First Impression: Natsuyuki Rendezvous

Natsuyuki Rendezvous

You can always count on Noitamina to show the most unconventional anime. This time, it’s about a dude and a half-naked ghost competing for the love of a flower shop manager. Why can’t I ever think of this stuff? So we’re immediately introduced to the main dude (Hazuki) who’s rambling on in his head. Yeah, he’s one of those “Kyon” types and constantly looks bored. His little bit of satisfaction in life is to frequent the flower shop and buy plants from the girl (Rokka). One day, he finds out that the shop is hiring new people. Next thing you know, he’s already working there part-time, hoping that this will bring them closer together.

When he gets invited over to her house, he’s immediately confronted by a half-naked guy (Atsushi) who wants to know if he’s in love with her. Hazuki takes this the wrong way, thinking that Rokka must be living with her boyfriend, and that she only brought him over to show him that. Well, that’s half true. They live together, and they were lovers, but there’s just one little surprise… He’s dead, and Hazuki is the only person who can see him. From there, the show becomes very amusing and reminds me of the movie Ghost with Patrick Swayze…minus the scandals. Atsushi can move through walls and people and will float in the strangest of places. It seems he’s trying to protect Rokka, as he won’t let Hazuki steal her away too easily.

From Rokka’s perspective, she’s not yet over the death of her husband, who died from an illness. Hazuki makes a bold move to declare his love, but even still, she’s not ready to move on. Interestingly, she describes Atsushi as being a guy who was not attached to her, and that he wanted her to move on to somebody else after he was gone. Well, we saw how that turned out. :3

For a simple setting as a flower shop, this ended up being way more interesting than I thought it’d be. I just like stories where the ghost character is stuck on earth for whatever reason…like not too long ago when we saw Anohana. The rivalry between Hazuki and Atsushi ought to bring out many more funny scenarios. Plus, the dialogue is very well written, making the characters appear to be very thoughtful. I’m really looking forward to blogging this one. In fact, I’ve got both Noitamina shows this season. Oh yeah! :3