I really thought that this was going to be the series for me, before and during my run of the series. This is a series with such a brilliant setup, premise and promise, only for it to fall flat on almost all of it's promises in the latter half of the series.
The first half of the story is truly where the writing shines the most, and honestly, the ending should've been during the Library fire, if anywhere in the canon. But still, this was the beginning of where the series began to stumble.
Let me demonstrate the fatal flaw of this series by reiterating and explaining
...
the brilliance of it's premise. Dr. Tenma is a brilliant Japanese neurosurgeon, working at a hospital in East Germany, some time after the Berlin Wall fell. He is the head of his department, the most trusted in his Director's team, engaged to the Director's daughter. But the hospital, in the end, is a stage for politics over lives.
The series begins with Tenma learning that bc he decided to follow the orders of his politically motivated Director, he performed surgery on a patient, at the expense of another patient's life, who had been admitted to the hospital before the one he was ordered to save. He is distraught over this realization, and when a similar scenario arises soon after, he decides to save the lives of the patients in the order for which they were brought to him.
This time around, he decides to save the life of a boy who had been shot in the head, over the mayor of the city. Even if they'd come in at the same time, I think most people would agree that saving the boy's life would've held a higher priority. But Tenma doesn't realize until ten years afterwards that the boy he saved became one of the most terrifying serial killers out there. And with that, introduces a brilliant moral dilemma. And the setup that follows is also brilliant- that, feeling like he is responsible for those killed by "that Monster", Tenma has a duty, an obligation, to put his life on the line in order to put an end to him. Those that try to kill Monsters should see to it that they do not become a Monster themselves.
And up until the halfway mark, Naoki Urusawa continuously impressed me with the journey we were embarking on, and the characters we met. Up until the halfway mark, that is. But before I get into that... What exactly was so intriguing about the story up until the halfway mark? Well, Tenma was embarking on the journey of a fugitive, a cat and mouse chase, and he burdens his own mind with his false-noble ambition to save the many by killing just one. Meanwhile, we, as the audience, *know* that he can't kill anyone, he can only save.
Johan, the serial killer boy, is an intriguing and terrifying character up until the halfway mark. We don't see him for most of it, but when he does appear, he steals the show. And we are introduced to his broader ambitions. We learn that he is a product of an East-German/ Soviet Experiment masquerading as an orphanage called Kinderheim 511. At that orphanage, he instilled fear and darkness into the ticking time bombs that were the kids of that orphanage, and everyone in the orphanage, including the experimenters, killed each other. Yes. He was evil way before Tenma saved him. In fact, on the night he was shot in the head by his twin sister, Anna, he had killed both of their adopted parents. And he is also responsible for the deaths of Tenma's director and jackass colleagues after he was saved by Tenma.
But while he is a product of Kinderheim 511, a radical Fascist organization views him as the next Hitler, O' so eager to have him take the mantle as their new leader. During this time, we are taught two things about Johan, that while he is following in the footsteps of Hitler, even at his early age, by controlling the banks and amassing power- according to Tenma, he has "no cheap racial prejudices". And in an arc not long after, we see his plan in motion. He slowly kills off everyone related to a wealthy businessman, a billionaire, in order to slowly isolate him, drive him into despair, and control his inheritance... Controlling his business with massive spanning connections from behind the scenes. But it is after the climax of this arc that it became clear that Naoki Urusawa could not follow up on the brilliance of it's first half.
To demonstrate how he fails, let's look at everything I just mentioned. Dr. Tenma saving Johan introduced a fascinating moral dilemma. Tenma became a better person after saving the boy and losing his status in the hospital, but he is rewarded by the boy himself by him killing all of Tenma's superiors. Tenma lives for 9 years after the fact with a clean conscious, saving patients for the sake of saving them, until Johan kills one of his patients in front of him and incidentally frames him for murder for the second time. We know that Tenma was not wrong for choosing to save Johan over the Mayor. But for 74 episodes straight we know that Tenma cannot kill Johan, for he can only save lives. That's just the person he is. So why does the show wait 73 episodes to come to the same conclusion I came to at Episode 50-ish?
That conclusion being, that if Tenma cannot kill Johan, why not try to save him? Show him the light or something. This may sound cheesy, and blatantly common- and it really is. But if they decided to introduce that after the halfway mark instead of at the end, then we could've successfully followed up on our beginning premise, and Urusawa could've actually made use of all the plot threads and build up until that point.
What if- instead of what we got- the plot was that Johan was succeeding in his plot to become a Hitler-like dictator behind the scenes? But wait! -You shout. Johan's plot is actually a suicide mission- you cry! To which I would respond, yeah, but didn't Hitler commit suicide in the end, also? If only... If only Naoki Urusawa had decided to actually use the plot points built up in it's first half, the same concept he wound up carrying out would've been executed in a much more satisfying, thrilling, and fascinating way.
(Let me be clear. What I'm saying is if the the premise of the series is a moral dilemma, then it should be followed up with others. When Tenma confronts Johan at the Library and doesn't shoot him, it should've been clear that even if Johan managed to massacre a hundred people, Tenma wouldn't have the gumption to pull the trigger, for he could only save lives. So thus, the premise therefore should've been, if he was in the right to save him the first time, as he grows in power, the only way he can "put an end to things" would be to capture him, make him confess, show him the light or shine light on the darkness that is Johan. Thus, introducing another moral conflict. It's one thing to save Hitler before you know he will become Hitler, but can one save Hitler after you know he is Hitler? The answer in the context of Monster is, yes, because Urusawa says so in Episode 73. Also, Johan is a child that has only known how to be evil. A product of his upbringing and his mind. Why didn't we get this dilemma at the halfway mark? That way, the most sufficient way to raise the steaks is Tenma trying to figure out how to outsmart Johan, how to lure him into a trap so he can set him straight.)
Instead, the second half of Monster devolves. It gets lost in all of it's semi relevant side stories involving political experiments, espionage and trying to trace Johan's past back to his mother in Czechoslovakia. In the wake of the contrived mess of a story it becomes, it shafts all the good characters from the first half, including Tenma and Johan themselves. And it only delivers on a few of it's promises. At this point, Johan retains little intrigue. The more we learn about his roots, the more his character burns in the oven. The gravest offense against his character is learning more about his past than we already had known. Not because keeping details of him in the dark makes him more terrifying, though that's a plus, it's because his backstory before his time at Kinderheim demonstrates the utter worst aspects of Urusawa's writing.
It all starts with a Children's book written by a Czechoslovakian Author, called "The Monster Without a Name". It is a book that is tied to his and his sister's past... they both collapse in shellshock when they read it again during their respective quests. The next 30+ episodes are spent trying to justify this one book's existence in the story, whilst Urusawa tries to hammer it's relevance in like a shoehorn.
"Hey look! This children's book is just like the story! Look! Look!" Urusawa yells. "See, A monster splits in two, and they look for names, but no one is left to know their names!"... 'I'm so brilliant'- he thinks.
Obviously, I'm simplifying this particular plot point but with the introduction of this book, and the plot shifting towards Johan's past, he keeps trying to give this impression that everything is going according to some sort of sinister plan. Meanwhile, Johan throws away all of his plans to pursue his past, a move that is not completely incomprehensible, but for someone with a brain as big as Johan's, with his suicide mission unchanging, it is contradictory to say the least. But worry not! Because it actually is all going according to plan! Because Johan is actually planning a massacre where he plans to die at after killing everybody in a small town. Now his reason for this is to kill aforementioned Children's author, Franz Bonaparta, who was the chief of the OTHER experiment he was involved in in Czechoslovakia, and then have Tenma shoot him... but instead he is shot by a semi-relevant drunk and Tenma saves him.
But wait, there was ANOTHER experiment? Not just Kinderheim 511? As if that one experiment wouldn't have been enough to adequately explain why Johan is literally the devil himself, the series tries to shoehorn in another, less compelling, cheap, tragic, experiment in Czechoslovakia that involves breeding the ultimate genetic specimen, murdering a whole bunch of people and one that honestly struggles to adequately explain what's happening in the plot, or make the direction Urusawa decided to go in, compelling. This is what I mean by "Johan is overcooked". With this shoehorned experiment, all the flaws in Urusawa's writing start to reveal itself.
Now let's get into how Monster fell apart. First, it should be noted that Monster doesn't have very well written dialogue, even for it's first half. And it's not a translation error, it's more like how desperate it is to be cryptic, even in the Japanese words they are using. This is not a problem in the First Half because the setting and premise more than make up for- but actively complement the cryptic nature of the dialogue. But the second half is plagued by the cheesy cryptics, for the story tries to move into a more emotionally centered story, instead of one with broad political implications like it had in the first half.
When someone reads a beautiful poem to you, you expect it to be lush and descriptive. But there is little rhyme to the reasons given in the second half of Monster. It's head gets stuck up it's ass, in other words. Anyone who watched it probably can remember how many times Nina repeats the same phrases over and over again, how the same phrases echo to other characters, with additional information being given at the pace of a very slow drip of water, and not in a good way. "Cedok Bridge" "The Three Frogs" "Welcome Home" "I'm home" "Humans can be anything they want to be" and even "Monster". We are supposed to be satisfied when Nina (Johan's sister) faints or goes into post traumatic fits after recalling vague, repressed memories from her past. The problem is that this goes on for damn near 30 episodes and results in her character stagnating, with no purpose left in the story but to fill in those details for us.
Dieter, a child, a remnant of Kinderheim 511 for which Tenma rescues, starts travelling with him in the first half of the series, but is completely shafted in the second. His role was to stop Tenma from falling into his pit of despair and make sure he doesn't become a Monster. Eventually, Tenma jukes Dieter to continue his quest, leaving him with a German psychiatrist. But Dieter no longer plays any important part past that point, except to keep Nina company as she slowly uncovers her and Johan's past. Meanwhile, Tenma, while he becomes desperate and extremely worn down, never again finding a consistent person for emotional support, never becomes a Monster. So why did we need Dieter to begin with?
The first half really sold to us that Tenma needed someone like Dieter to keep him from losing himself. As soon as Tenma jukes Dieter, he (almost) kills Roberto, one of our antagonists... In self defense, mind (
you. But this is moments away from confronting Johan and pointing a gun at his forehead in the midst of burning flames.
None of Tenma's isolation does him in in any fatal way. What is the point of constantly telling us that he's not eating properly and that he'll drive himself insane, if none of that ever plays an important role in his life as a fugitive or in his game of cat and mouse? His character stays stagnant for 30+ episodes until the very end of the series.
Eva Heinemanm, Tenma's former fiance... While I like when unlikeable characters get development, the execution of her development was all over the place. She has a nice ending to her character arc in after Tenma left her at that secret inn in the first half, but then she regresses as a character when she is reintroduced in the second half. She finally develops again after caring for her bodyguard and meeting with Tenma after he breaks the news to her that he's dead. For most of the series, she wants Tenma behind bars for "ruining her life" (though she never realizes that it was her that ruined her life), but soon she is burdened with being the only one who can prove Tenma innocent and that Johan was the one who killed Tenma's patient. Her obsession with Tenma stems from her privileged upbringing and large ego. Tenma was the only man who really cared for her while they were dating, so she still longs for him after a decade of their relationship breaking off. She's an annoying character, and I questioned why they were still forcing her to be relevant after her reintroduction. She ends off the series finally recovering from her alcohol induced depression and starting a new life as an interior designer... Which is nice, but still, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I don't want to get into too many details because so many of the side stories, while they all center around Tenma and Johan, they only serve to muddy the premise and intrigue of the series. Urusawa becomes obsessed with creating a way to end the story in a way that everyone can be happy, instead of letting things fall into place. The only motivations for side characters slowly dwindle to helping Tenma or Johan. In addition, Urusawa keeps writing reason after reason why characters exist or act the way they do, with very little rhyme.
After a certain point, I stopped being invested in any of the characters aside from Mr. Grimmer, and even he starts losing me on his "Magnificent Steiner" schtick.
And I really didn't need to be invested either. There was no collective effort by those investigating the existence of Johan that brought him to his knees in the finale... there was no outsmarting of the genius. The game of cat and mouse was just that, a game... that the mouse himself intended on ending. Which defeats the idea of cat and mouse.
There was so much potential, I can even offer so many alternatives to how they could've executed that second half of the series. But unlike other acclaimed manga authors, Urusawa is hesitant to make sweeping changes to the landscape and characters and break the status quo. All that we saw from Johan in the second half would've been more compelling were he more of a threat than he was before the Library Fire. He could've controlled the entirety of the Czechoslovakian secret police, the Radical Fascists, he could've also killed off and gained control of that billionaire's inheritance, getting all of the international corporations on his side and in his pocket. Leading everyone to hell, lining them up like sheep to the slaughter-- stepping over them like ants. Nina still could've been tracing her roots, Johan still could've been on a suicide mission. But instead we get semi relevant stories about spies, about another set of murderers that were controlled by Johan, for reasons not very well explained.
Let's see, the last arc of the series, for such unevenly cooked characters, is the most undercooked of all the arcs. We don't get much time to learn about the town and those who inhabit it before everything goes to shit in it. And people call this anime a masterpiece?
And lastly, what I want to talk about is the very beginning of the series. One of the biggest plot holes never answered.
How the hell was Johan able to kill the Tenma's superiors with muscle relaxant candies, while he was still bedridden? Where did he get them? I thought potentially someone was trying to kill him, potentially Franz Bonaparta, but it is literally never explained. There are many other holes in the series, but there it is... right in the beginning of the series, sticking out like a sore thumb.
Those are my thoughts.
Monster is a muddied gem that could've been a diamond. It could've been a social commentary that would've still been relevant today.
May 10, 2021 Recommended
I really thought that this was going to be the series for me, before and during my run of the series. This is a series with such a brilliant setup, premise and promise, only for it to fall flat on almost all of it's promises in the latter half of the series.
The first half of the story is truly where the writing shines the most, and honestly, the ending should've been during the Library fire, if anywhere in the canon. But still, this was the beginning of where the series began to stumble. Let me demonstrate the fatal flaw of this series by reiterating and explaining ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 4, 2018
Shoujo Fujuubun
(Manga)
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Author stand-in characters are nothing new. Even before the dawn of film, writers were obsessed with being writers and wrote stories about being a writer writing stories.
One of what I think the biggest media to be about a topic like this was by a little-known horror author named Stephen King and his novel and film called "Misery". This story was about a professional novelist getting saved by his "biggest fan" after suffering a car accident before he was about to publish the last book in a highly popular series. To make a long story short, the fan became really possessive and controlling of the ... novelist, to the point where she basically held him captive in her house while he couldn't escape and forced him to write the ending of her favorite series the way she wanted it to end. Ever since then, we've had stand-in author characters like that one guy from Jojo's Bizzare Adventure Part 4, that weird gorilla in Gintama, Light from Death Note, and basically every other character in NisiOisiN's Forgetful Detective series. The reason why I bring up both Misery and author stand-in characters in this review isn't necessarily because both of them are relevant. It's because when we compare NisiOisiN's "Imperfect Girl" to both, you wind up with wildly different interpretations of the same basic ideas. Misery is an easy one to contrast Imperfect Girl with. UU, our main female protagonist and the scary loli on the cover of each volume, isn't a fan of our MC's work. But she is the one who changed MC-kun from an aspiring author, to a professional author that passionately delivers on his work. After UU, a fifth grader, kidnaps our MC, a college student who happens to be an aspiring author, we are treated to a unique interpretation of how this would inspire or perhaps punctuate a creator's will to create. In contrast to Misery, when the novelist finally escapes from his biggest fan's grasp at the end of the film, though this left a traumatic experience on him, he used that experience to finish writing the last book in the massively popular series in a satisfying way. The difference in interpretation is clear. MC-kun is someone who constantly struggles to get off the ground, to no avail, before this incident. While the novelist in Misery was merely uninspired when writing the last installment of his series. By the way, believe it or not, I am avoiding telling spoilers for Imperfect Girl. A lot of the end results of each incident, including the end of the story, is given away basically at the beginning. Also, a lot of "foreshadowing" is told to you, the readers, whether it will be important or not. It's not there aren't twists, but because there are some things that are never followed up on, this works to the narrative's benefit to just tell the reader nothing will become of this red herring. Imperfect Girl is basically about an accomplished author telling a story (10 years in the future) of when he was kidnapped by a 5th grader and how he and the girl come to grips with their current lives and their individual futures. Just by being in each other's company, for their own spoilerific reasons, they soon learn to recontextualize themselves as they realize that the situation is ultimately pointless in justifying their goals. Though the kidnapping and subsequent pretending to stay kidnapped are ultimately pointless, they do wind up making a huge impact in each other's lives... aaand I've said enough about that. The story itself can also be construed as a criticism of Japanese society, social expectations, and child-raising. But more than any of that, as blatantly meta as it is, Imperfect Girl was written as a novel by NisiOisiN to celebrate his 10 years writing as an author. This is where I believe I should make the distinction between what MC-kun is, and what an author stand-in character is. Rather, that even though MC-kun IS a stand-in for the author, as in he reflects the author's philosophy, thought processes and assumedly share a similar backstory (not that I would know)-- he is still entirely his own character and one that I can relate to very much. Going to college, going through the motions in society like a robot, but going home every day so he can work on his next story, but being rejected, time and time again every time he tries to submit. Except for the last part, and as an aspiring author myself, I felt as if I was that guy. An artist is someone who can tell the truth by lying. By extension, authors write tales, ultimately lies, but perhaps hold even truer than the real thing. Autobiographies and fiction can be wholly indistinguishable; autobiographies written as fiction can be fascinating, while fiction written as autobiographies can be inspirational. That said, amateur writers, or "aspiring authors" are not people who can tell the truth by lying. In pursuit of being a professional, often does an aspiring author lie, without giving their fiction real weight. In other words, most aspiring authors haven't really experienced life and giving our MC-kun a real experience would benefit him... was where I thought the series was going with it, initially. Though I won't deny that it probably has some part, it really isn't so simple. In fact, I believe that relates more to Misery than it does Imperfect Girl. Instead of being trapped by society's walls, he is now trapped inside actual walls. He is forced into the room, but he can easily get out. But instead, he gets to the bottom of what caused this situation and his perspective changes. Meaning is given to him by the end of the series on WHY his stories should be told. As I'm basically MC-kun, writing this review, I relate soooo much with his struggles. As an aspiring novelist-- I constantly try and doubt myself over the quality of my work. And ultimately, I am also guilty (and have repeatedly caught myself) writing imitations of novels, instead of writing tales that reflect myself. I feel, however, that once I do find purpose in WHY I want to write my stories, they ultimately come together in a way that I can be proud of, or at least in a way that I don't think it's broken just moments after writing it. It doesn't help that I gain so much inspiration from NisiOisiN, honestly. When I hold him to an ideal standard, things only go uphill from there... Though ultimately, I still do my best to keep up with him because fiction itself is a means to contextualize oneself, kind of like how the characters in Imperfect Girl are to each other. While MC-kun is a hard-worker and really does aspire to make it big, he doubts his own work will ever make it, even though he keeps saying "maybe next time" over and over again. He starts to believe he doesn't have talent as a writer but goes through the motions anyway because "that's his dream". By the end of the series, though he never says he's proud of his works-- rather something way more spoilerific-- the end goal is accomplished and spoilers essentially become his inspiration. I also relate a lot with UU's character and her situation in many ways, but... that requires spoilers so... To wrap things up, Imperfect Girl may seem very VERY unusual at first, but it's concepts at its core are masterfully executed and Mitsuru Hattori does a fantastic job retelling and breathing new life into it with her artwork. The first few panels alone got me hooked and I binged all three volumes in about an hour. And I literally finished it like an hour or two ago-- which might say something. Honestly, the story is short enough (let alone good enough), and the aesthetic is Shaft enough for me to crave a movie adaptation or something in the prospective future. If you're a Shaft or Monogatari fan, you will be pleased with basically everything in this manga. Even if you're not one or either of those, I see no reason why you shouldn't find something equally as valuable in what this series has to offer if you choose to stick with it to its conclusion. Story: 9.5/10 Art (normally): 8/10 Art (in impactful scenes): 10/10 Characters: 9/10 Music: 11/10 Enjoyment: 9.5/10 Overall: 9.5/10 No human being is perfect, and when a human being tries so desperately to be perfect, that alone will expose more imperfections. Why the obsession with being perfect?
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 13, 2018 Recommended Preliminary
(59/? chp)
A lot of people have been referring to 3rei!! as the "Heaven's Feel" of this magical girl spin-off. Actually, a lot of people have just been calling it the second-coming of Heaven's Feel, as even the fan translations from Beast Lair have been scribbling out the title card and writing "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel" over it.
3rei!! is undoubtedly the darkest arc of Fate/Illya, and the further you read into it, the darker it becomes. That said, has it reached the crushing emotional weight of Heaven's Feel? Not really. Will it reach there eventually... that is debatable. Before I go on... a brief backstory. I ... started Fate back in late 2014, or maybe even early 2015. But I did not start the way most other people started Fate, actually, when I started Fate, I didn't know what Fate even was. My introduction to Fate was Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei (yes... the second season). Needless to say, I formed kind of an attachment to this spin-off as I eventually got around to watching the first season, then off to Deen/stay night, then off to Fate/Zero, and UBW, as I jokingly referred to it as the best of the Fate/series. That's probably because I didn't understand what Fate was really about until I read the original visual novel for myself and its sequel Fate/hollow ataraxia, recently, in fact. Awed by Fate/stay night's philosophical and psychological complexity integrated with its equally fantastic magic system and world-building, I started wondering if this magical girl spin-off was really anything great, to begin with. I mean, it would make sense since I had no knowledge of Fate at the time, I was also highly optimistic and also yuri-crazed. So here I am, starting this manga from the beginning... and now I'm even questioning if this is supposed to be a magical spin-off at all? First of all, Fate/Illya references Fate/hollow ataraxia more than it ever does Fate/stay night. In fact, most if not all the concepts that govern Fate/Illya are concepts that were introduced in Hollow Ataraxia. Not surprising since this manga started publishing back in 2007, which is give or take a year after Hollow Ataraxia came out. Bazzett, Ruby, Luvia, Caren, Lil Gilgamesh, magical girls, and cards in general, are all stuff that Fate/Illya directly references. Looking at it this way gives me a new perspective on what Fate/Illya was trying to be instead of what many (who haven't played Hollow Ataraxia) perceive. It's going to take some time before Fate/Illya can stand on the same level as Fate/stay night and other entries into the Nasuverse (I don't know exactly where it stands among all of them as I haven't yet explored all of them) but it is getting darn close, darn fast-- if you ask me. Each part of this manga is very consistent, and its sense of humor, while arguably a niche taste, has a very good pace to it and works well as both build up and misdirection at times. The first part was definitely the weakest, but it ultimately did nothing wrong and even set up the premise as solid as any premise can be, at least for one that is based on another premise. Too many times can a spin-off rely too much on the lore of the main franchise to distinguish itself, and while it borrows a lot of the same characters, it is immediately distinct and introduces some new ones (namely, Miyu), as well as altering the existing ones to make sense in this world (like Illya is 11... though they haven't explained why yet...). 2wei successfully sets up the themes that will be prevalent as we move forward and also sets up an emotional and philosophical catharsis for which draws direct inspiration from the main franchise and adds to it in interesting ways. 2wei also leaves on a cliffhanger as soon as it looks like it is about to fall into the magical girl mold, the darkest arc begins. Now I know that magical girl anime becoming dark is nothing new since Madoka Magica made its claim to fame. That said, however, no matter how much you look for evidence of the claim that Fate/Illya is copying the dark magical girl trend, it is essential to establish that this was clearly the direction the series intended on going from the beginning. Though I'm sure there were still a few like it, back in its first part and second parts, Fate/Illya was already including subjects like, well, sexual implications, graphic violence and sacrificing for the sake of maintaining balance before these things are commonly "explored" in dark magical girls series today. That is, if you weren't ignoring the fact that it was connected to the Fate/series already, which has these themes littered all over its lore. Granted, it's not as explicit as 3rei is, which just so happened to start publishing after the Madoka Magica trend started to take off. The pieces for this arc were there from the beginning, as there many hints and plenty of build up to the reveal of this arc, which I believe was pretty genius in its execution. I would even go so far as to say that it stands up there with another certain reveal in Unlimited Blade Works. This author definitely has a skill for handling escalation and constantly throwing twists without them feeling tiring, something he shows off to full effect in this arc of the manga. Back to the subject of the Heaven's Feel comparisons. While this arc of the manga definitely goes out of its way to reference that route of the original VN (and those references are of those horrible things), I still think it has ways to go until it becomes as cruel as that route truly is. So far, the action has been the main focal point of this arc, and while that is well and good, anyone who has read the original visual novel would know that Heaven's Feel rarely relied on action to drive home the existential horror of its narrative. Instead, it relied on careful characterization, unsettling build-up and knowledge of the other two routes of the visual novel to make you question what you would do in Shirou's situation (luckily, its a game, so it was able to play on that very conflict to warrant an emotional response). It's a route that flips everything that is ideal about the Holy Grail War and flips it on its head, exposing the true darkness just underneath the surface. While this arc has a lot of twists, since this takes place in a setting we had no prior knowledge of before the reveal in the previous arc, it still has a lot of ground to cover before we can even comprehend what it is we are flipping. That's not to say that there haven't been many huge, game-changing twists, but so far it has been much more Unlimted Blade Works than it has been Heaven's Feel. Like I said, however, it is getting there, and fast. With every other chapter, I get the feeling again and again that something to the level of Made in Abyss' Bondrewd arc is around the corner, and it almost came unsettlingly close in a single instance. We are also at the stage in every Fate iteration where the bad guys start getting some backstory to them and we see that they aren't mindless villains out for world destruction... or twisted good guys out for world salvation for that matter. Almost as if painfully aware that there would be Madoka Magica fakers that Fate/Illya would be directly compared to, the author seems to have taken precaution and implemented more of what is typical of Fate, rather than that of magical girl series. There is much more use of servant abilities, servants, an entire arc dedicated to this series' form of the Holy Grail War and other mysteries that have yet to be uncovered. This is why I sometimes question whether this is a magical girl spin-off or not, what you expect is certainly not what you get. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 3rei!! may cement this series as one of, if not the best Fate spin-off in the Nasuverse... though that remains to be confirmed. I can't really say this confidently as we need to wait until the end of the arc to see for ourselves just how much thought was put behind it. The way things are now, I don't know how deep I should expect this arc to get or how long it should be going for. I definitely don't think this will be the last arc in this series, mainly because we have more issues to wrap up in the previous setting, but at the same time, I don't think wrapping this arc up quickly would do it justice. For all I know, this arc can go on for another 50 chapters and be a masterpiece or wrap up in 10 and be a disappointment, and both seem equally plausible as possibilities. That said, from what I do know now is that this manga is distinct enough, bringing new concepts to the table, while also being undeniably Fate. Story: 8.3 (Not quite comfortable giving it a 9, yet.) Art: 9 (So good in fact that animators on a film budget can't replicate its epic composition) Music: 10 (Better than the anime.) Characters: 8 (...why onii-chan?) Enjoyment: 8.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 Sentence: The jail is over there, Onii-chan. Overall: 8.5 (I'm marking this as an 8 for now, but hopefully I could rate it a 9 by the end of this arc.)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 11, 2018 Recommended
*ORIGINALLY UPLOADED MARCH 24, 2018
Winter 2018 brought us an adaptation of an ongoing yuri manga named Citrus, which began publication in 2012 in one of the most popular yuri magazine, Comic Yuri Hime!. Citrus may very well be the most popular yuri manga to date, both in Japan and in the west, just look at MAL’s popularity rankings for proof of that claim. Though highly anticipated by the audience keeping up with the series’ bi-monthly schedule, the anime was announced alongside a similar manga series named Netsuzou Trap, which bore a… less than satisfactory adaptation in Summer 2017, ultimately putting the yuri community on edge ... as we hoped this would be a success. Did Citrus manage to live up to the hype? It is no secret that I am a manga reader of Citrus, and since I first picked up the manga series, I have been nothing but a loyal fan of it, and I’ve cherished it so. That was two or three years ago, and even reading the manga now, I am proud to say it stands among my favorites, even though I am well aware that it isn’t perfect. But before I get into this review, I want to tell everyone reading this review to please read through to the end, or just read the end if you can’t be bothered to slog through all of my feelings towards this adaptation. Let me reiterate; At the bottom of this review, I want to address everyone who was watching this adaptation during Winter 2018 or afterward, manga reader or not. There is where I will share my deeply personal feelings towards this adaptation of Citrus, Citrus itself, and the anime community as a whole. *This review contains minor spoilers, but the ones that are important I only mention in passing, so chances are, you will forget or not understand the context behind them enough to ruin your enjoyment. Read at your own risk, but there really is none. PRODUCTION (animation, character designs, music, backgrounds, voice acting, etc.): 7 Let’s get the most superficial aspect of this review out of the way first- I say “superficial”, but in reality, this may be the most important part of both Citrus and this review. The project was helmed at studio Passione and directed by Takahashi Takeo (Spice and Wolf, Yosuga no Sora, Rokka no Yusha), and while indeed there is a lot of passion to be seen in this production, you don’t even need to read the manga to say that this anime looks inconsistent, tipping the lines between beautiful and downright ugly. Though I don’t want to keep relying on the manga for comparisons in this review, I have to because quite literally the soul of Citrus and its appeal lies in its outstanding artwork, drawn (and written) by the talented SubaroUta. But more on the importance of this distinction later. First off, the character designs are a hot mess. Well, actually they are actually quite beautiful when the animation is consistent, or they’re not moving, or when they’re not blushing! Seriously, I don’t know whose brilliant idea it was to have the blushes be this bright pink that just doesn’t meld with the character designs at all. I’m not a professional artist, and the fan arts that I did a year and a half ago, have more organic-looking blushes than this! Honestly, the blushes look cheap at best and ugly/ cheesy at worse, but that is the furthest thing wrong with the character designs. Though upon first examination (of the trailer, mostly), I felt that the designs for Citrus were meant to animate better by simplifying the designs in order to keep them consistent- it turns out that isn’t the case. The designs on their own will hold, but they aren’t the least bit consistent, especially for the dramatic moments (why?????). These two problems on their own may seem like a problem all anime has to face, but this inconsistency easily becomes poison for Citrus. Scenes that were supposed to be gut punches to the viewer or just have a lot of tension are killed by the lack of consistent art and animation. Scenes where Yuzu and Mei are supposed to be really attracted to each other, shows neither of the characters looking attractive! Scenes where Mei is supposed to have a densely emotional moment, or that Yuzu is supposed to feel inspired or serious, the art fails to communicate these feelings to the audience through its artwork, at least not like the manga did. I would be bashing it more, if it were not for the other aspects of the production though, however, I’m still going to bring this up later. That said, the aspects of the production that makes up where the art utterly fails are (well, the biggest aspect) the cinematography and shot composition (I’m throwing in all the big words right now). Cinematography and shot composition- especially for scenes that work up the romantic tension (or any scene for that matter) are consistently beautiful. Backgrounds and foregrounds are ALWAYS dazzling (especially the school campus and Yuzu and Mei’s house) and they always work to frame the characters in subtle ways. Takahashi Takeo really showed up some of the talents he showed back in Spice and Wolf because his techniques in visual storytelling were not only creative but manage to create a densely layered atmosphere, which compliments the equally consistent music and sound design. The music was composed by Takahashi Ryo (ACCA 13, Classroom of the Elite) and he certainly didn’t disappoint, though I’d hardly call any of them “stand out”. That said, the music is really lively when it just needs to be comical, and really somber and nerve-racking when it just needs to be tense. Really got to applaud this guy, but then we also have nano.RIPE performing for the OP which has been one of my favorite bands throughout the years to hear OPs from, and Mia REGINA on the ED. The voice acting is solid as well, we have Kirino- I mean Taketatsu Ayana giving a solid performance as Yuzu. Tsuda Minami (Yui from Yuru Yuri!) giving an equally solid performance as Mei, and all the other voice actors did a great job with their roles as well, though I would have to question the choice of Matsuri’s seiyuu. Not that it doesn’t fit her character, but it probably fits too well… Well, that’s just my preference, I guess. (I guess I just like to imagine Matsuri sounding like the stuck-up bitch she truly is, but oh well) There are some janky CGI character models in the background that look out of place, but nothing about this really affects the viewing experience, so it really doesn’t matter. Overall, the production of Citrus is inconsistent, but I’ve seen worse. Perhaps some of the complaints I threw out here will be fixed in the Blu-ray releases. CHARACTERS: 8 Okay, enough singing praises for people you may or may not care about, instead, I want to look at the characters of Citrus. In technical terms, these characters are more or less the same as their manga counterparts. The only differences being that in the anime, the director takes some liberties and adds in many flashbacks and character building moments that weren’t present in the manga, but more on that later. So, the characters are more or less exactly the same as far as how they are written... except for one. Mei. Mei isn’t as well written as her manga counterpart. But why? You ask. Don’t they share the same scenes? Aren’t their motivations the same? My answer to that is, though you aren’t technically wrong—unfortunately, this is where the consequences of having lackluster art and animation come in. Excuse me for referencing the manga once again, but please bear with me because this will be the last time I go in depth with it before giving my final thoughts. Mei’s character, unlike every other character in Citrus, is brought to life by her art (in the manga). This is an undeniably crucial aspect of her character that the anime didn’t get right whatsoever. That is because, unlike all the other characters, Mei is more often silent and doesn’t know how to express her emotions clearly. But thanks to SubaroUta’s brilliant artwork, she can catch the subtleties of her expression even in the most undetailed of scenes. It really gives off the impression that Mei is a living, breathing person- because though the writing around her character would be enough to explain the way she acts, she just ISN’T COMPELLING without it. I mean, no wonder so many anime-only watchers HATE Mei because she ISN’T being represented right. She ISN’T being drawn right. Mei IS NOT a cold bitch that needs warmth, she is a girl that acts like a cold bitch that really wants warmth but doesn’t know how to deal with others giving it to her. Mei is supposed to be an object of affection- Yuzu’s affection and lust, and we’re supposed to see that clearly as Yuzu’s eyes are the ones we are seeing the story through most of the time. So why the heck is Mei off-model most of the time, and hardly ever look sexy? Why aren’t the animators doing everything they can to catch each of her subtle expressions??? But if they nearly neglected Mei’s character, then they definitely pampered Yuzu. Yuzu is so much deeper then she needs to be, adding tons of characterization and subtleties for her any chance they get. I definitely appreciate the effort put into those scenes, even if it kinda defeats the point of the surrogate protagonist that most girls should be able to relate to (that Yuzu is supposed to be). So, Mei is probably a 6/10 character in the anime. She is characterized by being stoic, cold and stubborn, but lacking in the emotional depth that made her a compelling character. They literally ruined best girl. I could go into her whole story now, but I want to save it for later. All you need to know is that whenever pain is inflicted on her, she inflicts pain on others as a coping mechanism. This is explained in the anime, but again, it is hardly compelling. Yuzu is a 9/10 character in general. She is hard-headed and stubborn, but more importantly, she is a go-getter and chases her goals no matter how hard they may seem to achieve. But more than that, she is your average girl, all she thinks about is love, and the connections she makes with others. She’s very versed in social activity, so breaking through Mei’s social barrier one unsure advance at a time makes it seem like the two were made for each other… Yuzu also isn’t dumb. She may not be academically smart, but she has a way of figuring out the deepest parts of her feelings and acting on them without reservation, even if she can get caught up in her own morals or preconceptions. Harumi is 10/10 best waifu. I’m kidding. The only role Harumi gets to serve in this adaptation is that she is moral support for Yuzu when she gets down or hung up on things. She’s more like an 8/10, but she really can’t be faulted for it though. She just doesn’t have much of a role, contrary to popular belief. That said, she is fun, funny, and has one of the greatest personalities in the series. Also, she is straight, just clearing that up for the uninformed. Matsuri… skip. The rest of the characters matter, but I don’t want to muddy up this review much further with irrelevant banter, so we’ll just say the rest of them are 8/10. PRESENTATION: 8.5 This is the juicy part. In this section, I will be analyzing how the narrative is presented, and how it compliments its production. Firstly, keep in mind what I said earlier about how well shot-composition and cinematography were used in this anime (though it doesn’t always make up for the awkward artwork). As far as the presentation is concerned, compared to the manga at least, everything is much slower and subtler. This is actually a double-edged sword. For instance, because the presentation is much more dense and subtle, the narrative present in the dialogue and action become much clearer to the audience. I don’t think I thought twice about the meaning of any of the words in Citrus before Takahashi made that the focal point of the series. The problem with this is that a lot of the scenes were meant for an emotional punch in the gut, and the way the scenes are directed in the anime often deliberately try to downplay the drama and flashy character moments for denser, more [mature] scenes. The biggest shock of the anime was definitely the involuntary kissing scene at the end of episode 1. Many were disgusted at this though, calling it a “rape scene”. It isn’t a rape scene, it was literally the greatest thing the anime did for Mei’s character, along with a few other moments throughout the series. It takes full advantage of the animated medium to communicate an integral part of Mei’s character, one that we wouldn’t be fully aware of yet as the audience. That there is something seriously wrong with Mei, and whatever it is, it causes her to inflict pain onto Yuzu. It is explained later that Mei is being abused- forced into an engagement with a teacher at her school that only cares about her money; that she is undergoing massive amounts of stress being the student council president; that she has a massive burden that she is forcing herself to uphold for the sake of her family- that being the heir to the school itself; and now she is moving in with a family she doesn’t know or care about because the father she hasn’t seen in god-knows-how-long decided to up and marry some chick she never met. Now she has to deal with that random chick’s daughter who breaks the rules she has to tirelessly keep up. All of this stress culminates in this one scene, and instead of just getting a pain-face like we get in the manga, we see how hurt Mei is through the animation and stage direction. We see this scene from Yuzu’s point of view, not really knowing much about Mei’s life outside of what we see throughout the episode. Yuzu confronts Mei, she tries to pressure her by asking about the teacher she was locking lips with before. What’s interesting about this scene at first is how Yuzu uses the same social practices she’s used to, specifically the practices she’s had to endure when asked about her “boyfriend” with her friends, to pressure Mei. She’s basically acting high and mighty like she has Mei wrapped around her finger, and she laments about how a first kiss should be “magical”. Mei can’t deal with her shit anymore, and in an impulsive, yet calculated move from Mei, she pins Yuzu down and kisses her. This here is where the complaints come in, and also where the anime diverts slightly from the manga. Yuzu’s carefully placed lipstick box and other girly accessories are knocked all over the place, acting as a motif for how this kiss literally messes up her world and everything she thought she knew about herself. Meanwhile, Mei, instead of a general kiss, forces her tongue down Yuzu’s throat to teach her what it feels like. This was already a great scene, well-directed and pretty well animated, but the staff goes further by including the next scene, where she stands up- *her face bathed in complete shadow from the lamp behind her, not letting us (the viewer and Yuzu) in on her emotional state- and utters the words “That’s what it’s like”, before leaving the room. This scene makes use of so many background elements, subtle character animations, and cinematic effects to tell the story they couldn’t tell with their limited production values, and this isn’t the only time they do it too. It’s literally in every episode (especially the dramatic ones) heck it’s even in the OP, like the divide created by Mei and Yuzu’s sides of the room as they walk into frame. In actuality, the anime does a lot to further to flesh out Mei’s character (a big complaint I made before) and her past, and a lot of it is done by use of this excellent cinematography. But again, she isn’t as compelling. The pacing is consistent as well, none of the plot points, dialogue or character moments are rushed or drag on for too long, making me think this would be a much more impactful project if the production could only hold sustain itself for the impactful scenes. The anime seems to have this motto that “atmosphere comes first”, and it certainly delivers whenever the situation calls for it, with the combination of all these elements. WRITING (Minor Spoilers): 9 What is Citrus about? What is Citrus trying to say? The reason this aspect is so ill-understood is thanks to the story being initially written to be fast and thrilling instead of slow and dense. However, the writing is still intact, so I want to talk about it here. So, Citrus might just be one of the most contrived pieces of yuri fiction to date (as long as we are talking about its premise). It’s as if SubaroUta wasn’t just satisfied with writing a yuri romance, she wanted to also make sibling romance (not blood-related :P), she also wanted to make an “opposites attract” romance, she also wanted to make a “social girl breaks stoic girl out of her shell” romance, she also wanted to write a romance where one girl has blonde and the other has black hair, where every girl in the series is basically a lesbian (except Harumi and Yuzu’s Mom… I think), where every girl is a sister to someone, where there are actually grown men in the series and a story that makes it seem like the weight of the world and the eyes of society are on the character’s shoulders at all times AND IT WORKS! Citrus has a very competent narrative, even if we aren’t always allowed to feel the brunt of it thanks to the anime’s interpretation. There are some flaws here and there, personally I am not that big of a fan of Matsuri and its myriad of love interests that all just happen to be female as the Yuri God waves its magical wand, but the topics that Citrus covers in its run are all explored in one way or another- at least to the extent that it should be given the type of series it is- not to mention how each topic enhances the growing relationship and *attraction between Yuzu and Mei. First and most importantly, queer (Lesbian) struggles are represented realistically in Citrus. It acknowledges how poorly misconceived the idea of a perfect, idealized romance is in both a queer context and in just in general. If nothing else, the series knows that no relationship should be idealized and furthermore, that none are perfect in an absolute sense. That said, it has so much more to say. Take Mei’s and Yuzu’s relationship with each other for instance, they start off hating each other’s guts, but they learn over time that hate and attraction aren’t too far apart. After they both recognize each other on equal standings and do their best to help each other with their problems, albeit without blatantly saying so (for Mei), the hurdles for them to get together come in different forms. Jealousy is a big part of Citrus’ central plot devices (I call it a device but it actually makes sense), and the way competition with other characters and the idea that you can only claim the ones you love for your own is to put work and effort into it, are ones that are integrated flawlessly into the narrative. Take the beginning scene in Episode 7 for example, where Mei and Yuzu are studying so Yuzu can get into the top 100 and not get expelled by Mei’s grandfather. This is the scene where Yuzu is so hung up about what the kiss meant in the previous episode that she couldn’t concentrate on her work; this scene literally exudes competition, and this is also the beginning of the arc where Matsuri, the biggest snake in the series, appears. This arc focuses on the constant threat Matsuri poses for this stable yet slow relationship between Mei and Yuzu, as she could break it at any moment if Mei didn’t try to oppose it and claim Yuzu as her own. Mei and Matsuri were literally competing for her affection. This theme also benefits Citrus as a semi-incest series, because if it was an actual incest series then the whole point would be blatantly contradictory and hypocritical. Mei and Yuzu were forced to be sisters, and there are many times where both characters are wary of their new roles in society, even though they don’t really think of each other as sisters (because they aren’t). This adds to the sexual tension because they both know they’re not SUPPOSED TO fuck their sister, but the temptation gets the better of them whenever they are alone for more than two minutes, except that beginning scene in episode 10, where Yuzu had the opportunity but chickened out at the last moment. Abuse and longing are also running themes in Citrus as well, though nothing explicit. Cas far as that is concerned, the core theme that the series tries to get across as well is that often being hurt and longing for more pain usually have a cause and effect relationship, and its only until you realize that what you were longing for will only cause pain, then you need take steps to take it on your own. But if I had to pinpoint the biggest message the show was trying to get across among the myriad of themes Citrus (anime) has yet to even explore fully, I would say that it is ultimately about learning to feel for yourself, how to feel for others, and how to reciprocate others feelings in a genuine way. This comes across even in the anime’s finale, when (*HUGE SPOILERS!) Yuzu and Mei reciprocate their feelings and start dating each other. Though we may never see any of the really good scenes animated unless the studio is passionate enough to continue on with this project (see what I did there). But I’ve been holding something back for this entire review. Citrus isn’t about connecting with others, abuse or pseudo-incest. Citrus has always been about---------------- *MY FINAL THOUGHTS*: -----------ATTRACTION. Not the anime, the manga. Notice how throughout the entire review I’ve been saying how the anime is much slower and subtler, and the manga is much more emotional and fast. Many have called the manga of Citrus “melodramatic” among many others for this reason- the artwork is bold, the panel flow is solid and fast, which gives off the impression to many people that this is nothing but a melodrama that just wants to cock block the readership and create conflict for the series to attract mass-appeal. This isn’t true, on multiple levels, but where this adaptation ultimately commits its biggest sin is in failing to translate this CRUCIAL component. In failing to communicate Citrus’ greatest strength and core theme that was communicated solely through the pacing and artwork of the manga. Compare the climax of Volume 2 to the same scene in Episode 6, where Mei and Yuzu kiss for the first time in a genuine way, with neither being forced to do so. After Yuzu shows sympathy for Mei by crying for her, Mei looks to comfort her, but the next panels clearly show the intense attraction- like a spark (!), that immensely swells and releases for the first time in the series. The next thing they know they are kissing- and the manga has a brilliant way of selling the rapid intensity of this emotion as quick exchanges of uncontrollable impulses. And it isn’t only this scene- this scene was just a payoff in the massive whirlwind of emotions that transpired before it. Citrus has a tendency to redeem itself in its story structure in its last moments with massive payoffs to the seemingly meaningless endeavors that were built up every four chapters. EVERY scene is bombastic in its writing, creating a visual flair capable of even getting a gorilla looking for a banana to engage with the story and flip through its pages. Character moments and story beats, SubaroUTA has a genius way of keeping its audience engaged through the constant use of dramatic irony, tension, and authenticity. Drama and contrivance works its way into the core theme of Citrus because ATTRACTION/ LUST-- -is fast and thrilling (like an addiction) -is supposed to feel heavy the more it isn’t reciprocated (like the weight of the world is resting on their shoulders) -is supposed to feel like torment -isn’t supposed to make sense to the person who feels it (making it naturally confusing and convoluted) -isn’t supposed to give a sense of clarity until its climax Attraction and lust is also a universal appeal to pathos. Without teenage hormonal attraction being the main focus of the story, it ultimately fails to inspire its audience with all the other subtleties of Citrus’ writing. Call Citrus trash for having such a shallow theme as its driving plot motivator, but if you take a step back and realize that having its focus on the hormonal attraction between two individuals is not only a valid premise for an engaging *piece of art but is also one so woefully DONE WRONG in other media, especially with LGBT couples, you realize that Citrus has more balls than any other Yuri manga, AND manages to do a 180 and fills itself with exact same meaning as the emotion it is trying to replicate. Citrus is consistent. But more than that, Citrus is mature- even if it doesn’t have the most explicit worldview. Any time that the manga looks like the writing is becoming one or two-dimensional, it reminds us of why we were drawn to the series, to begin with. Like teenagers trying to find out about the vastness of the world, Citrus poses questions, it sets up problems for itself and though there seems to be no logical answer to any of it- when in doubt follow your heart- is a trope that is constantly misused but is breathed new life when every climax arrives- building on every dramatic scenes before it to give us want we want the most- progression. No wonder why Citrus is the most popular Yuri manga right now. Citrus is a piece of work that inspires, among everything else. Love and inspiration might not be all too different, after all, they both come as a shock. For a series that focuses so much on where love begins and ends, how you’re supposed to love and what even is love- in this world where the definition of love is so goddamn ambiguous that we might cross lines without ever being aware of it- the world NEEDS a manga like Citrus. But this is where my personal feelings towards Citrus comes in. I first read this manga 2 (1/2) years ago, and I’ve been a devote follower ever since. I read it at a time in my life when I didn’t know how to act on my emotions towards others- and to a large degree I still don’t, just I am aware of it now (I’m just a slow learner). I used Yuri romance manga and anime to contextualize the feelings I had because I was too scared to face them on my own. Citrus taught me throughout the years that it’s fine to express yourself, that you don’t need to care about what others think, but most importantly it refused to let me feel comfortable. Because these emotions and ultimately life isn’t supposed to be comfortable or safe. It taught me to take risks, no matter how foolish they are, and I’ve slowly been able to adopt this in many different scenarios in my life since then. And I’ve never been happier when I did, in fact, if it weren’t for Citrus, I most definitely wouldn’t know what I want to do with my life right now. That said, this anime adaptation of Citrus lacks that same spirit in many ways. In fact, I would have been plenty more satisfied if this anime took the risk by slicing and dicing, ultimately simplifying the story of the manga and ending at Chapter 25 of the manga instead of Chapter 16. Why do I say this? Because by keeping the story intact, rather, slowing it down and keeping it intact the anime manages to completely miss the point, and ultimately miss its impact. But that opinion is of a manga reader’s. This anime is still solid overall, which segues nicely into my next point. I feel much of the viewership failed to engage with the series on its own terms. Don’t get me wrong, I made this increasingly clear that this project isn’t exactly perfect, but the hate it gets isn’t justified in the slightest, to the point that no one is taking it seriously, even when it's taking its own creative risks FOR TAKING CREATIVE RISKS. The creativity in this anime adaptation is astounding, but the viewer’s illogical reaction to it is even more so, at times. Mostly everyone is putting this anime up to an unfair expectation- that either being a mainstream or wholesome romance, one without so much taboo, or they just aren’t expecting any of the drama whatsoever and they don’t know how to cope with it (it seems like not many actually want a deep yuri romance anymore, even if they say they do). As for manga readers criticizing the adaptation, especially ones that loved the original source like me, you are also putting it to an unfair expectation by just not getting real with it. Stop idealizing the source material and using it to definitively judge the adaptation. I made comparisons to the manga in this review, yes, but I used my knowledge of the manga as a vantage point to pinpoint aspects of the production that can be called discrepancies. I didn’t use it to write it off because everything didn’t stay faithful to the original source. If I didn’t do so, I wouldn’t be able to explain how the anime’s lack of impact on the community came to be, because the writing literally isn’t fit for a slow and calculated adaptation. All the adaptation did with the writing is emphasize different points with a different interpretation, and though there were some consequences with the decisions made, you also have to realize that these points were still in the manga. Thus, you cannot criticize an intentional creative choice for being intentional. You can criticize it for all the unintended consequences, but that’s beside the point. So, did Citrus live up to the hype? I definitely enjoyed this adaptation more than any other adaptation I had the (dis)pleasure to experience as my time as an anime watcher. I acknowledge all of the errors made, but I still think this series is solid and deserves to be recommended to others… after they read the manga. I’m joking, but please be careful who you recommend it to. As for others, judging from the score, it seems many don’t exactly agree. “Oh well”, I suppose, but I really hope I convinced some people here reading this that Citrus has value and should be recognized for it. Let’s recap: Production (Art, Animation, Music, Backgrounds, Voice Acting, etc.): 7/10 Characters (Yuzu, Mei, Harumi, Matsuri, Himeko, Sara, Nina, Dad, etc.): 8/10 Presentation (Direction, cinematography, shot composition, pacing, etc.): 8.5/10 Writing (Plot, themes, motifs, symbolism, dialogue, motives, consistency, etc.): 9/10 TOTAL: 8.13/10 I’m not adding my enjoyment because I think this is a reasonable enough score to give this anime, and I don’t feel like swaying it too much past objectivity. I hope everyone enjoyed my review if you have any criticisms of how I structured it, feel free to drop a comment on my profile to share your ideas with me. I just tried a new structure, so I'm not exactly sure how good it was... And with that, I bid thee a wonderful day.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 18, 2018 Recommended
Reigen. Mob Psycho 100's most beloved character, perhaps even surpassing the titular character himself. So what is this special about?
Well, the Mob Psycho 100 Reigen Special is about Reigen writing a book about his "experiences" with the supernatural. But as we all know Reigen is the biggest con in the entire series, and so are most of the recaps. I think this special has truly opened my eyes to how damn good Bones is at animating recap episodes and keeping them fresh (I think the only thing that beats this recap episode is that one back in Re:Creators). Retelling the events in the series from Reigen's ... perspective, or rather the perspective he wants everyone to see it from, we are allowed the opportunity to see subtle changes in the story that makes Reigen look like a wise and noble main character, and dare I say IT IS FUCKING HILARIOUS. I think the biggest thing going for this recap episode is noticing the subtle change in detail from the first season. There are many times where Reigen obviously photoshops himself over other characters in the story, changes dialogue or includes himself in scenes he wasn't in, just so he can have a say in the narrative he's trying to push to get sales. That said, by the end of the special, all the other characters revise the book, making it essentially about Mob instead of Reigen, and his "Fabrication level" of his story goes from a 100 to nothing a big ol' donut. One thing I also found interesting is how Mob also changes some of the story too when he gets the chance to write his own chapter, which actually gives a bit of insight into how he sees some of the events that unfolded. That said, it was still much closer to the truth than any of Reigen's bits. In the end, the Reigen special is a must-watch for all Mob Psycho fans, and it should be for the upcoming second season announced at the end of the episode. And that announcement was fucking golden, from how the episode built up to it the entire time, and how gratifying it was to see as a Mob Psycho fan. But I guess not everyone will like this for the simple fact that it is a recap episode, that said, no matter if you like it or not, there is one thing we can all say at the end of the day: Everybody loves Reigen.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 29, 2018
Ryuuou no Oshigoto!
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings Preliminary
(4/12 eps)
Honestly, I was disappointed by Ryuuou no Oshigoto, or The Ryou's work is Never Done.
Perhaps it was because Joey The Anime Man interviewed the creator a while back? At the time, I found both Joey's views and the Author's expression of his story to be particularly fascinating, not to mention how high it made in the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi contest a year or so ago. Bottom line, I heard a lot of things about it and I was excited, and even when the first two episodes aired, I was convinced that there had to be at least something that made it popular enough ... for those high conjectures to be made. Alas, here I am at episode 4 and I am now thoroughly convinced that the author has no idea what he is doing. -Half-assing plot points -Reliance on misunderstandings and coincidences to drive forward its plot -Exposition that doesn't really add anything to the viewing experience (for anybody) -Lack of substance (Doesn't follow up on promises its set in any meaningful way) -Hasn't shown any attempt to take advantage of the premise it has set up for itself (i.e. shogi) nor has it used its premise in a way that makes it distinct in comparison to others of its ilk -Over-dependence on (loli) fanservice as a plot device I must admit however before bashing on it further that the production values, animation, and art are actually very good on their own. Along with the visual metaphors the anime sometimes employs, if anything, are enough to create intrigue in the viewer and keep them coming back each week. In fact, no matter how much I think this show needs to learn before being something truly notable, I am still intrigued as to where it goes next, so it is entirely possible I am making this review prematurely and the show gets really good by the end... I highly doubt it. First of all, where Ryuuou no Oshigoto goes wrong is in its over-reliance of misunderstandings, coincidences and other cliches that are typical for romantic comedies and harem anime- In other words, this show has a lot of light novel bullshit that we are all tired of, and the only way it differentiates itself from the others of its kind is by not dwelling on it for too long by heading directly to the shogi elements on the plot. In normal circumstances, this would be okay, after all, we all have a few of our favorite shows rely on cliches a little at the start before evolving into a fully fleshed out narrative with complicated themes. That said, the shows that are able to evolve complex and relatable narratives from seemingly cliche endeavors, are the ones that were using those standard archetypes as building blocks to form their own story, instead of falling back on them whenever it doesn't know what to do. One of my favorite examples of this is The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, and anime that nearly everyone loves by the end, yet many will call the first few episodes (cliche) average or expected of romantic comedy anime. The difference is, when rewatching those first few episodes, you really start to notice that Sakurasou was never really cliche or typical in the way it was presented- it had consistent logic and from there, the series was free to grow into an anime that consistently inspired others to move forward in life and face its struggles. The problem with Ryou no Oshigoto in this aspect is that the anime doesn't have consistent logic, so it can't properly build off of it's preestablished premise without falling all over itself. In the future, if it wishes to inspire people, or give some sort of deep message, then it will have to make even larger leaps in logic than it has already done. Let's move onto the leaps of logic themselves- the first of which would be its overuse and general misplacement of loli fanservice. Fanservice in general is a pretty device topic, however, fanservice can be used in appropriate and meaningful ways, especially when two characters have a sexual attraction towards each other. We can see this pretty clearly in fanservice-heavy shows like Monogatari and Citrus and heck, even Karakai Juzo no Takagi-san does it better than Ryuuou no Oshigoto. The Main Character (The titular "Ryou"), isn't sexually interested in children as far as we know, however, the show has a way of contriving to get Ai and Ryou together. First, it was Ai walking out of the shower while the Ryou's Best Friend/ Sister was coming in. Ryou freaked out and tried to shut out his sister without telling her what was going on, and Ai basically is giving him jealous death threats while naked and holding him. Actually, this scene isn't all that bad on its own, but the way that this type of forceful fanservice is used later in the episodes is what kind of irks me, however, I do give it credit for not doing a panty shot or something. Instead, the show goes out of its way to forcibly engage the two, while simultaneously going back on all of its promises it previously established. If Ai doesn't win against three professionals, her parents will decide to take her home. She doesn't win against all three. With the characterization of Ai's Mother, it was almost guaranteed that nothing would change her mind, but just because the Ryou bowed his head, and the Father was kind of wishy-washy, she decided to back down on a condition- if Ryou is unable to make her a female professional, he will have to MARRY AI AND WORK FOR HER FAMILY. I don't even understand the purpose of doing this in the first place, however, if you take a closer look at that scene it becomes more infuriating. Not only is this sensitive family matter taking place in public, with everybody staring at them instead of taking it to closed doors, and that it is taking place in front of Ai, but it's also everything else. The Mother did something out of character but is so deadpan that it doesn't even come off as character development, which makes it wholly contradictory. The Father was okay with marrying Ai off to a sixteen-year-old but (even if it would take place a few years in the future) this just isn't something parents should be considering at Ai's age (she's nine). The bigger problem with the Father here is that not only is he used for exposition dump (which technically makes him the surrogate audience character), but that he doesn't find this scenario wrong in any way, not even after all of the arguing, he did with the Mother up to this point. This is bad because having him be the surrogate audience character in the scenes leading up to the revelation, makes his stance all the more convincing from a structural standpoint- as I previously explained how this scene is already incompetent, it is a blatant attempt at getting us to agree with something we should have our own opinions on. It doesn't end there, however, because the crowd that forms there at the dojo also doesn't see anything wrong with it and is more or less cheerful the entire time. Also Ai's Mother asks him if he has siblings, and the Ryou answers "yes" to a younger sibling, which you would think would be used by the Mother in an attempt to marry Ai off to the alluded younger sibling, instead of the Main Character (Why else would she ask at that moment?), but it doesn't come up again and it remains insignificant I guess. If I had to predict why the author put in that question, it was to allude to the younger brother and I guess he'll come in and have feelings for Ai or something and stick around, but that's just speculation. Then we get to Episode 4, assumedly the first episode in the second light novel, and I see that this problem is actually getting worse. Episode 4 gives the Ryou another apprentice named Ai (we'll call her Ai Prime) and decides to make Ryou even more stupid. He proposes to another nine-year-old (and the author tries to pass it off as a joke by putting him making him say it in a seemingly contrived scenario, even though it was another case where even a nine-year-old would know the proper response), Ai gets jealous (why?), and he hides the fact he has another disciple from both Ai and Ai Prime for no discernable reason. Earlier in the episode, Ryou was thinking about giving Ai a proper rival, and you would think that he would immediately jump to the idea that the two would be great rivals, but instead he hides it from both of them, and Ai walks in on their study session (that took place in a completely random location) by the end of the episode, and it is treated like Ryou is cheating on her by doing that. Did I mention that Ai Prime is a tsundere? It was cute at first, but with considering how the show has already failed pretty badly at building off of archetypes to add depth to characters, I predict the next episode will have both Ais fighting each/ feeling betrayed and Ryou will finally get the idea of them being rivals! There's also the fact that he blatantly tells Ai Prime that she is better than Ai, but I won't go into detail on that. Ultimately, while the experience thus far was intriguing at a surface level, when you look deeper into the crevices of the story, you realize that this show is as hollow as a plastic shogi piece. It's a step above the average, but Ryuuou no Oshigoto itself is nothing special. It isn't unsalvagable, however, I see no indication that it would salvage itself later in the future, and even when the intensity gets cranked up in the later episodes, I still have a feeling that it will still be a hollow experience, with an ending that emphasizes how important friends are or how fun shogi is or something. But that's just speculation. It doesn't excel in any area, even with the ones its supposed to draw from (i.e. shogi/ sports). March comes in like a Lion is getting a lot of traction for how it emphasizes personal/emotional development using shogi as a thematic underpinning- I can't say that the show uses the rules of the game to create an engaging narrative, but the game itself makes a place for itself in the thematic undercurrent of the series, and if it weren't there it wouldn't be the same show- which I cannot say the same for shogi in Ryou no Oshigoto. It really doesn't have many legs to stand on at this point. Well, I suppose I'm bashing this show enough. I will update my review after watching all 12 episodes, but I think this is enough of my conjecture for now. In the end, this show tries to be smart, and every time it does, it is shackled by some other dumb thing it decides to do. (It's basically only here for the lolicons, that said, it doesn't excel in that area either.) Welp. This was 3-gatsu no Loli. If you like it, whatever, just don't say it's smart or great because it really isn't.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 27, 2018
Poputepipikku
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings Preliminary
(4/12 eps)
Before anyone can answer the question: "What is Pop Team Epic?" I believe a more pressing question is more like "Why in hell am I writing a serious review of this shit post?"
Actually, I have an answer to that question, unlike the first one. First of all, I love my absurd and nonsensical Chinese cartoons; I have a special place in my heart (and in some case my Top 10) for shows like Nichijou, Daily Lives of HS Boys, and of course, Gintama. That said, I don't really think Pop Team Epic can really stand up to those shows when we are talking about how ... entertaining they are, disregarding how much meaning or (non)sense they have integrated into their identity. I understand these are all big words, so I'll simplify it for those who only care for this anime because it's a shitpost: Pop Team Epic is a funny shitpost... but it gets old pretty quick. Although I have to say, this show almost convinced me that I should think otherwise, as this show isn't really trying to be anything grander than a shitpost. The problem is- while I can get lost watching vines, cracks and just plain memes on YouTube all day, I really can't say the same for Pop Team Epic. I understand I am only on the fourth episode of the anime as I am making this review, however, I am already bored of it. The problem with the anime is that random bullshit doesn't always equal entertainment for the audience. Bullshit needs consistency in its logic (unfortunately), or else it just becomes aimless, incoherent and pointless. It's not like the anime is trying to parody one thing either. If it dedicated it's entire runtime to parodying JRPG anime like SAO (for example), then at least there would be something there for people to refer to for humor. It's a simple case of knowing what they are referencing, and the joke accurately making fun of the concept in a refreshing way. Parody anime like Gintama have mastered this effectively- I'm not going to give spoilers, but a recent example of how Gintama plays with concepts found in its genre (shounen) and then shits on it while making it genuinely entertaining, is a scene from one of the latest episodes. The scene was of negotiations. On "our" side, we had the Shogun, whom now has bowel problems (it makes sense why he has bowel problems in context) and of one of the enemy leaders who was requested to negotiate with. The bowel problems in a normal shounen would be similar to that of "butterflies in the stomach", however, the joke doesn't stop there as it builds on itself. The shogun tries to subtly hint at his need to go to the bathroom without being direct about it, the enemy takes his references out of context and interprets them as threats. Without ruining the joke by saying what happens next, essentially the enemy leader understands by the end that the Shogun needed to shit, and "negotiations" end there. Both are embarrassed, to say the least, and all misconceptions between the two sides are adjourned. That is literally how you shit on negotiations. Now after reading that somewhat competent explanation of a joke you probably didn't understand, tell me, when does Pop Team Epic do something like that? Initially, I thought Pop Team Epic was a parody of the slice of life genre, much like Nichijou, by taking scenarios you would see in real life and pushing the joke to 11. I haven't read the 4-Koma manga, but I remember a few strips that would support that claim- as I saw that Popuko was giving the middle finger in a scenario you really wouldn't because of social norms. I thought when I saw this "This would really be funny because that's what we all want to do", so where is all of this in the anime? I suppose it can be later down the road, but why do we also have to do a parody of video games (that really doesn't make sense), horror movies, anime, manga, Hollywood blockbuster films intermixed with random nonsense that both looks ugly and makes no sense, AND THEN having the entire episode repeat itself before having time to comprehend it? There's such a thing as overload, and Pop Team Epic doesn't seem to understand that you can't be funny without something like a breather. Not to mention the lack of consistency in both the animation and stories themselves damages all suspension of disbelief. That said, I never had any, nor did it need suspension of disbelief, because the purpose of this anime is to shit on other media. All Pop Team Epic needed to do was shit on others right. And it didn't. Now I'm sure that something will change in the span of the next 9 episodes, actually, I am practically guaranteeing that they'll do something crazy for their finale. But right now I am just bored of this anime. What is Pop Team Epic? I suppose Pop Team Epic is just... too much of everything.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 24, 2018
Okitegami Kyouko no Bibouroku
(Manga)
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Recommended Preliminary
(19/19 chp)
I feel like I didn't give the manga as much credit as I should have the first time I started reading this. Granted, some of it was a misunderstanding, for which I can't entirely wrap my head around, but I feel I should vindicate most previous statements I had said about it.
Though, at the very least, I still maintain that the manga is a watered-down version of its source material, but that doesn't mean you should skip it. I feel the manga is a very nice starting point to the Forgetful Detective series if you just want to feel out what it is. The ... manga has a nice charm to it, which is a testament to how well the mangaka focused on how the characters are portrayed and how they interact, instead of the density of the mysteries and how they are presented. The series follows Okitegami Kyouko, an amnesiac detective who forgets everything after she falls asleep. With limited memories from her past, and no knowledge of the present, this character wakes up every day with nothing but a message telling her she is the Forgetful Detective, Okitegami Kyouko. And has been for 2 whole years already, without finding any clue as to whom put her up to the task. The manga is different (and stands out) from the novels in loosely the same way the drama adaptation does. Instead of jumping between narrators like the novels do to tell different types of cases with different people, the manga sticks to the stories surrounding Kakushidate Yakusuke. The man has a hilariously tragic fate surrounding him, that he is always suspected for crimes he didn't commit, just because he happens to be there. This is loosely explained to be a problem with his height, but if I had to do some fan-theorizing, I would say he's possessed by some weird aberration ala Monogatari, which naturally attracts trouble; "Yaku". Yaku is my favorite narrator, so that definitely put a smile on my face. In addition, the art of the manga is charming to say the least. It may not be as flashy as, say, Bakemonogatari's manga adaptation, but I feel that they wonderfully convey the personalities and quirks of each of the characters. Which is weird, considering the novels are so focused on the mysteries, it at times *might feel as if their personalities are toned down. So I believe the art of the manga is worth the price of admission alone. If you want to give the Forgetful Detective series a shot, but aren't sure if you want to read the novels and make that kind of mental commitment, then The Memorandum of Okitegami Kyouko manga should be a light and fun starting point. If you want to read about how the Forgetful Detective series is written more in-depth (without much spoilers), check out my review for the novels. **Updated November 18, 2018
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 22, 2018
Boukyaku Tantei Series
(Manga)
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Recommended Preliminary
(93/? chp)
A great work of art is more than just an expression of the self that resonates with others. No matter what, that great work of art wouldn’t have existed without the culmination of experiences you have as an artist.
Learning and experimenting on how to express your ideas in ways that work—in the process, learning your own identity, and what makes you and your style unique. That is the struggle of being an artist. Everyone is different, and even if you are a drop of water in an ocean of talent, if you stretch your own capabilities to the limit, you are guaranteed to find someone ... out there who enjoys you (and your work) for being uniquely yours. The Forgetful Detective series is a Sherlock Holmes-esc detective series with an emphasis on understanding certain fields of craft to solve a larger mystery—which in turn, is constantly being crafted before your eyes. It’s a detective series exclusively about art, and the value one puts on it. Anything one considers an expression of the self through a medium (of any kind) and how the value is perceived by many different parties, play key roles in how the mysteries are constructed and solved. The series follows Okitegami Kyouko, a detective who cannot gain experience in her field of work because she has a peculiar case of amnesia. Residing in the Okitegami Detective Agency, she wakes up every morning with limited memories of her past, and absolutely no knowledge of her present. The letter or memo left behind by her previous self, tells her that she is Okitegami Kyouko, the Forgetful Detective. But she has no idea why she is in this position to begin with. “Who is Okitegami Kyouko? Who created Okitegami Kyouko?” The woman working under the name Okitegami Kyouko is a work of art herself—perhaps something that is handcrafted—both in reference to how her character has been hinted to be created by someone else, the main “culprit” of the series, and her wonderful fashion sense. Kyouko, as a character, embraces the concepts that make a person imperfect—that makes a human a human and how art draws from and celebrates imperfection. To see the subtlety and nuance in an individual, even when speaking hypothetically, is why she is such a great detective. Solving a mystery for her is much like solving a puzzle—rather, solving a puzzle of a painting from the inside-out. Hypothesizing the legitimacy of the core concept before piecing together the full picture. “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must (should) be the truth.”, as long as it starts with the premise being legitimate. As long as you can account for all evidence without relying on speculation—and Kyouko is never given all the evidence. Thus, with a perspective and imagination as broad as a piece of art is perceived, she finds ways to draw out the motive or the suspect to come to her conclusion. Almost as if all the pieces throw themselves at her. A normal detective’s job hinges on the idea that, as a normal and non-amnesiac individual, you can learn from your experiences and catch criminals easier as time goes on. Your eye trained to see the motive in the nuance left at the scene before finding the right theory that fits all the evidence. And perhaps you would see so much in your time as a detective that no matter what atrocity lay before you, you would no longer bat an eye. Something like a hard-boiled detective? But Okitegami Kyouko is the exact opposite of that idea, somehow perfectly fitting for that description. Even though she never gathers experiences, she catches criminals or solves mysteries as her trade, and usually solves them with near perfect deductions in a single day. Because she can only solve things in a single day, she has a reputation as the “Fastest Detective”. In addition, because she loses her memories every time she falls asleep with seemingly no trace of them lingering whatsoever, there is no risk of trauma being afflicted to her. Of course, this ability to “reset” is her greatest weakness, as something that can easily be exploited if the culprit can just knock her out, notwithstanding how it prevents her from learning things permanently. But it is also her greatest strength, as this also allows her to look at things objectively, without bias, as her slate is clean. This also feeds into her privacy policies of being the Forgetful Detective—truly, the ultimate private investigator. The narrative is structured pretty peculiarly—there’s no apparent timeline from what I can gather, though I wouldn’t be surprised if one developed. Most novels follow a single narrator, but that narrator may change at each volume (or even be third-person). The structure of the plot is pretty loose in nature until the eventual mystery starts kicking in, which is usually a culmination of everything that happened and themes that have been discussed since the beginning of the mystery, or even the beginning of the series. It’s pretty standard for mystery series to have sort of a loose plot until every detail is revealed, and for each mystery to seem kind of outlandishly coincidental or just plain absurd, so it’s the execution that matters the most. NisiOisiN crafts the narrative in each of his novels one nuance at a time, and I think that’s the true strength of this work, in regard to each mystery—that everything has a reason. Not that everything was intended—rather, that the world is put together so fluently that explanations are natural. Except maybe Kyouko herself—we don’t know the explanation behind her and indeed we might never know. But given that this series is in the same universe as Monogatari, and Kyouko is HEAVILY implied to be Hanekawa Tsubasa when she’s 25; I think even that mystery can be explained by (super)natural theories. I find it most ironic and at the same time very fitting how NisiOisiN is the one writing this. As a monstrously prolific author (with loads of experience to build upon), I can only imagine his entire schedule to be indulging himself in his own art, probably having Microsoft Word opened 24/7 and his $399 chair acting as his bed. (But can you do this!!!) As someone who wanted to be an illustrator, but found a passion in writing—as someone who’s historically released 12 books with 300 pages in length in a single year, and whose output is still just as high today, NisiOisiN seems to only think about art and his childhood fantasies of being Sherlock Holmes. No wonder he’s taken to this series as possibly the fastest series he’s consistently released content of since Katanagatari. And indeed, I love NisiOisiN for his style being uniquely his, so it’s really meta and ironic how these themes are incorporated into the narrative—it really shows he understands how his fans actually see him, and that he doesn’t write for anyone but himself—not to gain more fame by trying to appeal to a larger audience. I think that just happens naturally. There are many different forms of art that NisiOisN tackles in each novel, in context with each mystery and the people involved. A novelist that, in his legacy, might reveal if he committed suicide or not after releasing his 100th book. How did the price of a painting change from 200 million yen to 2 million yen, by the same, unbiased appraisal—when nothing about the painting changed? Why would a famous mangaka trade in 100 million yen for a mere 1 million yen? Why did a girl try to commit suicide over a seemingly uninteresting story? What did a famous framer have in mind for his ultimate masterpiece—a culmination of all his experiences in his field, before getting stabbed? Some of these questions are preludes to a bigger mystery, or perhaps the entire mystery itself—it’s how NisiOisiN ties together these already thought-provoking questions into a larger (thematic) narrative is what impresses me to no end. Not to mention, he writes in such a way that you cannot possibly read it without trying to solve the mystery yourself using the clues given. Even as a devote fan of his, I often find myself getting the rug pulled out from under me by the smallest details—most of which spurred me to think in the first place. He truly is a master of subverting biases—and revealing how your biases shape your perspective—whether that be the mystery at hand, or in general. With what is translated right now, we only really have a glimpse at what the larger mystery of Okitegami Kyouko looks like from afar. I would really love to give my impressions on how it all shapes up, but I suppose all we can do is introduce and extrapolate fan-theories of whether Aikawa Jun will make an appearance or how Kyouko is without a single doubt, Hanekawa. But whether or not that fan-theory is true, that shouldn’t dictate whether or not you enjoy this series—in fact, I recommend even people who aren’t familiar with Monogatari or any of Nisio’s works to read it, because it is ultimately its own series with its own ideas and is absolutely fantastic. If you are interested, indulge yourself in this great work of art. And the themes inherent to these books should matter, because at the end of the day—while art is an interpretable medium meant to be interpreted in personal ways, the person or people behind them is often ignored or glanced over. I found my favorite writer in NisOisiN, and I feel like I can understand what makes his style his—and that in itself has been a massive inspiration in my journey to find my style as a fellow artist. I can only hope this gets an anime or more people read these books, so the messages can be spread. **Review Updated as of November 18, 2018 *I am keeping this at a 9/10 until I read a little more. :P ---------- **ORIGINAL REVIEW AFTER READING VOLUME 1*** (I don't know which is better in terms of structure, but I hope they may complement each other) ---------- There is a lot you can say about the Boukyaku Tantei Series, but since none of them had been said yet and I don't have the resources to say more, I will say what is necessary to convey just how great this series is. If you are familiar with NisiOisiN, the famously prolific author widely regarded for his masterpiece, the Monogatari Series, and also responsible for the Zaregoto Series, the Ningen Series, the Saikyou Series, the Densetsu Series, Katanagatari, Juuni Taisen and Medaka Box (etc.), then it should be easy to clue into the quality of the Boukyaku Tantei series. (I fully am willing to give this a ten when I finish more of it) After reading the first volume, I can say that this series somehow exceeded my already-high expectations given my love for the author. The first volume ironically focuses heavily on a similar scenario- admiring someone, like someone you look up to because they saved your life multiple times (even if they will never know they did). Like your relationship with your favorite author, perhaps? Okitegami Kyouko is head of the Okitegami Kyouko Detective Agency. She can solve the toughest cases within a day, the fastest detective. But she is also the forgetful detective. That is because she forgets everything when she falls asleep. Her mind restarts as the next day begins. It's a similar scenario to "The 50 First Dates" starring Adam Sandler, only no one is trying to hide it from Kyouko and this isn't some cheesy romance. We follow the tall and timid, Kakushidate Yakusuke. Because of his abnormal height and shy demeanor, trouble always seems to follow him around- that is, everyone always suspects him for crimes he didn't commit. He has been in many small incidents and big ones and even has the world's greatest detective on speed dial. (Aikawa Jun possibly?) "Kakushidate", if discerning from pronunciation, means "concealing a bad past", and the kanji for "Yakusuke" literally translates to "trouble". "Okitegami" means "a letter left behind", or "a letter from the deceased". "Okitegami Kyouko Detective Agency" translates to the "Deceased Detective Agency". Trust me, this shit is important. Yakusuke is introduced to us as a part-time lab assistant who is suspected to have stolen the lab's backup SD card for which contains the research the lab has been working on, therefore it is confidential. Yaku calls up Kyouko to come to his defense and this case ends with Kyouko finding the true culprit with seemingly just a few clever metaphors for how the SD Card is similar to Kyouko's memory. It's the way Boukyaku Tantei expands upon these core ideas introduced at the beginning left me in awe by the time I reached the final chapter. I didn't expect it to go on- what seemed to be a tangent to deliver a cool thought experiment- to build up to themes about how readers see their favorite authors and connecting it to the mysteries it presents and thematically connecting it to how Yaku feels towards Kyouko. As the forgetful detective, no matter how many times Yakusuke begs upon Kyouko for help, she will never remember him or what she has done for him and vice versa. Every time they meet, they have to introduce themselves as if it was the first time, thus meaning there is never going to be progress in their relationship, at least from where we are at the end of the first volume. Ultimately, we are left with more questions than answers at the end of the first volume (there are 8 volumes so far), but I have no doubt these questions will be answered and there is a very clear end goal question that is set up. "Who is Okitegami Kyouko?" and "Who made Okitegami Kyouko?". If you want, you could also add in "How will Yaku hook up with Kyouko by the end?", but let's not dive into the realm of ships right now. I think what really hit me, however, was the thematic similarities in both main characters. Yakusuke is someone who is too scared to move on his own. He is a static character. Stuck in his own time, in his own mind. On the other hand, we have Kyouko, who has daily amnesia and no longer has the ability to remember experiences she has by doing this job. She is involuntarily stuck in her own time, and can't do anything about her own mind. In the end, I just really love their pairing. But of course, we wouldn't be done discussing a NisiOisiN work without discussing the meta elements within the story. Some of which are pretty simple, such as the example from earlier, that mystery of the SD Card was used as a metaphor for how her memories work, and how the mystery behind it works. I just realized that everything that happened in that case to the SD card also happened to Kyouko's memory... However, that is just the story commenting on itself, and not exactly 'meta'. The genre this series looks to comment on is the formulaic mystery-of-the-week type anime, the likes of Gosick, Beautiful Bones -Sakurako's Investigation-, and I guess also Hyouka. Which means that there is much more mystery than there is fanservice, so don't come in from Monogatari expecting a lot of detailed descriptions of Hanekawa's panties. As expected of NisiOisiN, he breaks the rules of the premise to do exactly what it was intended to do. Yeah, the MC is the one who calls in the detective, but this time everyone thinks its the MC! Then it was, 'we're not actually going to focus on the crime itself, to emphasize that point we won't even introduce the culprit'. And the most obvious of all, that the way the MC calls in the detective has to be formulaic, thus everyone needs a clean sheet (Kyouko's memory) for every case. Okay, I am sure I missed a lot, but I have only read the volume once, in comparison, I've read Bakemonogatari after watching the anime twice, so it's much easier for me to notice the meta there than I can here. What was it intended to do? Be an engaging mystery with interesting lead characters. Speaking of the Monogatari series, this also wouldn't be possible to be complete if I didn't mention the mention the fan theories about Okitegami Kyouko possibly being Hanekawa. To be honest, after reading the first volumes, I am definitely eager to know whether that is the case. In some ways, I even WANT it to be the case, but we all have to remember that NisiOisiN is a troll and we should read with caution so we don't get
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 22, 2018 Recommended
Read the light novel!
Ok to quickly summarize the advertisement here, basically, it's just Hanekawa cosplaying as Okitegami Kyouko from the Boukyaku Tantei Series, NisiOisiN's other series that takes place in the same universe as Monogatari. I am reading the recent fan translations of the light novel as we speak, and I can say this with utmost confidence that MONOGATARI FANS SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THIS SERIES. You could even say that it's the point of this advertisement, so I don't think it's inappropriate to write about why you should read it in the place of a review for the advertisement. That said, if you are a fan ... of Monogatari, this series should be read ASAP, because of the implications this series presents for one of the most beloved characters in the franchise, Hanekawa Tsubasa. This isn't a spoiler, but it is indeed a theory; a theory that holds much weight and hasn't yet been proven false- that Okitegami Kyouko and Hanekawa Tsubasa may very well be THE SAME PERSON. That isn't good. If this is true, Monogatari fans NEED to start taking note of this possibility NOW. I beg of all of you, PLEASE READ THE LIGHT NOVEL. If the fan translator, Yoraikun, knows that this series is getting attention, he will continue translating more volumes in the future. He is the only one translating them so far and the light novels haven't been licensed yet, as that will probably only happen upon popular request (like HakoMari), or if an anime adaptation comes out and it proves to be popular. Are we really going to wait for an anime to crack the code for possibly Monogatari's biggest mystery: "How did Hanekawa Tsubasa become Okitegami Kyuoko?" Not to mention the light novel is very enjoyable to read on its own, and still offers the same thought-provoking content that Monogatari did, with a lot less emphasis on adolescence and sexuality, and more focused on solving mysteries and the reliance of one's memory. Read it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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