Ranked #659

Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!

What a wonderful series. I am so glad I decided to watch this anime. I wouldn’t hesitate to say it’s one of my favorite, maybe one of the greatest anime I’ve ever seen. Don’t be fooled by its childish loli-looking exterior, what lies in this anime is the bittersweet and heartwarming message of moving forward.

The story is set in the future, where schools’ populations continuously decrease, and is about girls brought together by something as simple as a student council. They develop such a strong bond throughout the series, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an anime where friends were this close. Mainly it is about them preparing and then trying to revive the school fair, which turns out to be a long struggle. There is the lighthearted and funny moments (mostly brought on by Momo with her refreshingly odd antics) but there are also sad and dramatic times. Each episode will bring on different emotions, some sad, some happy.

I love the animation. Each shot seems to be carefully done, and though some angles can be odd, others make the series a piece of art. The music is well done too, and the opening is so beautiful and becomes so clear as to what they've done once you finish the last episode. The ending theme is a little strange considering it is stop-animation, but perhaps this is one of the things that makes this series just a little different.
What I was very impressed at, also, was that when the times of Manabi singing, the lip movements actually correspond with the words perfectly, instead of going up and down. This isn't true the whole way through the anime, but there were instances where I saw the brilliance shine forward into tiny details such as that.

A strong controversy sets out over the "loli" factor. Yes, the girls are drawn looking cutesy and they look much younger than high schoolers, but if you get past that in which would attract viewers who would only watch this show for the cute girls, you see a deeper interior of a sweet, heartfelt anime that deserves to be watched.
There are also other debates as to whether to consider this shoujo-ai. They do blush a bit with eachother and hold hands, and things could be inferred there, but nothing is taken too far. I believe the story tries to focus more on friendship, but obviously there are some undercurrent hints.

However, I cannot give character as high of a score as I would like. The characters may be sweet and likeable, but really most aren't developed enough. While I realize it would take away the point of the show to feature their home lives, this results in a lack of character development. This could have been made up for by each character having an episode of their own besides Mei, whom in episode four you really get to see inside of her. Also, you would think the main character would be Manabi, but it is mostly shown through Mikan's perspective, probably the reason being Mikan is the person Manabi affects the most. So we see this change in Mikan... but do we really get to understand Manabi, and why she fervently defends the school she has been at a significantly short while?
You do get to go into Mikan and Mutsuki’s relationship a bit, which is nice; however, the a couple scenes with them proved to be a bit confusing, because it gives the viewer no knowledge of what is happening beforehand, at the current time, or afterward. It’s sort of a key point to why they are good friends, too… perhaps I missed something. I believe their episode is episode 6.
Don’t get me started on Momo. All we know about her through the entire series is that she has no attention span and she wealthy (which I’m not sure you really see until the OVA anyway). She may have been adorably odd and a treat to see on screen, but it’d have been nice to explore her personality a bit more. Yet despite these flaws, the characters are still enjoyable and each girl’s personality is different, but they still all become good friends.

To sum it up: the animation is great and the art is adorable; the characters are cute and very loveable but some could be better developed; the opening and ending themes are amazing but the BGM is forgettable; and the story is sweet and poignant and the end suggests a positive outlook in life. The basic concept of the story is maturing and growing up, while still maintaining relationships. Though this may not be anyone’s cup of tea, I still recommend this highly and Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight reminds one of my favorite anime. read more

Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! This anime features wonderful creativity and enjoyment to the maximum, while not being bogged down with heavy clichés. I will not hesitate to say that it is probably my favorite slice-of-life series and probably one of the most touching series I have ever watched.

5 words review: Deep, touching, fun, cute, epic.

Story: 10/10

The story is amazingly simplistic yet its plot is complex. In fact, this whole series is about the student council and the Seioh School Fair with absolutely no action or romance. There's not a lot of comedy, and it is basically a slice-of-life drama (weird, I know). Manabi Straight uses the school fair to explore the true meaning of friendship, endeavours, and dreams as Manabi, Mika, Mei, Mutsuki, and Momo go through trials of hardship to find their courage and understand the bonds that they share. I love it for its ability to turn something so simple into a beautiful work of art.

Art: 9/10

For some series I often notice weird character facial expressions, awkward animation sequences, or lazy screen shaking/panning/scrolling, but for this series the art is really excellent. Of course, it is nothing that makes you say "wow," but there's just no flaw. It is a solid series with good enough animation to capture the vast range of emotions the series portray. What I love best was the opening sequence that made so sense. Aside from being one of the most artistic and best animated opening sequence ever, it is very "cool," matching the energy of Manabi and other student council members.

Sound: 9/10

Once again I would like to point out that the opening sequence was excellent, and it had an extremely catchy song to go along with it. Other than that, the background music was excellent and nothing seems out of place. It should be noted that Yui Horie voices Manabi, and she sings the Seioh school anthem, a pretty song, in many occasions throughout the series. Insert songs, especially good ones, are always a plus.

Character: 8/10

As well as this series convey feelings and emotions, nothing is really known of the characters outside of school. Manabi Straight is strictly about school and rarely do the characters go outside of school, and even so, it would be for a school activity. Manabi and Mika's out of school life is pretty much most explored, but for Mutsuki, Mei, and Momo, no one really knows anything about them. However, their personality and and actions are quite unique and noticeable, which gives them character, unlike other shows with three girls that are just too similar. Oh, and did I mention? The characters are way too cute (this is a good thing), even though they're in high school. It adds an interesting element to the plot, as well as showing the difference of experience between high school students. For example Takako, Aikoh's student council president, is shown to be taller and about high school age, and she is usually more mature and organized.

It should also be noted that a very widely known voice acting cast is used for Manabi Straight, including Yui Horie and Aya Hirano. The results are generally positive.

Enjoyment: 10/10

This category is very important, because Manabi Straight is often a "hit of miss" anime for many people! This means that there's one group that finds it extremely good while there's another group that finds it pointless. Since this series really have no meaningful story, it could be understood why some would hate it. The meaningful part of Manabi Straight is the bond of friendship, and while people prefer action and romance to create drama, I personally find friendship a very unique yet powerful source for drama. I often forget how important the bond of friendship is, and this series did well to remind me of it.

Overall: 9/10

I consider the series excellent, and even though it has lots of valuable messages, its best points were being enjoyable and "cool." I love how this series does comedy. It's definitely not overdone to take over the drama, but it is there enough to release tension. There are also some interesting additions, such as how the girls blush when they hold hands or are talked to, but I assume that this goes nowhere and that it's just there for fun. But overall, it is a series not to be missed, especially if you're taking a break for romance/drama or just trying to find something unique and interesting. I am personally impressed at how much a series like this could impress me. Don't miss it! read more