Kaze to Ki no Uta
(Song of Wind and Trees)

Serge and Gilbert

Kaze to Ki no Uta (called "Sanctus" in the OVA) skimps on a lot of details in the manga, but that's expected considering the fact that the original manga ran a whopping seventeen volumes in its first release. The OVA, though, does touch on some of the most significant points in the first two volumes and hints at what happens at the end.

Because of these changes, the OVA is a lot more subdued in emotion and characterization, which is good, especially if newbies happen to be watching it. Yes, melodrama is there--all over the place, to be exact--but there's still a degree of restraint in the final product that doesn't detract too much from the high emotionalism of the original.

Gilbert

Set in a boys' boarding school in late 19th century in France, "Sanctus" is the story of self-discovery, acceptance, and first love. Gilbert is the school tramp, whose activities are tolerated only because his sadistic uncle is a patron of Laconblade Academy. Serge is a wide-eyed innocent who's placed in the same room as Gilbert by the administration in hopes that his ignorance of Gilbert's nature will help in reforming the other boy. The OVA delves (though not in so much detail) into the beginnings of the boys' turbulent relationship. The entire film is set up as a flashback, with Serge returning to his old school and confronting ghosts from the past.

Aesthetically, the character designs aren't exactly what you'd call sexy. They're very dated though pleasing to look at still. Then again, we're looking at characters taken from a manga that was first published in 1977. Moreover, the purpose of the story isn't titillation even with all the nudity involved. "Sanctus" uses sex merely as a tool in its exploration (however shallowly) of some of the finer nuances of human nature.

Serge

There are no buff, sexy beauties parading around the screen. The boys are small and waif-like, their emotional vulnerability heightened even more by their awkward appearance. And that seems to be the crux of the story: a painful coming-of-age for Serge (and, perhaps to some extent, Gilbert).

What's exceptional in the overall production of the film is the use of muted, neutral colors juxtaposed with some of the loveliest pieces of classical music I've ever heard. In that sense, the film succeeds greatly in establishing its setting (with it being the late 19th century in France) as well as adding more subtle shades (so to speak) here and there, particularly where Serge and Gilbert are involved (with regard to their individual natures).

Gilbert and Serge

The end result is an hour's worth of atmospheric, melancholy viewing, with the backdrop of autumn and early winter almost being analogous to the boys' shedding of past beliefs and prejudices to make room for a kind of a new beginning. It's only unfortunate that we're not guaranteed a happy ending as hinted at the end of the film.

I highly recommend this OVA as well as the manga not so much because of its emotional lyricism (with the occasional shot of chaos) but also because of the way it manages to be cerebral without being too pushy about it.