the ED track, there's usually an extra scene there! And don't miss out on the still frames during the ED, there's a message in there as well.

I appreciated the fact they took care not to overdo it and that the music is only there when it's really needed, otherwise leaving silence for us to appreciate the voice actors. The transitions from dialogue-only to music backgrounds are very smooth, making for excellent continuity. Speaking of the actors, they do a great job. The main characters have great voices, very well suited to the way they act, and they did an outstanding job on voicing them even during the younger flashbacks -- different, but distinctly recognizable.

Story

It's not fair to say there's no story. True, there isn't an overarching plot spanning across all the episodes, but there are minor substories spread across several ones. You could say that the major plot driver is in fact exactly what we're being shown: the regular lives of the main characters and their relation.

They are highschool students nearing graduation, living away from home in the big city, and this comes with lots of things that need to be taken care of. There's exams, planning out where to go to college, making better use of the very limited space in their dorm room, the commute, wondering when the new more spacious dorm will open, weight watching. Even casual, normal day-to-day life gives you a lot to do when you think about it, doesn't it?

And that's not all. There's the little things like choosing Christmas or Valentines presents, getting to eat a certain sweet, forgetting your umbrella on a rainy evening, spilling egg white on your favorite pillow. These things may be small but they come back later, lending a solid feel, making you feel there's a well-put together story after all.

Want more? You got it. We get lots of flashbacks into how things were and came to be, when they started highschool, when they were little, when they first met Saku-chan and so on. Everything adds to the main story in neat layers.

Bottom line: it may qualify for "shoujo-ai" and "yuri"... but at the same time it definitely qualifies for "slice of life" and "coming of age". This is not empty and unsubstantial, story-wise.

Characters

I think by now you've gathered, from the description of the other aspects above, that there will be a lot of detail to the characters. The main characters get the spotlight, naturally, and we get to see an extremely vivid presentation of both. Even though they are twins they are quite different, and once you get to know them better they will certainly suprise you. Yuki-chan seems ditzy and airheaded while Kana-chan looks like she's assertive and has a cool head, but in fact things are not always as they seem. Often enough, it's Kana who gets herself into all sorts of trouble while Yuki shrewdly navigates around rough spots. I don't want to give away any more so I'll leave it at that, but let me assure you, you will not be dissapointed at neither the depth nor the development of the characters.

The minor characters also deserve a few words. Saku-chan is a younger colleague who's obsessed with Kana, follows her around all the time, snaps pictures of her, collects whatever stuff of hers she can get her hands on and tries to spend time with her as much as possible. She serves as comic relief mostly but she also has decent details and depth of her own, and she also serves to further enrich the outline on the other characters. Aside from being an obsessed-fan slash stalker she has genuine feelings for Kana and it's always amusing to see the others take advantage of her obsession in all sorts of amusing ways, although it's not always clear who's taking advantage of whom. :)

Last but not least, Shi-chan is the twins' younger sister who's still attending secondary school back home in Hokkaido. There's an entire subplot right there which I will leave for you to discover, suffice to say that there's a good amount of drama stemming from the twins' departure from home and the younger sister feeling somewhat left out.

And this brings us back to the yuri overtones. Is there enough reason to read too much into it? Are Kana and Yuki a little too much "into" each other? Sure. But see, the thing about this is that it's all in your mind. If you'd prefer there to be innuendo and sexual overtones, you can play it that way. If you just want to enjoy it as a light-hearted story about everyday life, that's there too. The producers managed to create a wonderful balance and the characters are great just by being themselves.

Value

I may not watch this series again right away but I think I might definitely feel like it sometime later. There is such a ton of details to everything, soundtrack, image, characters, that I feel like I haven't taken it all in with just one run. It's amazing stuff for such a short series (7 episodes running 8-14 minutes each, plus some extras).

Would I buy the soundtrack CD/ONA DVD/series DVD? I might! I'm sorely tempted. See, they come up to around $100 together which is quite steep for me and I'm a cheapskate... but like I said, I'm soo tempted. This is wonderful stuff and I definitely want to own it, soundtrack and all.

Enjoyment

I can honestly say I've loved watching this. What I got was way more than I had any reason to expect. If I may quote what somebody else commented elsewhere: it's as sweet and fluffy as pink cotton candy. Which means a lot of fun! But I would not agree that it was insubstantial. If it leaves you feeling great it cannot be all that inconsequential.

Hmm. A light hearted shoujo-ai story? Well, I am watching Aoi Hana and someone recommended this one to me. So... I got it. I must say, it doesn't get as deep into the romance as Aoi Hana but it is still a light hearted comedy. Now, I liked it more than the previous reviewer, who didn't really seem to have anything all that positive to say about Candy Boy. Anyway, onto the review!

Animation - Oh, so pretty
Seriously, the animation is fantastic. The character models look nice, each one of the four that are introduced looked distinct... which really they better! With so few characters, having a generic model would be really disappointing.

Anyway, the backgrounds look great and if they were in a larger size, I wouldn't mind having one as a wallpaper. The animation is fluid and the characters really seem life like. Each one has their own perks that they do that set them apart aside from looks.

Sound - Nice!
I usually don't pay attention to the sound, but as I am watching this as I review it, I am noticing it. The music is nice and it fits with what is being shown, nothing really out of place. The seiyuus do a nice job and fit their characters, really adding to their life likeness. There isn't an individual OP in each episode like in a traditional sense. There is some light music that plays while the show starts, which it does pretty immediately. If you had to pick out the OP in a traditional sense, it would be a short 5 or so seconds. Same with the ED. If you put each episode together, it would be pretty much the same as watching a movie.

Story - Isn't much of one
The summary at the start of each episode really sums it up, "The daily life of twin sisters". There really isn't any character development, no overarching plot and villian that these girls magically transform to battle. Just a sweet little story about two college twins that love each other. While there are no explicit love scenes, there are a few hints. Which for a series this short is nice, but you'd be surprised at how deep it is. Maybe you won't realize all that is going on, at first. I know I didn't. At first it is a light comedy, but as the episodes go on, it gets more serious. There are a lot of feelings being tossed around, lots of emotions left unresolved that get resolved. Shizuka has a lot going on, surprisingly.

While it isn't anything deep and complex at first, it is light hearted and nice change of pace from most romances. You know the ones! Those that have so the main cast love someone else from the main cast that doesn't really go anywhere apart from the main couple. There are more love triangles than a piece of classic literature! That isn't the case here. Something light that you can watch in an afternoon and smile at. There is some light comedy, which is nice that it doesn't try to be funny. Most often times when something tries to be funny, it isn't.

Character Development - Why do things happen
I suppose it is natural that siblings that are really close, especially twins, develop some kind of feelings for each other. However society tells them that incestual relationships are wrong, let alone homosexuality. Although that seems to be changing for the latter in today's society. When Kanade and Yukino go home, their younger sister has so much going on, it is surprising for a show this light. She has deep seeded abandonment issues towards Kana and Yuki, although it gets resolved. It is still something nice to see and surprising. I certainly wasn't expecting anything this deep from such a short show.

Anyway, the cast is:

Yukino - One of the twin sisters that the show focuses on. She, unlike Kanade, is blonde.
Kanade - The other twin sister, she is a brunette and Shizuka looks a lot like her.
Shizuka - The younger sister, she has some abandonment issues that get resolved. Looks a lot like Kanade.
Sakuya - She is a friend of Yukino's. She has an obsession over Kanade. Although she admits she loves both Yuki and Kana, she loves Kana more

For these four, the story is surprisingly deep, which really tears at the heart strings. But overall it is a great show that deals with siblings and love, friendship, how life changes things. I was surprised, which I realize I've said quite a few times by now, but seriously! This is a great show! Get it! Watch it! Now!

Value and Enjoyment - A nice short series
Candy Boy, I don't really understand where the name comes from, but it is a nice show. It is only 7 episodes and each episode is around 15 minutes, some longer, some shorter. Value wise, it is a pretty average story with above average visuals and average audio. The story is light yet deep, simple yet complex, serious yet comical. All of these things blend together pretty well to give you quite a ride for such a short series. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone that is a fan of romance. There is enough shoujo-ai to keep fans interested, it hints and things and keeps things light. Nothing perverse that would only attract fans of serious fanservice.

As for what the previous reviewer said, granted there are no odd gusts of wind that flip up skirts, nor absurd panty shots. This isn't typical fanservice, yet the fanservice is plenty. The comedic antics of Sakuya, the feelings between Yuki, Kana, and Shizuka. Everything is well balanced and plays off of each other nicely. This isn't something that only girls would enjoy for the romance, nor guys would enjoy for the hints of yuri. It is plain and simply put, a wonderful story. Certainly a surprise in my book, I can say with 100% certainty that I wasn't expecting such a story from a such a short anime.

Candy Boy? ReviewI don't get the naming of this anime if someone does do enlighten me

Once upon a time some script writer saw two female siblings holding hands and thought to himself, hey I wonder if I could come up with an anime with a similar premise! Hell who cares about incest it is normal.. A romantic interest or just family interest is basically an at arm's length concept and are almost interchangeable. Thus animes such as Candy Boy are born for our viewing pleasure.

Before I start I just want to voice one question that I'm really curious about, what market does this kind of anime aiming for? I mean do females really like watching lesbian romance or on the other side males enjoy watching fanserviceless shoujo-ai? Anyways on with the review.

To be frank the only purpose this anime served for me was some mindless heart warming entertainment. It really doesn't change at all from start to finish. The anime revolves around the twin sisters Yuki and Kana and their high school lives. They only have one twist that is the entire cast is females and they are all homosexuals.

So what makes this anime worth watching? Well exactly what I said before. At some levels it is quite unbelievable but on some others it can be realistic. The unbelievable parts are also what make the anime more interesting and desirable to watch. I for one have never seen any anime dealing with incest and homosexuality together without any conflicts because of it. Everyone in the anime just live their lives as if it is completely normal. I find that quite an interesting concept, unreasonable but interesting.

Ratings

Animation
This was the best part of the anime. Overall the animation was quite nice to look at I think since they did take their time in releasing it they had plenty of time to work on it. Although I don't really see why a company would choose to release on the web over TV or theaters.

Background
The series is short and it really doesn't take place in many places. Even still all the backgrounds they used were quite nice and consistent. Some even added a bit to the atmosphere for instances in the dream scene you are able to tell it is a dream because of the funny things happening in the background.

Character sets
The character sets were quite standard and decently looking female cast. Although I couldn't really tell that Yuki and Kana were twins until they said it. The only other weird thing was the sizes for Saku. Her proportions are quite odd, short and busty? I didn't see the purpose in that but w/e.

Motion
They didn't really move all that much its quite a passive anime. Aside from walking, eating and other normal activities nothing else to really see. It all looked good so I have nothing to comment on.

Sound
Overall the sound well... Did they have sound? Its not that it was mute but they really didn't care much about putting background music and flashy effects in general. Aside from character voices and obvious sound effects they may of had one song that played once in a while. It goes without saying it didn't have any impact and so I find myself saying the sound didn't help the anime at all. The voices were fine they had voices that more or less fit.

Story
Yet again what happened in the anime? Nothing much. Not that the anime had much time to do anything but still you really didn't sit down and expect to see anything happen.

Characters
This is suppose to be the important part. However I find myself consistently unable to perceive it as anything better then average. The main characters Yuki and Kana develop a bit and work out a few issues, but the underlying goals and feelings never change. Shi the younger sister surprisingly gets the most depth and does in fact manage to grow. Unfortunately it is still nothing special or life changing. The last character Saku does not deserve mention but since I don't have much to say, she serves as comic relief and no more. Yes comic relief why do they have it? I have no idea maybe the anime is too fluffy and too much is a bad thing!

Value and Enjoyment
You don't gain anything from watching this anime. How can you? Its about twin sisters who love each and other and how they want to stay together forever!! Actually I think its quite ironic that if they message was portrayed a little differently it would be a perfectly good family oriented message. It wasn't though. I doubt I would ever rewatch this anime. Having said all this I did enjoy it and found it a good waste of time. Its short, mindless and doesn't take itself too seriously which made it easy to watch. If they released more I would probably still watch it. I'm not sure who I would recommend this to all I can say is watch one episode and you will know right away if you want to finish it or not. Have fun if you give it a go.