The concept of parallel worlds is anything but new and has been used many times. In Munto it is realised in a short OVA which poses its own problems as there is not much time to develop story or characters.
The well-done execution and art / animation is what makes Munto worthwile. The style is quite unique and makes you want more. It is fluid and movie-like and does not make you think of TV.
Even with the little time available in the OVA format (even more so with a single episode) you learn a lot about the world(s) and their inhabitants. With what is shown and hinted it you could fill an entire series. The main focus however is on the highschool girls even if the strange worlds get their share of attention and backstory.
The music is good and fits the mood. The voice acting was decent enough - you do not notice it, which is always a good sign.
I recommend it anyone who enjoys a small epic or with a passing interest in fantasy. Munto is a very interesting OVA with a strong storyline (with some gaps and jumps but to be expected with such a short running time) and excellent artwork.
Anime: Munto
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Akuto, the main source of energy is running low and the Heavens, a world of islands, hidden beyond time, floating above ours, has united against the Magical Kingdom that supposedly uses the most energy. To save both the Magical Kingdom and the Heavens and restore the flow of akuto, the Magical King Munto must follow a vision and find the girl Yumemi in the lower world. Yumemi herself is just a normal girl except that she is the only one who can see the islands of the Heavens floating above. When Munto appears before her she starts thinking about her responsibility to the world.
Source: ANN
Source: ANN
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OVA, 2005, 1 ep, ,
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by gambit on 2003-07-04 21:30
Approval:
81.9% (7 votes)
Munto looks promising, but has some serious gaps in the story ... which doesn't mean the anime is bad. Actually, it's a pretty nice one, which is mostly because of the animation.
The animation is different from the usual animation. The characters move as if they're a bit more 3d-modeled, like in Platonic Chain (but a lot smoother). At first this looks a bit weird, but you get used to it very fast.
The anime is also very brightly colored, with lots of white, contrasting and light colors, giving this anime a very joyful feeling.
The sound is okay, the music is nice and the voiceactors aren't bad either. Can't say anything bad about it, but not anything to make it look better either.
The story is very confusing since they decided not to tell the entire story from the start. Slowly you'll realize what kind of role the main character has in this series, but even though everything about her role gets explained eventually, the story about the 'other world' doesn't get explained completely, leaving you with a lot of questions.
Still, the way how they tell the story isn't bad, not bad at all, and because of the animation this anime feels like a sort of a fantasy/fairytale which only adds to the beauty of this anime. But it still can't hide the fact that it has serious gaps in the story which are never explained.
The characters are okay. Munto is probably the most flat character in this anime, although the title is named after him, which is pretty strange.
All of the characters fit in this anime somehow. Everyone has a bit of a dreamy look over them, or something which is typical for this anime. Although not everyone gets developed (after all, it's only 1 episode) they do change a bit. Plus most of them are quite some clear characters with their own identity from the beginning.
I do suspect that there's something symbolic I've missed while watching this series, but I suppose I'll notice that when rewatching it.
I did enjoy it, even though I got a bit annoyed by the gaps in the plot. Still, it's not half bad and it deserves a pretty nice mark. Also, because it's an one-ep-story, they did a really good job on telling such a huge story. I can't name any similar anime which have told such a nice story within this limited time.
The animation is different from the usual animation. The characters move as if they're a bit more 3d-modeled, like in Platonic Chain (but a lot smoother). At first this looks a bit weird, but you get used to it very fast.
The anime is also very brightly colored, with lots of white, contrasting and light colors, giving this anime a very joyful feeling.
The sound is okay, the music is nice and the voiceactors aren't bad either. Can't say anything bad about it, but not anything to make it look better either.
The story is very confusing since they decided not to tell the entire story from the start. Slowly you'll realize what kind of role the main character has in this series, but even though everything about her role gets explained eventually, the story about the 'other world' doesn't get explained completely, leaving you with a lot of questions.
Still, the way how they tell the story isn't bad, not bad at all, and because of the animation this anime feels like a sort of a fantasy/fairytale which only adds to the beauty of this anime. But it still can't hide the fact that it has serious gaps in the story which are never explained.
The characters are okay. Munto is probably the most flat character in this anime, although the title is named after him, which is pretty strange.
All of the characters fit in this anime somehow. Everyone has a bit of a dreamy look over them, or something which is typical for this anime. Although not everyone gets developed (after all, it's only 1 episode) they do change a bit. Plus most of them are quite some clear characters with their own identity from the beginning.
I do suspect that there's something symbolic I've missed while watching this series, but I suppose I'll notice that when rewatching it.
I did enjoy it, even though I got a bit annoyed by the gaps in the plot. Still, it's not half bad and it deserves a pretty nice mark. Also, because it's an one-ep-story, they did a really good job on telling such a huge story. I can't name any similar anime which have told such a nice story within this limited time.
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female, adolescentAn adolescent (teenager) is 13 to 19 years old., compassionateSomeone who understands the suffering of others and wants to do something about it; sympathetic., green eyesThe character has green eyes., humanModern humans are the only extant members of the subtribe Hominina. Together with chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, they are part of the family Hominidae. Terrestrial animals, humans are characterized by their erect posture and bipedal locomotion; high manual dexterity and heavy tool use compared to other animals; open-ended and complex language use compared to other animal communications; larger, more complex brains than other animals; and highly advanced and organized societies., kindHaving or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature., long legsAlthough this is mainly a trait of tall characters, with enough exposure of bare or even clothed (preferably skin-tight) legs, even a short character may apply., school uniformA type of uniform worn in Japanese schools (called "seifuku" in Japanese), generally high school age or younger. They can vary considerably; commonly, females will wear a sailor uniform (modelled off the British Royal Navy uniforms in 1920) and males will often wear a "gakuran", which is a dark button-up uniform modelled off Prussian army uniforms. But expect to see a substantial amount of variety., yellow hairThe character has yellow hair. This does not map precisely to real-life blond hair.
voiced by:
Mima Haruna
male, fire magicMagical application of the fire element.
Usually strong against living beings, such as plants and animals, but easily fought by employing water.
Also usually entails immunity against heat., long eyebrowsno description set, pointy earsWell they are ears... and they are pointy... what`s more to say there?!, red hairThe character has red hair., yellow eyesThis character has yellow eyes., young adultSomeone is generally considered a young adult if they are between 20 to 40 years old.
voiced by:
Higo Masakazu
secondary cast
male, beardA beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, upper lip, cheeks, and neck of human beings., earringAn earring is a piece of jewellery attached to the ear via a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear (except in the case of clip earrings, which clip onto the lobe). Earrings are worn by both sexes, although more common among women, and have been used by different civilizations in different times., moustacheA moustache is facial hair grown on the upper lip., pointy earsWell they are ears... and they are pointy... what`s more to say there?!
voiced by:
Shima Yoshinori
voiced by:
川島宏知
female, adolescentAn adolescent (teenager) is 13 to 19 years old., brown eyesThe character has brown eyes., brown hairThe character has brown hair., school uniformA type of uniform worn in Japanese schools (called "seifuku" in Japanese), generally high school age or younger. They can vary considerably; commonly, females will wear a sailor uniform (modelled off the British Royal Navy uniforms in 1920) and males will often wear a "gakuran", which is a dark button-up uniform modelled off Prussian army uniforms. But expect to see a substantial amount of variety., short hairShort hair is hair from (but not including) bald, up to (but not including) shoulder-length hair. This hair length is what one would typically, though not always, see on most males. Short hair includes hair that goes no more than a centimetre or two beyond the chin; anything longer is shoulder-length.
voiced by:
Sasaki Ayano
female, pointy earsWell they are ears... and they are pointy... what`s more to say there?!, ponytailA ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point., very long hairVery long hair is hair from (and including) waist-length hair or longer.
voiced by:
Sasaki Ayano
female, school uniformA type of uniform worn in Japanese schools (called "seifuku" in Japanese), generally high school age or younger. They can vary considerably; commonly, females will wear a sailor uniform (modelled off the British Royal Navy uniforms in 1920) and males will often wear a "gakuran", which is a dark button-up uniform modelled off Prussian army uniforms. But expect to see a substantial amount of variety., short hairShort hair is hair from (but not including) bald, up to (but not including) shoulder-length hair. This hair length is what one would typically, though not always, see on most males. Short hair includes hair that goes no more than a centimetre or two beyond the chin; anything longer is shoulder-length., studentA student or pupil is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. The may be understood to mean only those enrolled in some sort of educational institution, but, in its widest use, it applies to anyone who is learning, including mid-career adults who are taking vocational education or returning to university, or younger researchers or artists learning from a more experienced colleague and mentor.
voiced by:
里井佳代子
female, lightsabreA sword with a column of brightly colored energy in the place of a metal blade. Most famously known from the Star Wars films., pointy earsWell they are ears... and they are pointy... what`s more to say there?!, swordA sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. It fundamentally consists of a blade and a hilt, typically with one or two edges for striking and cutting, and a point for thrusting.
voiced by:
Kawata Sonoko
female, evening glovesEvening gloves or opera gloves are formal female gloves that reach beyond the elbow. Formal gloves are typically worn with formal attire for fashion purposes; they generally serve no functional purpose. They are not to be confused with elbow gloves, formal female gloves that reach until but not past the elbow., pointy earsWell they are ears... and they are pointy... what`s more to say there?!, very long hairVery long hair is hair from (and including) waist-length hair or longer.
voiced by:
沢井則江
voiced by:
浜田真瑞
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| Last Update | Name | State | N | Episodes | HE | SP | Languages | Source | Rating | Cmts |
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| 30.03.2024 | AI-Raws | complete | 1 | 0 | ja | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 26.05.2023 | Tamaya | complete | 1 | 0 | ja en | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 20.12.2022 | UKW | complete | 1 | 0 | ja en | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 09.10.2018 | EUR | complete | 1 | 0 | ja en en es | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 27.12.2017 | -LFS- | complete | 1 | 0 | ja en | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 23.05.2012 | Anime-Heart [AH] | complete | 1 | 0 | ja fr | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 28.12.2011 | Vega | complete | 1 | 0 | ja | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 14.03.2010 | AnimeOu | complete | 1 | 0 | ja tr | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 17.01.2010 | FMI | complete | 1 | 0 | ja it | unknown | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
| 05.05.2009 | AncientMariner | complete | 1 | 0 | ja el | DVD | N/A (0) | 0 | ||
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Explanation by telengard on Wednesday, 21.04.2010 02:35