you bring up good points in your review. i think the biggest issue i have with DC is that there were too many characters and too many sidestories to cover. i didn't feel there was any focus episode-by-episode until nearly the very end. i was tempted to stop watching halfway through because there were so many tangents to follow
Da Capo tv Review
Story & Characters
The general story of Da Capo is one that follows the traditional school-harem format. You have your normal collection of characters; the non-biological sister, the sleepy ditz, the energetic tomboy, the android girl, the catgirl, the school idol, and the pedo-magnet cute small girl. The male protagonist is also one of traditional design. He's helpful but lacks charm which makes one wonder why the girls like him.
The story flow of the series is actually almost nonexistent. While trying to somewhat combine into a romance/ecchi/comedy, the series makes almost no progress at all through the series. Instead, every 20min episode simply seems to revolve around a seperate unrelated event. While this may serve well in trying to portray humour and suggestive situations, it doesn't do anything for the story development. It is with this in mind, that Da Capo seems confused in what it wishes to be classified as. If it is trying to follow a romance/comedy like Shuffle! then it sadly fails. If it is going for a humorous Azumanga Daioh appeal, then it somewhat achieves this. Still, an actual developmental story would have been nice to accompany the solid humor.
Rating:
Art
The artwork in Da Capo is pretty cute and easy on the eyes. The characters all maintain a sense of liveliness and happiness without going too overboard. While in most cases, the characters maintain the traditional shonen anime style, they don't have much hesitation when it comes to making humorous facial expressions or going into a semi-chibi form. You will find that most of these expressions are made at appropriate times and only serve to liven the series itself.
What one can also appreciate in Da Capo is that the background work blends well with the character animations. The characters themselves are smooth and well done, but the background are also done with such a touch that they don't seem out of sequence. Perhaps the only times that the background seems strange, is during the next episode preview or during the credits roll. That's only because they take live footage and add the anime on top. Still, it's a neat approach.
Rating:
Sound
The music and soundwork in Da Capo isn't anything to rave about. The intro theme is lively and befitting to the series, but it's not quite catchy enough to stay with you for very long.
The background music in the series also seems strange at times. If you listen, you can also here hints of the music being borrowed from other anime titles such as Azumanga Daioh. This was a major let-down in itself. The voice acting is worked out pretty well and the voices seem to match the characters attitude and persona's fairly well. Background noises are almost nonexistent in the series as the primary of the soundwork seems to be focused on the background music and characters. This lack of atmosphere seems to almost kill the liveliness that the rest of the series projects.
The ending theme is a bit softer and also has a somewhat cute appeal to it. Still, much like the intro, you won't find yourself listening to it on the CD player in your home.
Rating:
Presentation
The blended presentation of Da Capo is that of one with it's positives and negatives. The artwork, voicing, and humor are all positive traits of the series that excel at a nominal rate. However, the mediocre music, lack of story development, and somewhat confused focus all serve to counteract against the series. For one that is looking for a high-school anime with some romantic humor, then Da Capo will provide generous entertainment. However, if one is looking for a high-school romance/comedy with a good story, then they may wish to turn towards other anime such as Shuffle! or ONE.
Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks on Da Capo was the short episode length. Most of the episodes spanned over 15mins with a short 5min sidestory. This compression seems to have put a limit on what the artist wanted to portray at times. Perhaps if a larger 30min window was granted, then the anime itself may have made some more progression. Also, I'm still confused as what point the cat-man plays in the secondary stories.
Rating:
Final Verdict
6.6667 (above average)
Reviewed by Nismosis, Nov 16, 2005
Comments
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merelie Nov 17, 2005
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renki Nov 17, 2005
I like this animation very much.
I always look. -
As11 Nov 17, 2005
This is one of the best anime I've ever seen.
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Sanin Nov 17, 2005
da CaPo iS a maD aNIme 2 Mi...i lyked it very MUch...da side stories reaLlI gave da anime a more insight..which led 2 Many other thiNgz
i never RealLI undErstoOd the title" da capo" it was RealLI wiRed for mi..but along thw way..i gradually understood...
da capo anime seaon 1 was great..season 2 is evn bettah n stiLl in Progress... 2 Mi da capO was a great anime..n grEat animatiOnz..
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rgnk Nov 17, 2005
da capo is mostly as described in the review. the episodes are unrelated especially the earlier episodes and there is hardly any story until you are through half way. the catman side stories are weird, full of silence, and felt even longer than the actual plot. i didn't understand it at all.
in my opinion, what makes da capo worth watching is the music, characters, and comedy. da capo has a favorable list of soundtracks, not lively or catchy but soft and very instrumental. i even decided to play a few with my classical guitar.
the romance is not something to talk about and the sudden switch from comedy into the depressing dark side of the story is just too sudden. i found myself a little late to "adjust".
if you are into this kind of anime and haven't seen it yet, da capo is a fun series and might give you a couple of laugthers. it is easy to side with any one of the girls and (most probably) be ruined later. -
Triaria Nov 19, 2005
I loved this series! i havn't seen the second season yet but i really liked the first one. ^.^
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Dream24 Nov 19, 2005
Pity the plot sounds like a total let down. Well thanks for the review, at least I have some sort of idea what this anime is about and gave me something to think about.
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zhsks77 Nov 21, 2005
anmari omoshiroku nakata
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idrathi Nov 22, 2005
I loved this anime for 1 reason alone, and that's the artwork~! the story is kinda a letdown bec he chose nemu in the end and yet at the start of the 2nd season nemu is nowhere to be found. I really like though was trying to spot that pink kuma in every episode, it was 1 of the reason or should I say distractions to try and not think about the non existance of a good storyline. Anyway I think the 2nd season is better. no more 15 min episodes and 5 min side stories.
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Nismosis Nov 22, 2005
Quote by idrathiI loved this anime for 1 reason alone, and that's the artwork~! the story is kinda a letdown bec he chose nemu in the end and yet at the start of the 2nd season nemu is nowhere to be found. I really like though was trying to spot that pink kuma in every episode, it was 1 of the reason or should I say distractions to try and not think about the non existance of a good storyline. Anyway I think the 2nd season is better. no more 15 min episodes and 5 min side stories.
Agreed, D.C.S.S. really gave new life to the series. It took everything that was good about the first season, and improved upon them. :)
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sukie Dec 01, 2005
mmm...this doesn't sound like much of a pretty anime...ncie review...
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