Anime: Animation Seisaku Shinkou Kuromi-chan 7330p

(Writers note: If you read this review, RATE this review. Authors thrive on , whether it be a simple happy face, or an in-depth critique.)

Before there was Genshiken, an anime that took a hilariously close look into the lives of Otakus, there was Animation Runner Kuromi. Kuromi takes a look at anime from the other side of the spectrum, namely the people who create it. If the five minute documentary at the end of Kuromi is any indication, many animators, as well as those familiar with the animation process, will laugh wildly at the humor of Animation Runner Kuromi while simultaneously nodding their heads at the realism.

The animation style is varied and original. Kuromi-chan's face goes through a plethora of changes in Kuromi’s forty minute running time, varying from scared, angry, ecstatic, sad, happy, depressed, panicked, and back again. The animation is fluid and quickly paced, with characters constantly fluctuating in and out of chibby/super-deformed mode. The backgrounds are not as detailed as your average OVA, but the pace is so fast that it hardly matters.

Animation Runner Kuromi is a forty minute OVA. How much music and sound can there be? I’m certain there was music in there somewhere, but with the pacing like it is, I hardly noticed it. The ending song is pleasant, though far from an award winner. Sound effects were right on target, underlining the comedic and dramatic moments without drawing attention.

The characters in Kuromi are fleshed out as best I’ve seen in such a short span of time. Kuromi-chan is your typical naïve, hard-working girl, running crazily from place to place in order to meet her deadlines. Shihonmatu is the old pro, a chain-smoker who gives Kuromi important advice whenever needed. Besides the superfluous boss, whose existence means more than his presence, are the animators themselves. They’re a wild bunch of weirdoes, ranging from the overweight and lazy, to the depressed and anxious. Thanks to Shihonmatsu, Kuromi manages to rally these delinquent animators with varying amounts of praise and trickery.

The story is simple and direct. Kuromi-chan, as the producer, must whip the office into shape so that they can finish the key animation before the deadline. The previous producer is out cold with an ulcer, the office is near-deserted, with most of the animators working from home (or not working at all). To me, Kuromi-chan felt like an early episode of The West Wing, an English TV series that revolves around Martin Sheen as the President of the United States. Like in West Wing, Animation Runner Kuromi finds the humor in everyday situations involving animators, and the trials and tribulations they must go through.

And now, the three important comedy questions! Is it funny? How often is it funny? How funny is it? The answers are “Yes”, “Forty minutes worth of funny”, and “Not quite laugh out loud funny, but you’ll likely be chuckling and smiling for the duration”. Excellent animation, and characters that are insanely well developed given the short running time make Animation Runner Kuromi a slam-dunk. With a running time of only forty minutes, what excuse can there be not to watch it? Go! Watch it now!

I agree with Gambit once again - one of very few single episode stories that maintains a decent story.

The life of an artist. Well Kuromi starts her new job today. She seems happy, until she discovers she's the lead on the entire project in minutes of her arrival...not good. Well that isn't gonna keep her down! Can this newbie successfully put on the show?

I think I know what attracted me to this quirky animation - it's somewhat soupy and independent in the drawing style, and that makes it zany and weird like Kare Kano or Azumanga Daioh. Another interesting thing is the drawings; not all the girls are deathly attractive...O_O

Spicy characters, story, etc.

Even though the story is quite original - this anime has a primitive plot. It follows a very simple path, where someone is dumped off with a ton of responsiblities unexpectedly - however, the plot development is incredible over just the first 15 minutes. It doesn't take the lousy "this is the path I MUST take" concept to abuse and overuse over and over again to attempt to make a point - instead it relies on Kuromi herself, whose emotions are the focus of the entire story itself.

The other characters are all unique, fun, interesting, and hilarious. I found myself grinning at the level of charisma the overall cast has, and charmed enough I managed to stay interested in every single character. In other words, a very acceptable ensemble here. I suppose the only weakness in characterization is the fact that the characters would need more than just a single OVA to become completely rounded, so at the end not only is there a feeling of misery since there is no continuation, but that there also is a desire to learn more about the characters in general.

Music: Ok. Seiyuu: Great!

Well the seiyuu seemed to understand the anime wholeheartedly, since it is a basic plot along with very easy characters to act out. They take it a step even further with the zany Kuromi seiyuu, so I'll just say that I was pleased. And no, not a single annoying one to be found. ;-)

The OP is ok, and the background music is cute, but it's nothing special - not worth ing or looking further into, as it just sets the mood of the OVA altogether.

Animation Runner Kuromi is difficult to judge, since it has a great story, but a lot of people may just find it a waste of time. I recommend this to otakus in general, so be wary. As for rewatchability, it only seemed worth watching once for me, so I'll give it that much.

Last of all, watch the very end about the producers and how an anime studio works - it seems to be very insightful of the lives of anime artists, so I don't recommend skipping that.

Unexpectedly nice anime for a standalone OVA.

The animation doesn't contain CG, isn't great, but that's not what matters. The animation just fits the anime itself, and does that very well. I do have to add that it's nice to see how they draw & flip the pages over, as to be seen in a real company.

The voiceactors are doing a good job and all characters have fitting voices. The background music and other sounds are okay, not really mentionable, though.

The story is at least original, and done pretty well. Telling the story of an animecompany is already original, but they add a sort of gainax-like touch to it. Although it is only an one episode ova, it doesn't fail to grasp the way how things work at a company making anime. The only reason I didn't gave a full mark is because the dialogues and the story are a bit predictable. Still, doesn't make it a bad story, although the ending was a bit predictable.

The characters are done exceptionally well. Even though the character designs are a bit weird sometimes, the characters all stick to your memory. Although they all are somehow stereotype characters, they still manage to be good enough to keep you happy.

And for an anime which is supposed to be a comical version of a documentary, it's done extremely good. Because of this, it has gotten some collecting value - beside the enjoyment you can get of this one.
In short: Recommended.