Let's get to it!
Story
Hoshikaka follows our male protagonist, Kazuma Hoshino, a teenage boy who moves into the rural town of Yamabiko, together with his younger brother, Ayumu. Ayumu's body is weak and it was decided by their parents that living within the clean air of the village would him help a lot to get better. After realizing they took the wrong bus, they wait for the one in the opposite direction. After going into the forest to retrieve Ayumu's hat stolen by a monkey, he meets Ui Nakatsugawa, a cute, cheerful and very air-headed girl who helps him get out of the forest, to go back to the bus station. BUT! As they are crossing a small river by jumping from rock to rock, what was meant to happen, happened. Kazuma slips on the last wet rock, loses balance, falls on Ui, they both fall down, aaaaaaaand... kiss! And, of course, there had to be a witness. Right at that moment, a wild tsundere appears and, after tsundereing like she is supposed to, Kazuma leaves to meet up with his brother. After that eventful moment for their first day, they arrive at the inn they will live in, meet the owner, have dinner, and go to sleep, after Kazuma being seen naked by another girl who's working part-time at the inn. Ayumu goes to middle school, Kazuma goes to high school, and obviously, Ui and the tsundere have to be in the same class as him. After getting friends with the usual "perverted best friend", they walk around the town to show Kazuma; and a normal school life - with many girls - begins. It is pretty generic, and it would be very understandable some people to dislike it for that. However, what I really liked about Hoshikaka is its relaxing nature. It is a show that takes its time and makes you feel comfortable and relaxed, without thrusting anything onto your face. The whole romantic part is simple, enjoyable and cute, matching the pace of the anime. It is not rushing and instead provides some episodes to slowly make the characters get closer to each other.
Overall, it is very generic, both in the way it is and the way everything happens, but the calm atmosphere around it and the beauty of its simplicity and touching moments make it something worth watching.
Characters
Being part-harem, it is obvious there will be many girls, eight to be precise.
- Ui Nakatsugawa, a cheerful, carefree, kind, cute and very air-headed girl, who loves to eat a lot. She is probably the most memorable character of the show. Romantic interest #1.
- Ibuki Hinata, the small-chested tsundere, who witnessed the kissing scene in the forest. She is Ui's best friend. Good in grades and good in sports. She can be tough and difficult, but also has a cute and shy side. Romantic interest #2.
- Madoka Koumoto, a very shy, bashful and delicate shrine maiden, mildly androphobic, who enjoys reading books at small children. She has known Kazuma for a long time, because he stayed at the village when they were very young. She has big breasts and purple hair, because why not. Romantic interest #3.
- Hina Sakai, a tall, calm and peculiar third-year, who's admired at school by both genders. She is serious, not showing many emotions, but she actually has a huge weakness for cute things, Ayumu included.
- Tsumugi Toudou, the golden-haired, huge-breasted country girl. She is kind, gentle and pleasant girl, very respected at school, but also in town, for her personality and love for nature.
- Koyori Toudou is a headstrong, energetic and often loud first-year student, younger sister of Tsumugi. Completely unkind to Kazuma at first, she gradually accepts him.
- Kasane Toudou, the youngest Toudou sister. She is a sweet, cheerful and playful middle-school student, who is one of the first to know the rumors and everything that happens in the town.
- Senka Yorozu is the owner of the inn the boys live in. She is friendly, giving and considerate, but won't tolerate nonsense. She often teases Kazuma, enjoys drinking and sometimes interprets things into perverted things.
Kazuma is your typical main male lead, who is a kind, good-intentioned teenage boy, who gets all the girls' kindness and affection. The best friend, Daigo Minamikokubaru, is also your typical single perverted and energetic-eccentric boy. (Who the hell decided to name him Minamikokubaru? Seriously?). Finally, there's Ayumu, the very kind, innocent, friendly and - I have to mention that - adorable and cute younger brother of Kazuma.
All of the characters match generic predecessors, without adding anything new to the table. I think they are very simply, likeable characters, who makes the viewer feel at ease and relax, once again.
Out of the bunch, my favourite characters are Ibuki, Madoka and Kasane. (I love playful little sisters.)
Sound
The music is Hoshikaka doesn't stand out and is more like the common romantic anime music. However, it plays a big role is the beauty and relaxing aura of the show, as well. It is simply beautiful and nice to hear. I didn't like the ending theme much, but I liked the opening theme. Just from it, we can already say and imagine that the anime is going to be peaceful and calm.
Animation
The animation was done by Dorakobo, which produced some other anime I personally never heard about. Please don't crucify me! I have to point out the animation; it was done very well. It was colorful, beautiful, was filling me with peacefullness and energy, felt light and freeing. A good work was put into making the characters and environment detailed, clear and beautiful. They were even moments when it looked gorgeous, especially with the sunset and rainy scenes. Very good job.
Final Verdict
Story: 6.9
Characters: 8.0
Sound: 6.3
Animation: 8.6
Enjoyment: 9.7
Total: 7.90
A really nice and beautiful, that made take it easy, relax and enjoy myself calmly. A beautiful animation and environement with likeable and cute characters and good romance. Romance lovers, check this one out! You will very probably like it.
This ends my 7th anime review. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment, if you want to express your opinions. Thank you for reading.
Youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/scorpy163
No comments:
Post a Comment