Jun 4, 2016
I can honestly say that I've never been so happy to be done with a series. This show is barely watchable, and it all stems from the main character.
The Worst Person In The Entire World
At first, I thought I'd really enjoy the show. The first 6-8 episodes or so have a unique feel with some decent comedy and interesting characters, but then it takes a turn that it never recovers from. The main character, Sato, is a twenty-something-year-old version of your boiler plate Shinji character, but it doesn't seem that way at first. Don't be fooled; once he starts exhibiting the cliche weak, hesitant, self-centered,
...
clueless characteristics we find in way too many anime, you will loathe him for the remainder of the show.
Sato is not a NEET; he's not an hikikomori; he's not otaku; he's just an awful person. Clearly the author believes he's an hikikomori since they need to say that on average 4 times an episode, but throughout the show you will see him constantly switch in and out of being perfectly fine in society and completely scared. You could argue that the switch coincides with how is life is going, but the polarity between the two states is jarring and completely unconvincing. Additionally, even though he's supposed to be a shut-in of 4 years, he has no hobbies that would indicate he's done anything except stare at a wall for that time. He's not otaku, he doesn't play online games, and he isn't even aware that you can search for porn on the Internet.
What makes the show completely unbearable to watch is how entirely self-centered he is. Unlike him, all of the supporting characters have had real hard-ships (some much harder than others). While he remains completely inward-focused, he never asks his friends about their problems or tries to understand what they are going through. This is a man who even raises his fist multiple times to the one person who is 100% unconditionally supportive and caring to him; even when she's in complete tears, he says nothing to her. Instead, he goes home to contemplate how he is affected by what she was saying. Not even a thought about her or what kind of pain she was going through.
The Saving Angel
Aside from the main character, the supporting characters are actually quite interesting. Most prominently, Misaki, is a beautiful person who by far has been through the worst of it. In all honesty, this show could've been terrific if she was the main character. If it weren't because I wanted to see how her story unfolded, there is no way I could've made it all the way to the end.
Story
Characters aside, the story had a few problems as well. The biggest problem is that the series takes a few random deviations (kind of like mini-arcs) that are incredibly far outside the realm of the main plot. Including an in-world MMO subplot that lasts a few episodes. They were too distracting, not to mention boring. There were also some major consistency issues as it pertains to the passage of time and the balance of money. You could say these are small details, but the passage of time was to the degree that at one moment the implication was that a month had passed and then just a few minutes later that only a few days had passed.
The story is also way too long; it could've and should've ended at episode 13. It even has a great climactic feel to it, but for some reason another 11 episodes of misery await.
Art
I love the way the characters are drawn in this series. The art is without a doubt the best aspect of the show. The only thing that was bizarre is that Misaki was the only character that wore the same t-shirt and skirt throughout the entire show. Every other character had different outfits, but even though she actually had a job, she apparently had no wardrobe. There's one part of the show that could imply this was intentional, but I'll avoid a potential spoiler by dismissing it.
Comedy
The beginning of the show has some funny parts; after that, there's less than a handful of parts to get a chuckle out of. You can see where they were trying to be funny, but it falls flat.
Execution
The visuals and environment are quite nice, and the music is enjoyable too. The voice acting is really well done, and the subs (watched on funimation) were also good. In terms of execution, the show was done quite well.
Final Thought
I wouldn't recommend this to anybody who doesn't want to be on the verge of tossing a perfectly good screen out the window. The amount of frustration that comes from watching Sato continuously portray the type of person who does nothing but completely absorb himself in his own misery had me throwing double-birds at my screen over and over again. Do not start this show because you will probably get sucked into something that seems pretty good until around episode 7.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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