Overall Review: RDG Red Data Girl

How do you even start to chalk up a series as strange as this one?

It's strange how time flies, because it's incredible that we're already wrapping up our first Spring series of the year. Even with the pre-air, the fact that twelve weeks have gone by has not changed, and it's always tougher trying to touch at the general essence of a series than it is to gather one's thoughts on a single episode. Right now I'm feeling that traditional empty feeling at the end of something I've loved, and RDG certainly fits under that category. It's not the flashiest series, nor the easiest to understand, but it's certainly a special little gem, one I regret watching in the quality I did. It didn't start with the strongest of impressions, nor did it end on the most comprehensive of notes, and yet I found myself solidly captivated by the allure of its beauty and atmosphere within weeks.

In a season full of blockbuster hits and action round every turn, Red Data Girl is the perfect contemplative piece to round it all out. This is a series that revels in the subtle, in the importance of glances, of body language and details, and doesn't insult its viewers by spoonfeeding them its plot. It's an anime that asks us to think and wonder, and though it often leaves us staring blankly at all the pretty colors, it's certainly majestic in the way it goes about doing things. This was never a show interested in being outspoken; it concerned itself with style and substance, and though sometimes that was a bit too much, the overall effect was really rather lovely.

In the end though, atmosphere and characters are the winners here. Plot-wise this is an interesting show, but unless one is well versed in Shugendo, any hopes of fully comprehending events are meager at most. Characters, however, are far more accessible and complicated than they seem at first glance. Though I started off having issues with their one-dimensionality, the change into much more compelling characterization is nearly imperceptible. It's all in the beauty of subtlety; the series doesn't tell you what characters are like, it shows you through body language, through their reactions to certain situations, through the things they say and why. Watching Izumiko, Miyuki, Mayura, and the others is like watching a dance, a slow and silent story woven through the small indicators of movement. It doesn't seem like much, but over time the little details accumulate, and you achieve a very natural growth effect despite the lack of time to cohesively explore the fascinatingly complex plot.

Really though, this is the process by which RDG does things. It's never about being clear and easy to access, it's about creating a beautiful and ethereal experience. PA Works makes that fairly clear through the art and music, much more obviously than it does through the characters. But the themes of the series are really as lofty as the exquisite backgrounds and designs. For all the complexity of the Himegami subplot (though subplot seems like the wrong word, considering how prominent she is), this is a story about individuals. Izumiko is a girl growing up, and as she leaves behind the insecurities and fears that plague her childhood, she slowly creates herself anew. Miyuki too has to stop hiding behind his harsh words and anger toward his father in order to truly express his desires and feelings. Mayura and Manatsu have to learn to live beyond the fears of losing one another. It's about change, and seeing that which most matters to each of the characters the most.

So even though I have a hard time even relating the events of the series in a comprehensive manner, let alone trying to understand them, I can really appreciate the feel of Red Data Girl. It's not quite as important to get what all the jargon is about as it is to understand why the characters do the things they do and how they get to that point. It's more important to take the anime as an experience, as a lovely work of art, rather than as a puzzle to take apart and understand. Because despite being completely lost as to what the hell happened during the school festival, I was still profoundly satisfied at the way Izumiko and the others found peace within themselves. Not all ghosts are corporeal or visible, and more often than not the ones within us are the most stubborn to dispel. That Izumiko and Miyuki could finally overcome that and be together after all that is as satisfying as a series this mysterious was ever bound to get, and I for one enjoyed every minute of it.