Sola - Review
When someone wants to watch a very chill anime series, they typically go for the Romance and Slice of Life genres. Anime can cater to these departments quite well and holds quite the reputation for it too. So if you're on the lookout for some worthy titles to watch and chill, best be prepared to take what comes with these, as they come with complementary genres featured as well.
Sola is a 13 episode TV anime series that started airing on the 7th of April and went up until the 30th of June, as a Spring 2007 title. It is also known by the simple title “Sky”, produced by Lantis, licensed by Bandai Entertainment and brought to life by Studio Nomad.
The main staff behind the series are Satomi Tetsurou (Producer), Aketagawa Jin (Sound Director), Kobayashi Tomoki (Director, Episode Director and Storyboard) and Takayanagi Shigehito (Episode Director and Storyboard). It features the combined genres of Drama, Romance, Slice of Life and Supernatural. The series is Rated PG-13 for teenage audiences and older.
The series is based on the source Manga of the same title. It is a two-volume Manga series that ran from December 21st, 2006, until February 21st, 2008. It featured the genres of Drama, Fantasy, Romance, and Shounen, by Author Hisaya Naoki and Artist Abeno Chaco and serialized in Dengeki Daioh. Additionally, Sola was the first anime written by author Hisaya Naoki after leaving game publisher Key.
Protagonist Yorito Morimiya is absolutely obsessed with the sky, which is a peculiar kind of passion. He especially enjoys snapping photos of a wide array of the sky’s various faces, ranging from sunrises, sunsets, and even clouds. Of course, there has to be more to his life than just the sky; so as fate would have it, one eventful early morning, during one of his usual excursions to engage in photography involving the sunrise, Yorito encounters a strange girl somehow engaged in an argument with a vending machine, of all things. Yorita manages to force this girl's tomato juice out of the Vending machine after some attempts, but by this time, she had completely vanished without a trace.
Thus unravels the tale of Sola, which mainly follows the story of male protagonist Yorito. It is also built around his sister Morimiya Aono, their childhood friends Mana Ishizuki and Koyori Ishizuki, and the mysterious girl who seems to appear and disappear. This girl, named Shihou Matsuri, is someone harboring a dark secret that will affect the flow of this story.
This tale is set in a world where both magic and the supernatural are never too far below the surface, where no single person is who they seem to be on the surface. The two main emotions of love and loneliness are in constant turbulence for supremacy underneath Yorito’s sky as the tale unfolds.
The genres featured in Sola widely explain what to expect from the series; it is heavily tuned with Romance and Drama, but as the title implies, it is heavily themed after the sky as well. It is unique in this regard, which allows it to stand out among other anime of these genres, but unfortunately, that factor is not always a good thing.
The series does an excellent job portraying how some people take something like the sky for granted while, for certain others, it is a treasure they yearn for. Some people enjoy the sky in all its glory, while some won't even spare a moment to gaze up at it. The story interestingly showcases how some wish to catch a mere glimpse of the sky itself, and for the most part, the bulk of the story has something to do with the sky.
The other main focal point of the series is the blossoming romance between the two main characters, Yorito and Matsuri. Yorito is the average anime guy, other than the fact that he is obsessed with taking photos of the sky. Matsuri, of course, is a “special” type of girl, the kind that is usually found in anime of these genres.
This set-up is really nothing rare in anime, it is an overused trope that has been used too many times for comfort, and when compared to true masterpieces of this type, Sola tends to be just average. This makes the premise rather dull; the lack of action and piled-up unanswered questions make it difficult to praise Sola, as viewers are very liable to lose interest. On the bright side, once the story really begins to develop, all of these issues become a thing of the past, easily forgettable, and the show can ultimately become a good or at least decent watch.
The characters of Sola, as well as their character department, are quite lacking. The same seven characters recycle throughout the entire series. The characters themselves are also really average and have typical anime personalities, which most anime viewers are tired of repetitively. The series does a decent job with Yorito’s development as per the silver lining, as it comes off as exciting and unexpected. Matsuri and Aono are also done decently, primarily because of the mystery elements surrounding them, and they are also the only ones that were developed well as a whole.
The Art and Animation of Sola are above average and are key selling points. The series embraces various new animation techniques and styles which are pleasing to the eye. It is a given that many details are put into the sky, clouds, celestial objects, and lighting effects. The scenery looks incredible, and mainly the water looks superb. The series had so much potential to use this element to improve its character department, but sadly this isn't the case. More dynamic characters would’ve added so much more to this anime’s mix.
The Music and Sounds of Sola are decent. The Opening themes are "Binkan na Fuukei" by Ceui and "Colorless Wind" by Aira Yuuki. The Ending themes are "Mellow Melody" by Ceui and "Miageru Ano Sora de" by Aira Yuuki. The OSTs are a unique blend of piano, string, and harp melodies that suit the series’s calm and dramatic natures well. Unfortunately, these add so little to the excitement, especially in the advent of the rare occasional action scenes.
Overall Sola is a show revolving around two mysterious girls who are romantically involved with the male protagonist. Yorito, though, is quite unsure of himself. The pace is plodding at the start but very fast towards the end. In the sectors of Romance and Drama, Sola does a decent job, but it only kicks off halfway into this relatively short series. It boasts some shocking character developments as well as a few intense fights.
The ending is good as well, with a dramatic final confrontation and bitter-sweet ending note. The series is recommendable to fans of the Romance and Drama genres, but certainly not for Action genre fans. If this type of anime strikes your fancy, Sola is definitely a good watch.
