The most tragic fact about video gaming is that any title's enjoyment and entertainment value is tightly depending on the currency of the technology platform. Once that platform goes obsolete, no matter how great it was during its heyday, the game is destined for the graveyard. Not so with film and music. Done correctly, productions on such medium can have such tremendous impact on the populace they span the ages. "Classic" is the word frequently associated to such marvelous pieces of art brought from the minds of past generations. As such, I was fairly interested in discovering this classic everyone talks about, kimagure Orange Road.
Much to my dismay, what I got was a sour and nauseous taste that taught me not all red wines age well, and indeed first-hand experience trumphs second-hand recommendation.
What is so wrong with this production? (if you happen to have seen the score below) It is not so much a question of what is wrong, as it is a question of just exactly what is done right? Nothing, that's the problem. 15-year-old Kasuga Kyosuke moves into a new town with his family, and on the first day of scouting up a hill in his neighbourhood meets beautiful girl at the top of the stairs. Their destiny brings them to the same school and the same class (oh my, what a surprise), and therein begins a whole string of events between them and a whole cast of friends. Except, all these events do not gel to form a coherent story. I do not know if Japanese studios back in the 80s were largely lacking sophistication and maturity in storytelling and plot, but Studio Pierrot's style of shonen romance with this series is one of little direction and moves around in circles repeating practically the same plot. Progression is at a near zero.
Kyosuke the unimpressive teenager is, by the Order of Nature, caught in an undeclared romance tug-of-war between two childhood friends, Hiyama Hikaru and Ayukawa Madoka, the girl he met on the hill. Almost every episode features the extremely chirpy and annoying Hikaru clinging on to Kyosuke like a leech. Her airheaded disposition is simply incredulous and beyond rescue. The entire length of the series has her ignorant to the true air of mutual feelings emanating between him and Madoka, the latter whom, quite unbelievably exhibits contrasting personalities of infamous kungfu-fighting gangster/party girl and sensible mature lady. Madoka who loves Hikaru as a dear friend refuses to express her true feelings and always remains passive. And Kyosuke displays exemplary teenager behaviour by being hopelessly wish-washy in his decisions and actions. Too many times he is forced to hide his guilt and lie. Boy, am I so glad I did not have such stress when I was 15! This just goes on and on without anything to look forward to.
If the trio's frustrating love triangle is not enough, add in two absolutely moronic and lecherous classmates who do nothing but trying to hook with and gossip about girls, and a jealous childhood friend who does nothing but lose temper and break walls. Not enough? Every episode features a completely irrelevant and unfunny couple Ushiko & Umao who read the same Romeo & Juliet lines to each other in embarrassing situations. To make things "more interesting", the Kasuga bloodline is actually empowered with psychic abilities simply known as "Power". This abilities allow Kyosuke's family to perform a variety of superhuman telekinesis activities that contribute to a wide range of episodic situations. But really, all this use of the Power is but a red herring for some extraordinary events and adventures that still revolve around this same ill plot pattern.
In the end, I captured nothing of interest, and absorbed an immense amount of negative character portrayal and example. I come out of it thinking what the audience of the 80s had been drinking or smoking while watching this title on TV back then. Whatever about kimagure Orange Road that people love and consider it a classic, I fail to see it. It has been a waste of my time, and I am better off now watching other mediocre titles.
Overall rating: 0/10
Nothing, absolutely nothing
Utterly boring and lame; cast of undesirable characters; what is the point?