H2O: Footprints in the Sand

I fell in love with this anime series practically the moment I started watching it. The opening scenes of the first few episodes uses one of my absolute favorite poems, "Footprints in the Sand". From watching the first episode, I was blown away by how amazing it seemed. The poem tied in beautifully with the storyline, the opening and endings (Katayoku no Icarus by Yui Sakikabara and Kazahane by Haruka Shimotsuki) are two of my favorite songs. At the time, the graphics also astounded me since they were so clear and concise in comparison to other anime shows preceeding it.

I'll admit, the storyline isn't perfect for me. I personally didn't like the comical moments with Otoha as much as other people might. I also feel that the ending is sort of cheesy, but then again, if I ask myself: "what would a better ending have been?" I can't answer that question.

Still, for a wonderful anime series with a beautiful message, the struggles of the handicapped, the life of the despised, and the overcoming of challenges, definately give this anime a try!

Sometimes touchingly poignant, others vulgar and monstrous, filled with joys that will let your spirit sing with laughter, and even bizarre enough moments to confuse even the most well-versed anime enthusiasts; this series is filled with mystery, intrigue, bittersweet tragedy, romance, love and laughter. All of this awaits those who take interest in the tale of H2O.

When considering the characters, the style of animation and polarization of certain elements of the tale, I have to say that I am most impressed with the mixture of layers of the overlapping tales of the main characters, but find the rest a bit to easy to dismiss once the series has finished. This is the reason that - while I enjoyed the elements of what made the overall story entwine to create a good (good, not great) tale - I can't realistically offer this up as something I would say is that great in the anime genre of movies and television that I would recommend to others.

It's been quite a while since I last watched an anime that struck me so hard on an emotional level. In fact, not since Clannad After Story has an anime taken me for such a roller-coaster ride of happiness and tragedy. The important connection between H2O and Clannad, I think, is that they both make it a point to root their high points and low points in tangible, possible situations. There are mystical and supernatural elements in both stories, but the real emotional high points and rock bottoms are firmly seeded in events that could very well happen in the real world. In other words, H2O is powerful because these things, for the most part, really could happen.

H2O packs a surprisingly powerful psychological punch. Whereas a lot of harem shows tend to rely on pre-established character archetypes for their character interactions, H2O defines every single character down to the core, then creates believable and meaningful dialogue between them. As a result, I can't even call this show a harem. With the surreal exception of episode 8, the harem element (all females gravitating towards the main character) is more perceived than it is real. Perhaps that sounds vague and meaningless to somebody who hasn't watched the show yet, so suffice it to say that every relationship in the show (romantic and otherwise) happens for good reason. That is, there's not a single interaction in the show that happens without being deeply meaningful. If a girl swoons over the main character, there's more to it than "I love you just because." Basically: keep watching and keep guessing; you won't be disappointed, even if your guesses are wrong.

The art style in H2O definitely leaves something to be desired, but it shines a glowing torch in the areas that really matter. For example, the characters are all designed to be very distinct and recognizable, which helps a lot with getting to know each one of them. Also, the backgrounds in the show are gorgeous; they do well to convey the natural beauty in the small town. The overall animation isn't very sharp, but the show does very well with what it has.

This anime represents a masterfully-told story that fully earns every narrative card that it plays, which is a compliment deserved by too few shows out there. Even when H2O is at its most juvenile, those moments have a purpose. My favorite thing about H2O is simply that everything happens for a reason. The story is tightly-knit and finds meaning in just about everything. You will come out of this show loving some characters, despising some characters, and realizing that even the filler episode (#8) is important to the story.

I was around and active in the anime community when H2O had it's original run in 2008 and I immediately turned away from it because, frankly, the harem scene had been done so many times and throwing a weak, blind, male protagonist into the mix didn't spark me.

Through the years, when selecting different anime, I always ran across H2O but every time put it on the bottom of my selections because it simply didn't look or sound very much more than blasé at best.

I'm kicking myself this morning for, at the very least, not watching the first episode back then. Lesson learned: always give something a chance. I guess I've matured a bit and, before purchasing a new anime series yesterday, I decided to jump on YT and give the first eppy of H2O a chance. After all, it seems to have some good reviews out there.

Wow.

The first episode caught me in a hold that wouldn't let go until the very end of the series. I sat, entranced, through the entire thing from start to finish and came out of it a different person.

It was that good.

There were no dead spots, no times when I felt I could walk away and grab some coffee, and, in fact, there were no instances where I even wanted to pause the video to get up and stretch. This anime is a twist on the old harem trope and is so incredibly well-written with a cast of amazing voice actors and a handful of original ideas that brought it to life with the stunning direction of Hideki Tachibana. Wonderful doesn't even come close to describing this anime.

My only complaint is that the artwork could have been better. Is it enough to take away from the overall experience? Hell no. With better animation, though, H2O would go beyond being as awesome as it is.

Is it my all time fave? No but, wow, it's up there with them. If you haven't watched H2O then I implore you to give, at the very least, the first eppy a shot. You won't be disappointed.

the bad -
From a story line perspective the anime leaps around a lot, its a bit hard to follow and at times seems completely random...

character emotional development lacked heavily in the middle of the series
starting out almost golden with the proper amount of mystery comedy and suspense
however it turns into a smut that would take a sadist to enjoy

the character logic.. my nephew is 7 years old.. hes more logical than any character in this entire series the level of unrealistic behavior was a bit much for me

Now onto the good!

toward end series the anime really picks up, I was completely disgusted by it.. but i couldn't stop watching
the end was bitter sweet for sure.. but I felt as though something was missing

all and all its worth a shot if you've got nothing better on your plate

would I recommend this? If you enjoy a random plot with an obsessivly dark undertone Yes absolutely
Would i rewatch this? No.

Just finished it and this is worth watching. I think the other reviewers overplayed this one. The characters here are pretty cookie cutter. You have the sundere girls, the crossdressing shota, and the cute blonde girls. The personality changes are way to quick and the characters lack depth. However the back story is interesting and the way it is told is good. The ending, however, was a TOTAL cop out. Had they had the courage not to hit the do-over button on the ending or figured a more cathartic way of ending it it would have been much better. I guess it couldn't break out of its genre... still worth seeing. The music is pretty good. The drawings are average i.e. it doesn't blow you away visually.

So, this is my first review, forgive me. H2O is a love story that follows a young blind boy who regains his sight and meet new friends along the way. But because this is A BIT more realistic than some other anime the story is not all happy. So as not to ruin it for those just browsing to find out if there are censors i will not go into further detail, but this is a beatiful story, with characters that become a part of your extendedf amily, and is worth a look.

Side Note: This is the first anime to actual draw tears...... i know sappy.