Nekopara OVA

ReisukaAi★ 6

"Nyow" - Chocola This OVA initially started as a fundraiser with the goal of raising 100,000 USD to create an anime adaption of the popular Visual Novel series Nekopara. By the time it was completed it had raised nearly a million. To say that there is hype surrounding this OVA is undeniable. The better question is, does it live up to it? Unfortunately no. The OVA suffers primarily from poor pacing, as they attempt to cram 4-5 hours of visual novel content into a 1 hour show. Rushed scenes and illogical cuts from humor to seriousness are almost laughable. The story itself follows the VN almost wordfor word with the exception of a single scene which felt odd and out of place. To say that you would get much more content out of the Visual Novel than you would this OVA mirrors the opinion of every "The manga is better" believer out there, but in this instance it could not be truer. The art itself was interesting. For a new studio it seemed to do fairly well, but odd dips in quality combined with horrendous chibli forms turn it into a simple "Meh". Sound was once again almost note for note the same as the visual novel, so really no complaints there. The opening theme was nice but hardly catchy. Characters were another aspect I felt was crammed. Reviewing this from the perspective of one whose played all 3 visual novels is different from one who has only seen the OVA, but either way the characters seemed to fall flat. They simply lacked a personality beyond a few tropes, which is unfortunately becoming more and more common Despite all the negativity I may seem to be conveying, I genuinely enjoyed this OVA. It was a fun "Turn off your brain and watch cute catgirls do things" type of series that could hardly be called a waste of time. If you enjoyed the VN, like catgirls or are simply alone on a Friday night it's certainly worth a shot

Kousuke-shii★ 8

First of all before you start reading this review, I need to tell you that this is coming from someone who loved the visual novels and was thoroughly excited for the release of this OVA so I admit, I am biased because I'm already invested in the characters. Now that I've said it, let's continue on to the review. Nekopara is a simple show about a man starting up a cafe together with his catgirls. It's a quick and simple set up that is easy to digest so the story of the show is of course, average/generic/simple however you want to call it. But in myopinion, some shows do shine with their simplicity and I believe Nekopara is one of those. If you're the type of person who just wants to enjoy a good catgirl OVA for an hour, then sit on your couch, turn this on and grab some popcorn. Next is art. While it may not be revolutionary, I believe that they truly captured the beauty of the visual novel and translated it into an anime very well. I have no complaints, they did a good job. For the sound, voices, sound effects etc. it's professional level so I'm mostly gonna talk about the soundtrack. Honestly, it's a hit or miss. Some people might like it like I did and some might find it obnoxious. The opening was fun and enjoyable, really fits the theme of the show while the ending was, not gonna lie forgettable. The characters of this show, while they may be dumb they are fun to watch and that's the beauty of it. I believe they captured the essence of the catgirl appeal very well. For Kashou, well most visual novel protagonist are inserts so being generic is to be expected. Although I'll still give it a plus since he has more personality now compared to the visual novel, at least the earlier installments in the series. Enjoyment. I had a lot of fun honestly. I've been waiting for this ever since it was announced before the funding began and it's everything I hoped for. It's a great bonus after playing the visual novels but that's all it is in my eyes, a bonus. If you want the full experience, I recommend the visual novels. Overall it was a fun show. Nothing too special but just a really great homage to the fans who supported it. 8/10