H2O: Footprints in the Sand

H2O: Footprints in the Sand is a Psychological, Supernatural, Romance anime about a blind junior-high boy (Takuma) who moves to a quite rural town. He is given the given the gift of sight in order for him to help the people who need it the most. The story to H2O is very simple and easy to follow however it tends to randomly add developments, just to complicate matters. After the first couple episodes you will begin to wonder when all the unexplained stuff will be explained but there’s no real urgency with this series. There seems to be a number of underlining plots in the storysuch as: the family name and honour, bullying, spirits, etc. The problem with this is that the story doesn’t have any real focus and just brings up stuff for its own convenience, rather than focusing on the actual romance. Just like how Otoha randomly appears. But I guess it helps the series to be this way, so that each episode is able to focus on a different story, yet still managing to link with the next one. The main aspect that let this anime down is the characters, seeing how hard it is not to hate some of them. It’s not really the character’s personalities but their actions and interaction that make some of them incredibly annoying to watch. The protagonist seemed interesting at first but after the first episode he lost his first unique aspect and became somewhat dull to watch. The only redeeming factor is that all the main characters get their own moment of development, in their own episode. The animation quality is pretty decent with a vibrate colour palette and somewhat fluid movements however the character designs and their enlarged heads do ruin things a bit. Also the excessive use of CG for spinning objects is a bit noticeable. The music was great, with one memorable melody played throughout but it didn’t always feel like a part of the show. The constant high-pitch yelling of certain annoying girls didn’t help things, in the sound department either. Overall H2O ended up being just another typical “visual novel” – to – “anime adaptation”, with plenty of potential but this was squandered after the major issue surrounding one of the main girls was resolved. For a short anime series, story didn’t really feel like it knew what direction it was heading in and a particular episode helped prove this point (eps. 8). In the end, with such mediocre characters and lack of focus and romance; just makes it easier to find a similar show to enjoy more but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy this series.

H2O has been a really interesting anime to watch, it certainly is a show that you're either going to love, or hate. Story: The story of this show is really a story that you will either enjoy from the beginning till the end, or start to question what the hell is going on and end up confused. IMO I enjoyed the story from beginning to end, they did have 2 certain episodes which I felt were not really necessary to have (ep 4, ep 8). I will say, I love animes that always gives me shocking moments that make me go OMGWTFWASTHATNOWAI! and H2O certainly giveme plenty of those, this show will throw you plot twists or curve balls out of nowhere that will just smack you in the face while you are the least prepared. Some people hated that about the show but I found it really cool. One issue in this anime however is that there are times where a major event gets barely any explanation or it gets a lack of emphasis. Overall if you can overlook some of the plot holes the story gives you will end up enjoying this story. Art: The art in H2O was nothing spectacular but it was by no means terrible, there were times where there was serious drop in quality but also times where everything looked gorgeous. But for the most part it kept a steady, fluent and nice animation quality that I enjoyed. Sound: Hmmm nothing really stands out from their soundtrack (although there are some serious piano DUUUUNNNNN moments which makes me lol) but it was not a bad one, I rather enjoyed the ED song a lot. Character: Ok wow, H2O is an anime that really knows how to make you hate others, you have the main girl Hayami being threated so badly and so inhumanely that you cannot help but just get pissed to all the ones doing harm to her. But in the center of this pot of hate the Grandfather of the Kagura family is probably the most hated anime character I have ever seen (move aside Makoto) by the end of this series you will wanna kill him with all your might. As for the other main characters, Hirose is your typical boy that gets into a chain of events and believes that doing the right thing blah blah blah...Kagura on the other hand I found had quite an interesting story to her and you could not help but feel sympathy for her at times. And for those who havent seen the show yet...I have 1 name that will make your skin crawl....Hamaji, that is all. Enjoyment: I really enjoyed H2O, the last episodes leading to the final one were nothing short of intensity and heavy plot development. I will say that you better watch out for the last episode for you will WTF to the end of time. Overall I think H2O is a good watch if you are looking for a romance/drama show that will make you spit your coffee while your drinking it because of what you've just seen, then this show is for you. H2O rocked my soul.

This is a very cute story that I think all girls should watch. I don't much recommend it for boys, unless they are in touch with their feminine side :) STORY: He magically becomes not blind? That sorta confused me a little, but I guess it was supposed to be like magic and stuff. This story is not totally like a lot of other anime stories, because it actually teaches something. I was a story that had morals and values. It shows that judging people is wrong. They seem to tie religion into the story a little. The story about the man walking with God iswhere the show got it's name, Footprints in the Sand. The explanations about some of the story and the character's lives took too long for them to explain. For awhile I was confused why everyone hated Hayami. It took them too long to explain it. But it’s things like that that kept me watching it so intently. Hotaru’s past is SAD!!! The story that she wrote as a little kid in her sketchbook is so cool because it ties into the story. It pretty much IS the story. Episodes 7 and 9 were by far my favorites. EPISODE 8 WAS SOOOO RANDOM AND CONFUSING! But then it got explained and everything was okay. Episode 11… was very demented in a way. The twist at the end was… PERFECT. I actually got shivers watching it. It was one of the best endings EVER! Gosh I want to spoil the story so badly. ART: Best landscape paintings ever. The drawings are good. In some episodes they seem better than in others. I don't know why that is. But overall I really enjoyed the drawings. In the last episode when they are all grown up I don't think they made some of the girls look old enough. I think they were supposed to be in their mid 20s and they still looked like teenagers. Maybe that's me being a little too picky. The softness of the coloring of the drawings are so beautiful! SOUND: Nice OP theme. They play the same background music all the time… but it’s pretty good I guess. Not the biggest fan of the ED but it’s cute I guess. There are some parts where the music they play is very Irish sounding. I really did enjoy those moments! They did a lot of good sound effects where they were needed :) Not gonna say much more without spoiling some things. CHARACTER: One thing I MUST say about this anime is that they have great character development. I didn’t like a few characters at first but grew to like them. Hotaru was the one character I really hated at first. But after explanations, she became one of my favorites! The characters all had friendships and pasts. Friendship that goes beyond all limits was a common theme in this anime. Hotaru and Hayami have the best friendship ever by the end. It’s so sad and inspiring! Otaha made me laugh ;) I love when she just randomly pops up out of nowhere all the time. Hirose’s uncle is sooooo weird. He makes me laugh in every single scene. Hirose is a good main character. He did get a tad annoying in a few episodes. But he is so hot grown up! Hayami's past and the way people treated her and she still stayed so strong was very inspirational! ENJOYMENT: Lots of boob jokes. Lots of funny scenes. But there are even more sad scenes. I cried... in at least 4 episodes. Out of 12... that's a good amount. I'm gonna miss watching it and sitting at the edge of my seat wondering what was gonna happen next!!! Overall, a great anime and I recommend it for sure!

Before we get to my actual review, I would like the viewers to understand that I AM NOT A SUMMARIZER. If you want to know what's the plot, read the SUMMARY, and don't mark me down for not saying anything about the story. I tell you what elements are impacting in the story and what my opinion is. ANYWAYS... H20~ Footprints in the Sand~ is an anime with a similar feel to that of Air TV, but with some feasible romance. I loved this anime for it's very little, yet hilarious humor and ground shaking romance that never ceases to make my heart twitch. Yes, itis really that good; if you have read the summary, you should know that the main protagonist is blind. That alone sets way for some traumatic drama that will have you your eyes leaking that one tiny, puny tear that emasculates anybody. Overall 10/10; Why? Because this anime is so perfect for the romance lovers that its scary, plus the ending is pure perfection! Although some would call it questionable, everyone should take a chance to watch this anime and understand the romance otaku generation!