Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Episode Total: 26
Producers: CIRCUS, Ganges, ZEXCS, Lantis, feel.
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Supernatural
D.C. ~Da Capo~
[Review: 59/100]

When you hear about a show that’s based on a Japanese dating sim, you are bound to think it’s all about the pretty girls, or guys, you converse with. Da Capo is one of those anime that are based on such thing. It has the same premise of any other anime of its type; have a moderately normal and somewhat popular guy put in an environment of beautiful girls and just see how things go from there. Although some of the scenarios are less than common, I just can’t help but notice how bland it is.

Jun’ichi Asakura, the protagonist, is a sophomore at Hatsune-Jima’s local high school. He leaves together with his sister, Nemu, although the two are not related by blood. While the relation between the two is your ordinary sibling relationship, along comes Jun’ichi’s acquaintance, Sakura, to spice his life a bit. Despite her short stature, Sakura is the same age as he and Nemu, and she harbors great feelings to him. Once Nemu notices that, it all comes down to a competition of who can have Jun’ichi for herself.

The premise itself isn’t ordinary, but to give the series some credit, it has some original characters. Sakura, beautifully portrayed by the talented Yukari Tamura, may seem cute and rather obsessive about Jun’ichi, but she is quiet a serious and rational person when the situation is appropriate. Throughout the course of the 26 episodes, Sakura is perhaps the only one who shows an actual development in her nature and understanding.

While we have some interesting people like Sakura to identify with, some are not quite there. Miharu is the overly zealous freshman that can never get enough of her upperclassman Nemu. Now I don’t mind a little same sex innuendo from time to time, but her annoying fetish for bananas (it’s annoying because she does mention it every episodes she is in) is a bit too much. She acts like a child from the beginning to the end, and while she does have the most interesting background of all the characters, it doesn’t make her any lovable than the others.

The main problem with Da Capo is the lack of a consistent structure. The first 15 episodes of the show provide a nice comedic exposition to the characters, but from episode 16, the series shifts to a serious tone and most of the characters are pretty much excluded from the storyline. These episodes, while emotionally convincing, can be drag on for too many episodes than necessary. There was no reason the series needed all 26 for the story, because 13 would have sufficed. This creates awkward situations that result in a dead silence that can last for a few minutes.

The art in Da Capo is not too exceptional in terms of the character designs, albeit the backgrounds in the show look radiant thanks to the strong shade of pink of the sakura trees. The classical soundtrack of Da Capo conveys the emotions of the many characters in a satisfying way and it is probably the series’ highest point.

To say that Da Capo is unique is a double-edged sword. While it has some interesting elements and characters to it that distinguishes it from the rest of the Harem pack, it knows from inside that it cannot really uproot itself from all the clichés of the genre. The last episodes of the show may move some, but I found them to be drawn out and less than satisfying. Ironically, my favorite episode of the show was the first one because the innocence it had before all the zaniness occurred. If you want a moving romantic story and you have nothing better to watch, Da Capo is a nice choice. I would have to say, however, that Da Capo is nothing but a tedious effort that could have been halved in order to convey its plot in a way that would appeal to everyone.