Kyokou Uranai

Kyokou Uranai aired at a similar time as Kyokou Suiri, an anime that I still haven't seen. Therefore I will here be judging Kyokou Uranai on its own as a standalone product.

Story: 6
Each episode saw Kotoko, the main character, attempt to foresee her own future, as well as interpreting what was revealed. Other than that, the start and end of each episode is almost strictly the same, except at the end when she promotes a future blu-ray related product. While the formula offers a sufficiently free canvas for maintening interest and for dealing with various subjects, it doesn't accomplish much more than conclude concrete facts ... from oftentimes cryptic prophecies. But it still manages to stay short and almost exciting. For fans of Kyokou Suiri, they may also get juicy feedbacks of Kotoko's feels about her relationship with Kurou, therefore giving Kyokou Uranai some quality of transmedia storytelling.

Art: 7
Though the budget was evidently abysmal, this show possesses an interesting direction. First off, the character animation was done through the same process as that which use VTubers. Wikipedia tells us about the process that it is done with "(usually anime-inspired) digital avatar generated by computer graphics". And this is yet unique in the context of actual animation, as far as I'm concerned. Or, perhaps that the simple use of such a process qualifies in making vtubers animation? As for the crystal ball's effect, it feels like a simple lens flare. Other than that, the background remained the same all that time. Dark red curtains, like in traditional theater. It gives off a faint feeling of intimacy, because of the dark shade, and also because the depth is not wide, making Kotoko appear close to us and in front of us. There is something about this background that is more magical than the rest of the show, at least to me.

Sound: 7
There is few sound in this show, except for the voice acting. The only character that speaks is Kotoko, voiced by Kitou Akari, whose earlier role was as a supporter character in Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (2014). She then voiced known characters, like Kaho (Blend S, 2017) or Nezuko (Kimetsu no Yaiba, 2019). Her voice acting as Kotoko felt energetic and calming, therefore reminding a bit her role as Kaho in Blend S. In the span of 6 years, Kitou Akari surely grew as a voice actress. She may give off a similar feeling as Takahashi Rie.

Character: 6
The character is not introduced, therefore presuming any viewer to be familiar with the original show. I was not. However I did remark the show helped understanding better her character, her perhaps whimsical nature, her thinking, and her interests in life. There is only so much you can do in the span of mere minutes, therefore expectations shouldn't be too high.

Overall: 7
My main interest going into this show was seeing fortune telling as depicted in anime. And I was right on the money. Plus I got to feel special about the background, a mysteriously crimson curtain. And, at last, the vocabulary I learnt might prove useful. Concerning the show's job, it did make me realize Kyokou Suiri might have something in store for me, be it only to see more of Kotoko.