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SUMMARY

Aoi and Kaoru have survived the test of Mayu, a girl from Kaoru’s past, only to face more challenges from Sakuraba mansion tenants, Tina and Taeko.  There is a new addition to the residence, the preteen Chika.

Busy-body Chika becomes a part of this oddball family during  a visit with Taeko’s grandmother at the beach. When not trying to set up Kaoru and Tae, Chika does a little flirting of her own. Then, Kaoru and Tina find themselves stranded after a visit to the zoo, with only a love hotel open for them to spend the night.

Will Aoi’s heart be broken by Kaoru’s affection toward Tae, Chika or Tina? Will her talent for the tea ceremony save his love for her, as it saves the photography club at the college festival?

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 Opening Version 2, Episode 18 English Credits, Conceptual Art Gallery featuring Chika Minazuki, Suzuki, Sato, Uzume, Tsurabe, and the stray cat. Reversible cover featuring either Chika and Aoi at the beach or Aoi, Taeko and Tina in kimonos, a mini-poster and postcard featuring Aoi in her standard kimono. The poster has the DVD menu and a Japanese cultural lesson about Umi-no-ie (Seaside Clubhouse).

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Volume 4 is the first major divergence from Kou Fumizuki’s manga. While both works stand on their own merits, the introduction of Chika at this stage provides a much-needed break from the emotional tension of Aoi and Kaoru’s secret love affair. Chika has yet to be introduced in the American release of the manga (she will appear in Volume 7, scheduled for release in January 2005). The anime remains faithful to the spirit of Fumizuki’s work while tightening some of the storytelling.

ACTING: This isn’t the worst dub in the world. If you must, the English version is tolerable. However, keep in mind that this is the story of a traditional Japanese girl and the translation of all the necessary honorifics (-chan, -san, -sama, -dono) do not carry over to anything comparable in English.

While Kirsty Pape and Sue Beth Arden as the voices of Mayu Mizuki and Taeko Minazuki won praise from me in Volume 3, Kay Jensen as Chika put me right off the English dub again in this volume. For some reason, these voice actors think they need to put a cartoonish whine in their inflection to capture childlike innocence. Ms. Jensen makes Chika sound so obnoxious you’d rather punch the little kid than listen to her naïve advice about relationships. Haruko Momoi, the Japanese voice actress, gives Chika an elf-like lilt that is more convincingly that of an excitable preteen.

FAN SERVICE: If you survived the rather lackluster fan service in Volume 3, you just might be rewarded in this volume. The fan service continues to come from the supporting cast, rather than the central characters. There are all the bathing beauties at the beach, several hot springs – bath and shower – scenes, some cosplay and teasing “skinship” shots. Also, there’s a fairly obvious Gundam knock-off video game that Tina challenges Chika to play.

CONCLUSION:

Just when this series was becoming too predictable, anime director Masami Shimoda decided to turn up the action. Volume 3 spent too much time reassuring the audience of Kaoru and Aoi’s love; Volume 4 breaks up that ‘no doubt they will get together’ sensibility.

Chika is introduced in Episode 16 “Shores” as a matchmaker and love foil. She pushes Taeko to express her feelings for Kaoru while warning her if she takes too long, Chika might grow up to steal Kaoru’s heart for herself. Episode 18 “Bedsharing” traps Kaoru and Tina at a love hotel where Tina debates giving herself to Kaoru and Kaoru has to take a shower to calm his interest in a barely covered Tina.

Still, there is never any real doubt about Kaoru’s loyalty. His momentary naughty thoughts about Tina quickly dissipate with a shake of his head and whisper of “Aoi.” It’s fun though to watch all the girls tease him, including Mayu’s underwater pelvic grind after claiming she has a cramp in her leg.

Aoi, Kaoru, and Miyabi continue to develop as characters. Aoi is afraid to show too much skin by wearing a bathing suit in front of the others, but wants Kaoru to see her. In the final episode on this disc, Aoi has loosened up enough to try on a tracksuit while Taeko and Tina are choosing cosplay outfits for the college festival. She even lets loose with a loud giggle at Kaoru’s bunny suit.

Miyabi shows her softer side as she becomes obsessed with sharing watermelon as her special summer treat. She also shows her growing approval of Kaoru when she tells Aoi of a nearby cove where she can meet him for a nighttime rendezvous. In the final episode on this disc, Miyabi overhears the couple sweet-talking and chooses to walk away rather than break up the moment.

The scars the Hanabishi leader left on Kaoru’s back are a painful reminder of why he left his father’s family behind and he is forced to face these memories twice in this volume. While at the beach, he allows Aoi to see the scars during their nighttime swim. During Episode 20 “Cure”, he must wear traditional Japanese clothes because Aoi inspired the photography club to run a tea ceremony café. The clothing causes his scars to ache causing Aoi to feel guilty that she is the reason he must wear the outfit. She tells him she wants to share his pain and grief so he can face the memories.

The music for this series compliments the story. The upbeat opening and closing songs set the mood. The incidental music during quiet moments adds to the emotional appeal. Then, there are the clever additions. Episode 18 ends with a song by Tina’s Japanese voice actress Satsuki Yukino called “I’ll be home” and, yes, the Hakata dialect – similar to a Southern American dialect – is obvious even if you don’t know Japanese and the hilarity of Yukino’s mispronunciation of the English words shows Tina’s uninhibited nature.

Truly, if you are looking for an anime that will make you laugh and cry in equal measures, Ai Yori Aoshi is the anime for you. It will melt the heart of the steal-hearted and inspire confessions of love.

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