Ivy

Full disclosure: I did not have subtitles and I only understood about 1/20 words, because I have never even attempted to learn Japanese. I've picked up a few words here and there, but not enough to have any idea what the song "Ivy" is about. Also, I had never heard of Kano or her song "Ivy" before seeing this. Like my last review, I just found this entry near the bottom of the MAL Top Anime list (under 100 members have it on their list) and clicked on it by chance. This time, luck was on my side. Story 4/10: There is a bit of story tothis video. It has a beginning, middle, and end. It is slightly humorous at times and sweet. It is not a unique or particularly interesting story, though. It's also necessarily barebones, because it's only a few minutes long. Art 4/10: The art is amateurish, but not downright bad. Decent character design. Animation is lacking. However, the visuals are nicely timed to the music, and suit the mood of the song well. Sound 8/10: Not gonna lie, this song is dope. Reminds me of the band カラスは真っ白 [A crow is white]. Character 5/10: Not much can be gleaned about the boy from the video. The girl is likeable though. I would describe her as "determined, yet moe". Enjoyment 8/10: I really liked the song and that was a pleasant surprise. I also have a weakness for moe girls, so that helped. Overall 6/10: When reviewing a music video, I think the question is how much the visuals add to the experience. In this case, the visuals really bring the song to life. They give a character and a story to the song, which, though quite basic, I will probably think of whenever I hear this song again. And I will hear this song again, because it's pretty great. I just doubt I'll watch the video again, because it's not nearly as good as the song.