Review of "Koharubiyori": A relaxing and funny everyday anime

Koharubiyori - Koharubiyori - Detailed reviews and recommendations

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

February 8, 2008 *Release date of the second volume of the OVA "Koharubiyori" released on February 8, 2008.

■Release and sales

・Publisher: Shogakukan ・Distributor: Geneon Entertainment

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 3

■Original Story

Takehito Mizuki

■ Director

Takayuki Inagaki

■ Production

Animation Production: Dome Production: Koharubiyori Production Committee (Geneon Entertainment, Shogakukan, Media Works, AT-X)

■Works

©Mizuki Takehito/ASCII Media Works/Koharubiyori Production Committee

■ Story

In the near future, when maid robots are sold as normal items, one day the maid robot Yui is purchased by a man named Murase Takaya. Yui had intended to do her best for her master, but it turns out that her master is a maniac who enjoys dressing her up! While spending her days doting on Murase, Yui strives day and night to become a proper maid robot and first make Murase a proper master!!

■Explanation

The maid robot Yui is purchased by a young man named Murase and begins working in his house. However, Murase is a figure enthusiast and doesn't make Yui do any housework. Instead, he dresses her up in various costumes every day and has fun with her. What will happen to Yui's life as a maid, who is supposed to take care of her master but ends up being taken care of instead?

※Quoted from AT-X

■Cast

・Yui/Eri Kitamura・Takaya Murase/Takayuki Kondo・Minori Sumitomo/Satomi Akesaka・Kaname Hagiwara/Suzuki Suzuka・Ayumi Hagiwara/Yuka Iguchi・Sumire Mido/Saori Hayami・Ran Mido/Sayuri Yahagi・Manager/Hanaya Miyake・Tetsushi Sumitomo/Kenta Miyake・Kuon/Ami Koshimizu・Sakuya/Ai Shimizu

■ Main staff

・Original work: Mizuki Takehito・Director: Inagaki Takayuki・Series composition: Aoshima Takashi・Character design and chief animation director: Okuma Yoshiaki・Color setting: Fujikawa Kosuke・Art director and art setting: Ogi Noriyuki・Director of photography: Tanabe Katsuji・Editing and special effects processing: Tanaka Kouji・Music: Watanabe Tsuyoshi・Sound director: Aketagawa Jin・Producers: Nakayama Nobuhiro, Ihei Takaya, Umezawa Jun, Mikami Yasuhiro・Animation producers: Anzai Takeshi, Nishioka Daisuke・Animation production: Domu・Production: Koharubiyori Production Committee (Geneon Entertainment, Sho-Gate, MediaWorks, AT-X)

■ Main Characters

Yui
A beautiful maid robot made by MW (Maid Works). In order to become a fine maid robot, she strives every day to make her master, Takaya Murase, a fine master. She is casually sarcastic.
Takaya Murase Yui's owner is a doll enthusiast. He bought Yui as if it was love at first sight. He is devoting himself to doting on Yui every day.
Minori Sumitomo is the busty poster girl for the coffee shop "Cowbeya" run by her father. For some reason, she has a crush on Murase, but he doesn't seem to pay her any attention.
Kanae Hagiwara is Ayumi's mother and a widow. Perhaps because her late husband was a maniac, she has an understanding of Murase.
Ayumi Hagiwara A slightly spoiled young girl who lives in the neighborhood. She is attached to Murase.
・Mido Sumire Ran's older sister. Since she has small breasts, she and Ran are after Minori's big breasts. She is a test maniac.
Mido Ran The younger sister of the shrine maiden sisters at the nearby shrine. She summons a giant Takochu-kun, whom she calls her "friend from the other world," and aims for Minori's big breasts. Her goal is to become a charismatic exorcist.
Manager of the custom-made robot specialty store "Maid Works." Creator of Yui.
・Sumitomo Satoshi Minori's father. The owner of the coffee shop "Cowbeya". He is a fanatic who is on par with Murase.

■Subtitle

・Episode 4: I'm just a leftover anyway... (2008/02/08)
Episode 5: Fire in my crotch!! (2008/02/08)
・Episode 6: Intense male solo activities...(2008/02/08)

■ Related works

・Koharubiyori Volume 1 ・Koharubiyori Volume 3

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Just don't take off your apron!
Lyrics: Kumano Kiyomi Composition: Tsuyoshi Watanabe Arrangement: Tsuyoshi Watanabe Singer: Yui (Eri Kitamura)

・ED1
・It might be a love song・Lyrics by Kumano Kiyomi・Composition by Watanabe Tsuyoshi・Arrangement by Watanabe Tsuyoshi・Singer by Yui (Kitamura Eri) & Minori (Akasaka Satomi)

・IN1
- Can I shout "Henshin!"?
Lyrics: Kumano Kiyomi Composition: Tsuyoshi Watanabe Arrangement: Tsuyoshi Watanabe Singer: Minori (Satomi Akesaka)

Koharubiyori - Koharubiyori - Detailed evaluation

"Koharubiyori" is an OVA based on the original manga by Takehito Mizuki and was released in 2008. The story is set in a near future where maid robots are commonplace, and depicts the daily life of the maid robot Yui and her master Takaya Murase. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and features of this work, as well as the recommended points.

Story and Characters

The story of "Koharubiyori" begins when the maid robot Yui is purchased by Takaya Murase. Yui strives to become a good maid robot and to make Murase a good master, but Murase is a figure enthusiast and spends his days enjoying Yui as a dress-up doll. This contrast makes the work interesting.

Yui is a beautiful maid robot made by MW (Maid Works), and she also has a sharp tongue. Her struggles and comments to Murase provide laughs for the audience. Meanwhile, Murase Takaya is a doll maniac, and is depicted as doting on Yui. His maniac behavior and affectionate expressions towards Yui are the humorous elements of the show.

In addition, many other unique characters appear, such as Sumitomo Minori, Hagiwara Kanae, Mido Sumire and Ran. Minori is a busty poster girl who has a crush on Murase but is not noticed, Kanae is an understanding widow who lost her maniac husband, and Sumire and Ran are sisters who are after Minori's busty breasts. Each character has their own unique charm. The comedic elements woven by these characters enhance the appeal of the work.

Animation and performance

The animation for "Koharubiyori" was produced by Dome. The character designs and animation director Yoshiaki Okuma's designs faithfully reproduce the atmosphere of the original work while bringing out the anime's unique charm. Yui's expressions and movements in particular are extremely detailed, and her emotional changes are expressed realistically.

Additionally, the work of Fujikawa Kosuke, who was in charge of color settings, was also superb, enriching the worldview of the film. The backgrounds of art direction and art setting director Ogi Nariyuki also vividly portrayed the near-future atmosphere. The skills of cinematographer Tanabe Katsuji and editor and special effects artist Tanaka Tsuneji were also highly praised, raising the overall quality of the film.

Music and Sound

The music was written by Tsuyoshi Watanabe, who provided songs that matched the atmosphere of the work. In particular, the opening theme "Don't Take Your Apron!" and the ending theme "It Might Be a Love Song" are songs that symbolize the characters of Yui and Minori, and will stay in the hearts of viewers. Sound director Jin Aketagawa's work is also excellent, with the character voices and sound effects enriching the worldview of the work.

Recommended points

"Koharubiyori" is a work that is appealing for its unique setting of maid robots and the comedy woven by its distinctive characters. In particular, the relationship between Yui and Murase, and the humorous exchanges with the surrounding characters, provide laughs for the audience. In addition, the animation, music, and sound quality are high, making it a work that can be enjoyed both visually and aurally.

This work is especially recommended for those who like maid robots and comedies. It will also be enjoyed by those who are interested in near-future settings and unique characters. It is an OVA format with only three episodes, so it is easy to watch.

Related works and their appeal

"Koharubiyori" also has two OVAs, the first and third volumes. These works are also comedies depicting the daily lives of Yui and Murase, and similarly feature unique characters. In particular, the first volume depicts Yui's shopping scene and her meeting with Murase, while the third volume shows the relationship between the two characters deepening even further. By watching these works together, you can enjoy the world of "Koharubiyori" even more deeply.

summary

"Koharubiyori" is an OVA that depicts the humorous daily life of the maid robot Yui and her master Murase Takaya. It features unique characters and high-quality animation, music, and sound, and is especially recommended for those who like maid robots and comedies. Please watch this work and enjoy the fun daily life of Yui and Murase.