Koi Kaze Review

Rating: A

So what we have here is probably the only "real" incest-themed anime out there--real meaning the incest is presented as incest in its pure form and not as a mere ploy for some fucking later on. No cheap tricks such as adopted siblings or any of that shit, the people involved are FULL blooded siblings. However, incest themes aside, this is a very pure series whose closest explicit event relating to "teh secks" is just some jacking off of one's underwear which given the context, appears creepier than it is erotic (aside from the implied secks at the end). Anyway, the story focuses on the devastating effect of a forbidden relationship on the sanity of those involved, which is better learned if you just watch the show.

Personally, I thought that the lead characters were too developed compared to the wallflowers , so much so that everyone aside from the 2 lovers appeared one-dimensional. Examples of these are the siblings' dad, whose cool demeanor never dented and Koshiro's office buddy, who never outgrew his lolicon fetish. On the other hand, Koshiro, the male lead, while imperfect is very realistically portrayed. He succesfully conveys the anguish of sturuggling to conform to societal norms while fighting a losing battle to suppress whatever he felt towards Nanoka, who is also imperfect in her own kind. Unlike her brother though, there is no such tension in Nanoka's character--not until the latter episodes. She's portrayed as an innocent girl who may be just confused or something, but somehow gets swept away by the same guy who jacked off thinking about her. She's twisted. I mean, the way she reacted to Koshiro's attack. No passion for him then suddenly, Bang! a complete 180 degree turn that puts Bruce Buffer's Buffer 180 into shame.

But still, I must rate this series highly, because it is a brave one. Not only does it tackle incest, but also divorce in a serious matter. While much talk of divorce had been highly trivialized, especially in American TV where it's just a word thrown around, this series puts it in a very realistic (non-dramatic, but kinda everyman-ish) light.

My verdict. Watch it.

Note: If I've been giving out too many "A's" lately, it's because I do not review crap anymore.