I really wasn´t much of a fan of Elfen Lied but I gave this show an opportunity anyway, and for the first couple of episodes it wasn´t that much of a disappointment. Of course, while I was watching the first episodes, which I thought were pretty decent, I forgot that both Elfen Lied and this series are by the same author, Lynn Okamoto, and it seems that he doesn´t have the ability to learn from her mistakes.
The show began pretty well in my opinion presenting us with a serious and dark story, and even if it is unoriginal, it is of my belief that an unoriginal story done the right way, can be a really enjoyable show to watch. We get presented to our main characters Murakami and Kuroha, and we also get presented to Kana afterwards in the second episode. I thought the mystery was nicely done and it kept me going back to this show week after week.
I thought Murakami was, at first, a really decent protagonist, he was pretty smart and could formulate some desperate but effective plans to get out of the dangerous situations he got into, but as series went on he ended up being only that REALLY nice guy, who is willing to sacrifice his life for saving others, and then end up being saved by some Deus ex-Machina, because, you know, he is the protagonist. But I will get back to the Deus ex- Machina later.
Kuroha was pretty much the typical childhood friend main love interest, she wasn´t really annoying but she wasn´t the greatest of the characters either, she didn´t have much personality either, apart from being the "I think I´m in love with the protagonist" character.
Kana was also a so-so character, her personality is pretty much like the typical tsundere, again not really annoying but not great either.
Then another character, Kazumi, got presented and there is when the show took downward spiral, because around episode four, when they were just in the end of a really serious scene, the scene afterwards, suddenly, out of nowhere, we got fanservice and comedy, and that really took a hit on the show. The sudden changes between serious and light-hearted with comedy and fanservice avoided me from having the ability to take this show seriously. How can I get invested in a dark and serious story if they are trying to get me horny at the same time?
The main problem here is Kazumi, which is probably the second worst character of the series, she is a pervert that is constantly firting with the main protagonist, Murakami, and is the cause of most of the fanservice scenes that can screw an episode on it´s entirety.
This got repeated almost every episode which really made me want to drop this show sometimes.
Then in the final episodes that´s where the REAL nosedive kicks in, as we get presented to other girls, I will focus only in the most important, as the others don´t really have that much screentime, and aren´t really interesting. This is where Kotori gets presented. Kotori is the most annoying character of the series following the "Big tits shy girl" archetype, and all she really does in the series is saving Murakami from lethal situation, because she has the most useful power, and the other thing she does is stutter, A LOT, it´s really annoying.
After that the show starts to use Deus ex-Machinas a lot of the time with the objective of saving Murakami, pretty much defying physics, logic and human anatomy in the process, it seems as if someone thought I´m stupid and I wouldn´t notice this things.
In the art department nothing much really stands out. The character designs are normal and the color palette is pretty generic. Is constant and it doesnt´t really take any nosedive, I will give them that, but this is studio ARMS we´re talking about, they have never been in the peak of digital animation, and with this show, they failed to prove that the can do something actually decent. Apart from that the artwork is just above average.
The soundtrack, apart from the first OP is pretty forgettable, with nothing much really standing out. I can´t really judge the voice acting since I don´t speak japanese, but if there´s one voice that really annoys me, is Kotori´s, her loud voice and constant stuttering almost drive me insane.
The first OP however is quite a piece, is an instrumental techno theme mixed with vocal choirs, and it was that glimmer of hope that made me thought that this show would redeem itself eventually, until it was replace by a death metal song by Fear, and loathing in Las Vegas, which not only didn´t fit the show, it was badly synchronised with the OP´s animation. Who had the brilliant idea to change the opening!? I will make sure he suffers when I kill him.
My enjoyment on the show was ruined by the aforementioned light-hearted comedy and fanservice that doomed this show, and if you add the aforementioned Deus ex-Machina, and what is easily one of the worst ending that I have ever seen, you will have me trying to destroy my head with a shotgun.
Final Judgement:
Gokukoku no Brynhildr started with a pretty decent note, and then it entered a downward spiral, teaching me a valuable lesson: "Never watch an ARMS anime adaptation of a Lynn Okamoto´s manga ever again.". Really, does Okamoto even learn from his mistakes? Or he has his head so full of "Elfen Lied is a masterpiece" that he just had to write the same thing with the same problems again, adding an alien twist to it?
It´s characters range from the forgettable to the utterly annoying, it´s story cannot be taken seriously due to the amount of stupid comedy and fanservice that it has, added to a shitty ending and Deus ex-Machinas. The art and sound departments are only above average.
A show that ended up being a complete disappointment and is not recommended for those looking something good this season.
This has been The Neko and I hope that you found this review helpful and that you have a pleasant day, night, or whatever.
This adorable kitty is leaving the scene.
