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The use of teenage drama coated with realistic fiction just so the general audience can relate to a situation is fairly overrated. We've had a lot of these teenage love triangles that all try to contain realism in them but in the end, have the characters move away from the realistic outcome. What's to say that stories aren't fantasy escapes for other people, after all?

And here we have Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda or, if you're the western name audience, Anthem of the heart. If you want an initial take on it, the best word to describe it would be "stereotypical." Let's be real here, there's a ... ton of "4 character love relationship web" stories out there. There's Anohana, Ano Natsu de matteru, Nagi no Asukara and so on. We've already had a lot of those seemingly heavy (closing to edgy) high school romances that would suit a more mature setting like Aura: Maryuuin Kouga Saigo no Tatakai, Denpa-teki na Kanojo, and even the famed 5 cm per second. With all those already up in the air, Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda feels like it was going to be mobbed and boggled down by such big names with established fans, but the fact remains that people still like it. The real question is not "will someone watch it." The better question would be "what new thing could we bring out to interest people?"

And here it comes, like a splash of cold water to your face, Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda (shit, this last word is hard to type). Anthem of the heart (I'll settle for this now lol) is a show which thrives in "realism." Basically, instead of going about it with a story that moves like that of a generic wattpad novel, this show knows it's not going to bring out anything new with its story and premise so it just goes and does its best at portraying how a real situation will play out.

The story is pretty simple. We have 4 characters who have had their share of misfortune in their lives which affected their way of living, which is going to be developed in this 2 hour long movie. The characters themselves are honestly going to the bland side (with the exception of Naruse and the egghead) and I can strongly say that the other 2 leads are pretty stereotypical by themselves. But that's not this movie's strong point. This movie's forte lies in its realism.

The story wants you to believe that this world is real and is happening somewhere you least expect it. While some characters feel oddly 2-dimensional, the situations each character given was presented with a subtle sense of insignificance. Like this occurrence was just a normal thing in the world, nothing too special (except for the case of Naruse which developed itself into a trauma) because it really isn't. Broken family situations are common and this movie doesn't glorify them with how simplistic each backstory was given. Nothing was dug in too deep and the characters' motivations wasn't explained in full detail which preserves how mundane the story really is. The use of real life references also adds up the sense of reality and the expositions that were given was really great. Really gotta give props to this show by using real life references to preserve the realism, often not changing the name of brands and titles, but then it just highlights how surreal some characters and situations act out. It's a double edged sword if handled badly.

Maintaining a sense of realism while building up drama in a logical manner is really hard, and this movie fails in that regard. I have this irk of using "convenient coincidences" to move the story along w/o any foreshadowing simply because it was lazy. There's also a matter with character motivations too. While this show might not have too much "convenient coincidences" to mire my distaste, the very weak characters make it hard to empathize with them, ultimately having it harder to guess their motivations. Having the show spit it out to you like you can't get it unless they say it makes it all the worse. Because of these, when the dramatic highs of the show happen, it's really hard to understand "why a character would do this" which breaks immersion and makes it feel like the show is just trudging with its feet in the snow. The fact that this show uses horrid CGI in alot of cases doesn't help this statement too, and this show uses it a LOT that I think they almost rotoscoped it.

But aside from the underdeveloped characters (and that teacher of theirs was REALLY underdeveloped that I got disappointed) and the odd use of CGI for normal scene transitions, the show shines out when it breaks out of its forced drama and goes back to it's own world. The ending is the entire highlight of this movie. Without trying to spoil anything, let's just say that the ending feels like a fresh splash of water. It was unexpected, simply because it wasn't the normal end you'd expect, but highly refreshing. They didn't make it a huge highlight too, only giving it a couple of minutes after the climatic song, which fortifies the idea of how "normal" these situations are.

All in all, the show felt really messy at times but the solid ending made it worth it. The music was great and, while the graphics felt really bland (especially the CGI), the flow of the story makes you immerse yourself inside the world. Sure, there are times when the show rudely breaks off your trance with their drama but its pretty bearable to a point. This wasn't a masterpiece to go down the ages but its use of exposition and world building definitely makes getting into the world really eventful. It may not be for everyone but if you're down w/ another teenage romance drama, then this would be worth the watch.

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata or Saekano, if you're one of those lazy ass guys like me who can't be bothered to memorize a full length japanese title, is a romcom harem.

That's all you need to know. Who actually cares about what's inside since it's going to be another run-of-the-mill harem romcoms, right?

Well, that's where I was wrong and why I'm here to tell you why you're kinda wrong as well. Sit back and grab some popcorn coz if you're reading this, this'll be a long ass ride.

Now, let's get this straight. I find harem romcoms to be utter shit in most cases but ... Saekano is kinda different. When I watched this show, I gave it a 3 episode trial and was honestly immersed. In a rare occasion, I actually managed to finish a harem show without puking my guts out in boredom and annoyance. Why is that? What is different w/ saekano that most harem romcoms fail to have?

Simple. It has proper pacing and development.

This anime has a plot. No, I don't mean big boobs and flat justice, though it really does have those in various sizes *wink* *wink*, but this show actually has its proper story set in place. In this show, the main character dreams of making his very own galge (or hentai games for the uninitiated) and he gathers up multiple stereotypes *ahem* I mean characters to aide him in his plight.

Now, normally a harem romcom's story is forgotten amidst the swirling pile of boob shots and ass shots in the show, and while some of 'em actually do travel along the story's goal, it goes by it so subtly that by the time you realize they defeated the demon king, you'll just be like "Err... what happened? last I noticed, there were boobs... and boobs... an ass shot, and more boobs" which basically meant that they weren't paced well at all. Why is that? Because harem romcoms are focused more on characters rather than story. You can basically set the story into any theme and a harem romcom would still work given that your characters are the same kind of stereotype.

And this is where I commend this show(although I should likely commend the light novel writer for making something that actually moves in decent consistency). In a span of 12 episodes, the MC managed to recruit a good artist, a good scenario writer, a good music composer, and a good heroine. That shows that the plot, or original purpose of the show, was never forgotten. While some of the scenes and episodes may seem unrelated, it will still show that they are working on the game they're doing, either blatantly pointing it out or saying it in a subtle way. That shows that there's actual story progression, and you don't have to wait 1 billion episodes before this series comes to a conclusion, which likely would be as rushed as flash when his gf says "parents not home".

Another thing this show does well compared to most harem romcoms is development. When I say development, I mean character development, and not only MC to heroines but heroine to heroine development as well. One thing I despise about harem romcoms, and which makes me have a stigma against the genre in general, is that they half-ass character development all the time. And that's the rule to it. In harem romcoms, the MC should always have equal standings between all heroines just to balance the playing field (or give everyone a fighting chance for a flexible ending). Basically, it means that when the MC is doing something special with a certain heroine, you should expect that there would be a fallback. Either that the event blows up in a comedic fashion, rendering the character development null, or that all the girls will have a similar character development scene just so everyone is on an equal standing. And you know what I think about that? Dogshit stupid. That basically renders the effort of a heroine to nothing considering either it becomes nothing or everyone gets something, and when everyone is special then no one is.

Let's get back to saekano. I mentioned MC to heroine development earlier, and like a normal run-of-the-mill harem, this show gives an episode dedicated character development to all the heroines. But there's a twist. There's a wildcard in the fray. What is it? It's-- nevermind, I won't say names. Anyway saekano's actually doing a good ol jedi mindfck technique. Yes, sure, every girl is getting an episode dedicated to character development, but the director is subtly hinting the viewers to someone else. They're making sure that a certain heroine has a huge advantage, which shows dedication. This show makes it solid that "this girl will win, stop fighting for best grills" and in doing so also makes it sure that every character development scene was put into a different use, either it'd be a set up to an emotional standoff or to strengthen character relationships (to a certain degree). Another thing is, this show doesn't only have MC to heroine progress. There's heroine to heroine progress, which is important because it shows that the heroines are not completely useless without their fcking boyfriend. Stole that line from gigguk lol. Jokes aside, character development in normal romcoms are so heavily dependent on MC to X-heroine that they don't normally interact with each other. That's not the case in saekano, and the show even shortens the gap between certain heroines, just to show that they're not stereotypes to fawn over but actual real characters that were given proper thought and idea.

Anyway, that's the main points I wanted to cover. Music is good (catchy OP and ED and holy shit the sorairo days cover on the last ep was legit), art is good (boner popped multiple times courtesy of Utaha tights and Michiru hopes and dreams~), and honestly, the show is really enjoyable. It has its own flair that can make you immersed and feel like you're not just watching a set of stereotypes bumbling around in a story created purely for cashgrab reasons, but with actual characters you can care about and see their growth as a... well... character. And that's the deal I have with most harem romcoms. Everything is so forgettable and generic that you can't even be bothered to care. It exists just for wankers who want cute grills. In the sea of boobs and ass out there, saekano stands out as its own brand of bread and butter doing its own thing and this is why you should give it a try.

There comes a time when most of us tend to dislike reality. Boring people, normal unending days, and nothing much to do. Then we turn to fiction. We visualize ourselves as someone we're not and, in extreme cases, live up to our fantasies.

That's what Aura's story is mainly about. Aura is about a story of former chuunibyou (8th grader syndrome) case who's now trying to become a normal person, that is until a faithful encounter with a girl who calls herself as a "researcher" searching for dragon terminals. At first, he hesitates on helping her as he doesn't want to have a relapse again but ... soon finds out that she needs his help.

Aura: Maryuuinkouga Saigo no Tatakai is a slice of life story that has a subliminal message. We all know the pain of bullying either as the recipient of it or as a bystander observing the damage done to the bullied. It's never beautiful and that's what Aura conveys. It shows how people tend to step on other people when they outshine them in certain weird and quirky ways. It is less a comedy show (unlike Chunnibyou demo koi ga shitai) and more of a drama with realistic elements.

The art and music of this show is about average and there's nothing much to revolve about in the story but the main driving point of the show are the characters. This movie is all about character development. You start off with a doubting protagonist that would end up as a dependable friend for a lot of people. That's the norm and this doesn't deviate much from it except for the fact that the heroine not depended on him but he changed her. All of the characters can give you the proper emotions. You take pity on those who are being bullied and you get mad at the antagonists. Personally, there was a time I was afraid I'd punch my monitor because of the rage building up inside me. That's how well the characters can pull you into their simple lives, something most shows can't do.

Overall, the movie is enjoyable. The flow of the story is smooth. Despite the abrupt turn of events in the middle to last scenes, the story progression feels natural and believable. It feels like you're seeing real people and not just an animation so kudos to the voice acting staff in that division. You're surely bound for a roller coaster of emotions for this piece that would lead you to tears, anger, and smiles. Just try to view this movie with an open mind (Please don't try to compare this with Chu-2 since they are both different) and I'm sure you'll enjoy every twist and turn you're gonna go through.

There are as much slice of life comedy shows in anime as there are zubats in a cave that sometimes you just want to spray repel on yourself just to avoid those annoying repetitive ones. That's mainly because SoL (Slice of Life) stories are easier to manipulate the audience's attention because we can easily relate to it. Think about it, which would you imagine yourself easier: You as a normal high school student gaining a large horde of girls that like you for no reason at all or being a super powered hero that has a lot of girls liking him for no particular reason? ... Ok jokes aside, people tend to enjoy light hearted shows more than those deep developing plots (I'm not referring to cleavages here just sayin') but that also means that the gags and jokes that would make a show funny would turn out repetitive and boring. In even worse cases, they tend to overuse a certain gag that the story turns out pointless and dragged on, causing more viewers to be bored instead of it's original purpose of entertaining.

That's where we go to servant x service. The story is about a new civil servant named Yamagami Lucy (rest omitted lol) and her colleagues as they start out life as working adults in the civil service department. From there on, the show observes the happenings between work and personal relationships of each character.

Sounds boring right? That's where you're going to be wrong.

As common as the theme is (Working!!! already did this) the delivery of the story is splendid. Normally, SoL shows would have a very shallow story to give way to episodic events and the main focus would only be the main characters. SxS is not much different in terms of the focus but the story is a little bit (just a little bit) more deeper as you watch more episodes. Episodic as this show is, it also has a flowing story line which means that you really have to start watching the show in the proper order and not just skip episodes randomly to get the main idea. That's because there are certain plot twists in certain episodes that act as either for comedic reasons or for story development.

Now let's get to the characters. The characters in SxS are really likable. There are negative points about them but then, later in the introduction episode, the story would show you a good side of them that will make you forget their bad side. That's one of the good points about the show.

As for music and art style, they're generic as it gets. Nothing really to applaud but nothing to criticize either. Though, one of the enjoyments in this show is the expressions the ahoge (cowlick) of Yamagami makes whenever she's in a situation.

I've pretty much covered everything here so let's now move on to the best part of this show: The enjoyment.

This show is really fun. There's no episode that won't make you laugh at least once. The delivery of the gags (no matter how old and expected) is so natural. There's no forced gags here, and if there are they still have a little effect of fun for the audience.

But the best enjoyment of all that you can receive is the sublime romantic progression in this show. It's not uncommon for SoL comedy shows to include a little romance teaser just for laughs but SxS takes it to the degree where you'll be rooting for the guy to give his all.

And now this is something I'd like to specially mention. The ending.

Most SoL shows leave in an open ended ending that would make most people rage for a new season just because of plot holes. SxS, however, answered all the questions it presented from the previous episodes and delivers a very fun and refreshing ending (along with some slight romantic progression haha). SxS ended like a closed book but you'll still want a new season just to further continue observing the misadventures of the civil servants you've grown to like throughout the show.

And now for some final words. Yeah SoL shows are very common and most of them don't deviate from the norms but that doesn't mean that they don't have potential to be great. Even a zubat can become a crowbat if you give it proper training and love, right? (I'm just referring the training and love to the delivery of the story btw) Yes, they won't be able to compete with shows like Death Note and Code Geass but that's simply because they are in a different division. You can't pit a heavy weight boxer against a feather weight one after all. All in all, ServantxService doesn't really give much innovation in the SoL comedy genre but it's still enjoyable, fun, and interesting.

As in what bakuman has stated "A manga only needs to be interesting" then that means an anime also just needs to be interesting and that's what SxS did. Showing the normal lives of normal people in an interesting and refreshing way.