I believe Sono Hana represents adult-oriented yuri distilled to its absolute essence, disregarding its own constraints with a school setting. The Visual Novels themselves run only several hours and can be completed in a single sitting or two. They could be meatier, but their relative lack of weight doesn't work against them. Consequently, due to its length, this OVA is Sono Hana distilled to it's essence, being a sample of what it's about as a whole. It strikes the right balance of story and passion despite its short length. Everything is lovingly done, from the minute physical reactions to the orchestral soundtrack. It is a prot of the ideal yuri hentai: erotic yet clean, with just the right amount of story.
Unfortunately, I find it difficult to recommend to someone just looking for a self-sufficient shoujo-ai story. It's in there, but the viewer will need to look elsewhere to fill in the blanks. If you don't know better, you'll see two schoolgirls making out for half an hour when you press Play and not a loose adaptation of something much deeper. There are bits of flashback that expand the story, but the juicy bits themselves are joined with frequent jump cuts that can make the entire affair hard to watch. The world in this animation feels empty, as Mai and Reo are the only characters in it. As it stands, it feels more like a Poorly Disguised Pilot than a coherent product. It's a much better experience if you already know who's who. Therefore, this OVA is not the friendly introduction to the series that I was hoping it would turn out to be. It's a shame that we had to settle for a side story instead of an independent work, but you'll still find enjoyment in it if you're looking for a hentai that promises to never to shock you in any way. You'll be too busy going "awww" instead.
If you're not against this kind of thing, go watch it. And you will see that even in the field of animated erotic imports, Sturgeon's Law is king. 99% of it is terrible, but the other 1% is more than worth the trouble. I waited a year for this and it was totally worth it, if only for a taste of something more to look forward to. Here's hoping that I won't have to wait another year for an announcement of an anime of Tenshi no Hanabira Some.
VisualNovel (Anata to Koibito Tsunagi OVA) A taste of what's to come.
I believe Sono Hana represents adult-oriented yuri distilled to its absolute essence, disregarding its own constraints with a school setting. The Visual Novels themselves run only several hours and can be completed in a single sitting or two. They could be meatier, but their relative lack of weight doesn't work against them. Consequently, due to its length, this OVA is Sono Hana distilled to it's essence, being a sample of what it's about as a whole. It strikes the right balance of story and passion despite its short length. Everything is lovingly done, from the minute physical reactions to the orchestral soundtrack. It is a prot of the ideal yuri hentai: erotic yet clean, with just the right amount of story.
Unfortunately, I find it difficult to recommend to someone just looking for a self-sufficient shoujo-ai story. It's in there, but the viewer will need to look elsewhere to fill in the blanks. If you don't know better, you'll see two schoolgirls making out for half an hour when you press Play and not a loose adaptation of something much deeper. There are bits of flashback that expand the story, but the juicy bits themselves are joined with frequent jump cuts that can make the entire affair hard to watch. The world in this animation feels empty, as Mai and Reo are the only characters in it. As it stands, it feels more like a Poorly Disguised Pilot than a coherent product. It's a much better experience if you already know who's who. Therefore, this OVA is not the friendly introduction to the series that I was hoping it would turn out to be. It's a shame that we had to settle for a side story instead of an independent work, but you'll still find enjoyment in it if you're looking for a hentai that promises to never to shock you in any way. You'll be too busy going "awww" instead.
If you're not against this kind of thing, go watch it. And you will see that even in the field of animated erotic imports, Sturgeon's Law is king. 99% of it is terrible, but the other 1% is more than worth the trouble. I waited a year for this and it was totally worth it, if only for a taste of something more to look forward to. Here's hoping that I won't have to wait another year for an announcement of an anime of Tenshi no Hanabira Some.