Magikano

Picture a day in your life, where you are happily going to school, and then one day the most popular girl in school seems to want you. Aside from that being every teenage boys dream, it also the starting point of the anime title "Magikano".

Story: 6/10
The plot begins with Haruo, a seemingly ordinary guy at school, nothing special about him at all, just pretty much your average student. One day he happens to see a beautiful girl on his way to class, who turns out to be the newest transfer student of the school, named Ayumi. Because of her beauty she quickly becomes the most ... popular girl in school. So...why in the world would she want Haruo??!! Well, it turns out that is exactly who she wants, but, not for the motives one would expect, she definitely has a hidden agenda. And as it turns out, she is not the only one who wants him (all of the main female cast members have some sort of magical power). So as you can tell from this little summary, what this anime is, is in fact a harem title. Now don't let that frighten you away from at least giving this one a try, because even though this anime follows the harem formula to a "T", it also has one great redeeming factor, and that is comedy! There are a good number of adult themed jokes in this, a long with slap stick humor, which during a lot of scenes can get pretty "tongue and cheek." For example, there is an episode where Ayumi puts on these cursed style panties. That can only be taken off by Haruo. Oh and did I mention that this particular pair of underwear can talk? Yep, it goes there. The other supporting cast (most of which are female) also help in the humor. Most of them see each other as rivals of course, and this is where the "tongue and cheek" humor plays a role in, so be prepared to hear them call each other some pretty nasty things. So the main point of the story is for Ayumi to get Haruo to fall in love with her, as she needs him to solve her own problem, which rumor has it, only he can do. As the story progress, and the fact that this anime deals heavily in magic, you will see other unworldly creatures come into play, such as ghosts and other wandering spirits. But again, it is not done in a kind of serious manner, with the exception of the last few episodes. And on that note, despite the fact that this is a harem title, the ending to it is actually quite satisfying, and done with a unique twist that most probably won't see coming. The humor aside, Magikano does suffer from being your standard paint by numbers harem title, so don't be expecting to see anything different if you are a fan of this genre, as it is very strait forward in it's harem way. However, that still doesn't change the fact that this series has it where it counts...humor! If you are just looking for a series with a good sense of humor, then I think you will find the story quite charming in that right.

As far as possible offensive material goes. Magikano does have adult themed humor in it, both with the dialog and visuals. There are a few scenes that imply about sex and other adult related humor. This also comes in the form of the female cast members dressed in tight revealing clothes on some occasions. It's nothing past a PG-13 rating though.

Art: 7/10
The spell effects in the animation is really quite an eye candy, as various characters have different style of powers. The visuals are quite clean, pretty well detailed and sharp. The character design is a little disappointing though, as the cast looks pretty lack luster when compared to other anime titles. And many characters look like they were copy and pasted from one another--Characters do move with good fluidity though. Quite a colorful series, it just lacks a little in the character design, and needs more distinction. Facial expressions play key role with many of the characters, which is nicely animated and quite silly/funny to look at.

Sound: 8/10
The opening and closing theme are pretty darn catchy. The intro has a nice magical girl style feel to it, and the ending has a nice "get up and party" beat to it. Both keep the same lyrics the whole way through, but the animation on them changes as new cast members are introduced. The Japanese and English voice cast are pretty well done, though the ADV dub does have a few parts where the actresses get a bit on the exaggerated side with their lines, making it sound a but corny on some parts. Still, they did match the characters well in each of their roles.

Characters: 7/10
Personalities play key role in any good anime title, regardless of what it's theme is. The Magikano cast has some hit and misses in this department, as they can sometimes come off as a bit exaggerated at times. They enjoy getting these angry looks to them and screaming at one another quite a bit. The character's likes come in a variety of ways-- We have Chiaki, a girl with an unhealthy addiction to dieting (yet she eats like a horse), to Fuyuno, a little girl with an even unhealthier love for money, to Maika, a girl with a brother complex towards Haruo (I am sure you know where that's going). I have to say that I liked the cast they had overall, even if some of them felt like their theme was only there to mask the fact that there really wasn't much to some of them.

Overall: 7/10
Magikano, I feel, is a good title to watch when you are simply looking for some good humor, and you will be laughing on many occations. Hardcore harem fans may be dissapointed that this title does little to anything new or deep with it's theme, which doesn't make it a series for everyone. Even still, it's quite an entertaining little comedy title. And sometimes in life, all you need...is a good laugh!

Magikano is the purest example of how cookie-cutter genre anime can go horribly wrong. You have pretty much every clichéd plot device and character you can think of stuffed into 12 episodes, revolving around a story that ranges from mediocre to just plain bad. The original storyline goes away after 2 episodes to carry on with oppressively obvious filler until they finally get to the point near the end.

The funniest thing about Magikano is that the things that come up in the anime often only help to destroy itself. For instance, the main character, Haruo, is a clichéd dummy who’s a total wuss, but somehow ... every hot girl surrounding him, even his own sisters, want him – the typical harem environment right? However, he doesn’t know that he has “strong magical powers” and his sisters don’t want him to get freaked out by their magic, so whenever he sees them actually use magic, they hit him upside the head with a “magical hammer” so he forgets everything he saw. Here’s the problem though: if the sisters keep knocking him out and resetting his brain, then his character never grows and advances. It’s like watching episode 1 all over again! Another example is the female lead, Ayumi. She has to help Haruo discover his power before a curse on her ends up destroying her. However, throughout the anime, she treats him like a weak clown (which he is), so while we’re supposed to be buying into the idea that they can get closer, all it does is make the viewer think they look more like brother and sister, so no matter what, the ending will never work!

The characters are fine – but there’s nothing unique about any of them, so they’re forgettable at best. The voice acting leaves something to be desired and the story drags and drags, trying to be funny, but hardly even close. There is some charm to it, which is what allowed me to watch all 12 episodes without giving it up, but that’s all there is to be said about it.

Try something better. That’s the simplest recommendation I can give. It’s not as bad as Kimi ga Nozomu Eien or Final Approach, but it’s not even in the same hemisphere as good harem anime like Love Hina or Ah! My Goddess.

So I'm going to make this as short and sweet as possible.

First off I watch mostly the newly English dubbed version, except for a few episodes in Japanese but quickly switched back, so that's the version I'm going to based this review off of that version. First off, this is one of the funniest animes that I've had the chance to watch so far, mainly because they used foul language without any fear of censorship. This cruel slap-stick kind of humor kept me pretty enthralled in the plot, for about the first three episodes.

For the plot, it starts out pretty fast, slows down ... until about the last four or five episodes, and then goes forward to a half-baked ending that will leave you scratching your head for a while. The only thing that I could do was take the plot with a spoon of sugar and remember that I made me laugh a whole lot.

Overall, if you're looking for a fun anime to watch that you don't have to put any thought into or pay attention to plot, this would be the perfect anime for you. If not, just watch the dub and remember that laughter is the best form of medicine, so just keep on smiling all the way through. In the end, if this show wasn't funny, it would probably receive a two from me, but the puns and quick back and forth between the characters completely redeemed the show for me.

It is a fun watch for someone who wants to be entertained with some humor. It would have been better if it stuck closer to it's Manga eechi roots, then the talking cat panties would have made more sense in the overall story line. Over all it's not outstanding but cute enough to keep your attention, but the ending really really drove down my rating for the story. It's like deus ex machina gone wild - like the writers suddenly decided to get serious at the very last moment. This ending makes the ending for Neon Genesis look reasonable.

Well hello, my Otaku friends. If you are reading this review, then you know what is good for your taste. HAREM! ECCHI! COMEDY! ROMANCE!

Of course, if they are done right. And most of the time, they fail. Maken-ki Two might be a good example for failure. Alas, that is not the case of Magikano. Dear God, wasn't it fun? I literally got myself glued to this anime, and i know why. Let me reason myself below.

I have watched many, many comedy, ecchi, harem anime, since they are (I'm not ashamed to say) my favorite. So it's quite easy for me to say "I'm an ... expert now!" Maybe I am a perverted individual in real-life, (or Usui Takumi). But among those comedy animes I've watched, many have failed to make me laugh. Like, not even a twitch. I just stared at the screen wondering why people would try buy this piece of garbage that producers would like to call an anime.

But I laughed my ass off in Magikano. And I know why. DEAR-GOD-WAS-THAT-SOME-GOOD-VOICE-ACTING. It was WONDERFUL! Brilliant! I just had to watch to next episode after the other, and before i knew it, it was over.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not a deep anime. Half-assed story, character development etc. But that does not matter. Because it's not anime's main focus. It wants you to have fun while watching it. Even if they were not deep, I just fell in love with characters. So, wondefully portrayed! In an amusing way I mean. There are so many animes out there claiming to be fun and amusing.

The MC is a wimp. Yeah he is. But when you watch the first episode, you get the point. He holds some clique demon-king power inside of him waiting to be awakened, so he must not be aware of his powers. So he's a nerd with glasses. But being a wimp, is not being equal to being a dumb cry-bitch. (I'm looking at you Ouma Shu. Fuck you and your Guilty Crown). He got some guts, and he's smart too, for a harem MC. And it was quite refreshing that after the ecchi scenes, it was the girls who got the beating, not the boy. Normally, I hate weak characters, but since it was this shows stone-mile, I let it go, and watched him with a smile on face.

And the sisters. God those sisters. I wish I had them as mine. Not going to spoil this part, watch it.

Summary, it was nothing special, but god it was fun. Enjoyment: 10! Total 10!
Good job Magikano! (Though I'm few years late)

Story: Reasonably entertaining, if mediocre, for much of its run then takes a left turn into suckville. Ending is terrible, and renders it the most pointless anime ever filmed. Honestly it rivals So I Can't Play H for the ending that came closest to me avoiding the genre entirely.

Art: All the characters are distinct, and even background characters are fairly recognizable. However, none of them are all that pleasant to look at which is a drawback in a harem series. Guessing main girl looks better than she's drawn from the reactions of other characters.

Animation seems competent.

Sound: No major complaints.

Characters: MC is an ... everyman who has to be protected by/from his supernaturally inclined harem. He's a bit like Tsukune or Darling-kun minus most of the personality, spine, and baddassiveness. He's one of the weakest harem linchpins I've seen and that's saying something.

He's pursued by the tsundere of curse, the tsundere of self-righteousness, and the brocon of control. Meh. The brocon is sort of interesting, but the others have been done better. Seems like they were knockoffs of the two main girls on Maken-Ki, except the latter were entertaining and likable.

Enjoyment & Overall: Tropes aren't necessarily signs of a bad show. They get that popularity for a reason. Here everything is handled so weakly that at best it would have been a five.

However, the ending is godawful and completely mismatched to the tone of the rest of the series. Tone shifts and swerves aren't automatically signs of a bad show either. But there doesn't seem to be any real point to the change. The story shape that caused this can be effective, but it has to make a point when you use it. There doesn't seem to be one here.

Overall, Magikano felt like the writers went through Allthetropes and stuck things together without ever actually watching any harems, and worked with a company that hadn't done one before.

From the very beginning of this series it seemed like it would be a typical magical comedy, but it isn't until the final four episodes that sets this apart from the rest. I wouldn't recommend this anime to anyone that wants to feel satisfied at the end. I am definitely disappointed with how they decided to end this show, especially since they made everything that happened up to the ending pointless. There is absolutely no conclusion and not even an ending that allows the viewer to determine what kind of ending they think it was. They literally made the story into a complete circle where ... nothing different will ever happen. This is the part that annoyed me the most. If they at least allowed for the possibility of something new happening then the show would have been much better.

This story is something like the anime&manga of Girls Bravo, full of gags in search of a plotline, and when it finally does find a story to tell, the change in tone is so abrupt that you end up wishing it had stayed pointless and stupid. (I still think it was pretty good, Im just saying.) As a slapstick comedy, it runs out of ideas too soon and gets mired in clichés; as fan service. I think the anime was really good and really funny but, to short and didn't have a really good reason for anything. So, I think personally this anime could have ... been better...

The most redeeming quality of this anime has to be the voice actors, the only reason I didn't close this after the first episode was the two male voice actors in the first episode because they are some of the best voice actors. However the story and character development makes me want to puke. The sound effects and music during the episodes is old 90's stuff used in carebears and other such old shows and the girls sound like carebears as well. The opening theme and ending theme songs are quite good though but it's not enough to make this anime anywhere near enjoyable.

I just finished watching Magikano and throughout the series I couldn't decide whether or not I like the anime, but by the end I found it to be okay.

Story (6):

The story follows a witch Ayumi Mamiya who is cursed to lose her powers unless she awakens the boy she saw in the mirror who happens to be the protagonist Haruo.

It's pretty basic as far as harem anime goes. To be honest, by episode three I wondered if this anime was intended to be a parody of the harem genre by just how over the top it could be with some of these cliches.

The episodes ... that focus on advancing the plot, such as the one with the class play, or the final two episodes, are enjoyable to watch. Had there been more focus on the main plot throughout, the story would've received a higher score. There is a lot of filler and a few cringey episodes to get through, but a good amount of humor makes it possible.

The ending comes out of nowhere and is quite a disappointment.

Characters (4):

A lot of the characters in this anime are unlikeable. To begin with the main protagonist is your run of the mill harem lead. Though to be fair, his obliviousness is not his fault due to his sisters constantly erasing his mind. (This reason for him being oblivious is why I considered this being a parody). However when he finally is able to resist the mind erasing charm, he is legitimately angry, and I would have liked to see more of that side of Haruo, unfortunately that's about as far as it goes. So there's nothing special about the protagonist.

I found every single girl in this anime, except the minor character who has a crush on Yuri, and Rika (pretty much the only two who aren't interested in Haruo) to be annoying. The main character Ayumi is too whiny and selfish. Maika, who is in love with her own brother, annoys me by not allowing her brother to make his own choices. Actually that can be said about all of them. All they are concerned with is getting Haruo, yet not a one considers Haruo's feelings on the matter. Ayumi is the only one who actually has a reason, but as for the others, I don't understand why they're so interested in this one guy, it's never explained.

The best characters by far are Haruo's friends: Sora and Hajime, the boys in the supernatural science club. They are hilarious every moment they're on screen. And they break the pervert best friend trope by actually having hobbies and personalities. In fact I wish they were the main characters.

Art (7):

The art is decent. The animation is decent. It's nothing ground breaking, but it still looks good.

Sound (8):

I love the ending song. It's so catchy and fast paced. The dancing animation that accompanies the ending is fun to watch. It's a song I would listen to on its own as well. The opening song is calming and sweet.

I watched the English dub of this anime and I love the dialogue humor. I laughed so much at all the puns and references throughout. They made many references to other fandoms which earned a chuckle or two. The girls arguing with each other is funny. They speak in modern vernacular in a way that doesn't come across as annoying or trying too hard.

Still the best part has to be the commercials. Whenever Sora and Hajime introduced a new item there was an infomercial type voice over that explained what the item was and included the fast talking fine print and all. Those moments never failed to make me laugh thanks in large parts to the voice actor.

Enjoyment (6):

The enjoyment was hit or miss depending on the episode. There were some good episodes such as the sports day one (with the best surprise ending), the pool episode (again, great resolution), the school play episode, and all the plot relevant action episodes. Then there were a few lousy episodes, the second episode and the one with the talking underwear were too annoying and ridiculous to enjoy.

Mostly it was the humor and the dialogue that made the anime fun to watch. In many cases the episode's resolution did come as a surprise, which I felt added to the enjoyment of that particular episode.

As mentioned earlier, I didn't care much for the overall ending.

Overall (6):

Magikano had potential to be good. As far as overall plot it's decent, and the humor is great. However there were too many cliche and annoying characters to really enjoy it to the max. The fact I didn't root for any of the girls due to their obnoxious personalities (and overall objectifying Haruo) made it a little less enjoyable.

The music and humor are this show's best qualities. However, I'm still going to have to give Magikano a score of mediocre.

6/10