Almost too realistic slice-of-life...

Written by stevodevo on April 18, 2012 at 9:53 AM

My wife and I previewed the first episode of this anime some time ago while trying to decide which anime series to watch next. We put it on our waiting list and just recently got back to it...

This is a very mature series and not just in the topics it touches on but in the scenes it chooses to present to the viewer! While it shows no 'skin' per-se it definitely has some in your face sex scenes.... but not the kind that you'd see in a hentai, more like something that would actually happen in real life, if that makes sense. In any case, be forewarned it's in there if you plan to view this series.

Technically the artwork is just that - artwork. Not a cartoony kind of animation (although when certain emotions are portrayed it does switch to a different style as many anime series are wont to do) but more of an artsy animation that fits in well with the subject matter. Since this series is all about fashion, design, and modelling, the artwork is bold, vivid, and detailed. Honestly I didn't care for it at first but grew to enjoy it. My wife on the other hand liked it a lot right off the bat.

The music is great - OP and ED are both keepers - and the BGM is appropriate, not too memorable, but not overbearing.

Storywise, this series tended to be a bit slow in parts but that didn't feel wrong. The entire series is more of a character based animation anyway. And the characters were definitely interesting! There were a few unexpected surprises that weren't entirely pleasant from our point of view but interesting nonetheless...

My only beef was with how they chose to wrap things up. Yes, it had a definite ending but it wasn't really what we were hoping for and felt a bit 'tacked on'. I won't spoil anything for you so give it a watch and see for yourself if that's how you would have ended things!