Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my favorites, May 7, 2005
I am too familiar with and well aware of the areas in which Ai Yori Aoshi may be criticized. And on an intellectual level I would agree. There is absolutely no purpose to Tina's overtly perverse and rude behavior, which was for all intent a grossly distorted crack at American conduct. Taeko may have been more amiable had the character not been a stereotypical clumsy but well-meaning goof of a beauty who is the most endowed among the cast. And Aoi is so subservient, deferring her own wishes, ambitions and aspirations to a weakling that had abandoned her in the first place that it defies reality and suspends disbelief. And its most significant failing may be said to be its dishonesty. To begin with exposition of a profound romantic premise that after four episodes takes not just a detour, but a full 180-degree turn to become something less and driven by slapstick and fanservice is just deceitful and misleading. As a romantic drama, the title is guilty of all its shortcomings.
But what if the original intent had not been to create a romantic drama, but to sell a product that is highly popular among male demographics? And what if success in this business venture was to be found in illustrated literature that falls under a genre in which a harem was not only common, but fundamental? Moreover, what if author and artist Fumizuki Kou was a skilled and gifted writer able to conceive strong situations that test his characters and thus move his readers? And, that despite his need to eat and pay rent or the mortgage, his respect for his own artistry forbids him from producing entirely unsubstantial material, that he devises a plan to bring about warmth, richness, and dimension to the product. And that he does so by setting its foundation on the love of two childhood friends bethrothed to one another but separated by bitter familial politics. But he would decisively and canonically establish an exciting destiny for these two no matter who was thrown in the mix. And to highten and strengthen the dramatic impact, he would develop the two in the most engrossing fashion by sparsely placing throughout the series the tender, touching, inspiring, and captivating moments of intimacy shared between them. And as the two of them engage one another, we are exposed to their thoughts and emotions, raw in the pursuit of the other's well being but founded on a compelling desire to be the source of nourishment to the other. Finally, their interaction would be pure, honest, mutually exclusive, and courageously untainted by any form of wanton and gratuitous sexual provacation (Tina's antics notwithstanding) as is common in today's smut being passed off as romance. What if the powerful romantic elements of Ai Yori Aoshi was merely a component used to enrich the product belonging to a genre from which there certainly was no shortage?
This is how I view Ai Yori Aoshi. It is an enjoyable harem anime based on a fine manga. As a harem anime, it would then be expected for one male to end up in situations where he is living with many women. Yet, the title sets itself apart in execution, as it profoundly explores and develops that romantic component that was sorely neglected in Love Hina and diverted away from in Tenchi. It is also ludicrous to judge the character of Aoi Sakuraba in light of western upbringing and not consider the cultural context from which she was conceived. Whatever it is that one may say about her only demonstrates one's position about the culture, and not fallacies about her conception. The Aoi and Kaoru moments were few indeed, but they were moving and utterly delightful, and their rareness made them all the more special when they did occur. I have nothing but the deepest affection and fondness for Ai Yori Aoshi. I've not seen anything as breadthly emotional in a romance, not the books I've read by jaded authors nor any film or video to which their efforts I ascribe superficial. This title is one that I continue to watch over and over again. If the elitist viewer can get over him or herself, there is much to enjoy in this fine production.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enishi's Unending End, July 17, 2009
I must admit that when I originally watched the entire Ai Yori Aoshi series ( including the second season, Enishi ), I too felt disappointed and a little let down at what seems at first to be a very open ending. But following a second run-through, I better appreciate what is its essentially laid-back "slice-of-life" approach. Although there are few real surprises in this final volume of the series, it nicely wraps the entire gang up and returns to the examination of basic feelings of the principal characters.
The simultaneous strength and weakness of Ai Yori Aoshi is its basis in what was at the time an ongoing manga series of the same name. Since it remains faithful to its original source, it shares the same general structure, with only a little tinkering and shifting of plot elements. That means it bounces between the sentimentality of the Aoi/Kaoru relationship and the often-manic actions of supporting characters, particularly Tina, Taeko, and Chika, with no real conventional "end" in sight. Happily, in this final volume, we tune down the frenetic behaviour and return to the strong personal stories that made the first volume of the first season such a delight; and if we don't exactly get a "final solution" in the form of wedding bells ( other than in Kaoru's dreams ) or anything else really overt, we at least discover a satisfactory stopping point.
For Aoi and Kaoru, the first episode on this disc provides an opportunity for potential "consummation" and to "take their relationship to the next level"; this is as good as it's ever going to get - for us or them - or needs to. Having finally gotten that out of the way, we turn to the intricacies of the relationships within their "extended family" in the mansion. Although it is Tina Foster who serves as the somewhat surprising focus of the final three-episode mini-arc, she is only a representative of intertwined bond, the "enishi" of the title, that connects all the characters. Although I would have liked to see more of their future antics and activities, as the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end"!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
WARNING!, February 5, 2009
This is a VERY sweet and affecting series, but at the "end?" of Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi we have essentially the same situation we started with, save that one of the girls discovers/suspects the secret engagement.
Some people prefer an open, even a VERY open ending. The ending here was either a hasty wrap up after the plug was pulled, a purposefully intense tease to make sure we break down the door when part 3 is released, or the creators' admission that they don't have the talent for a follow through.
My whole reason for delving into a 'harem' series was that this seemed like one that wouldn't leave things hanging. It is NOT.
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