Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

I've seen numerous 10/10 ratings for Yokohama Shopping Trip (or Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou), and almost never anything below 8/10. So I decided, since it's only two episodes long, it had to be worth a try. It may well be the single most boring thing I have ever seen in my life. The main character spent a good fifteen minutes trying to take a photo but being unable to get the right shot. That's it. Later on, she looks at some lights under a lake. It's a pretty sight, no doubt, and there's nothing wrong with a scene of atmospheric tranquility, but it goes like this: lingeringshot of lights, lingering shot of face, lingering shot of lights, lingering shot of face, lingering shot of lights, lingering shot of face, lingering shot of lights, lingering shot of face....in silence for at least five minutes. I can't see any way in which that's anything less than incredibly dull. And the animation! I've seen reviews praising the way the animation brings the main character's personality out vividly - but it's a lie! The art isn't bad, but the animation is downright poor. Alpha (the main character) has two expressions: 'slack-jawed gawp', and 'suprise' - and it soon becomes obvious that 'surprise' is the same slack-jawed gawp but with pink cheeks. The only other recurring character is the old man down the road, and he has only one expression! His facial features never move more than a fraction of an inch! The worst example of animation in this, though, was the scooter-sideways incident. There was a sustained shot of Alpha riding her scooter, 'filmed' from behind. This was fine on the straight stretch of road, but then she came to some kind of curve or bend - but it took me a moment to realise that's what it was meant to be, because what actually happens is she leans slightly and moves directly sideways. It's HIDEOUS. I'm completely nonplussed by the seemingly universal love of this anime. It makes watching paint dry seem eventful; at least paint progresses from wet to dry. The technical ineptitude only serves to make the experience painful as well as boring, leaving me with a weird feeling of being sedated and then beaten with wads of damp tissue paper.

~ Story ~ Yokohoama Kaidashi Kikou is a "slice of life" series. Like many of the genre, there really isn't much of a story to speak of. The series is about Alpha, a humanoid robot living in one of the coastal regions of Japan. Her owner had gone on a journey and left her there to tend a coffee shop (aptly named Cafe Alpha). It takes place in Earth's future, during a time when global warming has caused the polar ice caps to melt. Human society is on the decline and the pace of life has slowed to a crawl.The oceans have risen, causing the world's coastal cities to lay underwater. What is left of humanity has moved to the higher regions where they live out somewhat primitive lives. Most of the roads are in a state of disrepair, but life goes on in a calm manner. Humanity's last achievement, so it seems, was the creation of human shaped robots (like Alpha). There have been many iterations of these robots, but Alpha seems to be one of the first (and only) of her kind. All the others we see are more advanced models (like Kokone, for example). ~ Art ~ Initially released in 1998, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou was two episodes. The image quality and animation was on par with other work at the time. Somehow, the whole series had an 80's feel. I think this may have had something to do with the size of Alpha's sunglasses. ~ Sound ~ The soundtrack for Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou was written and performed by GONTITI, a Japanese folk duo. They claim to make the "most comfortable music on earth." In this sense, I wholeheartedly agree. The soundtrack was not overwhelming and worked well with the imagery. In terms of dialog, the voice actors were perfect for their roles. ~ Overall ~ Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is one of the most calming series I've ever seen and read. The artwork, music, and story work extremely well together to create a beautiful work of art. At first glance, most people will probably not enjoy this work since it obviously lacks any coherent story. Even watching the series to completion leaves the viewer feel unfulfilled. It doesn't leave much of an impression and may be quickly forgotten. However, a change in mindset may boost the way a person looks at this work. I would recommend this series for those who want something calming to watch. The soundtrack stands alone as well, and makes extremely good background music. It also makes very good (if not horribly inappropriate) fragging music for Unreal Tournament. If you seek something that goes against the grain of the norm or a mood piece, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is for you. If you're a fan of action, romance, harem, slapstick comedy, brain hurting, or lots of shinys, then I would recommend against watching this. Chances are, you'll be bored to death and end up falling asleep before the end of the opening sequence.

It’s hard to rate Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou accurately. After watching this first OVA, I decided to read a bit of the manga too. The manga is a little better suited for the slow pace, I think. Really not much happens. You don’t get a clear view of what’s going on through the episodes. However, the storyline probably wasn’t the point of this. What it wanted was to make you feel it. It’s very relaxing, and it goes along at such a leisurely pace. Characters come across nicely, and Alpha is very likeable. We don’t get to learn much about her owner, again, you do notget the experience of delving into a complicated storyline, but rather a very simple one. Sometimes I find watching this sort of anime enjoyable. I did enjoy Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, and I like it’s setting especially. The backgrounds and animation are very beautiful. Slice of post-apocalyptic stories and just slice-of-life or everyday life stories are fun to watch for me. While most will probably think this show disagreeable, others will like it for it’s calming music and pretty animation.