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Posted July 5, 2013 by Mandie Asistio in Anime/Manga
 
 

ANIME REVIEW: Natsuiro Kiseki


Title: Natsuiro Kiseki
No. of episodes: 12
Genre/s: Slice of life
Synopsis: 

From MAL
At a Shinto shrine in Shimoda, there is a large rock. It is said that if four close friends gather around the rock and all wish for the same thing, that wish will come true. As four friends, Natsumi, Saki, Yuka and Rinko, gather around the rock like they used to in their childhood, they soon find the rock can indeed grant people’s wishes. With only a short amount of time before Saki is due to transfer schools, the girls spend a summer filled with magic.

So essentially, Natsuiro Kiseki is an anime that emphasizes the magic of friendship. Like, literally, based on the English translation of title, A Summer-Colored Miracle, you could already tell that this anime is going to generate a lot of friendship feels after you’re done watching it.

Okay. First let’s introduce the main characters of this anime, provided above is a picture of all of them together. Starting from the left, we have the energetic Yuka, the quiet Rinko, the athletic Natsumi and the skeptical Saki. You can already see that they have implemented some anime stereotypes into their characters but they’re all very lovable characters and are relatable at one point or another.

The series begins as school has ended for the summer break and Natsumi becomes upset with Saki after Saki quits the tennis club. The fall out between the two friends ensue as Saki reveals that the reason she quit the tennis club was because she was transferring schools. Yuka and Rinko, wanting to end the dispute between Natsumi and Saki, call for them to meet at the large rock at a shrine that they’ve frequented since their childhood (the shrine which also happens to be managed by Rinko’s mother who is the priestess). Upon their meeting, a heated banter develops regarding why Saki had withheld the news about her moving away after summer had ended. At some point, while the four girls were gathered around the large rock, Rinko points out how nice the sky was that day. Assuming that they all had thought about how they wanted to fly, the large rock begins to glow and the four girls ascend into the air with the hands clasped onto one another. This sparks the several magical events that transpires throughout the rest of their summer.

Natsuiro Kiseki is meant for girls (and maybe boys) that have a sensitive side. It’s very heart-warming while but can be comedic and sometimes a little sappy. It inspires people to be more appreciative of their friends and go out to do more things together. It just really tugs at the heart strings. To be honest, I didn’t see myself to be into this kind of anime and I was even more surprised that I liked it A LOT considering that I couldn’t relate to what it feels like to have genuine childhood friendships (well, when it comes to girls anyway). However, the friendship between the four girls was so strong that the feeling totally transcended into my soul and made it feel as though I had my own close-knit group of female childhood friends. You could say that this is a feel good anime despite knowing that the girls would eventually have to go their own ways at the end but then you know that their friendship will survive no matter what distance stands between them. I mean, c’mon… Even a magical rock knows that the friendship between them is so great that it grants them wishes!

The girls before idol auditions.

Aside from the emotion-stirring storyline and compelling character relationships, I love the overall look and feel of the anime. The girls are all so cute! If they had figurines of them, I would totally buy them. I also like how each girl has her own distinct fashion style and has multiple outfits throughout the series. When it comes to the animation, you can tell that they put a lot of effort into it, mostly when you see the dancing scenes. Their movements aren’t so synchronized to one another even through they’re doing the same dance routine just like how it should be in real life.

There’s just so much to this anime that my feels can’t even fully explain! If you’re really up for this genre, I would highly recommend that you watch it with friends and not watch it the forever alone way like I did. (LOL)


Mandie Asistio