REC

REC

9 episodes, 12 minutes, impossibly short. Packs a lot of punch though.

Based on a manga of the same name, REC is a story about a guy and a girl who gets to live in one roof because of some circumstances. Fumihiko, 26, is a worker at a local sweets company, brainstorming ideas for promotion of goods. Aka, 20, is a newbie seiyuu (voice actress), loves Audrey Hepburn movies and likes to quote movie dialogue all the time. They get to live in one roof, but still confused as to what is exactly their relationship, they aren’t a couple after all. They get to work together for a snacks promotion in need of a seiyuu. Eventually they get closer, but reality kicks in, as their own respective careers either sway up or down. How will they handle the ups and downs of work, and the ups and downs of their own romance?

An anime about a budding seiyuu! I’ve seen anime about j-idols, singers and stuff like that, but never about a seiyuu until now. REC totally landed my interest, and the red-haired cutie Aka is a plus! While I can’t relate to her obsession for the late great Audrey Hepburn’s works, the way she modulates her voice when making a movie quote gets a 10 out of 10 in originality. We also see a bit of focus on the seiyuu scene, which is somewhat the same thing we see in the j-idol or music scene. Of course, voice acting is not just about anime, it’s as comprehensive as dubbing gets. From movies to commercials to even bishoujo games, seiyuu are there to lend their voices and spice things up. Er… I was rather surprised that they’d even deal with the bishoujo game seiyuu topic, quite boldly I must say (heck, a mosaic of a p****! and a sample dialogue of an H anime even!!).

Anyway, not even inconsistent animation can cover-up the cuteness of Aka. Must be due to her seiyuu… I mean, the real-life seiyuu who voices Aka. She is Kanako Sakai, and I must say, she’s rather cute herself too. She seems to be a budding seiyuu and actress too, having only REC and Magikano in her anime belt, along with made-for-DVD dramas, TV and radio programs, and a PS2 game. I wish her luck.

All in all, short but totally sweet. It’s an interesting story about careers and relationships. While short, REC delivers at a steady pace, no dull moment at all. I really wished it could be longer though. Oh well, a new OVA episode would be underway quite soon. Need more anime like this. Anime about seiyuu, that is.