Twelve Moments of Anime 2007 - #11: Nanatsuiro Drops 12

The "12 Days of Christmas" series is a joint feature by some members of the Anime Blogging Collective recognizing twelve moments, twelve series, or just twelve things about anime that we've enjoyed over the past year, that really make us enjoy loving what we do, and that is being an anime fan. Feel free to join in the list-making fun too if you wish. We hope you enjoy this feature.

If I had to trace my anime history all the way back to its roots I would end up sitting in the kitchen, staring at a Cardcaptor Sakura DVD.

It was checked out from the library by my parents, in hopes of me enjoying it. I wonder what I first thought. I have to had been skeptical of the adventures of some pink, frilly girl and her plush toy.

I might never know if only because I can't imagine that thought anymore. I consider Cardcaptor Sakura my first love of anime, and as such it's nigh-impossible for me to sing anything but praise for it. (And trust me; I've tried singing the OPs.)

Perhaps I'm lucky in a sense that Cardcaptor Sakura actually is one that stands the test of time; there are none of those moments where I looked back and thought, "what was I thinking back then?" The only crime I could probably be guilty of would be excessive fanboying, as always does happen when there is only one object to be focused on.

It's been a while since I truly sat down and watched CCS though. That's not to say I've forgotten CCS at all; like the aforementioned first love, you look back, think "Ah, those were the days", and move on. It sort of becomes the motivation that drives you, the hopes of experiencing that same bliss as the first time.

It may be the case that that feeling may never come again, if only because the new taste du jour, harem shows, have a wildly different feel than magical girl ones, despite both having strong elements of romance. There will be feelings of awesome (11 more, to be exact), just different ones.

Getting to the point (bloody finally, I hear you), I won't deny that I still have a bit of an urge for the throwback machine, the magical girl days of yore, and although pure magical girl shows are increasingly hard to find, there always seems to be one hidden in the rough.

Nanatsuiro Drops was that show.



12 Moments of Anime 2007
#11 Nanatsuiro Drops - 12
"Sunny Sunshiny Sumomo"

Comparisons aside, Nanatsuiro Drops was still a brilliant flash-to-the-past. A funny phrase for someone who's still in their teens, perhaps, but for someone 6 years removed from their first encounter with true anime, it's very true.

As sugary, cheerful, and happy-go-lucky as most anime tend to be, very rarely can a show match the raw feel-good power of a magical girl show. Sure, you can laugh with the slice-of-lives, you can be entranced by the harems, but in terms of just spreading a wide smile on your face, magical girl is the way to go.

And so, Nanatsuiro Drops being my first return to 'pure magical girl' genre in years, it was something that I really enjoyed.

Part of what made it such a great show is how it handles itself; given it's mixed breed (remember, it's part eroge), NanaDrops is definitely a show different than the stereotypical magical girl show, and it has a couple unexpected surprises.

It's true that it revolves around a girl, her talking plushie, and her quest to collect the seven whatevers.

But when you take into account the twist that the talking plushie and the love interest are equal, the situation changes dramatically. The male lead, Haru, gets an inside look at the emotions, the hidden personality of Sumomo, something that leads to a lot of interesting situations.

If only you could get inside the mind of that one girl, huh? If only you could know their fears, their hopes, their dreams.

But Haru, 'undercover' in a sense as Yuki, naturally finds it a little strange to be so distant from Sumomo at school, while so close to her (unwittingly) at home. Especially when he finds out that he's the guy of her dreams.

It's almost the Kotori situation all over again. Haru knows the score between him and Sumomo. And through Yuki, he can affect Sumomo's personality and character. But, of course, who would be calm in such a situation?

And such the tagline of Nanatsuiro Drops, "first love that encompasses you", comes into play. Watching the slow relationship develop between Haru and Sumomo, is really a heartwarming piece of work. From seeing Haru realize his true feelings, to seeing the two of them take their first steps on a date together, it's all just so sweet without being overly sugary.

Especially since the anime doesn't take its time - the main coupling is realized just over halfway through the show, allowing time for the characters to focus on the one aspect so lacking in a lot of romance anime - the time after. It's not just the confession that matters but what happens next; the moments spent together, the nervous happiness, the first kiss, so on.

And Nanatsuiro Drops shows this well, developing Sumomo - and Haru - through both her magical girl and her romantic adventures. Somehow, seeing a shy girl transform into a confident, smiling beauty never gets old, and Sumomo makes up quite a bit of ground by overcoming her fears and worries.

Isn't that what magical girl shows are all about? A theme that can appeal to a lot of people, not just the preteen girls, but the outspoken otaku in all of us. Who doesn't wish they could be a little more confident? A little more optomistic, more sure of themselves?

Add that to the fact that magical girl shows end well - period - and you've got a recipe for a smile-inducing show, which is why - finally - I induct the final insert song of Nanatsuiro Drops, the 12th episode, to the list of Anime Moments of 2007.

It's after the resolution, after the climax of the story. Everything's right with the world. Haru's back and together with Sumomo. And then, when they go for the Kiss of Conclusion, the song kicks in and we cut to the Happy Montage.

It's tacky, been-there-done-that, true. But like the rest of the show, it's just so unabashedly joyous, so cheerful a moment that you can't help but smile along with it.

All the happy times of the characters, of the show, flood back in the moment, as you realize that the show is coming to an end, and finally, with all the story resolved, you can just revel in the moment, in the beautiful story of one girl, one guy-slash-plush-toy, and the magical first love that encompassed all of us.

-CCY

Series Review: Nanatsuiro Drops

"It is a magical story of, 'A seven-colored first love that encompasses you.'"

A Cardcaptor Sakura for the 21st century.

At first glance Nanatsuiro Drops is one of your standard magical girl shows with a target audience age that can be counted on your two hands. In some aspects of it, it is exceedingly sugary and simplistic.

But delve into the origin of NanaDrops, and you'll discover, curiously enough, that it was adapted from an eroge, which would seem to suggest quite the contrary to what one would expect from an anime of this type.

Now of course NanaDrops still looks and acts like an anime that has nothing to do with its ero roots. But this isn't to say that it renounced its background altogether. Somehow it feels that NanaDrops isn't the type of eroge to be a mindless sex romp but rather one with more of an actual story feel to it, which just happens to have H-scenes.

This isn't to say that NanaDrops is a deep anime, or a complex one. But it'd be wrong to call it a simplistic anime. It does work the magical girl formula in an innovative way and quite different than what one might expect.

Rather than being focused on the magic aspect of it, there is a larger emphasis on the relationship between characters. It's a refreshing departure from the "let's take the whole series to build up to a confession" concept utilized far too often by a lot of romance shows.

Nanatsuiro Drops really is a curious show in that it's a magical girl show with very little emphasis on the magic. The magical parts of the show really come across as more of a prop towards the development of the two main characters and their relationship together.

And one can even detect a hint of tongue-in-cheek in the magical elements, in the sense that it really feels like Magical Girls for Dummies at times with a real feeling that given the setting, anyone could have been the magical girl, it's that easy.

It will still be a series twenty times too sweet for someone who can't handle magical girl shows, and maybe even for someone who can; NanaDrops is the ultimate feel-good story that really has the power to bring a giddy, childlike smile to your face.

The plot is something you've probably seen before in some fashion, but the strength in NanaDrops lies in it's power to throw you into the way-back machine to the good ol' days of shows like Cardcaptor Sakura; where the characters are pure, the romance innocent, and a mood shining as bright as the sun.

If that's your thing, Nanatsuiro Drops really is an underrated, seven-colored gem.

The magical aspects of Nanatsuiro Drops were understandably grating for those who don't like having their teeth rotted twice over with all the sugarcoated wand-waving and spell-chanting, but it's not really as horrible as it first looks.

In the beginning parts of the show, it almost seems a bit satirical with the way Nona / Asparas is so insistent on Sumomo being a "proper" Stellar Spinner, and just how furious Nona becomes when she finds out Sumomo is no good at the typical magical girl trade.

Yes, as you might expect, she doesn't know any spells, how to wave a wand properly, or how to act like a magical girl, but Sumomo is going to win you over with the Power of Love and Kindness anyway; which isn't as half-bad as it sounds.

Firstly because the magic aspects are almost completely phased out by the end of the show, and secondly because there is a nice twist to the formula with Yuki, the standard Plush Animal Accomplice, and Haru, the Male Protagonist / Love Interest, being one and the same.

Usually the stuffed animals serve as a sort of combined deux ex and comic relief, being funny until it's time for them to spill all the plot development. But here in NanaDrops, there really is an interesting dynamics in that Haru gets to see Sumomo in both her shy schoolgirl demeanor and her energetic magical girl demeanor, without her knowing.

Not to mention Sumomo's constant raving about her crush on some guy named Haru to "Yuki-chan." Almost reminiscent of Kotori's power in D.C., how Haru knows too much, and so the plot benefits from the switching personalities of Sumomo and the switching bodies of Haru.

Additionally, some of the Rules of Magic, as provided by the deux ex magic book from Kisaragi, allow for some dramatic, if not a tad predictable, plot developments. Yeah, it seems that every magical girl show has some plot twist to do with "loved one forgetting their feelings", but it's still a point that can be executed well again and again.

The "restart" episodes of Cardcaptor Sakura (circa the Yue fight, I want to say around 50-something?) and Nanatsuiro Drops, where one of the main characters forgot who they were, are both very enthralling. If not because of the emotion of the plot itself, because of all the astounding parallelism between these episodes and the early times of the show, in showing how something's just not right with the character interactions. It's something awesome.

It was a bit of a let-down how the magic competition was almost completely phased out at the end, after such a fierce fight from Nona. She still acknowledged defeat in the end in her own way, but kind of as a whole it felt like we could have used more from Nona. She had that sort of "I guess friendship is a good thing" development going on like Yuma in Code-E.

Still, the stronger aspect of NanaDrops is not the magic in the romance sense but the magic in the romantic sense. Seeing the main couple together by the two-thirds mark is always a plus for me; watching the relationship dynamics between characters change after a confession is always much more exciting than watching a blush-fest of aborted confession after aborted confession.

In that regard the interaction between Sumomo and Haru was, like a lot of the show, really sweet and smile-inducing. From the nervous time they spent falling for each other, to the tentative yet confident time they spent as a couple, to the sweetly melancholy last few minutes they spent together in the last few minutes before catching the final stardrop. And of course, the reunion.

The characters themselves were reasonably likable as well. Sumomo, like a typical magical heroine, had strong emotional development; while she may have came off as a crybaby initially, by the end of the series she was fairly self-confident, and always had that bright smile on her face.

Haru was a decent male lead as well. While he may not be as wickedly witty (sarcastic) as other visual novel leads, he wasn't spineless by any means. Perhaps a bit of a loner, but he comes across as kind of a cool guy; and certainly as YUki he was a supportive character who, like Sumomo, always gave his all.

Side characters, aside from the aforementioned Nona, didn't get a lot of attention but none of them were particularly grating. It was nice to see the one other schoolboy in the show, Keisuke, be a nice, social personality despite his geeky look. And it was always amusing to see the nosey nature of Sumomo and Haru's friends trying to push them together.

Nako, Sumomo's best friend, was very similar to Haru in a sense that she supported Sumomo 100% and seemed to always be there for her. Sometimes I wish that there wasn't always so much implied yuri between these kinds of characters (hello, Tomoyo) but this might be my own fault.

Kisaragi took the place of the Adult Who Knows Everything with a typically cool and collected demeanor. Not much to say about him since he's a dime-a-dozen, but he didn't get on my bad side.

Prodution-wise NanaDrops felt strong, with a lot of shiny and sparkly effects; there didn't seem to be too much canned animation for the magic sequences, as well. Not to mention the unique animation style in this show, with at least one random (and adorable) chibi sequence per episode. The music wasn't spectacular but the OP and ED songs were surprisingly catchy; they were just so upbeat and happy that sometimes you just can't help but hum them.

Nanatsuiro Drops would sound by now to be the best anime since sliced bread (which, incidentally, hasn't gotten an animated adaptation yet) and I must admit that's the wrong impression of the show. It's a great anime for those who don't mind being youthful, perhaps childish at heart, and for those who like simple, happy romance stories. Those looking for deeper or more serious fare, or who simply have an aversion to squeaky voices and magical aspects will want to stay far, far away.

But this story should be one that resonates strongly with a lot of fans of both magical girl shows and of romance shows; to that sense it's almost a spiritual successor to Cardcaptor Sakura in points, and while it won't become as big a show as the former, those who enjoyed Sakura's adventure will find a lot to like in Sumomo's sweet tale of stardrops and first loves.

-CCY

First Love the Five Hundreth Time: Code-E / NanaDrops

The summer season has been somewhat of a trip into the way-back machine for me, with these two quite under-the-radar romance shows. I've always watched a lot of shows with romantic aspects in them but to have a straight up story between one boy and one girl (with a possible Runner-Up Girl) is almost a fresh premise at this point.

The last title I remember that works like that was the legendary (and quite old) Cardcaptor Sakura, and as such how fitting that one of the shows that has captured my attention is almost a spiritual successor to it, Nanatsuiro Drops.

Although, to tell the truth, they're similar more on the exterior than on the interior; but magical girl shows in general all feel and act the same in the magical regard; the relationship aspects of Nanatsuiro Drops are what are boding to be quite interesting.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have a show that about three people have heard of, or at least blogged about - Code-E. Code-E is billed as a comedy/romance show which is a promising if not well-traveled road but with an original story and without any big names behind it Code-E is a really difficult show to come across.

Both of these shows, from at least a romance fan's perspective, are quite enjoyable in their own regards and have their own merits; despite being from the same genre they aren't exactly fighting over the same audience and they both have widely different approaches to the main topic of today: first loves.

(Spoilers through episode 7 of both series)

First love is pretty much the theme of a lot of shows with romance and romance aspects. While it may be an interesting concept to follow the path of, say, a hazed and disillusioned character who has vowed never to love again, or a sleep-around player who finally learns the meaning of true love, it's easier and simpler to write the story around a naive, innocent high schooler who is just learning for the first time how to properly flood-fill her face red.

The problem is predictably that easy != entertaining and we come to the predicament of Code-E.

Code-E really is a charming show, with what many call it an old-school flavor to it. The characters are adorable without being overly moe, and the slice-of-life feel to it is relaxing while still entertaining. It's largely a show that can be enjoyed without not much per se actually happening plot-wise; maybe because it's a show that revolves more around the characters than any doomsday plot or anything. Sure, there are hints of a Greater Evil (whether it be the inept German spies or the mafia guy with a pocketwatch), and sure, many of the characters do have supernatural abilities, but these don't steal the show at all, rather just being touched upon at times, with the main focus being Chinami's attempts to fit in and make friends in her new school.

Unfortunately since this is a romance show "make friends" essentially is code for "get to know all the female characters and spend a long long time falling for the one guy," and as such the show is taking a distinct direction towards playing out Chinami's development of feelings for the main character, Kotaro.

Which is great. Fine. Except, they do it the way every girl in anime has fallen in love since the history of mankind.

Denial is boring. Denial for two episodes is boring. Denial while shorting out the electrical system to a somewhat James-Bondy soundtrack is cute and innovative, but still boring. What is that feeling when you think of Kotaro, Chinami? I wonder. I really do. It couldn't be that you like him, because that would be too easy to admit.

Perhaps it's a result of what I watch but having characters deny their feelings at every opportunity gets repetitive fast.

This is precisely the reason why Nanatsuiro Drops is hitting its stride, because right before the three-quarters mark we've already got The Confession over with between the obvious love interests of Sumomo and Haru, and now we can get on to more interesting things.

Nanatsuiro Drops may have lost a bit of charm as it's magical girl story admittedly grows more cliched by the week (I'm missing the fun that they're supposed poking at the cliches) but the important part of the story is in full gear, and that is the developing relationship between the two main characters.

Now I'm only up to episode 7 and so I'm in the post-confession stage by about five seconds, but the promise of Getting On With It (admittedly, in more ways than one) and not lollygagging on the What Is This Love? factor is really engaging, almost too much for a show that seems to renounce it's eroge roots so soundly.

Although, the second interesting thing about NanaDrops is that, being based on an eroge, has it's focus primarly on the male lead, unlike most romance shows which follow the female lead around. It's nice to see things from the other side of the spectrum. Despite that being my side of the spectrum.

Of course at the three-fourths mark there are plenty of things that can change at this point; Code-E's clearing or stumbling into the confession bar, and NanaDrops's handling of the What To Do Now That We're Together sticky point will be pivotal. We will see at the end of these shows whether the romance show can still work in a day and age of moes and lolis.

-CCY

Shards of Summer: Nanatsuiro Drops

Nanatsuiro Drops has always been somewhat of a paradox to me.

It's background is an eroge, which usually means that the anime adaptation will have a generally male target audience. Not necessarily fanservice up the behind like Shuffle or to a lesser note Da Capo, but sometimes just a moe flood of cute characters in shows like Kanon. While the latter show arguably worked just as well for both genders, the fact of the matter is that both types of shows are ones guys don't mind being caught dead watching.

Now, Nanatsuiro Drops is pretty much straight-up magical girl stuff. Think about it. Eroge + magical girl = confused audience.

Sometimes magical girl shows can work for a male audience, in the case of raw loli-fests (I'm tempted to say Moetan, but I have no actual experience with that show), but NanaDrops pretty much plays the magical girl card straight, at least in the anime.

It seems that the anime has pretty much renounced any tendencies for fanservice or whatnot in favor of attracting a target audience of an age probably not old enough to buy the PC game NanaDrops was based on.

It's not to say that Nanatsuiro Drops is expressly one of those Not For Guys shows, since magical girl shows have worked for a larger audience in the past; not sure what is the draw of Nanoha, not having watched that, but it has a simply ridiculously huge fanbase, and even old-school, straight magical girl shows like Cardcaptor Sakura (it's by Clamp, shouldn't that be enough of a warning to straight guys?) are generally acknowledged to be one of those Top Tier shows. CCS was simply one of those shows that got people into anime.

NanaDrops, though, coming ten years after Sakura's adventures, may be what some consider "behind the times". While it may have worked long ago, now tastes seem to have changed away from the sugary, fluffy, heartwarming stuff towards, well, whatever it is you like today. Loli shows, fanservice shows, slice-of-life, moe, dramatic shows...none of these can really fit NanaDrops, which in an era of anime where there are No Girls On The Internet, really just doesn't click with at least a lot of people in the English anime crowd.

Nevertheless, NanaDrops does have it's devout supporters, both on AnimeSuki and on local anime blogs. Supposedly it's not as Magical Girly as it looks, rather turning some typical tropes on its head and generally poking fun at the cliches of the genre. Supposedly the relationship and character development is handled quite well and creatively, unlike the usual "rivals who fall in love" or the "boy meets girl in awkward situation; hijinks and crushing ensue" found in this genre.

But there are always going to be the rabid fans of any series that will stand up for it to the bitter end. Show me a moe harem show and I'll show you unhealthy levels of adoration. Show a lolicon Moetan and they'll show you the "merits" of a show like that. So perhaps it's possible that the fans behind NanaDrops are overhyping it.

As usual, the only way to find out is to watch a show, and thus embarked an second adventure into the cavity-filled sugarland of magical girl shows. Full opinion and perhaps some discussion of the actual show and the first 3 episodes after the jump.

First point, there's really no getting around it; Nanatsuiro Drops is made to rot your teeth to hell and back. If you cannot handle bright, peppy genki girls, if you cannot handle random chibi transformations, if you cannot handle sparkles and shinies and posing and funny magical words, NanaDrops will send you running for the hills and you won't come back.

In that sense NanaDrops almost is like a CCS 2.0 in that it features a heroine who is bright to the bitter end. Sumomo is like Sakura in that she shows her emotions very clearly; they'll be uber-shy around the ones they like, they'll be uber-happy when they're in a good mood, and when they're nervous and discouraged, yeah, they'll tear up.

Granted, Sumomo is a bit more of what one might term a "crybaby" than Sakura perhaps ever was, but she still shows that trait of "I shouldn't cry," "it'll be all right," "I've got to do my best," etc.

The other characters are somewhat typical fare as well. The male protagonist is every bit as aloof and antisocial as ever, there's the Adult Figure Who Secretly Knows Everything, the Heroine's Bestest Friend Ever (who's also in on it), and the Very Evil And Ominous Rival. Nothing horribly standout in personality.

Ironically enough, one of the places where NanaDrops shines so far is in the magical girl part of the show. While the premise is like every other show of the genre (or for that matter, Sonic game) with the "collect them all" deal, the little aspects are where it has a little fun. Being based originally on an eroge it's quite possible that the producers knowingly messed with the magical girl formula slightly, if only because guys simply can't stand straight-up monster-of-the-week, transform-and-attack shows.

In a sense, NanaDrops is kind of like "Magical Girls For Dummies". It's pretty hard for Sumomo to do things wrong, even if she tried. The magical book of rules pretty much covers everything, from how to get stardrops to how to keep a friend in on the secret to how to hax their way into a building. Even the rival seems a bit annoyed with Sumomo's incompetence, insisting that she improve herself so that they can have a fair and exciting conflict. The ring Sumomo wears pretty much points her straight to the stardrop every time, so that collecting the stardrop is about as easy as pressing a button.

As such, the focus is barely on the "magical" aspect at all, and more on the characters. The premise in having the Obligatory Stuffed Animal be the male protagonist puts a nice twist on things, in giving him a lot of a behind-the-scenes look at Sumomo in public vs. Sumomo in private.

The character development possibilities certainly seems promising. Sumomo has a lot of courage to gain and it'll be interesting to see just how Tsuwabaki (first name what?) handles the Obligatory Slow Falling-In-Love Sequence, not to mention revealing his identity (or not).

The two antagonist-type characters still have a lot to be revealed about them, to see how their personalities and conflicts play out. Not to mention that one mysterious masked guy from episode 1.

Again at the quarter mark in the show all I can really say is that it's a promising but not brilliant show; the developing relationship between Sumomo and Tsuwabaki (or just Sumomo's development in general) will be key to determining the success of the show, as well as how much it deviates from it's magical girl (and eroge, natch) roots.

Needless to say this show is not one of those shows everyone can watch. I wouldn't say that those adverse to magical girliness will be able to handle this at all, even if it does improve; the raw sugar content of this show will turn a lot off, perhaps deservedly. But those who can handle shows orientated more at girls - or, believe it or not, are girls themselves - just might find something to like in this show.

-CCY