Midori Days

Originality at its best?

Genre - Comedy, Drama, Ecchi, Romance, Shounen

Length – 13 Episodes

Run - Apr 4, 2004 to Jun 27, 2004

Animation Production – Bandai Visual, Studio Pierrot, Lantis, Media Blasters

Surprisingly this series was mostly well received. It is for this reason I began watching it. I knew what I was getting myself into but I still can't ignore the many "wtf is this" moments I went through the first 3-4 episodes. In essence "Midori Days" is basically just another one of those series with no real story that for whatever reason just seems to...click!

Like I usually do, I will begin by introducing the main characters. The male lead is named "Seiji Sawamura". Known as "Mad Dog Sawamura", Seiji is the high school delinquent. Using his "Demon right hand" he takes care of the trash that confronts him from neighboring high schools. Despite his nickname and fame, the reality is that Seiji is actually a kind and lonely soul. He seeks a girlfriend but no girl is willing to accept his feelings thanks to his fame; that is until one day he wakes up next to "Midori Kasugano". Waking up as Seiji's right hand (yes I said she was suddenly his right hand ) is the best thing that ever happened to Midori. Ever since middle school she has had a crush on Seiji but has been unable to confess to him due to her shyness. This all changed as soon as she became Seiji's right hand. Midori now has more confidence and is outspoken about her love for "Seiji-Kun" :3

Let's get one thing straight, Midori is cute as a button. However the fact that she suddenly became Seiji's right hand is a problem for him. No more fighting, no more porn, no more normality in his life. He now has to hide his famous "Demon right hand" from everyone in order to conceal Midori. This produces a gradual and positive change to Seiji's personality. He begins to attend school more often and gets into less trouble. Overall he just becomes a better person. This change peaks the interest of "Takako Ayase". Noticeably indifferent towards Seiji in the beginning, she begins to harbor romantic feelings for him. And so a behind the scenes love triangle begins between the lot.

Moving on to the art, this series could have produced better character design. I'm not saying the art is bad but the women are drawn way too similar to the men. If it wasn't for the long hair and skirts you could probably confuse women and men in this anime. The color use is actually very good, some of the backgrounds could have been paid more attention to but it's not something to complain about. I very much liked the soundtrack for "Midori Days" but I really wish they would have changed the OP & ED at least once. The series mixed its genres of "Comedy, Drama, Ecchi, Romance, Shounen" well; I had hoped for a bit more Shounen around the middle but oh well. The relationship between Midori and Seiji is very endearing and you will want to root Midori on all the way. I did not shed a tear watching this series but there were a couple of times I did well up so expect some of that while watching. The one thing that really ticked me off is that there is no real explanation as to why Midori suddenly became Seiji's right hand for the time they were together.

Well what else can said? It's up to you guys to give it a shot and see for yourselves.

Art - (8/10) Sound - (7/10) Plot - (9/10) Enjoyment - (8/10)

Overall
8/10

Note: Chibi Midori = Cute