A stranger awakens on the beach with almost no memory of who he is or why he’s there. At first, the little bits he does remember—that he’s a time traveler and that he’s been sent here to kill someone—seem to be inane ramblings of a strange man, but as flashes from the past begin to return to Setsuna, as he meets other mysterious island residents, including Rinne, a girl whose mysteries may run even deeper than his, and as the island (islands?) itself appears to exhibit magical properties, we may discover that those fragments are true, and that a most unusual story is about to unfold.
Steins;gate 0 aside, it’s been a while since I’ve found a visual novel adaptation that I’ve enjoyed—and Island might fit the bill. My worry going in is that this adaptation might fall into the lesser of Feel’s anime series, and for sure it still might, but by the end of episode one, I was hooked. I enjoyed our main character, who personality is goofy enough to keep the series light and funny for the most part, and the girls, who, like the protagonist, seem to be a mixture of mystery and moe. There’s a lot of potential here, and while living up to shows like Tsuki ga Kirei, Hinamatsuri, and my all-time favorite, Oregairu 2, might be out of reach, this series seems to be trending in that direction, and I’m most definitely interested in seeing where this all goes.
Get deserted and stream ISLAND on Crunchyroll.
Samuru’s First Impression
The main male protaginist wakes up on a deserted beach with no memory. He is found by a resident of the island named Karen, who takes him to the police. After a phone call to the mayor, he is told he must leave but he refuses to and escapes. At night, he finds a girl singing a lovely song by the beach. He remembers his name, Setsuna, and she introduces herself as Rinne. She tells him to follow her, and she asks him to become their live-in maid. Setsuna begins to discover clues as to the conundrums of the island, and after accompanying Rinne on her nightly walk, finds himself crying to a song he heard her sing the day before.
Since it is the summer, watching an anime where the setting is an island surrounded by beaches, sand, sun and waves is perfect. At first I didn’t like the main character as he seemed too much of an oddball for me, but mixing in the other female characters allowed me to enjoy the show more. It had a lot going on in the first episode, from flash backs to a woman speaking through notes passed under a door and the main female, Rinne, avoiding sunlight because it may kill her. The song sung reminded me of Megumi Hayashibara for some reason, and for that reason along with the lyrics I enjoyed it. This show reminded me why I still watch anime, because of it’s secrecy and finding out what happens next to the characters and setting. This show piqued my interest, so I will be back for more!
Hmm… Sounds interesting! 🙂
🙂 yay your back again
Always around! 😁
(Rachel)