Sola review

After hearing that Sola was voted as the “best anime of 2007” in a Japanese poll of two million votes, I decided to check it out as soon as I could. And after finally getting through the 13 episodes series this summer, I can definitely see why it’s thought so highly of…

Before watching the series, I didn’t know much of anything about Sola’s story besides reading a brief synopsis of what happens in the first few minutes of episode 1. And although the early episodes are a bit slow, the series ended up being one of the most unpredictable and well-paced anime I’ve seen in a long time. Though it has beautiful scenery and animation and is generally slow-paced, it also has some good action/fantasy scenes and suspense as well.

What’s amazing about Sola is that it starts off with the typical “guy meets strange girl who is not what she seems” scenario that is common in a lot of anime. But as the story progresses and eventually reaches its conclusion, the scenario becomes something totally different. For a long time we’re made to believe that the story revolves around Yorito and Matsuri (in a possible love-triangle with Mana), but surprisingly Aono is really the one who is the source of all the conflict (Takeshi even seems like the main antagonist at first). After watching the first episode, I doubt anyone could guess that instead of Yorito and Matsuri, Aono would end up being the “main character.” The series also gives us the impression that we should focus on Matsuri, Aono, and Mayuko because they’re hiding their Yaka identities, but it turns out that the seemingly normal Yorito has the most shocking identity of all. So as far as I’m concerned, Sola’s unpredictable story and incredible plot twists definitely deserve a lot of praise.

Another one of Sola’s great attributes is how well the story and pacing is done. As I stated above, the story starts off very typical but ends up being something completely different. Towards the latter half of the series we’re given subtle clues about what happened in the past and about the connection between Yorito, Matsuri, and Aono, but never too much at a time to be overwhelming nor too little to leave us completely clueless. There’s some comedy (Sae’s misinterpretation of Takeshi, Mayuko, and Matsuri is hilarious! XD) but it’s never too cartoonish to interrupt the seriousness of the show, nor is the drama too angst-ridden. Despite only being 13 episodes, Sola keeps up its gentle and visually appealing pace and it never seems rushed, even in its suspenseful conclusion. The series takes its time and often focuses on pretty scenes of the sky, which is a very important symbol in the story. I found Sola to be very similar to Air, not just because of the symbolism of the sky and the slow-pacing, but also how the story progresses and ends up. Both Air and Sola spend the first half of the series developing the characters and giving subtle clues about the main hidden plot. Then we learn that the main characters had a connection in a past life hundreds of years ago, and in the end, a character whom we first thought to be just a supporting character (Haruko in Air and Aono in Sola) suddenly ends up being very important. Both series also need to be watched from beginning to end in their entirety in order to be fully appreciated.

With only 13 episodes and 7 main characters, Sola manages to develop each of them and their relationships very well. Over the 13 episode span, ample time is given to each; a few episodes for Yorito and Matsuri, one for Takeshi and Mayuko, another for Aono and Koyori, some for Aono and Yorito, for Yorito and Mana, and finally the connection between Yorito, Matsuri, and Aono in the end. Sola manages to touch on all the characters and their relationships, as well as develop an intriguing, progressing story, which is all pretty amazing for such a short series. The characters themselves are also very sympathetic and likable. Although a few of them could have potentially been very cliche, they all ended up distinguishing themselves. Matsuri’s mischievous and naive personality never gets as annoyingly hyperbolic as it could have been, Mayuko’s seemingly tsundere personality is very mild and never goes overboard, and although Aono seems like the stereotypical quiet, emotionless character, her interesting backstory and progressive outbursts of emotion make her stand out.

The only flaw I could find in Sola is slight lack of development for certain plot points, for example, where did Takeshi get that Yaka-immune sword? How does he support himself? Or more so, how does Matsuri live without school, work, parents, money, etc.,? Do Yaka even need to eat? Has Yorito ever seen his parents and wouldn’t they have to be fabricated by Aono? How can Yorito and Aono support themselves in that big house? (maybe Aono uses her paper-manipulating ability to print them money XD) And how is Aono going to support herself all alone as a human in the end? These are a few questions that the series leaves unanswered. It’s a bit frustrating, but the rest of Sola is so perfect that it’s pretty easy to overlook these minor details.

In conclusion, I can definitely recommend Sola to any anime fan who’s looking for a “gem” among all the mediocre series that come out. If you can overlook the slow-pacing of the first half of the series in exchange for a unique and engrossing story with likable characters, pretty art and scenery, and great suspense and drama that’s never too over-the-top, then Sola is a definite must-see. It’s undoubtedly one of the best anime to be released in recent years.