Sorairo Utility

This anime is a perfect example of how a great production team can deliver an amazing product even with the handicap of this being the length of a YouTube video. In 15 minutes this anime gives you a short but sweet look at a girls passion for golf. The only thing I could compare this to is Master Chef (hang on I know this sounds weird but trust me.) In master chef we sometimes see how skilled people can take random ingredients and make an amazing product out of it, well that’s exactly how I felt with this show. When I saw the people involvedin this project I was really curious to see how this would pan out and let me tell you it totally met my expectations. Obviously it has a big limitation because of its run time so it’d be idiotic to compare it to more developed shows but for a 15 minute run time I doubt I could find a better anime than this one. Music, Animation, and the short and to the point Story Line everything worked seamlessly in this anime.

Ok, here we go for the sixth time: Characters: -Principal: I like them because they want to have fun together playing golf (5/7). -Secondary: They don't exist (0/3). Logic: Nothing out of the ordinary, also being realistic (10/10). Entertainment (Personal):As expected.(8/10) Basics in an anime: -Animation: Excellent at times, usually cute (1/2). -OP, ED & OST's: Pleasant. (1/2) -Vice: I'll watch it again if the anime manages to make me a fan (1/2). -Tag fulfillment: Since it's short, not much is explored. (1/2) -Ending: Poor those who watched it in its premiere and loved it (1/2). Plot Development (or initial premise): It's only 1 episode of 14 minutes, it's obvious that almost nothing is going to be developed. (4/10) Personal Reflection (Clearly personal): Surprisingly pulled it off, so I'll be watching their anime.(2/10) Comments: Doesn't seem perfect as an introduction, but at least it's fun despite being short. Final Score: 7.4. (Note: Since I'm very tolerant of anime, my minimum score for all currently is 4).

This is a very pleasant anime but it is truly a shame it is only one 15 minute episode. Why wasn't this a series? It had a lot going for it in this small sample and could have potentially been something great. It's got great comedy (much if it being Minami's struggle to hit the ball right), nice character designs and decent animation; they even threw in a bath scene for those types of viewers, and some really good and catchy music. That ending song is very good and is still stuck in my head at the moment. The characters, for being in just thisone short episode, already managed to establish themselves as likeable people. Minami might be a really insecure girl going into high school, but looking at the golf ball near her get shot up into the air makes it the first time she takes a glance at the sky from what I am assuming is coming from her constant shrugging after she started classes. It is the golf sport that gives her motivation and drive in life. Even if she doesn't reach her end goal when she plays, she appreciates the progress and growth she makes along the way. She becomes committed to becoming a better golfer. I suppose that's something to think about. During all this, her friends motivate her and become a great support force. The very competent staff involved with this will also have another 15 minute segment where they will talk about this anime. Keto Saitou is a celebrated animator for work in anime such as Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia, and Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de. Script writer Kota Nozomi doesn't have much anime credit but has authored several manga. And storyboard staff member Akira Amemiya is an animator/director praised for his work on SSSS.Gridman, SSSS.Dynazenon, Kill la Kill as well, and Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann. Already, and evidently so, there is a lot of frustration that this stopped here, and it will be scored low and bashed as a result of this. I for one would have loved to see more about Minami's life and the struggles she is having besides just her struggle to be a great golf player. There wasn't much on her friends, but at least they are a nice supportive group for her. I for one don't care about sports or golf, but this, if it was meant to be fleshed out into a series, might have changed that. That's one of the wonders anime can do: it makes me love things I never cared about. I never cared about cars of street racing, but Initial D changed that. I never cared for boxing or sports, but Ashita no Joe changed that. I thought, what could I ever get from a series involving ping pong? But Ping Pong The Animation changed that. There's not really much to say about this besides that, but it was a nice treat.

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