Sakura Diaries: Secrets & Lies, Volume 1

Watching anime, one could reasonably get the impression that Japan's schools are a hotbed for oversexed hijinks. Unfortunately, while Sakura Diaries imagines itself to be part of the wild and ribald shenanigans of school-based anime, it's actually about as thrilling as an afternoon spent in detention. The plot revolves around a teenage love triangle involving Touma, a dull slacker who pretends he is a student at a prestigious university in order to date Mieko, the local hottie who will only consider book-toting college boys as potential love interests. His masquerade fools most people, except for his cousin Urara, who is secretly in love with Touma. There might be enough fluff here to warrant a one-hour comedy, but at 12 episodes (six are collected on this first volume), the joke is stretched well beyond the fraying point. Neither very funny nor very sexy, with uninspired characters in one-dimensional situations, this is a surprisingly stale and safe offering, rated TV-14 and presented on a dual-language disc. Not recommended. [Note: Sakura Diaries, Vol. 2 is also newly available.] Aud: P. (P. Hall)