Ranked #2483

Moetan

Moetan can best be described from the popular tags on the database. It's a comedy about a group of loli magical girls who behave moe.As in any other loli anime before this, it starts off with a walk to school. Nijihara Ink just happens to act all clumsy and cute as she tries to get to school. Hilarity ensues...





Story (Mediocre)
It's an already been used story line thats been beaten down so many times that you can tell if you'll love it or hate it based on the first episode. Judging from the first episode you'll get an eyeful of purposely cute situations mixed in with some gratuitous fanservice. And when i say gratuitous, i mean theres so much fan service that you will either enjoy it because theres so much or hate it because it's too much. It's not for the faint of hart, trust me. Other than that, Ink and her friends get to deal with some monsters and fight bad guys thats pretty much the gist of the story.

Art (Great)
Fortunately, the art is something to be believed. The artists did such an amazing work on this show. It's kind of like an anime version of Candyland, with all the bright vibrant colors, large shapes, and cute things. Everything is crisp and clear in high definition. But you will notice (like the theme) that the style might feel a little borrowed from an anime here and an anime there. When I watched it, for some reason it reminded me of Popotan. For others N-Drop. And maybe even a little Kamichama Karin. Point is, that it'll remind you of another show.

Sound (Very Good)
The sound, like the art quality is very clear and 'magical' as one would expect from a magical girl anime. Complete with their own transformation song/sounds to all the comedy antics one is used to when watching this show. I didn't feel any annoyance toward any sound and I (again) love the OP and ED song of this show. Very happy, catchy little melody with some engrish for some extra kick. The seiyus were all spot on. I can even say that they did a damn good (aka hilarious) job on Moetan Corner. I can watch that segment over and over and its still pretty funny.

Character (Good)
The magical girl characters are all typical moe branded type girls. But they do add a little 'extra' to them to separate themselves from the rest. For instance, Ink's left (sometimes right) sock always falls down. Sumi's ahoge makes little emoticons to show her emotion which was really cute. And Alice's sidekick is just too much its fantastic. There are other characters around but they're a pretty forgettable bunch, except for the animals. You'll see what i mean if you get a chance to watch it.

Enjoyment (Good)
Overall if you're all into the "cute moe loli" thing than this show is a barrel of fun. But if you don't like the slightly ecchi loli thing, then try something else. As an acquaintance in a chartroom told me "Its disgusting." Personally i think what he said was a little overboard. read more

Moetan is one of those series that is memorable in one way or another. It is truly unique, being able to make its viewers react in ways one would not usually react. To me, it has the most brilliant form of parody - it parodies itself. For any parody, one of the main concerns is whether or not the viewers will "get" the references thrown at them, but in Moetan, that isn't the case. What you see on the screen will be the main subject for amusement, not obscure references that leave half of the viewers in the dark. And that is the really the main reason why Moetan is considered to be an excellent series to me. You don't have a be an otaku or long time anime watcher to enjoy Moetan. All you need is a sense of humor.

Story: 8/10

This is interesting, because how does one rate the story or plot of a parody/comedy series? To be straight to the point, Moetan has little plot, none of it relevant in any way to enjoyment. The real "plot" here is for that Arks and Karks have been banished from their world to the human world and they, with the help of magical girls that they choose (Ink and Sumi), will have to collect good deeds in order to return to their world. However, the real story here is the complete parody of the magical girl genre, especially the transformation sequences, along with the parody of Engrish, ambiguous age of students in anime, flat chests, fanservice, tentacles, Bandai Visual...you name it. The most spot-on moments of Moetan includes a serious/touching/fanservice moment that just makes you laugh. There are many panty shots and more explicit near-nudity scenes, but they are presented in a way to be absolutely hilarious.

Art: 9/10

The art is nothing to complain about. In fact, the characters are cutely drawn and the transformation sequences have...lots of good detail. It doesn't get a ten because those are reserved to truly animation masterpieces, but for the purposes of this series, the animation was perfect. There are little things that I personally like, such as the simple ending sequences featuring looking at a window with a character looking out at different phases of the day/season. It's very calm, contrasting the upbeat ending music yet presenting a great mix. And the character/background switches every episode so it's also an extra look into the characters' daily life. The final ending sequence for Moetan in episode 13 was just amazing, featuring sketch-like still drawings of Moetan characters, very pretty yet fitting.

Sound: 8/10

To be honest, I did not pay attention to the background music, which means that it's at least mediocre enough to not be out of place but not impressive enough to be noticeable. However, I will comment on the opening and ending songs, which in my opinion are wonderful. The OP is fun to watch, and the more you watch Moetan, the more you laugh at its hidden messages. The ED is catchy and cute, in a way where it's too cute that it feels weird to listen to, exactly how I would feel if someone sees me watching the series. One noticeable moment in music is in episode 13 where the special OVA OP is played near the ending, and it was just very fitting with the battle scene.

Character: 8/10

Once again, it's a parody, so aside from the witty motifs and dark, adult themes, there's literally no character development. Like slice of life series, you get the gist of the "story" plus some defining characteristics and personalities of each character, and the comedy builds on them. What I will say though is that the gags and jokes are not overused and the series always find some new way to make you laugh.

Enjoyment: 10/10

And here is the main reason why Moetan is one of my favorite series - it is entertainment near its best. I can go on and on about analyzing every single detail of an anime, but it all comes down to whether or not I enjoyed that anime, and for Moetan, every minute is worth it. There's really nothing else I can say, since you have to watch it to know what I mean. What I will say is that I spent lots of time laughing along with the characters, and it is one of the few series where I can keep a smile from the beginning of an episode to the end.

Overall: 9/10

I have a very strict rating system, and to earn a 9 overall rating, the anime has to impact me in some way...until I watched Moetan that is. Rarely has enjoyment alone been so strong that I am obligated to give the series higher than a 7, but that is exactly the case with this series. The kinds of anime I like are meaningful series that is deep, but Moetan alone proved that I don't need complex plots or drama to be entertained. Moetan was way outside my comfort side, but somehow it hit at all the right spots. This is a series I will recommend to everyone (who feels comfortable laughing at semi-nudity scenes), because if it can make a tough analyst like me wholeheartedly enjoy it, then it can probably do the same for you too. read more