Another very late impressions post, this one is the second last of the shows I wanted to catch this fall. Sasameki Koto follows the story of a schoolgirl, Kazama Ushio (the one on the right in this screenshot), who only likes girls, and her long-time friend Murasame Sumika, who is secretly in love with Kazama. This yuri shoujo tale was something I wanted to give a shot at, and so I did.

First off, the OP was very nice. Like the show, the OP song, “Kanashii Hodou Aoku” is very soft in tone, which is quite unlike Kiyoura Natsumi’s previous work known to me, which many should also be familiar with, that of the OP song of the first season of Spice & Wolf, Tabi no Tochuu. The music sounds more fitting for an ED than an OP, and the song itself is soft, appropriate for Kiyoura’s voice to carry throughout. This song could make it into the nominations for the best OP of the year, but as I have yet to listen to the full version, it is too early to tell.
 

The yakisoba pan craze, enough to push a teacher out of the way by a gang of over-ravenous boys.

As for the first episode, Sasameki Koto reminds me just how long ago it was since I actually sat down and watched a shoujo-type series. The previous time I did so was Asatte no Houkou, which was pretty good for its type, even if it was very slow. The series itself is “soft” compared to the other shows I have been watching all year, action shows like Sengoku Basara or shounen like Bleach that I am continuing. Based more upon romance and the setting of the girls’ failed love stories so far, as well as the implied yuri relationships, this is indeed a show for me to watch on the side and balance out with the comedy and action I am watching this season.

As for animation, Sasameki Koto is definitely not one of those you would watch for quality, but it is at least pretty consistent and not of subpar effort. The music, as can be expected from such a show, is something I would class as slow and peaceful, certainly a worthy OST to pick up even if it is not going to be great.
 

I hardly expected scenes like this, but at least it was not overdone or repeated.

There is likely more comedy later, but for the first episode, it tells a story that has repeated itself over the years for Murasame – that of seeing her beloved “friend” Kazama get disappointed yet again, though this time it probably hurt more than the previous times, for the girl Kazama likes hates Kazama because the male she likes prefers Kazama. Love triangle, check. Complications, check. At least, it did not get worse than that.

As for story development, not a lot happened in the first episode, though we saw the first glimpses of certain relationships that will never come to pass, such as the chairman’s infatuation with one of the main girls (should be Murasame, from the hints given). Since this is a shoujo-type series, plot development, if any, is expected to be slow anyway; the main focus would be on the various relationships between the characters. Not something for someone who wants action or a fast-paced story, but I have been catching so many of those, it will be nice to balance it out with Sasameki Koto.
 

The ED animation was cuter than the OP, while the song itself was more upbeat and generic-sounding than the OP. Also sung by Kiyoura Natsumi, “Niji-iro Pocket” is certainly not going to score many points with most people, but it is worth a listen for the full song at least. Both the OP and the ED come together in a single album.
 

Finally, I am not very familiar with both the seiyuu voicing Kazama and Murasame, though Takagaki Ayahi (Murasame) is also voicing the creepy yandere yakuza-affiliated school president (and doing a better job there, I might add) in Sora no Otoshimono. Katou Emiri is also in the show as Torioi Kiyori, the good friend of the two who always eats lunch with them. Saito Chiwa will make an appearance later in the series, but otherwise, none of the other seiyuu’s names ring a bell. For a low-key series though, this is to be expected.
 

I will continue watching Sasameki Koto mainly for the yuri, and the characters’ relationships development, but it will not be high on my list of anime series to catch for the season, even if there are something like only 7 shows this season I am catching or will catch. I wonder if I can keep it up, though the series has given me nothing to be really upset about…yet.

Related posts:

1. Fall 09 Anime Watchlist