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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
In the early volumes of this series, Ai was a firecracker. She provided the slapstick, the fun and the verve to the series, yet somewhere along the way, the emotional demands of the series pulled her down, forcing her to deal with the demands of real life and becoming, potentially, a real girl.
This book goes a long way toward building Ai back up into the character whom Yota fell in love with all those volumes ago. There is life, animation and fun. And there are tears and regrets also. Most intriguing, the origin and intent of the video girls is hinted at, and the revelation of why Ai exists is probably going to rock the series pretty hard in the next (and final, I believe) volume.
The fun is coming back, even if the series could've been shorter by at least one book. I'm glad that I stuck with this series until the end.
This book goes a long way toward building Ai back up into the character whom Yota fell in love with all those volumes ago. There is life, animation and fun. And there are tears and regrets also. Most intriguing, the origin and intent of the video girls is hinted at, and the revelation of why Ai exists is probably going to rock the series pretty hard in the next (and final, I believe) volume.
The fun is coming back, even if the series could've been shorter by at least one book. I'm glad that I stuck with this series until the end.
The story of the star-crossed, sci-fi-tinged romance of Yota and Ai finally comes to an end, and after a few lackluster volumes, I feel that Ai ends on a reasonably strong note. In volume 12, we found out that Ai's creator spawned the video girls in order to seduce men and then break their hearts. Rather than facilitate love, the video girls were designed to break the hearts of incurable romantics, proving that love is a sham. Because our protagonist, Yota, played Ai's tape on a broken VCR, things don't work out as the creator planned. Ai has fallen in love with Yota, and Yota in love with Ai.
Thus begins our final volume. The real danger is that the creator can erase Ai, destroy her memory, and turn her back into a regular video girl. She'd rather die that lose the memory of her time with Yota. So Yota, Ai and the clerk at the video shop, who betrays the creator, set out to make Ai into a real girl, thus beyond the creator's reach.
The problem with the few volumes prior to this is that Katsura spent too much time recycling the same romantic triangle themes, and I got sick of the characters being so much in love that they constantly sacrifice their own happiness in some mistaken ideal of what the other person wants/needs. Ai and Yota have FINALLY gotten on the same page here, so we can do away with (most of) that nonsense and get straight to the conflict with the creator. There are some interesting twists, including one or two complete heartbreakers, but in the end, Video Girl Ai ends the only way that a story about the power of love can end - with Yota and Ai happily in each other's arms.
The epilogue, which shows how Yota and Ai have affected all the other prominent supporting cast members in a positive way, was pretty good and interesting. The means by which Yota and Ai are ultimately united is a little less fulfilling, rather deus ex machina actually, but I did like the parallel that Katsura established between Ai and the protagonist of the children's book that Yota was writing.
As always, Katsura's art is just killer.
Thus begins our final volume. The real danger is that the creator can erase Ai, destroy her memory, and turn her back into a regular video girl. She'd rather die that lose the memory of her time with Yota. So Yota, Ai and the clerk at the video shop, who betrays the creator, set out to make Ai into a real girl, thus beyond the creator's reach.
The problem with the few volumes prior to this is that Katsura spent too much time recycling the same romantic triangle themes, and I got sick of the characters being so much in love that they constantly sacrifice their own happiness in some mistaken ideal of what the other person wants/needs. Ai and Yota have FINALLY gotten on the same page here, so we can do away with (most of) that nonsense and get straight to the conflict with the creator. There are some interesting twists, including one or two complete heartbreakers, but in the end, Video Girl Ai ends the only way that a story about the power of love can end - with Yota and Ai happily in each other's arms.
The epilogue, which shows how Yota and Ai have affected all the other prominent supporting cast members in a positive way, was pretty good and interesting. The means by which Yota and Ai are ultimately united is a little less fulfilling, rather deus ex machina actually, but I did like the parallel that Katsura established between Ai and the protagonist of the children's book that Yota was writing.
As always, Katsura's art is just killer.
While reading this I just kept yelling can we please get this girl a shirt. I just don't understand why we need to see the girls chest; I find the artist to be creepy for that. The story also doesn't make up for it; its just a plain highschool love triangle and unrequited love, no drama there. It all feels like an "appropriate" way to see a teen girl topless. The main dude still isn't a total perv, so a plus.
Still wish they'd give AI a shirt but this vol. was much cuter then the previous cause it had less pining after a video girl.
Eh I almost didn't read this because of the way the main love interest girl was introduced, which was without a shirt, but since I picked up a couple of issues for free I thought might as well. Definitely not worth going out of your way to find. Very fanservice-y but at least the main guy isn't a total creep. Just a shy kid who can't talk to girls. The story line is just okay. It's a standard highschool love triangle type plot just with an AI girl.
A little more intriguing than the first volume, but still early enough in the series to approach the rest with a grain of salt, Mix Down showed that with enough time and reflection feelings can change as much as the heroes of any tale.
However, the way this volume ends is enough to ensure readers return for the third, and most likely the fourth book in the series!
However, the way this volume ends is enough to ensure readers return for the third, and most likely the fourth book in the series!
What struck me most about Masakazu Katsura's "Video Girl Ai" (other than the dated illustration style, which I admire), was how it was one of the first teen romance series I have read where a male lead seems to have the same insecurities of young love that is often a plot structure for teenage girls.
It is not a mind blowing start, but still a solid start to what could be a strong coming of age tale. For that, I look forward to reading the next book in the series, and the rest of the series to come.
It is not a mind blowing start, but still a solid start to what could be a strong coming of age tale. For that, I look forward to reading the next book in the series, and the rest of the series to come.
This has been on my shelf for years and it's the sort of thing I would have enjoyed more when I was younger. In fact I absolutely loved the anime series when I saw it at a convention in the 90s. It's your basic shy loser magical girl unrequited love triangle story with some slightly risque humor. Not bad, but probably best for teens or a little older.