For years, I'd heard whispers of Video Girl Ai. Reviews in Manga Mania and Anime FX painted tantalizing glimpses of a unique romantic drama with a sci-fi edge. I'd never actually experienced it myself so, seeking to right that wrong, I settled down over the course of an evening and watched all six episodes, each lasting only around 30 minutes, to explore a captivating love square story.
The main protagonist Yota loves Moemi but she loves his best friend Takashi. After an earnest admission of her love for the friend, a depressed Yota rents a Video Girl VHS tape (a kinda video girlfriend tape) but a faulty tape player causes the Video Girl to break through to the real world with some glitches including brashness and bawdiness. With a limited time left before she is erased, Video Girl Ai aims to get Yota and Moemi together, but when she starts to develop human emotions what you get is a whole lotta teen drama.
I thought that this was an interesting premise and the setup was pretty quick. In fact, within the first 3 minutes of the series you see the Ai break through and introduce herself. Over the proceeding episodes, you see the run up to the VHS rental as well as the consequences of Ai's constant interference and burgeoning affections for Yota.
The whole series gives off a cheesy 80s Brat Pack vibe but I loved it as, at its heart, it's a story about developing and becoming more than you were. It's a poignant tale looking at the human condition, what is love and how our emotional attachments are affected by our concept of it. In other words, it's the universal tale of unrequited love and heartbreak.
There are moments of existential dread and the Hedgehog’s Dilemma.
The music is great throughout and forms an integral part of the series, as you often get high school montage scenes set to pop songs that give it that quintessential The OC/ Dawson's Creek vibe of people living their lives soundtracked to cool tunes. The art is beautiful and the way it would change for more sepia or watercolour tone interlude was heartwarming and effective.
This series predates Hatsune Miku and the Vocaloids virtual popstar fandom that would come after but it hits a lots of the concerns that have been raised about falling in love with virtual avatars.
However, I believe that this story is not one about meeting your ideal partner but rather a self-examination of a person trying to grow, become better and persevere with life's difficulties despite all the challenges. It's actually Schopenhauer's old Hedgehog's Dilemma way before Evangelion would bring it to the public consciousness 4 years later.
Overall, I really loved Video Girl Ai, and whilst it does have some pervy ecchi moments, it's not too egregious and doesn't detract from the bigger themes and story it is trying to tell. This is a big of a forgotten gem and I'm glad I've uncovered it for myself.
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LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends
LINK- The Moomins 80's Soundtrack Vinyl Review
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LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review
LINK- Sonic Mania Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack