Series history:
Created by
Masakazu Katsura,
I"s was originally released as a serialized manga in
Weekly Shounin Jump from 1997 to 1999. It was later collected into a 15 volume manga, of which only the first was released in America.
In 2002, a two part spinoff OVA was released based on the manga entitled
From I"s. Later, between 2005 and 2006 a six part manga recap OVA was released entitled
I"s Pure. A bonus short was added with the first five
I"s Pure episodes. Often referred to as
I"s Pure Special or
Ichitaka’s Delusion Diary which are more comedic and ecchi than the actual OVA episodes and have no impact on the story.
A Japanese Playstation 2 game was also released in 2006 based on
I"s Pure with the same name.
Plot summary:
Ichitaka Seto is a 16 year-old high scool student who is in love with his classmate Iori Yoshizuki but unable to confess due to his shyness. Every attempt he makes to confess his true feelings (usually aided by his friend Yasumasa Teratani) is prevented by some odd twist of fate. Things are complicated even further when Ichitaka's childhood friend, Itsuki Akiba, suddenly returns to Japan.
Review:
I"s Pure follows the general plot of it's manga predecessor. Do to the naturally condensed nature of manga-to-anime ports coupled with it being released only as a six episode OVA the pacing is rather fast, especially for a romantic drama. While I would have preferred the OVA to elaborate more on the backstory I found the fast "no time for filler" pacing refreshing for something of this genre. While all the romantic comedy standard fare was present, everything seemed to be well thought out and presented beautifully. Something other animes could learn from.
The three main characters come off not one-dimensional but two-dimensional instead of the multi-facted beings we are. As if Masakazu designed each character with split, conflicting personalities. The overly shy Ichitaka is prone to sudden rude bursts, the prim and proper Iori constantly placing herself in questionable situations and so forth. Perhaps the viewer would have a better understanding as to why these things occur if the OVA had the time to delve deeper into character backstory. Unfortunately we're left to wonder.
I must admit that the animation for this series was above what I was expecting. The background layouts, especially the cityscape were very nicely done. Lighting and shading were used quite nicely. The characters themselves were above average. In general the males were overtly expressive, most likely to present a stark contrast to the subtle external emotions of the two female leads. Though some of Ichitaka's facial expressions were a bit over the top and didn't fit the over-all theme of the anime.
Voice dubbing was adequate enough though I'm a bit unhappy with Tamaki Nakamishi's performance as Itsuki. It's almost as if she tried too hard to fit the role. The music was generic and faded easily into the background. But budgets for shows of this type tend to be very tight anyways, so it can be forgiven.
Overall I found
I"s Pure to be an entertaining experience. A short and sweet slice-of-life romantic drama the brings its viewer in and keeps them captivated throughout. I would recommend this little OVA for anyone looking for something to pass the time waiting for there current animes to be subbed.
Thank you for reading my first review.
I"s Pure
Very long and nice and nice touch adding the pictures etc...
Linear Mode
