There is this undeniable charm of Windy Tales, or Fuujin Monogatari. It’s not just its unique art style here, but really the combination of everything, from the characters and the slice of life to the soundtrack and the dialogue. It really is a relaxing slice of life series with a wonderful execution.
And seriously: the direction by Junji Nishimura, supervision by Mamoru Oshii and a soundtrack by Kenji Kawai… if that isn’t a great combination then I don’t know anymore. The dialogues in this series are wonderfully subtle and down to earth, and they do a great job in fleshing out the characters. Kawai’s soundtrack does an excellent job of enhancing this feeling.
This is an episodic series, where every episode focuses on a different event or theme in the lead characters’ lives. I really liked how each episode was chosen with a particular purpose in mind, rather than just being plain random. They’re all very varied episodes, and they do a great job of taking whatever character they’re focusing on under the loop. Ranging from the main characters to the side ones, they’re all enjoyable to watch.
Character-development is an interesting issue of this series, as it really takes a back seat here. Most of it is basic, apart from the final episode, which goes into a very interesting, yet very natural direction. Instead, the series spends most of its time portraying its cast as realistic and natural as possible. And yeah, because of that this isn’t a series for everyone, because the pacing tends to get really, really slow at times. And that for a series with 13 episodes.
But yeah, it remains cool to see cats flying into the air with the unique visuals of this series. And beyond that, there really are a number of gorgeously animated scenes present in this series. It’s a visually experimental series through and through, and you can see the animators try out a lot of different stuff. Probably what I liked the most is how many different ways this series has of drawing ‘wind’. It’s really a major theme of the series, as it explores many different sides and subtle meanings behind wind. Even though the episodes are rather unconnected, it’s this that really ties everything in the series together.
But yeah, if you don’t like experimental graphics you’ll have a hard time getting into this series. It’s obviously not meant for everyone, and it certainly isn’t the most eventful series. It’s restrained on purpose. But the thing is, that I have hardly any complaints about how this series was executed here. They pretty much did everything right here, and I feel like any attempt on getting more character-development, or throwing in more action, a faster pacing or more overacting would just have taken away some of the qualities that this series has right now.
| Storytelling: | 9/10 – Very realistic and yet very imaginative; excellent dialogue. It’s a bit slow, though. |
| Characters: | 8/10 – likable and charming. |
| Production-Values: | 9/10 – Excellent animation among its experimental graphics, and the soundtrack also kicks ass. |
| Setting: | 9/10 – A very interesting premise was created, along with a very good portrayal of school life. A lot of thought was also put into the themes of wind here. Tons of symbolism. |
Suggestions:
– GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class
– The Sky Crawlers
– Kino no Tabi
Windy Tales reminded me of a really low-key Kamichu!. Really cute show, and I’m surprised to see another review this soon after Kimagure Orange Road’s.
One of my personal favorites, ever.
There’s certainly a lack of forward development, but I fell in love with the flow of the conversation and interaction and the extent to which we get to know the characters as they are, though the production values were my idea of 10/10 from the first episode.
I’ve only started watching the anime, but I’m amazed that I did not know about such a good one.
Also, I’m surprised by the art direction. I think this is one of the very few animes I know where the characters actually look Japanese!
Also, I rather enjoy the focus on animation vs visual detail. It’s so nice to see things actually moving. Perhaps it’s just the first episode, and then budget constraints will limit this, but it’s really enjoyable.
Finally, considering that slice of life and short series are my favorite genre and format, this is a treat for me, thanks for letting me know about it.
For me ‘Windy Tales’ is one of best series of the last decade. ‘Fuujin Monogatari’ has everything Ghibli movies are lauded and recognized for – excellent female leads, a semi-nostalgic slice of everyday life, top-notch visual communication, realism where others would have indulged in stereotypes or lazy pandering – but then it raises the bar with very fresh direction and visuals.
Is really annoying to see that series like Dennö Coil, Windy Tales o Twin Spica will never be realized in America or Europe. You can easy find all the crap (Ikkitousen, Kanokon and Queens Blade for example) but not the masterpieces like Fuujin Monogatari. What a shame!!!
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