Despite having few releases overall, GoHands has produced a few successful series, one of which is the K, or K project series. I first discovered K back in 2013 a year after its release, without any expectation of what I was in for. At the time I was already a fan of one of GoHands’ other releases, Seitokai Yakuindomo, but even without watching K, it was clear that the two releases were of completely different genres.
I immediately became a fan upon watching the first season. So when I discovered that not only was there a movie release one year later, but also a sequel
...
season on the way, I was ecstatic. Because K is an original work, I was a bit anxious for this season and whether or not it would be a good release, but I had good faith that it would follow. That faith was well placed, because K: Return of Kings certainly did meet my expectations and more.
While no anime will ever have a 100% hit rate with the community, that K is an amazing series is certainly not a pervasive opinion. Strangely enough it seems opinions are often cleaved, with part the community singing its praises, and part convinced it is beautiful icing masking a mediocre cake. I don’t think the series is as good or bad as either would have you believe, but it’s important to note the objectivity. Everyone forms bias in anything they watch. K is somewhat of a controversial anime to review, so it is important that I had established my bias here. Those who enjoy an anime will tend to overlook objective flaws, while those who do not enjoy a series may be overly critical and jaded. Therefore, I think it is good to keep an open mind while reading or writing reviews. As evidence that my view is somewhat grounded, I will begin by listing the flaws of K.
Any scenes and lines that are forced is conducive to flaws in writing. We have all heard the phrase “Show, don’t tell.” While the meaning changes slightly with context, the phrase still holds heavy weight here. In an anime that is plentiful in exposition, it is crucial to balance and execute lines presented by the characters. One of the biggest issues I had with the series were moments when exposition was flat and overbearing, and other moments when it was lacking. These are common flaws, albeit ones that are difficult to work around at times. Not to be misconceived that exposition is bad; it is important for the viewer to understand what is going on, but exposition must be presented cleverly, which K does not always do. In a similar vein, K has issues with pointless and awkward dialogue. K can be a very posed anime, which is a double edged sword. Cool characters saying cool lines while in cool poses is the name of the game, and while they greatly adds to the identity of the anime, scenes like these were sometimes un-tasteful. Lines like “Your opponent is me!” or “It is my duty.” felt like they were cliches pulled from popular shonen anime, which did not quite fit the classy and cool aura. Iwafune in particular was irritating at times; it felt like he had many more lines than necessary to telegraph that he was a “laid back old man” stock character.
Another point that must be addressed is pacing. This is more subjective, and may be perceived as a flaw to some, not others. K moves at a relatively slow place. There are many blocks of dialogue, and exchanges between characters may often seem long and unfruitful. The direction is also paced more slowly. Camera shots are wide and slow, intent on giving the viewer time to absorb the visual and audio. For some this may be a deal breaker, resulting in a boring and drawn out experience, especially considering there is a fair amount of action in this anime. The contrast may be jarring, and it seems like nothing progresses during these scenes. My personal opinion is that contrast allows the viewer time to catch his breath, but more importantly time to understand the relationship between characters on screen. I will elaborate on this in the next section.
One of the biggest complaints I see about the K series is its lack of a coherent story, that pretty animation and a nice soundtrack cannot cover such flaws. I do agree that animation and soundtrack are rarely as important as core elements such as plot or characters, but I do not think this is a justified argument. The opinion that the story is sloppily written is a misconception, and what is most likely causing the cleave in opinion towards this anime. Starting with the basics of storytelling, it is difficult to establish a protagonist in Return of Kings. In the beginning of the first season, the story was clearly centered around Shiro, but the story quickly evolves into something much greater than himself. Return of Kings still lists Shiro as the main, but Shiro is not nearly as pivotal or involved as in the first season. There does not seem to be a clear protagonist here. The way K is written leads to a development of a large percentage of it’s characters instead of focusing on one. This is a difficult line to tread, since having an obvious protagonist is often what anchors viewers in a series so that they may have someone to follow or relate to. This worked in the first season, because Shiro’s crisis was an opportunity for him to lead us into the world of kings as he uncovered the truth to his identity. It was a smooth and ingenious way for us to learn about a world in which history had taken a different route, one in which there existed kings. The first season was just that: an introduction. As we transition into the current season, we already understand the meta of kings and how they function in society. If Shiro’s main purpose as the protagonist of season one was to introduce us to this world, there is no reason in particular for him to be the main focus of the current season. The events that occur caused by the antagonist organization JUNGLE involve all three kings, silver, red, and blue, and their respective groups. You could argue that the kings themselves are the mains in the story, but this isn’t necessarily true either. Yata’s development and impact as a character hold arguably as much weight as Anna, despite him being third in command at HOMRA, and her being the red king. Each character holds his own importance in his role and relationships with others, which is what makes K unique in it’s character presentation. This brings me to the next point.
The biggest driving factor of K, and the reason why it holds as an objectively good anime despite its unconventional composition, is the underlying core concepts and ideas that the anime explores. Every anime has some level of purpose to it. For the common single protagonist, linear plot presentation, the purpose is to tell the story of a character on an adventure. Understanding the purpose of an anime is crucial to interpret its message. In this case, it is quickly clear that the purpose of K is not to tell the story of a single character. K is about kings. This may seem obvious, as kings are a central focus in the anime, and the title itself, “K,” is a clear allusion to the term “king”. The ultimate purpose is slightly different: To explore the concept of influence and relationships of a king. There are many anime with similar premises of a select few powerful characters that often fight or clash. K takes this idea to the next level by exploring how different people with different ideals implement their given power in order to shape the world in a way they see fit. This is most obviously exemplified in the character foil pair of the red and blue kings. The third king’s ideal was to create a clan that would support each other like a family, built on values such as honor and trust. The fourth king’s ideal, on the other hand, was to use his clan to maintain justice and order in the world, much like a police force. It is inevitable that these two forces would clash often, as their respective priorities are at odds with each other. The result is a world much different from the one we know, a world in which power sets those apart from others. More than conflict between men with supernatural abilities, the theme is one of diplomacy and politics, pressure leading to conflict. The power they possess gives them freedom to change the world and the lives of others, but it also binds them. Towards the end of his life, Suou allowed himself to be captured by Munakata because he was not confident in his ability to keep his powers under control anymore. Suou may no longer live freely. The only way he may relax is when under the supervision of another king. The power of the kings also affects relationships far beyond the kings themselves. The different philosophies of each clan is also reflected in the relationships between clansmen and their king, and between clans as well. Fushimi is a well developed character that greatly contributes to this end. Yata constantly refers to Fushimi as a traitor, and they often fight throughout the series. However, when the cards are on the table, Fushimi does not fail to help his old comrade. Even so he never seeks thanks, and never skips an opportunity to criticize or provoke Yata. The result is a character with unique relationship with HOMRA, in that he always remains faithful, yet feels like he does not belong with them. Another prime example is Kusanagi, second in command of the red clan, and his relationship with Awashima, second in command of the blue clan. In addition to serving conflicting groups, they are clear character foils. Despite all of this, it is heavily implied that their personal relationship is a positive one, and that they have some sort of history together. These are just two of the more clear examples presented in the anime, showing that overall, the conceptual execution of how the power of a king affects the personal and political relationships of those around it was very thorough. This is all further aided by the direction, which in previous mention, allows us time to comprehend dialogue and understand the subtext of every interaction between characters.
Now that I have covered the bulk of my analysis, I will briefly comment on the more superficial aspects; the animation and the musical score. To reiterate what was commonly said about the K series, pretty animation and good music does not a solid anime make. I have already established that I don’t believe the fundamentals underlying the anime are as flawed as some are led to believe. Then I may state how the animation and music ties in as an auxiliary force. K is one of the few anime for which I am completely in love with the animation and music. It is true that K’s animation and music standalone are already noteworthy, but I believe they go above and beyond because they complement the essence of the series and establish aura effectively. The subtle yet vibrant hues and delicate lines work in perfect harmony with the unique piano based soundtrack. This all augments both the characters’ design and acting, which can be summed up in a word: cool. Even after deeper analysis, it is undeniable that K wanted to establish a certain theme of cool male characters with supernatural powers, to which it certainly succeeded. Although it is arguably superficial, establishing aura in an anime can be very difficult, as it requires synchronization between animation and musical style, voice acting, and even plot. For K to have established such a unique and strong aura as an original series was an incredible creative feat, one to which I will certainly not overlook or downplay.
The K series has garnered opinions black and white throughout the anime community, with some claiming it is the greatest thing to happen to modern anime, and others passing it off as superficial with flawed fundamentals. Although I greatly enjoyed this series, I don’t believe K rests on either end of the spectrum objectively. While it is true that some fundamentals such as dialogue are not as good as they could be, K looks at a common scenario in depth with an original perspective, which ultimately holds great value in the world of anime. I rate this anime highly because I believe it’s contributions outweigh its flaws.
I firmly believe that you do not need a reason to like an anime. Conversely, if you did not like this anime, there is nothing I can do about that, and I have no reason to deny your opinions, but I hope that with this review I can open a new perspective to both those who enjoyed, and did not enjoy the K series.
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Jan 24, 2016
K: Return of Kings
(Anime)
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Despite having few releases overall, GoHands has produced a few successful series, one of which is the K, or K project series. I first discovered K back in 2013 a year after its release, without any expectation of what I was in for. At the time I was already a fan of one of GoHands’ other releases, Seitokai Yakuindomo, but even without watching K, it was clear that the two releases were of completely different genres.
I immediately became a fan upon watching the first season. So when I discovered that not only was there a movie release one year later, but also a sequel ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 24, 2014
Hamatora The Animation
(Anime)
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*Warning, spoilers in the second half of this review.
I went into this anime with no real idea of what it was about; I had not even read the synopsis. Upon completing the anime, I decided to read through the reviews. I will mention that I did thoroughly enjoy this anime. However as should be with reviews, I will be completely objective in my analysis. I generally do not write reviews often, and not necessarily for anime that I like, but I am compelled to write reviews for anime that are objectively misunderstood. In this case, I saw the terms/phrases “lots of filler,” and “undeveloped characters” ... floating around among other reviews, which I think do not do this anime justice. Of course I will explain why. If you are not prepared to read a long review with relatively deep analysis, or simply disagree with me without attempting to understand why I think this anime deserves the points, both positive and negative, that I give it, then go ahead and mark this review as “Not Helpful” and move on. There’s no sense in wasting either of our time. The animation style wasn’t anything special. At some points it was a bit lower in quality, but the key thing was that the animation was smooth, not choppy. The soundtrack didn’t really stand out, but at the same time it wasn’t horrible. The three things I think stand out about this anime are the concept, execution, and some key character development. *MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD* Let me first begin with the concept. If you are even a moderate anime watcher, then you’ll immediately draw parallels to the iconic Darker Than Black, Durarara!, Psycho Pass, Mekakucity Actors, K project, maybe even Kamisama no Memochou. I do not know if the writing was inspired by any of these pieces, or if the story just happened to land in the crossroads of big names as mentioned, but the concept does not end up feeling overly jam-packed or forced. From the perspective of someone who has not seen any of the above anime, the concept is still interesting. Inevitably there would be a parallel drawn to the superpowers in Darker Than Black. In Darker Than Black, the condition for using powers drives a pretty key point home, that the power holders, or Contracters, are bound to their power and cannot escape, almost like the power controls them. However, this is not elaborated on in Hamatora. The group Hamatora is set up with a pair of freelance Minimum Holders who may be hired for odd jobs by, up to and including the police force. Despite this being their only apparent income, they give off the impression of being low key; they do not seem to advertise openly. This is a rather practical paradigm. As we see later in the anime, society becomes afraid knowing many Minimum Holders existed in the city, which results in rioting and chaos. A normal transaction would begin with a person who would require special help might seek out the power of a Minimum Holder. In this arrangement, the person relies on the holder to complete the job, and the holder relies on the person for payment. With this established relationship, the person has no reason to feel intimidated by Hamatora, who intends to solve their problem, because they have made a transaction just like they would with anyone else. It is a rather humble yet satisfying way to live. This is backed by the fact that Nice and Murasaki were some of the most genius Minimum Holders in history, yet both dropped out of the academy and settled in to this way of life. While the concept of Hamatora the Animation is quite clever, I was also pleased at how smoothly Hamatora was executed. Similar to how there are many anime fans who care much about an anime’s soundtrack or animation, execution is a very subjective topic in anime. Some people say execution is everything, some people say everything else matters but execution doesn’t. Most people will probably disagree with this point over the other two, so I’ll keep it short. The best way to describe execution is attention to detail, smoothness, pacing, and in general how the anime comes together. Execution is what can make a relatively normal anime with normal characters and a normal plot stand out with an iron fist, and conversely how an anime with good concept and characters may fail. An obvious recent example of good execution is the first story arc of Sword Art Online. Considering everything except the characters and concept in Hamatora the Animation was nothing special, the anime flowed rather well from episode to episode, with well paced build up and detailed character development in some areas. And of course I had to save the best for last. The reason Hamatora stood tall in front of me at the end of the day was because of its key characters. I say key characters because I do not believe every character was well developed, so please keep this in mind before reading. I will explain the ones that had good character development. *MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD* Since he was one of the first to be developed, I will begin with Inspector Art. Unlike the Hamatora team, Art is much more resolved and driven in his actions. We get the impression that he stands above Nice as an official defender of justice. We later learn that Art was the only graduate of the academy for Minimum Holders who’s power never manifested, and that he had worked very hard to achieve that. As the anime progresses, it is clear that Nice is not only a genius in terms of his superpower, but in his reasoning skills too. The reasoning behind Art’s jealousy is clear as day then. Art is a person who worked hard and obtained a prestigious position in the police force, yet is still overshadowed in every way by Nice, who dropped out of the academy and lives an apparently whimsical life, yet helps solve Art’s cases as if they were child’s play. Furthermore, Art begins to regard Nice with suspicion when they take down the purple giant Takahiro, and Nice comments, “He looks so carefree.” Art beings to draw parallels between Nice and Moral when he realizes Nice understands Moral far better than he does himself. Overcome with jealousy and suspicion, Art eventually cut Nice off from the Moral investigation. Ultimately, Art’s jealousy leads to his own tragic death, a mistake he knew he had made the whole time. His regret is clear as the last thing he does with all his might is attempt to answer a call from Nice, but never reaches it. We see some similar parallels drawn between Art and Murasaki, the Hamatora duo. The anime introduces Art and Murasaki as partners. We see them work together on missions, and have their share of disagreements along the way. Later in the anime we discover that Murasaki was a genius among Minimum Holders, and was ranked number 2 among all holders in history. While Nice is impulsive and reckless, Murasaki is far more clear headed and logical, yet occasionally becomes angry when Nice disagrees with him. Later in the anime, we find out that Murasaki has always been overshadowed by Nice. Nice is so strong and smart that it does not matter what job he takes on, or how, because he gets the job done no matter what. It is almost as if Nice leads a rather mundane life. As Nice’s partner, however, Murasaki keeps up his end of the hard work, working efficiently and logically to complete jobs and obtain the most amount of money possible. Despite this, Nice never seems to appreciate the work Murasaki puts in, and the pent up frustration shows. Murasaki is both frustrated and angry at how Nice surpasses him in every way, and does not have to try hard to do it. For that same reason, he is the best fit as a partner for Nice, because whenever Nice slips up or loses his head, Murasaki is there to punch him back into shape, driven by his frustration, jealousy, and friendship. One of the best points of this anime was how subtle yet substantial the build up was for Nice’s character. Although Nice seems to be a central character in the anime, he remains rather passive for much of it. When it is revealed that he is the legendary number 1 Minimum Holder, we realize that Nice is not simply a uniquely talented deadbeat impulsive protagonist out of a shounen anime, but the whole time he was the most powerful Minimum Holder in existence. This changes the perspective on his character. The reason he looks so bored and laid back is because there is nothing for him to be serious about. This also reveals why both Murasaki and Art are jealous of Nice, because Nice can afford to breeze through problems that are larger obstacles for them. More hints to Nice’s character begin showing when Nice encounters the transformed Takahiro, and comments how Takahiro looks like he’s having fun. Later when Takahiro comes back to ask Hamatora to help him regain his body, Nice makes a seemingly uncharacteristic decision and refuses to help Takahiro. Because Nice doesn’t care about the money and takes jobs on a whim, this seems to be a strange outburst of emotion on his part. However its at this point that Nice’s true feelings are revealed. While others struggled to hold a candle to him, he has always despised his own power and talent. His reason for half-assing everything is not because he is trying to express his superior ability, but because he hates his own power. He knows its unfair and that it distances him from his friends. But whether he uses or hides it will not change their feelings of jealousy. When Art heard Nice comment on how he thought Takahiro was having fun, he misinterpreted Nice’s meaning. Art probably thought Nice wanted freedom to use his power as he pleased, a dangerous wish. Nice’s true feelings were different. Takahiro desired his power, and obtained power. In other words, Takahiro got what he wished for, albeit in a twisted manner. Nice was jealous of Takahiro because Nice himself is very dissatisfied with the power he was born with, a feeling that Art or Murasaki could never understand. As a result, he was angry at Takahiro for wanting to throw away what he had wished for and obtained so easily. However one person did understand, and that was Moral. This brings us to the crown jewel of the series, Moral. If you look past his creepy demeanor, Moral is one of the best written antagonist villains I have come across for awhile. In fact, the only problem I did have with him was that the writer felt the need to make him come off as creepy and weird, presumably to off-put the viewer. Part of the reason it is difficult to write a good antagonist is because unlike the protagonist(s), whom the audience is meant to relate to and side with for a supposedly good cause, a well written antagonist must do things that impede the protagonist’s progress, or clash with his ideals, and by extension the viewer’s, causing the viewer dislike him. At the same time, a good antagonist’s actions must be logical, or also relatable to an extent. Otherwise it is simply a bad person doing bad things for no reason. Moral understands the insecurities and wishes of each of the above characters, which he uses to manipulate them. He sees the potential of unrest that the people would express if he simply gave the Minimum Holders a little push over the edge. When Moral justifies his creation of non-innate Minimum Holders, he says there is nothing wrong with giving someone the means to achieve their goal. As the viewer, we somehow know what he is doing is wrong, yet upon taking a step back and thinking it over, in itself there is nothing inherently wrong with helping people towards a goal. The sole purpose of Hamatora is to help people with jobs they may not complete on their own. In a way, Moral does the exact same thing, using a different method with slightly unstable people. Both ways, Minimum Holders are interacting with society. Moral knows this is a similarity in their methods, and uses it to mock Hamatora, showing that good intentions can drive people and society to chaos. Moral then proceeds to reveal the dormant fears of people by manipulating media, causing riots across the city. While on the surface it appears to be coordinated anarchy, Moral wants to send a message, that these people had always had the potential for fear, chaos, and violence. They simply lived a life of ignorant bliss by burying their fears. Moral decides to reveal this true face, causing people to realize they are unequal, thus triggering a desire to become Minimum Holders. Conveniently, Moral has developed a method to do this. In the end, Moral was able to provide society with what it truly desired. Near the end of the series, Moral talks about “saving” Nice by gaining a Minimum that will match Nice’s. Of course in the last episode, Nice tells Moral that he’s insane, that he does not need saving. Moral ended up achieved that objective as well. Throughout the anime, Nice is not only laid back, but is also lacking in emotion. Because he is so powerful and smart, he is far removed from society, which causes him to lose touch with people around him, including his closest friends. When Moral kills Takahiro, however, Nice becomes enraged and goes to fight him. This is the first time that Nice shows a strong emotion in the anime. Shortly following when they fight, Nice is at a clear disadvantage for the first half, and he gets kicked around. Moral was able to do what even Murasaki or Art could not do, make Nice feel pain and anger. In essence, confirming that Nice is human. Although Nice would never thank Moral for it, Moral knew he had completed everything he had hoped to, and embraced his defeat. We also see at the end that Art shoots and kills Moral, then shoots Nice. But Moral is fine with dying by Art’s hand, because Moral was able to drag Art into the darkness with him. Thus concludes my review. Of course I have not covered every aspect of this anime, but I feel that I did not have to. I covered what I needed to. I do not often review anime, but when I come across an anime that I not only enjoyed, but believe is objectively different than the other reviews that I read, I definitely feel compelled to put in my own word.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 17, 2014
Mekakucity Actors
(Anime)
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Upon skimming over the top 2 reviews for Mekakucity Actors, I went into this anime with rather mediocre expectations, considering as well that the average rating was below an 8. I had not heard or read anything about it otherwise.
Usually the mark of a mediocre anime sports somewhat unnatural or clumsy dialogue, and mundane art or animation. As such, I expected to encounter either. To my pleasant surprise, I immediately sensed a heavy dose of SHAFT animation, so I knew that I would at least enjoy the animation to some extent. The dialogue wasn't horrible either. I pushed on expecting to be disappointed by ... a dip in quality. I think it's here that I'll begin to go into some details. Before I begin, I will state that I am a fan of SHAFT and that I did enjoy this anime, but I will obviously set aside any personal opinion and review this anime objectively. After completing the anime, I decided to go back and read through the reviews that had originally set my low expectations. I observed reoccurring negative comments; terms such as “confusing [and] convoluted story,” “lack of direction,” being thrown around in conjunction with “average [and] mediocre animation.” The latter of which afore-quoted reviewers obviously pinned on the animation style of SHAFT. This was rather surprising, as the animation is almost identical in style to the well acclaimed Bakemonogatari series, though slightly lower in quality. The story, although sagging under heavy accusations of being overly complicated, was definitely not as bad as I was led to believe. Before reading the reviews and diving into this anime, of course I read the synopsis that was offered, which, in all honesty, did not grab my attention. It sounded like the set up for another mediocre action-supernatural-possibly-adventure anime that probably would have some fight scenes and some friendship etc. After the second or third episode, though, that the synopsis and reviews gave off a completely incorrect vibe, and that I was clearly in for a slice of life anime. Anime, like movies, music, paintings, and pictures, has the potential to be a form of art and expression. This is often forgotten when most of the movies we see nowadays only intend to net as much money as possible, and most photographs we see are random advertisements, or impulsively posted pictures on Facebook. But when the creator wants to create art, he gives the work purpose. The work’s purpose may be a gift, or to tell a story. When it comes to movies, tv shows, and anime, generally the purpose is to send a message, or tell a story. Usually when someone says the word “story,” we think of a protagonist, a problem he encounters, a struggle, a climax, and a conclusion (this is oversimplified of course for the sake of argument). And when you go into an anime like Mekakucity Actors, having read the synopsis, surmising that it will take you on a solid, linear plot straight on into the horizon, to arrive at the ultimately conclusive and satisfying ending, standing atop the highest mountain with a fulfilling sense of accomplishment or what have you, then of course you will feel betrayed and confused. What sets the slice of life genre apart from the classic adventure is the way the story is based and presented. Of course the story is the main feature in an adventure anime, and the character travels through the story. In a slice of life, however, the thing you would call a story is slightly more abstract. The definition of the slice of life genre is, literally, something along the lines of an anime that depicts a part of a person’s life. And that’s exactly why if you were looking for a good story first, you will undoubtedly be let down. Slice of life isn’t about the story. Its about a person. It’s about people. This is also the reason slice of life anime often leaves us feeling unfulfilled yet full of feels, because it follows the characters, who are human. Instead of accepting that they are who they are, we get to feel the hardships they’ve been through, and in the end you’ve created a bond with each of these characters. In Mekakucity Actors, we start by focusing on two siblings that are lost and confused, possibly expecting that they will band together with Mekakushi Dan and fight some sort of evil. While in the end, that is what happens, that’s not the point of the anime. The point is that each of these youths never wanted this power; that they are struggling simply to live a normal life, and each of them has had painful things happen to them in the past. We even go as far as to follow every single character in their past, which is more telling as to the anime’s depth. In the first half you’ll probably pass off Shuuya as some joker who likes provoking people, and Ene as some annoying program, both of which you will not much care about in the beginning. As the anime progresses, however, you will undoubtedly learn that what each of these characters has been through isn’t something to be taken lightly, and in the end, you do care about them. That’s part of what makes Mekakucity Actors such a good anime. Saying this anime is mediocre because it has a complicated and difficult to follow storyline is like saying Shingeki no Kyoujin is bad because people die too much, or that Bakemonogatari is bad because it doesn’t really have a central plot. The difference between these is that because they are so well known, Bake and SNK are immensely popular, so generally people will watch these with a preconceived idea of what they’re getting, and they will not be disappointed. But it appears many of us watched Mekakucity Actors not knowing what to expect, and expected the wrong thing. Anime produced by SHAFT certainly has a different taste than anime from other corners of Japan, sometimes creating pieces that would deter a certain number of people. With plenty of stills and wide, slow panning shots, the head tilts, and strange frames, SHAFT’s style will definitely put those off who don’t enjoy or expect their animation style. I was mildly surprised to find complaints about the animation in the reviews, as we know Bakemonogatari’s iconic animation style had made a big impact in anime, yet this animation style is not accepted here? I realized it would have to be the same problem as people complaining about the story. SHAFT’s animation style is very suited to the comedy or slice of life genre. Still and wide shots aren’t very suited for action, and action is what you will not find in SHAFT anime. This brings me back to my earlier point about the story. Expecting an action/adventure/supernatural anime would lead you to expect a more active camera, and some faster paced animation. SHAFT’s animation was a perfect fit for the Bakemonogatari series. In an anime that very closely tracks unusual, supernatural occurrences and the emotional states of the characters, the subtly to extremely surreal settings which SHAFT creates allows the viewer to understand things without having exposition projectile-vomited at them. Our main character is driving down an endless highway with featureless scenery? Subconsciously adds to the impression that the scene is awkward and dragging on. Ice cream stand in the middle of what appears to be a desert with Joshua trees, even though they’re supposed to be in Japan? A less than subtle jab at how hot it is, and how much of a pain it is to walk in the sun. While the animation in Mekakucity Actors does not go to the same lengths to exaggerate as the animation in Bakemonogatari, the wide shots and still scenes will force you to slow down and absorb how the currently framed character perceives the world around him. After all, the anime is about students who’s pasts and powers set them apart from society. I will be honest, the animation, while good, was not the best it could have been, but I still appreciated many of the settings, especially the metaphorical classroom that Ayano waits alone in for Shintaro. I have only commented on two parts of the anime, and I think that’s enough. I thoroughly enjoyed the soundtrack as well, and to reiterate, I enjoyed this anime as a whole. Generally I’m not driven to review anime, but when it so happens that an anime I not only enjoyed, but one I believe is objectively better than other reviews might have you believe, then of course I had to say something. Being late to the party, I don’t expect many to read this, but at least I can rest easy knowing my word is out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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