What They Say:
Chiharu is the wizard in charge of the magical crisis counter-measure division. His days are stressful until he meets Toyohi at his favorite bar, and the two hit it off. The two begin a budding relationship, until an accident at work causes Chiharu to devote more time to his work, and begin to push Toyohi away.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Having enjoyed the other properties in the This Boy line of works, the arrival of this one with Soubi Yamamoto directing once again is a welcome delight. Being able to spread out a bit more with a four episode run really isn’t that much different than a straightforward one-off OVA, but in this form it gets more exposure and the dynamic for the episode structure is different. The appeal is definitely the visual design as well because as we’ve seen from the other works in this franchise they definitely go their own way while sticking to some familiar elements. It’s just a welcome change from the norm.
With a fun premise set up of a magical crisis counter-measure division and a man named Chiharu that manages it, seeing how he handles his personal life and the stress is certainly appealing. This episode has him essentially being picked up by Toyohi, who comes across him in a wonderfully designed and visualized bar. There’s some welcome time spent on the drinks themselves, the mood and atmosphere of it all, and just the way people get to know each other on some level. Chiharu’s revelation of his profession is definitely amusing since it means he’s an elite, but his position makes him even more elite. The personality design of both characters come out pretty well here and you get that opposites attract element with the extrovert and the introvert.
We get some decent ideas about Tohoyi with the things he talks about, such as his vacations, and it plays well to how Chiharu is the type that doesn’t take vacations because of his job. It’s a simple little meeting overall, but with the minimal music, the beautiful color design, and the wonderful character designs, it all comes together in a pretty engaging way. The introduction is what this is all about along with a little background with a focus on Chiharu at first here. The concept as a whole is one that I’m already loving with its attention to detail and the design of the world while also looking at the story potential as something that should warrant its own full length series, whether in this kind of form or a regular length episode. We don’t get to know these characters deeply or anything, but damn if it doesn’t tantalize.
In Summary:
The Ultra Super Anime Time block continues to bring out some strong series this season that avoid doing the same thing as we had in the past couple of seasons and that’s a big factor in making this really appealing. This show is one that looks to fit into the block very well with what it offers as it’s just beautiful to look at and has the potential, even with just four episodes, to be something fantastic. I’m excited to see what’s next.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.