doyle.erwin - 2014-12-04 08:53:43

I happened to run into this on YouTube and was drawn by the title, "Fantasia". A title of that caliber generally brings to the imagination something special, containing some unique quality. It may also bring to mind the old Disney movie for those who've seen it (I would have to admit I haven't as of yet). While it wasn't known until after in my case, the OVA was even worked on by the people who did the first "Ghost in the Shell" movie a couple of years after. Production I.G. would be those people and they certainly chose a relatable name, in a way still bring relatable to those of the anime community. That relatable feeling may feel different to each person, however.

Production I.G. doesn't disappoint with their visual work, and does a great job working with proportions and keeping animation stable with a good sensation of a 3D object on the screen at times. It is less apparent to see that type of animation now, as it seems now the attention has shifted to maximizing the actual motion, but there's still a lot of motion here to be had. The sound work met the requirements to flow with the visuals, yet it didn't stick out at any time and didn't immerse or play particularly catchy songs. The animation is only around twenty years old, but I have to say if any animation was to be considered timeless, it is likely this kind as it always feels perfectly proportioned. Production I.G. also did a fairly well job at directing Fantasia as it features some interesting animation for the bland setting, and some interesting angles and character movements.

So, it's good to know Production I.G. wasn't cheapening out on the design of Fantasia superficially, but the same could certainly not be said to the actual content of the story. If I were to cut it short, Fantasia features your average, high-school boy having come upon a magical girl. Relatable, yes? Don't expect too much to find that will surprise you in this setting. The characters are as you would expect, the magical girl being exceptionally weak and desperate in this case. A surprising subtlety this time, however, was that there was brief attempted justification for it. It was definitely brief, but given the comical situation the characters were placed in, I could fairly say it convinced me to a small extent. Besides the magical girl, the boy is dropped in the typical love-triangle situation and he acts relatively as one who's seen anime with similar premises would expect. He was able to get me to do a small chuckle from one of his lines, and he is emotive thanks to the visuals, but he's dry as is everyone present here. The characters all feel reasonably justified for their moods, but that's the limit to the character descriptions they carry.

The story around the magical girl isn't too unique in general, involving a magical rug, but it's enjoyably simple and relatable again. Nothing is taken seriously in the context, while the direction seems to battle the ridiculousness they have to work with simultaneously. It molds conflicting moods at times, but by the mid-point everyone can safely agree there is nothing to be taken seriously in Fantasia. The design for the villain and all the characters looks as it would in the 90's, and it could add to the enjoyment a bit as it can add to the ridiculousness. The designs are simplistic, and so is basically everything beyond the Production I.G. work. An interesting thing to question, however, is who this is even directed at. There is ecchi scenes with the magical girl, yet the other girl characters all look very reasonable. That is odd if the direction was at the perverted, but it could make sense if the one girl gave the audience plenty of service in her screen-time. She doesn't, however, only being with the main boy closely for about a third of the OVA. The rest is filled with flat drama and non-ecchi characters, at least to today's standards.

I can't be sure who this was made for, but Production I.G. felt the need to create Fantasia. Production I.G. doesn't hold back too much though and still creates a visually pleasing short. To the writing, it doesn't take an expert to come to the conclusion that it's very uninspired. It has its own magical girl take on her fantasy history, but that's about it. From the start, though, the simplistic town setting doesn't set expectations too high, and I can't say what is here isn't enjoyable. There is some enjoyment to be had with Fantasia's silliness, and some may like it more or less than others, but there isn't much worth to put this OVA on a high priority. It was a pleasure to watch visually and it's short length surely aids that. The OVA does feel like the pilot for your typical boy meets magical girl series and it doesn't end with an ending that gives closure. From the over-done nature of the premise, however, the viewer can safely imagine what happens counting up the conclusions of all the other series I know they've seen in the same bucket. I didn't feel unsatisfied because of it, and because of the nonchalant viewing. Fantasia is worth a watch if one can bear everything I mention to it, but it isn't anything you have to worry about at the moment.

*By the way, the art in the actual OVA is much better than what is shown in the Hummingbird cover of it. Also, Fun-Fact: The script was done by the person who did InuYasha's script ༼ つ ͠° ͟ ͟ʖ ͡° ༽つ.