It's not the BEST show from the 2016 winter season, but it's not the WORST (I'm looking at you Aokana and Luck and Logic).
This show is an example of one of the many anime you just watch to soothe yourself if you're having a bad day. Now enough of this prologue, let's get to the review:
STORY: 5/10
Yeah, it's been done before. A group of teenagers work hard to create a game (I'm seeing a lot of Saekano and Shirobako). According to the synopsis, this anime is supposed to be about "youths taking a daring step into the unknown," but if you're looking for that, this is the wrong show for you. In all honesty, this show is just a lighthearted comedy taking us through the process of these teenagers making the bishoujo game of their dreams. This show actually managed to get a few laughs out of me (the "bitch queen" scene).
ART: 9/10
Honestly, this show has some of the finest art and animation I've seen from 2016 so far. The character designs are simple, yet appealing. The animation is fluid, the characters' facial expressions aren't eyesoresConsidering this is an anime from Studio Project no.9, I wasn't expecting great animation aster seeing other anime that they've worked on.
SOUND: 7/10
Nothing too spectacular in this department. The OP doesn't really suit the anime, almost making it seem like this was some sort of action show, not to mention that the song was pretty generic sounding. The ED was quite nice and the background music set the correct tone for the show.
CHARACTER: 6/10
To be fair, the cast isn't great. If you're being generous, you'd be saying that this show has a good cast. In short, the characters are all stereotypes. The reason why I'm not giving this section a 3/10 is because of the way they interact with each other. It's entertaining. Let's get to the list of them:
Buntarou Hojou: Hardworking, friendly, and able to adapt to situations well, Buntarou is our typical anime protagonist. He's asked to help write the scenarios for the game because he also writes scripts for the drama club, and he's pretty darn good at it.
Sayuki Kuroda: Sayuki is Buntarou's quiet classmate. She has been investigating Buntarō and convinces herself that he is fit to be scenario writer for her upcoming game. If anything, Sayuki might be the one I like the least on this show. She's basically a long-haired-not-Shinji's-mother version Rei Ayanami in the sea of them that we have today in the anime world. To be honest, she could've been better if she was given a personality.
Yuka Kobayakawa: Yuka is Buntarou's childhood friend (at least she isn't deadpan). She is an energetic girl who is good at acting, a member of the drama club along with Buntarou. Yuka is a nice character to have around, mainly for comedy purposes. It is also speculated that she has feelings for Buntarou.
Teruha Andou: Our busty, and somewhat perverted character of the show (fujoshi alert), is another one of Buntarou's classmates. Teruha is the programmer of the game. She isn't afraid to fight with Sayuki and voice her opinions, and I could commend her for that. And let's not forget that she works at a maid cafe under the name "Luka."
Uguisu Yuuki: Uguisu is a first year student and is the artist of the show. She's rather shy and timid and she's the art director of the game. She's very talented and apparently holds a high rank on the site, "Pixi."
Atomu Kai: Atomu is Buntarou's childhood friend. Along with Yuka, they are a trio who are always seen together. Atomu was dumped by his girlfriend for being "too nice", which makes him hates 3D girls and couples. He doesn't have any special talents, but has the motivation that Sayuki needs, which makes him the Assistant Director.
ENJOYMENT: 8/10
Like I said in the beginning, this is a nice show to just watch and relax. Not everyone will enjoy this, but I am (mainly because I'm a sucker for shows like these).
OVERALL: 7/10
I wouldn't strongly recommend this show to anyone, but if you feel like me about shows like these than go ahead and watch Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu.
