Chouyaku Hyakunin Isshu: Uta Koi. Uta Koi for short. Hmmm…something really bugs me about this series. You see, I have zero knowledge about poetries. If anyone ask me to name someone famous in literature, I probably name William Shakespeare. His name is the only one I know! He’s famous for being famous. Besides, the only time I ever read poems and the likes was way back in high school. That’s only for school grade’s sake! Also, I take zero interest in Japan’s social history or anything related for that matter.
So…why the hell do I find Uta Koi such a fine series?
TsurugiArashix did a fantastic job in examining Uta Koi. It’s an insightful article about the mechanism behind poetries and such. Do read his post if you wanna know more. As for me, I just want to share my reason why I find Uta Koi so appealing. It’s a bit hard to pinpoint but I’ll do my best!
(Take a deep breath) Here are my reasons:-
- It is episodic. There’s hardly any relations between the episodes. Sure, the character names are mentioned every now and then but the stories always finish within an episode. Well, so far they do. I don’t have to make an effort to recall what happened last week! At all. Isn’t that wonderful? Or am I the only who had to try and recall what happened in the previous episode aired like 7 days ago?
- It’s about love story. I do think the anime title speaks for itself. If that isn’t clear enough, my post title should do >.<. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yeah, I’m a sucker for love story. Especially the ones end with happy ending! C’mon, who doesn’t want happy ending to love stories. And Uta Koi has just that. Even if the couple in question doesn’t end up together, they have fond memories to look back to. It’s just so sweet. By the way, it’s not just love between couples, but among friends. Sometimes it’s fun to reminisce with friends. Now that’s bonus, isn’t it?
- Bright colorful patterns. Okay, I know many will never think of Uta Koi’s animation quality as top notch. I don’t think so either but one can’t deny that there’s a sense of uniqueness to it. It’s like an ancient anime but with fresh character designs or something along the line. Besides, there’s a nice mix of colors and variety of patterns – that make me happy.
- It’s easy to watch. It’s engaging and the direction flows very well. I’m not bothered at all by the poems inserted here and there. As the matter fact, I feel like I understand the poems a little better with some kind of animated story to support and explain it. There’s a connection. Because the series is light-hearted, it doesn’t really matter to me if the interpretations of the poems aren’t accurate. In Uta Koi, they make sense.
That’s roughly about it. Uta Koi may not necessarily top my anime list or anything but there’s this entertainment value I really appreciate in the midst of this slow summer season.
World of Yamaguchi Hoshiko 
Now Im a little interested in taking a look at Uta Koi. I don’t know if I will like it with these poems though. I should watch 2 or three episodes soon 😉
I don’t think it matters if you will like the poems or not, the main thing about Uta Koi is to enjoy the story it has. They’re all really sweet love stories. >.<
I really need to start watching this too…it somehow got forgotten in the middle of the many series I’m following…:P
Take your time. This series isn’t going anywhere soon. >.<
For the reasons you mentioned in your intro, I’m not watch Uta Koi. I don’t think episodics would do it for me either. I usually don’t see many anime that have good stories condensed into a single episode. While I do like love stories, it just didn’t interest me because I didn’t know the characters very well.
I see I see. It also depends on what viewers are looking for when they’re watching anime. Currently, I’m digging this sort of anime. It’s light and good for unwinding.
I would not sell yourself short, since I only picked up on some the aesthetic points I liked. I have agree with your points about the series, especially the 3rd and 4th reason for its appeal. Actually, the 4th reason was my main concern for the series, but oddly that is not the case. Look forward to watching it every week ^^
I was away on business trip for most part of the week this week and the first thing I wanna watch after coming back is Uta Koi! That’s how much I’m enjoying this series >.<
Hi Hoshiko,
Is your blog still open for link exchange?
Thanks,
iiiChan
It’s always open. Wanna exchange link? =)
I’m also quite into this series as well, though I thought it might be a bore at first glance.
About it being episodic, I agree somewhat with your view. However, I also feel that Utakoi deserves some praise for linking the stories together logically. I mean, it would’ve been a hard series to like if we kept jumping around to totally unrelated characters, right?
Instead of going that straightforward route, Utakoi starts from a character like Narihira and branches out to figures like Sadaakira and Yasuhide (you could even squeeze in Ono no Komachi too). Not only does this make it more coherent, it also makes us develop feelings for the characters, I think, making it a more entertaining anime.
Well, that’s my two cents. Anyway, what was your favourite pair/episode? Mine has to be the Narihira, Yasuhide and Komachi trio, even though they aren’t exactly romantically involved. Oh, and the parody episode with the poets as hosts was hilarious as well! XD
That’s true. I like that the series brings back characters sometimes and build on the story that was told. Like how Narihira suffered heartbreak from the first episode or if Komachi regretted her decision to reject the proposal she wanted. It’s interesting that way.
I don’t have a favorite pair or episode but I most certainly enjoy watching anything with Narihira in it. He’s hilarious. I guess his playful nature makes it fun to watch an episode with him in it. I also like to watch the trio together. I like how they have common interest in poetry and often exchange words with it. The funniest part with them together is the one in which Komachi shrugged off Yasuhide’s confession and Narihira watched painfully in a hidden spot! >.<