Oh sweet embrace~ This scene never fails to bring me to tears.

Rewatching animes is usually indicative of a lackluster season, that time of the year which you could dedicate for catching up on backlogged shows. My decision to rewatch Here is Greenwood, however, was not brought about by this reason, which implies that I did this amidst the flourishing season of Spring (or is it summer already), and the tons of backlogged posts and animes I have orz. It seems that the upcoming JDrama adaptation of this OAV prompted me to do this, or rather, if you’d allow me to say this in a more romantic light, it rekindled my lingering [past] love for the show, which so inspired me act on my feelings.

True enough, as the saying goes, love is better the second time around, as I found myself falling in love with the show yet again, in this revisit to a childhood love. With senses magnified by the power of maturity and experience throughout the 8 years that passed since I first watched it, my vision was made clearer and more lucid, and the rewatch experience became a total EPIC Q_Q moment of epiphany.

Much of my tears were shed for the last two episodes of the OAV, which revolved around the relationship between Kazuya and the tsundere rebellious girl Miya Igarashi, their love-hate tsuntsun relationship, and how they eventually found true love — a hello to a second love’. Until the final moments of the show, I was hanging at the edge of my seat, cheering on Kazuya in is ever persistent chase of Igarashi who kept running away from him for fear of acknowledging the fact that she has fallen for him, as well as the consequences of this newfound love.

Kazuki and Miya’s love chase in the final episode reminded me so much of Kazuki and Eriko’s relationship in KimiKiss, but I’d have to say that the way Koko wa Greenwood portrayed it was all the more effective and powerful, not only because the characters were more endearing, but because of the depth we see in them. Having more episodes doesn’t translate to better development, as exemplified by this OAV, that despite having dedicated a mere two episodes for the romance of Kazuya and Miya, I found myself moved, in ways more than any Kazuki x Eriko episode of KimiKiss had (not simply because of my Asuka bias, mind you).

The last two episodes were enough to flesh out Miya’s character (in the same way Kazuya saw her) and to love her. Kazuya had a head-start of being introduced way back the first episode, that by the time I watched the last two episodes, his character already grew on me, and I found myself cheering for his new love the same way his dorm-mates were. As the series drew to a close, we see the long-awaited reunion of Kazuya and Miya, who finally found love, right where it’s supposed to be. The credits roll and the ending music plays, together with a montage of Kazuya- and Miya-filled flashbacks, dedicated to the lovely couple <3

How I wish I can show the full pic of this, but alas, editing this will be a pain with all the rain.

This OAV made me rethink the review and rating I gave Tokyo Marble Chocolate, which I praised to no end months back, as I’ve come to realize that I was simply in a deep-magical trance mode when I gave it a full mark of 10. Objectively speaking, without the magical donkey and the great sounds and visuals, TMC won’t be anything special. While I managed to empathize with Chizuru and Yuudai, their love didn’t strike me as much as Kazuya and Miya’s of Here is Greenwood. Kazuya and Miya’s relationship was portrayed, if I dare say, realistic, if only for the fact that the characters need not rely on a magical donkey in order for their tale of love to have a happy ending. The characters themselves decided their fate, with the support of their friends, and there’s a whole lot of depth explored in the characters and their love compared to TMC, which was so effectively done without having the need to rely on a dual POV technique either.

While much of the praises I’ve said about Here is Greenwood is regarding its last two episodes, this doesn’t mean that the other episodes was any less subpar. Being a slice-of-life romance comedy anime, Here is Greenwood offered more than just mushy romance sappiness, but pure entertainment. Throughout the OAV, we get to know the 4 main guys of the show (and other side characters), their quirks, eccentricities, and unique personalities, each with its own depth. The guys were such endearing bishie characters, and they grew on me despite the brevity of the anime, leaving me craving for more.

Bid [a temporal] goodbye to moe fanservice, special effects, or other superficial elements, when you watch this OAV. Here is Greenwood doesn’t have them, nor does it need ‘em to gain the love of people. What we have here is a simple and sweet tale of romance and friendship, with a bunch of endearing characters which grows on you in a span of two++ episodes, enough to leave you with a deep impression despite its brevity and simplicity. Yet another great old school animu I can rewatch to no end and still become enjoyable as ever~!

Now to make my Here is Greenwood experience complete, I shall read the manga and patiently wait for the upcoming live-adaptation, in hopes that the characters will be portrayed as endearing characters as well.

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