To be fair, what happened next wasn't really the fault of SHnY, but the damage was already done. Beginning with Lucky Star, which was a pretty good comedy for the most part, the slippery slope of formulaic school based parody shows with a supposedly eclectic set of characters who literally do nothing rapidly became a tiresome methodology, with numerous shows following this trend until the advent of Seitokai no Ichizon (The Student Council's Discretion).
The story is based on a series of light novels, published from January 2008, by Aoi Sekina (with illustrations by Inugami Kira). Now one would think that an adaptation of a novel would have a bit more depth to it, but Seitokai no Ichizon seems to follow only one path - try to please as many people as possible.
It's no surprise then that the show really struggles with plot coherency and development, especially as, barring a particularly dull sub plot, there isn't really any point to the story. The whole series is set, for the most part, within the confines of the Student Council Office, and while this may at first appear to be an orginal approach, one should remember that SHnY, amongst others, had very similar settings. The big problem with confining the story to a specific area is that there is a only so much the writers can do to develop the plot. Thankfully (maybe), Seitokai no Ichizon doesn't really try to develop what little plot it has, and is content to follow the path set by Lucky Star - lots of parodies, sketches and jokes while the characters do nothing.
Now, one could consider the comedy in this show to be funny, and some of it actually is, but the fact remains that much of the humour has actually been done better in other shows (or do I need to mention Gintama). In addition to this, the series makes a great show of trying to get the audience involved, a bit like a really bad Christmas pantomime, but this effort begins to cool after the first few episodes. Instead of going down the route of actually showing how a typical student council works, and adding humour to that premise, Seitokai no Ichizon travels at breakneck speed towards one of the most pointless and inconclusive outcomes I've ever seen.
In all honesty, the one saving grace the series has in terms of it's story and plot is that I found some of the jokes to be funny, but even that wore off pretty quickly.
Now don't get me wrong here. There isn't anything specifically wrong with Seitokai no Ichizon per se, especially as there have been other shows that have little to no back story, and arecompletely relian on parody, humour and audience partcipation. However, this shouldn't come at the cost of the characters, ir even of the humour itself, and it's unfortuante that the series has fallen into that trap. While the show resoundingly denies that it's a harem anime, the tried and tested stereotypes are available throughout the story, and the series has the feeling of being written by someone who really does believe they know what the audience wants, even when it comes to looks.
That's right. Seitokai no Ichizon is very clearly on the moe bandwagon, especially when it comes to character designs. From the fiery tempered tsundere to the outspoken loli. From the silent but deadly hot chick, to the shy and withdrawn bundle of cuteness. This series makes no bones about who it's target audience is, and it targets that market with a certain degree of ruthlessness.
That said, there hasn't really been a lot of thought as to how the characters should look. The presentation is that same, tiresome, fanservice tinged moe that that makes up up over half of the school based comedies around to date. While the presentation is pretty decent, one can't help but wonder why the cast doesn't feature anyone with any kind of physical blemish. The backgrounds and backdrops also follow a similarly over-simplistic style, espcially as most of the show is set in the student council office.
As for animation, well, it's actually pretty good, especially during the parodies. The choregrpahy and animation design isn't the greatest, however it does serve it's purpose in that the whole show is simply a joke delivery system, and as such, there isn't really any need for top quality animation and CG. The characters move reasonably well for the most part, however the series looks and feels very similar to a host of others, and that is one of it's biggest problems.
In terms of sound, Seitokai no Ichizon isn't too bad really. The OP, a boppy little J-Pop track called "Treasure", is sung by most of the cast and, aside from being fairly well chorepgraphed, is nothing to write home about. The ED, on the other hand, is where things get a little more interesting as the series features a variety of ending themes that are sung by at least two members of the cast.
That said, they're still forgettable J-Pop songs.
Acting-wise, the show is reaonably well represented, especially as the four main female leads are relative newcomers to anime. Given that fact, it wouldn't actually be unreasonable to assume that the entire show is nothing more than a platform to launch their respective careers (it's been done before after all). That said, there is some merit to their, and the rest of the cast's, performances as the characters, barring one or two annoying voices, are pretty well portrayed for this type of show.
As for the characters themselves, well, where do I begin? The fact that this is an epsiodic parody harem comedy should give you a hint as to what you should expect. While the series is extremely moe-centric, the characters are all nothing more than stereotypes of the first order and, while they are reasonably good in that respect, at the end of the day that's all they are. The show tries to add some deeper meaning to the characters, especially to Sugisaki Ken, but these efforts don't fit in to the plot in any substantial manner, and serve as nothing more than distractions from the comedy. The characters don't develop in any manner that is both plausible, and in keeping with the story, and this is the main reason why the series is so reliant on the comedy content.
There will be those who laud Seitokai no Ichizon for a number of perfectly valid reasons, and in certain respects it's a good series to watch. It's quirky, humourous, and somewhat engaging, and I will freely admit that it managed to make me chuckle, especially with Mafuyu's burning passion for BL. That said, the series could easily have taken things one step futher by throwing out all the stereotypes and going for something truly original as the parody would have had far more impact in that way. It's a shame then, that the show tries to take the more satirical path and tie it to parody as the two don't easily mesh, so what's left is a mish-mash of jokes and sketches that jump from one to another like a frog on a hot rock, and coherency is the first to fall victim to the lacklustre plot.
All in all, this isn't a bad show, but it's not really a shining example either. Fans of shows like Lucky Star, Hyakko, PaniPoni Dash, and even SHnY, may find the series enjoyable, but may also find that much of the humour is a bit flat, or has been done better elsewhere. It's sad to say, but those who haven't had the opportunity to watch this type of series before may find this far enjoyable. It all depends on one's perspective.
On the whole, this isn't the best example of a parody anime. Gintama, Lucky Star, even Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu, give parody it's due, and use the gags in unusual and original ways. Seitokai no Ichizon, on the other hand, tends to stick to formula, and it's efforts to try and please everyone is the main reason why the show is as mediocre as it isl.
