His and Her Circumstances (Vol. 3)

Rating:
Summary: Probably My Favorite Anime
Review: His and Her Circumstances (Kare Kano) is a wonderful show, but it has one major flaw - the incredible amount of summary used. In other anime like Cowboy Bebop this was eliminated altogether, and wonderfully entertaining filler episodes were used instead.

In Kare Kano, however, there is a summary at the beginning of nearly EVERY episode, and it begins to feel like they are mocking the viewer, as well as not having enough to fill in the whole episode. In this volume, there is a summary of the entire series from episode 1-12 in episode 13, but it doesn't stop there. The first half of episode 14 is also used as summary.

Don't get me wrong, though. The entire series as a whole is wonderful. There is wonderful comedy, drama and romance throughout the whole show, but the amount of pointless summary is discouraging.

Rating:
Summary: Decent, but lacks in comparison to the Previous Volumes
Review: His and Her Circumstances (Kare Kano) is a wonderful show, but it has one major flaw - the incredible amount of summary used. In other anime like Cowboy Bebop this was eliminated altogether, and wonderfully entertaining filler episodes were used instead.

In Kare Kano, however, there is a summary at the beginning of nearly EVERY episode, and it begins to feel like they are mocking the viewer, as well as not having enough to fill in the whole episode. In this volume, there is a summary of the entire series from episode 1-12 in episode 13, but it doesn't stop there. The first half of episode 14 is also used as summary.

Don't get me wrong, though. The entire series as a whole is wonderful. There is wonderful comedy, drama and romance throughout the whole show, but the amount of pointless summary is discouraging.

Rating:
Summary: Probably My Favorite Anime
Review: His and Her Circumstances is an anime about teenagers and getting through all their problems as normally as possible. Many people can relate with at least one of the many characters. The anime is halarious and never tries too hard and the creators were able to show the emotion of the characters very well in dramatic situations. In my opinion I see no flaws in this anime.

Rating:
Summary: Mid series hits near bottom ground...
Review: I am a big fan of this series, and of Gainex in general, but I was very disappointed in this DVD. The first 2 episodes focused on Tsubasa, and her opinion of her father's new bride to be. Since a bunch of new characters had already been introduced in Volume 2, I was already used to having the focus shift away from Arima and Miyazawa, and this was no big deal to me. However, in volume 2, the new characters and story lines were introduced into the main plot, where in volume 3, the new character/story was held completely separate from the overall story. (Miyazawa wasn't even in the 2nd episode at all). This wasn't necessarily terrible. I did enjoy the two episodes, and I do like the new character...Tsubasa's soon to be stepbrother. I just thought that the flow and the continuity of the first and second volumes and been badly interrupted.

The filler episodes, however, I despised. I've never been a big fan of re-caps, but I thought these were just horrible. First of all, instead of just one episode, the recap took an episode and a half. Secondly, the recaps were filled with the exact same footage from earlier in the season; but mainly just episodes 1-2. So it wasn't really a montage of EVERYTHING that had happened, just the stuff in the very beginning. Ugh!

Luckily, I have to say that I have started watching the 4th DVD and it seems to pick back up (now that Arima has come back). I'll keep my fingers crossed for the rest of the series!

Rating:
Summary: Mid series hits near bottom ground...
Review: I am a big fan of this series, and of Gainex in general, but I was very disappointed in this DVD. The first 2 episodes focused on Tsubasa, and her opinion of her father's new bride to be. Since a bunch of new characters had already been introduced in Volume 2, I was already used to having the focus shift away from Arima and Miyazawa, and this was no big deal to me. However, in volume 2, the new characters and story lines were introduced into the main plot, where in volume 3, the new character/story was held completely separate from the overall story. (Miyazawa wasn't even in the 2nd episode at all). This wasn't necessarily terrible. I did enjoy the two episodes, and I do like the new character...Tsubasa's soon to be stepbrother. I just thought that the flow and the continuity of the first and second volumes and been badly interrupted.

The filler episodes, however, I despised. I've never been a big fan of re-caps, but I thought these were just horrible. First of all, instead of just one episode, the recap took an episode and a half. Secondly, the recaps were filled with the exact same footage from earlier in the season; but mainly just episodes 1-2. So it wasn't really a montage of EVERYTHING that had happened, just the stuff in the very beginning. Ugh!

Luckily, I have to say that I have started watching the 4th DVD and it seems to pick back up (now that Arima has come back). I'll keep my fingers crossed for the rest of the series!

Rating:
Summary: Tsubasa is sooooo cute!
Review: I have waited what seems like forever for His and Her Circumstances to come out in English. It is a romantic comedy about teenagers finding themselves and dealing with growing up. In DVD 3 my favourite episode was the episode where Tsubasa is getting a new stepbrother. It's really sweet how they connect. Tsubasa is one of the cutest anime characters I've ever seen! Be sure to check out the DVDs.

Rating:
Summary: One of The Best Animes Ever!!
Review: I love everything about this anime. The plot, the characters, the humor, the animation, and anything else I can think of. The first time I saw this anime I became hooked and the show just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait until volume 4 comes out

Rating:
Summary: Doesnt match up to the first two.
Review: I really, really enjoyed the first two DVDs. And there is some excellent content ahead. So I can't say don't buy 3,4 and 5.

But, starting with DVD 3 you are going to have a lot of filler. In this DVD in particular entire episodes are complete junk - we're talking about static images, paper cutouts moved around on sticks, video inserts and photography experiments in the place of any real animation or story development. The only comparison I can make is the ending of Evangellion, not suprisingly.

Fans may not like me saying this, but it's true and buyers should be warned. Myself, I bought the entire series.

But if your cash is precious to you and you're making hard choices you may feel cheated - the next 3 DVDs have about 1 DVD worth of real story development between them.

Rating:
Summary: Less interesting than the first two, but still a delight.
Review: I recently received voice actress Lisa Ortiz's autograph for her performance as Tsubasa Shibahime on this, the third volume of HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES. The first two episodes involve this cute, but spoiled and bad-tempered little girl as well as her family problems. Tsubasa's father wants to remarry, but because she's always been "Daddy's little girl", she is completely against it. So she decides to stay over at Yukino's household until Daddy drops by with his new girlfriend, a hospital nurse known as Ikeda. Mr. Shibahime tries to reason with his daughter, but his pleas fall on deaf ears and Tsubasa even calls Ikeda a "hag". This results with Tsubasa getting slapped across the face by Daddy. Yukino sums it up best: "I hope that someday Tsubasa will find someone to make her happy."

The tension layed out in this scene is very powerful and emotive; any child who has had this sort of problem can identify with such a strong scenario. For Lisa's part, she gets to be obnoxious, hurtful, and, later on, tormented and deeply angry... and she does all of these so perfectly that I feel very much tempted to call this performance one of her most powerful. Ever. (Of course, I've also heard her as Deedlit in RECORD OF LODOSS WAR and the title character in ANIMATION RUNNER KUROMI.)

The conflict between Shibahime and her father -- and ultimately the resolution of her problems where she gets a new stepbrother, Kazuma, a young punk rocker with a heart of gold (who unfortunately sets Tsubasa off by calling her "cute" and mistaking her for a 7th grader) -- is one of the highlights of Volume 3. The other interesting points are an interesting revelation on Hideaki Asaba's past (after a hilarious sequence where he infuriates Yukino's father, Hiroyuki Miyazawa). It seems that he, too, has had a bad relationship with his father and is now living independently (though his parents still financially support him). This is an interesting contrast to Arima, whose parents have abandoned him. I also enjoyed the pastime story about Miyazawa's father -- when the family pays a visit to Grandpa, who, by the way, is still at odds with Daddy -- where we see him grow from a mischief maker to a caretaker for his aging grandpa ("You are doing well... Hiroyuki....") to meeting his future wife. This sequence is poignant, funny, moving, and touching.

As wonderful as these sequences are, they are the highest points of the third entry of HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES. This is also worth three and-a-half episodes of material. The other one and-a-half, however, are what mar this entry from excellence. Within this time span, we're not treated to anything but a recap of the events that took place in the early episodes (with some throwaway lines to "connect" the edited segments). Granted, I understand the importance of deja vu, but who wants to see this stuff again? Especially since there's more to the story that we are just dying to find out? Sadly, this is a flaw that does threaten to hamper an otherwise enjoyable entry. Thankfully, though, you can always skip ahead (that's the convenience of DVDs!).

Still, it's worth watching not only for the parts that are good, but for more wacky, laugh-out-loud visuals and silliness -- the multi-faceted artwork is a hoot, as is the voice work on the English language track (which I heard for my primary listening). Lisa Ortiz, as mentioned, delivers, but I was also delighted to hear Pete Zarustica as Hiroyuki Miyazawa. He employs his Wagnard voice (you know, the Dark Wizard from LODOSS WAR TV) when Asaba sets him off, reducing one to laughter. He also does the most emoting in his story, from his troublemaking youth to insecure High School student, to dear old(?) dad. Everyone else in the cast is having a fun time; the only exception is Ed Paul (who played Etoh --rather well-- in LODOSS WAR), who sounds a little weak and unconvincing at first as Shibahime's Dad. He DOES improve, though, as he goes along, especially when he plays Hiroyuki's Grandfather.

Speaking of which, the technical and aural aspects are identical to the first two DVDs, which should please fans, but the moments which are good (in addition to already being involved in the show) are the real reason to own this lesser but still entertaining addition to probably one of Gainax's finest shows.

Rating:
Summary: Less interesting than the first two, but still a delight.
Review: I recently received voice actress Lisa Ortiz's autograph for her performance as Tsubasa Shibahime on this, the third volume of HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES. The first two episodes involve this cute, but spoiled and bad-tempered little girl as well as her family problems. Tsubasa's father wants to remarry, but because she's always been "Daddy's little girl", she is completely against it. So she decides to stay over at Yukino's household until Daddy drops by with his new girlfriend, a hospital nurse known as Ikeda. Mr. Shibahime tries to reason with his daughter, but his pleas fall on deaf ears and Tsubasa even calls Ikeda a "hag". This results with Tsubasa getting slapped across the face by Daddy. Yukino sums it up best: "I hope that someday Tsubasa will find someone to make her happy."

The tension layed out in this scene is very powerful and emotive; any child who has had this sort of problem can identify with such a strong scenario. For Lisa's part, she gets to be obnoxious, hurtful, and, later on, tormented and deeply angry... and she does all of these so perfectly that I feel very much tempted to call this performance one of her most powerful. Ever. (Of course, I've also heard her as Deedlit in RECORD OF LODOSS WAR and the title character in ANIMATION RUNNER KUROMI.)

The conflict between Shibahime and her father -- and ultimately the resolution of her problems where she gets a new stepbrother, Kazuma, a young punk rocker with a heart of gold (who unfortunately sets Tsubasa off by calling her "cute" and mistaking her for a 7th grader) -- is one of the highlights of Volume 3. The other interesting points are an interesting revelation on Hideaki Asaba's past (after a hilarious sequence where he infuriates Yukino's father, Hiroyuki Miyazawa). It seems that he, too, has had a bad relationship with his father and is now living independently (though his parents still financially support him). This is an interesting contrast to Arima, whose parents have abandoned him. I also enjoyed the pastime story about Miyazawa's father -- when the family pays a visit to Grandpa, who, by the way, is still at odds with Daddy -- where we see him grow from a mischief maker to a caretaker for his aging grandpa ("You are doing well... Hiroyuki....") to meeting his future wife. This sequence is poignant, funny, moving, and touching.

As wonderful as these sequences are, they are the highest points of the third entry of HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES. This is also worth three and-a-half episodes of material. The other one and-a-half, however, are what mar this entry from excellence. Within this time span, we're not treated to anything but a recap of the events that took place in the early episodes (with some throwaway lines to "connect" the edited segments). Granted, I understand the importance of deja vu, but who wants to see this stuff again? Especially since there's more to the story that we are just dying to find out? Sadly, this is a flaw that does threaten to hamper an otherwise enjoyable entry. Thankfully, though, you can always skip ahead (that's the convenience of DVDs!).

Still, it's worth watching not only for the parts that are good, but for more wacky, laugh-out-loud visuals and silliness -- the multi-faceted artwork is a hoot, as is the voice work on the English language track (which I heard for my primary listening). Lisa Ortiz, as mentioned, delivers, but I was also delighted to hear Pete Zarustica as Hiroyuki Miyazawa. He employs his Wagnard voice (you know, the Dark Wizard from LODOSS WAR TV) when Asaba sets him off, reducing one to laughter. He also does the most emoting in his story, from his troublemaking youth to insecure High School student, to dear old(?) dad. Everyone else in the cast is having a fun time; the only exception is Ed Paul (who played Etoh --rather well-- in LODOSS WAR), who sounds a little weak and unconvincing at first as Shibahime's Dad. He DOES improve, though, as he goes along, especially when he plays Hiroyuki's Grandfather.

Speaking of which, the technical and aural aspects are identical to the first two DVDs, which should please fans, but the moments which are good (in addition to already being involved in the show) are the real reason to own this lesser but still entertaining addition to probably one of Gainax's finest shows.