As a Ryou-turned-Kyou fan, this Fujibayashi-centric OVA is a dream come true. Ryou and Kyou represents the 2 classes of bishoujos I would have loved to date during my younger days – the gentle, kind, oh-so-bashful-she’s-cute type and the effervescent type whose energetic antics barely conceal their girlish charms. Traditionally, I’d bully the former and let the latter bully me but that’s not relevant to this entry except to impress upon the point that Ryou/Kyou are my types. Which is why I doubly feel Tomoya’s pain. Both are great girlfriend material although Ryou would make a lovely wife while Kyou, wonderful mistress.
Some would know that I enjoy ‘taboo’ love. Maybe ‘taboo’ is too strong a term. ‘Off-limits’ is probably more apt. Your best friend’s girlfriend, your childhood friend and of course your sister are some illustrations of ‘off-limits’. Of course in this case, it’s the sister’s boyfriend/girlfriend’s sister. I enjoy such romances because it almost certainly involves emotional struggle, leading to drama and hopefully, character development. And I have found all these elements to be well integrated and executed in Kyou’s OVA. Given the tight airtime, this OVA achieved a great deal in relating a bittersweet tale of maturing in love. I admire Tomoya a great deal for doing the right thing with Ryou. It was a courage I did not possess while younger and I live to reap the consequences of my evil deeds. (Come to think of it, I did marry ‘Kyou’ instead of ‘Ryou’…)
Sufficient to say, I enjoyed Kyou’s OVA tremendously seeing how authentic the portrayals of the pain and pleasure of love are. Heartily recommend to fans of the bishoujo-romance genre.
