Rating: 
Summary: ''Ai'' Love You!
Review: *
Can a "cartoon" be so sweet and so touching that it can actually make a grown man cry? It would seem that certain ones do indeed have that power. Two special cases of note are the Warner Bros. feature-length film, "The Iron Giant" ... and the 'nippon no anime' feature film, "Urusei Yatsura: Final Chapter" (not yet marketed in the United States) which never fails to have me shedding tears by the teacup-full whenever watching it through. Now add on to that list a third title: the Japanese OAV, "Video Girl Ai"! In typical Japanese anime fashion, "Den'ei Syoujyo: Video Girl Ai" establishes itself with the well-utilized "love triangle" concept -- but rather than following the same tired 'formula' to the letter, the storytellers break with the typical anime tradition and throw us some fresh, fast and unexpected curve balls. The story bases itself around the painful double heartbreak of two of its main characters. School pals "Youta" and "Moemi" had decided to confide in each other as to the identity of their 'secret love.' Youta is terribly afraid to admit to Moemi that it is indeed she whom he holds this secret crush upon, and is further disappointed when she admits that her secret love is for the very popular "Takashi," who just so happens to be Youta's best friend. But Moemi's heart is also shattered when, upon admitting her feelings for Takashi within earshot, Takashi responds negatively to her revelation. Logic would state that Youta would follow this lead of Takashi's by pursuing Moemi more deliberately (especially in light of the fact that Takashi already knows that Youta has feelings for Moemi and, by his rejection of her, tries to give Youta that needed push in her direction). But Youta, being his own worst enemy in such instances, has two things working against him: He is terribly shy, and he is entirely selfless! Even in the aftermath of Takashi's rejection of Moemi, Youta's feelings for her are such that he even does what he can to try to bring Takashi and Moemi together for the sake of her happiness, though it kills him inside (Youta reasons that it is much less devastating that her feelings are for his friend Takashi than for any other person). Heartbroken, nonetheless, Youta comes across a video store he had never noticed in the area before and decides to rent a video supposedly designed with lonely hearts in mind. He chooses one featuring a strangely costumed girl named "Amano Ai." When he plays her tape she literally comes through his television screen -- Her mission: To help those with issues of unrequited love overcome the issues holding them back (in Youta's case, his extreme shyness and uncertainty) and to offer assistance that might help bring the two together. At least that's what would have happened under normal circumstances. In this instance, Youta plays the tape on a damaged VCR, which causes some serious complications for Ai when she attempts to cross over from her video world into our world. The tape player condition which interferes with Ai's materialization also disrupts her hardwired programming in such a way that she progressively behaves less like a "video girl" and more & more like a real girl. For instance, rather than functioning as a conduit for bringing Youta and Moemi together as required, Ai instead becomes jealous of Moemi and actually makes efforts to keep the two of them apart, while her own feelings for Youta gradually begin to develop into her namesake..."ai" ("love") -- feelings and emotions unequivocally forbidden to be experienced or expressed by video girls. Thus being judged "defective," Ai is to be "recalled" by those who created her-- even well before her 'month-long rental' period has expired --which culminates into the emotionally charged tragic climax which unlocks the floodgates of every functioning tear duct. Though the ending is a bit ambiguous and more-or-less left open to various interpretations, it raises any number of intriguing questions, such as, 'When is Love real?' and 'At what point do you pull yourself away and move on?' As in most cases with anime, the dubbed "English" version changes the dialogue in several key areas of conversation where the meanings and motivations of the characters are completely altered and do not convey the original thoughts and feelings reflected in the original Japanese language version, but I would still recommend watching both versions just to experience two slightly different interpretations of the same story ... both emotionally powerful and effective. * * *
Rating: 
Summary: Waay too short!
Review: An excellent series with very life like characters, and outstanding voice overs. I've gotten pretty far in the manga, and I was shocked and dissapointed at just how much the DVD leaves out in storyline, talked about "abridged."
The manga has more the enough material for an 26eps. OVA if not more. =(
Still an very good romantic comedy, and well worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: This is a very good anime
Review: I bought this show basically on a whim and wasn't sure if it would be good or just ordinary. I certainly didn't expect it to be great or outstanding. However it really is very very good. It is extremely well put together and the story is top notch. Also the characters are fully developed and interesting. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: EXTREMELY SPECIAL!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I can't believe how good this anime is. From the moment I saw the trailer inthePLEASE SAVE MY EARTH dvd, it instantly hooked me, and I was sure to have it, as soon as it was released (on dvd). It finally did, and I just bought it. It surpassed my expectatives. Besides the trailer I didn't know what to expect; I just new it was good, but way how good!!!! It's incredible fun and funny; it has a well amount of comedy, love and drama. Once you put the dvd on, you won't stop. It will instantly grab you from the very begining; so be sure to have 3 hours free. The story is as beautiful as well told. The animation is still very good and the music just pleases your ears.
This dvd is TO BE SEEN BY EVERYONE!!! Everybody will like it, anime fans or not; animation lovers or not. Just know that this is not for kids, altough it doesn't include sex, or graphic nudity, it has some; the great thing about this is that the nudity here is justified, and not just for being there and isn't offensive. This one is really a jewel, and it's one you'll see more than once. Just be sure to watch it alone first, so you can grab as most as you can, and then watch it with your family and/or friends and look to their faces and hear what the have to say about it.
Rating:
Summary: Video Girl Ai RULEZ!!!!
Review: I first read about this title in Animerica and I thought since it was coming to America I had to get it. Thank God I did because I absolutely loved it. I loved the interaction between Ai and Yota...it's sooooo romantic and sweet.
Rating:
Summary: i love ai
Review: i had seen 'video girl ai' first on a local access channel - it had subtitles, which was the only thing i didn't like about it - but it kept my attention and towards the end it brought me to tears. after several years of trying to look for it on video i finally found it at a suncoast video store - AND THEY HAD IT DUBBED IN ENGLISH!!! - i was soooooooo happy (especially since i didn't have to be reading anything while i was watching it) - one week they had the first volume, then another the next, and the final one after that. i've looked on eBay to see if it was available on dvd, but the only dvd's i saw were only in japanese with subtitles - i'm just now seeing this on amazon now, but the description doesn't say anything about having an english language track - so if anyone owns this exact dvd - please tell me if it does also have the english track, and not just japanese, thanks!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: If you enjoy bittersweet romantic comedies then this title is a definate purchase. the art works is crisp and bright, the dub track is pretty good, and the added extras are fun to watch. perhaps the only drawback is that this is only a subset of the entire manga story. by the end of the movie you'll be asking for more.
Rating:
Summary: Full of joy, full of sorrow...
Review: The story is simple and effective. In a mere six episodes, this DVD manages to introduce all the main characters, establish the motivations of each, and then build to an ending. Throughout you'll find yourself laughing at the antics of "Ai" (the girl from the video world), pulling for Yota (the "Dateless" male lead), and hoping that someone will end up finding happiness. Through all the twists, your heart will be wrung of its emotion. Then when the final scene arrives and you look for release, you'll find none. The ending was NOT what had been expected.
If you enjoy stories that are like emotional rollercoasters, you love this one...
Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: This anime was packed with love, humor, "sex", and sadness. It is a wonderful series through nd through. if you like this type of thing, I suggest you see it as soon as possible!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fall in Love...
Review: This DVD seemed to jump out at me while browsing the racks one day, compelling me to buy it, though I'd not even heard of it before...perhaps it was fate? Because this is simply one of the best, most intensely romantic anime I've had the pleasure to watch, and yes, shed a couple of tears over. Perhaps in part because I find myself identifying strongly with Yota "Dateless" Moteuchi, I too have fallen in love with Ai Amano, and in the three weeks since watching the DVD, I've acquired the 7 volumes of the original manga currently available in translation, and imported the soundtrack CD! But I digress...others have covered the basics of the plot in their reviews, so I'll say that Katsura's designs and story are crisp, clean, and beautiful from start to finish, and have been translated to the screen with incredible faithfulness. If you're a fan of the "magical dream girl" genre exemplified by "Ah! My Goddess!" and "Chobits," you'll find this bittersweet tale to be just what the doctor ordered, perhaps even, as I've found, becoming your new favorite...
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