Yozakura Quartet
Title: Yozakura Quartet Genre: Action, Comedy, Supernatural Rating: 7.3/10
Review: So after seeing that a Yozakura Quartet OVA came out recently I did a little investigation (Google images) on Yozakura Quartet.The screenshots looked pleasing so I figured I should check it out. It wasn’t a bad choice, possibly because I have never read the manga. The series apparently doesn’t follow the manga well (if at all) and that was why the OVA was created, to “reset” the series and retell the story. So here is my un-mangaed opinion on Yozakura Quartet: it was entertaining. The story wasn’t bad, short and to the point. The plot was basic and easy to follow which isn’t always a bad thing. I think that anime don’t always have to be mind blowing, brain melting, confusing works as they sometimes are. Bad guy shows up, bad guy wants to bring back the spirits that were cast away, team tries to stop him. It wasn’t anything that stands out in the anime world though so for that I would consider it an average. The character design on the other hand was above average. I didn’t dislike any of the character models they chose for the main and support characters. All of them had their quirks and gimmicks that made the anime pretty funny. I cracked a smile at some of the silly jokes about the city anthem and mascot. The added element of sacrifice was also brought out to its entirety because of how well they had the characters react. I felt that all of the personalities were very believable, and for that I consider the characters a job well done.
My favorite part was the soundtrack. Yozakura Quartet is a great job with the opening, ending and background music. I would say this is the most difficult field to satisfy me with because I have heard a lot of different anime openings and endings over the years. The hard and soft rock was situated properly throughout the anime. There were times were I felt music was unnecessarily played though. A bit of overplaying of the same song can lead to annoyance. It didn’t get too bad, but it was definitely a noticeable factor. I don’t know if I will look around for the OST just yet. I’ll take another quick listen though just in case.
The art style wasn’t bad and they had a couple great fight scenes. I can’t say it was something out of the standard action anime animation. The magic and hand-to-hand combat had equivalent entertainment value so every fight was worth watching. The biggest problem may have been the choreography. The animators seemed to use the same style of fighting over and over. Basically different background same action. After a few episodes of that I did get a little tired of it. I really liked what they did with the time breaks between the first and second half. The black/white/orange color scheme looked awesome. It had a computer wallpaper vibe to it, and with a different character each time, maybe it is?
Final statements: This may not be the next generation breaking anime but it had it’s moments. I enjoyed watching it and looking forward to the OVA. It wasn’t anything that special so a preferred watch is the best I can give it.