Brief IV

Utakoi’s delving into the 100 poems of Japan is done with an extremely interesting blend of modern popular culture references and traditional Japanese roles (in terms of both gender and class, which is extremely important for the poems themselves). Not only that, but the animation style—with thick black lines outlining everything and simply the way they animate rain—is some of the most interesting animation I’ve seen from anime. Most importantly, it doesn’t really alienate those who are unfamiliar with Japanese culture to a huge extent (it does alienate us some, however). You just have to remember the time period in which these poems were written; a time period where it was not only ok but expected of the women to stay at home and protect the house while the man earned their keep.