This random anime quick pick is quite a hit in my book. Though it's hard to find info on it, AniPike has none.
This is my review and that ridiculously underrated anime Ai Yori Aoshi (aka Bluer than Indigo)I've currently watched straight up to episode 18 and am VERY impressed by the events and situations portrated in this series. Though it's one of those "Tenchi Complex" series, it's got one thing that sets it apart from pretty much all the others. AWESOME DRAMA AND CHARACTER DIRECTION. The royally bad ass list of familiar voice actors also add to the wonder this show can deliver.
In terms of originality, this anime is a Xerox machine of many many things. Promise of marriage (Love Hina), College Clubs (Ah My Goddess), many girls going after main guy (Tenchi), guy literally sleeps with almost all of them (some hentai eps...), hi antics (Tenchi style), inheritances are at hand (Hanaukyo Maids), this list goes on for a bit. That doesn't mean it sucks however. Or that doesn't mean you won't see anything new. The high comedy of the plot is well countered by the extreme character development that occurs.
This anime holds my ALL TIME HIGH record of character development. I started crying for the characters by episode 3! Well, not crying, more like, watery eyes...
The main character, Kaoru Hanabishi (Sounds almost like Taro Hanaukyo... 
) is exiled from his family due to circumstances beyond his control. Sad story really. His childhood friend, Aoi luckily finds him living alone in a humble (as in not too bad, though not good) apartment. From there, let the chaos and fanservice ensue!Again, this is a digisub review since probably all of you saw domestic released anime by now. ^_^ The files are of SUPER high quality. Coming from Elite-Fansubs and AnimeOne, yes these are great rips and are a must for source footage if one needs it. I noticed little to 0 pixellation and each ep by these digisubbers is 640x480! ^_^ There is nice eye candy to be had here.
The music is "standard". The opening is light and soft music portraying what I'd call a "standard" love theme. ??? Not much else I can describe this unfortunately. The ending theme is neat in the fact that the ending sequences begin with an important picture of a character or event and the ending never feels the same. Oddly enough, I feel as though the makers of this anime used Adobe Premiere's keyframing effects to do the opening and endings. That's cool... 8)
In terms of what happens in the anime, actionwise, the number of male nosebleeds in the anime thus far is ZERO! Yes that's right, the hero isn't a loser pansy! Though his goofy as heck facial expressions as he ends up in weird "positions" with the other cast members are quite a site to behold.
You can probably watch each episode multiple times and try to catch each and every "goof moment". The majority of the girls in this anime, uh, wait, there isn't any. 1/2 of the cast members are shy with Kaoru (Aoi, Taeko) or the other 1/2 wants him under the sheets immediately (Tina, Mayu). This in turn begins some of the goofiest antics I've seen in an anime to date. Go to sleep alone, wake up in the middle of the night with a cute girl smothering you face with her "pillows", wake up in the morning with little to no sleep hanging under your eyes. ^_^ Not just that but there's also a nice deal of Super Deformed mode that pops up when needed. After closer inspection, each episode seems to begin with the first 10-15 minutes with fanservice and antics and the latter half ending with some serious emotional direction and character development. Yes, it starts you out laughing, and finishes you off thankful that you watched it!Digital FX wise, there's again some hints at premiere being used. The most noted being "fantasy mode Kaoru" just like in Love Hina where the girls are supposedly doing something to him that he knows they shouldn't be doing. ^_^ But none of the fx are blatant like in Initial D or Vandread. So big kudos points there! ^_^
Lip Synch: no dub yet...
With such a huge cast and such a great balance of comedy coupled with emotional drama, this anime was definitely NOT on of those low budget wonders that some others turn out to be... High scores for the director for this anime and for the awesome personalities these characters have for themselves.
This anime is both overall satisfying and reviewable just so you can see the ridiculousness all over again. At over 20 eps, it's not cheap or small, but it's not really "filler anime" either. Not in my opinion anyway. The people who'll like this anime are definitely the fanservice/comedy lovers and my fav point is that people who want characters with realistic ways of thinking won't be disappointed here either! Yes, drama buffs will love how each episode ends. So in my book, this anime is for everyone! Everyone who can stomach nudity that is. 0_0
So check it out. "Ai Yori Aoshi" - (Bluer than Indigo) My such a creative name. ^_^
Some help needed here: I just need, again, some voice actor confirmations. For anyone who has seen this anime before. Can you tell me if these characters are correct? (I don't know their seiyuu names...
)Kaoru Hanabishi (sounds like Kei Kusanagi [Onegai Teacher])
Aoi Sakuraba (Naru Narusegawa [Love Hina] - aka Yui Horie)
Tina Foster (sounds like Kagome Higurashi [Inu Yasha])
Miyabi (sounds like Konnai [Hanaukyo Maids])
Tina is by far my favorite character. All you Misato lovers would most definitely love to see who can drink more between these too I'm certain. Then there's the BATHTOWEL contest you all may want to see as well.
