User reviews

Nothing in particular is extraordinary about this story, and that is the point. It is about taking a moment to watch a puddle dry. Alpha is a robot who was built for a purpose, and yet her work has been delayed indefinitely. How will she spend her time now, in a world of natural beauty and ordinary experiences and relationships that will only happen once?

Yokohama kaidashi kikô is very peaceful and leisurely paced anime. There's little in the way of dialogue, and not much plot development either. However, these aspects are used to add to the anime's overall ambiance, and the minimalist approach is relaxing, to say the least. Music is also sparsely used, relying instead on the sounds of nature to create atmosphere. When music is used, it's to punctuate little moments throughout the story, and is done so to great effect. The world it takes place in is charming and a little mysterious, not much is done to elaborate on the backstory, but again this adds to the overall effect. The main focus is to follow the main character as she takes time to appreciate the beauty of her surroundings and peaceful sights and sounds of nature after the 'twilight of humanity' has led to a simpler and quieter Earth. Overall a beautiful little OVA that leaves you with a feeling of contentment and appreciation for the simple pleasures in life.

...something completely different, strange, compelling. People in the West are put off by the anime style, but if you look past that you'll be rewarded by a very different experience.