A Channel

One of the new series this spring season which I hoped it would be a nice comedy is “A Channel”, so far it proves to be one of the better shows on my spring anime watch list.

Adapted from the original four panel manga “Aチャンネル” by bb Kuroda, the series is very much a feel good slice-of-life show filled with plenty of humor, following the daily lives of four high school friends.

While the main cast of four girls are the default character type fare seen in most series of this genre, they’re nonetheless adorable and quickly pull the viewer into their happy-go-lucky lives.

From tomboyish Tooru, air-headed Run, bespectacled Nagi to shapely beauty Yuuko, none of the girls are particularity novel characters but with their unique quirky character traits, you instantly adore them.

The third episode introduces Tooru’s classmates Yutaka and Miho, they are a nice addition to the cast and provide much needed expansion to Tooru’s school life outside of her rather peculiar friendship with Run. Or is it an obsession?

Regardless, while Tooru may seem to have her act together compared to dojikko Run, she has yet to grow for she’s totally dependant on her childhood friend. Suspect a character growth plot for Tooru will be how she opens up and befriends her classmates.

The animation is by Studio Gokumi, only see them credited for their work on the “Koe De Oshigoto” OVA besides this title so it’s a nice surprise to see that for a studio with a near non-existent track record their work is in fact quite excellent. The character styling for the girls is cute and lively colors are used throughout, with crisp lines which all fits the more moe oriented genre of the series.

Have seen parallels drawn with “K-ON!”, is it due to the fact the main characters are cute girls living out happy, careless days in school? Or maybe because characters Run and Yuuko bear striking similarities to Yui and Mio, respectively? Perhaps the fact that Yuuko is voiced by Kotobuki Minako who also voiced Tsumugi in “K-ON!” reinforces this impression.

Nonetheless, save for the fact it’s a fluffy slice-of-life school comedy centred around a circle of girl friends who are drawn in a moe style don’t really feel that unnecessary comparison needs to be made with “K-ON!”.

Not every new series in this genre needs to be compared to “K-ON!” or brushed off as a copy of “K-ON!”. Else one could just as easily say “K-ON!” is a copy of “Lucky Star” that swapped the otaku subplot element for a music club subplot element.

Actually with the series being based on a 4koma manga and the different comedy driven scenes strung together throughout each episode without a clear episodic plot, the series has more in common with “Lucky Star” than “K-ON!”.

Tiny tomboy Tooru is voiced by Yuuki Aoi who has also handled roles as Madoka in “Puella Magi Madoka Magica”, Noel in “So-Ra-No-Wo-To” and Victorique in “Gosick”. Fukuhara Kaori who voices Run, might sound familiar from her performance as Tsukasa in “Lucky Star”.

Already mentioned above that Yuuko is voiced by Kotobuki Minako who next to Tsumugi in “K-ON!” also did Kongou in “To Aru Majutsu No Index” and Sen in “Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls”. Adore her work as Yuuko, especially her speech pattern and accent are a real joy.
Uchiyama Yumi who voices bespectacled Nagi seems to be a relative newcomer.

Definitely will keep watching this excellent series and highly recommend it to those of you who enjoy slice-of-life comedies or who seek a nice, entertaining show to watch.