How'd he get that past security?
While the series previously ended on a fairly solid note, I feel this episode does a better job wrapping things up. Why? A good portion of the final television episode was taken up by the final "trial", with little time left for genuine exposition as far as Ichika and Manatsu's relationship is concerned.
This episode, however, provides pretty much nothing but exposition - with a little bit of attention paid to Sei and Kai, to boot - and, for that, I'm very much appreciative. Of course, in the end, very little changes. The story still concludes in the same bittersweet fashion.
I would have liked to have heard Itsuka Tokeru Namida one last time, though. I simply adore that song. Instead, I'll have to settle for Ichika and Manatsu making sweet love to a Torii Gate. Must be some obscure Shinto custom.
This could have used some floating Rei heads. You know, just to spice things up.
I'm not entirely sure what to think of the ending, primarily because I don't quite understand it. Or, rather, I don't understand the show in general. When I stop and ask myself, "What was the point of Uta Kata?", I come up empty. I guess it's a coming-of-age story of sorts, but thematically, there's very little going on. And this final episode doesn't help, really.
I suspect I could find the answer to the conundrum if I took the time to truly think about it, but the show never really asked for that much. So, in that sense, you could argue that Uta Kata is a complete failure. It's a void. It aspires to absolutely nothing.
Weird.
Still, it was enjoyable enough in its own right. And, the music was pretty good. I'll admit that.
There's always room for fanservice.
The writers have clearly left a lot to be answered in the final episode. That worries me, to be honest. After all, the writing has been a bit clunky from the very beginning. Is a single episode enough to tie everything together?
Ichika's had the power to raise the dead all this time? She should summon some zombie hordes to do her bidding. Saya's no match for zombies, I bet.
Anyway, something unusual I've noticed about the Uta Kata narrative is the constantly shifting point of view. Early on, the story was told almost entirely from Ichika's perspective, looking back on the past. As the story has progressed, however, we've seen more and more from Manatsu's perspective. Meanwhile, current events have seemingly caught up with Ichika's narration.
I'd like to think there was a specific reason for the shifting perspective, especially considering the "I am you, you are me" nature of Ichika and Manatsu's relationship, but I fear it's just plain ol' sloppy storytelling.
The story already feels as if it's close to reaching its climax, yet four episodes remain. At this rate, Ichika will be tossing babies off rooftops before all is said and done.
Once again, I really like her outfit. She's cuter when she's trying to kill people.
Ichika is scary.
I really dug her outfit this time. It's a shame she had to ruin the moment by shoving Saya in front of a speeding Audi, though. Now she's gonna have her mahou shoujo license revoked.
Uta Kata got you bummed out? It's nothing a little inappropriate humor won't cure.
Ichika's got man problems, and with that comes a nasty fever and the green eyes (or, to be more exact, red eyes) of jealousy. Sadly, the scene where Manatsu gives her a sponge bath was left on the cutting room floor.
With each episode, the drama is turned up one more notch. The writing could be better, I'll admit, but I like the direction in which the show is headed.
When mystery lady isn't busy standing on telephone poles, she's busy trying to kill people. Run, little squirrel, before she kills you, too!
I guess you could argue this is a mahou shoujo show of sorts, but despite that, very little time is given to fantastical elements. While much time is spent each episode setting up the situations for which Ichika must use her power, there's usually only a few minutes left by the time she does her transformation and deity-summoning thing. I'm not sure if this will continue to be the case as the story grows increasingly complicated, but it's nice that the show spends more time on the characters and the narrative than stock clichés.
It's a beach episode, so the fanservice is kicked up a notch. I expected worse, though.
I have a difficult time explaining the attraction of this show. It's just a perfect package: nice visuals, good music, interesting characters, etc. There's no question there.
But then, there's the mysterious story. I just eat this sort of stuff up. It's a shame I already know the direction in which things are headed, though.
I'm still surprised by how sexually charged this show is. It's not just simple fanservice, either. It'll be interesting to see how far things go as the story progresses and the characters grow, um, closer.
Oh, and I have to say this is one of the prettiest shows I've seen in awhile. The animation style isn't exactly anything new, and the character designs are an acquired taste, but I really like the look of things.
At first blush, this looks to be your typical "Natsuyasumi" show. But, there's a hook, of course, and with that comes some mystery, some drama, and the foundation for what could be an enchanting story. And it's all wrapped up in a nice package, with an adorable lead, a laid-back pace, and solid direction. Good vibes all around.
I was a little surprised with the fanservice, however, subtle as it may have been. For some reason, I was expecting the show to be more geared toward a female audience. It definitely feels like it otherwise. Then again, given Gotoh Keiji's past work, I probably shouldn't be surprised. That's not a complaint - just an observation.
Anyway, the artwork is nice (lots of detailed city backgrounds!), the character designs are cute, and the music fits the mood perfectly. The OP and ED are both superb. I'm looking forward to the singles.
