Allison, after bothering me for ages, finally decided to make her website and name it baconfriedrice. As the big time commitments in my life are now gone (these commitments being Allison and school), I figure I would use her website to resurrect my weblog, which I unscrupulously executed.

So Amagami SS.

A harem anime based off a PS2 dating sim. I typically don’t expect much from these types of series besides the pretty artwork. I don’t mind watching them, but I lose interest very quickly.

However, there are some unusually appealing characteristics about this one. You have the typical high quality animation and as a bonus, one of my favorite seiyuu, Itou Shizuka is voicing the “main” girl.

However, the real killer is the way they compose the story. The main man goes after one girl and only one girl. This continues for four episodes, until some sort of conclusion is reached. Then, the series undergoes a time reset and it repeats, but with a different girl. All the actions of the previous sections are erased and forgotten. Meanwhile, the remaining girls that are not the primary characters for that stage remain, providing support roles.

So why is this so much superior to the traditional high school harem where every girl wants a piece of the main character? It allows you to focus solely on the single girl and become emotionally invested in that relationship. With five girls all fighting over the attention of a single guy, it’s hard to take anything seriously. Essentially, Amagami SS is a bunch of miniseries, each given its own flavor by the personality of the girl.

Plus, you get CONCLUSION. One of the things I hate about Anime is how they drag things out. Most of these romance animes are like watching Goku charge up his kamehameha wave. I absolutely love how the main character gets to know the girl, develops the relationship quickly, and finally seals the deal promptly.

Of course, it takes a bit of getting used to. Especially when you come to like a particular relationship and then suddenly it ends and is forgotten. However, you’ll find that the next relationship to be just as enjoyable to watch, despite it being drastically different.

I also have to at least mention this. The fan service in this series seems much more toned down than what I would expect. Yes, there are still the very convenient camera angles, bathing suit cameos, and bath scenes. However, they tend to flow much better with the story and don’t make me cringe as much. At least, it hasn’t gotten to a point where I want to smash the computer screen in.