Yota is in love with Moemi. Moemi has a crush on Yota’s friend Takashi, but he is not interested in her. Rather than try to win Moemi’s affection, Yota tries to set her up with Takashi. As a reward for Yota’s unselfish love, a magical video store appears, where he checks out a tape of “Video Girl Love.” When he plays the tape, Ai, the girl pictured on the case, emerges from the screen to spend a month with Yota. Unfortunately, Yota’s video player is not working properly, and Ai has a bit more personality than she’s supposed to.
The first four episodes alternate slapstick and angst. Generally, when the focus is on the mercurial Ai, it’s fun; when it’s on the Yota-Moemi-Takashi triangle, it’s tedious. Toward the end, the show becomes quite serious. The final episode is surrealistic, but it is spoiled by heavy-handed symbolism and an ambiguous ending.
This 1992 production is considered a classic by some. I don’t see why. While Ai (voiced by Megumi Hayashibara) is delightful, Yota is a drip, and Moemi and Takashi are simply dull. The J-pop soundtrack is instantly forgettable.
There’s some nudity and off-color humor, and the final episode gets bloody. It’s definitely not for kids.
(2005)
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