Nagasarete Airantou

Title:Nagasarete Airantou
Cast Away - Airan Island
Drift off to Blue Orchid Island
ながされて藍蘭島 (Japanese)
Overall:Buy
Keywords: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - FEEL
CHIBA Saeko
HORIE Yui
ITOU Shizuka
SHIMONO Hiro
SHIRAISHI Ryoko
TAKAHASHI Mikako
Running away from home, Ikuto fled on a cruise ship but fell off during a large Tsunami. Washing up near an island, Ikuto is saved by a young girl named Suzu. She brings him to her grandmother. Ikuto finds out that he is stranded on an island. An island without any men. (They were lost to a storm during a festival) Each girl is racing to become Ikuto's bride and save the island. And each girl is willing to kill the other girls to achieve this goal.

Based on a manga by Fujishiro Takeshi, serialised in Monthly Shounen Gangan.

[TV series, 2007, 26 episodes, 25 min; Animation by FEEL.]


"藍" alone can mean "aoi" = blue/indigo, "蘭" alone can mean "ran" = orchid (so that's where that "blue orchid island" name comes from), but in combination these Kanji rather mean "Airan" (a female name, amongst other possibilities such as "Aika"). "島" (when used as final syllable of a compound term) is pronounced "to" and means "island", so that the whole name "Airan-to" most likely means "Airan Island". But at the same time, "Airanto" would be the Japanese sound pattern for the English word "island". ;-)
1:29min Series Opening - YouTube Video
Episode Details 
Rin, Suzu, Saku, Chik, Mei, Mach, 01, 99
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Rent 8 8 7 6 8 8 Dreamer [series:1535#2279]
I'd love to be stranded on an island of all cute females. What guy wouldn't? As the first episode title said, "Drited to Heaven" is for sure.

Art, Animation & Character Design
Both art and animation was your average but more on the cuter side... especially Suzu. Her voice (not the dubbed one), is uber cute! At some points it seemed the art dropped a bit and the frame-rate lost a few frames. Aside from that, nothing special.

Music
Nothing worth mentioning.

Series and Episode Stories
I actually liked this series. I think what did it partly as the fact that it's about a guy stuck on an island with all cute, young females. Every guy's wet dream... perhaps. There's plenty of humor for sure. The first episode where Ikuto first washes up on shore... or rather where Suzu snags him on her fishing pole had me busting a gut; at least the part where she's slapping him to consciousness. Hehehe! The episode stories are for the most part full of silly antics and humor. The only gripe I have, and it's not much of a gripe are the talking animals. I didn't see how they fit into the whole of things. It almost made the anime "too" childish really. At least it's still bearable.

Overall it's a good Rent for the laughter and silliness.

Last updated Sunday, November 30 2008. Created Sunday, November 30 2008.
Buy 8 8 9 6 9 8 Xenoknight [series:1535#2967]
Final review soon...

My only issue is the excessive amount of talking animals but overall, this is a very well written story with an emphasis on comedy. The characters are all lovable and easy to get along with. They each bring something completely different to the table and all have their own things to contribute to the laughs.

With episode 20 finished and after I settled down from all the laughing, this series is now a BUY because I would love to rewatch it with my friends.

Never forget Xenosaga.

Last updated Thursday, October 09 2008. Created Friday, September 12 2008.
Rent 8 8 7 7 8 8 Devil Doll [series:1535#752]
[Score: 75% = Rent-. Other recommended Silly Comedy animes: Hanaukyo Maid Tai La Verite, Kyou no Go no Ni (OVA)]
  • Drama: Low (but the last episodes focus on a bit of story)
  • Comedy: High (tons of SD, slapstick violence, silliness galore)
  • Action: Med (lots of ruckus, fighting, magic battles, chases, falling into traps, and an angry god)
  • Scifi: Med (kappas, demons, voodoo, mystical creatures from fairy tales, you name it)
  • Ecchi: Low (lots of nosebleeds for Ikuto but in most cases you don't get to see the reason)
This series is not unlike Girls Bravo (including the violence) but Suzu-chan combines the good traits of Miharu and Kirie, so I have at least one character to focus my interest on (and I like that carpenter girl while both mikos and the glasses girl are annoying, and I dislike the many talking animals which remind me too much of Disney stuff, something I intended to avoid by watching animes instead). The comedy is of the extreme type: You'll have to like it that a girl tortures her younger sister with a voodoo doll in every single episode, for example.

Art and Animation are fine, I just happen to dislike the many devilish grins by these girls and Ikuto's permanent nosebleed fountains. Both songs are nice and fit this story well while the Music was hardly memorable.

The Story is simpler than the one of Girls Bravo, leaving more space for character interaction, albeit not much of this happens until very late in this show. During the third quarter of this series more side characters enter the stage, but with Mei Mei and Shinobu being so cute I'm fine with that, even more so as they act as catalyst for Suzu-chan. No sooner than in the final quarter of this show the character relation between the leads finally gets the focus, and the decent ending (funny as well as exciting) kicked up my rating to a "Rent".

Last updated Friday, June 06 2008. Created Saturday, September 15 2007.
Buy 7 8 8 7 KBanger1 [series:1535#1694]
7/22/07

I only watched the first two episodes out of sheer curiosity. I was waiting for a title like this for a while. The setup is that a boy is stranded on what appears to be inhabited island. The good thing is that he's alive. The bad thing is that he's the only guy in an all-women island and all the women are out to make him their own. They would go through any lengths even if it means war! My first impression is that this closely relates to Love Hina in where every girl in the Hinata Apartments has some kind of story and the only guy in there happens to be the apartment manager. In this series, Ikuto is on and island full of women and the main ones who have a role have very different quirks. However, all of them (except for 1 or 2) want him...bad. Since there have been no men on that island for years, the women are pretty "anxious" to see one after so many years.

The reason why I'm waiting for a title like this is because I've personally haven't seen a title where the main character is completely fawned over. With the exceptions of Hanaukyo Maid Team - La Verite, Tenchi Muyo (my personal fave), and maybe Negima. I could be wrong, though. I just like the idea of one guy and whole lot of women after him no matter what it takes. A pure free for all for one guy. Plus, I did notice that Ikuto is a very strong willed guy and that the word "impossible" doesn't mean a thing. Unlike some guys in the harem genre (except for Tenchi in TM) who are either wimps or perverts, Ikuto is someone who has a serious past and wants to change his future. I'm hoping for a good series out of Nagasarete Airantou. I'm gonna stick with this one till the very end.

7/25/07

I'm up to episode 11 and overall the series is still holding on to the humor it has. It's gotten slightly serious between Ikuto and Suzu but no real dramatic turn of events. Now that I've seen more episodes, I'm a lot more interested in completing it. The characters are over the top at times but not to the point where the other characters outshine the main characters. One thing that I pointed out with Ikuto. I said he was strong willed. Slight mistake there. What I meant to say was he's a very determined yet very reckless young man and the he hates the word "impossible" because of his father. He's also very competitive if someone is better that him which brings him back to his recklessness. For an early rank, I'd say "Rent" for now.

8/8/07

Finished up to episode 17. The episodes are really non-linear except for 15 & 16 because those debut 2 new characters, Mai Mai and some turtle kappa. Otherwise, same like before. Still high on the comedy. I see this series like an 80's american cartoon series or even a 70's type like Scooby-Doo or any Looney Toons episodes back in the day. Why I say that is because there is no progression in the story except for the 2 new characters. Eventually, I know that it'll boil down to an actual plot nearing the end of this series. However, I think it's nice to see a series that's more willing to not build on the story mainly on the protagonist or his dilemma of trying to get off the island. It just shows episode after episode of just pure comedy. Nothing too serious yet, but still refreshing and sticking to the comedy aspect. I still say "Rent". I would say buy, but you're gonna have to wait for a while.

Final Update

I've finally finished the series. Every episode except for the last 3 or so always went off on a tangent but remained true to the over the top humor. Furthermore, the series ends with sort of the same outcome like many other animes like this one. From start to end, this series is certainly worth getting. Problem is, I don't know if this series will ever see it hit US soil via licensing from a US distributor. I will certainly put two cents in and contact the major distributors to see if any one of them will give this series a shot. I certainly believe it does. For those who are online savvy though, you know how to go around that. This series is a definite keeper.

Last updated Saturday, October 06 2007. Created Sunday, July 22 2007.
Unevaluated Forbin [series:1535#1573]
Analysis : 21 Episodes Watched

  • Drama : Low
  • Comedy : High
  • Action : Med
  • Scifi : Low
  • Ecchi : Low
    • Lots of suggestion, but no actual nudity.
If you liked this you will like Well I can't say it's a deep series. It's pure comedy. I like it!

  • 7/25 : Well after 14 episodes this has been hit or miss. More hits than misses but it's still going to keep me watching. But as a BUY? No way. Low rent so far.
  • 9/14 : Just saw JC's review and that reminded me that I still watch this. With Subs dying at 21 (Raws at 24) I'm not a happy Kappa. But the 2 new girls Shinobu and MeiMei bring some new life into the series. What's funny is they are included in the OP now. It's subtle (especially Shinobu's) but they are there.
ZETTAI ZETTAI ZETTAI - (Absolutely) - Don't ever say Zettai to Ikuto, it's his pet peeve.

MAISM

Last updated Friday, September 14 2007. Created Sunday, April 22 2007.
Rent Stretch [series:1535#628]
(All episodes watched):

I was beginning to fear that there might not be any out-and-out harem series for the spring 2007 season, but here we go. Again, I knew practically nothing about this show going in, except that it would be a comedy. After a grim episode of a boy, Ikuto, falling overboard from a storm-tossed ship, I immediately got a good vibe as he finds himself on a remote island populated by cute, cheerful, and slightly crazy girls. It's sort of a new spin on how a guy might attract a harem to himself, and whether he's in heaven or hell is unclear. Ikuto does seem to have some admirable qualities, like his determination to find a way off of the island, and didn't turn out to be an annoying wimp as is all too often the case with harem anime (he does find that the girls on this island tend to be quite strong, seeing as they live a pre-industrial revolution lifestyle, which kind of puts him out of place). The makers of this show are clearly not troubling themselves with making things particularly plausible, which it seemed might be a problem early on. With time, however, I've gotten used to the craziness of the island and come to enjoy it. This show has a silly mixture of the innocent and the risque; the girls are naive and curious about the opposite sex, but haven't tried anything distasteful so far, and Ikuto behaves like a gentleman. Episodes are sometimes divided into two subplots, and in general are somewhat shallow with little ongoing storyline. The "plotline" of this show is a blurr in my memory; you could watch most episodes out of order without noticing. The comedy is fairly good though, and the OP and ED songs are both fun too. And that's about all I can think of to say about this show; neither serious complaints nor enthusiastic praise come to mind after watching all 26 episodes, which pretty much renders a lengthy review impossible. Anyway, my initial impression (supported by subsequent episodes) was that Nagasarete Airantou would not be brilliant, but would be a fun show well worth watching.

See Shinobu's montage at Kendo Girl Scrapbook!

Last updated Sunday, December 16 2007. Created Thursday, April 19 2007.
Buy Jan-Chan [series:1535#967]
This is an improbable story about a boy who runs away from home and gets washed up on an isolated island inhabited by a group of lost Japanese. The island is surround by dangerous currents and whirlpools, which prevent any chance for escape. It is only when a big storm pass through can people and items from the outside world wash up on the beaches of the island.

Some ten years ago, all of the men and boys of the island went on their annual day of fishing on the far side of the island, when a tsunami hit. All of men were lost or were swept out to sea. (Hey, I said that this is an improbable story!)

Ikuto finds himself trapped as the only man on an island with about a hundred women of different ages – all of them interested in him for a variety of different reasons. Including Suzu, the girl who first found and rescued Ikuto. She has grown up without any men and is a bit naïve about the differences between the two sexes. The grandmother elder of the village makes a decision that it will be Suzu who looks after the newcomer. But Suzu does have number of friends and rivals who are interested in stealing him away (quite literally – steal!!) So let the raucous chase and romp begin as poor Ikuto tries to escape from the amorous attentions of the local villagers.

The island of Airantou is a strange and magical place lost to the outside world, filled with carnivorous plants and strange animals (some of whom can talk). But it is a nice place to live, as Ikuto finds out over the course of the manga series.

All good harem humor....

I posted some images of the first episode in the EPISODE DETAILS section.

Last updated Tuesday, May 18 2010. Created Saturday, April 07 2007.

Other Sites
NameURL
Official Japanese Series Web Site http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/airantou/
Wikipedia Listing for Series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagasarete_Airantou

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