Natsuyuki Rendezvous
Plot Summary: Ryosuke works part-time as a florist. He has
bad eyesight, a pure heart, and a secret crush on the store manager, Rokka.
Unfortunately for him, Rokka swore off love 8 years ago. But when Ryosuke goes
up to her apartment on the second floor, he runs into a good-looking half-naked
man. At first upset, he learns that this isn't Rokka's live-in boyfriend; he's
the ghost of her late husband, Atsushi. She can't see him, and Ryosuke decides
not to give up on her, even with a dead husband standing in the way.
Natsuyuki Rendezvous
was the show that convinced me the summer season wasn’t going to be a waste. At
the time, I hadn’t started Sword Art
Online yet and both standouts this season, arguably Kokoro Connect and Tari Tari,
hadn’t yet hit their peak. But then this came rolling along from Noitamina and
I fell in love.
The character relation between Hazuki and Rokka was timid,
but great at the beginning. And this isn’t a high school drama anime where you
piddle around for episode upon episode waiting for someone to confess. No,
Hazuki came right out and said it on day one. The comedy aspect of waiting
around episode after episode can work sometimes (but not all time time), but it
definitely would not have worked here and I’m glad that it got out of the way
quickly.
Besides that, the realism of a woman who’s lost her husband
and still mourning over him eight years later is a little out there, but I’m
willing to suspect disbelief and give it a chance. I honestly didn’t realize
this wasn’t very believable until after the fact (though I suppose it isn’t out
of the question; it’s just that Rokka is 30 now).
I also enjoyed Hazuki’s gall in going after the much older
Rokka. It’s a nice change of pace from the timid, unsure, and often scared high
school love stories. Hazuki is an absolutely believable character that’s only
flaw is the woman he fell in love with. Ok, he’s a little timid as well in that
he’s been buying things from this shop for quite a while. But we don’t have to
watch that and by the beginning of the series, he’s sick of his own timidity.
That’s saying nothing of the ghost of Rokka’s husband is
watching over her to make sure she’s happy. But more on that later. What really
bugged me about the series was the extended dream sequence of Hazuki’s after he
lent Shimao (Rokka’s husband) his body. Shimao went from loving husband to
almost crazed lunatic after this and it wasn’t a character change that I very
much appreciated. On top of that, Hazuki was left in some weird storybook land
where nothing really interesting was happening. For me, it was alright for two
or three episodes, but became nigh on unbearable after that. I only kept
watching because the interrelation between Rokka and Shimao, now in Hazuki’s
body but Rokka doesn’t know, was very interesting.
I wouldn’t immediately call this show great as a result. It’s
really good, but not much more than that. If you’re looking for a cute love
story with a storybook ending, check it out.
Rating: 7.5/10
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