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REVIEW: One Week Friends Episodes 1-12 Streaming


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 12:10 pm Reply with quote
A really charming series imo from last season. The ending felt kinda underwhelming but the style of the show was brilliant and cute.

Saki also became one of my favorite characters from the season.
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Divineking



Joined: 03 Jul 2010
Posts: 1293
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 12:22 pm Reply with quote
I wasn't quite sure what to expect of the series when it first came out and I was almost positive it was going to use it's ridiculous premise for angst up the wazoo so I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be pretty grounded and charming. I agree that part of what makes it work is that a lot of the changes throughout the story are pretty subtle. At the times where I almost thought it wasnt going to go much of anywhere I did look back and realize a lot more changed than I thought and I definently agree that the places where it tripped up the most was whenever it did try to add serious melodrama into the mix.

Beyond that I'd say my other grievance with the series was Hase's constant denial of a romantic interest in Kaori even thought it's pretty apparent he has one but I do get the show is more about Kaori overcoming her problems than that so it's not a particularly big hindrance but it is a bit grating. It was a pretty enjoyable show though minor flaws aside and I look forward to Sentai's release later down the line
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king 47



Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 264
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:04 pm Reply with quote
This was a great show. It has some issues, but it's okay.

I liked Hase's friend more than him (I forgot his friend's name)
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TsunaReborn!



Joined: 08 Sep 2012
Posts: 4713
Location: Cheltenham UK
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:41 pm Reply with quote
I really enjoyed this series, expecting very little and came out amazed. I'm glad it kept itself grounded when you think about the route it could have taken. For me it was the perfect mix of Slice of Life and Shojo drama. I will definitely be picking this up when released
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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1291
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 2:34 pm Reply with quote
I loved One Week Friends. When I read about the anime, I went out to seek the manga and was hooked by the characters immediately. It doesn't hurt that I was on a bit of an amnesia story binge at the time, being a huge fan of Golden Time. (Strangely enough, prior to these two stories, I generally disliked the amnesia trope. Golden Time handles it more realistically, with a spot on depiction of a dissociative fugue. Both of the stories do a fantastic job of not relying on the amnesia for the majority of the story, though...)

I didn't have the problems others seem to have had with the two major crisis points in the story. The first spoiler[when Kaori and Hase have their first argument and, on the way home, Kaori, who is falling ill at the time, looses her notebook, misses the first day of the week with illness, and, not having read the notebook, has no idea who Hase is when he tries to apologize for his boorish behavior the week before] was an effective use of the amnesia trope to ramp up the tension, and the resolution of it, spoiler[which relied on Shougo pointing out the gaps in her memory where Hase resides and the missing notebook that Hase has gone out to look for,] was a brilliant move, in my opinion. It showcases how great of a guy Shougo is, while allowing him to be his normal, acerbic self.

The second one was inevitable. From the moment Kaori's wonderful mother told Hase about the origin of her daughter's condition, to the best of her knowledge, at least, it was clear that something like that would happen in the story. spoiler[The special friend that she was going to meet would have to show up at some point and upset the apple cart. It was inevitable...] The fact that the details turned out different from what I expected was a pleasant surprise. spoiler[I really expected the car accident when Kaori ran into the street without looking to have been caused by the "special friend" betraying her, not for it to be because the other girls ganged up on her because she was getting too friendly with the guy everyone in the class had a crush on.]

The biggest thing that keeps One Week Friends from being a masterpiece is the ending. I try not to downgrade manga adaptations for having wishy-washy, inconclusive, and underwhelming endings, because I know that it is an adaptation of a work in progress and it is truly better to have an ending that is true to the source material and leaves hope for a continuation than to have an anime only ending that doesn't have the same flavor as the original author's work. But it still makes you wish for more, does it not?

Hopefully I will be able to read the rest of the manga over the next year or so, as it is slated to end by next April.
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Morisummer500



Joined: 28 Jun 2014
Posts: 30
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 3:02 pm Reply with quote
This is a lot like the movie "Fifty First Dates" isn't it, except that the girl has her memory reset every week. Anyway, I saw the first 2 episodes and it was enjoyable, this anime isn't meant to be too silly or outrageous. I really don't know how to describe the appearance, ii is very soft and pastel looking as far as the artwork goes, so it sets a more subdued mood.
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wanderingwilbur



Joined: 16 Oct 2006
Posts: 20
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 4:18 pm Reply with quote
Another enjoyable review by Carl Kimlinger. I really enjoyed this series last season as It was a sweet escape type watch with nice artwork. The manga art is the same as the anime with beautiful water colouring.
Hazuki Macchas earlier work "Kimi to Kami Hikoki to" or "A Paper Plane. with You" Is a somewhat similar story also with nice artwork,and colouring in the manga as well. It's about a shy girl who mainly communicates with paper airplanes; which sounds kind of lame but surprisingly works. I hope this as well as One Week Friends will be released here in both manga and anime form in the near future Smile
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Ampharos



Joined: 21 Jan 2014
Posts: 195
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 5:14 pm Reply with quote
The review pretty much hit the nail on the head. (I am more forgiving of the dramatic contrivances for the reasons zensunni stated above.) It was really the perfect pick-me-up for my Sunday afternoons.

Oh, and yes, I love Saki. So much.
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Actar



Joined: 21 Nov 2010
Posts: 1074
Location: Singapore
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:21 pm Reply with quote
Even in the parts where they do nothing, it's really fun and relaxing to watch their interactions and conversations, like any other good SOL.

Because you enjoy the characters, any moment with them becomes a treat.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 7:39 pm Reply with quote
zensunni wrote:


The second one was inevitable. From the moment Kaori's wonderful mother told Hase about the origin of her daughter's condition, to the best of her knowledge, at least, it was clear that something like that would happen in the story. spoiler[The special friend that she was going to meet would have to show up at some point and upset the apple cart. It was inevitable...] The fact that the details turned out different from what I expected was a pleasant surprise. spoiler[I really expected the car accident when Kaori ran into the street without looking to have been caused by the "special friend" betraying her, not for it to be because the other girls ganged up on her because she was getting too friendly with the guy everyone in the class had a crush on.]


I thought it was necessary, not merely just inevitable. Without sudden addition of the ...

"The second is more extensive and relies on that hoary shojo device, the outside agitator who upsets the main couple's delicate balance."

Yeah, that precious balance was the moment Hase had with Kaori after he asked if they could be friends every single week {tickling his ego a bit but I was ok with it; He really didn't have any ulterior motives - at first, maybe even at all}. It's not the same as the typical shoujo romance in progress but it would clearly be the first step.

Which is admitting you have a problem. Wait, I mean realizing what sort of feelings you really have for the person. If Hase would ever have gotten to that point on his own. Even Saki got it {and Kaori too; This is a series where the girl wants to say "come on and get it already" without being able to do so for a legitimate reason} and she's Saki. There's the unsaid line between the distraught Hase and Kiryu near the end of the series where he's asking Kiryu what he should do and Kiryu can't tell him what Hase's feelings are.

"I want to help her" "I want to be with her as her friend." [Blank]
Was I the only one who filled in the blank?

Great series, loved the art, loved the two girls and Kiryu and didn't hate the lead, unlike a certain other slice of life romance during the season.

No, I think I really liked Hase, the guy who wanted to play hero in someone else's life but forgot what role he wanted in his own.
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Ali07



Joined: 01 Jun 2014
Posts: 3333
Location: Victoria, Australia
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 8:12 pm Reply with quote
Loved this series. All 4 members of the cast were great, but I must say that Saki became my favourite character. I especially liked her interactions with Shougo.

As for the major dramatic points in the show pointed out in the review, I'd have to agree with what zensunni said. The first one was a little contrived spoiler[due to the loss of Kaori's notebook], but what came from it made me like Shougo...as I was neither here nor there when it came to his character before it.

And, I also thought that the 2nd was inevitable.

As for the ending, I actually loved the ending to this series. Usually, the open endings some anime receive downgrade the whole series in my eyes. There are some that I can't accept. And, I feel like that goes for the majority of what I've watched.

While One Week Friends did end in a way leaving me wanting more, I enjoyed the spot where they got to enough by the end of things. I felt that anything more would seem rushed.

The open endings of One Week Friends and Kawai Complex are probably a couple of the better ones I've seen. They both fight for my favourite series of their season.

If someone were to release the One Week Friends manga in English, they'd have my money. I will be buying the anime series (though I may wait awhile to see if someone in Aus licenses it) and would love the opportunity to buy the manga.

Manga only has one volume left. Though, I have no idea why there will be a massive gap between volume 6 and volume 7. It looks like volume 6 has just been released, meaning the gap between 6 and 7 is close to 9 months. It'd be nice if a 2nd season was being made within that 9 month gap...Laughing
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gerbilx



Joined: 19 Jan 2009
Posts: 138
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:15 pm Reply with quote
Huh, I slowly lost interest because I disliked Hase's clinginess, but I suppose I should finish it!
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robertbaldie



Joined: 17 Mar 2014
Posts: 154
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 7:44 am Reply with quote
Great review. Couldn't agree more.
And Saki? Probably my favourite character in a long time. (Kiryu not far behind).
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crimso



Joined: 22 Jul 2014
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:37 am Reply with quote
I liked the show but was also somewhat disappointed. It lacked conflict and when it finally appeared in the face of the returned friend, it felt over the top. I'd like to see a second season though.
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toyNN



Joined: 18 Jun 2010
Posts: 252
Location: Seattle, WA
PostPosted: Sat Jul 26, 2014 12:29 pm Reply with quote
Great review and I definitely enjoyed the series. But some of the premise was a bit unconvincing for me. The "trama" that led up to all the happeningsspoiler[ seemed more like a right-of-passage that many suffer in one way or another during our youth.] But that is perhaps a minor nit-pick.

I did think the ending was fine - my takeawayspoiler[ was that she wasn't just going to be cured and perhaps needing to spend her lifetime dealing with it.]
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