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Now in Japan
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Written by maehara
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Monday, 14 May 2007 17:00 |
 And another series comes to an end, and after several mis-starts it looks like Ichitaka and Iori may even get a happy ending - but not without being made to work for it. Iori's acting talent soon leads to a blossoming stage career, while Ichitaka plays the role of bodyguard as a problem from the past resurfaces...
5 - Declaration d'Amour
In a bit of a drunken haze, Ichitaka finally declares his love to Iori - and is more than a little surprised when she admits to loving him too. And everyone else in her class, who she'll be sorry to say goodbye to when they graduate. Somehow it wasn't quite the response Ichitiaka was hoping for, and it puts a bit of a downer on his Christmas Eve experience. Never one to let his friend give up, though, Teratani does his best to make sure Ichitaka gets another chance to explain his feelings (properly, this time!), but Ichitaka has a hard time creating a good opportunity for himself...
6 - Ensemble
Time passes - and while Ichitaka's concentrating on getting into university, Iori's becoming quite the little starlet, thanks to her appearances in a series of TV commercials and her upcoming stage debut. All very well, but it's hard dating an up-and-coming idol, as she has so little spare time left to spend with him. Let's just say the condom under Ichitaka's pillow is liable to perish before it ever gets used - and the more time passes, the more Iori's acting continues to take over her life, until eventually Ichitaka's patience begins to wear thin - and Iori decides she doesn't have time in her life for both acting and Ichitaka...
On the one hand I've enjoyed I''s Pure, as it's a good romantic piece - but on the other hand it's become ever more frustrating as it's progressed, as what little comedy element there was has slowly receded into the background and annoyance at the lack of progress made by Ichitaka and Iori has grown. Add in that, despite his best intentions, Teratani is really a bit of an arsehole, and come these episodes I was beginning to lose interest with what I was watching. There are only so many times you can watch convenient interruptions spoiling the moment before you begin to lose patience.
It was also hugely frustrating how, when Ichitaka and Iori finally got their act together, the fast forward button was instantly pressed and we didn't get to see anything of the new couple having a happy time together - instead, we're forcefully skipped forward to the point where Iori's career begins to get in the way. Heaven forbid the audience should ever be allowed to see them happy. While I'm being picky, I'll also point out that, while the first four episodes were shown almost as flashbacks while Ichitaka and Teratani were getting ready to meet the girls, that storytelling gimmick is forgotten about for these two episodes - which leaves you wondering why so much emphasis had been put on their impending meeting, and what happened at it. There's certainly no further mention of it here.
I like most of the way the story has progressed, and most of the characters bar one or two foibles. But the way I''s Pure has gone about telling that story leaves quite a bit to be desired, and leaves you scratching your head a bit and wondering if it was all worthwhile - I'm not entirely convinced that it was. There was more potential here than the anime has managed to make use of, unfortunately, and that left me feeling decidedly underwhelmed by the end of the series - even if there is a romantic payoff. Could do better. |
