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Jun 25, 2021
Sigh.
So, TWEWY is my favorite game of all time, and as many fans, I was super hyped (and worried) to see it animated after over a decade - I guess nobody in the fandom had had many hopes. I would like to review a good adaptation of my favorite game; sadly, I'll end up reviewing a mediocre transmedia attempt.
Keep in mind that my opinions take the game into account, so there might be minor spoilers for anime-only viewers. I'll try my best to refrain from spoilers, though.
The core of the story itself remains unchanged: the protagonist, Neku Sakuraba, suddenly wakes up in the middle of
...
the Scramble Crossing, in Shibuya. He soon found out he is in the middle of a game and has to complete the orders received by an unknown entity in order not to be "erased", while he has also to defeat enemies, especially the ones called "noise". We will get more into it later.
The element they nail the most is the music. There are many songs from the original game, well-adapted versions of them, and new music that fits with the entire vibe of the franchise. Sure, rest in peace ALI's opening, but all in all, this part is well-handled.
All the other factors come with a lot of "buts"; some are nice, some are not, could have been done better, or are simply unnecessary. Let's start with the art and animation: I like most of it. Of course, I won't deny that it took me a bit of time to get used to the new character design, but it was a change for the best, in my opinion. The transition of places and the showing of pins were a tiny gift for an avid fan of the game. However, I completely disliked the CGI noise and it ruined part of the experience to me. The design itself is alright; the problem is the flow. The scenes are not dynamic. It looks as if the noise are moving in so zetta slow motion. Because of that, most - if not all of the fight scenes seemed unexciting. Oh, and talking about fights, the pacing of the show is so ridiculous that some important boss battles ended up less than five minutes (in some cases, taking less time than "minor" battles, which is a serious issue).
Back to the story, in order to complete the "main storyline" in just twelve episodes, they had to both cut some scenes and reorder others. More "fillerish" missions go completely unmentioned and side games do not exist. So, yes, no Tin Pin, no Noodle Shop, no tag, No reaper creeper, no Going-To-Towa-Records-To-Buy-All-The-CDs-With-The-Soundtrack. Actually, you don't even know the shopkeepers which are part of the immersive experience of the game, which I find quite sad.
The scene cutting and reordering also affect the character development. Is it good? Well... it depends on whom you ask. Some characters were benefited, some not. Both major and minor characters. Let's get the protagonist, Neku, which I believed was affected negatively - the game starts with an inner monologue, which, for some reason, was cut off of the anime. I don't understand why, even with the pacing issue, as it was not a long scene. That scene is what leads to his character development throughout the story, so it was a bad move to do this. And the "filler" missions help to slowly see the growth of all characters. Without those, some emotional moments ended up emotionless.
The pacing of the show slowly improves (from drastic to bad) in some moments. The first three episodes are the worst ones in terms of pacing, so no wonder it would leave a bad impression on many viewers. The middle of the show (from around episode 5 to 10) has the best pacing, despite any other problems.
In the end, a game being adapted into a 1-cour anime is the root of most - if not all of these issues. It's obvious that the anime was just done to promote the new sequel. What saddens me is that it could have been done in a better way so that it would please both fans and newcomers, and what was needed was airtime.
And now for the cliche part of the review: if you enjoyed anything about the show, play the game if you have the chance to. If you are not able to, you can watch story-only gameplays online that will give you a much better grasp of the situation. Maybe 5 is too high given my disappointment (IT'S MY FAVORITE GAME!!!!!!!!!!), but I have too much affection for the franchise I couldn't give it anything lower. I've seen worse game adaptations, but it doesn't lower my sadness here.
Repeating once again: sigh.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Nov 16, 2019
I first heard about Mika Yamamori because of Hirunaka no Ryuusei. While it was a manga I, overall, enjoyed, I couldn't help but feel that it could have been so much better had it not be rushed. When I started reading Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, I hoped she had improved by then. Somehow, her writing skills have worsened.
It all starts when Fumi Ohno starts working as a live-in housekeeper to Akatsuki Kibikino, a writer. Not so different from Hirunaka no Ryuusei at this point, considering the main characters are around the same age gap, despite the men having completely opposite personalities.
The beginning is just your average
...
shoujo cliche, but it's cool - that's coming from a shoujo fan at least. The problem starts with the characters' development, more precisely, the lack thereof.
The first thing is Fumi's situation. The debt is not properly mentioned until later on. Actually, her father doesn't really appear until later on. Considering that it is the main point of conflict, it should have been handled better and with more frequency.
The second problem is the side characters. Despite being supporting characters, for a manga of over 70 chapters, they are extremely underdeveloped. If Yoh Tobiume, Fumi's best friend, appears at basically two pages in every three chapters to give some advice, I can't even start on Isshin Aioi and Eito Kuratsuki. All three have their moments... which last about one chapter. Basically, they are pretty much useless.
However, Gorou Kaneishi is a particular case, albeit not a good one. He works as Akatsuki's editor, so, supposedly, he should appear quite frequently on the manga, since Akatsuki is constantly working through the series. Let's say... Gorou has two "missions", as not to spoil it. The first one is in the beginning. He completes his mission. He starts appearing way less. The second one is in the middle of the series. He completes it once again. He suddenly vanishes. Yet, Akatsuki keeps working... without his editor. And the character who acts as Kaneishi's "substitute" kind of vanishes at the same time.
Another reason I am not a fan of this manga is Akatsuki himself. It comes off as no surprise, as I'm not fond of characters with a personality similar to his. And while he improves at the end of the story, some of his actions in the way are way too much for me. That being said, the script is also to blame here, as his backstory is poorly explored. They try to do something in the end, but it seems rushed and dull.
Despite all these negative aspects, TCLP has its positive traits. The first one is the art. Mika keeps being one of my favorite shoujo manga artists - if not the favorite! There is not a single chapter where it looks bad. It's simply perfection.
The second one is Fumi. While she is not the best shoujo heroine I've seen, her plain backstory helps her at this point. She is working at such a young age to help her family, which makes her a somewhat mature character, despite her inexperience in love. She is a nice girl.
In the end, my score would have been lower if I didn't have some sympathy with her work. While it's not an insufferable read, it doesn't really do much. Mika, please... focus on your story next time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jul 12, 2012
Well, my review will be as short as the OVA.
The main characters are the who girl and the popular boy who have never talked before, but one day they do and start becoming friends.
It's one big cliché, but I think that cliché animes and mangas can be good if well produced. Is this the case here? Absolutely not.
It's just a rushed anime because some team decided to turn, I don't know, maybe 30 chapters of the manga into a less than 20 minutes anime. Everything happens way too fast that you can't connect to the characters, their friendship, the romance... basically to anything. It could
...
have potential if it was a 1-cour series, we don't know.
Furthermore, the art is not fantastic enough to make the OVA enjoyable. And it's way too sparkly, so it's not everyone's cup of tea. Sound has absolutely nothing memorable.
Anyway, as a shoujo fan, it''s nothing painful to watch, but if you're not a fan of the genre (or not used to it) and/or is expecting quality, go watch something else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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