Like the Clouds, Like the Wind (known as Kumo no You ni Kaze no You ni or just Kumo Kaze) is an OVA (original video animation) that was based on a book called Inner Palace Harem Story, which won the first Japan Fantasy Novel Award in 1989, which of course led it to receiving an anime adaptation, which was broadcasted on TV on March 21, 1990. In truth, I’ve been meaning to watch it for a while now, but when Discotek Media announced that the OVA would be released on DVD in June, I decided to stop stalling around and get to watching it. So, how was it?
The story of Kumo Kaze revolves around a young girl named Ginga, who lives in the Chinese countryside with her father, sometime in the 1600s, enjoying a menial farmers’ life. When the 17th Sokan Emperor dies and his son prepares to ascend the throne, the winds of revolution and political intrigue start to blow. But even despite the difficulties of his ascension, the new emperor must still find himself an empress. The call goes out across the nation for girls to join the contest, and soon the Forbidden City is filled with young women training and competing for the chance to become empress – and who should be among them but Ginga! Although she only joins at first because she thinks that having 3 meals a day and an education sounds like a good deal, she ends up getting more than she bargained for in the process, and must rise to the challenge along with her fellow candidates, and to the dangers threatening the government she has become a part of.
One of the first aspects of this OVA that I liked was the Studio Ghibli-esque style and animation, provided by character designer Katsuya Kondō, who has served as a character designer and lead animator for several famous Ghibli projects, such as Ponyo and Castle in the Sky. Every character looks different in their own way, and they are usually very animated, with a wide variety of facial expressions suited to their specific moods. In addition, the characters had their own unique quirks and some sense of personality, such as Ginga’s enthusiasm and childness, Kōyō’s calmness and monotone voice, Sesshamin’s aristocracy and elegance, and more. Moreover, for all the simplicity in Katsuya’s designs, it isn’t afraid to delve into more adult themes, such politics, war, and the deaths of loved ones. It was also refreshing to have an anime that was centered in another country, namely, China.
However, this is where my praise for this OVA ends. Although the characters do have their fair share of quirks, they’re all pretty unmemorable, as these character tropes have been plenty of times before. I mean, where haven’t you seen the “plucky and naive girl is thrust into a dangerous situation and benefits from it” trope before? Other than the character designs, all other animation and designs are nothing special, although there are some pretty-looking establishing shots of the Forbidden City that I liked, having lived in Beijing for 2 years. The story is average as well, being your typical run-of-the-mill “underdog rises to greatness” fare, and it doesn’t take that much attention to piece together what’s going to happen next. The action scenes present here aren’t that special, and there aren’t exactly any memorable non-action scenes either, since there is no piece of animation or dialogue that stands out from the rest. Overall, the main problem with this OVA is how forgettable and bland it is.
In conclusion, Kumo Kaze isn’t a bad OVA. But it isn’t one of the greatest either. As far as OVAs go, there are plenty other fish in the sea. It’s a fun watch for the first time, but don’t expect it to be something that you come back to.
Final score: 6/10
The Art Archive 