Rennyuu Tales The Animation

Packed into one OVA are three stories, and each one drops you into a different situation where two people end up closer than they planned. That's the basic setup for Rennyuu Tales The Animation, a 2014 release from Pink Pineapple based on Momi's adult manga. The anthology format works in its favor; you're not locked into one couple or one setting for the whole runtime. Instead you get a cheerleading club pair dealing with school rumors, coworkers at a restaurant whose awkward storage room moment spirals somewhere neither of them expected, and a young idol who retreats to her dressing room after a rough photoshoot and ends up having a very honest conversation with her manager. Each segment has its own tone and dynamic, which keeps things from feeling repetitive. If you've watched Rennyuu Order The Animation and appreciated how that handled short-form adult storytelling, this follows a similar rhythm. The source manga has a devoted fanbase, and the adaptation does a decent job translating Momi's art style into motion. It's explicit, no question, but the scenarios are grounded enough that there's at least some context to each encounter rather than just scene-setting for the sake of it. At a single episode runtime it doesn't overstay its welcome. If adult anime anthologies are your thing, this is a competent, unpretentious entry in that format.