Viewfinder, 2012 - ANiMiX

Title: Target in the Viewfinder
Genre: yaoi
Format: animix
Length: 39 minutes

Let me start off and say this is not an anime. This is an ANiMiX, meaning it's mostly a composition of graphics and pictures with a minimal amount of animation tied in. You get to see certain actions and camera movements, as well as see people talking, but otherwise there isn't much motion being drawn out frame by frame.

Now that I cleared that up, let's get to the review. The clarity of picture is fantastic. The colors aren't overly bright, nor overly dark. There's a nice blend of lighting that keeps true to the noir setting that Ayano Yamane created in the original manga serialization. You won't have to worry about random flowers or bubbles sprouting every five minutes across the screen in this story.

You also don't have to worry too much about the characters staying true to their original design. The ANiMiX does a great job at copying Yamane's style of art throughout the entire piece. There are a few moments when it strays away from her style, and the proportions are a little off, or the lines aren't quite delicate enough where they should be, but for the most part the art is very similar.

Despite only being a composite of image stills, the ANiMiX does a fairly good job of creating a flow that follows the original storyline. While there is some censoring during the raunchy parts between main characters Asami and Takaba, there are plenty of shots of Takaba naked and wearing an expression of pleasure. To those familiar with the manga, this can be considered a let down, especially since some of the "training" Asami puts Takaba through is rather explicit and electrifying. The same can be said when Takaba lands in the hands of Fei Long later down the road.

That being said, this ANiMiX covers the first few books of the series, up to the point where Takaba first encounters Fei Long. It also includes one of the well-loved "extra" stories featured in the series, when Takaba is enjoying New Years with his friends and commences in drunk calling Asami. Though the story runs through a little quickly, with less than 40 minutes to do it, the animation covers a lot of ground. Despite the censoring, the story is followed very closely, which is a plus for those who enjoy a similarity between their manga and anime.

Apart from all that, let me talk a bit about the voice acting. Takaba's VA/seiyuu is close to what I imagined him to sound like when I read the manga. Takaba's character is a young man, and with a handsome face; the type of submissive that you'd expect to have a pretty voice when caught in a fit of passion. Takaba's VA delivers that during the explicit parts of the story, especially when paired with Asami.

On the other hand, I found Asami's VA to be a bit disappointing. He wasn't what I thought the man should have sounded like at all. Though he carries the depth of a man of danger, the general inflection that the VA uses when Asami speaks doesn't quite match his character. I expected something less nasal sounding and more throaty and on the edge of guttural.

Fei Long seemed to be relatively accurate. An effeminate voice for an effeminate man. Honestly, I wasn't too sure what Fei Long would sound like when I read the series, but I don't find his VA a wrong choice. Possibly not the best, but it's not hard to see why that sort of voice was picked for his character. He sounds a bit on the high strung side, prissy, like he's got the stick shoved too far, but considering the characters history, it's not impossible to see the connection.

I think the ANiMiX did a pretty good job representing the series. I'm a larger fan of full animation - i.e. anime - rather than still pictures, but for what it is, and what it isn't, I give the production a thumbs up for staying as true to the original series as possible, by trying to please the audience while still fitting within the media regulations of Japan's media.

Overall: 4 out of 5