Now I must say that this is way better than I expected it to be. I'm glad to see that I was not disappointed.
The plotline presented in this short 22 minute OVA managed to capture the escence of one of my favorite ongoing manga without tarnishing characters or straying from the original story. They captured the story up to chapter 70 accurately enough to know what the manga was about. One of the greatest pros for this OVA is that it was able to add a new dimension to this arc in the manga without detracting from a character's personality or degrading one of them. They made a daring move that ended up for the better in my opinion. This is added enjoyment for people who have read the manga but may not be noticeable to a watcher who hasn't read it. I wanted to shed light on one detail I found interesting in the script - Nanami's talk with her friend. The script writers were able to capture the duality of Haruto in a very interesting method that I can really respect. I hope you find it cool, too.
The art was phenomenal. Within the first few minutes of the OVA, I was easily able to overcome the character designs, which surprisingly fit well. I love when the characters express emotion as the animators are able to encompass feelings of desperation, sadness, depression, and many others. I would also like to point out that the "extras" in the background were given surprising attention and were unique in detail. The backgrounds were very well done as well, capturing the colors of a sunrise or sunset, the scenery of urban Tokyo or rural Hiroshima, and the familiarity of an ordinary room or a diner. They also utilized CG-i impeccably.
The sound was a contradictory point for me. I believe some music flowed with the scenes naturally and helped build the tension well. The ending theme was fitting for what happens beforehand. But the contradiction comes at the voice acting. Nanami and Eba both don't quite sit right with me, but I hope by the next OVA that I have adjusted to their slightly deeper voices. Don't get me wrong, they are very talented at what they do, especially at moments that express emotions of embarassment or sadness (particularly Nanami). What I'm saying is that the seiyuu might not be the best selection, but I definitely look forward to being proven wrong.
The character was established in a unique method this time around. To compensate for their brief time, they squeezed in a lot of the characterization into flashbacks that switch back and forth between the past and present. This is both a blessing and a curse. I liked how they were able to capture both sides of the main girls and Haruto, but the characterization seemed a bit uneven. Nanami actually got the greater portion of the spotlight compared to the other protagonist. Not that this is bad, but it makes Eba seem a bit disproportionate to Nanami in layered-ness. Haruto also seemed too static. If it weren't for the efforts and expressions of the other characters, Haruto would seem a bit bland. Supporting characters were thrown to the side like they didn't even matter and they barely played any role in the episode, which is a bit disappointing considering how the mangaka takes so much time building up each character. Also, you have a few cameo appearances made by familiar characters created by Seo-san, which seemed like an extra touch and tip off that he usually likes to do in his manga.
In retrospect, I enjoyed this short OVA with fevor. I anxiously awaited the airing of the adaptation of one of my favorite manga. I was pleased by the end result and I am practically knawing my nails off waiting for the next one.
Overall, this faithful adaptation is an excellent watch worthy of manga-readers or the unlike. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a quick watch that still manages to explore complexities in love that some anime that are full-lengthed barely touch on. I'm glad to see that I was not disappointed in the end and instead I am proud of what this was able to accomplish in such a short period of time.
