skysenshi (08.30.2001)
SQUEAL!!!!!!!
Romantic duo Shuichi and Yuki are back, bringing with them a brand new story and a fresh new flavor to the Gravitation series. Personally, I wasn't too excited by the first TV release of Gravitation, when it was still airing in WOWOW. I found Shuichi too clingy and masochistic—not to mention overly dramatic. Well, he is still as exasperating as ever in this OVA, as he tends to lose his usual effervescence whenever Yuki takes him for granted. This title, nevertheless, happens to be lighter and funnier and gives a whole new perspective to Bad Luck and company's situation that goes beyond the sudden change in each of the character's hair color. (NOTE: observe the screenshots here and my previous opinion on Gravitation TV. You'll notice the apparent trend in hair dyeing.)

Ironically, though Shuichi is the one known for his crazy antics, Yuki's angle seems to bring out a lot of Gravitation OVA's humor. The viewer is treated this time to finally seeing Yuki's thoughts, especially his mushy, non-cynical aspect. Yes, you read it right! For those yaoi lovers out there who squeal at the mere thought of seeing Yuki dissect his feelings, well, here's your chance, girls! For what it's worth, Shuichi also develops a little backbone here. Furthermore, for such a short OVA, I was quite surprised that this one shows a lot more of the other supporting characters' personalities than the longer TV series. Now, that's another sight to look forward to.

What makes me give this title a higher rating than its predecessor is the fact that it is more solid and richly developed in terms of storyline and characterization. There's an itty bitty twist in here that only the manipulative Seguchi can pull off. Set your worries aside, ladies, because this very conflict will leave you sighing with romantic longing right after the credits roll. I guarantee total satisfaction.

After finishing Gravitation OVA, you'll finally find out where this anime's title came from. Also, it's interesting to note that the commercial break animation and voice-over of "It's...Gravitation!" sort of reminds me of Initial D (one of my favorite anime about cars and racing; see Otaku Fridge for reference).

Gravitation OVA climbs a notch higher in terms of sexual explicitness. No, there's still not much man-to-man action for us girlies to feast upon, but at least there's a little more loving here than what they used to show in the TV series. Ah, but still…I would definitely love to see Yuki and Shuichi in their birthday suits and showing more than just implied lovemaking.