The Essentials
Name: Akane Maniax
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Mecha
Episodes: 3 OVA Episodes
Released: November 25, 2004 - August 26, 2005
Based On: Spin-off of Rumbling Hearts anime & Akane Maniax PC game
Director: Tetsuya Watanabe
Produced By: Media Factory, Bandai Visual
US Distribution By: N/A
Major Japanese Cast
Jouji Gouda: Tomokazu Seki
Akane Suzumiya: Kaori Mizuhashi
Chizuru Sakaki: Kaho Takayanagi
Yūko Kōduki: Takako Inaba
Marimo Jinguuji: Ayaka Minami
Major English Cast
N/A
Scores
Animation: 7/10 (x 4 = 28 pts)
Story: 5/10 (x 4 = 20 pts)
Music: 7/10 (x 4 = 28 pts)
Coherence/Story Arc: N/A
English Dubs: N/A
Gut Score: 5/10 (x 5 = 25 pts)
Total: 101/170 (59.4%)
Review
Even though Akane Maniax is a spin-off of Rumbling Hearts, there is very little similar between the two series. Akane Maniax is mostly a comedy series focusing around Jouji’s infatuation with Akane and her inability to get over Takayuki, whom she fell in love with in Rumbling Hearts.
Jouji is a character that means well, but doesn’t exactly think things through and has a wild imagination. He arrives to the high school Akane attends, ready to take their baseball team to the high school national championships. The only problem is that he never realized that he is a senior and that his final high school baseball season just ended.
His imagination also creates a running allegory throughout the series representing his view of his relationship with Akane, and which often includes a giant Mecha (and which also typically includes an extremely warped view of the status of their relationship). Not only this, but he’ll often take action based on whatever his imagination comes up with rather than reality.
I found it hard to figure out what the creators of this series were thinking. People who liked Rumbling Hearts may not like this series because it’s nothing like Rumbling Hearts, sans Akane, and a few cameos by other characters. On the other hand, Jouji acts with such ridiculousness that it passes the funny stage and leaps directly into the “stupid” realm.
While there is a serious side to the series - Akane getting over her feelings for Takayuki - fans of the anime (and anyone else for that matter) may not really see how Jouji’s antics would actually help her in that regard. The only real fans may be those who can’t get enough of the KimiNozo franchise and/or who are familiar with all the games that have been created within the franchise.
Even though it’s an OVA, the animation takes a little hit from Rumbling Hearts and the music is only about average. Overall, this is easily a series that can be skipped, even by fans of the Rumbling Hearts anime series.
First Watched: March 2006
Do I Own: No
Do I Recommend: No
Josh’s Anime Blog Podcast Episode #63 is now online! In this podcast, I review the the anime OVA series Akane Maniax.
