Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - Quiet Country Café

2 reviews - 8.0 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (4.0)

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

2. h8er13

One of the best characteristics of this anime is its ability to make you curious. The setting seems to be in the countryside, complete with a serene atmosphere and beautiful surroundings. However, there also exist robots. Yet these robots still take showers, eat, drink coffee, and sleep. There is also a scene where Mount Fuji is shown in the background with some of it partially gone or deteriorated. I did not read the manga nor was I aware of any other information about this OVA besides that I heard it was good, so that probably leaves holes in my analysis.

The use of pale and subtle colors gives off a very tranquil ambiance. Nothing particularly exciting happens though. This anime is mainly about a robot named Alpha traveling the countryside. Still, one becomes attached to Alpha, mainly because of her subtle reactions and relaxed demeanor.
Delightful and cute.

1. Tempy

After the lack of commercial succes of the original OVA series, the production of 2 new Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou episodes comes as a welcome surprise.

This time around the art looks different; most noticeably the paler colors. It takes a moment to adjust to it, but it's still quite pretty. The rest of the show is similar in feel to the original - a relaxed pacing, where Alpha relishes the new sensations and emotions she experiences. The music is wonderfully relaxing and the vistas are beautiful. The story is faithfully adapted from the manga, where Alpha's café suffers damage from a storm and she decides to go on a journey. We see a half-flooded Japan, giant persimmons, and Mt. Fuji missing a huge chunk, but neither the anime or the manga explains what happened, but it's clear people have forgotten about it and went on with their lives. Not that it matters anyway, because it's all about the mood and the characters. It's a very lovely sight to see how both Alpha and Kokone enjoy the simple pleasures in life; their expressions and mannerisms are charming.

Fans of YKK get to see a couple of their favourite scenes such as Alpha playing her moon harp, Alpha bidding Takahiro farewell, and even a glimpse of the elusive Misago. If you like slice-of-life anime, the series is worth checking out, though be warned that the anime was made for people already familiar with the manga.