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3. Iodine  
Yume is a mage in training, sent to apprentice with
the owner of a Tokyo salsa club before getting her licence to do magic. Though lost at first in the big
city, it doesn't take long for Yume to warm up to her new surroundings and plenty of new friends. Someday's Dreamers is a quiet, slice-of-life series that takes a look at the part that magic might play in
the real world if it actually existed. The pace is very slow, and Yume's progress in her training has
little to do with skill and much to do with finding her own motivation and confidence. But though the
story can be humdrum and awkward at times, there is very little of the crushing sentimentality of other
recent girl-centered dramas, and Yume is a strong and
interesting heroine, despite her quiet demeanor.
Dreamers doesn't have much by the way of production
values, with dull animation, flat designs, and noticeable skimping on visual detail. The glittery
magic spells are mainly an excuse to use CGI, and are not particularly impressive. Maudlin music and
pedestrian dialogue do little to help a narrative that often feels a little short on content and energy.
Because the writing is so personally focused and
doesn't try to extend itself with a larger story, the
entire show is totally dependant on the character interaction. As far as Yume is concerned, this isn't
a problem, but the rest of the cast is unhelpfully
low-key and mundane. The only exceptions are Angela,
another of the trainees, and Melinda, the club's sassy
female DJ. All in all it's a solid, but not wholly
successful little fantasy, that probably could have
done with a stronger storyline and more time to better
develop itself.
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| 2. Olmanek
A wonderful little piece of an impossible world, this somewhat
pointless story of Yume is the type it seems only a few are ever able to appreciate,
understandably, some people only enjoy exciting fast paced intriguing mysterious
philosophical cute violent and scary series. And though I know it sounds like
I just ruled out any plausible reason for this show to be worth watching, I didn't
really, you see this is just a simple story, set in a fairly idyllic reality,
where magic is and mages are common, and I think this type of thing is wonderful,
but admittedly I'm very fond of the idea of a romanticised reality, some people
only appreciate great pieces of art work, others can appreciate a leaf floating
through the air, and see it's relation to the rest of the world, and that is the
general separation between those who like this type of anime and those who dislike
it. Charming story of a possible world, which I suppose could be called a fantasy
slice of life, something rare and truly wonderful. |
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