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SUMMARY

Aoi and Kaoru, two lovers kept apart by the disapproval of her family, are just settling into a nice life together as landlady and tenant. That is until a girl from Kaoru’s past jumps into the fray. Mayu Mizuki has been attending school abroad but skipped grades in a hurry to return to Japan and Kaoru. Will Mayu’s innocent greeting kiss plant seeds of doubt in Aoi’s mind? 

Then, Kaoru wakes up early and comes home late — making Aoi worry more, but it’s only because he is working part-time jobs to buy her a special present. Come join this expanding harem for a bit of comedy and romance. Together, these two souls will find out if their love can withstand all the distractions.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The video is excellent. No defects, artifacts, color bleeds or pixels to destroy the smooth motion and sharp images. The color palette of soft pastels adds to the dreamlike, romantic quality of the show.

AUDIO: Audio tracks include English 2.0 and Japanese 2.0. Both offer quality sound. Other options include English subtitles and a separate option for Screen Text.

EDITS: The only obvious edit is that English credits replaced the Japanese opening and closing credits.

EXTRAS: Creditless Ending, Episode 15 Ending Creditless version, Conceptual Art Gallery featuring Taeko Minazuki and Mayu Mizuki, Previews, and DVD Credits. There is also a reversible cover featuring a fight between Tina and Mayu with a worried Aoi in the background or a smiling Aoi in her sakura kimono, and a mini-poster containing the DVD menu, a Japanese culture lesson about Tanabata (Star Festival of July 7^th), and an image of Aoi that’s actually from the next volume.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: This anime is based on the manga of the same name by Kou Fumizuki. Both works stand on their own merits. The anime sticks closely to the manga with some notable exceptions that help tighten the storytelling. The anime brings elements from later on in the manga into these earlier episodes, moving up the introduction of several additions to the supporting cast. On this disc, the special present Kaoru buys Aoi changes from a winter coat and boots in the manga to a super cute dress and the holiday changes from Christmas to Aoi’s birthday on Tanabata. A change seemingly made to fit the timeline of the anime that does nothing to detract or enhance the actual story.

ACTING: This story of a traditional Japanese girl suffers when listened to in the English dub. Please, stick with the subtitles. Although by these episodes, the English voice actors have settled into the roles of the main characters.

Kirsty Pape, as Mayu Mizuki, actually captures this annoying little brat’s snooty voice right off the bat and Sue Beth Arden gives the soft-spoken but clumsy Taeko Minazuki the correct amount of quiet tones and crazy giggling. The most serious flaw in the English dub happens during the flashbacks, when the voices of the adult Aoi and Kaoru try to sound like children. Dave Lelyveld’s young Kaoru literally had me clawing the furniture.

It should be said, however, that the Japanese actresses for Tina Foster and Mayu, Satsuki Yukino and Sayaka Narita, respectively, are deserving of the "Worst Abuse of the English Language" Award. During Mayu’s introduction scene, Tina knocks the young girl over only to receive harsh criticism in what is supposed to be British English. Tina’s reply sounds neither American nor English, but the joke is on her.

FAN SERVICE: Beginning with this disc, the fan service is seriously toned down. The first episode does feature Taeko and Tina in breast and panty showing outfits to gain customers for the photography club’s summer exhibit, but, overall, there are fewer panty shots and less of Tina grabbing the other girls’ breasts.

CONCLUSION:

Prepare to have your heartstrings tugged as the series returns to featuring Aoi and Kaoru in a painful love story. Volume 2 took time to introduce the supporting cast in stand-alone episodes. While Volume 3 does include these characters, it focuses more on Aoi and Kaoru and their struggles.

Episode 11 “Debutante” introduces a new character, Mayu Mizuki, a girl from Kaoru’s past. Mayu herself implies that she enjoyed her studies in England, but that she longed to return to Japan to be with Kaoru. Immediately, we see a spoiled, yet lonely, brat. Her energy level is a match for the excitable Tina and the two start off fighting about who was more boorish and rude only to continue fighting over Kaoru. Kaoru stays oblivious to the two girls emotions because he can only see Aoi. A touching bit of stupidity, one of Kaoru’s few flaws. His interest in Mayu remains a brotherly affection.

Episode 12 “Kiss” continues Mayu’s introduction, as Kaoru must face Aoi after staying at Mayu’s house the night before. Unlike Naru’s violent reactions to Keitaro’s forays in Love Hina, Aoi reacts in an impossibly calm and forgiving manner. This only increases Kaoru’s sense of guilt over what he originally perceived as an innocent kiss.

Episode 13 “Star Festival” takes a detour from Mayu to focus on Kaoru and Aoi. The festival happens to be Aoi’s birthday and Kaoru becomes obsessed with buying Aoi a special present, which means working day and night to earn enough money. This, of course, means time away from Aoi without explanation, which nearly breaks the dependent Aoi’s heart.

Episode 14 “Servant” challenges Aoi’s love once again as Mayu shows up at the Sakuraba mansion seeking cooking and cleaning lessons from Kaoru’s “caterer” (Mayu mistakes Aoi for one of his servants, not knowing he is no longer a member of the rich and powerful Hanabishi clan). While Aoi does not express her anger in words, we see her emotions in the myriad of mistakes she makes while fixing dinner.

Episode 15 “Feelings of the Heart” feels like a cleverly disguised clip show, but it is the most heart-wrenching storyline. Kaoru and Aoi go shopping together but end up reminiscing about their first days together. Caught in the moment, they return to Kaoru’s apartment where he confesses his love for Aoi for the first time. This moment is made more poignant by Aoi having chosen to wear the bright pink sakura kimono handed down from her grandmother. The grandmother told little Aoi that kimonos soak up the feelings of the wearer and are thus passed from generation to generation. As Grandma wore the kimono when being romanced by the grandfather, so she believes the kimono will communicate strong feelings of love to Kaoru.

I must mention at this point the awesome choice of music for this series. The opening and closing songs are just the right note of upbeat sugar and the incidental music during quiet moments definitely highlights what the viewer should be feeling. This is made more obvious when a different song plays for the closing of “Feelings of the Heart.” Instead of the usual “Namoshirenu Hana (A Flower without a Name)”, “Akai Hana (A Red Flower)” plays. The song fits the reflective mood of this episode. The Indigo sings both versions so the change isn’t jarring.

I would like to say this series stays appealing to both genders. As the humor and fan service is toned down at this point, it may appeal less to the male of our species. The biggest strength of the series remains the main characters, and they do appeal to men and women alike. Kaoru is a strong male lead. Aoi is a doting, cute female lead. The only complaint might be how often Aoi cries. It seems like every emotion brings tears to her eyes. It can become a bit too much.

There’s enough humor to lighten the mood though. Most of the laughter comes from Kaoru’s interactions with the female cast, but a few moments between the lovers elicit laughter as well, such as when they are caught during a tender moment in Kaoru’s old apartment.

If you are looking for a series that will make you laugh as often as it will make you cry, Ai Yori Aoshi is a perfect balance. So, pop some corn and settle in with your loved one for an evening of fun and romance.

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