There are times when a lack of major surprises is a very good thing, and this is one of them. Natsuyuki Rendezvous has been a difficult series right from the beginning – slow to work its way into my consciousness, never eager to make its characters easy to love, always […] Read more
There’s no two ways about it – Natsuyuki Rendezvous is really putting me through the emotional wringer. If you buy the argument that the most damning thing you can feel for a series is apathy, then this one is definitely in the clear. Sometimes I’m furious at it and sometimes […] Read more
It’s probably too late for persuasion – either mine, or the series itself – to make any new converts to Natsuyuki Rendezvous. Either you’re emotionally invested by now or you’re not. For me, the question isn’t of emotional investment, as I’ve been there for a while. But Natsuyuki is doing […] Read more
Natsuyuki Rendezvous has certainly evolved into a matter of life and death, but not in quite the same way as any other anime I’ve seen. “When I die, will you eat a little bit of my bones?” More and more I’m growing convinced that in every way that matters, Atsushi […] Read more
More and more the experience of watching Natsuyuki Rendezvous is dominated by the strong emotions in inspires in me – which is just as well, because after this week I have less idea what’s really going on than ever. I can’t help but feel that the key moment of the […] Read more
Natsuyuki Rendezvous seems determined not to make things very easy for the viewers. If there’s one word that springs to mind for me in connection with this series, it’s empathy. It seems to be a critical component of everything that’s happening in the story – and an equally critical factor […] Read more
Watching Natsuyuki Rendezvous had the same effect that watching Hazuki use Atsushi’s plates & utensils does – it makes me happy and sad. As I watched the first five episodes of this series, I’ve increasingly felt that the real main character wasn’t Hazuki, or even Rokka. It’s the ghost that’s the main […] Read more
Dysfunction junction in flower shops everywhere. There were even pandas at the amusement park. Certainly, naming the amusement park at the center of this episode “Hanayashiki” can hardly be called subtle – hanaya means “florist”, and shiki (as most anime fans know) has associations with death and the undead. But […] Read more
In terms of raw emotional impact, Natsuyuki Rendezvous definitely upped the ante this week. I was already bought into this series’ quiet, subtle charms, but this was the first time I really felt the full force of the premise. It’s interesting that the series’ most compelling character so far – […] Read more
This is a funny sort of show about a funny sort of romance, but so far it’s working for me. My reaction after two episodes of Natsuyuki Rendezvous is exactly the same as it was after the first. There’s really nothing spectacular happening here, but the series is slowly creeping […] Read more