Yorito, our somewhat melancholic protagonist is fixated on the sky; choosing to opt out of class in favor of taking pictures of the heavens. He lives alone, his only family being his stoic, ill sister who's on an extended stay at the hospital. Everything changes one summer night when he crosses paths with Matsuri, a supernatural being known as a Yaka; a creature who can only roam freely during the night (sunlight is bad for her health, not unlike a vampire) and soon shes taking refuge at our protagonists home. In the tradition of Air, some truly tragic complications ensue and shocking truths will be revealed (the big twist near end is a whammy). Sola is an all around solid title; the characters, while unimpressive at first grow in stock and are surprisingly well developed for a series as short as this one. Starting off as a supernatural tinged romantic comedy, Sola gradually moves to into darker territory and does a commendable job of unveiling its twist filled, tragic storyline at just the right pace. It is also one of the rare series that has no crucial flaws and succeeds in every category, yet ends up being simply a good series instead of a great one. Still, this is a must see for fans of tragi-drama and studio Key.
Grade: B/B+
Reviewed: episodes 15/15 (complete) Format: DVD, English Sub
