I know.
That is one flowery poster art.
If you're thinking that Natsuyuki Rendezvouz is a flowery romantic sinkhole that's making you itch to run for the shounen genre hills, I should stop you.
Yes, there are flowers. Yes, there is romance.
But Natsuyuki Rendezvouz is not some saccharine or sappy love story that would make you question why they even aired it on TV.
Hatsuyuki Ryosuke impulsively decides to work in the flower shop owned and managed by the girl that he likes. Working side by side everyday with Shimao Rokka starts to become challenging for Hatsuyuki, especially after he finds out that Rokka is living with another man. He later finds out that the man is actually Rokka's husband, Shimao Atsushi. Much to his surprise, Hatsuyuki learns that Shimao is actually dead and he is the only one who can see the former owner of the flower shop. What's worse, Shimao is unable to leave the shop and constantly hangs around to pester Hatsuyuki, attempting to quash his every effort to get close to Rokka.
I have to admit, I was glad that Natsuyuki Rendezvouz was part of my summer anime picks. In the midst of all of the action and harem/ecchi anime titles of the season, Natsuyuki Rendezvouz was a much welcomed quiet form of storytelling.
Don't get me wrong, though... quiet doesn't mean calm by any means in this case.
Natsuyuki Rendezvouz doesn't serve explosions, mysteries to be solved or level ups in power and strength. What the anime series does, and does well at that, is tell the story of three main characters, and the collective and individual journeys that they take. The emotional and psychological kind of journey, of course. Again, no action here, except for a spirit trying to punch a living body, which anti-climatically ends into the spirit passing through the aforementioned body.
Each of the characters has a secret, creating a confusing mass of emotions that affect everyone. You root for the three characters for a variety of reasons, but you can't help but feel sorry for them. Hatsuyuki keeps to himself the ability to see Shimao, constantly challenging the ghost as he pursues Rokka, but also despairs that she will never get over her husband. Rokka looks like she's happy, but tries to hold onto her husband's memory while also attempting to open her heart to Hatsuyuki. Shimao promises Hatsuyuki that he will never let Rokka go, but silently envies his rival, and wishes Rokka to be free of him and be happy. Everybody is hurting in some way. At some point in the storytelling, you get the pervading sense that ultimately, every possible happy ending for the characters will be bittersweet at best.
Yet, you still hope for the best, even when Hatsuyuki unwittingly and drunkenly lends his body to Shimao, and ends up in the fairy tale world that Shimao used to sketch when he was still alive.
With only eleven episodes, you would think that the series would seem short. I think eleven episodes were more than enough, however, even with the fantasy/dream-like elements that Hatsuyuki experiences in the latter half of the series. With the focus primarily kept on the three characters, Natsuyuki Rendezvouz was able to properly tell their stories and provide the resolutions that Hatsuyuki, Rokka and Shimao needed so they can move on to the next chapters of their lives.
No amount of flowery (pun intended) words would give me the ability to make Natsuyuki Rendezvouz exciting or convince you why it's a must-watch. I can only tell you that it IS exciting and it IS a must-watch.
Natsuyuki Rendezvouz is an anime series that you need to take your chances on and see, despite its somehow placid vibe. It's a quiet, sad, funny, heartbreaking and quirky piece of storytelling that you just need to see for yourself.
Then you'll realize that the flowery poster art was a relevant choice for the anime series.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Adaptation, Anime, Drama, Must-Watch, Natsuyuki Rendezvouz, Romance, Supernatural, TV
