THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS
Ahhh. A-1 Pictures. The studio who have time and time again, blessed us with their heavenly touch. Once again delivering the seasonal train-wreck that they have been doing so effectively since the creation of time itself. Being one of the most popular studios for both Western and Japanese fans; A-1 have made some of the most popular shows to come out of the medium. Many battle shounen such as Magi, Blue Exorcist, Fairy Tail and The seven deadly sins have all been met with a warm embrace from anime fans. Last year’s big hit Erased, two of the most popular
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melodramas in Anohana and Your Lie in April, and the most important one of all: Sword Art Online. They have a lengthy list of popular shows but most of which are not met with the warmest of critical receptions and many usually have a split amongst watchers. Many casual watchers who are not very invested into the anime medium praise their works for their accessibility and good production values. On the other hand, more demanding viewers have scrutinized their shows for poor writing quality, needless otaku pandering, needless fanservice and in some cases; being an absolute train-wreck. I do believe that there is a lot of truth to what many say. Most shows I have encountered from A-1 are weak and only fill a criteria in order to make the maximum amount of profit they can. To cut a long story short; they are a mainstream magnet. While some of their shows are a little excessively over hated their latest title deserves all of the hate it has gotten and has reminded me why I ultimately dislike A-1.
Fate/Apocrypha is the latest title to come fresh off the conveyor belt and put another popular A-1 show in the limelight once again. This particular fate title follows the same basic formula you would expect from the franchise, but it does have its own unique twist in the plot. Instead of seven masters with seven servants fighting amongst each other for the Holy Grail, two factions fight over the grail each with their own set of seven servants and seven masters. Fate/Apocrypha is an alternate universe that branches off the fate/stay night universe where the Holy Grail has disappeared after the third Holy Grail war and has landed in the possession of a mage family that declared that they are in ownership of the grail and secede from the association.
As cool as its premise might sound on paper, Fate/Apocrypha is absolute trash. It’s a downright train-wreck no matter which angle I approach it from. Its first mistake was starting off with a draining info-dump. A fantastic way to immerse the viewers! But that is far from the worst problem. The show tries to make the audience in some way, shape or form care for over fifteen named characters all of which either look like generic waifus or characters out of a final fantasy game. When you have Jack the ripper being portrayed as a loli, that really says a lot about what kind of show this is doesn’t it?
Let’s also not forget about a certain trap that took the anime world by storm. I wouldn’t blame guys for pulling their dicks out to Astolfo since he resembles a female more than actual females do. Apart from blatant fetishizing, enabling those who want him as their waifbando to better self-insert and fulfill their deviant wishes. Astolfo's backstory was never really dug into enough to make him a distinguishable character with his own vision and ideals which further fuels the point that the only purpose he served in this calamity of a story is otaku fuel.
The fate franchise has always used sympathetic backstories to draw attention from the viewer. This worked far more efficiently in previous fate titles because they were about a much smaller group of characters who were a lot more distinctive from each other. Despite my problems with other fate incarnations, their characters were easier to care for because of tighter focus and a more well-structured surrounding plot. In this catastrophe, the show will very loosely reveal glimpses of a character's past while immediately transitioning to another character in a completely different scenario. This is not only immersion breaking for the viewer, but trying to split attention between a huge group of characters all of which look similar and are mostly generic anime archetypes is a huge step in achieving train-wreck status. Most characters lack any sort of meaningful characterization and most are too cookie-cutter which ultimately drags them down to the dirt. In addition to the characters being poor, the relationships between them are equally as dull with barely any engaging character chemistry or dialogue due to the dry atmosphere, dull presentation and lack of charisma from any of the cast bar Ruler who unlike everyone else, has some style and charm embedded in her. The rest are not worth mentioning individually as they generally share the same problems, a perfect example of lackluster script writing and the overall stupidity of most A-1 shows.
Furthermore, Fate/Apocrypha takes the extra step of killing off a character that seemed to be important to the overarching plot in just the 4th episode. All while desperately leeching for the audience’s sympathy with a half-baked and ham-fisted flashback right before his death. And you think that’s bad? What is even worse than that scenario is that he gave his life for a self-insert protagonist whom he’d just met by giving him his heart. Fate/Apocrypha cannot only handle its cast properly but it exceeded my expectations by handing me one of the most contrived scenarios in anime I have seen in awhile. Yet again, another perfect example of incompetent script writing.
Additionally, the bland self-insert protagonist whom had his life saved in the most contrived manner possible, makes one of the most ridiculous decisions he could ever have made. Being a homunculus made for war he escaped his captives under the protection of his trap-bait waifu and finally had the chance to live a free life. A sane human being would pick that option right? Well think again. This piece of shit character decides to jump straight back into the battlefield to save the other homunculus being held captive all of which he doesn’t even know personally on top of going to fight for a brainless reason just after being held in a container all his life.
As bad as the characters and script are in Apocrypha, what ultimately makes this show horrendously disengaging is that nothing in this anime feels important. It’s almost completely devoid of personality and energy making it an absolute snooze-fest nine times out of ten. Energy stems primarily from the characters. A charismatic cast is what gives a show charm and in effect, makes it more immersive. But I feel none of that from apocrypha. Its plot doesn’t have a single shred of significance. What was the final straw for making me realize this is when a character attempted to sacrifice themselves in an attempt to take a formidable enemy with them. At that point in time I gave more fucks about cutting my nails than an artificial character with an artificial flashback that was thrown into an artificial scenario. And to put the icing on the cake, our bland self-insert was revived from almost certain death without any logical explanation. I call a bullshit asspull! If that isn’t the perfect sign of a train-wreck, then what is?
Even some minor thematic significance does not stop a train-wreck from being a train-wreck. In the second half the anime started to explore some ideas relating to the nature of humanity and its salvation, ultimately ending in failure. Furthermore, Fate/Apocrypha never showed any illustrations, actions or consequences to serve its themes. Instead it presented them through bland characters who served as mouthpieces telling the audience about the themes instead of showing them through the plot to. It shows glimpses of events through some character flashbacks that support its themes but none of them are developed enough to leave an impression. With poor presentation and underdeveloped theme exploration, Fate/Apocrypha’s story proved to be arguably one of the most boring rides in anime i have had the displeasure of participating in this year, further highlighting why this anime is probably the biggest failure of its airing season.
The one thing I hoped could pull through so I could keep my attention on this show was the action scenes. After all, Fate titles are well known for having some breathtaking action sequences. And yet even they are for the most part were only average and do nothing to get me hyped in the slightest. A-1 Pictures usually have good production values for all the shows they adapt from a popular source material. The character designs range from generic light novel designs to designs that look like they came out of a JRPG. The technical artwork on the characters and backgrounds are nothing to write home about and are too plain to breathe any life into the story but nonetheless the technical artwork was acceptable. The animation is what ultimately let me down. During most of the show’s action scenes the art simplifies and there is clearly a lack of attention to detail. Furthermore, the action directing is very messy and the “camera” panning is too quick and shoddy, making the sequences difficult to follow and only adds to the laziness noticeably evident. Clearly A-1 don’t give a donkey’s ass because the name of the franchise alone will make money for the production committee. Its highlight was episode 22 which featured some brilliant sakuga sequences that stretched all the way till the end of the episode, unquestionably making it the best episode in the show and the only action sequences that are praiseworthy, but one episode full of breathtaking animation does not excuse all of its technical shortcomings littered all over the show.
Similarly, the OST is typical for the kind of show this is. There are two tracks in particular that work well with the action sequences and serve to add some tension. It’s a shame those tracks weren’t used on an action anime that has far more passion put into it. Both the opening and ending are very forgettable and can easily be skipped every episode. While the voice acting works well enough for most characters, some over-exaggerated screaming scenes full of over-bloated drama were unnecessarily magnified to the point of borderline cringe. It could be due to inexperience and it’s not a relatively damaging issue in the grand scheme of things but nonetheless it was distasteful.
Now I have surely made Fate/Apocrypha seem like the spawn of satan, and it’s bad enough to be placed borderline bottom of the barrel. When you look at how many problems this show has and how little qualities there are to be taken away, an individual has every right to label this anime as a failure. But to its credit, this anime somehow managed to improve about two thirds into its episode count. Of course, it’s not saying much when a show is extremely incompetent and all of a sudden decides to start doing a satisfactory job at the most basic of tasks. There was so much room for improvement that even someone with no professional writing experience like myself would be able to glue some paper over the cracks and steady the ship. In the middle of its run, the show killed off a multitude of characters in a huge battle, most of which were throw aways with either no characterization or minimal characterization and i did not care for them in the slightest. But as a result of its character clean up, the show stopped spreading itself so thin by concentrating on a smaller cast which were more vital to the plot and gave the audience some insight into their personality and goals. Furthermore, a clear antagonistic force was established with a concise objective that stabilized the plot, and for the first time, Fate/apocrypha showed some competency in juggling character focused episodes and action sequences. Everything in the show from this point on had more weight placed on it, a sense of importance that I got from nothing in the first half, which was simply an empty casket. Instead of simultaneously throwing together multiple random encounters that were more jarring than exciting, the plot became more focused on individual arcs and events which made it easier to sit through. Even the action sequences slightly improved, with more convincing directing in the latter half.
However by that point that damage was all but done. No matter how much you try to plug the holes on a sinking ship, eventually you will run out of paper for the cracks if the ship continues to come under fire. Its improvements were still vastly overshadowed by the poor characters, bland aesthetic, dry atmosphere and cookie cutter plot filled with holes. Any events that followed were still uninteresting and the execution was simply tasteless. By the time the show elevated its drama and plot with higher stakes, i couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters.
Like I said previously, Fate/Apocrypha is trash. A textbook example on how to make a train-wreck of a story with barely any redeeming factors. Just another anime that should be thrown into the dumpster just like 95% of seasonal anime that air. It spreads itself so thin that none of the characterization or major events have any semblance of importance and to top it all off its story is an atrocious mess with a lack of focus. At this point I have almost completely lost all faith in the fate franchise, and titles like these highlight why I ultimately dislike A-1 Pictures as a studio. Many in the anime community say that studios cannot be completely accountable for most anime they produce because most don’t hold the same staff in-house for every project. There is certainly truth in that statement, but it’s clear as daylight that A-1 have an identity and that is to be a completely mechanical workshop devoid of creativity, solely designed to pump out shows in the dozens that will make every otaku’s dick wet all while completely forgetting about the script. Don’t get me completely wrong, I do enjoy some shows from A-1, and I’m sure I’ll find some more of that nature in their extensive catalogue, but it’s shows like these that keep supporting my argument that A-1 are the circus of the anime industry and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
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Dec 30, 2017
Fate/Apocrypha
(Anime)
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Not Recommended
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS
Ahhh. A-1 Pictures. The studio who have time and time again, blessed us with their heavenly touch. Once again delivering the seasonal train-wreck that they have been doing so effectively since the creation of time itself. Being one of the most popular studios for both Western and Japanese fans; A-1 have made some of the most popular shows to come out of the medium. Many battle shounen such as Magi, Blue Exorcist, Fairy Tail and The seven deadly sins have all been met with a warm embrace from anime fans. Last year’s big hit Erased, two of the most popular ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Dec 2, 2017
Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings
As someone who is very intrigued by human-monster stories, parasyte caught my attention immediately as soon as I heard of its existence. With the 1989 manga being a highly praised classic, it’s no wonder the community was excited to see how this adaptation will unfold. Landing in the hands of the illustrious studio madhouse and receiving two cours worth of content, parasyte looked in very good hands. There is no other studio that can capture a gritty sensation full of tension as well as madhouse as they have proved they can create works of that calibre with Monster and Kaiji being the two best examples.
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And for the most part it certainly delivered on the promised hype. Instead of opting to focus on one or two specific elements parasyte wanted to be a jack of all trades with high stakes action, intellectually stimulating themes, a dash of psychological elements and even some romance. Its balance between so many tones provided the show with something for everyone to enjoy and is one of the core reasons why it exploded with popularity when it aired back in 2014. Though it is without a doubt unquestionable that the anime did have some very obvious defects along the way that detracted from it reaching greater heights despite doing a moderately good job juggling so many balls.
The first ball is the action and I would say is the dominant one. Before it’s a romance, or a psychological show, parasyte is a high-intensity action thriller. Most of its plot is driven primarily through its action sequences. The action scenes on their own are breathtaking. Throughout its entire run parasyte’s animation was fairly consistent and that kept the action from falling into mediocrity in the latter half, something that happens to a lot of shows in their 2nd half. Along with the animation, parasyte was heightened by its thrilling EDM OST. It’s quite rare to see an anime in this era with an OST of this nature, and I am not personally a fan of the music but parasyte nailed its use completely. Before action sequences were about to begin, the show opted to use more mysterious and slower paced soundtracks to build up the tension and heighten the level of danger. Once the action scenes themselves initiated, the soundtrack switched to a more fast-paced beat to capture the feeling of intensity that comes with parasyte’s action. Packaged in a great exterior by the animation and OST, the action scenes were further enhanced by the high stakes that came with them. There was no room for error, no room for breathing. With every mistake Shinichi made, he got punished for it, and even making one mistake in a deadlock battle with his enemies could have been the end for him. With every grating strike; the stakes only increased, and this is what ultimately makes parasyte’s action scenes great to sit through. When shit hit the fan; the adrenaline and tension were unreal. The second ball is the character relationships. This wasn’t handled rather too well, with the cast being hit or miss as a whole. What was the highlight of this section is the dynamic relationship between Shinichi and Migi. Having completely different morals and ways of living that were consistently clashing is what made them such a joy to watch. Their character interactions were meaningful to the story, engaging and throughout the show they both grew as characters by understanding each other’s viewpoints. Furthermore, as individual characters their character progression was interesting, instead of progressing in a cookie-cutter manner, Shinichi and Migi slowly started to develop traits that were present in the opposites personality, with Shinichi becoming more like a parasite and Migi showing more human traits as the story moved along. Migi’s growth came as a result of furthering his understanding of human society and the social norms that comes with them. Shinichi’s case is unfortunately not as natural but nevertheless it was still engaging to watch his character progression as the plot unfolded. Both of the Main characters beliefs were challenged as the series progresses, but their ideals are never truly changed. This action plays positively into parasyte’s hands as it highlights one of the shows biggest messages; to never try and understand the mindset of a different species from your own, as it’s impossible to judge them using your own species standards. The third ball is the romantic relationship between the two female leads. This is by far the weakest section of the show. Kanna and Murano were both very weak as characters and i would go as far as to call them useless. Their contribution to the story can be summed up in two lines. “ARE YOU REALLY SHINICHI-KUN?” and, “SHINICHI YOU ARE THE ONE”. Yes. That’s it. Murano is a classic anime plot device that only exists to forcefully let the audience know that Shinichi is not the person he once was like a propaganda tower preaching some third-rate ideology. Additionally, she was always a damsel in distress. She found herself on more occasions that one in sticky situations so Shinichi can have a girl to save. Other than that, she was only there to comfort Shinichi. Realistically speaking their romantic relationship makes sense as they knew each other for a long time, but the role that Murano plays in the story is stupid and trite. On the other hand, Kanna was completely retarded. Having being introduced quite early on in the story Kanna fell in love with Shinichi only a few episodes after they met and it was for the most stupid reason you could imagine; because she could sense his presence using some stupid unexplained sensing technique where she can feel a parasyte’s aura if one was nearby. First of all, why does that sensing technique exist? Second of all, why was she attracted to him for such a petty reason? And last but not least, which human being is stupid enough to risk their life to meet someone even after being warned? Serving zero purpose to the overall plot and proving to be more retarded than a 5-year old, Kanna only existed in the show to once again ham-fist us the point that Shinichi is not the same he once was. The fourth and final ball parasyte tried to juggle was tackling a wide range of themes including identity, ecology, human nature and more all mixed into its story and characters. I will refrain from talking about its themes too much as it will get into spoiler territory, but the hot topic that was present from the very start and is the essence of parasyte is a study of ecology. Primarily about how different species interact with one another, both physically and mentally. Throughout its entire run, parasyte raises questions about whether different species should attempt to understand each other, the purpose of a species existence, the fundamental reasons on why a species behaves the way in which they do. Parasyte is filled with interesting ideas and concepts not present in many anime from this decade. Some of the themes explored are disconnected from each other, but that doesn’t stop parasyte from being an intellectually energizing work that will certainly leave an impression. The character who drove the ecological developments of the show forward was Tamura Reiko. Her role in the story proved to be one of the most important as she was the main focal point for Parasyte’s themes. Her character progression was joyful to watch as she questioned the reason for her species existence as well as trying to empathize with human behaviour, particularly the significance of the maternal bond in later episodes. Identity was also explored through Tamura’s significance to the story. But not an identity crisis in the same sense as Shinichi, but rather the identity of an entire species as she searched for a reason that validated her breed's existence. Another notable character is the main antagonist of the show; Goto. While not as interesting as Tamura Reiko Goto still has a role to play, and that is being a representation of the untainted beauty of nature. He in himself is an illustration of a wild animal simply on the hunt and following his instincts. Not influenced by outside sources or societal constructs. In a way, Goto is also an answer to one of Parasyte’s biggest questions; what are the parasites? Goto shows that no matter how strong a creature may appear on the exterior, internally they are just another life-form frightened by the mere fact of losing their life. The anime preferred to only touch upon these themes rather than viewing them as a whole under the magnifying glass and can at times be a little forced due to the over dramatic nature of its cast, but what was impressive is that parasyte wasn’t sugar-coating its ideas or being idealistic in its thematic approach. It presented its themes through an unbiased lens, showing the darker sides to humanity when it could have easily played them out to be the heroes, and giving the audience an understanding of the parasite’s actions while it could have easily played them out to be the villains. It’s an accurate representation of the law of nature and the ecosystem that governs all the species that live on planet Earth, all while mixing in fast-paced action sequences. It is plagued by obvious drawbacks but it achieves a good balance between popcorn entertainment and insightful commentary on the nature of humanity and ecology as a whole. It could have very easily crumbled under the pressure of mixing so many elements at once or being too overly-ambitious in its thematic approach and as a result coming off as convoluted or over-bloated with unnecessary dialogue. But the show kept its composure and is all around a nice piece of work. As far as the technical side of things goes, Parasyte was solid for the most part.The show could have benefitted from a grittier art style to match the sense of unease that the show was going for, but nonetheless the artwork and art style were nothing to write home about but worked well enough for its contemporary setting with both the character designs and backgrounds satisfactory. The animation during the action sequences was also quite fluid with only a few noticeable derps. However the show is bogged down visually with some immersion-breaking CGI on background characters multiple times. There are also a few problems present in the plot that do make it a little difficult to take Parasyte a little seriously. Most of these problems do arise because the director is tasked with trying to adapt material that is set in a different time period. Keep in mind that this manga began serialization in 1989. As a result of the director’s poor translation of the material into a modern setting, the writing did come off as stupid at some points in the show. Another setback were some contrivances in the final two episodes which influenced the outcomes of the Shinichi vs Goto fight and the ending of the series which made it feel rather cheesy, a bit of a blunder for a show that was asking its audience to take the ride seriously. But ultimately those drawbacks didn’t matter too much to what the show conveyed and achieved. Whether you are a diehard anime fan, a casual, a pleb, a critic, an elitist, a cat or a dog. It’s an anime i encourage everyone to try as it’s one of the only recent anime that is capable of providing something for everyone to enjoy. Romance, action, commentary, social criticisms and a grim reminder of what it feels like to not be on top of the food chain.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 13, 2017 Not Recommended
When a new anime season comes around; consumers of all tastes keep their eyes peeled for new fresh blood that can potentially have an impact on them and become a new favourite. As years have been going by it’s been getting harder and harder to spot potentially good shows as generic titles embracing the mediums current tropes are flooding the seasonal charts and no signs suggest this will stop anytime soon. So when something comes around with a premise that highlights potential, it’s understandable that people would get excited for it, especially if the source material has an existing fan base who are spreading around
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exhilaration for the adaptation. I am also one such consumer who looks out for potentially interesting shows that can stand out. I had my eyes peeled at an anime that I really thought could have been good. The production values were there, the premise was there, the potential was there. But as per normal with a lot of anime nowadays; the execution was not quite there. So this anime gets the honour of a review dedicated to how it missed the mark. And what is this special anime? Enter Sukasuka. A light novel adaptation that could have been good; except it wasn’t.
Sukasuka had a nice set of ideas to become a good light novel adaptation. But the foundations weren’t set right; the characters being the first problem. With a multitude of characters introduced in the first few episodes, the show should have explored them all a little more thoroughly to bring its themes to life. Furthermore, some side characters introduced in the latter half of the show lacked any authenticity and served only as plot devices for information on the plot without playing active roles as proper characters that can serve the themes and story. The setting also had a lot of potential for some exploration on issues such as child soldiers, war, conspiracy and potentially other themes relating to the situation that the anime presented. There were plenty of instances where some side characters had potential to be explored to support the larger narrative and the setting, but the show opted to go for a more passive take on fantasy conflict by attempting to depict a romance between the two protagonists which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It could have given it a unique edge against other anime in its genre that all rely on action as their main appeal to attract an audience, but it’s unfortunate that the romance between the protagonists was poorly illustrated. From the very first scene in the anime, the main male character Willem conveniently stumbles upon the main female character Chytolly and within an instant they go on a date together. From the beginning of the anime their relationship began on a forced note making it already feel unnatural as both characters fell for each other far too quickly and it could have benefitted the story more had the progression of their love felt natural and realistic. In effect, this makes the development between them not as engaging as it could have been and took away emotional value in later events. What also doesn’t help the case is Chytolly’s overabundance of emotional breakdowns which led to a lot of excessive melodrama that came off as unwarranted and annoying rather than genuine emotion that could also have made for some touching scenes if they weren’t excessive and had the romance being good enough for me to care. The only sort of silver lining the romance between the protagonists has is some of the quirky dialogue the two share that managed to at least put a little smile on my face and it was quite endearing to see, but overall it’s clear to see that the romance could have been portrayed with more care and its clumsiness is clearly visible. In contrast to the side characters, both of the protagonists as individual characters were fleshed out and developed. Each with their own dilemmas and this is the only worthy praise that I will give sukasuka excluding the audio-visuals. Chytolly’s and Willem’s traumas tied in with the central themes of the show and were also used as a way to reflect their progression to mutual love. As they got closer to conquering their ordeals, the more they fell in love with each other. Also the subject matters of happiness, finding a place to call home, fighting for people you love and loosely family were all present as themes in sukasuka. They were all expanding upon and depicted thoroughly enough to make the backstories of the protagonists engaging. Its execution in this department was rather straight forward but satisfactory enough to get a pass mark. Everything the show aims to accomplish is brought together in a thematic sense and the relationship between the mains hits a surprisingly enjoyable and well produced emotional climax. But once again; its lack of care in the romance department hindered the emotional impact of the ending a little and it could have been far more emotionally gripping had the romance been depicted better. The setting itself is what showed the most potential in sukasuka out of all its features. World-building is of utmost importance in a fantasy anime. In a story that doesn’t take place in the world we know today, viewers have to be informed through the plot how the world works, how people in the world interact, the lore of the world and more. Sukasuka wasn’t completely devoid of world building. On the surface level it had established an interesting world that set the stage for a tragic story. The tragic backstory of the protagonist Willem was also tied in with the lore of the world to provide some much needed synergy between the characters and the setting, especially in a show that was lacking any sort of connection between the world and its characters. What ultimately let the show down in this department was not using the full potential that its setting provided. It set the stage for some potential theme exploration on controversial topics that would have made for an interesting experience. The group of children Willem has been tasked to care for are all ancient weapons fielded off to face the enemy and misleads the audience into thinking this would be a very important plot point for the anime, but due to the direction the anime took this plot point was sidelined. As a result the show spent time on cheaply telling the audience on the dilemmas faced by the children rather than showing many consequences as a result of them being used as weapons of war. By far the best element of Sukasuka was the beautiful OST which was used to perfection. Placed in important and impactful scenes to heighten emotional impact and never overused to make the soundtrack feel redundant. Both the OP and ED were a pleasure to listen to and even work well as standalone listeners at any time. Alongside the audio the visuals also thrived. The show had a nice clear and neat colour palette that was exquisite to look at. The character designs were quite generic in appearance but were drawn neatly and attractive. Backgrounds were up to standard and the animation was quite good at times during some of the fight scenes. This anime certainly isn’t an outright calamity. Compare it to most anime that air today and it will look like a gem to recent catastrophes like Eromanga-sensei. The ideas were all there. Under the hands of a more competent and experienced writer the show could have flourished into a fine fantasy anime. Yet it never set the foundations well enough for all of its ideas to wholly blossom which is a shame considering the show did have good intentions. Under the rubble it still has some merits to take away, and it’s these positives that set this anime apart from the vast majority of light novel adaptations that are pumped out consistently every season. It is fully recommendable to hard core fantasy anime fans or just casual fans looking for an anime that offers some easily digestible entertainment. But it is instantly passible for experienced fans that are demanding more out of the medium than a simple romance story that isn’t competent enough to do a satisfying job and would turn out rather average for those people. Sukasuka is not a bad show. But it simply has far too many shortcomings to be considered a success story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 28, 2017
Macross: Do You Remember Love?
(Anime)
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Recommended
Most people in the anime community have probably heard of the show Mobile Suit Gundam. It’s unquestionably one of the grandfathers of the anime that air today. It proved anime can have narrative that can be taken seriously by an adult audience and the tropes that it perfected for its time are still used in anime today, even if the mecha genre is dying they can be seen in other genres and if you watched the original Mobile Suit Gundam it won’t be hard to trace back the tropes. It is arguably the most influential anime of all time and deserves to be placed on
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a pedestal for its historical value. But many people miss out on a mecha title that is disputably; equally as important as Gundam. That anime is Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Macross captured the hearts of many anime fans that were already indulged in the medium and brought in a new wave of admirers from overseas. It is also the progenitor of all the idol anime that have flooded the market in the last 6-7 years. For many it has cemented its place as one of the anime classics from the 80’s.
Macross: Do you remember love is an alternate re-telling of the original Macross TV show that began airing in 1982. Both instalments of the franchise were brought to life by Studio Artland, the same studio who have produced acclaimed shows such as Mushishi and the king itself; Legend of the Galactic Heroes. The movie features the exact same themes, characters and style found in the original, but it condenses all of Macross’ elements into two hours of runtime. You would think that trying to condense components of a TV show wouldn’t work in a two hour movie, and that it would come off as “rushed” or “crammed”. Let me assure you that DYRL(will call it this from now on) manages to take everything that was good about the original and produce something that is if not better; on par with the original. The same cast from the original Macross returns but due to the re-telling of the plot, their roles are somewhat played out a little differently, but the core elements of what made those characters who they are remain the same. What really stands out about the cast most is how well their chemistry just clicks. The biggest hand in making this work is their personalities which all bounce off each other so well to create plenty of entertaining interactions throughout the movie. They are what give character friendships a real sense of comradery that is missing in many casts today and the romantic relationships just clicked in the blink of an eye from the get go. Snarky remarks, flirtatious dialogue, amusing jokes, Macross’ cast had it all. With great personalities and cast chemistry, DYRL doesn’t want you to like its characters; it wants you to love them. Likewise, one of the most prominent plot points in DYRL was a love triangle between Ichijou, Misa and Minmay. For the most part, the romance was executed fine. Instead of painting a realistic picture on the romantic relationships, Macross opted to go for a more idealistic portrayal of romance that many young teenage girls and boys would dream of being involved in when thinking about relationships that comes with their age. On top of not only accomplishing the task well, the idealistic romance would appeal to a huge demographic as both teenagers but adults can also relate to the cast as they also know how it feels to be in the shoes of a teenager. Hikaru and Minmay’s chemistry felt so natural and so rapid that it almost felt like a completely believable tale. It’s this charm and connectivity between the characters that is the focal point of the story and what marks Macross: DYRL as such an immersive and magical experience. On the other hand, Misa’s romantic relationship with Hikaru was a little less plausible. While I feel it was ultimately a success, Hikaru’s chemistry with Misa was not as convincing as Minmay. While starting off on a negative note because of Hikaru’s immaturity they were given a sufficient amount of time to bond later on in the film. The love triangle was certainly more of a success rather than a failure, but what was evident in the latter half of the film was some netorare that didn’t serve any purpose to the narrative and felt like a cheap hoax to manipulate the emotions of the audience. Given the drastic situation at the given moment it could have worked far better if it served the overall narrative in a meaningful way, but thankfully the netorare didn’t last long enough to detract from the story. Another drawback is the lack of characterization given to the secondary cast. They were all on the periphery offering some occasional banter and nothing more. I wasn’t personally too bothered as seeing the original Macross had already connected me with all the cast. But the side characters' lack of screen time and characterization is undeniably valid criticism that would be nearly impossible to refute. The very first sequence is perfect for capturing everything that makes macross the anime it is. The audience is immediately thrown into one of the Minmays concerts and is immediately interrupted by an attack. The heat pumping OST, the slick dogfights, the humorous banter, Minmays infectious music. It captures the “feel” of Macross perfectly and does a magnificent job of increasing the excitement for the rest of the movie. From then on, the rest of the film is briskly paced with a very fine balance between being a dramatic war story and a charming love story. Both elements are integrated comfortably without detracting from each other and the music also plays an integral part in the plot without being a one-dimensional gimmick merely just for fan service, as one of the core themes in DYRL is the power of music, and how it bring people together regardless of ideology, culture or race. On paper, DYRL’s story is ludicrous. Not in the random sense but its premise is one that would probably not be found in any other show apart from other macross instalments. Leaving the fate of the galaxy to a single j-pop song is about as ambitious as an anime can get. But as ridiculous and stupid as it sounds; Macross makes it all tick by giving solid context on the origins of all the races as well as the culture currently up taken by the human race known as ‘protoculture’ in the story. The story isn’t the most intricately written nor does it tackle a multitude of complex themes. But using enhancing tools to an anime like music as a means to serve its overall story is quite unique especially for its time. Some have criticized the film for its overly idealistic narrative and characters, which are far too blinded by love. They are both understandable points as to why someone wouldn’t like the nature of the anime. However its earnestness, charm and its charismatic cast are all what make its narrative compelling and the tone it establishes with all these elements works seamlessly with its idealistic narrative and ultimately what won me over. The most impressive element of Macross:DYRL is by far the OST and the animation. Both were already strong in the 1982 TV series, to the film takes it to a whole new level. And that is also taking into consideration that it’s made in 1984. All of the dogfights are energetic and the Jazz fusion soundtrack only enhances the experience; making them more adrenaline pumping. The art style is the classic 80’s anime art style that is found in most shows around that time period that serves well to bring out the spunky charm the characters all possess. The character designs were nicely drawn and anything mechanical was drawn with top notch attention to detail. There were a few small derps when the characters moved but punishing the film because of that would be a serious case of nit-picking. Its animation still holds up today as some of the best I have seen. As good as the Jazz soundtrack is being played over the dogfights; the most noticeable tracks in the OST are Minmays songs. All of them are great standalone listeners but the best of them all has to be by far is ‘do you remember love’. It complements the tone and romantic energy already established in the film perfectly. And all the elements in the film come together in a spectacular display of animation skill and visual flair to create one of the most memorable finales I have personally had the pleasure of watching. It was the climax of everything the film stood for and set out to achieve. To the core theme portrayed, the energetic dogfights, the charming music; everything intertwines and is executed so well that I cannot do anything but congratulate the staff on a job well done. In the 80’s Macross was one of the most popular anime around. Macross:DYRL was the most rented VHS at the time. The US remake(robotech) brought in a new wave of fans into the medium. More instalments in the franchise are still being made today and it is largely responsible for the influx of idol anime today. Macross’ value runs deeper than just achieving critical and financial success. It has historical value that has kept it relevant throughout time. It cannot be argued that it comes with its drawbacks. The romance and characterization isn’t quite as tightly written and believable as the original, but everything else in the story was well done. I highly recommend DYRL to just about any anime fan, as I found it to be one of the most enjoyable anime/movies I have had the pleasure of watching. Even anime fans who are not quite fond of retro anime and mecha should give this one a shot. It offers something for everyone to enjoy and its narrative is targeted more towards a mainstream audience compared to some other mecha and space anime that are strictly for hardcore fans of the genre. It possesses a compelling narrative, enigmatic characters, A-tier audio-visuals full of impressive visual flair and an unforgettable finale. And while it might not be the most polished piece of work in the medium it is certainly one of the most charming and memorable ones. DYRL doesn’t simply ask you to like it; it asks you to love it. It wants to trap you in its magical charm, and for me it has most certainly succeeded.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 25, 2017
Demi-chan wa Kataritai
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings Within the last couple of years slice of life anime have completely taken over the market and form the largest percentage of shows that are delivered to anime fans per season. It is fair to say; they are the bread and butter of modern anime and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. What is rather disappointing is the amount of uninspired and generic slice of life anime that are churned out by studios who want to stay in a shell and only make back their money by the skin of their teeth. Given the limitations of the slice of life genre trying ... to mix things up to make an anime more unique isn’t an easy task. And that is where Demi-chan wa Kataritai enters the mix to deliver arguably one of the most peculiar concepts in a slice of life anime. Its concept would be far more plausible in a fantasy anime. Yet it somehow implements this in a very relaxed fashion and in a way that feels rather natural while at the same time delivers all the traits of a modern slice of life title such as cute girls, a calm atmosphere and a comedic tone for the most part. Slice of life featuring cute monster girls isn’t completely original, since a few of them have been finding popularity with some recent ones being Monster Musume. But Demi-chan is potentially the first to use the idea in a way that can serve as more than just otaku pandering bait. As bizarre as the idea behind the anime is, the premise is quite simple. It seamlessly involves a world where ajin also known as demi-humans have been accepted into human society and a biology high school teacher takes an interest into three demi-humans whom he teaches. Demi-chan attempts to explore how this supernatural phenomenon interrelates with the daily life of the ajins. The themes range from bullying, discrimination, being different and accepting ones image in society. All of these themes are depicted through the most mundane tasks in a high school setting. Its portrayal of the treatment of different people isn’t anything noteworthy but it does a fine job at showing a plausible enough representation of the subject. What was however quite disappointing was the lack of depth in exploring these themes. Demi-chan sets up basic dramatic conflicts between its characters to show the audience its themes. But the execution is too basic to have any long lasting impact and it has no interest in broadening its scope to demonstrate how ajin’s are treated on a grander scale which is quite disappointing. While that is not inherently a flaw it takes away from the show’s potential and instead traps it into the confines of the slice of life genre, ultimately condemning it to just CGDCT show for the most part. The characters are very plain and the only thing that sets them apart from the typical archetypes seen in slice of life anime was their whacky appearances. It takes a decent amount of time fleshing them out and their relationships so at the very least the audience will care a little for them during the more dramatic moments. Demi-chan never tells you to take its characters all too seriously though, and while this might sound conflicting with what the show attempts to execute it is handled appropriately. Their antics feel a part of the story rather than in the way of it. It never felt it was trying to juggle too many balls at once, usually narrowing each specific plot thread down and focusing solely on it. With the comedy sprinkled in between. Its light hearted comedic segments where it was showing the cast doing nothing but talking and exchanging witty banter was quite enjoyable to see. While the characters were mildly entertaining, they don’t have enough depth to them. It also doesn’t help when the main character has an extremely bland personality and looks disinterested in everything most of time which really puts the whole mood of the show down. Its other main characters don’t have enough complexity to make up for their archetypal personalities and any potential in them was squandered with too much meandering. I don’t have much of a problem with comedy or light- hearted fluff. But demi-chan really did lose its steam by the half way point both with its comedy and concept. As far as demi-chan’s visual presence is concerned, it is non-existent and leaves no lasting impression on the eyes. Aside from some bright colours both the art and animation are very average. The art style itself is nothing to write home about and can be found wherever you look in a similar show. The OST is quite soothing but is also forgettable. Demi-chan suffers from more than just one or two small drawbacks. While the comedy can be enjoyable sporadically; the novelty of the anime wears off rather fast and by its second half it diminishes to the by the book CGDCT show. Its limited scope in the subjects it tries to explore also plays a hand in reducing the freshness of the anime’s premise as the episode count goes by. I wasn’t expecting the anime to portray its ideas on a global scale, but even taking just one step beyond the confines of its genre would have been enough to maintain my interest. Only then could I have truly held this on a higher pedestal. It becomes a victim to some occasional cheesy execution while also displaying infrequent moments of otaku pandering which came off as cringe worthy and immersion breaking. All in all, Demi-chan’s biggest weakness is its inability to break free of the confines of the genre it is in. As it was leaning more towards style rather than substance, the show did display some glimpses of using its potential, but didn’t do much with them and it wasn’t handled with much finesse. I somewhat enjoyed Demi-chan despite my criticisms and the monotonous manner in which it handled its themes. Its character interactions and the cast themselves were mildly endearing. And for what it was going for it did far from a bad job. However not aiming for higher ground confined it to an ordinary show. Nonetheless it still remains one of the better non-sequel titles in the season it aired in. It is forgettable and I would only recommend it to those who are looking for an anime to wind down to after a long day of work. It is not inherently bad per say, it certainly does use some of its potential to show how these deficiencies would affect people on a small scale, but it just didn’t do enough to really separate itself from the oversaturated subgenre of CGDCT.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Feb 22, 2017
Hanasaku Iroha
(Anime)
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I am not the biggest fan of Mari Okada’s character writing. I will give her credit. Her characters never feel mundane and many people can get emotionally invested in her cast, but those said emotions are delivered very clumsily. While she definitely isn’t the worst writer in the industry, i share a common criticism with many other fellow anime fans. And that is her heavy use of melodrama. What makes it even more inferior than other attempts at drama is that they usually stem from overused plot elements such as love triangles, characters falling in love too quickly and conflict initiating from that which is
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a generic plot point that we as viewers have laid our eyes on far too many times for comfort. As sentimental some scenes can be, Hanasaku Iroha is definitely one of her better works. P.A. works have had an interesting time in the last decade. They have had financial success with big hits such as Shirobako and Angel beats. And a lot of their other shows sell relatively well. However on the critical side of the spectrum they have had a mixed reception. It is no secret that they have formed an identity off of their illustrious backgrounds but the only anime that has been well-received by critics is Shirobako. Nagi no Asukara received a decent reception, and as for Angel Beats and Charlotte….that is another topic for another time (see what I did there). And where does Hansaku Iroha fit into all of this?
The premise involves 16 year old Matsumae Ohana, a very eccentric and wild teenager who resided in Tokyo with her single mother. Due to circumstances her mother and boyfriend run away and leave Ohana on her own. She is forced to live in an inn known as “kissuiso” which her grandmother runs. Hanasaku Iroha is primarily about Ohana adapting to her new lifestyle while also helping her fellow staff members in dealing with issues that can be problematic in an inn. At first glance, Hanasaku Iroha looks like a generic teen melodrama that everyone is accustomed to seeing from Mari Okada. There is definitely no shortage of drama. The majority of the conflicts the characters face are all drama based and involve common plot threads that have been seen countless times. The drama on its own came off as very hit or miss, ranging from genuinely heart-warming to disgustingly melodramatic. Thankfully, the latter only really ever occurred once. While most might look at the series in this fashion, Hanasaku Iroha is primarily more of a story about searching for dreams, adapting to a new life and conflicts that arise in a working environment. This is what it should truly be assessed on as it is these core themes that really drive the plot along. In the first half of the show it was mostly dedicated to exploring how one can familiarize themselves with a new lifestyle through the lens of the main character Ohana. Okada did transport this to the viewer in an engaging fashion credit to its diverse an interesting cast, but what some have criticized in this execution was how improbable the personalities of the customers were and how unorthodox they behaved around the characters making the situations awkward and hard to take seriously. It is a very understandable criticism and one that I myself also unequivocally agree with. And is the main issue that I consider to be what made the first half weak in its execution. In the second half the series focuses much more character driven and delves into its other core themes. What gave made the cast so memorable and genuine was that despite them being based on hackneyed archetypes at first glance, they evolve into genuine people each with their own aspirations and fleshing out their characters by giving us an insight on how they live in and feel about their situations made them a more authentic flavour than the typical casts seen in most anime made today. Because they are not particularly involved with the main plot thread of the show that revolves around Ohana, they are more authentic by feeling like real people with their own problems that all tie back to the show’s main theme of aspirations rather than being used strictly as pillars to support Ohana’s goals. They are all developed very well throughout its course and their chemistry together never once makes the show feel dull. The messages the show attempts to convey through its themes is manufactured in a heart-warming fashion and told through many different scenarios that the characters are placed in. Overall it’s handling of this was great. It was powerful and followed through with it all the way until the end giving catharsis in devastatingly bittersweet fashion, which left me with a painful sensation that took a while to heal. Looking at the cast of Hanasaku Iroha they are all fairly generic when it comes to their personalities and their character traits can easily be identified in plenty of other anime. You can find all of your typical tropes present in CGDCT such as the obnoxious tsundere, the shy girl who finds it difficult to express her emotions to other people and an eccentric teenager which you would most likely have better luck finding in a shounen rather than a slice of life but nonetheless it is still a common trope, just not one you would discover in these kinds of settings. What is impressive about this anime is how it manages to take characters that seem basic on first viewing and bring the best out of these archetypes by giving them characterization beyond the standard requirements and perfectly integrating them in the setting. They are not simply ‘there’ for the sake of it. They are there to play a part in the narrative by interacting with the setting around them, thus making them far more likeable and authentic. And as a result, the setting itself is an important part of the show. Apart from finding a path of their own to take a lot of the character’s internal conflicts link to another of the show’s central theme which involves coping with the different types of engagements that can arise in a working environment. The characters learn and develop through these hardships and the way these plot threads were tackled was both heart –warming and insightful to learn about how conflicts that can take place in an inn can be resolved. Hanasaku Iroha went into territory that many slice of life anime don’t delve in. It fleshed out it’s setting wonderfully and slotted the characters into it superbly. When characters go hand in hand with a setting that feels apart of the story, it makes the characters way more relatable making their conflicts feel more important and strengthens the foundation in which they exist in. This delicately crafted backbone is what sets Hanasaku Iroha far above the majority of slice of life titles. Visually Hanasaku Iroha looks gorgeous. From the attractive character designs to the extremely detailed backgrounds, it looks as if P.A works poured in everything they could and as a result it gave the anime a sense of delicacy and luxury while viewing it. The use of CGI was definitely noticeable but not off putting in the slightest, and the character designs were crisp and never dipped in art quality. I really liked the use of the colour palette. It was bright enough to not make the viewing experience feel dull, but never felt too colourful to where it would feel like the show was throwing rainbow’s in your face. It gave the show a sense of realism and helped immerse you more into the setting and supplying Hanasaku Iroha with a nicely crafted atmospheric world. The animation was consistent all the way through its runtime and was a pleasure to watch. Its OST was used effectively to help create a soothing mood but apart from that it wasn’t very memorable. I didn’t really like the OP’s and ED’s but they did set a nice warm and fuzzy feeling. As much praise as I have given Hanasaku Iroha, there are certainly elements in it that viewers will perceive as flaws. The most noteworthy one being the melodrama present throughout the anime and especially near towards the end. Some emotional moments come off as tacky and unrefined. A common trait that can be found anywhere wherever Okada has dipped her hands. They are not obnoxious enough to destroy the entire story. Only Minko is really damaged by Okada’s heavy handed sentimentality as she was at some points reduced to a plot device for forced drama. Its methodical flavour at first hand can be understandably off putting to potential investment and many would easily see this as a generic “cute girls doing cute things” title with nothing to offer. However Hanasaku Iroha evolves past what it began as both from a character sense and a thematic sense making those flaws feel very inconsequential in the long run which don’t hurt the series at it’s very core. I cannot deny that I thoroughly enjoyed Hanasaku Iroha and only really ever complained when melodrama was on screen. I never felt bored watching it. Its atmospheric setting combined with its gorgeous backgrounds gave me a feeling of luxury while viewing it which I have only ever gotten from Amanchu. The characters all had a sufficient amount of depth to keep me invested and always put a smile on my face when they interacted with each other. Hanasaku Iroha isn’t the most intricately written anime you will ever witness, not even close to that. Nor does it have the most complex characters. But what makes it stand out is how it is able to take a mundane premise with what looks to be basic characters and bring the absolute best out of them, making all of them shine brightly throughout its run and without the need for taking shortcuts. If you liked Hanasaku Iroha for its atmosphere and charm, then I point you to Amanchu which gives off a similar feeling in terms of its delicacy but otherwise it is a completely different show. Any fan of the Slice of Life genre should definitely check this out; it is something a little different compared to the norm so it will certainly not be for everyone. And even if you are one of those people that criticize slice of life for feeling too dull and inactive. Hanasaku Iroha might have enough charm and potency to keep you glued to the screen all the way through. So where does Hanasaku Iroha fit into all of this? I cannot say for certain as I have not seen all of P.A. Works’ titles but I can assure you it is written far better than both Charlotte and Angel Beats. Overall: 7/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 29, 2016 Mixed Feelings
If someone were to ask the typical anime fan what do they think of K-On? The typical response what would be phrases such as, “ohh that moeshit” or “that kyoani bullshit that began the cancerous product known as moe”. To a certain extent they are right. While K-On itself is not an atrocious anime to watch,(although it might be depending on how much you can tolerate cute girls) it is no lie that K-On is the title that really brought the moe trend into the forefront and is the trend that has shaped the identity of modern anime. And it’s not that this trend wasn’t
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popular before K-On’s domination of sales charts. Kyoto Animation has an infamous track record for taking advantage of this trend's popularity to fill their pockets. The success of anime such as Air, Kanon, Clannad and The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya have proved the formula’s success before K-On and it convinced Kyoto Animation that this was certainly the next big thing in the industry and they have every right to take advantage of it. Despite what many people believe about Kyoto Animation shows from a critical standpoint nobody can deny their financial success.
And K-On fits exactly into that category. It was made for more for the purpose of making money rather than receiving numerous amounts of awards and basked in critical acclaim. There is nothing wrong with that. After all, anime is a business and making money is just the normal procedure that defines every business. K-On doesn’t do much to separate itself from the typical moeblob though. Throughout the course of the show it barely takes itself seriously. The majority of the run time the characters are just participating in goofy events or drinking tea making fun of each other. The tone of the show is consistently goofy throughout and whatever potential is there for some character drama and conflict comes out as a joke more than anything else. It would be a ridiculous to even say this show has a plot, it COULD have had one if it decided to take whatever little plot elements it focused on them in a much more serious manner by placing more significance on them and using them as a wat to initiate conflict to give the characters some ACTUAL challenges There is not much to really say about the characters in a general sense, since they are only defined by a couple of gimmicks and don’t offer any real substance. I can’t really say much when it comes to the tropes of moe since I have little to no prior experience with it before watching K-On. But the endearing and extremely likable cast helped redeem K-On from it’s lack of character depth. Their cast chemistry is cute and their personalities complement each other well and as a result create some funny and sweet moments throughout the series. It is hard to pinpoint which characters the show tries to focus on as there is not really much to say in terms of characterization or development and the whole cast is usually on screen at once and no one really has the individual spotlight for a whole episode. Since the cast is small I will personally describe each characters personality and traits: -Yui is very carefree, easy going and is often the biggest comedic relief out of the cast. She is often being clumsy and making a fool out of herself in front of the other characters. Another thing that adds to her humorous character is her knack for often not reading instructions before trying out things and instead prefers to rely on her hunch or intuition. She is easily distracted and tends to try and find any excuse possible to not practice and only feels motivated to play her instrument if she eats a fill of cake. -Ritsu is the character who is always looking to make fun of everyone around her through sarcastic puns and humour. She is the biggest entertainer of the group and my favourite for her very comical personality and wittiness. Similarly to Yui she is easy going and upbeat but doesn’t share Yui’s clumsiness and is more composed than she is. Mio- Mio always tries to keep the group grounded to reality when they continue to be senselessly stupid and reminding them more often than not of their obligation to practice. She is the most serious and mature member of the group and doesn’t participate in her friends’ witty banter’ or routine of ‘milk and cookies’ as much as they do. Most of Ristu’s continual teasing of Mio is how prone she is to getting embarrassed when she is put into the spotlight as highlighted when pressure is put on her to sing the lyrics during performances. Tsumugi- Tsumugi is a lot more passive and quiet in comparison to the other members of the group and doesn’t really talk much. Similarly to Mio she is a little more level headed and mature than Yui and Ritsu. It feels as if she does not get as much screen time or focus compared to the other characters and as a result she is a lot duller. She is the most cheerful character in the show and often thinks about other people before herself. Because of her dullness her character doesn’t have any flair compared to the other characters. Ritsu has sarcasm which makes her witty. Yui is extremely clumsy which makes her cute and Mio is a lot more responsible compared to the rest. Tsumugi feels as if she is just there to give them free holiday resorts and supply the daily dose of tea for me. All the characters in the show are 1-D that can be described with a few words and nothing more. The show attempts to freshen things by adding a new character to the main and it certainly worked. The new addition to the squad served as a counter to the ridiculous theatrics the main cast engage in and is someone who takes their music a whole lot more seriously in the same vein as Mio. This made for some nice short lived conflict but it just wasn’t taken seriously enough for me to care and it ultimately proved to be pointless. It isn’t an easy task to try and describe what the story of K-On is in multiple paragraphs because there really isn’t one. Apart from a squad of cute girls drinking tea and occasionally playing music no other story elements such as romance or drama are present. And despite what many people say about K-On being a musical and that it’s all about practicing to achieve your dreams, K-On lacks any sort of focus on these elements to even take them seriously as they all feel like backdrops rather than the spotlight. There was also potential for K-On to be a story about fitting in and making new friends. Both of these themes have been done countless times in anime with a high school setting but it would have been a good addition to spice things up and give the show some kind of plot. But K-On decided to just frolic around and not take any of its potential story elements seriously. If the show itself doesn’t take these elements seriously, why should I? It would have given the show an extra layer and more substance if it spent some time taking the music aspect of the show seriously or adding some high school romance. Having some form of conflict would have made the characters feel a little more authentic and not just being ‘moeblobs’ that can be described by a few overused tropes and enjoyed on a superficial level. K-On certainly is enjoyable when looked at only on the surface. The character designs are fairly generic but are still attractive to look at thanks to the excessive cuteness that Kyoani put into them and their good artwork in general. The backgrounds are plain and do not offer anything in the grand scheme of things but still are some nice eye candy. The visuals are colorful and fit well with the goofy tone of the show. Now the only aspect of K-On where I could REALLY give the show any credit for is its music. The fast paced j-pop songs are quite catchy and I even re-listened to them a few times. The sound directing all round is very good and I found both the opening and ending to be nice to listen to. But those catchy songs were far and few between. For a show that is meant to be a musical they certainly didn’t have enough of them to warrant it being called that. But nonetheless the songs were enjoyable even if they were far and few between. The OST for K-On was simultaneously upbeat and goofy, which fit the mood of what was happening on screen and helped put an even bigger smile on my face than I already had when watching comedic scenes. Other than that it was forgettable and didn’t have any other impact. Despite what I may think of K-On critically, I cannot deny that I enjoyed it for what it was and it helped open my mind a little to the over saturated genre of ‘cute girls doing cute things’. When I scroll through seasonal charts and look at all the countless ‘CGDCT’ titles made, one of the first things that strikes me is how low budget and lifeless they look. It’s as if they were made for the soul purpose of barely breaking even. But I can appreciate the fact that Kyoani give their generic moe shows life and look as if they are putting effort into it. They don’t want it to just break even, they want it to demolish the sales charts and they have succeeded on more than one occasion. K-On has a good sense of fun, an endearing cast and some nice music, but that’s all I can really say about it. It is extremely shallow and offers nothing but shits and giggles. If you are looking for an anime to wind down to you after a long day of work, or something that will make you forget about your shit life than I suggest giving K-On a try. Despite all the things I heard about moe being cancerous, for what K-On as, it wasn’t all that bad. Watching ‘cute girls doing cute things won’t be everyone’s thing and it isn’t my favorite thing to watch either, but this one is worth a shot for the fun of it. Overall:5.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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