Uta Koi (final thoughts) ~ beyond even the clouds

As I wait for someone who will never come.
My body burns like the seaweed drying on the shores of Matsuho.

Chouyaku Hyakunin Isshu: Uta Koi is now over. I rather enjoyed this series, which offered many things one does not usually get from anime. Many of the characters were older, there was a lot of poetry, the artwork was quite distinctive, and the Classical Japanese setting were all important factors in making this series stand out. But one more aspect really impressed me: it’s approach to the love story.

Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi (mid-season comment) ~ a pretty flower must wilt one day

A rare anime that concerns itself mostly with the past times of adult characters.

Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi (hereafter Utakoi) is an unusual anime in several respects: the primary subject is the Hyakuninisshu, or 100 poems by 100 poets; it has a very distinctive art style, that uses bold lines, and if you look at the screen cap above you will see something very unusual in recent anime, a nose! As noted above, the characters are older than the typical school-going anime cast, and that plays into the unusual themes for the stories: love that didn’t work out, reconsidering mistakes one has made, and questioning whether one’s life has had an impact.

Summer 2012 Picks and Prediction

Libraries oppose any type of censorship.

Each season I pick a few titles as being worth keeping an eye on, and predict one title that will rule over all. Unfortunately this season I just don’t see that one show that stands out above the rest, and it isn’t because everything is so utterly amazing that I can’t quite choose. This time I will break from my established convention and discuss three almost Predictions (Picks), and three almost Picks (Encouragement Prize).

For those looking for comprehensive previews, here are some links to good ones:

• Star Crossed Anime Blog – short analyses of each title, running from bad to better in terms of how much potential Psgels sees in them.
• Metanorn – previews of every title with perspectives from multiple members of the team.
• Avvesione’s Anime Blog – another individual perspective.

On to the shows…