Here is Greenwood

Ailly Dec 24, 2014

7.2

SECRET SANTA 2014 REVIEW Alright, confession time. I’m one of those people that tend to avoid older series just because the animation looks absolutely dated. And that’s completely horrible of me, because once in a while an anime like Trigun or Here is Greenwood comes along and proves me so wrong I want to bury myself in shame and never show my face ever again. You see, even though Here is Greenwood doesn’t look as pretty as, say, K-On!, it’s an incredibly charming series that managed to make me care for its characters in just 6 episodes. All while being as 90’s as possible. Story Kazuya Hasukawa moves into an all-boys dorm, called Greenwood, and befriends the weird people that live there. From elaborate pranks to supernatural events  and an impossible love, life in Greenwood can never be described as dull! The anime is a simple slice-of-life without too much of a connecting story. In fact, seeing that the manga is about 9 volumes long and this OVA only has 6 episodes, a lot is cut out. Each episode is pretty much a stand-alone story where the cast has to deal with all sort of shenanigans. The format works well for a short series, though at the end you’ll probably be left wanting more. Like an episode about how he managed to get his bike back up. The storylines for the individual episodes aren’t anything too spectacular. There are ghosts, vengeful sisters, love triangles and a really cool stage play. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just teen boys having fun in their daily lives. Animation Well, you can’t not see it, this series is definitely a product of the 90’s. From the character expressions to the actual animation, it all looks a bit dated. But isn’t that part of the charm? I found myself completely enamored by the old school character designs with its big dreamy eyes and incredibly fashionable hairstyles. Look at all that swag The backgrounds were done in a watercolour style, which I found to be very lovely. Being a slice-of-life show, the minimalistic animation doesn’t really stand out. The only episode where it kind of did, was the one where they were trying to make an fantasy movie. Movements were kind of limited and the action was little more than speed lines and a cut scene to things falling apart. Not that you'll care because they do a pretty good job at immersing you in the story. Sound There’s not much background music, or at least, not that I noticed. And the stuff that I did notice was pretty enjoyable, but also average at best. Voice-acting wasn’t too bad either, although a bit inconsistent at times, especially on the part of Mitsuru Ikeda. Loved Toshihiko Seki as Shinobu Tezuka though. The English dub was absolutely dreadful, so try to stay away from that one. Characters The most important aspect of any slice-of-life series. If your characters aren’t likeable, your show pretty much has nothing going for it. And it's in this department that the anime shines for me. I can’t even say why I find them this appealing, but I just do. Also, providing yaoi fodder always gets an A+ in my book It’s not like they’re incredibly well developed or deep or anything; they’re just very quirky and fun to watch. You get to know them and get sucked into their world. Their interactions are a mix of witty dialogue and boyish mischief. And by the last episode you're cheering them on, watching how they all turn into fine, dependable young men. Of course, this also means that if you don't like them, you're gonna have a hard time enjoying all of this. I think the first episode does a fine characterisation of all of them. If you find yourself hating the anime after watching that, you'll probably want pick up something else. Overall Never judge a book by its cover and never judge an anime by its character’s hairstyles. Here is Greenwood is a fun little OVA that hooks you with fun, fast-paced dialogue and likeable characters. For anyone longing to see old school comedy and gags, this is probably the series you're looking for!

ohtoriakio Oct 5, 2009

8.3

What to say about Here is Greenwood? It is a charming little OVA series that has a nice feel to it but also one that suffers from being too short. It is a nice overview of what the manga has to offer (in fact it makes a point of that itself at a few places) but does not really offer anything deep for the time spent. The artwork and animation are things of their time. Being made in the early 90s, it has character designs that are similar to Ranma 1/2, Kumagure Orange Road and Sailor Moon (without the strong fantasy aspect). These designs are not unappealing but do leave you with a sense of deja vu, especially since the occurences could take place in both Ranma 1/2 and Kumagure. The background artwork is rather successful as sceneries are pleasing and eye catching when need be, and they do not clash with the character design. It looks like one of the well made Ranma episodes from early in the series. Mentioning Ranma, one should also be aware that it does have another similarity to it - and that is the comedy. The practical joke that is played on the main character in the first episode, and the comedy about the strong androgyny of some characters are similar to what is found in Ranma. It is however within the drama that Here is Greenwood differenciates itself from Ranma. The original plot of Kazuya Hasukawa moving in to the school dorm to be away from his sister-in-law (who he is in love with) turns into a great little story about camaraderie and growing pains. This is done through the characters, as many of them will show you different sides of humanity without resorting to too many cliches (but just enough to know where they are coming from). The sub story about Mitsuru and his sister was the funniest passage of the anime because the sibling rivalry, not matter how far fetched rang true in the sentiments that were depicted. Other characters like Shinobu and Shun are also well rounded, though not completely fleshed out. The intimacy between the main cast more then makes up for that as it feels like watching a group of teenage friends on the street. The seiyuus do a great job in bringing the characters to life and although this is a Shoujo title, they do well in delivering their lines in the masculine style that fit their characters and extend their audience. The soundtrack of Here is Greenwood itself has some nice tunes and background music, though nothing that really stands out. The ending song is a pleasant nostalgic ballad which gave the series a great feel (especially since so much of a timeframe is covered within the 6 episodes). This anime is throughly enjoyable, though probably not a favourite because of its length. For an OVA, it certainly delivers. See it if you are after fairly realistic character dynamics and drama, or after slightly black humour, or even if you just want a satire of other shows - as Here is Greenwood does that really well too!

Fortis931 Apr 12, 2011

6.5

Here is greenwood is a pretty old anime and most the time im not a huge fan of but, when i saw Here is greenwood, i fell in love with it! it has very funny characters and i highly recomend this series if you like shoujo and cute guys, so please check this series out!