Interlude Review

story 9.5/10

An unnamed young man lives his life normally with his friends, his childhood sweetheart Tama, and the usual daily activities. He goes to school, does his homework, hangs out with his friends, and is by all means a normal teenager. But recently, he has been having terrible nightmares of an existence that seems unreal, and it all goes down hill from there...

Truly, there is not much else that can be said about the plot in detail without spoiling, and since the entire basis of Interlude is that it’s secretive, mysterious, and is designed to make you think and discuss, spoiling it would be a travesty to your viewing experience.

There are many anime series out there that are predictable. Granted, they might be entertaining, but predictable nonetheless. Then there are series that don’t make a lot of sense. Sometimes, you don’t really care because you didn’t like it much to begin with; but other times, you enjoyed it so much that you feel the need to go discuss ideas about what happened immediately. The latter is the category that Interlude fell into, as well as others such as Paranoia Agent. Besides Paranoia Agent, it has been a long time since I’ve seen something this intelligent and this deep as far as the storyline, and that gets very high marks from me. The story is told in pieces that are scattered throughout the episodes, and finally are drawn together in the final act. Even once the credits roll you will have quite a few unanswered questions, but people have been discussing the details in forums and have come to some interesting conclusions. In general, the overall story, once it’s revealed, is incredibly interesting and in depth, tragic, moving, and full of hope at the same time. I strongly suggest watching the entire three episodes because any less will not give you a good idea of how encompassing the plot ends up being. The first episode is somewhat of a horrorish viewing, the second fairly tame, but the third is the one that wraps up all the loose ends and makes you think "wow."

In addition to the normal storytelling, there are brief comments made by three of the main characters, one at the beginning of each 45 minute episode. Each one comments about how this is their "interlude", hence the name of the OVA. Each character talks on a stage, like you are watching a monologue at a local theater, lending itself even stronger to the chosen name. The first time around, these comments really won’t make any sense. If you’ve just finished the OVA, however, after checking out various forum threads for ideas as to what the plot was about, I strongly suggest watching those monologues a second time for a great deal of clarity.

My only complaint is that there was very unnecessary fan service/ecchi thrown in, on a somewhat regular basis (especially in episode one). This wasn’t just fan service, this was ridiculous fan service that went way over the top, and really doesn’t help with the serious and intelligent mood the OVA is supposed to be portraying. First time viewers might see it over and over in episode one, and think the OVA is not worth seeing, but trust me, it is. Stick with it, and you’ll be rewarded with a very engaging plot that will surprise you.

animation 9/10

Anyone who watches Interlude has to agree that the animation is stunning to say the least. There was something about it that seemed odd, but it’s hard to put a finger on. I think it was the occasional weird layering effect that came from having thickly outlined characters, on top of sometimes sparse backgrounds (or backgrounds that weren’t as strongly outlined). Besides that, everything about the visuals were amazing. Backgrounds were absolutely beautiful, especially the recurring scene of a dark blue field with bluish-white flowers. The amusement park, the sunsets, every background was detailed and rich with color. Some backgrounds looked almost like water colors had been used to construct them, while others were almost so realistic they looked close to CG.

Character designs were equally as impressive, with thick outlines and vibrant colors. Aya reminded me a great deal of the main female character in Hitsuji no Uta as far as the design. Colors used were neutral (no bright pinks or yellows, or anything offensive to the eyes) but still were very rich and full. The blue background scene comes to mind again, because it was so breathtaking. Check out the screenshots for that one.

CG was also used at times, and the camera angles and panning made it seem almost like you were watching a real movie. The camera would seem to fly into the scene, instead of starting as a part of it. Odd angles were used to give you new perspectives, especially in the city of the moon, where the shots always seemed to be from around the feet level.

sound 9/10

Although different in some ways, the music reminded me quite a bit of watching the Resident Evil movie. It had the same sort of techy feel, but in general, just fit really well in a cool and slick way. The music itself was synthy and pseudo industrial-like most of the time, but had a very eerie feel to it when appropriate and applicable to the scene. Sound effects were creepy and effective, and in general, the music fit the tone of the series perfectly. Voice acting worked all the way around.

characters 8/10

Although the characters didn’t have a great deal of history or background to them (the main character was nameless, for god’s sake!) they still managed to flesh out nicely and become 3-dimensional. Quite a bit of this was because of the in depth plot, so it’s difficult to explain without spoiling. The interactions were always layered and complicated at times, but always seemed to be applicable to the final storyline. Relationships between several of the main characters ended up being a focal point, and ended up being compelling and moving. Though you don’t know a great deal about them, you still end up feeling empathetic towards them and their ... let’s just say less than ideal situations they become involved in.

I take it back that there wasn’t a lot of character development, because there was with at least one main character. This person has lived their life in a static manner, only to find it turned upside down, and grows painfully to realize the position they are in now. Again, cryptic because I don’t want to ruin the story.

overall 9/10

Interlude definitely managed to place itself high up in the ranks of my favorites as far as plots go. I rarely see things that are so intelligent and provoke so much discussion afterwards, and this definitely was one of them. The beautiful animation, coupled with the fitting and edgy music made this an entertaining watch, even without the plot... but the plot was what drove the nail in the coffin as far as I’m concerned. You’ll have your own theories about what happened, but it won’t necessarily be an End of Eva type irritating confusion. More like, a very curious excited confusion... or at least it was for me. Just remember to rewatch the monologues once you finish, read some forum threads about what it meant, and you’ll do just fine. Get past the ecchi and this was an incredibly good OVA, and I think you’ll feel the same.