of Sketchbook: full color`s

(let's do a bit of updating...
=P -after a crap load of absence...)

Sketchbook: full color's is one of those anime where you wouldn't notice it's existence until someone around you talks about it. Even if someone mentions it, by reading the synopsis of the series makes the general public wonder: Why would this be interesting?

Many slice of life genre are hard to appreciate, since it requires the audience to understand the general situation the story is in, the references they bring up, and the jokes that go along with the references. It is even harder when this is in a foreign language -such as Japanese.

Sketchbook: full color's is unlike many common slice of life animes we call great -like Azumanga Daioh, or Lucky Star. Rather than using common references, like otaku, or moe, this anime relies on finding comedy in our ordinary lives. Even in the society of city cats, there are discoveries to be made that might go unnoticed by us humans.

Animation:
What viewers should take notice in Sketchbook is not the animation itself -for instance, the movement of the characters, or the expressions of the characters (all unique and great)- but take a look at the surrounding environment -the countryside suburb of Kyuushu. Take a look at the colors the artists used to portray the town, the mountains, the skies, the change in season, and many others. The nice use of color in this animation really sets the mood for the entire anime.

If there were some kind of fluke in animation, it was not on the level that made me go "eew". Generally, I was taken away by the visuals within the anime.

Sound:
By god, the ambience is great in this series. What more, the soundtrack to the anime is superb. What makes it nice is the fact that the music is nicely selected with the situation -from jazzy to classical notes. Nice to have as walking music. Recommends buying the OST if you are given the opportunity to -support stuff you like!

Story:
This is where people cringe at, and where I start ranting that they do not appreciate the beauty of the series.

Each episode is divided into a sub story of that particular day. There isn't really a continuation or a reference to older episodes, and people might cringe at this. However, I will state that the episodes are like living day by day of our own lives. How often do we talk to our friends and recall past events -not too often. Within each episode there are references to normalcy in life, as well as stuff relating to nature -something I do enjoy (thank you Kurihara sempai). This "relating to nature" topic ties well with the animation, as I stated previously, the background imagery is superb.

Then you have moments with the cat's interpretations of life around them. This is a rather unique idea, since animals are only used for the cuteness factor (or evil factor, like Azumanga's biting cat). It's strange to listen to these cats talk about their lives, and how they view human life, but in a sense, that is also comedy. I mean, how often have we looked at some animals and wonder how they view us (other than a food source).

Character:
Maybe a little too weird, but it's not as weird as people in Haruhi, or Lucky Star, or Hidamari Sketch. The variations in the character behavior (including the cats) are rather funny, and it's somewhat surprising that they get along well. Not pertaining to this anime series, I do have some downsides -b/c I do keep up with the manga. Some characters are truly casted away, and in the manga, they do have significant characteristics that might be fun to watch animated.

Value:
Take life a little slower, appreciate the things around you, and take a moment to smell the roses... These are the things that this anime teaches the general viewers. I mean, our lives are so hastily lived, that we might miss the beauty that is around us. Overall, I think people don't like it because it might be too real, and unexciting. We watch anime to in expectations of being amused for being highly stereotypical, and over exaggerated -like Hollywood. However, I need to state that our lives are not portrayed that way, and laughing at those kinds of situations sure is fun (I know I laugh), but we need to step aside and laugh at more common things. By facing away from reality, we might be missing a lot

Enjoyment:
Overall, I got a serious kick out of this anime. Not only is it fun to watch, but it also made me rethink my surroundings. If you have the chance, read the manga, b/c the 4-koma style jokes are much more apparent and bolder in the manga than in a series.

This is probably one of the better slice of life out there. While Aria might be up there, people should still consider watching this one as well -although I know many would hesitate (which is fine, because we all have different opinions.)