Video Girl Ai
by Mizuho Nishikubo
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Brad Swaile, Janyse Jaud, John Novak, K?ji Tsujitani, Richard NewmanDirector: Mizuho Nishikubo
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Japanese (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-12-04
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Viz Video
Movie Reviews of Video Girl Ai
Movie Review: Astoundingly good
Summary: 5 Stars
I was stunned by this series when I popped it into my DVD player. The characters, sound, everything about this release is fantastic. The plot is basically a love triangle with so many things thrown into it that it's no longer recognizable as one. Our hero Yota is always feeling for others and not himself. It is due to this that the video shop Gokuraku appears to him from which he picks out a regular looking adult video. When he plays it on his VCR at home, the girl on the tape, Ai Amano, comes out of the TV, except since the VCR was broken, her personality is a little glitchy.
Over the course of the OVA, it chronicles Yota's attempts to win Moemi, his love and trying to win her away from his best friend. It also chronicles how Yota and Ai steadily become closer, culminating in the love both have developed for each other. The music suits the moods in the episodes perfectly, from upbeat J-pop songs to melancholy music box tunes, everything fits. The animation is also a highlight, boasting detail and warmth and truly showing the character's emotions on their faces as they go about with their triumphs and defeats.
What really hooked me more than anything was the voice acting. The English dub is decent, but the Japanese track is sublime, with the actress for Ai delivering an absolutely sublime performance. I've tried to make it a point not to cry for anything animated or filmed, but Megumi Hayashibara's voice during Ai's scenes of emotional turmoil or true happiness made me shed tears on occasion.
I was really surprised at how good this OVA was, at first thinking it might be a harem comedy like Tenchi Muyo!, but I was clearly mistaken. Video Girl Ai is in a class all by itself, resting on a pedestal and blowing everything that tries to be like it away. I'd go as far to say this is the best anime money can buy. It's hard to find nowadays, but whenever it pops up, do yourself a favor and spend the money on it; it's something you won't regret.
Summary of Video Girl Ai
Wandering the streets after having his heart thoroughly broken, Yota Moteuchi stumbles across a video shop he'd never noticed before: Gokuraku, as in "paradise." Nervous he'll be spotted checking out the "adult section, Yota quickly pulls off the shelf -- one that looks promising, but not too promising... Video Girl Ai. Out of the TV steps his dream girl, dedicated to making him happy whether he likes it or not!All six episodes available on DVD! A fan favorite, available on DVD for the first time!
Based on a manga by Masakuza Katsura, this deservedly popular comedy-romance suggests a cross between The Velveteen Rabbit and The Little Mermaid. Gentle, empathetic Yota is dismissed by his high school classmates as a "dateless loser"; he nurtures a crush on Moemi, who's in love with his best friend, Takashi. Then Ai materializes from his VCR: she's a "video girl," designed to provide company and comfort. She and Yota unwittingly fall in love, which Ai is forbidden to do. Yota learns from their relationship that love and life are transitory, rather than permanent (a recurring theme in Japanese literature) and that sometimes having loved and been loved is sufficient. Mizuho Nishikubo directs with unobtrusive polish, although the script saddles him with unnecessary cheesecake shots and slapstick violence. Voice actors Maggie Blue O'Hara and Brad Swaile offer nuanced performances as Ai and Yota. Unrated; suitable for ages 16 and up: Nudity, sexual humor, mature themes. --Charles Solomon
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