Anime: Natsu-iro Kiseki

In what can be considered probably one of the most prominent genres in the industry thus far, it's hard to stand out in the slice-of-life genre when pretty much everything has been done without breaking from the overall formula. Natsuiro Kiseki doesn't try too hard to stand out above the rest, but it certainly stays within the common tropes and flow of other SoL shows, while keeping up a nice presentation with a fluid soundtrack, above-average animation and fair voice acting.

The SoL genre today, by definition, pretty much just demands it to be a show about cute girls doing cute things and, as much as that phrase has been beaten to death, it's been accomplished countless times in numerous ways. There are many paths a studio can take with its writing such as making the show more of a comedy throughout, or adding supernatural elements into it, or making it more of a dramatic tone through its progression, or just throwing moe all over the place like K-On. Natsuiro happens to take just a few bits and pieces of each different possibility and puts it together. It's not terribly melodramatic nor is it that much of a drama in the first place. There's not much of a consistent attempt at setup and execution for jokes and humor, but it's not flat either. And of course the most glaring element in the show is the supernatural aspect, which gives the plot a little bit more of a drive to it than nothing happening.

It's true that the show is really nothing more than just a day-to-day life of a group of characters. The supernatural aspect of the show offers a fair plot device to provoke a bit more character dynamics and scenarios in the show. Rather than the girls running into problems themselves, or in some cases, instead of giving them a solution to a problem they're having, the 'wish-granting' rock offers them a sort of genie's wish granting by solving their problem in a way that doesn't actually help them. This in turn offers a chance for the characters to go through their own catharsis in each episode.

As for the show's presentation, the strongest point lies in its character designs, animation and the overall quality of the show. It's a colorful and vibrant color palette with great backgrounds, and a lot of chances for it to boast nice 'beauty' shots of the environment around the characters. There's a lot of attention to background characters in a few scenes, for example in a public setting where the characters would get a bit too loud and a background character who was texting began to give looks and offer a noise of annoyance, before turning back to text, and then looking again, rather than what most shows do is draw a simple generic character, turn their head once, and then just stare for the duration of the dialogue. Music overall is nothing too special or spectacular, but it does the job properly when the correct mood is needed.

Despite Natsuiro's effort to make a solid plot with good progression, the actual characters themselves fall somewhat flat in the end. For the duration of the show, there is a fair amount of growth in the characters, and most of the cast do have good personalities to them rather than just following their archetypes. A few episodes go back in time to give a bit more insight to the character's background and their tendencies/habits. But in the very long run, there is not much depth to the characters themselves. That could be blamed on the fact that they are very young, just being middle-schoolers in the show, so as real people they haven't exactly found themselves or formed their own personalities, but that isn't to say they're completely one-dimensional. It's just a short jump they needed to being solid characters.

Natsuiro is definitely not the cream of the crop when it comes to a show that tries to deviate from the more typical and common formula of a SoL show, but it has its good merits. It falls short in characters mostly due to the length of the show, but otherwise it tries its best and offers a warm and easy show to watch. It doesn't take itself too seriously, it has a strong beginning and a satisfying ending to it.

Animation: 8/10 - The visuals in the show are easily its strongest point.
Sound: 7/10
Story: 6/10 - There's not too spectacular of a scenario, but it's good enough to pilot the show in the right direction.
Character: 6/10 - The characters are the weakest part of the show, but it's not too gigantic of a flaw considering the fair amount of character dynamics offered in the show.
Value: 4/10 - Once again, the show doesn't stand too far out of the crow of SoL shows these days.
Enjoyment: 9/10 - It was an easy to enjoy show with a great mood and tone overall throughout.

In more recent years, production studios have taken to riding the coattails of popular trends rather than finding ways to push the anime medium to its limits. With the current financial situation as it is, writers and directors will often turn to quick and easy solutions, which is really just a nice way of saying they will blatantly rip off other works. Although it can be readily argued that original plot lines and characters are already facing extinction, this still shouldn’t be used to justify the absence of proper writing conventions such as a logical flow and natural character development. Consequently, when writers become too focused on presenting more innovative twists to a tried and true formula, these core elements become negatively affected as a result.

One of the more popular trends in recent years seems to be stories set in the backdrop of a hazy summer involving a group of youths trying to find their way through life. While this initial set-up is nothing new, there is a good reason as to why it has managed to persist throughout the ages. Not only do these tales usually incorporate coming of age and slice of life elements together, but they also manage to weave a number of realistic character stories into the mix. Titles such as last year’s Ano Hana have re-popularized this set-up, paving the way for a number of writers to follow suit. In particular, Natsuiro Kiseki, an original slice of life show animated by the studio Sunrise and directed by Seiji Mizushima, appears to be quite guilty of lazily repeating this trend at first glance. Especially when one considers more obvious similarities between the two such as their backdrops along with the whole coming of age aspect, it may seem as though Natsuiro is trying to recreate the same success. However, there are some glaring flaws in Natsuiro’s approach towards writing and characterization which causes it to become a completely different product. And it’s a product that is much worse off as a result.

At first glance Natsuiro’s premise may seem almost identical to most other slice of life titles. Four middle school girls find themselves in a bit of a rut when word gets out that one of them is moving away. Consequently, they attempt to restore their friendship while finding ways to make their summer vacation as memorable as possible. Now on paper the initial set-up of the show seems quite promising as it has already established a conflict, which paves the way for character development to occur. However, by the end of the first episode, a fatal flaw in the writing arises which causes the show to quickly change directions.

Apparently the writers felt that middle school girls just aren’t capable of sorting out their own problems. So instead they introduced one of the most convenient plot devices in recent years, a magical rock which grants wishes. Now this is just your regular, average-Joe type of rock, except it comes with the added benefit of free deux ex machinas, likely causing the writers to forgo the need to commute to the studio. Instead of having the girls actually attempt to resolve the issues surrounding themselves and their families, they simply turn to their convenient plot device to solve all their worries. The worst part is that rocky here always grants their wishes, effectively nullifying the roles of the characters themselves. Regardless of content, if a story becomes completely driven by a giant chunk of granite then there is a huge problem here. It’s one thing to simply introduce a plot device to move the story along in places, but to rely entirely on it shows how much of a character-driven drama Natsuiro is.

Although the anime medium is particularly well-suited for the integration of magical elements, it doesn’t exactly justify the execution of these elements in Natsuiro. Unless a title has clearly established from the get-go that it takes place within a fantasy-like setting, it should either stick to the confines of reality or go down the route of magical realism. With that being said, it’s obvious that Natsuiro attempted to go down the latter, except in a way which would make Satoshi Kon roll around in his grave. It’s not so much that the girl’s wishes are absurd, but rather the fact that they are all granted in the most literal way possible. As a result, any possible touch of subtlety from the show’s magical elements is lost. Some of the more successful directors in the department of magical realism such as Ikuhara and Miyazaki have carefully constructed worlds which exist within the confines of reality, yet allow for their characters to be whisked away into fantasy-like settings to escape from the troubles of their lives. The gentle touch of these magical elements never feels overbearing, adding an element of ambiguity and playfulness to the mood. However, what is observed in Natsuiro feels more like an attempt to borrow scenarios more commonly seen in ecchi titles. For example, one of the girls wants to be in two places at once, so rocky grants her the wish and literally makes two copies of her. Then another girl wishes she could be more like one of her friends, so guess what, they actually switch bodies! Considering this is supposed to be a title in the slice of life genre, it neither adheres to the confines of reality nor succeeds in the aspect of magical realism.

Though these scenarios may provide a bit of comic relief the first time around, Natsuiro’s plot structure unfortunately doesn’t offer much in terms of variety. One of the defining features of the slice of life genre is its ability to follow the character’s numerous experiences and see how they respond. Whether this involves exploring a foreign world or sharing warm memories with friends, there still needs to be something to differentiate one scenario from another. In this case, the writers have simply changed the wish in each episode, while keeping the resolution of the conflict the same. Basically, one of the girls experiences a problem, waltzes herself over to the rock to make a wish and finally realizes that magic can’t solve all of life’s issues. Not only does the plot structure cause each episode to play out in the exact same manner, but it forces the characters to come to some sort of resolution each and every time. In a work that is supposedly a character-driven drama, Natsuiro seems to place very little faith in the strength or will of its own cast.

But at least it has cute girls doing cute things, no?

Though Natsuiro does have a predominantly female cast, the show makes very little effort to differentiate each of them from their character archetypes. Each of the four girl’s personalities centers on a well-known, specific trait. Natsumi and Saki are both angst-ridden teenagers, Yuka is perpetually hyperactive and Rinko is a yet another Yuki Nagato clone. The worst part is that despite their different personalities, the girls never really seem to have any solid chemistry with one another. This is mainly due to the fact that their screen time together is spent hopelessly getting each other out of absurd situations caused by everyone’s favourite rock. While it’s difficult to craft a completely original character the girls rarely step out of their molds, except when the plot is forcing them to develop. The girls keep to their defining trait before they suddenly mature and come to a resolution, effectively halting potential development towards a more complex storyline. While this may not seem detrimental to their characters at first glance, the plot forces numerous personality resets in order to throw them into more ridiculous situations. Just when it seems as though one of the girls has transitioned into an independent woman, she’s back to her old self again at the start of the very next episode. As a result, the whole ordeal comes across as being rather pointless and it raises the question as to why Sunrise needed twelve episodes to accomplish this when one could have easily sufficed.

When one considers Sunrise’s prior track record of working predominantly on Mecha anime, their characteristic animation style may seem out of place in Natsuiro. Fortunately that isn’t the case here with most of the backgrounds as they are detailed and coloured to fit the mood of the show quite nicely. However, the quality of animation isn’t all peaches and roses. For one, there are many noticeable moments where the quality drops to below average levels. This is especially evident with some of the character designs and more specifically the magical elements of the show. Since Sunrise chose to adopt a fairly standard palette, there’s next to nothing in the way of creative visuals. Although this may not seem like a big deal, it does have a rather large impact on how the magical elements of the show are presented. Rather than these moments carrying a supernatural or surreal feeling, they simply appear awkward or downright clumsy. On the other hand, the soundtrack of the show does carry a lot of pleasant summer time tunes and helps to set the mood of the show but is otherwise nothing outstanding. In a similar vein, the voice actors also convey their respective character’s personality quite well. However, this ends up causing each character to sound exactly like her respective archetype, limiting the vocal range she has.

Though Natsuiro does make some attempts to differentiate itself from a popular trend, it ultimately becomes a much worse product as a result. Due to the complete reliance on a single plot device, the entire show becomes a predictable mess which isn’t even driven by the characters. Although some of the elements of magical realism could have added a nice twist to the show, they are overall poorly integrated and detract from whatever semblance of a mood the show may have initially started with. Despite this, it’s still possible to enjoy Natsuiro from a purely entertainment standpoint. Of course, even this aspect is affected by a lack of variety in terms of plot lines and character interactions. Though it may not be the easiest task for writers to come up with original storylines, it still shouldn’t excuse sloppy writing and characterization.

Unfortunately it seems as though the writers at Sunrise were unable to have their wishes granted by a magical rock.

Childhood, friendship. A simple life, with simple pleasures. Natsuiro Kiseki may not be offering anything new, but it certainly knows how to make me reminisce. Despite its nominally present-day setting, the town, the characters and even the plot seems to belong to a simpler time. While there is a supernatural hook, this is actually just the antics of four (female) friends, much like Azumanga Daioh or Minami-ke, though with a more serious dramatic thread running through it. As odd as it superficially feels, perhaps the closest comparison is K-ON! - particularly since Natsuiro Kiseki's nominal plot is about the girls becoming idols.

But enough about other shows. Natsuiro Kiseki has plenty to recommend it; the comedy is warm but amusing, the characters friendly, and the setting captures the atmosphere of a Japanese seaside town perfectly. There's nothing original or life-changing here, but it makes a pleasant "cute girls doing cute things" series. Using supernatural events as hooks for individual episodes (the girls flying, one of them turning invisible, two of them being stuck together...) is perhaps a bit lazy - everything this show does could probably have been done in a realistic setting - but the tone is lighthearted enough that magic doesn't feel out of place.

At least, it is for the first half. Towards the end this show takes a more dramatic line, centered on one of the girls (Saki) moving away (we're told this from the start, but it gradually gains more prominence). I'm usually a fan of serious content, but in the case of Natsuiro Kiseki the show is actually weakened, largely because believable drama demands a realistic or at least internally consistent setting. I'm also uncomfortable with the emphasis placed on remaining friends forever, when we're talking about middle school students moving to be several hours away from each other; realisticly, Saki would be better off moving on and making new friends than trying to stay part of the other three's gang.

The characters are well sketched, although again not terribly original; Saki is pretty and tsundere, lead Natsumi is honest and straightforward, Yuka is lazy and excitable while Rinko spends most of the time completely out of it. Other characters are largely restricted to single-episode appearances, and the leads have a tendency to pair off as Natsumi/Saki and Yuka/Rinko (to the endless, and slightly wearing, delight of a certain demographic). For a show this short (12 episodes) four characters are enough, but it would be nice to see a little more interaction between other combinations. We get surprisingly little backstory or depth; one episode tells us how Rinko and Yuka got to know each other, and we see the gang as they were a year or two ago - but their dynamics and characteristics seem to be largely the same. This is par for the course for comedy, but I would expect more from a serious drama.

Presentation is good though not outstanding; both character designs and scenery have been given enough detail and attention that neither looks out of place. The characters' emotions and responses to their environment are particularly good, and helped along by the voice acting; music is again good but ultimately nothing special. While the musical plot is mostly a background, we do get an insert song and dance sequence for the finale, and the characters commendably retain their detail while doing this. But as with the show as a whole, everything is nicely executed but nothing more.

This is not a show I can truly recommend; Natsuiro Kiseki is too short of originality, and devoid of any standout features. With the weakness of the later dramatic episodes, I can't even say it's consistently enjoyable. But the show as a whole is good fun, and makes for a pleasant diversion if you have the time to spare.