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Copyright © 1995 HEADROOM/ SOFTX/ SHOGKAKUKAN




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—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
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