smith.keara - 2015-04-27 22:13:45

Being bored of waiting weekly and monthly releases of anime of various categories, I began searching without knowing what I was searching. The small, yet witty title of I''s Pure caught my attention and I began watching it with no other real reason. Little did I know that I had come across a gem of the genre, one of those anime that you wish someone told you about earlier and one of those you wonder why they have come to be relatively unknown. Withour any further ado, let's jump right to the review!

As an introduction, I'd like to say that this anime was released during a period when the Drama/Romance anime was a well established category in the vast anime world. For some, although I disagree, it was a period where the genre was at its blossom and  it might be a reason why other anime of the likes were much more known. However I believe that it was a period when the genre didnt provide us with anything that great and everyone's attention simply wasn't targeted to Drama and/or Romance "section". However, this is an anime unlike any you have ever seen. 

STORY
However, this is an anime unlike any you have ever seen. This is not a plain story of a dull guy or girl who will in the end be together with the famous one of the opposite gender. It is not a story where the one half of the couple will pay attention to the least important of details in a relationship, that will end up ruining it either. And it certainly isn't a cheesy love story between a girl and a guy with a hidden, untold past that will remain hidden until the most important moment and turn things upside down. Yes, we have to admit these are things we have seen countless times in various forms and variants, eventually leading to the downgrading of a whole genre. Having these in mind, let me assure you that I''s Pure isn't something like that. For the, perhaps, first time I have watched something that is finally complete and  that can combine every bit of successful aspects of such stories into one, great story that will in the end of the day leave you amazed and full of emotions. ( Trying not to spoil anything about the story, I have to stop here and be general. While, I could alert for spoilers, I believe this is a story you have to see from the beginning to the end without knowing many things to appreciate it as much as it desrves)

STORYTELLING/NARRATION
A good story with a bad narration results in a mediocre outcome. A good story however with the appropriate storytelling can turn into a masterpiece. This is the case of I''s Pure. One of its weapons and an element that only it has achieved so well, without needing to copy it from any other anime is its narration, which can only be described as phenomenal. The story begins in medias res, meaning that it begins from somewhere in the middle of our story and somewhere around the 70% of the events that are to be told. However, the secret gem lies on the technique of flashbacks. It is not uncommon to see an anime character using flashbacks to tell a part of a story. However, what we haven't seen are the right proportions. During these flashbacks in other anime the action would be frozen to give insight. Here, the flashbacks are the main action, being the way to offer proper insight. The flashbacks contain the information to actually make the story progress instead of filling in empty gaps! We feel that each time the protagonist "makes" a new flashback, the dimension of time has changed and gradually shrinks until the gap between this nostalgic past and the present is closed. At that point the story tell us "you're ready to go". Don't get the wrong idea, whatever has happened until that point is dramatically important. But you still get the feeling that with the flashbacks belonging to the past and with the time being set to point 0, you have reached the turning point. After that, one would expect the narration to follow the traditional linear way. And this is where I''s Pure amazes us once again. By playing with time once again, there are intervals between the story's points of even a year. Thus, you will find yourself without even knowing it being driven by the story, the way it wants to drive you, show you the things it wants the way it wants and make you hope this would never end. This is not a weapon for no reason. 

CHARACTERS/DEVELOPMENT
Now this section is probably the weirdest one and the most diverse. Usually characters and their development are a common category under the same  larger section. However, in I''s Pure the former is the dimest side of the anome, while the latter is another weapon, an overwhelming element trying to make up for the other. We have 3 main characters, out of those 1 is male and 2 female and the story would seem pretty standard if the previous section hadn't been explained ( the 2 initial protagonists are about to get close and suddenly the third one makes her appearence, yep I know it's cliche, but if you have read all the above, you will have understood that while it begins like that, it develops B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T-L-Y ). The first female character is by far the best one. You will empathize with her, you will respect her being down to Earth and how reasonable she seems in spite of her environment, you will be sad when things won't be perfect for her (at times they will be the worst possible) and in the end you will be fixed on the screen when the story revolves around her. And that's the end of the positive side of the characters. The male character is where the less bright side lies. While it is subject to opinion, whether you approve of his actions or not, you will be surprised when the most unorthodox decisions possible will be made. The second femal character likewise is a rather annoying character. Not annoying in terms of her interaction with the story, that is up to your taste to determine. She is actually annoying because potentially  she could be a really interesting character. However with no special traits to make her memorable, the characters section failson that part. On the bright side, what I will ask of you is a bit of tolerance, since the development is what saves the situation. The development follows the pace of the narration with the ups and downs, with the turning points, the peaks and the backs and forths. Following the narration the way the characters develop is insane and of equal beauty as the story/storytelling. The female protagonist will only develop positively making her an even more interesting character and a memorable figure. The other two are not hopeless either as the story progresses. The guy's personality shows a great development in terms of maturity, choice and priorities. Too bad, this will happen towards the middle of the story and you will have spent half episodes wondering if such a character can become any better. With his transformation however, he will also be a character to remember. The  anime doesn't achieve the same procedure so well with the other female protagonist. When Seto's (male protagonist) moving forward in terms of character, she takes a less important role and almost vanishes. Since, it was actually her maturity being illustrated that made Seto's character move forward, her bright points are too few to make her worth remembering for a long time. The side characters now, mainly contribute to the comedy aspect of the anime. This is well achieved as theit contribution is at right proportions and help the story develop a little. On the downside they lack traits that supporting characters should actually have to support the main cast. There isn't but one spot towards the end when you will feel that they are actually important and are indeed there. NOTE: (A section consisting of characters alone would receive about a 6. However, with the masterful ability to turn dull characters into fresh, intersting ones, the whole section will receive an 8 in the evaluation, as the development part could go for a 9-10. Depending on what you find more appealing, keep the grade reflecting your taste.)

SOUND
Yes, yes, yes, yes. Like with the narration, a good anime will only get better with the correct music accompanying it. Even a bad anime can be memorable if there was good music supporting it, showing us the importance of its effects on us. The choice of sound is the best possible, with nostalgic, dramatic tunes supporting the relevant parts of the story. Since the drama part is almost always there, this choice of music lets the anime pass the emotions directly to us. Combine this with the flashback scenes and the static pictures of the most emotional points you will see. Indeed, the feeling train makes no stops :) .

ARTWORK
Not much can be told about the artwork chosen. Not because it's good or bad, but rather because it's the fitting one. I am a personal fan of the artwork, but I know people who would complain about it and in the end of the day it cannot be described with just words. You can by visualizing the pace of the story that a Sword Art Online-like artowrk would definitely not work. Nor would a DBZ one work, even if it's an older anime. The choice is that of a nostalgic art style, matching the emotional music to give an aesthetically perfect result combining picture and sound. I can't say more without spoiling. I guess you have to see for yourselves.

Overall, this anime has proven to be a gem of the kind. Being the only anime that has made me been a fan of it without me even knowing it for some time, definitely means that it is successful and therefore an outstanding anime. One of the few to achieve perfection in most elements and being able to make up for its weaknesses, I''s Pure is surely an anime with flaws and drawbacks, but with a fresh love story full of all kinds of surprises and masterfully portrayed turning points and techniwues, it will certainly remain in your heart, warm for a long time.