just might give it a try... just might...
Yumeria tv Review
Tomokazu Mikuri on his 16th birthday had a wild too real for his taste dream. It was about a girl who can only say Mone, fighting a giant thing. He wakes up and then feels something next to him and is shocked to see the girl who was fighting in his dream now sleeping next to him in his bed! He soon learns as his friends and family all girls are also into the world as well.
His main role is to provide the power for the girls to be able to fight and help save the dream world before the enemy can take it over and then invade the real world.
Story & Characters
Moe. A slang term for a deep attraction to a girl in anime, manga, or video games. The moe characters possess various "ideal" traits that illicit a deep desire or attachment to the character. Most commonly moe characters are young in body and mind, with some form of helplessness or naivetay; although there are many other "types." Considering this isn't a lecture about moe, I'll leave it at that. It has become a profitable niche category in popular Japanese culture. The pinnacle of a "moe distribution system" would be the harem genre, and Yumeria is just that.
This series has no depth to its storyline, there are Lolita themes, with many of the female characters underage, and perverseness runs rampant. The reason I like this anime is simply its goofy story and intriguing look into the moe culture. I don't agree with quite a few of the themes in this anime, but if I don't look too far into it, I can have a good laugh. It's a fun way to spend 4 hours.
This is the category in which I'm afraid Yumeria fails. Originally from a game of the same name, the story involves Tomokazu Mikuri falling asleep and traveling to a dream world where the future of existence will be decided. He draws in various ladies along the way, and they join him in his fight against the Faydoom. The male lead character is a generic harem anime protagonist. Average, average, average. While most anime of this genre find the main male character stumbling accidentally into awkward situations involving the ladies that surround him, and to comedic result; Mikuri enjoys and welcomes every bit. Considering all but one female character is either younger than him or related, I can't say I agree with his actions.
Each of the main 5 females each encompasses a version of a Moe character: Mizuki - sweet childhood friend, Nanase -
voluptuous older lady, Kuyou - outspoken and forward spunky girl, Neneko - young "cat-like" kid, and Mone -
innocent and naive mysterious girl. He meets Mone in his first foray into the dream world and wakes up to her sleeping,
apparently naked, in his bed. She can only say "mone" (could it be a reference to moe? Gee, let me think...).
After her, the other ladies soon enter his dreams, and subsequently, his real life, and the chaos ensues. Most of the
series deals in fan service and jokes about being a pervert. For example; the way the ladies power up is by being
touched by Mikuri. In the last few episodes the story starts to pick up, and there are a few twists and turns before the
end. The idea for this series is interesting; the problem is they didn't do anything worthwhile with it. Basically
the story takes a backseat to showing the ladies in various skimpy outfits with Mikuri drooling over them. They try to
redeem his character by making him "caring." Problem is, after his constant advances and eagerness to grope
and peek at the underage or "related" characters, his one redeeming quality doesn't seem too significant.
But for a hardcore harem, moe anime they achieve what they aimed for.
Rating:
Art
The background artwork is well drawn. The dream world seems a bit similar to the real world; the only difference is the floating square rocks in the sky. Most of the other background work is modern-day Japan. The character designs are all done well, and suit the characters "personalities." Outfits are mostly skimpy, or related to some fetish, but again, fit the anime. The colors are vibrant and the combat suits they wear are designed well. Animation is crisp and detailed. The quality remains steady, although the 12 episode length may contribute to that. The transforming and attacking animations are recycled a la Sailor Moon, but it's understandable. I would've liked a bit more variety between the real and dream worlds. Other than that, a good job overall.
Opening animation borrows a few attacking animations and combines it with simple sequences showcasing the characters.
Its what I would expect from an anime of this type. The closing sequence is comprised of various stills having some
relation to the characters. A toy Mikuri used to own, the cap Neneko wears, etc. I watched them a few times, but after a
while they just get in the way. Well done, but not memorable.
Rating:
Sound
Most of the music is what you would expect from a harem anime. Some goofy, some sentimental, some comedic, etc. The background music fits the scenes and isn't overdone or underdone. The music helps the scene along. The opening and closing songs are sweet pop songs sung by soft-voiced ladies. Everything fits together. The themes are appropriate to the opening and ending and the background music accents the goings-on in the episodes.
The sound effects are also standard harem anime fare. There are a lot of normal effects; cars, horns, footsteps, and a lot of "normal anime" effects; the flying "woosh", laser/energy blasts, comedic "bonk" sounds, etc. They are all of good quality; they fit with what warranted the effect.
Voices are done well also. In both English and Japanese versions, the VAs fit the characters. Like in most harem
anime, a bunch of young girls yelling at once can get a bit annoying. It's just something that is to be expected,
and if you are watching an anime of this genre, you're going to have to put up with it. I think they did a good
job.
Rating:
Presentation
This was probably the hardest category to rate. With the lackluster story and slightly creepy comedic elements, I was tempted to give this a lower score. The decision that ended with me settling on an "8" turned out to be simple. This anime was never supposed to be deep, or meaningful. It was a moe anime, pure and simple. So as a moe anime, it did everything it was supposed to, and it did it well. The female characters fit their molds perfectly, and they were well animated/designed and quite cute. I don't agree with the apparent Lolita complex the main character seemed to revel in, or the attraction to his "cousin", but these themes are found in other Asian media. Just because I don't understand or agree with it doesn't mean its wrong; there's just a big culture gap in that particular area. One of the main reasons I enjoy watching this anime is the glimpse into the moe culture.
It may seem like all I did was bash this anime, but I actually like it. There are a few funny parts, and others I find entertaining. It's an easy viewing. You don't have to remember anything, think about anything, or even really pay attention to follow it. A fun, quirky 4 hour break from reality. And although I'm not attracted to the characters, nor do I feel any attachment to them, they are very cute and likable. That's a plus in my book. Yumeria isn't in my top 20, and it's not something I would recommend to anyone but I'm glad I have it around for some mindless distraction.
ADV rates it TV14. I suppose that's accurate. The only "objectionable" material is the nearly constant fan service. The characters do a Sailor Moon transformation with the quasi-nudity to go along with it. But as I see it, if you "get" the themes and reasons behind this anime, then you're old enough to watch it.
Substance, meaning, or depth is lost on this anime. If you're interested in moe culture, you love moe characters,
or you find humor in pervert jokes then this anime is for you.
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.0000 (above average)
Reviewed by NovaProspekt, Apr 14, 2006
Comments
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SilentVt Apr 14, 2006
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SakuraNinja-Chan Apr 14, 2006
Sounds kinda good...I might watch it too.
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littlejonny100 Retired Moderator Apr 16, 2006
I love your review, especially the part about moe culture. I figured there would be something along the lines of that kind of culture in anime and now i know what it's called :D. I think your review is extremely accurate, you've put in words the types of things i thought when i watched it. Although it did lack a few things as far as storyline goes it turned out just the way it should have. I highly enjoyed it because it was mostly pure and innocent, even though there were pervert jokes, it still remained clean.
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psy295 Apr 17, 2006
i agree with your review though i might of rated it a little lower.. but yea you did get the main poitns down hehe good job.
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shoujoboy Apr 18, 2006
I'm sure that I'll watch it one day (all ADV discs get dirt cheap eventually), but it sounds like exactly what I thought it would be. Anytime I see the words 'harem anime' used, I get discouraged though. They just don't seem to appeal too much to me anymore. Great review overall and superb writing.
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rukasu04 Mute Member Feb 08, 2010
Nice review
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