Satoru Akahori - Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl [2006]
I can't quite remember how I came across this show, which is strange considering it was less than a week ago from now. I thought the official artwork was beautiful, and the first paragraph of the wikipedia page made me laugh, so I decided to check it out. I went in expecting a slice-of-life comedy, but got a lot more; like FEELINGS.
Kashimashi begins with Hazumu Osaragi climbing up a mountain in his town, after being rejected by his crush Yasuna Kamiizumi. Scenes show of his friends, including his childhood friend Tomari Kurusu, convincing him to admit his feelings to Yasuna, and afterwards them worried about him. All of a sudden, Hazumu is killed - by an alien spacecraft landing on him. The alien within the ship, Hitoshi Sora, then brings Hazumu back to life with his technology. But, in an error, he brings Hazumu back as a female, right down to the DNA level, in a process that is irreversible. This sets up the main part of the story, with both Yasuna and Tomari eventually revealing their feelings for Hazumu, which results in a same-sex love triangle between the three girls.
When reading through some comments when I was thinking of getting the show, one person was a bit disappointed that the show seemed to go from "lots of comedy with yuri-love" to "less comedy and more drama". The story does seem to change in tone throughout the run, but I don't find dramatically; things definitely get more serious by the end, but the comedic elements still remain and pop in at the right times to lighten things up.
The series ran for 12 episodes, with an extended ending presented on the DVD release (with a total of 13 episodes overall). The series was changed from the manga to make it easier to understand, and to contain a better flow, but it doesn't change the overall message of love without gender, which the show plays with delightfully. I'm surprised myself when such short-running shows can hit you with such a lasting impact, which a definite sign of good storytelling.
You'll like this if you like SoL's, drama, comedy anime, or a mix of them. It's a sweet show, with lots of nice aspects, and definitely worth checking out.