If the memories you made while living faded after death, would you rather have not lived at all? Or would you cherish those memories to the very end?
Plastic Memories is a show that, while looking mediocre and somewhat generic on the surface, is willing to tackle some pretty heavy themes.
WARNING: This review will contain minor spoilers. Please keep in mind that it is difficult to write a wholesome review without revealing some of what happens.
Story- 9
The story can be considered as something that you're going to end up seeing a lot. Set in the future, Plastic Memories follows the protagonist, Tsukasa Mizugaki, who,
...
due to circumstances, was not given the chance to enter college. As a result, he ends up getting a job retrieving Giftia. Giftia being a special type of Android loaded with a synthetic soul that display almost all the traits a living human does. You've almost definitely heard something resembling this plot before, although this show does it better, due to one plot point. The Giftia have an extremely limited lifespan of roughly 9 years and 4 months. And after that lifespan reaches 0 hours, the Giftia loses all personality and memories.
Here is where the the protagonist and his job step in. The job of Terminal Service, where Tsukasa is employed, is to retrieve those Giftia before their expiration date, as well as terminating the program and memories planted into that Giftia. This is where those heavy themes come into play. "Our job... Is tearing memories apart."
Art- 10
The way you judge the art all comes down to opinion. Plastic Memories has a definite style to the art as well as the general feel of the show. The way they went about animating captures the sci-fi aspect almost perfectly. Character movements are smooth and fluid, and the backgrounds are absolutely amazing. At some points, when characters are talking, the shading/background color will change to some other, vibrant color.
While it comes down to opinion, the art of this show is one of my favorites, and most likely will be for a long while.
Characters- 9
While only listed as a sci-fi show, Plastic Memories is also a slice of life, with a good dose of romance as well. Tsukasa is paired up with Isla, a Giftia nearing the end of her life span.
While Tsukasa has his own problems, and Isla attempts to come to terms with her gradual loss of functionality, they go about their job, retrieving Giftia- after understanding the feelings of the owner.
This is where the show really shines. The side characters, or the owners of the Giftia marked for retrieval. Giftia display almost, if not all, the emotions a human does. Love, fear, hate, regret. After living with an Android like that for nine years, how attached would you be? Would you love that Android? Would you hate to let it go? Would you hate it for imitating a human? Would you regret making memories with it, only to have them torn apart?
These are the heavy themes I was talking about. Almost all of the side characters are wonderfully developed, whether they are someone who refuses to let their Giftia be retrieved, or someone who hates their Giftia, calling her a liar.
And let's not forget the romance aspect of the show.
Tsukasa, as the official partner of Isla, the Giftia, is also her recognized owner.
Very quickly these two come to fall in love with each other. But in comes another one of these heavy themes.
If you had a month left to live, would you accept the feeling of the person you loved glad to make as many memories as possible?
Or would you not want to hurt them in only a month's time?
Like I said, this is a slice of life show. While being a cute and fluffy romance, extremely heavy themes are present.
Sound- 8
The soundtrack is able to capture the happy yet sad atmosphere of the show.
I really can't say much about the OP and ED, except that they fit the tone of the show. (Except I love the way they animated the ending.)
One thing I noticed only after rewatching the show, is that the end of the opening, Isla seems to change her reaction as the show and the relationship between her and Tsukasa progresses.
Enjoyment- 10
I love this show. It's also the only anime that almost made me cry. And I've watched Angel Beats, Clannad, and other shows that people claim made them bawl.
The ending is just so damn sad.
Overall- 9
Keep in mind this review is completely opinion-based, and if you disagree with me scoring it a 9, that's completely fine with me. Maybe I'm looking at the show too deeply, or I'm just a sucker for romances that develop like this, but I can honestly say that this is probably one of my favorite anime of all time. That might seem like a bold opinion, but hey, that's what it is. An opinion.
Anyways, I'd recommend this show to anyone who's looking for a decent romance, as this is one of the better ones that I personally have seen recently, and I'd recommend it to just about anyone who's looking for a good show.
Have a good day, MAL~
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Aug 9, 2015
Plastic Memories
(Anime)
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If the memories you made while living faded after death, would you rather have not lived at all? Or would you cherish those memories to the very end?
Plastic Memories is a show that, while looking mediocre and somewhat generic on the surface, is willing to tackle some pretty heavy themes. WARNING: This review will contain minor spoilers. Please keep in mind that it is difficult to write a wholesome review without revealing some of what happens. Story- 9 The story can be considered as something that you're going to end up seeing a lot. Set in the future, Plastic Memories follows the protagonist, Tsukasa Mizugaki, who, ... 
Jun 24, 2015
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(Anime)
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