Diamond Daydreams Volume 1: Atsuko / Karin - Anime Frontier
- Anime Frontier
- Jared Elswick
- 02/01/06
- click here
"...one to keep an eye out for."
"I?m always up for a good slice of life type show, and Diamond Daydreams fits the bill pretty well."
"...this show has surprised me more than I would have imagined."
At first glance, Diamond Daydreams didn?t really seem like a show I was going to be interested in, but I jumped in anyway and this show has surprised me more than I would have imagined. This series has a total of 12 episodes to it, with there being a total of six main characters, each character getting what should work out to be two episodes each, based on what I?ve seen so far. The three episodes on this preview disc offer up a good taste of what this show is about, and despite its nature I?m quite interested to see more of this show.
The main gist of the show is that each main character tells their story in two episodes, and so far none of the characters I?ve seen are related except by the referencing to Diamond Dust to both of them by different characters, although this so-called Diamond Dust is described as something different each time. The first character in the show is 20-year-old Atsuko who helps her mother run their fish shop after the death of her father. She shop is in danger of being closed down, and in addition to that, Atsuko?s under constant pressure to be married to a wealthy man she doesn?t love named Minoru. She loves, or comes to love, instead, a man named Kurata who is nearly 40 and is not on Atsuko?s mother?s list of favorites. Atsuko ends up tangled with Kurata and his day to day life, and vice versa, but it all culminates for her when she realizes what she really must do to live her life properly.
The second character?s story, of which I only saw one, focuses on a young girl named Karin who has a lung disease that has left her hospitalized. However, she could have left the hospital long ago but she?s afraid to undergo surgery because her father died during minor surgery. In her time at the hospital, she started up a website and updates regularly with stories based on the dreams she has, but things change for her when a new doctor enters the picture. He?s a bit on the arrogant side at first, but as she gets to know him she finds out that he?s not exactly what he seemed at first glance, and her dreams often have an odd correlation to their day to day life.
I?m always up for a good slice of life type show, and Diamond Daydreams fits the bill pretty well. This show is a bit on the fanservice side at times, so some viewers will enjoy that, but the main focus here is the concise nature of the stories told, and I?m quite eager to see the end of Karin?s story. Diamond Daydreams is an interesting story and has a great format, something tells me it will be an overlooked title, but so far this title is one to keep an eye out for.
Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 (Archive on Wednesday, March 01, 2006)