The appeal and reviews of "Summer" anime: A deep look into summer stories

The appeal and reviews of "Summer" anime: A deep look into summer stories

The appeal and evaluation of "_summer - Underscore Summer"

"_summer - Underscore Summer" was released as an OVA on October 27, 2006, and is based on an 18+ game by HOOK. This work depicts the themes of summer, love, and becoming an adult, and skillfully expresses the bittersweetness and sadness of youth. Below, we will introduce detailed information and reviews of the work, as well as recommended points.

Overview

■ Public Media
OVA
■ Original Media
18+ games
■ Release date
October 27, 2006
■Release and sales
・Publisher: Softgarage
・Sold by: Gidas
■Frequencies
half an hour
■ Number of Episodes
Episode 2
■Original Story
HOOK(_summer)
■ Director
Takahiro Okao
■ Production
・Animation production cooperation: FRONTLINE
・Animation Production: Rikuen Tai ・Production: Softgarage
■Works
©2005,2006 HOOK/Softgarage

story

■ Story

An unforgettable summer begins...

Set in a windy seaside town in the countryside, this is a story about the fleeting love that everyone experiences, and the seasons when one grows from boyhood to adulthood. The "_ (underscore)" represents the moment before summer, before love, one step before becoming an adult, or just a little before. "Do you have a crush on anyone?" A simple remark from his best friend stirs Kaizu Takumi's feelings, and the story begins to move...

*Quoted from Bandai Channel

Commentary

■Explanation

With summer just around the corner, an anime adaptation of the love story game "_summer (Underscore Summer)" that depicts the feelings of love is coming out!!
Now our season begins...

cast

■Cast

・Takumi Kaizu/Takashi Kondo・Konami Hatano/Natsumi Yanase・Shinno Ebitsuka/Yuki Kajita・Sana Kaizu/Junko Nakata・Chiwa Amano/Hitomi・Wakana Shimazu/Akane Tomonaga・Hinako Nanao/Mio Nonose・Osamu Funada/Kenji Nojima・Yuno Kawakami/Emi Kobayashi・Master/Hikari Hanada・Kasumi Umeda/Ryoko Tanaka

Main Staff

■ Main staff

・Original work: HOOK (_summer)
・Executive Producer / Takano Hideo ・Producer / Muratake Yasunori ・Animation Producers / Ito Takashi, Okada Masakazu ・Series Composition / Kisaragi Kazuto ・Character Design / Uchino Akio ・Art Director / Iwase Eiji ・Color Settings / Kowata Miyuki ・Director of Photography / Chiba Hiroyuki ・Editor / Okada Terumitsu ・Sound Director / Takakuwa Hajime ・Sound Effects / Konno Yasuyuki (Swara Pro)
・Music: Takao Matsuura ・Director: Takahiro Okao ・Scriptwriter: Kazuto Kisaragi ・Storyboard: Tokoro Toshikatsu ・Direction: Takashi Morimiya, Jun Fukuta ・Chief animation directors: Megumi Noda, Manabu Akita ・Animation production cooperation: FRONTLINE
・Animation Production: Rikuen Tai ・Production: Softgarage

Main Characters

■ Main Characters

Kaizu Takumi: When it comes to romance, he's not so much shy as he's never really thought about it. He's a caring person, waking up his stepsister every morning.
Konami Hatano is Takumi's childhood friend. She's cute, good at housework, and has a beautiful personality. She has a secret crush on Takumi...
Shinno Ebitsuka is Takumi's classmate. He has a lively personality and is good at sports. He often clashes with Takumi and Osamu over trivial matters and often punches Osamu, but he is kind at heart.
Kaizu Sana Takumi's step-sister. She is innocent, pure, and a little young mentally, so she likes to depend on her brother.
・A good friend of Amano Chiwa Sana. A mysterious girl whose thoughts are hard to understand. She has a sharp tongue that doesn't suit her cute face, and sometimes she makes harsh remarks (mainly to Osamu).
Shimazu Wakana is Takumi's senior. She is a beautiful young lady who lives in seclusion. She was raised under an old-fashioned family motto, so she is a little naive. Although she seems to be a sheltered and strict girl, she is actually a girl her age.
Hinako Nanao is a teacher at Takumi's school. She is clumsy and a spendthrift. She always buys things she doesn't understand and spends her salary right away.
・Funada Osamu's best friend. He's stupid and perverted, but you can't hate him. He's passive about romance, and this year he's trying to fulfill his ambition of getting a girlfriend.
Yuno Kawakami Wakana's attendant. She is a strict girl who is out of her age and is always nagging Wakana about her family background and mannerisms. She is concerned about her short height.

subtitle

■Subtitle

・season.1(2006/10/27)
・season.2(2007/01/26)

Theme songs and music

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Soda Water and Contrails・Lyrics by Kimushin・Music by Fukuwaraitaro・Arrangement by Kimushin・Singer by Kosaka Yumai

・ED1
・_summer
Lyrics by Kimushin, Music by Fukuwaraitaro, Arrangement by Kimushin, Singer by Kosaka Yumai

Evaluation and appeal of the work

"_summer - Underscore Summer" is highly praised as a work that depicts the bittersweetness and sadness of youth. In particular, the theme of the summer is skillfully expressed, which evokes strong sympathy from viewers. Below, we will explain the appeal and evaluation of the work in detail.

The appeal of the story

The story of this work is set in a windy seaside town in the countryside, and depicts the season of youth and tender love that everyone experiences. The scene in which the protagonist Kaizu Takumi begins to fall in love after a casual comment from his best friend resonates with many viewers. The work also skillfully depicts the themes of summer, love, and becoming an adult, giving viewers a sense of the bittersweetness and sorrow of youth.

In particular, the relationship between Takumi and his sister-in-law, Kaizu Sana, and the subtle distance between him and his childhood friend, Hatano Konami, add depth to the story. Furthermore, the friendship between Takumi and his classmate, Ebitsuka Shino, and his best friend, Funada Osamu, are also depicted, portraying the various aspects of youth.

Character Appeal

Each character in this series is unique and leaves a strong impression on viewers. The main character, Kaizu Takumi, is shy when it comes to romance, but is known for his caring nature, such as waking up his step-sister every morning. His childhood friend, Hatano Konami, is cute, good at housework, and has a beautiful personality, and her secret feelings for Takumi capture the hearts of viewers.

Ebitsuka Shino is lively and good at sports, and although he clashes with Takumi and Osamu, he is kind at heart. Kaizu Sana is innocent and pure, and is a lovable girl who is a little young at heart. Amano Chiwa is mysterious and sharp-tongued, and is memorable for her sometimes harsh remarks.

Shimazu Wakana is a sheltered young lady who was brought up under an old-fashioned family motto and is beautiful, but she also shows a girlish side appropriate to her age. Nanao Hinako is clumsy and a spendthrift, and it is humorous to see her buying things she doesn't really understand. Funada Osamu is a foolish and perverted but lovable best friend, who is reluctant when it comes to romance but has ambitions to find a girlfriend. Kawakami Yuno is Wakana's attendant, and has a strict personality that shows a girlish side appropriate to her age, but she is also depicted as worrying about her small stature.

The appeal of production

This work was produced in cooperation with Rikuen-tai and FRONTLINE. Director Takahiro Okao skillfully expressed the bittersweetness and sadness of youth, eliciting strong sympathy from viewers. In addition, screenwriter Kazuto Kisaragi skillfully portrayed the theme of the approach of summer, adding depth to the story.

Character designer Uchino Akio captured the hearts of viewers with his unique characters. Art director Iwase Eiji realistically depicted the windswept seaside town in the countryside, enhancing the setting of the story. Color designer Kowata Miyuki skillfully expressed the colors that color the season of youth, evoking the emotions of viewers.

Cinematographer Hiroyuki Chiba enhanced the beauty of the images and delighted the viewer's visual sense. Editor Terumitsu Okada skillfully constructed the story line and enhanced the viewer's emotional sense. Sound director Hajime Takakuwa, along with sound effects director Yasuyuki Konno, delighted the viewer's auditory sense. Music composer Takao Matsuura skillfully expressed the bittersweetness and sadness of youth and enhanced the viewer's emotional sense.

The appeal of the theme song and music

The theme songs for this series are "Soda Water and Contrails" and "_summer" sung by Kosaka Yumai. Kimushin and Fukuwarai Taro, who wrote the lyrics, composed the music, and arranged the songs, skillfully expressed the bittersweetness and sadness of youth, evoking emotions in viewers. In particular, "Soda Water and Contrails" is appealing with its refreshing melody and lyrics that color the season of youth, while "_summer" captures the hearts of viewers with its lyrics and melody that skillfully express the theme of summer approaching.

Recommended points

"_summer - Underscore Summer" is recommended as a work that depicts the bittersweetness and sadness of youth. In particular, the theme of the summer is skillfully expressed and strongly evokes empathy from viewers. In addition, the unique characters and skillful production capture the hearts of viewers and depict the various aspects of youth.

In addition, the theme songs "Soda Water and Contrails" and "_summer" skillfully express the bittersweetness and sadness of youth, enhancing the emotions of the viewers. Please watch this work and feel the bittersweetness and sadness of youth.

<<:  New SOS Great Tokyo Explorers: A thorough look at the appeal of fascinating urban adventures

>>:  Evaluating Negima!? Spring: The start of a new school term and a magical adventure

Recommend

Miyuki Ichijo, voice actress of Judy in Detective Conan, dies at 76

According to Japanese media reports, on October 2...

The movie "Mysterious Friend" is scheduled to be released in China on June 15

Today (May 21), Paramount Pictures announced that...

'District 9' sequel 'District 10' script in development

Neill Blomkamp, ​​director of the science fiction...