Search - Ai Yori Aoshi + Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi - Complete Set (shrinkwrapped bundle) on DVD

Not too tart, not too sweet

Scott Martin Gavin | Klamath Falls, Oregon United States | 12/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ai Yori Aoshi and Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi are some of the better offerings from Pioneer/Geneon and is worth picking up if you happen to find it available. The series closely follows the manga by Kou Fumizuki, though the story and art are slightly simplified for the video. The manga and anime have been mistaken as shojo (manga or anime for girls) but the original story was published in Young Animal, a Japanese magazine for teenage boys. It would be more accurate to bill this series as a realistic harem series as opposed to the fantastical harem stories like Tenchi Muyo or Love Hina. The story centers around Kaoru Hanabishi, a college student, who is struggling to make ends meet after walking away from his position as heir to the Hanabishi marketing empire. One day he meets a traditional Japanese girl who seems totally out of place and lost in the modern world, and he stops to help her. She turns out to be Aoi Sakabura, a childhood friend, who was betrothed to Kaoru when they were both young children, and Aoi has run away from her sheltered home to find Kaoru. As the series progresses, one girl after another joins Kaoru's circle of friends, each of the girls developing strong feeling for Kaoru and unaware of Kaoru and Aoi's love for each other. There is no magical girls in this series, no giant robots blowing things up, it's all about the relationships of the characters with each other. And because of this realism, the series can be a real heartbreaker because, if you read the manga before watching the anime, you realize that all but one of these girls are going to end up brokenhearted.

This is an excellent series for introducing a girl friend or a wife to anime. Be aware, however, that the series may not appropriate for children. Aoi-chan is nude in the opening sequence, Tina is very fond of grabbing women's breast, Taeko-chan provides an excess of panty shots and the youngest character in the harem seems to garner the most partially nude scenes. There are a couple episodes towards the end where Aoi and Kaoru spend the night together and it is suggested that they finally fulfill their love for each other, though nothing is shown. Your kids will see worse on prime time television. There is nothing outright dirty or pornographic, though you might want to view the series before airing it for your children to be safe.

Some people might find Aoi-chan's supposed submissiveness disturbing, but her behavior should be viewed through the lens of Japanese culture. She was raised in fading traditions of ancient Japan and behaves accordingly, and shows unusual strength, for a traditional Japanese girl, in defying the wishes of her father and family and pursuing Kaoru even after their engagement was broken. She is a complex character, giving and selfless, while at the same time being a bit childish and selfish in her singleminded pursuit of Kaoru.

Other characters flirt on edge of becoming cliche harem characters, the klutzy maid, the boorish foreigner, the snobbish rich girl, the aloof and superior older woman, the overly affectionate and innocent Junior High student. Each of them get at least part of their back-story told in an episode, and manage to avoid being stereotyped in the end. If you don't mind the fan service, and can get past Aoi's housewifeyness, this is a good story that you might enjoy, especially if you are tired of magical girls, pretty boys and giant transforming robots.

Like most of Pioneer/Geneon's offerings the extras are rather slim - a couple bonus episodes, creditless openings and closings, and reversible liners with a trifle more risque picture on one side than another. The anime series left me with one unanswered question - the opening sequence of Enishi shows a young woman holding a blue haired infant girl for a brief instance. This woman and baby don't show up in any of the episodes or in the manga, which makes me wonder what she was doing in the opening of the show. Perhaps Enishi was intended to be a longer series, like the first story arc, but was shortened for various reasons, after the opening sequence was filmed, and the unused characters were not removed."

Good anime

narutocapri | USA | 04/26/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"good anime, the only the i don't like about this set is the fact it doesn't come in a box set. oh and another thing that makes me mad is that i saw this product at FYI for only 26$."

WARNING!

Z. Simon | Poway, California United States | 02/05/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This is a VERY sweet and affecting series, but at the "end?" of Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi we have essentially the same situation we started with, save that one of the girls discovers/suspects the secret engagement.

Some people prefer an open, even a VERY open ending. The ending here was either a hasty wrap up after the plug was pulled, a purposefully intense tease to make sure we break down the door when part 3 is released, or the creators' admission that they don't have the talent for a follow through.

My whole reason for delving into a 'harem' series was that this seemed like one that wouldn't leave things hanging. It is NOT."