NOTE: This is a copy of my MAL review with slight BB code edits. All reviews can be found on this site or MAL under the same name. Originally written 10/4/2015 As with any new review of mine there is generally a TLDR part at the end with a basic summary of the positives and negatives. Ah Sola what a wonderful show. I had quite a bit of fun with this one it kept me hooked enough to finish in two days. It would have been one if I didnt exercise selfrestraint but I did so it ended up being two days. One thing that really surprised me about this show was how mature it was handled especially in the Romance aspect. It was well done and a very believable romance. The show itself knows what its trying to be and together that allows a truly great story to be told. There is just one problem. Its not a problem for me but it will be for some others. Sola is not a fast paced show. There are a few action scenes and they are quite well done too but it does have a rather slow/relaxed plot pace mainly at the beginning. Its a show that brings out its story not through large action scenes and complicated plots twists but through the actions of the characters their dialogues and the way they handle the situation. Will you like this show If you cannot sit through at least two episodes of no action and only talking and character development this is not your cup of tea and you will most certainly not like this show or at least it will dampen your overall thoughts of it. I will repeat again when I say it is not a fast paced show. Story 9/10: The story of Sola revolves around 3 main characters technically it has seven prominent characters but in terms of development and plot they are not as important and they are not main charecters Matsuri Shihou Yorito Morimiya and his sister Aono Morimiyam and the various mysterious circumstances surrounding the three. Yorito is in school Aono his hospitalized sister and Matsuri the mysterious girl he meets at a vending machine while taking pictures of the sky. But not all is as it seems. Why does Matsuri disappear and reappear having a great yearning to see the sky? Why is she only outside when its raining and dull? Why is Yoritos sister hospitalized why does she always have the curtains drawn closed in her hospital room? What about Yorito he seems ordinary enough but is there some hidden mystery to him? These questions are ones that will rattle around your head when the show progresses and goes on as it slowly goes on to explain them all. Looks can be deceiving memories can be misleading and not everything is as it seems. Another thing I really pride the story on is the fact that even though the plot is not that big in 13 episodes the show felt complete. It ended and it didnt leave any strings attached it didnt leave some mystery unsolved some plot element incomplete and THAT is something that I see few shows doing. It was well paced well written and most of all it was executed very nicely. Art Sound 8/10: The art of Sola certainly was a pleasure to see especially the really beautiful but simple picture of the sky that Yorito took. I really liked the background and for a show that takes place in a fairly dim environment the colors used really brought out the scenes. It didnt leave out anything in the action scenes either. For a show that is not about largescale action packed battles the animation for them were done really well. Props to the studio. Since its a Drama Romance show they could have easily not animated the scenes as long or as good but they took the effort to do so and I appreciate that. The sound was fairly well done as well a bit above average the opening and ending were nice enough but nothing to write home about. The BGM background music was decent and it fit the scene when it was played. There are one or two stand out tracks I really enjoyed but overall it was a decent set of tracks. Characters 9/10: Another thing I loved about Sola was the characters. While Yorito might seem a bit plain he is still an interesting character. Not as interesting as Aono and Matsuri but still interesting. Hes simply a high school student who loves taking pictures of the sky and can see a world of things in a simple picture of the sky whereas others simply see clouds Either hes got an artistic mind or hes hallucinating Just joking I actually liked that artistic part of him. Its not a usual hobby but it is a perfectly plausible one. The romantic character development of all the characters are very well done but I especially liked the development he went through especially after a certain plot element was revealed. Masturi and Aono are both two very interesting characters. They both know each other but Yoirito doesnt know Matsuri at the beginning. This gives them both an air of mystery surrounding them. I dont want to give too much out as that will spoil the plot a bit but I never felt that at any time their actions were unwarranted. They are very believed and understandable characters. The other 4 are sadly not explored that in detail. Its a shame as they were a little bit interesting. It is for this reason I will just lightly mention their names. Mana Ishizuki Koyori Ishizuki Mayuko Kamikawa and Takeshi Tsujidou. I felt they needed more development but it was shelved so we could focus more on the main. Thats both good and bad but I was annoyed how we didnt get good character development for them. This is one of the negatives and almost brought the character score down to 8 but I decided to give it a 9. We do get a bit of backstory on Mayuko and Takeshi but still much more could have been done. Overall though the interactions were handled really well between the characters and the drama was nice without ever giving you the feeling it was trying to be melodramatic. It did not try to force you to feel emotions using melodrama You know lots of teary scenes screaming fits deliberately butchering characters to make you feel sad like several shows try to do These are not necessarily Drama shows but thats not the point. The characters handled themselves maturely the romance was done well and the characters felt like individuals their own people and not stereotypes or cookie cutter figures. TLDR Section: Story 9/10 Art 8/10 Sound 8/10 Characters 9/10 Enjoyment 10/10 Overall Average of Above 8.8/10 Pros and Cons: +Great Character Development For the main three characters +Interesting/Well Rounded Believable Characters +Good Romance Subplot +Enjoyable but simple animation. +Enjoyable Plot A bit show paced. Not a negative for me but not everyones cup of tea. Not that much action Same as above No problems for me but thats a personal opinion. Lackluster Character Development for side Characters Forgettable Opening and Ending Im really nitpicking at this point. Overall a great show BUT not for everyone. If you cannot stand a slow pace especially at the beginning and need action every episode or two to keep you going you will mostly likely not like this show. If your not a fan of Drama Romance or Supernatural this show will most likely not interest you. Regardless of that give it a go. You might even end up liking it. :