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Information

Title (English) Bluer than Indigo

Title (Japanese) Ai Yori Aoshi

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Fantasy Novel

Notes

Classification -

Synopsis "Love Hina" -like shounen romance

Review I finally got to see the first three episodes of the late night seinen romance, "Ai Yori Aoshi", aka "Bluer than Indigo". My friend wasn't able to tape this series which started in April, so I had to wait for the first DVD to come out. ( The first DVD came out with a box and a folder to hold little "photo cards". ) I had seen a few minutes of one of the middle episodes of the series while I was in Japan in July, and it looked to be a bit slow, and now having seen the first three episodes, I can confirm that all three move at a very "deliberate" pace.
I can't help myself - the basic premise keeps on reminding me of "Love Hina". Hinabishi Kaoru is a university student living alone in Tokyo. One evening on his way back from class, he helps out a lost girl who is dressed in a traditional kimono. The girl, Sakuraba Aoi, is trying to find a boy that she knew years ago when they were both children. It turns out that Kaoru was that boy, but unlike the situation in "Love Hina", both he vaguely remembers Aoi after seeing a photo of the two of them together. Aoi, on the other hand, has been fantasizing about meeting and marrying Kaoru since she was a child. Now she is there to become his wife. Kaoru likes the attention and care he gets from Aoi, but gets cold when Aoi tells him that she wants to return home with him to get married. Kaoru has no intention of returning home - he hates his late father's family, who drove out his mother and abused him. Things get even more complicated when Kagurazaki Miyabi turns up to bring Aoi home. It turns out that Aoi is the heir to a big corporation and is expected to eventually run it, not to stay at home and be a traditional wife. Aoi reluctantly leaves, and Kaoru realizes that he is now lonelier than ever. But then Aoi phones Kaoru to tell him that she has run away, and Kaoru races off to meet her and bring her home.
So there, in a nutshell, we have a very familiar soap opera plot condensed nicely into three episodes. At this point, I have to wonder what in the world they are planning for the next 20 or so episodes. But obviously from the opening animation, there will be a number of other pretty girls who will show up to likely disrupt the young couple's bliss.
So, is the series promising enough to order the next DVD, and maybe the entire series? Hmmm - I'm not certain. I've got the feeling that the show will transition from a romance to a bedroom farce, and I'm not sure if that will be a "bad" or "good" thing. For one, I'm still rather cool on the two main characters. Kaoru has all sorts of problems with his past, and thinks almost as much about how Aoi reminds him of his mother as he thinks about her chest. Aoi on the other hand is such a "traditional girl" that she is almost a caricature.
As far as other aspects of the series go, the animation is okay, as is the music, but neither are memorable. Likewise, the voice acting and general direction of the show are okay. But essentially everything here is "average" at best, and there doesn't appear to be any ambition on the part of the creators to do anything other than tell a simple story. So, unless I win a lottery in the near future, or someone else convinces me that the rest of the series is so good it will "change my life", I think that I'll wait for the series to go into repeats on something like the "Kids Station" so my friend can tape the show for me.

BTW - you can get more info on the official site at :
http://www.aiyoriaoshi.com/index2.html
(Dave Baranyi)
Pleasant mix of comedy and romance, but unexceptional (GC).

Credits Creator: Kou Fumizuki (manga)
Series dir: Masami Shimoda

Episodes

Release

TV Showing See the whole series for free? This series may be syndicated to regional cable, satellite or terrestial TV stations. For Europe click here.

Date 2002 April 10 -

Production Pioneer

Broadcaster Fuji TV

Animation J.C. Staff

References & Help Look up the latest data on this title at:
Richard Llewellyn's Animated Divots, or
Anime News Network (see Encyclopedia section) ,
or in "The Anime Encyclopedia" (Clements & McCarthy, Stone Bridge Press, 2001).
Help & further information.

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Information
Title (English)	Bluer than Indigo
Title (Japanese)	Ai Yori Aoshi
Advertising Fantasy Novel
Notes
Classification	-
Synopsis	"Love Hina" -like shounen romance
Review	I finally got to see the first three episodes of the late night seinen romance, "Ai Yori Aoshi", aka "Bluer than Indigo". My friend wasn't able to tape this series which started in April, so I had to wait for the first DVD to come out. ( The first DVD came out with a box and a folder to hold little "photo cards". ) I had seen a few minutes of one of the middle episodes of the series while I was in Japan in July, and it looked to be a bit slow, and now having seen the first three episodes, I can confirm that all three move at a very "deliberate" pace. I can't help myself - the basic premise keeps on reminding me of "Love Hina". Hinabishi Kaoru is a university student living alone in Tokyo. One evening on his way back from class, he helps out a lost girl who is dressed in a traditional kimono. The girl, Sakuraba Aoi, is trying to find a boy that she knew years ago when they were both children. It turns out that Kaoru was that boy, but unlike the situation in "Love Hina", both he vaguely remembers Aoi after seeing a photo of the two of them together. Aoi, on the other hand, has been fantasizing about meeting and marrying Kaoru since she was a child. Now she is there to become his wife. Kaoru likes the attention and care he gets from Aoi, but gets cold when Aoi tells him that she wants to return home with him to get married. Kaoru has no intention of returning home - he hates his late father's family, who drove out his mother and abused him. Things get even more complicated when Kagurazaki Miyabi turns up to bring Aoi home. It turns out that Aoi is the heir to a big corporation and is expected to eventually run it, not to stay at home and be a traditional wife. Aoi reluctantly leaves, and Kaoru realizes that he is now lonelier than ever. But then Aoi phones Kaoru to tell him that she has run away, and Kaoru races off to meet her and bring her home. So there, in a nutshell, we have a very familiar soap opera plot condensed nicely into three episodes. At this point, I have to wonder what in the world they are planning for the next 20 or so episodes. But obviously from the opening animation, there will be a number of other pretty girls who will show up to likely disrupt the young couple's bliss. So, is the series promising enough to order the next DVD, and maybe the entire series? Hmmm - I'm not certain. I've got the feeling that the show will transition from a romance to a bedroom farce, and I'm not sure if that will be a "bad" or "good" thing. For one, I'm still rather cool on the two main characters. Kaoru has all sorts of problems with his past, and thinks almost as much about how Aoi reminds him of his mother as he thinks about her chest. Aoi on the other hand is such a "traditional girl" that she is almost a caricature. As far as other aspects of the series go, the animation is okay, as is the music, but neither are memorable. Likewise, the voice acting and general direction of the show are okay. But essentially everything here is "average" at best, and there doesn't appear to be any ambition on the part of the creators to do anything other than tell a simple story. So, unless I win a lottery in the near future, or someone else convinces me that the rest of the series is so good it will "change my life", I think that I'll wait for the series to go into repeats on something like the "Kids Station" so my friend can tape the show for me. BTW - you can get more info on the official site at : http://www.aiyoriaoshi.com/index2.html (Dave Baranyi) Pleasant mix of comedy and romance, but unexceptional (GC).
Credits	Creator: Kou Fumizuki (manga) Series dir: Masami Shimoda
Episodes
Release
TV Showing	See the whole series for free? This series may be syndicated to regional cable, satellite or terrestial TV stations. For Europe click here.
Date	2002 April 10 -
Production	Pioneer
Broadcaster	Fuji TV
Animation	J.C. Staff
References & Help	Look up the latest data on this title at: Richard Llewellyn's Animated Divots, or Anime News Network (see Encyclopedia section) , or in "The Anime Encyclopedia" (Clements & McCarthy, Stone Bridge Press, 2001). Help & further information.