Review

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=195 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="04fc3c00dvldtc.jpg"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tonmachans Diary"><U>Tonma-Chan's Diary</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Best Viewed in 800x600</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="review.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Review"><U><B><IMG SRC="100a0320.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="review_m.htm#_" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Review"><U><B><IMG SRC="103a0320.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="gallery1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery One"><U><B><IMG SRC="104a0320.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.fortunecity.com/wembley/den/221/network" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/wembley/den/2"><U><B><IMG SRC="105a0320.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1072cc80.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">                Sakura Diaries<IMG SRC="108580a0.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="10" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Reviewed by: A. Gatlin</div> <bR> <div>    The moment one sees the box the thought of 'hentai' or some kind of adult anime pops in your head.  Do not be fooled by such things, as taught throughout life "Never judge a book by it's cover".  First impressions aside, Sakura Diaries shapes up to be a well written and beautifully drawn 'shounen' anime.</div> <bR> <div> <U>Synopsis :</U></div> <div>    Ever since the day Urara and Touma spent together in their childhood, Urara has considered him to be her first love.  Now years later she is completely thrilled to find out he is coming to Tokyo for college.  Touma however does not remember Urara, after all it was only one day.  After a bizarre encounter with a "call girl" at his hotel Touma is off to pass his entrance exams.  At the last college on his list,the prestigious Keio, he meets and instantly falls in love with a beautiful redhead, Mieko.  It would turn out she only dates guys from Keio and Touma has successfully failed all his entrance exams.  What's a guy to do?  Stay in Tokyo and try again, that's what.  Touma goes to stay with his cousin Urara, who does anything she can to "cheer up" the ailing Touma.  "Fate is hardly ever kind"</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <U>Review :</U></div> <div>  Beautiful artwork, good music, love triangles, and lighthearted comedy.  Put them together and you get Sakura Diaries.  Touma Inaba is your classic anime guy, and is given to spontaneously burst into extremely distorted, funny faces. Urara is devoted to pleasing Touma in her own quirky ways, which often results in Touma's above mentioned faces.  And Mieko, the stunning intellectual who only dates college guys, and gives 'go-ahead signals' to Touma a man with no eyes would pick up on, but why is she kissing somebody at the Train Station.</div> <div>  The animation and art is stunning and the characters are well proportioned and assembled.  Fans of enormously muscled men (e.g. Street Fighter) or impossibly large breasted women (e.g. Ogenki Clinic) must continue their search, however, for the rest of us the artwork in Sakura Diaries is well done.</div> <div>  The dubbing on the movie is satisfactory, but far from good.  The original dialogue and the English translation convey the same basic point but differ too much.  The voice casting was done halfheartedly or so it seems.  But all this is a moot point, only the nit-pickers and asinine critics bother with these problems and they do not in any way take away from the overall enjoyment factor.</div> <div>  To close I will just say this, Sakura Diaries is a fun, funny, sexy anime and if you are looking for a light comedy or just a change of pace from all those deep, 'hidden meaning' animes on the market today you may have just found it.</div> <bR> <div> Overall Rating - 90% (A-)</div> <bR> <div>   <A HREF="gallery1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gallery One"><U>Check out the screen shots in the image gallery.</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="108580a0.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="10" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  <A NAME="_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <U>Touma Inaba</U> - A small town guy in the big city, Touma is always reminded by his mother that he isn't the brightest star in the sky but that's not gonna stop him from trying to get in the most prestigious college in Tokyo.  Especially after he falls for a stunning freshman there.  </div> <bR> <div> <U>Urara</U> - A high school student in Tokyo, Urara sees Touma as her true love and that fate has brought him to Tokyo.  She is also his cousin.  In order to make Touma realize he is 'meant for her' she employs a strategy that is sure to work.  </div> <bR> <div> <U>Mieko</U> - A beautiful redhead, Mieko meets Touma at the entrance exam for Kieo,the most prestigious school in Tokyo.  She flirts with Touma and can simply be described as a 'tease'.</div> <bR> <div> There are a few more minor characters which I will get around to listing later.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?animenation+Vda5b5+index.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?ani"><U><U><IMG SRC="10cd43c0.jpg" border=0 width="468" height="60" ALT="Anime Nation - The Anime Source" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>