Anime: Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai: Under the Innocent Sky.

This is a very, very difficult series to review. To start, it is a very, very difficult series to watch. While this series does have great character designs and loads of ecchi, the actual plot is way too intricate for those that just want their dose of typical harem ecchi. It is a very involved series with a lot of dialogue and a lot of characters. If you're looking for a light series to watch, stay away as this series will require a bit of brain processing.

The second reason why the series is hard to review is that the suffering described above is intentionally left by the director; explaining the reason behind it would spoil the journey. The series is very confusing at first because it depicts three to four seemingly unrelated stories, all of which rotate throughout each episode. While not nearly as confusing as Touka Gettan, a large effort should be spent in the early episodes to learn all the characters (pay particularly close attention to the three male leads). In a way, the plot progression can be likened to Kanon, where you have brief glimpses of the true underlying story while slowly working through different "routes/girls".

If you're intrigued by puzzles, and the knowledge that you will be given the solution key at the end, feel free to give this action/harem a try.

Animation:
The animation is definitely very good. Colors and backgrounds are vivid and the action sequences aren't too shabby either; you even get to see imaginary monsters getting chopped into pieces. Who am I kidding, the only reason you'd possibly even consider this series is the girls, and boy are there a lot of them. If you're not convinced, go back to the main page and see all the supporting characters for this 12-episode journey. The character styling is indeed very good, and most of the important girls are easily distinguishable (by the 3rd or so episode at least). As for ecchi, expect it in heavy dosages (along with dirty talking); we're talking about girls actively showcasing er... features rather than the innocent oops you fell on top of me type.

Sound:
The OP and two EDs are fairly average with a common feel to all of them. The BGM is actually fairly active in this series. Some character themes are definitely noticeable by the end of the show, and a bit of help considering how many supporting characters are involved.

Voicewise, be prepared to be an active listener (or a really fast sub reader) as there is a LOT of dialogue in this series. Some of the voices seemed a bit misplaced, for instance the fellow council member Takauchi has way too low of a voice, even if she's supposed to sound nonchalant. Yuuko Gotou delivers by far the most convincing performance for the female VAs.

Story:
This is one of the first series in recent times that none of the major sub groups picked up. I'll admit, it's a hard series to watch. You'll be thinking wft all the way through episode nine before things start to click. But from that point on, everything slowly clicks into place and the entire grand scheme of things is explained. This is actually a really interesting take on the harem genre and I give the studio/director a lot of credit for taking this risky approach.

Basically, how do you have multiple girls hitting on a guy at once in a harem? Either you have the girls clash as found in countless series, have some mysterious time dysfunction as in Amagami, or, in this case, have multiple guys! But wait! This is still a harem, so how can that be? Watch to find out or...

Do take my word that the confusing mess -the three different plot lines- do in fact converge, and that they do so quite nicely towards the end. While there are still tons of plot holes, you can be sure there aren't any character holes. In fact, there's virtually no room for new characters, they're still introducing new, unimportant characters in the last episode!

Character:
Unfortunately this is where most harems, including this one, fall below expectations. Despite the ingenious approach to the genre, there are just way too many supporting characters involved to give serious development time to the main characters; three male leads and four main girls is a lot to cram into twelve episodes, especially considering that viewers would still be struggling in figuring out what's happening.

The explanation is given for how the girls fall for the guys, but it just feels unnatural and rushed. Therefore, romance seekers should steer clear of this as there isn't anything here for that category.

Value:
This is like a hill climb where you start at the base and climb, not knowing when you'll reach the summit. The reward at the end is the satisfaction of finally understanding what is happening and maybe appreciating the effort it took to get there. This is definitely not a conventional harem but was an interesting watch nonetheless. If only these types would have a bit more resolution...