Sakura Diaries
Director
Tsuguo Ozara
Production
Kitty Film, Shaft, Victor Entertainment
Country of origin
Japan
Format
OVA
Running time
12 episodes
Year
1997
Sakura Diaries Collection
By John Huxley
6th Sep 05  If I were held at gunpoint and the given the choice of death or a Richard Curtis movie (a likely scenario I’m sure you’ll agree), I’d take the bullet every time. Well, I’d probably be killed before the situation arose again, but at least the pain would only last a second rather than the agonising 90+ minutes of Love Actually (or however long that goddamn film lasts). That’s not to say that I loath the romantic comedy altogether; there are a few decent entries into the genre, none of which involve Richard Curtis or Hugh Grant. Unfortunately for the entire male population, romantic comedies are equally popular in Japanese anime. But unlike their western counterparts, anime romantic comedies appear to attract plaudits despite sharing many of the genre’s less desirable qualities. So what exactly separates Love Actually and Love Hina? I don’t know. What, were you expecting an answer? Well, I’m afraid that’s beyond the scope of this review! All I know is that I’m able to watch Love Hina quite happily without resorting to thoughts of self-harm, which is good enough for me. So what of Sakura Diaries? A 12 episode romantic comedy from creator Ujin, this anime predates Love Hina and is here released on DVD in its entirety. A hapless country boy with lofty ambitions, Touma is studying in an effort to secure his place at one Tokyo’s top universities. Hardly the most studious of pupils, Touma fails the entrance exams, blaming his misfortune on a boisterous teenage callgirl who mistakenly interrupted his studies the night before. Regardless, he finds new vigour when he falls head over heels for a beautiful young redhead called Meiko who he meets during the entrance exam for Keio university. Love struck, Touma lies to Meiko and claims to have passed the entrance exam in an effort to impress her. With a year of prep school ahead of him, Touma takes refuge in his uncle’s Tokyo apartment and sets out his future plans...which inevitably involve Meiko, of course! When he arrives at the apartment, however, he’s more than a little surprised to find the teenage callgirl standing in the doorway - and what’s worse, she’s his cousin Urara! Caught between the girl who loves him and the girl he loves, Touma must balance his increasingly troubled personal life alongside his lofty academic ambitions. Taken at face value, Sakura Diaries might appear to be a slightly old-fashioned romantic comedy in vein of Kimagure Orange Road or Maison Ikkoku. The dated artwork, generic storyline and archaic presentation certainly seem to suggest that Sakura Diaries is the product of a bygone era, yet nothing could be further from the truth. There’s little pretence of innocence behind this dated facade; where Maison Ikkoku and its contemporaries only ever dabbled in lighthearted innuendo, Sakura Diaries stops just short of soft-core porn. From the very first moments we’re privy to Urara in various states of undress in what turns out to be the first of many risque scenarios involving the two cousins, culminating in an attempted rape scene that’s honestly a million miles away from Rumiko Takahashi. Of course things never become too graphic - this is a 15 certificate after all - but it’s far from the innocent romantic comedy it might first appear to be. Another potential sticking point for the less liberal-minded is the fact that Sakura Diaries deals with incestuous relationships. Yet Sakura Diaries doesn’t treat the topic in such a way that it could be considered exploitative, so this really shouldn’t be much of an issue for the majority of viewers. However, if the mere mention of this taboo has you squirming in your seat, you may want to think twice about buying Sakura Diaries. Obviously. Sexual tensions run high as the love triangle between Touma, Urara and Meiko gathers momentum. Actually, it’s more of a love pentagon if you factor in Tatsuhiko, Touma’s rival for Meiko’s heart and Komi, Urara’s friend with a juvenile crush on Tatsuhiko. While the central male role in romantic comedies is often a very sympathetic one, Touma comes across as a careless, selfish person buried under the weight of his own lies. It may seem difficult to feel sympathy for such a character, but through his own monologue we come to realise that he’s not a bad person at heart, he’s just unable to express himself openly to the opposite sex. His flurry of lies not only land him in all sorts of trouble, he also ends up unintentionally hurting those that are closest to him. Often the victim of these lies, Urara is a sweet, kindhearted girl who would travel to ends of the earth for Touma. Which is why we’re left with the feeling that Touma doesn’t really deserve her, and Urara is very much mislead in her obsession with her cousin. This in itself is unusual in romantic comedies - the apparently mismatched couple normally turn out to be a perfect match - but then again, Sakura Diaries isn’t your average romcom; it’s more of a romantic drama with heavy comedic aspects, lacking in the usual feel good factor that mars much of the genre. And as a drama, Sakura Diaries is mostly successful. The characters, while not entirely likeable, should be able to keep your interest peaked for the duration. Along with some solid storytelling, it’s really very hard not become engrossed in the whole situation even during some of the more cheese-filled moments. It’s just a simple story told well. As a comedy, however, Sakura Diaries meets with mixed results. While there are plenty of funny moments, the sometimes very heavy atmosphere doesn’t leave much room for humour, resulting in what feels like some badly forced routines. When the topic of discussion is attempted rape, comedy should really be the last thing on your mind. Awkward though these situations are, they’re mercifully few and far between. Most of the laughs are derived from Touma’s perverted monologue or his unfortunate case of verbal diarrhea, which more often than not lands him in a particularly embarrassing situation. Although Sakura Diaries’ comedy isn’t especially sophisticated, the almost total lack slapstick routines is actually quite refreshing. Yet there’s really not enough quality here to warrant buying Sakura Diaries for this reason alone. Combined with the more successful dramatic aspects, however, Sakura Diaries is a far more potent mixture. All things considered, I found myself pleasantly surprised by Sakura Diaries. It’s not a groundbreaking work by any stretch of the imagination, and in truth there are better alternatives readily available. But as this release includes all 12 episodes in one handy package, it’s certainly well worth a look.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English 2.0 audio, English subtitles, clean open/close, unused closing theme
Release information: UK: ADV, out now
Notes: ADV have understandably gone for the sex appeal aspect of Sakura Diaries, and they could hardly have chosen a better piece of artwork for the cover. Depicting an unusually large-breasted Urara in a snug white top and hot pants revealing just a hint of panties, it’s undoubtedly an eye-catching cover if nothing else. Urara changes into her beachwear for half of the double-page spread on the inside of the box, with the other half taken up by smaller screencaps and a chapter listing. The box itself is the size and shape of a regular DVD case, with the second disc housed in a small plastic mould. It feels sturdy enough and works well. Of course, this being an older release extras are thin on the ground, with only a clean open/close and a bonus unused closing theme on the second disc. And to be honest, the original tunes are quite catchy, so I can see why they didn’t bother to use this extra closing animation. Not exactly an exceptional release from ADV, but that’s not entirely unexpected considering the age of the material.
-- John Huxley 6th Sep 05
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