Natsu no Arashi review

I finished watching Natsu no Arashi last night, the first series I’ve completed using Crunchyroll’s simulcasting…

I enjoyed Jin Kobayashi’s other series, School Rumble, so I decided to give Natsu no Arashi a try. The first episode is a stand-alone filler episode, with the characters getting involved in a misadventure that very much sets the tone of the series. From there, events start chronologically with episode 2. Although episode 1 did not introduce the story and characters to those unfamiliar with the manga, I think it was a pretty clever way to start the series off. I have not read the Natsu no Arashi manga, but since the plot of the series is not too complicated, it was easy to enjoy the amusing antics of the first episode before the real introduction to the story begins.

As for the story itself, time travel can be a fun and interesting plot device if utilized correctly, and I feel that Natsu no Arashi does a pretty good job with it. Although one can always point out flaws within time traveling storylines, for example, it’s hard to believe that all the people Hajime and Arashi saved would not affect history somehow, and how do Arashi and the others know who to save and where to find them without any dire historical consequences? Perhaps more details about the time traveling will be explained next season.

Besides this one fantasy element, Natsu no Arashi is a pretty straight forward comedy/slice-of-life series; it’s fairly episodic, and although there are some moments of drama, nothing extremely upsetting happens. The majority of the drama can be found in the show’s other theme, the Word War II bombings in Japan. Since this is a light comedy, the horror of the bombings is not glorified, but rather lends a somber and thought-provoking side plot that balances well with the rest of the story’s events. I found the humor itself to be a little different from School Rumble’s in the sense that it’s a lot more subtle, i.e., much of it relies on running gags, such as the one customer in the Ark who’s always asking for salt, specific scenes and camera angles, such as School Rumble and other odd characters appearing in the background as customers in the Ark, and there’s even parody, such as the characters cosplaying in the final episode and references in the ending sequences featuring Kanako and Yayoi. Of course, the humor is so subtle and tied into the theme of the show, that it can be a bit bizarre sometimes and is probably not for everyone. I found the aforementioned ending scenes featuring Kanako and Yayoi to be odd unless I understood their references (which I usually didn’t) and the next-episode previews which I believe feature caricatures of the manga-ka himself, were also kind of weird. But in general, the humor is not hyperbolicly shoved down our throats but is unique, witty, and requires some connection to the style of the show. The amusing scene in episode 13 when everyone is arguing about whether bringing expired milk back in time will make it fresh again was quite entertaining and is a good example of the kind of witty and sometimes thought-provoking humor in Natsu no Arashi.

But I guess the sometimes odd, subtle humor, the strange episode previews, etc., are all part of Studio SHAFT’s way of giving the series its own unique style in both humor and looks. I noticed all throughout the series that just about every scene was bordered with a slightly different hue than the colors of the main scene and often in a rectangular or triangular shape. It’s hard to explain this in writing, but all you have to do is watch a bit of an episode to see what I mean. SHAFT seemed really particular in giving Natsu no Arashi a specific range of associated colors and scene styles to make it stand out, with the theme of summer perfectly emphasized. From the show’s samba-like opening that utilizes more old-school animation, to the lulling background music often heard playing in Ark, just about everything in Natsu no Arashi is meant to project its style.

And let’s not forget the characters in the show. It’s hard for anime series to avoid having any cliche archetypes, so although the Natsu no Arashi cast is not entirely cliche-free, I feel they have enough appealing qualities, especially when put with the unique style of the story and humor, to get attached too. I found myself getting more into the series towards the last couple of episodes, when all the main characters including Kanako and Yaoi, were all together in the Ark. Nothing like a bunch of characters with contrasting personalities and their own unique little quirks and specific relationships with each other getting together and having funny misadventures ^^ Now I’m especially looking forward to season two!

Anyway, if you can get into the stylized but sometimes odd humor of Natsu no Arashi, it’s a good series with appealing characters, a very thematic design, and a fun plot.