Ano Natsu de Matteru

[Kraco]

"Set in a small town in Nagano prefecture with very scenic and peaceful summers, a teenage boy named Kirishima Kaito is stirred by his desire to do something in his small town and discusses with his friends about making a movie. Shortly after, a “special” girl with glasses named Takatsuki Ichika moves to his town, marking the start of an eventful summer." -RandomC

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 12
Links: AniDB, ANN, Official
Download: Episode 1 - CoalGuys | DDL





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This show is from the makers of Onegai Teacher/Twins, and it shows. Perhaps even to the extent that if you liked or disliked those shows, it automatically tells whether you like/dislike this one as well. The atmosphere and setting are altogether similar, the characters share some similarities as well. The plot will also, no doubt. The voice actor cast sounded fitting, with Haruka Tomatsu (Nagi of Kannagi, Hiteihime of Katanagatari) voicing the main girl. Interestingly enough, the main dude is voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki who mainly has side roles on his resume, from varying shows. He didn't fail the role, though, based on the first episode. Then we have the likes of Yukari Tamura (Nanoha, Tenten) and Kaori Ishihara (Suzuna of Kaichou, Madoka of Rinne) in supporting roles.

I was happy with this first episode. It showed the kind of relaxed and warm story telling the Onegai series did back in the day, and the scifi elements seemed quite similarly mixed in. I'll keep watching this one, for sure, unless something negatively surprising happens.

[Ryllharu]

I really enjoyed it as well, but it wouldn't be wrong to call this "Onegai Senpai." You didn't even have to look for similarities, they were throwing them in your face. That said, Onegai Teacher/Twins is one of my favorite series out there, and this is living up to that legacy very, very well. It too can be skillfully suggestive without actually showing you anything overtly ecchi.

References aside (and there were a ton of them), this first episode stood well on its own rights. Ichika's behavior of being extremely self-conscious about her infiltration and ultimately making Remon suspicious and later giving herself away to Kaito was very cute. Perhaps the best parts were why she couldn't quite grasp why she was standing out in those instances. She is amusingly...a complete ditz. This makes you wonder how she even got here, or why she was authorized to come. Maybe she wasn't.

The downside is that her ineptitude also likely caused her to come in too hot, injuring or perhaps even fatally injuring Kaito, and then her repair work was obviously not up to par. It makes for an interesting dynamic.

She's not the only one though. Remon being who she appears to be (the shadow empress of the school?), she was packing down quite the lunch while Ichika freaked out about her own "ordinary" lunch. It's hard to tell at this point exactly how much influence Remon has, or if she is merely making things up in order to get involved in the interesting scenario she's discovered. Then there is the tall guy, seducing teachers to get details, seducing the girl in their group he's got a crush on (or trying to get her to open up), and the girl with an blatant crush on Kaito that pretty much everyone can see. I'm somewhat certain that Kaito isn't completely oblivious to Tanigawa's affections, another plus.

This is off to a good start.

[Kraco]

I'm somewhat certain that Kaito isn't completely oblivious to Tanigawa's affections, another plus.

Dunno. He seems pretty innocent, with the extensive daydreaming and everything.

[Buffalobiian]

I was a bit irritated and sleep-deprived when I watched this, so while it was relaxed and easy-going I also saw it as passable. I'll likely keep watching until I feel like dropping something to free up some time.

[Ryllharu]

[CoalGuys] Ano Natsu de Matteru – 02


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I'm really liking the gentleness to Ichika's voice. Her bumbling and complete failure to keep her alien status a secret is cute. It's amazing that the blue-haired girl is that dense as well. I suppose one might chalk it up to her being so upset about Kaito living with a pretty girl that she missed all of Ichika's slip-ups. Kaito's sister...well, she's an emotional wreck from both having to leave her brother and seeing that upon her return, so it's cliché, but not too surprising that she would fall for that story. She seemed far more concerned about who would take care of her brother, which was why she invited Tanigawa over in the first place.

That nightie...classic Mizuho. That really makes me wonder if the lake and mountains she's thinking about are the ones that I'm now thinking about, Lake Kizaki. If so, it would be a good question where Ichika got the idea from. They said a few things, but none of which were clear. I don't want to make constant Onegai Teacher references, but come on. It's impossible not to. Every character here has an analogue there, down to minor details in some cases. The last two lines of preview nailed it.


On the more serious side, I wonder if Ichika killed Kaito when she crashed. Due to her bumbling, she seems to not have done a very good job repairing/rebuilding him if he's starting to develop bruises and running a low "Alta Rate,"...whatever the heck that is.

Remon just likes messing with people for her own amusement, that much is certain.

[Kraco]

Quite innocent high schoolers if they didn't recognize an alcoholic drink.

Kaito's condition isn't overly superb if he needs a regeneration boost every evening. Though if it always comes with a kiss from Ichika, it's not a totally disastrous deal - until the evening Ichika isn't around.

I also thought maybe this is story wise directly connected to the earlier shows when she mentioned the lake, but I guess it remains to be seen.

[Kraco]

Episode 3 - CoalGuys



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That was some fest of overactive worst case scenario imagining. It must be nice to be young...

I'm really liking the atmosphere and characters in this show. Though I wish they would get down to filming the movie already.

[Buffalobiian]

Being a film fanatic, I would have expected Kaito to have taken shots of all the local places already. He did get on a train, but the place was also within walking distance of Ichika.. whatever the walking distance of an alien may be.

Remon is weird in a totally awesome way. She seemed a bit of a loner at the beginning though, which makes it seem strange in retrospect now that she couldn't have found other people to entertain herself with.

[Kraco]

Remon is weird in a totally awesome way. She seemed a bit of a loner at the beginning though, which makes it seem strange in retrospect now that she couldn't have found other people to entertain herself with.

I think her personality makes quite a bit of sense. We have seen already she's a bit lacking in the taking others' feelings into account department, which directly suggests she has indeed have limited pool of close friends in the past. However, she isn't pathologically socially inept, so she simply is a personality that doesn't necessarily need a host of people to surround her all the time. Now, though, she clearly finds these folks of immense interest. It might also be she had a friend of her own in the past but maybe that person simply moved away, leaving her alone for a while, explaining why she can communicate fluently and take charge of situations.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm referring in particular to how she completely seems to intimidate all those around her in her year level, but then decides to monopolise Ichika when she "transferred".

I suppose she is tagging along with the group because they agreed to let her in on the project. You could argue that she likes to film just as much as Kaito. If nothing else, she's more well equipped.

[Kraco]

True enough. Someone with equipment like that and the knowledge how to use it (if it's borrowed) can't be all disinterested in filming.

[Xelbair]

Am i the only one thinking that she is an alien too? or at least knows that Ichika is an alien(and is therefore related to some agency)?

[Buffalobiian]

Am i the only one thinking that she is an alien too? or at least knows that Ichika is an alien(and is therefore related to some agency)?

I think so too (dunno which though). It was the only reason I thought of as to why Ichika got special consideration from her other than being a tranfer student (and thereby allowing Remon to form a new relationship without trying to get into an existing circle).

[Ryllharu]

I'm pretty sure that she doesn't know that Ichika is an alien (at this point), but she certainly knows something is off. Will she know by the end of the season? Absolutely. Remon herself is definitely not an alien. She's just a bored Queen-type character. Think of Kanade in Mayo Chiki, Mitsune in Love Hina, or Mikako in Sora no Otoshimono.

Ichika made herself a target of that type from the first moment she appeared.

Remon seems to have the reputation that she's already messed with all the third years in the school, and all the second years too. The only fun she has left are first years and transfer students. Other students are afraid of her, they're not ignoring her because she's weird, unsociable, or shy. They initially protested her taking/monopolizing Ichika, in a tone that implied Ichika should be beneath her gaze and left alone since Ichika is their classmate too. Remon insisted, they relented.

[Kraco]

I thought at the very beginning she might be an alien, but I dropped that idea soon after. It's the difference between acting strange despite trying to act normally (Ichika) and acting strange because of not caring how others perceive her (Remon). In other words the one trying to avoid looking like an alien is an alien and the one trying to look like an alien isn't an alien.

[Buffalobiian]

Coalguys - Episode 04

[Buffalobiian]

coalguys - Episode 05

[Ryllharu]

Umm...why the hell was Mio stark naked?

It's a nice detail that Ichika basically mixes and matches foods when she makes meals, since she has no idea what Earth flavors are good together.

I'd wager that Remon knows by now, or at least suspects so deeply, that she's just toying with Ichika as a means to confirm it. If anything tipped her off, it wasn't Ichika's nervous beginnings, but Rinon's appearance. I think after the filming sessions, that she's got her answer.

[Dark Dragon]

Mio have always been naked whenever she's at home.

I'm pretty sure Remon knows by now too. Ichika mentioned that she have one older and one younger sisters, so i wonder if there could be a chance that she is related to Mizuho from OS.

[Ryllharu]

What?!

*Ryllharu goes to check* How come I never noticed that before? You're right of course. It still leaves me wondering why Mio is always completely naked in her room. There were inklings of her being a secretly perverted, but it's still highly unusual.

I thought about that connection for a second too, but it wouldn't make sense in the end. Judging by the technology used by other characters, both series take place in their respective present times. Maho was younger than Ichika is now, and Ichika is the middle child. If they are still connecting the two, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Maho who told Ichika about Earth and that lake. Ichika also seems to be a full alien, while Mizuho and Maho were mixed-blood.

On the other hand...Hatsuho (Mizuho's mother) is kind of a slut.