Ano Natsu de Matteru about a memorable summer for a group of friends when they made a movie and explored their feelings. This review does contain spoilers!
Ano Natsu de Matteru is a love story between a high school boy named Kaito and an alien named Ichika. Along the way they are making a movie with Kaito’s friends and a girl named Remon. Things don’t stay perfect though Ichika’s ship accidentally sends out an emergency signal and people are coming to get her. Ichika wasn’t supposed to be interacting with the native people so what will happen to her and what will happen to her newly found romance?
The best part of this show was the large love polygon. While Kaito and Ichika obviously like each other from the beginning there is a trail of aching hearts waiting in the shadows. This is the part of the show that had the most time dedicated to it. Each of the parts of the polygon is explored in detail and addressed with more confessions than you can shake a stick at. This show would have been better overall if they had just left the alien stuff out and made Ichika a normal girl. Then they could have stuck to the romance part that they dedicated most of the show to.
Another good thing about this series was the opening. I loved how the art changed colors along with the beats in the music. The two went together so well it was a joy to watch every time.
The ending seemed pretty rushed which isn’t that surprising for a short series like this one, but it just seems like they remembered at the last minute that they should do something with the fact Ichika is an alien. They rushed into that and put in way too much at the end which was farfetched and while the very end of the show was touching it just didn’t make up for the rest of it for me. There were some loose ends like Remon, which I know they explained some of that I still wanted to know more.
My biggest problem with this series was the big reveal of Ichika being an alien. The whole rest of the cast accepted it way too quickly. It went straight from everyone finding out, to the fight, and then everything was back to normal for a little while. They made a bigger deal out of her leaving than her being an alien. It just seemed so fake, but I guess they had to move the series along.
Whoa calm down guys you only found out she was an alien.
Overall there are good and bad aspects to this show and it comes out average. I wouldn’t recommend avoiding or watching Ano Natsu de Matteru.
Score: 3/5 Average
Now for fun a public service announcement.
Drinking seems like a good idea. All your friends are doing it.
At first it is all fun and harmless.
Next thing you know there is a girl kissing you..
...and you are doing a cougar pose. Ano Natsu de Matteru says don't drink kids.
i liked the drinking part. i wish they had more scenes like this in anime
The episode with the drinking was probably the best episode of the show. Isn’t there already plenty of drinking in anime though Lux?