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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Watch | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:893#1552] |
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Yokohama Shopping Trip makes for a decent time killer special thanks to the pleasant mood the series gives off. Essentially, it's just a look into the everyday activity of Alpha as she goes about her daily routines running her cafe and going around the post-apocalyptic countryside of Japan. The series has a likeable cast and the pen-and-ink art style sports some beautiful looking artwork with vast scenery and good-looking character designs. With the series being only two episodes and not giving much depth to its world and cast however, it really limits any chance one would have of wanting to rewatch this series more than once. Also, it definitely won't be for everyone due to its mellow mood and lack of action. But if you are looking for a relaxing title to get into, Yokohama Shopping Trip is a good title to get latched on for over an hour.
Last updated Saturday, December 03 2011. Created Saturday, December 03 2011. | ||||||||
| Buy | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
 Dreamer
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[series:893#2279] |
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I picked this one up not knowing what to expect. The synopsis really didn't help in figuring out if it was worth watching. Art, Animation and Character Design The artwork does show its age... being that we're talking about the late 90's. However, it's still pretty good. The colors are still vibrant and the animation isn't bad for sure. The character designs were about average.... with "Alpha", our protagonist, being just uber cute! Music Starting off, the OP was a nice slow jazz piece that definitely gave away that it was a 90's piece. It was still a welcome and refreshing piece as opposed to many of today's anime OPs. There's various pieces of soft instrumentals and similar songs that gives a sense of relaxation. Series and Episode Story I like this anime! First off let me tell you.... there's a few things you "won't" find in this anime. You won't find any battles, or serious drama or an epic love story or anything of the sort. In fact, one of the most dramatic moments is when she "burned" the coffee beans! Yup! How exciting right? However, what you will find is a laid back simple tale of an android named "Alpha", who's as normal as any "real" girl gets. This story is nothing more than the average day in the life of Alpha.... simple but entertaining nevertheless. The one thing the plot doesn't tell you is how things turned out the way they're presented in the anime. But actually, I think it turned out better than way. Sometimes, things left unknown and simply accepting the "reality" as is, makes the story at hand more enjoyable. For the most part, the whole anime has an artistic feel to it, such as it's silent panning of sceneries, it's subtle sound effects like rustling leaves in the wind, or creaking of window hinges in the breeze. Overall, it was enjoyable. It's probably not for most viewers and trying to describe what this anime is like.... well, I'd probably say it's an acquired taste. Last updated Wednesday, March 04 2009. Created Wednesday, March 04 2009. | ||||||||
| Watch | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
 Devil Doll
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[series:893#752] |
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[Score: 68%]
I somehow wish anything of importance would have happened; then again, the fact that nothing of importance does happen may be the main message of the story. But what I'm missing much more is a number of explanations - not about why civilization has apparently broken to pieces but why certain things are as they are shown. How can there be a remaining civilization that still provides replacement parts for robots and at the same time doesn't care about the electricity being used for lightening a whole city buried under the sea now? And how do the remaining people of this almost deserted area make their living? I was scratching my head during most of the show, preventing me from enjoying the mood of this show. Given these problems of the scenario I completely fail to understand the motivation of the characters as well. Okay, Alpha may not have that genetic component that made mankind strive for the conquest of the world - but what about the remaining humans? These old people we get to see (the gas station owner and the medical doctor), they are humans, right? They just live there all alone and don't care about the rest of the world on which their survival depends, right? So, with neither a real Series Story nor any Character development (except for Alpha experiencing different variations of tears), what does this OVA give you? A lot of calm, quiet scenes where Alpha hesitates to take pictures with her camera for no reason she would understand herself; friendly attitude of all remaining people regardless of who they are. Unlike all post apocalyptic shows I've seen to date this one presents "the dawn of mankind", and nobody is complaining about what happened - compare this to, say, Pale Cocoon which sends quite the opposite message from a not too different scenario. Art (most notably faces and hair styles) is somehow old style given the production date; Animation was the best part of this show, with lots of little movements that really gave life to Alpha. I dislike the music with its jazzy touch; most of this show is as quiet as the story so I don't remember a single tune from this work. All in all, an artsy slice-of-life show in a scattered world, and as such an interesting new experience; perhaps NieA_7 might come closest to this one. But I don't see anything that could make me watch this show again. Last updated Wednesday, January 02 2008. Created Wednesday, January 02 2008. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 Stretch
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[series:893#628] | ||||||
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Alpha's "shopping trip" is in fact done with by the time the opening credits have finished rolling. How do I describe this show? Numerous keywords have been assigned to it, yet it is somehow unlike any other anime I've seen. Conspicuously absent is "action" of any sort (except an accident Alpha experiences in OVA2), and the comedy is very restrained. Perhaps most appropriate is the keyword "artistic". These OVAs open with soothing, relaxing music, which gives a hint of the overall tone. The fact that so few of the images I saved contain any subtitles is indicative of the way this show relies on beautiful artwork and music to tell it's story (such as it is). Minutes go by with very little dialogue--what there is is usually Alpha talking to herself. A celebration of life, perhaps--except that paradoxically, the main character is a robot. She certainly acts like a real-live woman, as she expresses gratitude, becomes embarassed, and ponders beautiful scenery. She is neither naive nor simple-minded. Being as lifelike as she is, you might call this a slice-of-life-for-robots sort of show. Life is quiet and peaceful in this region, but there are a number of hints that things haven't always been this way. Maybe the secret is that being a robot, Alpha is uninterested in things like strife and danger, and is able to appreciate the innate beauty of the world around her. Anyway, this is definitely an "acquired taste", which some will love and others will hate, so I'll go with the catch-all rating of "Rent". I'm glad I watched it at least once.
Last updated Monday, June 12 2006. Created Monday, June 12 2006. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
|---|---|
| Sony Anime Web Site | http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Animation/yokohama/ |
| Wikipedia entry for this series | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokohama_Kaidashi_Kik%C5%8D |
| Manga Fansite | http://www.cafealpha.org/ |
