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ANIME REVIEWS

Copyright © 1995 HEADROOM/ SOFTX/ SHOGKAKUKAN






Marriage
—by Charles McCarter

Anime Works, one of the newer companies on the US anime scene, has been releasing some unusual titles. In fact, before their announcement that they would be releasing MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH, their stables were filled with titles that were relatively unknown by American fans.
  One such title, MARRIAGE, is done by the same company that did such titles as GRADUATION and DEBUT. In fact, the stories in MARRIAGE are populated by the same characters who were a part of those earlier titles.
  The two stories on this tape are not related to one another. In fact, MARRIAGE uses the same characters in different settings to tell romantic stories. In the first episode, they are all Office Ladies, women who work at the same company. This episode centers around Shizuka, the most bashful girl in the group. In fact her lack of a boyfriend forces one of her bolder friends to enroll her in a dating service. In the second episode, however, Shizuka is happily married. And this time, all the girls are sisters. Once again, there is one lone woman who remains unattached. This time, it's Kiyomi. But all that seems about to change when a coworker shows up and is hastily coached by her sisters as to how to win Kiyomi's heart.
  MARRIAGE is a romantic comedy, and as such it is a lighthearted, tender show. The plots are not extraordinary, but what gives this show its charm is its characters. Although each episode puts the women in a new setting, their basic character traits remain the same.
  The animation is nice and suits the tone of the show. Character designs are by Kojo Yoko, and while it is not a name I know, her work has a familiarity to it that makes viewers feel as if they know the characters more than they really do.
  In fact, that's one of the problems with this show. The women are all so well-defined, but their male counterparts are not. It feels in the end that maybe the guys are too shallow and undefined to be worthy of these women.
  In the middle of the episodes is an hilarious SD presentation about dating and marriage in Japan today. Complete with charts and graphs, they impart a humorous (yet somewhat fact-based) take on the state of romance and marriage in modern Japanese society. It also explains things like the difference between arranged marriages, dating services, and love marriages.
  The Japanese voices are exceptional, as the cast includes Tsuru Hiromi (ORANGE ROAD's Madoka) as Kiyomi, Hisakawa Aya (AH! MY GODDESS's Skuld ) as Shizuka, and Touma Yumi (AH! MY GODDESS's Urd ) as Reiko. The dub voices are capable, and some even come close to matching the performance of the original voice actresses. But fans of voice actresses will of course prefer the subtitled version.
  MARRIAGE is one of those slice-of-life shows, and although sometimes they can be hit or miss, I found myself interested in the lives of these women and hoping for the best. The show is entertaining and sometimes funny, especially the SD parts. MARRIAGE shows that however serious it may be, being in love and sometimes not being in love can still be a laughing matter.

Released in North America by Anime Works
VHS, 60 minutes
Subtitled: AWVS-9844 $24.95
English dubbed: AWVD-9844 $19.95
Available now in the USA
Where to buy


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