To Sora Kajiwara, the world is full of wonderful and adorable things she wants to draw—cats being a popular object of her affection. Even though there are some things that can't be captured with a pencil and paper, she still brings her sketchbook wherever she goes. Her love of drawing eventually leads her to join her school's art club, despite her shy and childish personality.
Just like herself, all of Sora's fellow art club members have their own vivid imagination and personality to match. Through her interactions with the rest of the club, Sora begins to break out of her shell and see more of the world around her, taking every opportunity to sketch whatever is on her mind or in her heart.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
TheLlama
Every once in a while, you just need to relax, chill and wach something easy. That's when Sketchbook is perfect. It doesn't hve a lot of humor, and the story is, well, not a story. The animation quality isn't anything outstanding either. What catched me when I watched Sketchbook was how calm and quiet it was. And of course, the cats! If you like cats, that's a reason in itself to give Sketchbook a try. Story-wise, it just follows an episode-by-episode formula, with each new episode bringing abotu an event totally unrelated to what happened in earlier episodes. Each episode is very tranquil, and the pacingis very slow, but as I said earlier, it's perfect when you just need to relax, either because you've been very stressed or because you've watched some heavy anime earlier.
The artwork isn't especially detailed or vivid, but it's not directly bad either. I think the best description of it is "average".
Soundtrack-wise, Sketchbook is fairly good. I rarely notice the soundtrack, but when I do, it was some good piano pieces I heard. It fits right in with the calm mood of the series, so that's a plus. The first OP theme is very good though, and the same goes for the ED. I'll keep them for times I'll need something calming to listen to. The voice acting is great, too, and they manage to keep the calm tone of the series in their voice acting.
I loved the characters though, and they're very colorful. Since it's a slice of life anime, don't expect a lot of character development, but the varied and colorful cast may cover enough up for this since it's just a 13-episode series.
All in all, there's nothing spectacular about the series, but if you watch it at the right time (when you need some relaxation), you'll probably enjoy it anyway.
To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)
Skadi
When you first sit down to watch Sketchbook Full Colors you need to know what it is your getting in to. First if you are someone who needs action and a story driven series to keep you entertained, Sketchbook is not your kind of show. This is a very slow and methodical slice of life series that will have you feeling at ease and relaxed.. or asleep depending on the episode you’re viewing. Almost the first thing I am reminded of when viewing Sketchbook is Aria, and rightly so as they were both produced by the same studio. There are even several appearancesof Aria characters in the series. But even though Aria had the same sort of pacing as Sketchbook does, this series feels more disjointed and inconsistent. Some episodes are humorous and nostalgic feeling, the one that I probably felt the most emotional connection with was towards the end when Sora is home sick. I found it fascinating how some things, such as the boredom of lying in bed and the things one imagines or thinks about transcend culture and language. However this was not the case in many of the others. Slice of life tends to always walk the line between soothing and being boring. When we look at our own lives, how exciting really is most of the things that happen to you during the day?
The characters also hurt the series. They just aren't that interesting. In this genre the characters have to be strong to carry the lack of plot and action but I didn’t really find myself carrying all that much for any of them. Sora is the lead, she is a painfully shy girl who borders on complete anthropophobia. She can’t even so much as say her name to people she has just met and only finds any level of comfort with people she has known a while. She does make a breakthrough at the end of the series so in that sense that was good to see. The rest of her personality doesn’t make her all that much more interesting. That’s not to say she isn’t very sweet and moe, but really her only other character attributes is her love of cats and sketching and the blissful state she enters when drinking her favorite tea. The rest of the cast is pretty much just as socially awkward and strange. Many of them feel like they have some very deep seeded emotional issues. They grow on you a little by the end as only a cast of complete lunatics can. Most of the comedic moments revolve around the non human members of the cast, the group of cats that Sora is so fond of. As characters the cats are probably the most interesting the show has to offer.
From a voice acting and music standpoint, Sketchbook is truly brilliant. The music is outstanding, the songs are so beautiful and serene that I think I could have listened to them all day. The art is very inconsistent. Many of the backgrounds are really beautiful and the colors are vibrant, but when it comes to the characters themselves most of them look dull and boring. Individually characters like Sora sometimes look great but at others she doesn’t look good at all. Some of the character models are downright ugly. I do give the artists this though, these characters were probably the most realistic in terms of bodies than any series I have seen. No impossibly short miniskirts, fantastic busts, and waist lines a runway model would kill for.
Overall if you like the slice of life then this might be worth your time. Those of you didn’t like Aria you won’t like this one either. If you did, then this could be your cup of tea. For someone who has seen neither and wants to sample the genre, then I would recommend you check out Aria instead.
Andu
Ok, by now i've been thinking about what to write for about 30 minutes already. The same was when i was trying to write a review for Aria. I simply do not know what to say. Might as well explain the ratings ... 1 for story as it had no story. While Aria the Natural had a different story every episode, this one has none. It's easier to add those mini-stories to Aria because of it's sci-fi elements. Adding that to a bunch of students' everyday life is hard. 9 for art because i loved it. Again, similarities to Aria can be seen. 10 for sound. The ED songsare made by Makino Yui, the same voice actress who made the OP songs for Aria. Great, calming music. The OP songs of Sketchbook were so good that i decided not to skip the opening sequence (i usually do).
9 for character - THERE ARE TALKING CATS HERE !! Yes, that's right, talking cats.
Anyways, this one is rated so high because the variety of characters in the art club is rather wide. They are all unique (except Ryou and Fuu who seem like the same person :P). And of course the cats, can't forget the cats.
I won't be doing any in-depth character analysis, you will see more about them when you watch it.
10 for enjoyment since there is no other option here. I'm a solid fan of the slice of life genre, watching these series is truly relaxing, especially after a hard day at work.
9.5 Overall. I'm not counting the story part in here. Sketchbook is highly recommended to slice of life fans. It won't disappoint you :)
I hope this review turns out helpful to at least one person, that'd make my efforts worthwhile ..
LeaderTGW
I had picked this show up via Crunchyroll recently and I was not disappointed!! Story 8.0/10 You can understand the plot and story by reading the description, honestly it's fairly simple and oddly relaxing slice of life & comedy anime. What made the show interesting for me was the main character Sora's and other characters opinion and perspectives on life. I like that everyone in the show sees things differently and I felt that this was something that made the story unique. Because of the lack of interesting story, I was already anticipating slow paced story telling and plot. Honestly though that slow pacing really made theshow all the more enjoyable. This is because I got to understand the characters more. It was relaxing in a way and lastly I was able to get to know their back stories and why they each like what they are talented at. Overall I gave the story 8/10 simply because it's enjoyable if you have the right amount of patience to sit through it.
Character 8.0/10
Now, with the characters, I liked almost all of them. I do not have any complaints or anything that I would want to see change from them. I believe that each character played their role perfectly and help bring some sort of comfort and enjoyment to the story. Sora of course is my favorite of the bunch. This is mainly due to the fact that she is a bit of an airhead, very spacey, and as mentioned earlier she has a very unique perspective of life both in and out of school. I also mentioned earlier that the characters have their own unique personalities which makes for an interesting cast. Overall I was very impressed with the characters and wouldn't want to see anything changed.
Animation 7.0/10
Nothing too special with animation. Sketchbook is presented with generic late 2000 animation, decent considering it's time of release however, I personally felt like it had a more early 2000's look to it perhaps 2001-2002-ish visuals. Either way, it was still pleasant to watch and appealing enough for me to enjoy. Character designs were also pretty good. Some of the characters were a bit odd... but I managed to pull through.
Soundtrack 8.0/10
As mentioned in lots of my other reviews I am a sucker for pianos. As a keyboard/pianist it's sort of self explanatory. The music in the show has a great relaxing feeling to it. The piano songs in the background help enhance not only the mood of me (the watcher) but also it helps reflect what the characters are doing as well as the mood. Voice acting was pretty good too. Lots of the voice actors did an amazing job with their roles. The opening song is my favorite thing about the soundtrack though. It's very peaceful and relaxing. It's sort of like the embodiment of the show. It really represents what to expect from the story and characters. I actually don't have too much to add on the subject of the soundtrack.... anyway I'd have to give it 8.0/10
Enjoyment 9.0/10
Overall, I loved Sketchbook. I felt like it fit my needs. Everything I was looking forward to seeing came true. It was a relaxing, very sweet and a heartwarming show to watch. I do believe that it was well worth my time checking out.
Slacks
It is simple enough to gather a pile of archetypal characters, drop them into a static setting, weave them into an episodic and ultimately insignificant plot, and then cover up these boredom-inducing elements by labeling the show as "relaxing" or "healing." Creating a truly successful slice of life series is much more difficult. The show must retain the hallmarks of the genre (subtlety and atmosphere, among others) while still telling an interesting story. There is a thin line between a smart but subdued series and an absolute snorefest. With its quirky sense of humor, fun plot, and loveable cast of characters, Sketchbook ~full color'S~ isa fine example of an anime series that is clearly on the better side of this line, managing to avoid common pitfalls and excelling in entertainment.
Narrated by Sora, a bashful high school student, Sketchbook focuses upon the daily adventures of her and the art club that she belongs to. Sora's shy nature nudges her out of the spotlight and places her in the role of an observer, allowing us to see the world through her eyes. This world is one full of smiling friends, suspiciously-intelligent street cats, and fascinating subject matter worthy of being immortalized in pencil lead. Sora's perspective manages to make any situation worthwhile; while there are occasional lulls in the story, Sketchbook is largely devoid of dull moments.
Sketchbook is enjoyable not only for Sora's refreshing outlook on life, but also for the contributions that the show's sizeable supporting cast makes to every episode. Each character has something to add to the story, whether it is in the form of the ambitious plots of Ms. Kasugano, the chicken-obsessed teacher of the art club, the gross misunderstandings of Japanese language and culture by Kate, a Canadian exchange student, or the downright bizarre sense of humor of Ryou and Fuu, two older students who rarely even attend the club meetings. Each one of Sora's friends has a well-defined personality. Nobody is simply placed into this series to take up space.
Sketchbook is almost flawlessly executed. The plot, the characters, and the pacing of the series are all presented in an easy to swallow thirteen episodes that remain fresh throughout their run. There is nothing spectacular or life-changing about Sketchbook, but it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, earning it a very strong "7" rating.
Splitter
A popular sub-genre of anime right now is moe slice-of-life. All over we're seeing a boom of series about cute girls who really do nothing at all, but a relaxed atmosphere and endearing characters make the show enjoyable. The problem is, when one tries too hard for a relaxed atmosphere, one can often end up being boring. Likewise, when one tries too hard to make endearing characters, they just end up being stupid. Sketchbook did both. In a multitude of anime set in school settings without any visible plot, Sketchbook simply does not do enough to differentiate itself from the mixture. Activities that consist of "plot"are too dull to constitute a call to attention. Apparent the art club supervisor (vicariously through the staff) is too cheap to take these kids anywhere, so the boring lifeless school is constantly the backdrop. What could be exciting sketching excursions are dulled thanks to this never-ending scenery. This is further backed up when we get snippets in which the various cats that appear throughout the series have their own stories. As they wander about town and interact, it is far more exciting than watching the actual main characters.
This is mostly because the cats at least have some passion for life. Main character Sora might as well be a stick in the background. Though there are attempts to give her personality some needed quirkiness, none of these efforts do anything to make her more interesting. Moreso, she is pracitcally mute for the duration of the series, communicating with people she knows entirely through her sketchbook. This is cute for about one episode, maybe two, and then you realize this is who you're going to follow around for 10 more episodes. Her friends don't help much either. One has a personality relegated to talking through and with puppets, and the other is just as bland as Sora. A multitiude of other supporting characters, including the criminally underused Kate, show up on occasion but none are ever developed so really everyone in this show is ultimately a waste of any possible potential.
The animation likewise does not fit the serene idea this series is trying to convey. It is simply too angular and broad to give an idea of tranquility. In addition, character designs are often too cartoonish to be taken seriously. We're talking characters who look like they're in a permanent SD reaction. It's not only distracting but also annoying.
Though a lot of talented seiyuu worked on this, it really feels like a waste of their efforts. No one shines or does anything remotely of interest with the rare and thankful exception of Kate, as performed by Yuko Goto, who is pitch-perfect in a delivery that sounds identical to an actual North American person trying to speak Japanese properly. The OST is nothing to scream about either. Ocean sounds are more interesting than the dull and lifeless BGM. Yui Makino did provide a decent ED song though.
In summary, a slice-of-life show cannot support itself without interesting characters or an interesting setting. If you don't have one, the other, or both, you are left with a show about nothing that has no reason to be. Sketchbook is such a show. Personally, I greatly enjoy the subgenre so I could stand it, but I cannot forgive it. Though it is somewhat saved by the cats and Kate, there's far better of it out there than this. Pass if you can.
Overall, Sketchbook gets a 5/10.
Woutan
I've finished watching this yesterday. What can I say? It's awesome. The cast breaks the typical slice-of-life formula of picking 10-15 archetypical characters (moé, tsundere, tsubokki, et c.) and throwing them together. While each character has a little detail on his/her personality that makes him/her unique, Sketchbook ~full color'S~ has only one character whose personality falls into an archetypal category. While there is little, if any, of a plot, Sora's thoughts, which give sort of a "base" for the way in which the events are portrayed in the show, are full of poetry and common wisdom, and the show is very slow-paced and tranquil. That's why, despiteof not having a major plot, I gave an 8 to the show stories.
The music (25 songs for a show that's only 13 eps. long... wow!) is charming, specially the songs Sketchbook wo Motta Mama (the ED) and Chiisana Shiawase (a song played in ep 10, with European reminiscences). They fit very well with the gorgeous landscapes which depict so masterfully the wonderful world in which the girls live in, that I consider them to be a masterpiece by themselves.
Even though it has no major plot, the show is so enjoyable I'd kill for seeing a sequel to this. 9.5/10.
nozomiEX
Ignore the number for a sec; Sketchbook: Full Color's is just barely entertaining enough to get a shaky, half-hearted recommendation. A fusion of iyashikei and slice of life comedy, the two parts never fully blend and the latter will be carrying the slack for the former. When it's just the colorful cast getting up to their antics, it's pretty alright. The characters are endearing and there's just enough variety between them to be refreshing and prevent anyone from getting annoying. It's not gonna have you busting a gut but it's enough to have you grinning every so often. However, theother half of the show is where it might start losing you. When it switches to Sora's shallow contemplation, it dips a little too far into the iyashikei and becomes tedious. It is just far too insubstantial, without the ambiance that other more tolerable iyashikei have to at least make the time pass. I also found the cat segments to be quite annoying, too, partly because of the obnoxious voices they have, partly because of the fatuous scenarios themselves, and partly because of just how long these segments take. Unlike the human characters, where the brevity of any given segment typically breaks up the monotony, the cat bits drag far too long. Less fuzzy fun, more hairball in your throat.
Overall, even though I think there are plenty of times where you'll be looking at the timecode, itching to fast forward, or start staring at the wall or trimming your nails, or otherwise falling out of it, the art class and their shenanigans are just engaging enough to make this worth checking out, but you are forgiven if it's just not enough for you. If you don't find yourself caring enough to stick it out for the humans, you won't be missing anything if you decide to drop it.
chaosof99
When I got first into anime, beyond shows that I simply watched because they were on TV with or without the knowledge that they had been imported from Japan, I was of course first wowed by the spectacle of movies like Akira or the coolness of a show like Cowboy Bebop. However, one day I stumbled over a show that was so completely different from everything else I had ever seen that I could not help but be fascinated by it. That show was Sketchbook ~full colors~ and it belongs to what is known as the Iyashikei genre. The goal of all art is to emotionallyconnect with the audience. This is reflected in the names of genres like “romance”, “thriller” or “horror”. For action shows the feeling that is meant to be conveyed is the excitement of a fight and the triumph in it. For Iyashikei it is the direct opposite, it is meant to be the least exciting, but that doesn’t mean “boring”. Instead, Iyashikei is meant to convey feelings of comfort and relaxation. And as its name (meaning “healing type” in japanese) suggests, it is something you can watch to reduce the stress from your job or other sources. You could almost fault Japanese society for having to bring something like this forth, but I find the absence of titles trying to enable similar emotions in other countries even more remarkable. The biggest comparison I could find are things like nature documentaries or The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, but neither are narrative stories.
Iyashikei shows aren’t completely devoid of conflict, but the problems that arise are usually minor and relatively quickly resolved. In Sketchbook for example we follow Sora Kajiwara, a first grader that joins the art club at her school where the biggest issue is that one of her upperclassmen perhaps shouts a bit too much, and cats don’t lie still long enough for her to draw their toes.
With a light jazz soundtrack and beautiful watercolor backgrounds depicting Fukuoka’s countryside, the show is just endlessly relaxing, while at the same time able to retain the attention of the viewer through small comedic moments enabled by a surprisingly vast roster of more than twenty recurring named characters, far outnumbering most other shows of its type. Primary focus is on Sora and her closer circle of friends, but interactions with other characters often occur and are interesting for their own sake and without it being overwhelming. It also includes a group of alley cats that get their own episodes to highlight how their group deals with things such as a new cat arriving in the neighborhood, with them given voices through the magic of film.
In particular I want to highlight the fourth episode. Here the art club had planned to go on a nature walk with opportunities to draw, but most members skip out on it due to a bad weather forecast. Sora ends up alone with Nagisa, a tomboyish girl who likes insects, and shows Sora and the viewer small details like butterflies hiding under tree leafs to avoid the rain. Though the episode is mostly drenched in dull grays due to the weather, it is nevertheless enjoyable throughout.
I would classify Sketchbook as a particularly pure example of the Iyashikei genre, as even the comedy bits that are sprinkled in are very light and don’t disrupt the overall tone, whereas many other series that have also received the Iyashikei label are much more high strung, just with a rural and/or low-stakes environment. Sketchbook on the other hand has one single goal it fulfills to the best of its ability: Radiate tranquility.
Sketchbook is unfortunately nowadays largely forgotten, with less than 30,000 people having seen it on MAL. Perhaps it was a bit overshadowed by the similarly titled Hidamari Sketch which was released about nine months earlier and with which it also shares elements such as the main characters being art students and both series based on yon-koma manga. Sketchbook unfortunately did not have the benefit of sequels or a studio with a cult following. I also love Hidamari Sketch, but I would classify it more as a straight up comedy and it just doesn’t quite scratch the same itch. And even then, the viewership numbers of Hidamari are still only about 10% of what a popular show racks up nowadays.
If Sketchbook has one remarkable thing going for it, it’s being one of Seiyuu superstar Kana Hanazawa’s first main character roles, giving voice to Sora’s delightful idiosyncrasies. Sora is perhaps an oddball and it is rare to see “the quiet one” being the main character of a show, but she is also very entertainingly portrayed through her inner monologue and HanaKana is of course excellent in her role. The show also features great voice acting talent beyond her in supporting roles.
Though Sketchbook admittedly does not boast many outwardly appealing qualities that lend themselves to draw in a large audience, it has been something I have repeatedly returned to. It is my personal comfort, and something I am always willing to watch in order to take my mind off work. I would particularly recommend it if you have enjoyed shows like Yuru Camp or Super Cub. Even if I was not able to convince you to give the show a chance, I certainly hope that you will find a show that gives you as much comfort as Sketchbook was able to give me throughout these years.
Krayt
Welcome to my review of Sketchbook ~full color's~. This is my first review, so please, don't be too harsh on me. So, what do we have here? Sketchbook ~full color's~ is a typical slice-of-life show. Nothing more, nothing less. If you are a fan of this genre then you can skip the following text and just watch it. If you are not so sure about whether or whether not watching this, go ahead. Story - 5/10 Yep, many people will think: Wow, 5 points is not that great, right? I think 5 points are very appropriate because, well, the story is almost non-existent. The main protagonist is KajiwaraSora, a rather shy student, who is a member of her school's artclub and has an affection for cats. We follow her through her every-day 'adventures', like going shopping, having a cold or stuff like that. That's about it. Tihe view sometimes changes from Sora to one of her friends or to the cats (yes, the cats) but neither of them helps developing a clear storyline. Even if it's common for slice-of-life shows not to have a real story, it's still a minus-point.
Character - 9/10
Let's commence from the shows weakest point to its biggest strength: The character design. It's simply awesome. Each of the characters has their own strange and funny traits, which make them unique. There is Hazuki, who is crazy for every big deal at the local convenience store, Aso, who uses her hand-puppets to speak or Kasugano, the crazy teacher of the art-club who has a thing for chicken. There are some Archetypes, though. The reliable president of the art-club or the outspacing senpai made me feel like I have seen them somewhere before. Same goes for Kate, the foreign transfer-student, although it doesn't make her less funny. She is great and her trying to use Kanji in almost every situation possible ended up in some of the funniest gags in this show.
Last but not least, there are the cats. The cats can speak (among themselves of course) and their conversations are the highlights of the show.
There is also some nice character development (especially for Sora, who changes throughout the series), but the other characters feel a bit left out.
Overall, 9 of 10 points. The character design is one of the main reasons to watch this show.
Art - 8/10
The art of Sketchbook was really nice. Since most of the show is somehow related to the art-club there were lots of situations, where you can see the sketches or pictures the characters are drawing or you witness together with Sora some beautiful animated things like the blooming of the cherry blossoms, a firework or a sunny autumn afternoon. Those nature impressions are the strong points of this shows style. The animation is on a constant level throughout the course of the series, the quality isn't dropping anywhere.
The animation quality isn't outstanding but it's solid and it fits the show pretty well. The characters look nice and that's about all. Nothing more, nothing less. Sketchbook ~full color'S~ isn't the most beautiful show out there but the combination of the art-club theme and the steady animation quality makes me give this show 8 out of 10 points
Sound - 7/10
Like the whole show, the soundtrack is rather slow paced. The Opening and Ending are sung by Kyoura Natsumi (OP) and Makino Yui (ED) accompanied by a acoustic guitar. The songs are very fitting. There is a different opening in one of the later episodes, as well as a different ending.
The BGM is nothing special, just some piano-chords here, some acoustic guitar there, nothing outstanding after all. A calm soundtrack, just like the rest of the series.
Apart from the music, the chosen Seiyuu were great. Every character had a voice matching it's character traits. Personally, I liked Hanazawa Kana (as Sora) and Goto Yuko best. Goto isn't one of my favorite Seiyuu (I've found her annoying as Hikari in Special A) but she is awesome as Kate with her overpronounced Japanese. Hanazawa Kana has a very unique voice and everytime I heard her voice somewhere, I was reminded of Sora.
Enjoyment - 7/10
The series was fun after all. I've often found myself watching it after coming home from a long work-day. You won't be enjoying it, if you looking for something with lots of action in it. Sketchbook is very, very slow-paced. Sometimes a bit too slow-paced in my opinion. There were some parts, where I had to try hard not to fall asleep but most of the time the series was interesting enough to keep me from closing my eyes. If you are looking for a relaxing show, Sketchbook will be your choice.
Overall - 7/10
The show wasn't bad but it wasn't outstanding either. Sketchbook ~full color'S~ is a nice, slow-paced slice-of-life show with nice animation, awesome characters almost everyone can relate to and a good soundtrack. You are searching for a complex story? Skip this anime. You are looking for some crazy action? Skip this anime. You want to watch likeable characters living their own little lives? Watch Sketchbook right now!
Kid_at_Hart
This is has to be the most relaxing show in the world. One of the few shows where can just sit back and watch it and not care about anything else around you. If you're sad it makes you happy. If you're mad it calms you down. Absolute nirvana. The reason it's a nine is because to be a 10 you have to bring something besides peace to the table. There really is no story and I don't this grade should even be here. This was made to have fun watching and you will. The art style is cute and bright fitting it perfectly. The way theireye's would turn into arcs and their heads droop down when they're tired is great.
The OP sets the mood like Barry White. From the first second you hear it you just take a big sigh of relief and lay back like its reflex. And the ED is the same. But, I must give huge props to the VA of Kate because her english was smooth and crisp (unlike most english speaking characters) and it was just so great to hear.
All the characters were cute from Sora and here shyness to Kate and how she constantly messed up the japanese language and culture to Aso and her puppets. Not to mention the cat's and their cat japanese. They get eights because they never did anything exciting, but they were fun to watch.
If you're into more action-type anime then stay away, but if you aren't picky about genres then this a must watch.
Philly1330
These relaxing and slow-paced slice-of-life animes are difficult to write about. It's like trying to write a review of the sunset over the ocean or the wind through the trees. They make you feel great just by being there, but 'being there' is all they do. And that's Sketchbook. It is the leaves changing colors in autumn, the snow falling, new growth in spring and a warm sun in the summer. Watching it fills you with a sense of calm and innocence that brings you back to your childhood (assuming you've left it). It presents the sort of soft, gentle, dream-like atmosphere that will make you feellike you're on a bed full of pillows and kittens, even if you're watching it on a wicker chair. The music is made up of soft guitar riffs and sentimental piano pieces and is a great compliment to the innocence of the anime.
Atmosphere.
But what would an atmosphere be without a great cast of characters? This is where Sketchbook becomes a masterpiece. The lead, Sora, will turn your heart to mush with her free-spirited innocence and adorable facial expressions. Even though she is lost in her own world and shy, she ends up joining an art club and gradually opening up. The art club is full of completely crazy (in an innocent way) students that, like Sora, have their own little loveable quirks. I especially liked Kuga-senpai and her curtain, and those two delightfully creepy girls that have their own theme song.
The cats in the neighborhood are just plain awesome, and when I learned that kitty introductions include their charm points I actually said "kawaii~" out loud.
There are many supporting characters, none of which feel like side characters at all. The majority get their own episode and they are all well-developed. To top it all off, the voice acting (Japanese) is top-notch. This all makes for quite a high replay value. I can't tell you how many times i've watched the first episode over and over again just to see those two girls' nursery rhyme about catgrass!
I'll admit that i'm a bit biased. This anime matches my tastes perfectly and pulls all my strings. I'd imagine some might find the slow pacing hard to deal with and view it as a sleep inducer. If you watch anime for fights and explosions, this isn't the anime for you!
If that wasn't enough, this anime has zero fanservice or ecchi! It is completely innocent.
Although I feel like this anime's appeal is highly subjective, I give it a rare 10. Could it be any better? It doesn't have to be. Sketchbook is just what it is: a slice of life. You wouldn't ask a sunset to be better, would you?
cecropiamoth
This series is great in a unique way. It's about a shy and quiet girl who likes to draw, and so joins her high school art club, and finds a bunch of friends as a result. That's the whole story. On the surface, that is—but there's a lot more to it really. The true story of this manga is of the feelings that come and go, Sora's and the other characters', as they go through the most sensitive period of their lives. In other words, this is a slice of life manga of the most sweet and delicate kind. Only manga, and no other form ofcartooning I've discovered, seems capable of such gentleness of touch, and every time I find one of these loving little stories I get happy.
Wysteria_
Sketchbook: Full Color's, an anime worth your time when you're just looking for something calm, slightly humouristic and a lighthearted anime. An anime about nothing specific, just your normal slice of life anime with every episode telling you a new story. It focuses a lot on the natural aesthetics of nature, and also something that I found fairly interesting, and that is the slight hints of austism found in the main character, Sora Kajiwara. Let's start with the basics. As mentioned before, every episode provides you with a brand new story to tell you about a new day. With that being said, as a slice oflife anime it comes with little to no progression in the story as the episodes rarely depends on each other for new storytelling. You don't expect the characters to develop too much and you don't expect any unpredicted things to happen.
Here's the thing with this series: It's not predictable at all. And here's the other thing: There IS some character development.
This review is going to be spoiler free, so I won't talk about exactly HOW the characters develop in such a short slice of life anime, but it isn't really noticable until the last few episodes. Especially the last one. The first few episodes were relatively slow for me and I really had to strain myself to find relevant keypoints in the series and note them down. Then, around episode 4, this series really started to really catch my full attention. For what purpose? It's something that I mentioned before that I could probably dedicate an entire essay to, but I will keep it fairly short. That is the hints and play och autism found in Sora. How?
The name of the anime makes is relatively obvious that it is mainly centered around the element of art and drawing. Sora Kajiwara carries a sketchbook around with her in every episode, making it a very meaningful keypoint worth noting in the series as it appears more than twice. In episode 4, a firework festival (Hanabi) is taking place and while the main character and her friends stop to watch the fireworks, you'll notice that she takes out her sketchbook to draw. She plans to draw the fireworks. But fireworks are temporary and only lasts for a few seconds at most. We see the building distress in the main character as she isn't able to memorize any of the fireworks to sketch.
This is a very common trait among those with light to severe autism. They have an interest that is like a burning passion, and become distressed and anxious when it doesn't work out. We see a similar situation, although not as strong, in episode 1 where the main character is drawing a portrait of a cat laying in front of her. She doesn't show the same amount of distress when it's not working out as with the fireworks, but it's still present.
Another thing I found very interesting on a positive note was the very realistic portrayal of social anxiety. The animation of the expressions may fool the concept of it being realisticly portrayed, but this is coming from someone who actually suffers from social anxiety and the expressions in the series is actually a very good visual of how one may feel in certain situations. The main character is intended to show traits of being extremly shy, but I personally feel that she express so much more than just plain shyness. She shows clear signs of not being able to talk to a stranger at all. She shows how one may feel in certain situations (for example, how many of you wants to dive down in a hole when a store clerk decides to make your shopping a little more uncomfortable?).
Let's go over the art. The art is average in my personal opinion, but still so very fitting to the story, not to talk about the whole genre itself. It's nothing too special, but it doesn't have to be. The freshness of the colours give the perfect vibe that describes the series itself. The design of the characters are so very fitting for the story and sometimes can even be seen as very cute.
The opening is by far one of the best keypoints in the anime. The song is nothing special by itself, but combine it with the elements of the series and you'll get a combined masterpiece. It gives out the perfect vibe for what to expect. But for the soundtrack by itself that is played out through the series? Nothing special. Many of the scores were replayed too many times in one episode and it was something that bored me. If you're a fan of simplified piano octaves being replayed then you might think of the music differently, though.
So overall:
Story - 6
Art - 6
Sound - 5
Character - 7
Enjoyment - 7
In conclusion, it was definitely not a waste of time.
Kaiters
Welcome to the Kaiters Anime Review of Sketchbook: Full Colors´s! A Chill and heart warming anime that shares lot of atmosphere with Hal´s earlier work on Aria: The Animation and its sequels, Both in terms of its music use and general tone. The Art Club is actually not used as a backdrop but an active part of the anime´s story. Prepare for a lot of talking about art and sketching. I feel that many of the usual tropes didn't get used, and it felt a bit refreshing. Something I adored was the MC´s (Kajiwara, Sora) Development, and that a lot of the time she has aninternal monologue for us. Probably the strongest point of the writing and sound design. The other characters succeed in being funny and not too tropey. But one character seems to have been left out till the last episode though and was just there for a scene, maybe this was intended to have a sequel or to hook you into reading the 4-koma.
The sound is saved by this and good music choices. BUT several times in the anime the recording environment must have been off, and the VA´s sound like they are talking into cans. this should not put you off, but is a saddening mistake as its mostly fine otherwise.
The art, for an anime released 2007, is pretty good and it gets you in the cute laid-back mood of the anime, but it doesn't do anything special that the "moeblob" style hasn't done before. Its definitely cute and made me "kyaa" every once in a while.
A heart warming story with some good laughs 9/10, Good anime to calm down with after some heavier anime.
The Kaiters Seal
Sketchbook: Full Color´s Gets the Kaiters seal of: Heals the soul, Warms the heart
spock1013
Sketchbook was a show that kind of caught me off guard. I've never been one for quiet little slice of life shows; typically I find them to be rather dull and a waste of time. This show, however, I thoroughly enjoyed watching. The characters are sweet and believable in a way. They're all very cohesive and just fit together in a real genuine way. While there isn't much going on plot wise, the simplicity of the show is what really gives it special charm. I really liked the artwork as well. The way the characters art pieces are shown is beautiful and their personalities reallyshow in their work. Sketchbook is a really relaxing show with a peaceful nature. From character quirks to the moments with the cats this show never fails to bring a smile to my face. It may not be thrilling or mind blowing, but all in all it's a great show that anyone could enjoy.
mc3929
This was quite the random anime that I picked up and I do not regret it! This is a show that is slow paced and with a very light plot that is executed in a very relaxing and simple manner. In the end, it does live up to its Slice of Life/Comedy genre, as the quirky, yet charming characters make the show interesting, despite not having a lot going on. I personally found the characters almost, if not, all of the characters to be likable, which is something that I find to be rare in any story/show/etc. For example, despite Sora being quite the airheador Kate being loud and expressive, the show makes them still likable with their quirks.
For the animation, it's honestly nothing special for the year it was made in. Personally, I found that it gave an older vibe with its animation, perhaps a style in the early 2000s. There's not much more you can really comment on based on its animation.
If you have the patience to watch a show like "Aria The Animation", then you'll like this, or if you are looking for a show to wind down and relax to.
LemonXShiggy
It is a relaxing show. I watched it during the first lockdown in 2020 when there was nothing to do and I enjoyed it for what it was, a cute slice of life anime that is meant to bring the mood up. It does the job and I find the art amazing for the time! I would only recommend this show for huge slice of life fans though, anyone not into the genre will have a hard time sitting through this show. One thing I find important to point out is the lack of interesting characters, they are all quite bland for the genrebut like the story, do the job and provide a good way to move the story along.
