"2DAniCritic" Review:

Typhoon Noruda

Review Score: 3.36 / 5.00        

"Typhoon Noruda" is a short OVA released by the relatively new Studio Colorido in Japan. I have to continue to give credit to Sentai FIlmworks in North America for again releasing an unknown short to American audiences, complete with a dub to boot. The resulting film gives me hope for what Studio Colorido makes next (at the time of this writing, they haven't made any television or feature films yet), and taken alone, this short film is a satisfying story, with only the severe limitation of its length.

Taking place at a high school in a small city in Japan, a large storm is about to hit. The students are forced to take shelter inside the school until the storm passes. Azuma and Saijo are both boys who had been fighting prior (one had stated he was quiting the baseball team, much to the frustration of the other), mirroring the storm. Azuma then sees a girl out alone in the storm. When going out to her, its clear she isn't an ordinary girl and that the storm somehow relates to her, so he takes her into the school to recover, at which point he needs Saijo's help to free her from her predicament.

It's a simple story of friendship, and perhaps a fated love, perfectly unoffensive and suitable for all ages. The storm provides a dramatic backdrop and excuse for the fantasy elements. The animation is generally strong, highlighted by a chase through the school hallways and scenes of the storm clouds swirling outside. 3D graphics are used for some elements, and don't blend as well as the studio intended with the 2D animation, but it's subtle enough to not be too serious, and I have to give credit to them trying to apply a custom renderer to those models. The music is soothing, with a lovely vocal song featured in the ending credits, the type of music I would be happy to listen to outside the film.

... and that's kind-of it. At only 27 minutes, I would love for this to expand to a feature film or a short TV series, perhaps continuing the story to find Noruda again and understand who she really is. The American release comes with an additional five-minute short "Control Bear WONDER GARDEN," which I won't review here, but while it is a charming little film, it still doesn't justify a standalone release. Short films are plentiful, and many of them are worthy to exist, but many are also difficult to own to watch again and again. So perhaps for that reason, I would recommend "Typhoon Noruda" be supported by the general public, if only to help the studio in their next production. Even if they only proceed to make a few more short films and nothing more... if a collection of short films of this quality were released, that would be something special.