Synopsis
This a tale that takes place before the main tale but is looked back upon during it. Hatori CHise is a young 15—year-old girl who hasn’t had the easiest of lives but then, upon being bought by the sorcerer Elias, she finds herself in a new life as Elias’ apprentice and future wife. While in the midst of her training she receives a study and a gift which makes her recall a time when she was a child, and her encounter with the magician and library of the forest
The Good
The highest point by far in the OVA is the art and animation work in the characters, the creatures and even the background. From the surreal creatures that look like shadows taking life to the intricate details placed into the illustrations in books and art in the background, there is a visual treats to find in many scenes in the story.
The animation of the creatures as they crawl around and the sounds they make seem so cringe worthy yet fascinating at the same time and the flow of the magical scenes just seem very smooth and befitting of the scene.
The ambiance of the scenes is also a noteworthy point of the series with the change in palette and tone in different scenes it makes for a steady flow in execution. Mixed in the music the characters are set up in a well put setting and scene. On the note of characters, they were well established for the most part and were portrayed pretty well.
The Bad
A thing to note about the OVA is that if you know nothing about the series and are just entering into it because it looked interesting, then the viewer will find themselves somewhat confused with just the introduction scene of the first episode. From the first half of the episode there is already an established plot that new viewer may not understand so in terms of intro it’s either a hit or miss depending on the viewer.
Then there are the transitions in scenes, as beautiful as the art is, in certain scenes it seems as if the character is one spot only to be placed in another spot in the next scene in the same setting. Then there is the aspect of the near cliche trope of a child being able to see unnatural things, is deemed strange and ends up in a rather dramatic environment before she finds solace in a magical place.
For the most part the OVA did rather well but being an established story would not be a good entry for new viewers into the series. Other than transition points, questionable scenes and the slight cliche moment the OVA holds many high points.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a good short OVA with good art and animation, a simple yet intriguing story and well done execution then this is the OVA for you. The catch however is that the series holds an established story that may not make sense to a new viewer lest they read the manga beforehand. Still they can watch it so to check out the manga series after.
RATING: 8.5/10