Capsule Review & Commentary: Kase-san and Morning Glories

Director: Takuya Sato

Animation Production: Zexcs

Music: rionos

Genres: Slice of Life, Yuri

Season: Spring 2018

Final say: SIPPABLE OVER A STREAM

Kase-san can be rather fittingly described as a passion project; one that struggled into reality by a small team of incredibly passionate artists, who were head over heels enthralled by Hiromi Takashima’s manga: a story about two girls that is drenched in hazy sweetness. Or so the pitch goes.

Starting with a music video spread across the Internet, inviting fans to express their interest, the project eventually ended up as a 60 minute theatrical OVA, presenting three stories from the manga that can stand proud as a standalone presentation of the story. Takashima’s cute and soft designs were smoothly adapted onto the screen, complete with their trademark big curve smiles (and that little sprout for Yamada). It is encouraging then, that in the animation medium, freed from the shackles of manga panels, Kase-san remains a decidedly mellow experience, but it is sharpened by an intense aesthetic spirit that can only be described as elaborate and gently evocative.

The stark, (only way I can describe it) analogue approach to photography lends to the supremely textured aesthetic of Kase-san. That, paired with the brilliant background art, makes the film a literal feast to the eyes. It also helps that the film tends to keep the cuts slow and deliberate.

Iconic manga panel, transformed

Recommendations: Alternate Titles

Unfortunately for this capsule review, I decided against including alternate recommendations list, purely because of the unique spectrum this short film sits in within my sphere of experience: I haven’t watched a lot of yuri shows to completion (a great sin for sure), let alone short 60 minute films. But I doubt those who are looking for similar experiences as Kase-san would struggle to find better resources elsewhere.

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