Ranked #2812

Asobi ni Iku yo!

Unyaaa!!

For those that don't know what that means, it's apparently cute cat talk and reference to 2010's summer anime Asobi ni Iku Yo. An anime purely dedicated to fan-service enthusiasts who love eye-candy.

With an abundance of cliché anime that provide service in the market, it's pretty hard for people to differentiate whether it's worth watching or passing up(due to having seen its type before.) Whilst I'd normally say the latter for Asobi, I'd be lying if I did as it had definitely caught my attention within the first 2 or so episodes. Asobi is an anime that amalgamates everything a fanboy loves and adds a story for which the most part, does leave you wanting to see what happens next. If only it had kept it's pacing and consistencies to the very end, I might have had better regards for its rating.

Story - 6
Asobi ni Iku Yo is a tale of how an ordinary boy meets an extraordinary alien cat-girl(nekomimi shoujo). Clichéd? Definitely. So what makes Asobi any better then the rest of what's out there? Simple. Add in a gun wielding childhood friend, an introvert spectacle-wearing classmate with special powers, a teacher belonging to an underground UFO cult, an uncle who seems to be more then he is, a cat worshiping ojou-sama, and an alien dog-woman as the main antagonist and we have a formulated cast that could either make or break the show...

The disadvantage to this though, is the introduction of too many characters that you could easily like, and not leaving much in regards to background.

Art - 6
As an anime dedicated to fan-service, it was in no doubt that ecchi would play a part in the series. As a hot-blooded male I see nothing wrong with that and considering its targeted audience are probably lonely boys who get off on the harem setting, the series has done well in the visual department as it didn't cater for just one fan of ecchi either. Whilst most guys will agree that bigger breast is best, we cannot out rule that there are a certain few who's preference are palm-sized or have none at all. Asobi provides this.

Watching the series in an upscaled HD format, artwork was passable as it's not mediocre yet I wouldn't class it as a masterpiece either. Everything is drawn well and animation is fluid throughout the series, which I believe should be a standard norm for any anime being produced as of 2010. Hence my rating of 6.

Sound - 6
Like its art, OP and ED are not groundbreaking, and at best suits its uplifting theme throughout the series. With Sphere playing their catchy J-pop tune "Now loading... SKY!!" on opening credits, one could feel that this is your average type harem or romance/comedy as it's a beat that unconsciously invites fandom into the series. One thing worth mentioning though is the series choice of seiyuu(voice actor). As a fan of Haruka Tomatsu(Rouge from Basquash, the twins from Nyan Koi! and Aoba of Cross Game just to name a few), they have decided to use her talents as the mains childhood friend in a tsundere type role. Now this may be another chance for the director to show more service and if it was, then it's pure win as Haruka is the type of seiyuu I prefer playing a tsundere-type lead over others in the market(eg. Rie Kugimiya).

Characters - 6
Whilst each character on their own may seem cliché and lackluster, it's the culmination of having them brought together that I guess makes this anime work. As clichés go, we have your main Kio who is the center of the story. An uninspiring lead who nose-bleeds easily, but I really can't fault him as he does fall in your classic harem archetype of being the weak/shy boy who will stand up to anything regardless of fortitude. If only he wasn't as clueless, I might have liked this anime even more. Then we have his harem, Eris(alien cat-girl), Manami(childhood friend) and Aoi(school friend with mysterious powers). Whilst each heroine falls under their own archetype also, they do have redeeming qualities that can out rule you from rolling your eyes each time they go into cliché-mode. There are others worth mentioning, but I won't so not to spoil it for you, and my only advice in this area is to take each character introduced lightly as this anime pokes fun and may even parody certain archetypes.

Enjoyment & OverAll - 6
Unfortunately what started out as an anime with a lot of promise, due to the series being short and certain inconsistencies, it had left some questions unanswered and felt rushed at the end giving us a mediocre conclusion. There are a lot of flaws to this series from becoming a "cut-above-the-rest" type harem, but for an anime that runs at 12 episodes, I guess it's a lot better then some out there I could list out. Whilst the series may not be aiming for top spot in MAL or any other anime review site, what it does aim for is to give viewers 20+ minutes of mindless entertainment per episode, and give lonely boys out there some false hope that it may happen to them.

If you don't mind service, then this anime is worth the laughs and amusement.

UNYAAA!! read more

Warning this review may contain spoilers. It's the first review I've ever written for this site; therefore you notice it isn't 'quite' in the site's unofficial format. Which as far as I can tell is almost a checklist of the top five scores and their final overall.

Asobi ni Iku yo!

Surprisingly; good story. It's a short story format; only three 'arcs' maybe four. All interconnected and they all had a point. They constantly fore-shadowed things that would appear in later episodes.

The echii/harem side of things... Was almost sidelined by the gun-fire and explosions. It's a fairly straight up action/adventure/sci-fi show with quite a few parodies and references.

The 'bounce' factor was 'almost' down-played. First three episodes they stared; after that Eris's mighty bust is constantly present but hardly an active focus.

It''s a very soft 'melo melo' 'pure love' sort of echii; they even make reference to this in the op. They kissed... Once. Occasionally there was an accidental infringement scene; especially in the first half. They ended up in swim suits twice; in one case pantsu was involved due to a tail hole.

I'm sorry; this was far less echii then I expected from all the descriptions and feed back. The story wasn't focused on it; it existed but as a back drop for the actual story.

The lead... Is Too Dense To Take Seriously. He also isn't unlucky enough to be considered a plot trigger. I can't even remember his name despite it being used dozens on dozens of times. He could have been anyone in that situation; I firmly believe that his only reason for being in the anime was to be the viewers 'avatar'. His personality is a blank non-descriptive hole.

For that very reason I'm grateful; for there are moments, songs, and various scenes which where the anime rose far above the general harem feel. Tora-dora had more sexual tension... Seriously. The echi is existant, it is a small part of; however it is not the entirety of this anime... Not by a long shot.

Be it the lonely spaceman, the various parodies, music, political reactions, and ect. There was far more to this show then just echi, oppai, and the harem way.

To lost adventurers, crazy cults, moon gazing, robot independence, political conspiracy, and parodies without end. Kampai!

I gave this show an 8. For excellent action, some particularly stirring pieces of sound/music, a solid story line, average voice actors, so-so echii, and because on occasion... Rare occasion. Amidst those short twelve episodes... I found a scene that could touch my soul.

I expected the occasional grin, a guffaw, to stare in awe of the bounce. I didn't expect to find serious messages buried amidst the comedy.

You can't take this show seriously; it's a light watch. However if you can enjoy the genre; then don't hesitate to watch it just because of a few negative comments. There are some things in this short little gem that are well worth checking out.

They are hidden and often to the point; much like any good comedians... There are dark/terrible truths buried beneath the humor. read more