Sep 30, 2012
"Which do you prefer? Left or Right? Me...I prefer down...I like to look down." Kukuru. Joshiraku was my surprise hit of the 2012 season and honestly I'm surprised that I have not seen more love for this series. This show isn't about being a politically correct melodrama that'll make you shed a few tears for the beautifully crafted characters...It's just FUNNY! Kouji Kumeta's stories are supposed to be taken with an open mind and if you are willing to come at this series willing to make fun of anything then this series will have you looking at the world in a whole different light.
Story:
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The story really isn't linear whatsoever and is more like random pieced together small stories (as it was in the manga), something that I would say is akin to Nichijou's story. I find it hard to really judge how to review the story other than by looking at each 1/3 episode as an individual story. From this perspective every mini story has an effective tale that never feels cut short (unless the humor is that the story is cut short) and everything in them has a purpose (even if that purpose is to have none). 9/10
Art: My only complaints that I really have with the series is that it is obvious that J.C. Staff didn't put a lot of effort into the artwork of this show. Which makes sense because with Little Busters! coming out the next season (A show that could literally make or break that company) the logical conclusion is that this show was just put on the back burner. It's not bad per say, it just doesn't have that same artistic flair that the other Kouji Kumeta's adaption had (although not every show can be animated by SHAFT). 6/10
Sound: I thought that the OP does it's job, in that every week I heard it at the beginning of the show I got excited to watch the show. It doesn't necessarily have the stand alone value as a good song that I'd put on my iPod , but it is catchy nonetheless. The ED is also hysterical if you know the story that is behind the lyrics of the ED. If you don't know I'd suggest that you go look it up (Valeraku, gg's translator for the series, actually has pretty good translation notes). Finally the backdrop music throughout the show seems very fitting to the series and at times can add to the comedic depth. 9/10
Characters: The main pinnacle of any of Kouji Kumeta's work, beside the sea of references, has always been his characters and the characters of Joshiraku are only a brilliant illustration of that. Kukuru and Marii are both two characters that I feel have absolutely no character archetype I can pin them to and it helps solidify their originality. I thought that Kigu was just there to actually be one of the "cute girls" at the beginning of the series, but the depth that gets added to her later in the series (listening to death metal music and going on malicious explicit rants in her head) made her one of my favorite characters of the Summer 2012 season. And that perfectly illustrates what makes these characters so fantastic is that they are so unpredictable that their humor can get you from literally anywhere. 10/10
So you're not Japanese: One of the biggest problems that many people have had with this series is the fact that if you aren't from Japan then most of the humor will go right over your head. And to be honest that isn't a false statement because Kouji Kumeta's audience is Japanese and he doesn't really care to internationalize his work (and why should he?). However if you feel like you're getting lost then just pick up the translation notes that Valeraku posts and learn them. This isn't a series that you can come into without willing to put in a little work, but I guess in today's anime community people are too lazy to do that. I think it's kind of like reading Beowulf, even if you speak English you'll still need a comprehensive study book just to be able to understand half of it. I really am thankful to gg for making this great work accessible to other people, but if you want to have the full experience you have to put in a little bit of work.
The reason that this series is rated so high for me is the simple fact that it is so incredibly entertaining. Every week I got this show onto my computer I was literally splitting at the seams from the humor. I wouldn't suggest this show to everyone because frankly not everyone will like Kumeta's offensive style of humor, but people who are cynics like me will absolutely love it. If you're reading this review wondering if you should watch this show, then I highly suggest that you at least give it a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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