Karuizawa Syndrome

So just a warning in advance, there are technically 3 versions of this OVA: 1. A version with a mix of anime and a little bit of live action, released on VHS and LD 2. A version with all anime, live action bits replaced with proper animated scenes, also released on VHS 3. A version with all anime, but the live action bits are cut out, released on DVD Odds are, you will be watching the 3rd version, as that is the DVD release and currently the only one available with subs. Now you may wonder how much content you'll be missing out on. The answer is not much,maybe like 3 or 4 minutes worth of content, as the content is mostly just mild sex scenes. However, you might notice a jump from one scene to the next, or a character will talk about something that happened in a cut scene, and that can get a bit annoying. Luckily, the full version (version 2) isn't hard to find if you want to see those cut scenes. Now for the review. The main character is Kouhei, a carefree playboy nude photographer looking to make it big, leaving his life behind and travelling to Karuizawa to live with his childhood friend Kaoru. He also ends up meeting with Noriko (or Non, as she's sometimes called), who is a former leader of a biker gang. These two women will be the catalysts that can hopefully help turn the playboy into a man. The artsyles is very 80s, but also offers a unique take by changing the artstyle throughout the series, such as the traditional anime artstyle or a sketchy artstyle. The characters themselves will also regularly switch from chibi and non-chibi versions of themselves too, usually for the comedic or lighthearted moments. It can be a little jarring sometimes, though. The characters, especially Kohei, are gonna be hit or miss for most people. Kohei is depicted as this playboy who wants to get into the pants of every girl he sees, usually being very smooth about it, and much to the despair of his friend Sumio as he can't keep a girl's attention for even an hour before Kohei sweeps the girl off her feet. He has a dream of living as a drifter in the US, and that drifter lifestyle in him makes him want to run away from the challenges in his life and remain carefree. He's admittedly a tough character to like, but that doesn't mean he's a bad character. Kaoru and Noriko are the other two main characters, each being the women Kohei especially becomes fond of. These two have their own difficult challenges and hardships they need to overcome with the help of Kohei, and I think their challenges are tackled and discussed pretty well. Overall, it's a decent watch clocking at a little over an hour. The plot has its ups-and-downs and the characters are in that weird middle ground of likable and unlikable. The artsyle is interesting and is nice if you're looking for something a little different.