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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Watch | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
 Mienk
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[series:1766#3125] | |
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This is an amazing little gem, and I wish it wasn't so short. I love the characters, you don't get introduced to a lot of them, they really make you fall in love with the ones you get to see. Even though this was a short net series the art and animation are amazing, and I honestly feel that the art is one of the reasons why this was done, aside from the "controversial" topic of the sisters. The intimate relationship is approached very carefully, and beautifully in this anime. The humor, while at times can seem a little childish because of the first year student, felt appropriate for the "slice-of-life" appeal of Candy Boy. If you have 2 hours to spare, I highly recommend this series. I would have rated this with a "rent" or "buy" but it's a net series and I don't believe it's available for sale. I plan to read the manga next. Fansubs of this anime are available. Last updated Saturday, December 05 2009. Created Saturday, December 05 2009. | ||||||||
| Unevaluated |
 Stretch
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[series:1766#628] | ||||||
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"This seems pretty funny!" I said to myself while watching Candy Boy.* I had downloaded it on a whim, knowing nothing at all about it, and had included it on a home-burned DVD largely to keep some space from going to waste. The nice artwork, quality character designs, witty humor and the odd premise immediately enveloped me--this was just the kind of stuff I'd been looking for! Before it was over I was eager to search the 'net for more information and hopefully, other episodes. Was this an OVA? A standalone episode, or part of a series? A spinoff/sequel (it seemed that the viewer was expected to already be familiar with the characters)? And how come with a title of Candy Boy the cast seems all female? At first I thought Kanade and Yukino were lesbians, being as affectionate for each other as they are, then seeing their name tags on their dorm room caused it to dawn on me that they were sisters, probably twins. Never fear, however, a third girl, Sakuya, really is attracted to Kanade! This premise may make your eyes roll, but believe me, it really is handled in a realistic and fascinating, yet humorous, manner. I had a little trouble keeping up with the fast moving plot, but the problem was insignificant compared to the fresh, original, humorous story. How often does a mere eight minutes leave a person attached to the principal characters and craving more info about them? The last third of the fansub was composed of a sort of music video which didn't move me one way or the other. Afterwards, I was disappointed to learn that there are at present no other episodes of Candy Boy. Apparently this originated as an ONA in November, and has been released as an OVA (with the song) as well. I'm hoping it's a teaser designed to stir up interest in a full-fledged TV or OVA series. If so, it's certainly had just the right effect on me! I was delighted to find an all new 15 minute ONA episode available for download in May. The nice quality of the artwork struck me instantly as the new episode began. Actually, it didn't turn out to be as silly and fun as I remember the original ONA being, but it was good nevertheless. I hope it doesn't turn out like School Days, where the original ONA was by far the best quality episode and things went downhill from there. But I'm already hooked on this show, for better or worse. The story seems to continue on from the first ONA, rather than retell it as I had expected, so the viewer is expected to have already seen that one (but it wouldn't kill you if you hadn't). One of the funniest moments was when you notice a visual joke from that episode that is still present in this one. There was a priceless silly-and-funny-yet-believable style to the original, which I pray will be recaptured here; but it's too early to say if it has been. Episode two confirmed by opinion that this series isn't as fun as the original teaser ONA, but I wasn't certain why. I couldn't say for certain that the jokes were any less funny. Perhaps the reason is that these seem to move at a much slower pace than I recall the original having. Still, I enjoy them. Kana is the smarter, more straight-laced sister who acts as the senior even though they are twins. Though not as smart, Yuki isn't an idiot by any means and can come up with fairly clever tactics to get the strange things she wants. Then there's Sakuya, who is somewhere between the sisters in terms of intelligence, is wealthy, behaves herself (not a stalker), and is determined to get what she wants. Yuki acts as Sakuya's source for Kana memorabilia (if the price is right), since Kana herself isn't interested in her admirer. The three work well together. There was nothing wrong with episode three, as Sakuya tags along with the sisters as they go home to visit their family. She is quite unaccustomed to rural life and watching her adjustment was fun. Episode four, involving the twins' problems with yet another sister (who feels they've abandoned her), was so-so; I didn't recall this person's name and it took awhile for me to figure out that she really is their little sister after all. Just one fairly good joke comes to mind, and the resolution of the problem was okay but not brilliant. I had hoped for more from this show, but I won't complain too much. A roughly 7-minute episode has become available as a fansub under the title "Candy Boy EX01". I am confused--why has yet another version of Candy Boy become available when the first presumably is still in production? Does "EX" stand for "extra" episodes? One thing that was clear, however, was that I really liked it. This one covered the twins' first arrival in Tokyo and settling into their dorm room. It seemed to have the same style and cleverness as the original ONA, something that had been lacking from the succeeding ones. *Me talking to myself is generally the most honest and reliable indicator of whether I'm truly enjoying a show or not. Another good indicator: I rewatched Candy Boy the very next day! Last updated Wednesday, November 19 2008. Created Saturday, January 19 2008. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
|---|---|
| Official AIC Japanese Website | http://www.anime-int.com/works/candyboy/ |
| Official Anime 2.0 Japanese Website | http://www.animation2.net/ |
| Official Cho! animelo Japanese Website | http://www.cho-animelo.com/candyboy |
