Wedding Peach DX

ohtoriakio Oct 4, 2009

8

What to call Wedding Peach DX? Is it a return to form or just a rehash of the previous story but with better animation? Well, the answer is both!! This outing does not bring anything new to the overall story, however it is enjoyable all the way through. Fans of Wedding Peach will want to see this set of OVAs because you get to see the fabulous cast again, the bigger budget makes this set consistently well drawn and animated, and these are four fun episodes! The animation is (as stated before) an improvement on the quality of the TV series. This is no surprise though as this release is an OVA, which typically means higher budget and less episodes to make. The use of colour is still as great as ever with this series. They are bright and vibrant, and your eyes are totally drawn to them. The character design is the same as the great one they had from the TV series but with some minor tweaking. Noticeacle examples are the proportions of the figures which seem a lot closer to right now, and the textures created in the costumes which are excellent. Talking about costumes, the Love Angels sport a much sexier look in this outing but it still manages to not be slutty which is a great thing (to me anyway). The only issue I have at all with the look is that they could have had more inspired backgrounds. They work well in most scenes but they feel a little like a let down when you see all the improvements that were made in the other areas. The sound in this release follows through with the wonderful standard that was set in the TV series. The new opening is an amazing piece of Pop/Punk that just grows on you with each listen. The ending is great too but not to the wonderous standard of the opening "Merry Angel". The voice actors are as great as they have always been, and since there is not really that much drama in this (it is played for laughs most of the time) they tap into there sense of fun very well to deliver the lines in a great comedic fashion. The story is a little standard for this release. There are some good points, like being able to see what life is like for the girls (and the boys) after their climactic finish in the TV series. Fans of Scarlet (Angel Salvia) will also be pleased to find that the episodes on offer do deal with her more than they did before (there is even an interesting love interest on offer for her that somehow ends in tears). The comedic elements are put into play quite well and are consistently fun to watch (Catgirl Love Angels, the return of the great Potamos/Hiromi). The problem is that if you were to think back on this set of episodes you would be left with a sense that not much happened. Seeing that this release was played out for laughs, they kind of get away with it - but something a little more substantial would have gone a longer way in pleasing the long-term fans of the show. The character development is quite static in this four-episode arc, which is no big surprise. They do have a couple of advancements for a few characters - the return of Potamos shows a new side to her and Scarlet gets some aspects of her personality developed. The main issue I have is that the male characters (Yanagiba and Yousuke) who always made great sidekicks barely feature. This is a shame as their inclusion made the girls shine a little more as well. As it is, the main cast is still fun but they could have been hilarious instead of just fun - the episode with Potamos shows how great the character dynamics are when they have a great sidekick! This OVA series has value to me because I always find myself playing that infectious intro song and the episodes are very easy to get into and love. As such, this is a release that you can show to your friends without much trouble, which is always something I need in my collection. It is also a very enjoyable watch from start to finish, especially if you like the cast as much as I do. I recommend it to most Magical Girl fans.