Takuma Hirose is a blind young male high school student, though the cause for his blindness is undetermined. In order to heal his medical condition, he is sent to live in a village with his uncle. There, he meets several girls, three of which stand out more than any of the others. They are Hayami Kohinata, Hinata Kangura, and Otoha. Otoha temporarily heals his blindness and Hirose uses his sight to help others. He finds out that, for some reason, Hayami Kohinata is hated in the village, and he tries his best to help her out. Meanwhile, many sad secrets unfold in the village...
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Comentários
TheLlama
H2O is about a boy, Hirose Takuma, who arrives in a village. He's blind, but a spirit called Otoha somehow heals his illness. Now, he befriends the people (mostly girls) there, and many dramatic events unfold. The story in itself was really nice. It's sad, yet happy, and it's dramatic. It gives me a feeling of happiness when watching, but also a sad feeling. And whilst it was really good, it was way too sudden at times though. And the jump-the-shark episode (episode 8) kind of ruined things, but I'm glad that it returned to normal after that episode. Anyway, this story was great IMO. Oh,and the last episode just couldn't settle on an end, which was irritating. I mean, first, I was somewhat at comfort with the first "ending". But not at all, suddenly something else happens, and the end has different outlook. I got used to that too, though. Then, at the last second, yet another thing happens. In the end, I wasn't sure whether I should cry of disappointment or happiness. In retrospect, I think I can say for certain that I liked the end though.
All in all, the story had its flaws and sudden moments, and one dreadful episode. The last episode couldn't settle on an end until the very last second. Despite these bad things, it was really enjoyable.
The animation wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't completely average either. Therefore, I am not sure what I can say about it either. I guess you will have to watch for yourselves, really.
Officially, I'm in love with this anime's soundtrack. Both the OP and ED themes were fantastic songs, and there were some really nice, enjoyable and moody piano pieces in this anime as well. I'm a big fan of piano music in anime shows, so that's a definite plus. Basically, I'm sure that anyone who enjoys piano music will enjoy the soundtrack as well.
The characters in this anime were pretty good. I mean, this anime has some very interesting characters. One of them is the very annoying, self-glorificating Yui. You also have the rather, um... feminine, cross-dressing boy Hamaji. And then you do, of course, have the grumpy, old village elder. I mean, how come village elders are always rude jerks with no sense of compassion for others? It's kind of weird. But then again, this kind of series need a character like that.
Of course, you have the main character, a boy who changes everything upon coming to the village. There was something about his character which I found interesting, but also bits and parts which were annoying. I guess he was just too kind, really. But then, if he was not, there wouldn't have been a story, so I was kind of okay with it.
All in all, I somewhat liked this anime, even though it had it's flaws and some bad moments *cough*Episode 8*cough*.
To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)
Master10K
H2O: Footprints in the Sand is a Psychological, Supernatural, Romance anime about a blind junior-high boy (Takuma) who moves to a quite rural town. He is given the given the gift of sight in order for him to help the people who need it the most. The story to H2O is very simple and easy to follow however it tends to randomly add developments, just to complicate matters. After the first couple episodes you will begin to wonder when all the unexplained stuff will be explained but there’s no real urgency with this series. There seems to be a number of underlining plots in the storysuch as: the family name and honour, bullying, spirits, etc. The problem with this is that the story doesn’t have any real focus and just brings up stuff for its own convenience, rather than focusing on the actual romance. Just like how Otoha randomly appears. But I guess it helps the series to be this way, so that each episode is able to focus on a different story, yet still managing to link with the next one.
The main aspect that let this anime down is the characters, seeing how hard it is not to hate some of them. It’s not really the character’s personalities but their actions and interaction that make some of them incredibly annoying to watch. The protagonist seemed interesting at first but after the first episode he lost his first unique aspect and became somewhat dull to watch. The only redeeming factor is that all the main characters get their own moment of development, in their own episode.
The animation quality is pretty decent with a vibrate colour palette and somewhat fluid movements however the character designs and their enlarged heads do ruin things a bit. Also the excessive use of CG for spinning objects is a bit noticeable. The music was great, with one memorable melody played throughout but it didn’t always feel like a part of the show. The constant high-pitch yelling of certain annoying girls didn’t help things, in the sound department either.
Overall H2O ended up being just another typical “visual novel” – to – “anime adaptation”, with plenty of potential but this was squandered after the major issue surrounding one of the main girls was resolved. For a short anime series, story didn’t really feel like it knew what direction it was heading in and a particular episode helped prove this point (eps. 8). In the end, with such mediocre characters and lack of focus and romance; just makes it easier to find a similar show to enjoy more but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy this series.
game8910
H2O has been a really interesting anime to watch, it certainly is a show that you're either going to love, or hate. Story: The story of this show is really a story that you will either enjoy from the beginning till the end, or start to question what the hell is going on and end up confused. IMO I enjoyed the story from beginning to end, they did have 2 certain episodes which I felt were not really necessary to have (ep 4, ep 8). I will say, I love animes that always gives me shocking moments that make me go OMGWTFWASTHATNOWAI! and H2O certainly giveme plenty of those, this show will throw you plot twists or curve balls out of nowhere that will just smack you in the face while you are the least prepared. Some people hated that about the show but I found it really cool. One issue in this anime however is that there are times where a major event gets barely any explanation or it gets a lack of emphasis. Overall if you can overlook some of the plot holes the story gives you will end up enjoying this story.
Art: The art in H2O was nothing spectacular but it was by no means terrible, there were times where there was serious drop in quality but also times where everything looked gorgeous. But for the most part it kept a steady, fluent and nice animation quality that I enjoyed.
Sound: Hmmm nothing really stands out from their soundtrack (although there are some serious piano DUUUUNNNNN moments which makes me lol) but it was not a bad one, I rather enjoyed the ED song a lot.
Character: Ok wow, H2O is an anime that really knows how to make you hate others, you have the main girl Hayami being threated so badly and so inhumanely that you cannot help but just get pissed to all the ones doing harm to her. But in the center of this pot of hate the Grandfather of the Kagura family is probably the most hated anime character I have ever seen (move aside Makoto) by the end of this series you will wanna kill him with all your might. As for the other main characters, Hirose is your typical boy that gets into a chain of events and believes that doing the right thing blah blah blah...Kagura on the other hand I found had quite an interesting story to her and you could not help but feel sympathy for her at times. And for those who havent seen the show yet...I have 1 name that will make your skin crawl....Hamaji, that is all.
Enjoyment: I really enjoyed H2O, the last episodes leading to the final one were nothing short of intensity and heavy plot development. I will say that you better watch out for the last episode for you will WTF to the end of time.
Overall I think H2O is a good watch if you are looking for a romance/drama show that will make you spit your coffee while your drinking it because of what you've just seen, then this show is for you. H2O rocked my soul.
natsuocosplay
This is a very cute story that I think all girls should watch. I don't much recommend it for boys, unless they are in touch with their feminine side :) STORY: He magically becomes not blind? That sorta confused me a little, but I guess it was supposed to be like magic and stuff. This story is not totally like a lot of other anime stories, because it actually teaches something. I was a story that had morals and values. It shows that judging people is wrong. They seem to tie religion into the story a little. The story about the man walking with God iswhere the show got it's name, Footprints in the Sand. The explanations about some of the story and the character's lives took too long for them to explain. For awhile I was confused why everyone hated Hayami. It took them too long to explain it. But it’s things like that that kept me watching it so intently. Hotaru’s past is SAD!!! The story that she wrote as a little kid in her sketchbook is so cool because it ties into the story. It pretty much IS the story. Episodes 7 and 9 were by far my favorites. EPISODE 8 WAS SOOOO RANDOM AND CONFUSING! But then it got explained and everything was okay. Episode 11… was very demented in a way. The twist at the end was… PERFECT. I actually got shivers watching it. It was one of the best endings EVER! Gosh I want to spoil the story so badly.
ART: Best landscape paintings ever. The drawings are good. In some episodes they seem better than in others. I don't know why that is. But overall I really enjoyed the drawings. In the last episode when they are all grown up I don't think they made some of the girls look old enough. I think they were supposed to be in their mid 20s and they still looked like teenagers. Maybe that's me being a little too picky. The softness of the coloring of the drawings are so beautiful!
SOUND: Nice OP theme. They play the same background music all the time… but it’s pretty good I guess. Not the biggest fan of the ED but it’s cute I guess. There are some parts where the music they play is very Irish sounding. I really did enjoy those moments! They did a lot of good sound effects where they were needed :) Not gonna say much more without spoiling some things.
CHARACTER: One thing I MUST say about this anime is that they have great character development. I didn’t like a few characters at first but grew to like them. Hotaru was the one character I really hated at first. But after explanations, she became one of my favorites! The characters all had friendships and pasts. Friendship that goes beyond all limits was a common theme in this anime. Hotaru and Hayami have the best friendship ever by the end. It’s so sad and inspiring! Otaha made me laugh ;) I love when she just randomly pops up out of nowhere all the time. Hirose’s uncle is sooooo weird. He makes me laugh in every single scene. Hirose is a good main character. He did get a tad annoying in a few episodes. But he is so hot grown up! Hayami's past and the way people treated her and she still stayed so strong was very inspirational!
ENJOYMENT: Lots of boob jokes. Lots of funny scenes. But there are even more sad scenes. I cried... in at least 4 episodes. Out of 12... that's a good amount. I'm gonna miss watching it and sitting at the edge of my seat wondering what was gonna happen next!!!
Overall, a great anime and I recommend it for sure!
mistah-manila
Before we get to my actual review, I would like the viewers to understand that I AM NOT A SUMMARIZER. If you want to know what's the plot, read the SUMMARY, and don't mark me down for not saying anything about the story. I tell you what elements are impacting in the story and what my opinion is. ANYWAYS... H20~ Footprints in the Sand~ is an anime with a similar feel to that of Air TV, but with some feasible romance. I loved this anime for it's very little, yet hilarious humor and ground shaking romance that never ceases to make my heart twitch. Yes, itis really that good; if you have read the summary, you should know that the main protagonist is blind. That alone sets way for some traumatic drama that will have you your eyes leaking that one tiny, puny tear that emasculates anybody.
Overall 10/10; Why? Because this anime is so perfect for the romance lovers that its scary, plus the ending is pure perfection! Although some would call it questionable, everyone should take a chance to watch this anime and understand the romance otaku generation!
WhiteBakemono
Anime: H2O ~Footprints in the Sand~ Title: not the worst anime I've seen but close to it. About the Anime: After a series of unfortunate events, the young Hirose Takuma was rendered blind. In an attempt to reverse his condition Hirose moves in with his uncle in a rural village, and upon his arrival he quickly begins to make new friends. However, Hirose soon discovers that one of his classmates, Hayami Kohinata, is being harshly bullied by her peers for reasons that neither she nor anyone else wants to explain. Even the seemingly honest and gentle Hinata Kagura, who had been doing her best to be friendlyand helpful to Hirose since his arrival, acts harshly towards Hayami. Once a mysterious girl bequeaths Hirose with a life-changing gift, he takes it upon himself to help save Kohinata from her loneliness while working to uncover the truth of the situation.
Story 4/10: While not the worst anime I've had the misfortune to poison my mind with over the years, H20 ~Footprints in the Sand~ certainly deserves its spot as the worst I've seen in a long time. The viewing experience was analogous to a game of paintball gone horribly wrong; think of it like getting pelted incessantly in the groin for four and a half hours straight, without relief, followed by a long period of puking blood. Now envision the horror of H20 in precisely the same terms, but replace the excruciating bombardment of paintballs with clichés and the subsequent puking with actual, physical vomit straight from the bowels of your stomach. Ordinarily I would have dropped shit like this after ten minutes, but a friend's suggestion that it got better toward the end kept me going. While this, indeed, might have very mildly been the case, it certainly did not merit suffering through the horrendous amount of tripe that comprised the entirety of the series' beginning and middle portions. As such, it manages to stand above ordinary, crap-filled harems, but just barely.
If anything, at least H20 starts out as if it's going to be something original. Our fabulously sophisticated and intelligent male lead happens to be blind, and his naiveté initially seems somewhat believable - the kid can't see, after all. Within the first ten minutes of the series, though, he has managed to plant his face between the legs of every girl in the school at least once (lots of accidents happen to blind people, you know!) and grope at least one set of boobs a minute. This trend continues until the beginning of the second episode, where our brilliant hero somehow wakes up no longer blind. After this, of course, the face-between-legs and groping events continue, but they rely on the usual "misunderstanding" situations to occur (like when our male lead walks in on a girl taking a bath, slips on a bar of soap, and falls into the bathtub with his head smack dab between her legs underwater!) Now, I've seen these sorts of events in harems time and time again, but few dare rise to this level of mediocrity - every single fanservice shot is so utterly contrived it's laughable.
Oh, but here's the best part: H20's primary harem female is a masochistic emo girl who likes being abused because she has a guilt complex. As can certainly be expected, our resident Prince Charming tasks himself with "rescuing" her from her plight, but her constant walking in on him during his perverted mishaps make this a complicated issue. Just for good measure, the writers then insert ten episodes of pseudo-dramatic, fanservice-packed garbage for her to subsequently fall in love with him in for no explicable reason; and, of course, these episodes come with the usual array of harem events such as the bikini beach scene. By the time the "serious" events of the last two episodes arrived, I could have cared less for any of the characters, and found myself laughing at instead of feeling pity for the girls.
Animation 4/10: For a 2008 production, the animation, in relative terms, is atrocious. While not absolutely awful, its flaws make it seem incredibly dated while still aiming for the colorful, vibrant feel most modern series possess. Above all else, there is a very noticeable lack of movement, which becomes apparent right of the bat and persists all the way through. Character dialogue tended to be accompanied by an unusual amount of stills, and the inanimate backgrounds carried a very rigid, late 90's feel. To make matters worse, it seemed as if two different art teams worked separately on the characters and the backgrounds, as the two appeared vaguely congruent at best. This resulted in an overall droll and plain atmosphere, and given the horrendous quality of the fanservice, I was not impressed whatsoever.
Sound 4/10: It certainly didn't help H20's suffering aesthetics, either, by having shoddy voice acting and a poorly composed musical score. The main guy's voice is decent at best, but all the girls are either horribly high pitched or whiny and nasal. Although, surprisingly, there was one song I actually liked, it seemed way out of place when followed by this one bile-infested piece of crap track that seemed to get played four times an episode; it's as if the series intended to keep hinting that it could be good, but wanted to definitively prove that such was not its goal. I'm not even going to bother going into any further detail, as H20 shouldn't be touched regardless of the quality of its sound, but it borders on painful at times.
Characters 3/10: If you're still reading and must truly know, there are three primary characters in H20: Dumbass A (the guy), Dumbass B (the blonde chick), and Dumbass C (the emo girl.) I think their names were Takuma, Hinata, and Hayami respectively, but I honestly wasn't concerned enough about any of the three to actually pay them too much attention. As I mentioned before, Takuma is completely idiotic, and his inability to keep his head out of a pair of breasts completely ruins the respectability the writers tried to force him to possess in the later episodes. Hinata was the only tolerable character, mostly because she actually had some semblance of depth, but even then only slightly garnered my interest. Regardless, for the most part the writers reduced her character to revolve around the fact that she had the biggest boobs out of the all the girls, so she's not really worth any more mention.
Again, though, Hayami was by far the most "interesting" character, probably because none of her reactions to any events in H20 made much sense. One moment she begs for Takuma's affections, the next she's pissed off at him and cries to her classmates to kick her ass to get back at him. Seriously, what the hell? I get that she was supposed to have had a rough life, but her complete inconsistency in personality did absolutely nothing for her character. She seemed to be nothing more than plot-driven tripe, and given how downright abominable the story was to begin with, I hadn't the slightest bit of empathy for her.
Overall 3.5/10: For those looking for a recent, relatively serious romantic drama, check out Myself; Yourself and steer clear of H20 all together; aside from its fringe harem attraction, this crap isn't worth one iota of anyone's time. If for some reason completely unbeknownst to me you find yourself still interested, try coming up with different names for the series like "HYDROGEN DIOXIDE: TARSAL IMPRINTS IN THE SILICON" instead of forcing its mediocrity down your throat. Seriously, there are so many other more productive things to do with your time that there is absolutely no reason to give this crap consideration. For anybody not specifically obsessed with shallow harems, heed my advice: do not touch. Ever.
~WhiteBakemono
BlackPrism
H2O: Footprints in the Sand; another melodrama based on a visual novel. Not a good one either. Well, it has some drama, some romance, some comedy, even a bit of psychological but none of it stands out. This anime is still rather generic and there are about a dozen better titles out there that do the exact same things. The only thing worth mentioning is that it's at least not that predictable. I guess. Whatever, let's get on with the review. Story (25%) - 3/10 Surprise, another school setting. The most annoying part of the first half is the fact that the supernatural element is hardly exploredand it makes absolutely no sense. At the start, the girl who cures him is a spirit. Then, she's actually a ghost. But no, there's something else going on; she's actually a combination of sorts later on. There just isn't much effort put into explaining the supernatural stuff, there also isn't any tension about it so you end up not caring. Because of this, it just feels like they deliberately included spirits and whatever to make the deus ex machina ending a bit more plausible. The second half is also disappointing. Instead of allowing the MC to learn and get over his tragic past (you know, give him some DEVELOPMENT or something), no; it turns out everything was okay and there was nothing tragic about his past at all. Well, I guess you shouldn't make a serious psychological anime if your fanbase literally uses the story as masturbation material. Disappointing, but at least it's different, for better or worse.
Art (20%) - 3/10
The character designs are quite cartoonish which only makes it harder to take the story seriously. The animation is also sub-par and the whole thing just looks low-budget. The fact that the characters just look plain makes them easily forgettable and even the backgrounds look more appealing than them.
Sound (20%) - 4/10
The soundtrack is also rather generic; just a bunch of uplifting pop tunes and a few songs that sound kind of depressing. It's better than the art though, as it at least does what it can to give the sad scenes their proper mood. But nothing impressive or redeeming about it.
Characters (25%) - 4/10
Well, at first they all appear to be the usual archetypes and most of them stay that way. The most irritating of the bunch are the one-dimensional villains that exist to piss you off and to keep the drama and plot moving, no matter how unrealistic it gets. The only ones to somehow deviate from this trend are the two main leads, usually because of their back-stories and the challenges to their emotional states. This deviation is still predictable without much depth to it, but it's enough to keep them from being bland. In terms of development, only the female lead gets some and it's a rather tiresome watch to finally see it. The male lead on the other hand, as I mentioned in the Story section above, basically resists development and it just gets annoying to see his mood swings and then end up without anything changing.
Enjoyment (10%) - 4/10
It starts out easygoing and ends up being pretentious as it is psychological in name only. Still, I guess it's fulfilling to see a happy ending (even if it makes no sense) and the romance doesn't feel forced despite the lackluster story. It's hardly a tear-jerker and less of a good psychological anime but it's still watchable as a romance with some drama. Just don't expect anything good if you decide to watch it.
Zanarkandian
Sometimes, a title is enough to get your attention. Footprints in the Sand brings a lot of things into my mind. Summers that were fun, summers that slipped away. Ephimeral warmth, or even lost chances. Which one of those was it that H2O kept in store? Followed by a pretty opening theme with folk elements (I found the ending theme as enjoyable too), I didn't expect that to be the last thing I liked about this show. Visually, the show was alright. Not too bad, nothing exceptional either. It was (the lack of ) character depth and plot that ruined everything for me. H2O revolvesaround three characters, maybe four if you take Otoha into consideration. There are more, who serve as mere comic relief or fanservice. The problem is, this story has been told a thousand times before. With more natural characters, too.
Kohinata is the only one who has some depth, compared to the others at least. She's hated, for some reason she's willing to take on that hate, she tries to keep her distance. Hinata, is just a girl trying to deal with her own family issues. Takuma, a weaklin..err, a blind shot..err, a kind hearted boy, struck by fate? No, he is a weakling with an annoying voice to me. The superficial nature of the characters and their interactions made up for cheap drama and any attempts to make me sympathize with him a failure.
So, how does this show try to keep us interested? For 1/3 of the show, we witness how much Kohinata is hated, but Takuma for some reason refuses to ask why! So we must keep watching, to find out why, right? Great.
So this is supposed to be about whether Takuma is going to change those around him, as well as himself. Once again, even if this is your cup of tea, this story has been told time and time again. In much better ways. They do manage to offer a surprise in the end though, if you stay with them.
These footprints were quick to fade from the sand. Just like they were supposed to.
zaharat
So H2O: Footprints in the Sand is about a boy named Hirose Takuma who is apparently blind, but meets a strange girl that only he can see/communicate with named Otoha. This "magical" girl goes and heal his illness of blindness, and Hirose starts to befriends the people in the village, especially the town hated girl named Kohinata Hayami. Story: I have to say that it is a pretty interesting psychological/magical/dramatic/comedy kind of anime. Its quite an interesting blend, but overall it was pretty good. The plot was somewhat interesting, however, for those of you who don't like a slow development, like many other of its genre,I would not recommend you to watch it. Since it is a romance/drama kind of show it goes an a fairly slow pace, and most of the episodes may seem kind of irrelevant, but I do feel that this anime was like a puzzle piece or riddle. That each episode was a subtle piece that when slowly put together gives a somewhat satisfying plot and ending.
Art: The artwork isn't that outstanding beside the cute girls and typical boy like many others of its genre. However the anime is filled with beautiful scene and lots of rice fields since it does takes place in the country side, though the school doesn't look normal at all just saying.
Sound: The soundtrack was amazing in my opinion. I really loved both the OP and ED. The characters also sound nice, and their voices does fit their personality, so I thought that was a good one. Though the best part was the OP and ED, those were great songs.
Character: To say there was a deep character development would be an exaggeration, but to say that it lacked character development would be an understatement. So the anime's character development just falls in right around the middle. It was pretty good in how Hirose, and the girls that he meets slowly changes. Especially how Hirose tries to help the town hated girl named Hayami that is constantly harassed, even beaten by her own fellow classmates for a reason you will later find out later in the series. ;)
Enjoyment: I really loved this anime, however there was some part of it that wasn't the way I thought it would've been. It was really good, it evoked so many emotions from happiness to sadness. But overall it was pretty good. Though there was an episode that was like a curve ball and was totally random. And the last few episode evoked a lot of the WTF is going on kind of feelings. However unlike others of its genre, I do felt that it had more potential to be a little bit longer, and yet again like many others of its genre, the ending was a little bit too rush. But overall it was a great anime that you should give it a shot, so hope you enjoy! Well if you click not helpful(or one of those few who clicked helpful) I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me what was good or bad about it so I can improve my skills! :D Well thank you very much! Hope you enjoy!
thejosh18
In life we go through hardships, pain, and sorrow but we always try our best to overcome our struggles and look towards a brighter future. Story: H20 Footprints in the Sand starts off with our main protagonist Hirose. In the first episode we see Hirose encounter his harem although he has a problem, he's blind. Later in the episode he''s cured of his blindness so he can do whatever he wanted when he wasn't blind. Although you may think the anime ends there and everything is happy go lucky, that's not the case with this anime. Throughout the series we encounter moreof the girls in Hirose's harem and we get insight on the village Hirose lives in and whatnot. The plot moves fairly well placed and near the middle to the end of the series the story makes you facepalm yourself and feel all other kinds of emotion. Overall i rate the story an 8.
Art: The art for this anime is well done for an anime for it's year as colors are fresh and clean. Another nice thing about the art is it has a rich palette and the environments are soothing and you really get a feel for the atmosphere for the anime. Art gets an 8.
Sound: I really liked the OP as it gives a nice start for the anime and the background musics really blend well with the environment and set the mood for the scenes. Sound is an 8.
Character: In this anime you have the main characters Hirose, "Hinata", Otaha and Hayami. Hirose's harem consists of Yui and Hamaji basically. You also have the villagers and that dang grandpa guy. In the beginning Hirose is posed as a weak and vulnerable character because of his blindless, but after he's cured he starts to develop. Towards the end you start to really feel hate and love for him, but in the end he's a good guy I guess? =p Hinata undergoes a lot of character change throughout the series as she changes from obedient and mindwashed zombie to a respectable girl who can make her own decisions. Hayami also experiences some changes from a lifeless pushover ragdoll to a prominent and respected member of the anime. As for the 2 girls a part of Hirose's "harem" we can say they change as well. =3 The villagers and the damn grandpa guy was probably the only real characters who made me want to flip my t.v. at times and you'll see why :) Overall the characters were all very strong and they deserve a 9.
Enjoyment: I was expecting somewhat of a lighthearted and good feeling out of this anime but what i got was a good story plot with strong characters, but then again i guess i expected something strong out of this for it to be closely recommended with Clannad. Enjoyment 8.
Overall: If your looking for a strong well thought out plot with characters that make you want to flip your t.v. and drop your jaw then definitely check this out. Full of drama and and love, this anime will really tug at your heartstrings and just go Awee in a good and bad way (I should know i'm a guy x.x) =p Overall H20 deserves a 9! :D
Hayamin
So after taking another watch of my favorite series of all time, I decided to re-do my review because the series is fresh in my mind this time and my last review was not that great due to it being my first review. Story: The main character is a blind boy who hangs out with mostly girls and along the way we find out some of the girls have problems that eventually get solved. It sounds like a typical harem but with H2O, it's not as dry and focused on all the girls going for the main protagonist. It just so happens that there's a biggap in the guy to girl ratio. There are many cliffhangers and plot twists which kept me always guessing and interested. Questions arose right from the start within the first few minutes and I got hooked from there. The story is incredibly well-paced (for the most part) and is rarely boring. Many harem Anime that run for 12 episodes are usually paced in a sloppy way and rushed during the final 2-3 episodes. Episode 4 is supposedly one of those obligatory beach/hot spring episodes where they just decide not to move the plot along. H2O deviated from that a little by adding a cliffhanger right in the final few minutes of the episode so you at least get something and don't feel robbed by sitting through all 20 minutes. Episode 8 was just for fun, nearly plotless but made up for it by being funny. They again decided to toss in something important at the end so like episode 4 you get something out of it. While these two episodes aren't important as a whole, they really surprised me by not leaving these episodes as is and ended them in ways that didn't make the episodes entirely pointless. There's a lot more to the show that I can't mention without spoiling so I'll leave it at that. I didn't play the game so I don't know how faithful an adaptation this is but I enjoyed the story greatly so I'd give it a 10.
Art: In my last review, this was the only part that I gave a loss of points to. Rewatching it, I can be more fair. This time, since I already knew what happened, I could pay more attention to other things. I definitely like the backgrounds and scenery. Whenever they're at a beach setting, everything just looks awesome from the clouds in the sky to the water. Episodes 1 and 12 are some of the better animated episodes in terms of the characters. The way their hair blows in the wind in episode 1 looked great and for the most part the faces of the characters were done very well. An example of when the art suffers might be far away shots of a character's face. It's hard to describe but at times, one side of a character's face is not fully proportional to the other or it just doesn't look very well done. There are also times where you can see the eyes and mouth of a character in a far away shot and they're not very detailed at all. The mouth/eyes look like dots but once they move on to a scene where you see just a character's face, everything looks good again. The eyecatches were amusing to see and change every episode. Overall I'd give the art an 8 though for the scenery I'd really like to give a 9.
Sound: The ost is amazing. The background music really gets the job done when a scene calls for it. Many memorable tracks play throughout the show and they work really well. I mainly got into the show because I liked the opening song. The ending song also grew on me as I watched the episodes. In episode 8 which I mentioned as a "just for fun" episode, they had a song that plays in the middle of the episode which was of course just out of nowhere but sounded pretty good. There are also two insert songs played in the final episode. One of them is appropriately called "Footprints in the Sand" sung by Monet which they used to end the show. Both songs are worth a good listen and "Footprints in the Sand" was taken from the visual novel which was a cool thing to do for fans of the game. I don't really have a problem with the cast. I was surprised to hear Koshimizu Ami voice a male character but that shows her talent because I really couldn't tell it was her at all based on her other roles. Everyone else sounded fine but there were instances where Yui and Hamaji sounded pretty annoying. I would definitely give sound a 10.
Character: There really isn't much to hate about these characters. It's hard to dislike Hayami and you really feel for her because of how she's treated despite the stupidness of those who treat her this way... Hirose is an all around good guy like most male mains from harem shows. He'd try to solve problems while maintaining peace between all the characters. I know Hinata may annoy some people with the choices she makes but overall she's not a bad character. I really dislike Yui for how annoying she is but at least she develops in the end to a slightly respectable character. So onto the villains. H2O did a brilliant job here because they're people you want to hate. I mean what they do doesn't really make sense and the logic behind it is pretty stupid but these guys serve their purpose by being real jerks, especially Hinata's grandfather which you can't help but hate. You want to hop into the screen and punch him in the gut. These people are messed up. I liked the mains though so I'll give characters a 9.
Enjoyment: I can't not give a 10 here. Like I said, I watched the series because I liked the opening and I know that's pretty bad criteria for starting a series but I was so surprised right from the start of the show that I kept watching. At the time, I hadn't seen anything like H2O and the final scene was something I won't forget. I still watch it sometimes to brighten up my day. Even when I re-watched the whole series prior to this re-review, I didn't feel bored and while I knew what would happen, it didn't take away from my enjoyment.
Overall: I've seen plenty of visual novel adaptations and they have a reputation of being done poorly. I base that not from playing the games and being disappointed at unfaithful adaptations but from just watching the Anime. Most of them just don't work. This one is an exception to me because it was simply awesome. To be fair, I'm not going to ignore the plot holes in the show, though I'm sad that they exist. Why can't Hayami just leave this town if she can survive in a forest? So, was Hirose blind or what? Generally I tend to point these out and hate on them because they kill movies for me. I can look past them in this series though. Maybe it's because I didn't catch everything the first time or the dramatic moments and plot twists just overshadow these flaws. This show is terribly underrated. I can understand that maybe not everyone enjoyed it as much as I did but it definitely doesn't deserve being ranked in the 900s... I guess it had something to do with its competition when it first aired. I know the majority tossed this show to the side when they could watch Clan(bad) and True Tears. For new viewers, I promise it gets better after episode 5. It just seems typical and cliche around the beginning but things have to build up. If you could sit through Fuuko, this is no problem.
Thank you for reading my review. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. Hope this helped.
QuillYiqian
I just finished watching H2O: Footprints In The Sand lately and it is by far the best anime series I have ever watched. Initially, I thought it would be just a normal romance story just like others, but I was wrong. Firstly, this anime does not focus mainly on the romance part. H2O actually means Hayami, Hotaru and Otoha. Obviously, this anime series focus on not only the love story of two, but it's a story full of complicated feelings. Friendship is more obviously shown in the anime than romance. The love between the couple is just an outcome of the string of events inthe story.
Story 10: I have to admit that it takes much brain juice to come up with such a beautiful story. The plot keeps taking unexpected turns and everything binds up together at the end to make circle. After watching the first episode, I expected this to be normal and nothing much. Stretching to episode 7, only I found out that the series is better than I thought. The story and plot totally came out much more than my initial expectations.
Art 9: I hate animes with bad art. No matter how the pot goes, bad art makes the anime suck. Well, the drawings and designs in the anime is quite normal, not much standing out, but it deserves a 9, considering I found some flaws in it.
Sound 10: I can say that all voice actors are suitable for the characters, but if I have a choice, I would like Yui Sakakibara to be Hayami.(I'm a great fan) Moreover, I totally love the opening. Katayoku No Icarus by Yui Sakakibara is one of my favourite songs and it totally fits right into the anime. The ending song, Kazehane is also great, as it seems most animes have bad ending songs. Besides, the BGM in the anime is okay too.
Character 10: It is really hard work to design the characters that fix right into position of the whole complicated plot. I admit that they done a good job on this. Plus, I love almost all of the characters in the anime except the farming girl.
Enjoyment 10: As the anime takes a lot of turns, it is hard to expect what's coming. For me, it is really enjoying. The anime starts out with a small piece of the big picture and and it gives more hints and clues as the plot goes. Eventually the puzzle is solved and the big picture is quite unexpected.
Overall 10: I would describe this anime as beautiful. Despite all the sad memories and events that happen earlier in the anime, the ending is very touching and it makes up into a very beautiful friendship and romance.
It was great watching this anime and I think everyone should watch it.
Sugarsync
H2O is an anime following a life of a blind boy Hirose,Takuma who appeared in a village with his companion,a spirit name Otaho and as days goes by,he made friends and discovered something new.H2O is the combination of three heroines hayami,hinata and otoha=H2O+'Footprint in the sand' is the name of a poem. Story(9)=Great!as you follow this anime,you will discovered many twist,sadness and sadness as this story is base 90% on drama.10% of it will be intro,vacation and a little bit of comedy...... Art(8)=the character is animated pretty nice and the character design is good too...i like the design of of every heroines here...The background is clear andnice with mountains,hills,houses and etc.
Character(7)=Each character has different thoughts as you know and each of this heroines as you notice(if you completed the anime)suffer from sadness,hates and lossness.But i claim that there is no a unique personalities here i would give a 9 if there is a tsundere or a yandere
Enjoyment(9)=I appriacate that this anime was launch,i enjoy watching this anime and you will feel that the sadness and the dramatic in the story that make this anime 'strong' and enjoyable as well,it makes me enjoy a dramatical sadness and that wanted to cry in the end of the story,and you might wonder what might they do after the story.......
Overall(9)=with the conclusion, i like watching this anime and i recommend this anime for people that like a serious twist,sadness and a strong story based.I thought that the people watching this will remember this anime as a strong sad story.....
Please go easy on me,it the first review i make and im not good with english since i'm indonesian.Thanx G-bye
Peterp
When I first started thinking about how I was going to review H2O ~Footprints In The Sand~, I thought of it like a cheap wine, with no "hints" of flavors to be found. Instead, one finds the usual tastes of Air, Shuffle!, and School Days washing over your tongue, bland in their imitated form. The characters are tired stereotypes, massive plot gaps pervade the entire story line, and the ending felt like a cheap attempt to bond the viewer to the characters with a simple pity technique. I then decided, however, on a better metaphor to describe this show. We all remember that one namefrom high school, the girl who emulated the popular girls in a desperate attempt to make easy and quick friends on the fly. She simply followed the trends others have set out in order to make the largest quantity of friends in the shortest amount of time. This series followed the same friend-mongering tactics, stealing traits and quirks from other series so as to establish a limited rapport with it's audience. I think I shall be soon forgetting this series, even beyond it's lack of memorable scenes, I shall probably soon confuse this series with the other shows it ripped off.
P.S. Do watch episode 8 however. It may have been totally inappropriate in it's placement in the series, but it was pretty hilarious.
sayian
Art: Terrible, this Anime was made in 2008. Main character designs were terrible. Animation greatly improved on the last episode. Shame on production group. Sound: Decent OP and ED, placement of sound did not help at all with the storyline. See various instances, ep x and ep x. Let's have suspenseful music on a lovely lovely scene. Character: Never have I seen side characters I could care less for. Two main characters have some instance of hope later on during the series with slight character development. (after ep 7) Enjoyment: I would not recommend this anime to friends, family, but to hardcore romance Anime fans, enjoy, youhave found a good waste of time here.
Overall: Watch if you are bored as hell, otherwise choose from other Anime that have well defined storyline, character development and and coherent to the plotline. If this Anime was a paper, it would be given a C.
Verethragna_XIII
2nd time to write a review. This one really grow in me because particularly I don't like tragedy or too much drama but this one changed my mind during the summer of 2010. "The word "I like you" carry too little weight, The word "I love you" are too ambigous, Because I don't know the most correct to write, Or whether I could bring my feelings to light, So I write "Thank you for the world", Hirose" Story: 7/10 Its a pretty common plot used in every visual novel games if you think about it so right from the story line you could tell that its froma visual novel. It starts off with a light-heart comedy and scenes then it gets serious and dark. i'm practically used to this but I am not immune to its effects because it still wreck my heart. Also speaking of wreck, get ready for the final 2 episodes if you're planning to watch this because its a train wreck, I mean they could have shown the twist better but clearly you could see that the developers could not handle this twist.
Art: 7/10
Well standard if you think about it during that time but now, well its mediocre. I mean its not the art that its selling point but the story so I don't mind a little. Though I still wish they could have done better. Also no blood spatter whenever there is an injury or something.
Sound: 8/10
The sounds really sets the mood and deliver the emotions it wants to convey like no joke. I mean the sounds compliment with the dramatic scenes which makes it more dramatic. Nonetheless its sometimes unnoticeable and mediocre. The really good thing about the sounds is that the opening is sang by Yui Sakakibara!!!
Character: 8/10
The characters are interesting in their own way and if I one by one them all, this would look like a thesis. However, as much as interesting they are, they are still your standard character troupes mostly in visual novel. They were never really given much time besides our main character Hirose, the tragic Hayami and the weird Kagura. Then there is OTOHA, the Genki of this anime!
Also I would point out that, it was my first time to get fooled by the cliche trap. DAMNIT ADMIRAL ACKBAR WARN ME SOONER!!!
Enjoyment: 9/10
As I said at the very first, this one grew on me with its comedy, romantic moments and surprisingly its drama and tragedy. this anime is very enjoyable because when dramatic scenes strikes you will cry and when romantic moment occur you will shout " get a room you two!!". Comedic moments will make you laugh and tragic moments will wreck your heart. Though the twist will make you wonder what are the directors smoking because it doesn't make sense. I want more proof for that twist. Also majority of the characters are bland and generic. Also the ending is weird because I feel like they just throw that thing so that we may forget the wreckage in the last 2 episodes. F#@$#@$#@$#@$#@$@ YOU!!! After all that tears that i had shed, Don't try to patch it up. Still an acceptable ending as much as I hate it.
Overall: 8/10
Positive:
-Good Visual novel adaptation
-could deliver the emotions it wants to convey excellently.
-Good Dramatic moments and Tragic delivery scenes
Negative
-Bad final twist
-Generic character besides the main casts
Hyduk87
Holy crap. That's the first phrase that comes to mind after I completed watching this anime. There is so much I want to say about this, but I'll try to keep things short. Typically, I like to review an anime by going through each category and explaining why I gave it the rating I did. But this anime is different. There's a uniqueness to it that sets it apart from most other shows I've seen. But first, I will warn you that this is an emotional trip if you connect to the characters atall, which is incredibly easy to do, as they seem so... human. That being said, I forewarn you, before watching this, make sure that you can take some emotional ups and downs, ins and outs while watching this. I guarantee you that if you feel anything at all about life and the human desires, you will laugh, you will have times that may make you want to cry (or really cry, if you're a sap like me), you will for sure be angry, sad, happy, joyful, somber... I experienced so many emotions while watching this.
Now, on to my actual review.
<b>Story - <i>10</i></b>
Wow. That is all I can say. I don't usually like to give out 10's here unless I find a story that is unique and fresh, touching, warming, fascinating, intriguing or any other characteristics like that which set it apart from other stories in the similar genre. I am a fan for this exact type of story - that is, one in which romance, drama, comedy, slice-of-life and other elements all seem to blend in, seem to round out and become a work of art. Honestly, when I started watching this, I didn't expect much from this show. I anticipated it being some happy-go-lucky fruity kind of ecchi-inspired plot with minor turns and sub-par content. The first episode seemed to confirm this, until the latter half of that episode, in which some dark secrets began to take form. What I found after the first episode, that is, in the second, third, and fourth, was a dark, depressing and heavy atmosphere that left me wanting to know more. As I continued watching each episode, I was left with a mild sinking feeling, one in which I wanted something to happen, but it didn't. But as the story unfolded, I experienced an emotion that I rarely ever get while watching anything - hope. I began to hope that certain things would happen. I began to feel like the story could take place anywhere. I got hooked, sucked in. Then episode 8 came.
I take an aside here to explain a bit about number 8. Consider it something nice before the final 4 episodes. It seems so far out of place from the other episodes. It really is a sore thumb, the only thing that takes away from the overall anime, but I quickly got by it, as it provided a bit of lightness to an otherwise gloomy and dark show. If number 8 was not here, the rest of the anime might be close to unbearable to watch. I might have considered dropping the rest of the anime, without something fun like that.
Anyway, episode 8 aside, the story in the other 11 episodes is deep, gloomy, depressing and fairly painful at times. But then other times are so sweet and touching, that you can't help but feel moved. I can't really find the words to describe what I feel right now (not but 15 minutes after having watched the final episode) and how it left me. Don't get me wrong, the ending was phenomenal. It's not what you expect at all. Forget any expectations coming into this story.
There is only one thing about the story that somewhat bothered me. At times, it may feel like it jumps around too much, like some things happen to fast, but as I went back and reviewed those scenes, they make sense now. This is a story you must be tracking with, something you can't just sit back and enjoy. If you do track with it, you will not be disappointed with a fantastic story.
Ok, enough rambling about the story. You'll get it soon enough if you watch it.
<b>Art - <i>10</i></b>
Right, so now on to the artistic qualities of this show. I am easily pleased in the graphical department, so take this rating with a grain of salt. Thus, I gave it a 10, as I really enjoyed the art. I am not to partial to needing to see certain things in the art. I tend to look for the continuity, the smoothness, the fullness (if all scenes are drawn out, no corners cut). Saying that, this is well drawn. Oh my. Backgrounds are beautiful, characters are nicely drawn (although sometimes they seem proportioned wrong... I mean they're supposed to be in middle school). But those facts aside, each house looks nice, each outfit seems realistic, the lines on the elder's face, the plants in the fields, the animation is smooth, nice to watch and really fun.
<b>Sound - <i>9</i></b>
Now, sound. This is a category that I'm fairly stringent on. I prefer to hear samples of the real noise, rather than a constructed, fake sound. I prefer voices that are well acted, those that match their drawn appearance (I dislike seeing a big burly guy who has a weird squeeky girly voice). I also like listening to great background music that matches the mood, that fits with the story. This is why I give this anime a 9. The sounds - bells, doors, lightning, fire, guns, shouting - all sound like they were recorded from real life counterparts. But when it came to music, that's what made me take a point off. It didn't feel like the music fit all the time. There were the dark, slow and tense piano pieces during the scenes that fit them. But sometimes there would be a cheesy, sappy song playing that didn't quite seem to fit.
<b>Character - <i>10</i></b>
A lot of what I would have to say about character can be tied into the story. I give this area a 10 as well. What good is a character driven story without good characters? Yes, the people in this anime make it work. Each person has an important part to play in the story. There are only a few characters that just seem like extras, but even they have an important aspect to the story. There are the comic relief characters, there are the hated antagonists, there are the lovable protagonists. They just work. 'Nuff said.
<b>Enjoyment - <i>10</i></b>
Again, I'll be short here as most of my enjoyment came from the story and the characters. I give this a 10. Basically, all those things above can be summed up here. I really liked it. There's not much more to it. I got so much out of this anime - happy, sad, upset, angry, etc...
<b>Overall - <i>10</i></b>
Well, I seemed to have summed up everything in the beginning of writing this. So, really, I rate this so high because I'm not going to forget this story for a long time to come. I'll probably use this as a comparison to other animes to come, as it gave me a lot of emotional experience I haven't had before while watching an anime.
<b>Concluding Remarks</b>
I warn you, if you don't like touching stories, if you don't like emotional twists, an overall dark mood, then stay away. But if you like heartfelt, deep stories, ripe with grief, joy, sorrow and other contrasting emotions, then give it a try. I think there's something for everyone (except you action junkies. Turn away now.).
idealtoy
This the anime that you get to the second from last episode and expect no happiness in the end or “how are they going to recover the story to reach a happy ending now?” I could tell this was a farbit more Psychological than Ilike but over time, you start to see where we are going with the plot. Episode 8 was totally unnecessary as others have mentioned. The beginning starts with the “Footsteps in the sand” poem but leaves out the ending. As the story moves forward and characters evolve you see why. You will either love it or hate it. The end was mostly unexpectedbut the plot as a whole is very similar to the story of Jesus Christ. The Footsteps poem eluded to this as well.
My only question at the end was why the last person showed up at the windmill. Was it real or an illusion? Anyway the last episode had me in tears 😭
Let me know what you think about this anime?
Zaku88
Hirose Takuma lost his mother when he was young and has since become blind from the trauma. He goes to live with his uncle in the rural countryside to try to recover from his "illness". There, he luckily meets a magical fairy named "Otoha" and two girls Hinata and Hayami, who are caught between a nonsensical family war over village control. This anime seems to be an average harem anime at first. However, a second look reveals a flawed attempt at introducing many innovative, but poorly done, aspects to the genre. Though sometimes the characters are entertaining and the story decent, the overall plot line andconfusing ending all but destroy what this anime could have been. This show fell way short of what I was expecting.
Animation:
Green. I know that the setting is a rural village but the entire color palette leans unnaturally towards green. Otherwise, animation quality is average for its time. I wasn't a particular fan of the character styling, especially how some of the guys were drawn.
Sound:
This is one of the better aspects of the anime. The OP is refreshing and the entire BGM encompasses many tracks with an Irish, fllute-based flair. Note that the majority of the voice talents for this show are new. The only exception is the main male character who is voiced by a girl (his voice just doesn't sound right the entire show...). Overall, not a bad job but better VAs would probably have brought out the characters more.
Story:
This is a painful downside of this series. There are quite a few plot twists in this show but they also happen to be predictable. Yet, they manage to pull of the twists in a way that feels unnatural and rushed.
Add on a rushed ending that doesn't explain much of what happens (one of those fast forward by 5 years) and, well, you've lost me. This show definitely had potential but the execution crushed all hopes of its success.
Character:
Though the characters all have quite a bit of depth to them, there are many aspects that don't seem to fit quite naturally.
First of all, Hirose is supposedly blind and has been blind for years. However, once he meets the fairy Otoha, she magically grants him the ability to see. The kicker is that once he starts seeing, the others don't notice anything at all and act as if he could see all along. The explanation for this comes late in the show though I still don't think it is a satisfactory reason. Hirose seems to be the typical nice guy but late in the show he acts somewhat erratically and seems to lose his head.
The other characters seem slightly more coherent, though Hayami Kohinata and Hinata Kagura still have a few holes in their story line by the end of the show. Despite these holes, the two girls are dynamic characters that grow with the show. However, the rest of the villages are like sheep, just going with what the village leader thinks. This is a detestable situation if you ask me and giving supporting characters a brain wouldn't hurt too much.
Value:
There are a lot of pointless beatings of poor Hayami and a lot of random fan service (to supposedly cancel out the beatings?). I personally watch for the plot line and developments between the characters. While the first half of the series does a fairly good job of introducing the characters, the latter half butchers it with halfhearted developments and horrifically executed plot twists. I usually archive most of what I watch, this was one of the few exceptions where I decided to skip.
