Natsuiro Kiseki - Episode 3 (Dropped)

Having stuck Natsumi and Saki together last week, it seems as if it's this duo's turn for vengeance this week as they set out to almost literally glue Yuka and Rinko together to see how they like having to put up with such an inconvenience.

Thankfully, this doesn't turn into a copy of episode two of Natsuiro Kiseki, as its group of girls have more importantly fish to fry, namely the fact that a friend of Natsumi's sister, Yuusuke Kimura, spotted them during their little flying session back in episode one.  While logic dictates that just ignoring what seems like little more than a kid making up a stupid story, the fact that Kimura's insistence upon what he saw begins to damage his relationships with his friends, in turn making some of the group feel rather guilty.

Eventually, after finding Kimura following her around, Saki decides that the only way to resolve this issue is to let both him and Daiki see what they need to, with Saki taking on the role of a "witch" so that she can reaffirm Kimura's friendship with Natsumi's brother.  However, magic is rather a fickle thing, and at the moment of truth the big rock which has become the group's... well, rock, refuses to grant their wish - luckily for those involved, friendships tend to be rather more robust than Saki assumes, so no proof is needed for Kimura and Daiki to become friends again.

If last week's episode was dumb, then this week's Natsuiro Kiseki is just plain dull - all of the machinations within it eventually come to naught, ideas from last week's episode get reused, and ultimately nothing of any interest actually happens as our cardboard cut-out characters lurch around and go through the motion's of the episode's plot.  It's utterly boring, and I really can't think of any good reason to keep up with the series based upon what it's shown us so far.  Thus, no amount of wishes or magic will save Natsuiro Kiseki from my list of dropped shows - sorry!

Natsuiro Kiseki - Episode 2

You'd have thought that suddenly, unexpectedly being given the ability to fly, no matter how briefly, would be enough to heal any rifts in a group's friendship, wouldn't you?  Not so in the world of Natsuiro Kiseki, where Natsumi and Saki are still at each other's throats despite inwardly wanting to make up.

If this pair of girls are doing a good job of hiding their true desires, the same can't be said of Yuka and Rinko, who are both desperate to see their buddies rebuild any broken bridges - indeed, after finding Yuka trying her hand at some more wishes at the big rock that granted their last request, both Rinko and her friend ponder how great it would be for Natsumi and Saki to make up and stick together.

You can probably see where things head from here, with our two former friends literally stuck together by the power of magic until they make up - a rather awkward scenario at the best of times, before you consider that Natsumi isn't fully dressed at that point in time.  Once the two of them realise what's transpired, off they head to confront Yuka and Rinko, who are less than enamoured at the thought of being collared by this angry looking pair - cue a long run around town until everything finally rights itself, and we find ourselves with a group of four friends with no issues or arguments to get in the way once again.

After being hugely surprised to see what I assumed would be a bog-standard slice of life series throw a bunch of magic into the mix, so that trend continues in  Natsuiro Kiseki's second episode.  In a way, this is no bad thing, as there's obviously plenty of room for comedy within that premise if nothing else - if only it had decided to do something a little less dull with it this week.  Having Saki and Natsumi stuck together was amusing for all of two minutes before becoming old hat, and by the time they'd spent about ten minutes just running around town chasing their friends it had become utterly and horribly dull, a case of stretching an idea to breaking point and beyond that even Nichijou would blanche at.  It seems pretty clear by this point that Natsuiro Kiseki is going to be pretty dull and uninspired in everything attempts - but, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'm going to watch it at least a little longer to confirm my suspicions.

Natsuiro Kiseki - Episode 1

Four young girls with a shared dream believe they've found a rock at their local shrine that will allow them to achieve that shared ambition - if only life was that simple, eh?

Of course, in reality times change, people grow up and following your dreams can become tougher.  It's this kind of harsh reality that strikes two of the main characters as Natsuiro Kiseki (or "A Summer Coloured Miracle", if you prefer) begins.  While Natsumi Aizawa seems to have found her passion as a dedicated member of her middle school's tennis club, her partner in this sport and best friend Saki Mizukoshi seems to have lost her desire for the game and the drive to reach the national finals, seeking to avoid her friend and skip practice whenever possible.  Needless to say, the friction this generates soon reaches a head, with the two girls having a major falling out over the issue.

While their mutual friends Yuka and Rinko seem relatively unperturbed by this development - after all, friends fall out all the time when they're just kids - it soon becomes clear that there's more to Saki's behaviour than meets the eye, as the last day of school before the summer holidays brings with it the announcement that she's leaving the school as her family moves to Tokyo.  Although this might seem like a good time to put their current differences between them, the news serves only to further erect a barrier between them.  Ultimately, it's left to Yuka to do the best she can to reinvigorate the two girl's friendship, bringing the whole group back to the rock around which their previous promises were based.  Just as it seems as if the entire group's relationship are about to disintegrate entirely, a most unlikely wish is answered for the four girls...

Trying to ignore its utterly stupid "miracle" to finish this first episode (which takes our regular slice of life drama, glues it to our suspension of disbelief and then shatters it with a big hammer), this first episode of Natsuiro Kiseki was pretty much the epitome of "okay".  With four stereotypical characters, an equally predictable promise between them and an uninspired setting, this opener gives the impression of a by the numbers series designed to sell its voice actresses rather than do anything particularly interesting in terms of story or character development.  Perhaps the biggest issue with this first instalment is that it throws us straight into the show's drama without first building up the relationship between its four girls (and with the viewer for that matter) - say what you like about K-ON and its ilk, but at least it understands that we have to see the friendships between characters exhibited and developed before setting any cats amongst the proverbial pigeons.  Instead, Natsuiro Kiseki throws us straight into the drama, and as a result it doesn't really work because we haven't had any time to care about the characters or their relationships to one another, or indeed for their dreams and ambitions.  I get the feeling that the series doesn't care about such things however, provided we all pick our favourite character archetype and buy all the CDs and merchandise.