Sky of Iriya, Summer of UFO

Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu is a 6-episode OVA. It aired between the 28th of January, 2005, and the 8th of July, 2005. The genres include: drama, romance, sci-fi, mystery, comedy, action. Story The two main characters, Asaba Naoyuki and Iriya Kana meet during the final day of summer break. Shortly after, Iriya transfers to Asaba's school, and the both of them get to know each other better, although there are many mysteries surrounding Iriya. When you think it's going to be a sweet love story, it comes with a dark sci-fi spin, though the series mostly focuses on their relationship and their ups and downs, tillthe very dramatic finish. Although, I have to say, it gets more and more dark and sad with every episode. Animation Toei did the animation for this series. It's very nice to look at; it's fluid, it has good character designs and the backgrounds are beautiful. The CG was a big plus to the series. However there were bad parts, but thankfully not very often. Sound Except for the awesome OP, the sound was so-so. The voice actors did their job, but sometimes their performances were pretty bad. There's not a lot of BGM, which could have been used more to enhance some scenes etc. Character The characters were the best aspect of the show. The two main characters, Iriya and Asaba are great together, and the supporting characters did a great job; the over-the-top club president, the feisty little sister, the strict military guys and so on. All the characters were realistic and made the story easy to watch. Enjoyment I have to say that I enjoyed this anime a lot. Sure, it's short, but the impression it gives you is pretty damn strong. The genres were all over the place; at on second you have a sweet scene with Iriya and Asaba, and the next you have a totally hilarious hand-to-hand combat scene involving two minor characters. The story isn't rushed even though the entire anime is about two hours long. Everything progresses slow and steady, from the beginning to the climatic ending. I'm not sure to whom I should recommend this, since it's such a different kind of love story, with dark sci-fi influences. I guess you have to be into the romance parts to enjoy this fully (like me). Overall: 8/10 Don't know what more to say. If you decide to watch it, be ready for a good ride. :D

Overall: Iriya no Sora, was a very touching anime, albeit short with only 6 episodes. I enjoyed watching this series very much. Story: Its a sci-fi kind of romance story, that I dig, so some people arent into the romance thing, and its up to them if they wish to watch. One thing is that since there are only a few episodes, they didnt do very much explaining, some things are left completely in the dark. Art: The art was very good, usually pretty colorful and rich, especially in those memorable moments where you feel kinda warm and fuzzy inside. Sound: Not a bad opening and closing forthis kind of anime, and there were no objectionable bgms either. Character: They didnt have much time to develop the characters, however, the main characters were quite memorable, especially Iriya. Enjoyment: I have to say that im a big fan of romance anime so I enjoyed this series very much, however if you dont really like romance, then there isnt much else that may get you hooked, so its a kind of love hate thing.

"Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu". I saw this was recommended to people who enjoyed Saikano, so i thought i'd give it a try. Even though the story seemed awkward from the synopsis, i was actually looking forward to it. My first impression was "Oh, i hate how the main character is drawn". I decided to let it be, that i wouldn't let such a minor detail smuther my enjoyment, since i had heard and read good things about this. Fortunately, he was the only eye-sore. The art was pretty well made, and in the end it was one of the best qualities of thisanime. The setting was the average cliche school drama anime. Girl/boy meets boy/girl under peculiar circumstances, and the next day boy/girl transfers to girl's/boy's class. This didn't bother me at all, i actually didn't even think of it as cliche until now, while i'm writing this. The story was rather unique, and was another of the animes better selling points. What wasn't so appealing were the characters personalities. Some of the characters seemed more like they were created for the sole purpose of creating humorous situations. Let's take the club-president (i forgot the name) for example. An overly eccentric UFO-maniac who doesn't seem to have much relevancy to the plot. This wasn't the biggest problem with the characters in this anime, however. What i found more disturbing were some of the characters actions and responses, that reaked of irrationality, and wich i would deem unnatural and melodramatic. Often even unlogical, but that can be swept under the carpet due to the reasoning of "actions caused by feelings are rarely logical". "Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu" is an anime with a unique plot and great potential, wich is ruined by badly made characters, and their badly made personalities. This anime deserved a 3, but i gave it a 4 in the end due to the pretty graphics and unique story. This was a tacky review made by me. Forgive the tackiness, it's past midnight and i'm sleepy.

I had Iriya no Sora on my list for a long time. Having greatly enjoyed HanTsuki, six episodes isn't a flaw to me, so I was looking forward to it. What I found was an interesting anime to analyze, one that's deeply flawed yet touching. Story 6: The story is jumbled towards the beginning. The scene is never truly set, characters react to extreme events and statements far more matter of factly than if it were set in modern time. A large part of this is it being only six episodes so it did not have much of a chance for story development. It feels slightlyset in the future, but for the most part the main character is largely in the dark as to what's going on as well, which is why you learn as it goes on. However, there are multiple points in the story where it's easy to tell parts are missing, and it causes it to feel disjointed at times. Art 7: The art is pretty standard for an anime from 2006 or so. It's nothing that stands out overly for good or bad. For it's time though, it's fine. Sound 8: The opening is very nostalgic of the openings from that same time, such as for Air, or HanTsuki. Otherwise the ending was rather unremarkable, and the sound in the anime aren't overly impressive, but again for an old anime that's pretty standard, so for me the op bumps up the score. Character: 6 From the start, as much as I wanted to like the characters, and I did, it was still easy to see their flaws. Far too easy. The main character is pretty standard. Overly polite and pushover and nice. The girl is also pretty bland. A lot of their interactions are him just talking at her. She is a pretty character, and the development of her backstory does explain why she is. Part of that was due to the story and the lack of time to develop characters. However then I look at anime like HanTsuki, with very tight, consistent development. It was still easy to get attached to the characters, however there are times when they act contrary to their personalities. Obviously characters don't always act the same, but when it's a change on the spur of the moment, completely out of the blue that the nice main character acts like a jerk, it's still grating and shows the characters needed to be fleshed out more first. Enjoyment 8: In spite of its flaws, I did enjoy the series. It's emotional, touching, even if it's nothing truly special. But for six episodes, it is worth it. However it's also easy to see that if someone would get irritated by the two main characters not having much for personalities, then it would not be for them. Overall 7: It's a good anime, touching on the subjects of love, protecting one another, and how far you can let loved ones go, with a heartbreaking twist. However, its flaws are far too pronounced, even if I try to dismiss them, to rate it higher than this. Solid, and one that I certainly don't regret watching, but that could certainly be better and to some extent is a husk of its true potential.