Sci-fi Harry

A series with an excellent mystical detective story. And the drawing is pleasant, unusual, like European comics, although there are often not enough frames and the picture is static. Yes, the main character does not develop throughout the entire series and remains a smear. Yes, after episode 13-14, it turns from a classic thriller into classic anime tropes. Yes, the motives of the characters are highly contrived and will remain incomprehensible until the very end.

But the plot of the series is not worthy of such a low rating. It's 8-9. But the rating itself is fully justified by one monstrous fact - the lack of ... a clear ending. It seems that somewhere in the last 5-6 minutes of drawing, the director was called and told that there would be no more money and it was time to wrap up. The ending does not really explain anything, and is so ridiculous that there are simply no words. If you think that there will be a crumpled struggle between good and evil, alas, no. There will be an ending for Lost. A bit of ridiculous mysticism that seems to explain everything and, at the same time, does not explain anything.

I really want to slap the same 2-3-4 rating into the series, but no. It's worth watching. Thrillers in the anime are very few, and the main series hold the bar well.

Let me start this off with a personal anecdote, as I sometimes do with a review.

I tried to watch this show ages ago, some time around 2007 or 2008 when I was just looking for the next cool thing to watch as a burdgeoning anime fan.

I saw the name "Sci-Fi Harry" and assumed either it was going to be a series about Harry Potter but Sci-Fi (that'd been amusing) or some modern Harry Houdini, but psychic.

The first episode of this show is burned into memory though just because of how kind of boring it was. it was a slow burn of high school basketball, ... a teenage romance, and our title character on the verge of a panic attack any time he was on screen.

After finally putting forth the resolve to watch this series some fifteen years later though, I can finally put my own curiosity to rest.

So what can I say about the show?

It's a mystery-thriller through and through. It's not an action-packed show with guns blazing and people being torn up left and right by SCI-FI HARRY, an ordinary American High School kid who finds out he has psychic powers. It's this very slow paced show about some mystery that revolves around our boy Harry and how everyone wants Harry, dead or alive.

Is it though provoking? Does it have a lot to say? I don't know, nor do I care to go back and find out.

I somehow was able to sit down and watch all twenty episodes of this show, yet I don't know if I regret that decision or not. Certainly I do feel a bit letdown in the end.

Yet there is a part of me that would like to dissect this series more, look at everyone involved, and just better understand how it came to be. Also find out why it has such a good OP and ED than it ever friggen needed. I would watch the opening credits almost every time out of fascination trying to fathom some extra meaning to it with regards to show, and also because the song used was really good. Same with the ED.

But I digress, do I recommend this show? I can't recommend it as a cure for boredom or to sell you on the next best thing, but if you're looking for what can best be described as experimental projects to just watch and appreciate, this is probably not a bad choice.

It probably also is worth noting the studio behind this show also worked on Goldn Boy, the Jojo OVA's from the 90s, and Project A-Ko among other projects. It's a tidbit I personally find amusing, though it doesn't really add much to the overall experience of this show.

I watched the whole anime, thinking that it was going to get better in some way. Unfortunately, it just kept on spiraling downwards. The animation isn't that great, and I wasn't a big fan on how the characters were drawn either.

I know most people are probably taking into consideration that Harry was just a really, really indecisive, almost annoyingly awkward character. I'm sorry, but if the main character acts like that, it's almost impossible to like the actual show. I don't think I heard Harry say anything substantial the whole entire time, and there are episodes where the longest thing he says is "I ... would like a roast beef sandwich" or something like that. The rest is usually some sort of gasping or name reiteration. There's not a lot of redeemable qualities of the guy with the most screen time, which is one of the reasons why the anime tanks.

The concept of the story is actually very interesting, and the damaging effects that comes with Harry using his psychic powers are intriguing. But after a while, it's just really hard to watch through hours of people staring at one another and trying to keep up with what's happening in the crazy story line, only to have a vague conclusion after enduring everything that went on. I often wonder why I finished the anime.