THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. Theres something particularly distressing about everyday lives. Its only natural that humans want both a successful career but also to be able to keep our individuality. I think this piece of work portrays exactly that. The main character Siva is disappointed to find out that his field of work as an actor is surrounded by superficiality. He has frivolous fans that chase after him however his one true friend is his brother as well as his colleague. He is surrounded by people who only see him for his talent but not his value as a person. His twins character is particularly interesting. At the beginning of the OVA were left under the impression that he simply helps his brother out by switching with him on set and helping him ward off the fake people in his life but the longer it goes on the longer were left to ponder who he really is. As well as the relatable yet still engaging plotline its also worth noting that the soundtrack as well as the directing are wellexecuted. Despite the OVA being quite old all of these factors remain impressive even from a contemporary point of view. The voice actors deliver their lines with just the right amount of passion and the soundtracks always seem to fit the mood of the scene be it cheery or dark. Though our everyday lives arent accompanied by songs if they were I imagine that the experience would be similar. The characters arcs are wellrounded despite its short runtime with each coming to a satisfying conclusion by the end which is something I personally find to be very commendable. Though the themes introduced arent overly complex I believe that this is why Cipher hits so deeply and resonates with the everyday person. But I believe if the cast was made up of a bigger number of characters that wouldnt be possible. So you must be thinking based on what Ive said so far Cipher is clearly a masterpiece. Why is the score an 8.7/10? I think that the narrative can come off as incoherent at certain points which makes it harder to understand for the average viewer. Ive dedicated a long amount of time and research into piecing together the plotline and though without this much effort put into it the OVA is still enjoyable I think that it deserves a penalty for its unclear storytelling in some parts. Overall I recommend giving Cipher a watch as long as youre willing to understand it. Treat Cipher with care and give it the recognition it deserves.