Hen

This is a review of the DVD version of "Strange Love" released by U.S. Manga Corps in 1999. It was viewed with English voice overs. "Strange Love" falls into the category of romance comedy with a significant number of ecchi scenes. Parental Warning: This is not for children. While there is nothing explicit shown in "Strange Love", it contains a few sex scenes, or implied ones. It also contains some scenes with female topless nudity. The age on the box indicated 16 and up, but the warnings included with the video state it is for 18 and up. Story: 4/10 The story is divided into two episodes.In the first, the tale examines the interaction between Chizuru, an attractive high school student, and a teacher, Sushiaki. Although some other characters make brief appearances, none of them have much of the impact on the events. The teacher is presented as the main character in this segment, and his obsession with Chizuru drives a majority of the plot in the first episode. However, his ineptitude continually prevents him from ever fulfilling his desires. The first episode never accomplishes much beyond introducing these two characters and showing their faults, and the final scene is a jarring confirmation of just how big of a liar Chizuru is. The 2nd episode is the stronger of the two. Sushiaki does not appear in this episode, though he is referenced. Instead Chizuru is presented as the main character. This tale examines her relationship with a rockstar and her growing affection for a new younger student, Azumi. The rockstar at first seems to be using Chizuru, but by the end it seems that he's the one being used. Meanwhile, Azumi's innocence and naivety are integral to various scenes, including the final climax. Characters: 3/10 As shown in the first episode, Chizuru is shown to be a brilliant, controlling, manipulative liar. By contrast, in the second episode, she is depicted as much more vulnerable and sometimes confused. This extreme difference in attitude and behavior is never really explained, making it difficult to understand Chizuru. Ultimately, she seems unlikable. The rockstar is equally unlikable, yet his motives and behavior are at least consistent. Azumi seems overly naive, yet that may be explainable depending on how young she really is. Sushiaki, the inept teacher, could have been omitted entirely. This may have allowed for more time to explore the strange love-triangle relationship that forms between Chizuru, Azumi and the rockstar. Art / Animation: 2/10 The character designs in "Strange Love" are very unappealing. They have some of the ugliest mutated human ears ever shown in anime. Even worse, they seem to go out of their way to show them in nearly every scene. In addition, the characters have extremely long pointed chins. While other characters in other series may have pointed chins, the ones here seem overly crude and out of proportion. Some of the characters also have disproportionately long legs. Overall, the designs serve as a continual distraction throughout the episodes. Meanwhile, the animation is very simple and not very fluid. Ironically or perhaps intentionally, Chizuru's breasts seem to be have been given better animation than several other animated elements in the show. Sound / Voice: 6/10 Soundtrack, background music and sound effects were ok. The voice actors seemed to do a fair job with the material. This is probably the highlight of an otherwise forgettable show. Enjoyment: 2/10 With the unlikable characters and very weak opening episode, there is little to enjoy in "Strange Love". Final Verdict: 3/10 The strange character designs and simple animation leave a lot to be desired. Combined with a relatively weak story and unlikeable characters, there isn't much reason to view this. I don't recommend watching this.