So-Ra-No-Wo-To watch online HD

This series, which is currently available to watch legally on line at crunchyroll, is a lot of fun with a main cast of five likable characters. Set in the future, many years after a catastrophic war there relatively few people left and much of the technology from before the war has been lost leaving them with equipment that could have been from the early twentieth century. Set in the town of Seize in the country of Helvetia the five girls of the 1121st Platoon provide protection. We are introduced to the platoon along with new member Kanata, a fifteen year old bugler who is not the most skilled musician to say the least. Kanata is taken under the wing of Master Sergeant Rio Kazumiya who is only seventeen herself. In the early episodes the platoon gets involved various adventures; these are fairly humorous for the most part although there are a few dangerous moments even though there is no sign of the enemy. When the enemy does turn up things get much darker and we learn that more about the platoon and that there superiors aren't necessarily the 'good guys'.

I really enjoyed this series; the main cast is both likable and interesting; each of the girls having distinct personalities. The episodes manage to be fairly upbeat for the most part which might come as a surprise given that it is about a group of child soldiers; we do however see that they aren't just playing at being soldiers when the enemy closes in on the town and more of their own side turn up to take over their position. It is at this point that the girls must decide what the right thing to do is even if it will put them in danger from both sides. This ending was really good and will probably give the viewer goosebumps... I won't say why though as that would be spoiling it.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

I wouldn't recommend this show, but I wouldn't discourage people from watching it. Its a pretty good show, but not really the kind of thing I like to watch.

Story - This is mainly about a girl in a war-torn future who joined the military to learn how to play the trumpet. There isn't really a whole lot of plot, and the story is centered around character-based drama. If you find likable characters interacting with each other and no overarching story compelling, then there's a lot you can get out of this show. If you're more into interesting and complex plots, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

Characters - All of the main characters get some kind of development and backstory (there's like 5 of them). They all have clear motivations and personalities. Its nice to see them interacting and be cute.

Animation - The art is pretty good. The blend of cultures and unique locations really gives this story a nice visual style. It paints a bleak yet interesting future. The character designs are nice, while bordering on generic, and character movements are the stock "stiff anime movement" that is common in the medium. This isn't a bad thing, but a lot of other animes that I'd rather be watching then this have far smoother animation.

Audio - The voice acting and music are pretty good.