7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Junichi Tachibana has never been lucky in love, and ever since his date stood him up on Christmas Eve two years ago, he’s pretty much given up on the whole idea. However, there are quite a few girls who would all make wonderful partners for Junichi if he would only open his eyes. Could he have struck up a meaningful relationship with any of them if he’d done the right things and said the right words? Well, it’s time to find out as Fate steps in and decides to see what would happen if Junichi were to snap out of his funk and take a chance. It’s a whole new twist on the idea of love at sixth or seventh sigh, and if one boy and a whole lot of different girlfriends-to-be sounds like a lot of wishful thinking… Well, it is! But wishes have a habit of coming true and the statistical odds are definitely on Junichi’s side as the guy without a date’s luck with the ladies goes from bad to multi-verse in AMAGAMI SS - THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
Starring: Tomoaki Maeno, Kaori Nazuka, Ryôko Shintani, Rina Satô, Hiromi KonnoAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 95% |
Comedy | 25% |
Romance | 23% |
Teen | 10% |
Holiday | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Considering the general awkwardness of many teenagers and the fumbling, stuttering approaches many teens take toward the rigors and rituals of dating, it’s perhaps something of a minor miracle that the human race has been able to propagate at all. Of course, the sway of teen hormones is able to overcome any mere social inadequacies, in what might be a genetic gambit to ensure an almost Darwinian survivability factor. All of the glories and horrors of teen dating are on display in the agreeable Amagami SS, a 2010 anime based on the old PS2 dating sim game. There’s probably a built in irony that many who played Amagami in its game version were perhaps exactly the type of folks who had issues forging real life relationships with a significant other, living a life of romance vicariously through their monitors and controllers. Those who consider themselves lovelorn will probably get the most enjoyment out of Amagami SS, for its central conceit is that young high school male Junichi Tachibana tends to be spectacularly unlucky at love. The anime version opens with Junichi remembering a fateful Christmas Eve two years previously when he thought he was about to go out on an exciting date. Instead, he was stood up on a snowy night when much of the rest of the world was celebrating. That sent Junichi into something of a depressive spiral, to the point that he lives inside a closet in his bedroom, and has come to the conclusion that dating—let alone an actual committed relationship—is probably not in the cards for him.
Amagami SS is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The series aired originally in 2010, but it's perhaps just a bit soft looking for such a relatively recent vintage outing. That aspect is exacerbated by some slight (intentional) brightness boosting in certain scenes. Conversely, the flashback sequences detailing Jinuchi's "tragic" Christmas Eve are darkened and even softer looking than the rest of the series, with a kind of fuzzy, wintry quality. Colors are often very bright and even bold at times, and there are some nice whimsical touches, like a vision of Junichi's closet domain as its own universe (see screenshot 5). Character design is relatively realistic for this sort of entry, with good distinctions on display between the many girls populating the anime. Line detail is generally very strong and stable. There are minor banding issues on display, perhaps made more apparent by some of the overall brightness of the series.
Amagami SS features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix (in the original Japanese only) that provides more than ample support for what is often a very talky series. Occasional elements, like the narration in the Sae arc, are mixed well, and the entire series' dialogue is presented very cleanly and clearly. Fidelity is excellent and there are no issues of any kind to report.
Amagami SS can't quite escape its dating sim genesis, and the series therefore tends to be kind of like a collection of tangentially related short stories rather than an organic whole. The show tends to play like a "slice of life" entry quite a bit of the time, crossed with some traditional shōnen elements, though that said, Junichi is a likable, relatable character who isn't a complete klutz or nincompoop. There are also some overt similarities between some of the girls that tend to make the series' repetitive nature especially apparent. All of that said, Amagami SS is often very sweet and it's also incessantly good natured. It's not any giant slayer in the anime realm, but a decent middling effort that should entertain those with a special interest in romance stories. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
13 Episodes & 4 OVAs
2012
2008
2008-2009
2007
2007-2008
さくら荘のペットな彼女 / Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
2012-2013
2008
2013-2015
2013-2014
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! | 中二病でも恋がしたい! | Collector's Edition
2012-2013
Anime Classics
2011-2012
Essentials / 氷菓
2012
2013
Season 2
2007
2012-2013
Anime Classics
2008-2009
中二病でも恋がしたい! 戀 / Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
2014
甘城ブリリアントパーク
2014-2015
言の葉の庭 / Koto no Ha no Niwa
2013
2013