Reviews for Hikari to Mizu no Daphne (6.27)
lmm
Ikehata Takashi
Nakayama Yumi
I came to Daphne in the Brilliant Blue expecting very little, and was pleasantly surprised. While few would call it a masterpiece, it`s a pleasantly diverting series with its own uniq...
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11.11.2009 20:33 - direct link
(rs7196)
I came to Daphne in the Brilliant Blue expecting very little, and was pleasantly surprised. While few would call it a masterpiece, it's a pleasantly diverting series with its own unique charm. The show's severe fanservice will be offend some, and its plotting can be confused at times; but for all that, I enjoyed it immensely.
Story is Daphne's greatest weakness; in the cartoon tradition, the overarching plot proceeds fitfully, with about two thirds of the episodes being essentially unconnected to the rest. Towards the end an effort is made to gather the threads together, and the series deserves praise for having a clean ending that resolves everything, but what turns it manages are too obvious to hold interest. Indeed most of any given episode is predictable; this is definitely a series for relaxed viewing rather than as one's primary entertainment. The ridiculous swimsuits (Daphne deserves at least some respect for not insulting the viewer's intelligence any more with efforts at explanation) may distract for an episode or two, but then become part of the background.
What keeps the series from becoming boring is partly the characters; while there are too many of them, and too thinly drawn, they are sufficiently likeable to be entertaining, and the group dynamics produce some wonderful scenes. The world helps too, with a visionary take on the future, even if it's not as consistently thought-out as I would like. But most of all it's the sound; voices are impeccably done, the cast complementing each other and all displaying a superb range of emotion. The music is good too, with some clever use of themes and a wonderfully relaxing opening. With animation to match this could be something special, even given the state of the plot - but while the visuals are not exactly bad, they look even more dated than the show's age would suggest. Which leaves a show that would be utterly forgettable if it weren't for the sound, and thus not one I can outright recommend. But if you have a taste for music or science fiction and can tolerate the dress code, there are far worse ways to spend your time.
Story is Daphne's greatest weakness; in the cartoon tradition, the overarching plot proceeds fitfully, with about two thirds of the episodes being essentially unconnected to the rest. Towards the end an effort is made to gather the threads together, and the series deserves praise for having a clean ending that resolves everything, but what turns it manages are too obvious to hold interest. Indeed most of any given episode is predictable; this is definitely a series for relaxed viewing rather than as one's primary entertainment. The ridiculous swimsuits (Daphne deserves at least some respect for not insulting the viewer's intelligence any more with efforts at explanation) may distract for an episode or two, but then become part of the background.
What keeps the series from becoming boring is partly the characters; while there are too many of them, and too thinly drawn, they are sufficiently likeable to be entertaining, and the group dynamics produce some wonderful scenes. The world helps too, with a visionary take on the future, even if it's not as consistently thought-out as I would like. But most of all it's the sound; voices are impeccably done, the cast complementing each other and all displaying a superb range of emotion. The music is good too, with some clever use of themes and a wonderfully relaxing opening. With animation to match this could be something special, even given the state of the plot - but while the visuals are not exactly bad, they look even more dated than the show's age would suggest. Which leaves a show that would be utterly forgettable if it weren't for the sound, and thus not one I can outright recommend. But if you have a taste for music or science fiction and can tolerate the dress code, there are far worse ways to spend your time.
