The overall story in Telepathy is both the best and worst part of the series. While there really isn’t an overriding plot, the general theme is pretty interesting and in many ways unique from most anime of this kind. The story centers on Ran, a seemingly normal middle school student who suddenly finds herself able to read minds and possessing other strange powers. In a turn that is a bit different from most series, the plot focuses more on the feelings of fear and isolation of being different from everyone else and how people's impressions of you would change if they found out. While the story is generally light-hearted and upbeat, this theme permeates the entire anime and is the basis for most of the stories. At times the drama is pretty intense, particularly when it comes to Ran's friend Midori who shares her powers. The conflict between the two of them and the development of their characters (particularly Midori) as the series progresses is without a doubt the best part of the entire show.
However it’s not all good. As I mentioned, the series is uneven and that is due mostly to the story. While the beginning portions of the show are extremely interesting as well as portions later on that have to do with Midori's character development, too much of it feels a bit too much like mindless fluffy filler. Many of the stories are monster/freak of the week fare and the only thing that makes them interesting at all is Midori's antics. Though of all the series faults the one that annoyed me the most was the eco-rant and violence in the last story arc of the series. While I have no problem with message stories, this came across as a lecture and really was inappropriate. Though the overall ending seemed to tie things together, I really hate feeling like I am being preached to.
By far, the characters make this series worth watching. As a lead, Ran is pretty typical. She is an earnest and idealistic girl we are used to seeing in anime. She is a bit vanilla but despite that she is going to be the one most people will be able to relate to. Shockingly she is surprisingly normal (despite her telepathic powers) and unlike a lot of anime characters she actually has a normal home life free of perverted brothers and fathers or dead or missing parents completely. It's kind of a shame that I seem to have to point out normalcy when it actually occurs in anime given how rare normal is. But I think it’s refreshing to see a family like this instead of using it for cheap laughs or tired drama plot devices.
Midori however really steals the show overall. While she starts off as a villainess her growing friendship with Ran and their personality conflicts really sets her apart. Her personality could best be described as a closet tsundere. While she puts up a facade of being the demure and elegant rich girl while in reality she is a crabby, foul mouthed glutton. Her crush on Ran's older brother Rin is also quite amusing. However it is the deep emotional scars under the surface and the development of her character over the series that really sets her apart. Midori's experiences is in many ways is what Ran herself feared the most. The rejection of Midori by her mother when she found out about her powers shaped her whole outlook on life but through her friendship with Ran and helping others she is able to come to grips with her powers and her mother.
Rui rounds out the rest of the main cast. He is also the least interesting to me. He is your typical effeminate anime male who mostly comes across as an emotionless robot. I suppose you could call him Ran's boyfriend and while you can certainly tell that he cares and likes Ran a lot there is little change in how he appears to feel about anything really from the first episode to the last.
The supporting cast is pretty solid. Ran's family is refreshingly normal but because of this they aren’t particularly interesting either nor do they really appear much either. The only exception would be her brother Rin, who has the most screen time. They provide bits of levity and comic relief, though perhaps ultimately end up rehabilitating Midori the most from her emotional scars. Since a lot of the stories are a bit standalone most characters appear once and don’t return again.
Artistically, Telepathy is good though not spectacular. The characters are suitably proportioned for their age groups and realistic. That being said it does feel a bit plain and bland. This is not really a bad thing, as I kind of liked the more down to earth and realistic style but given how flashy a lot of series are some people may find it visually dull. Vocalist Chara does an excellent performance with the OP to the anime which I felt fit the show wonderfully. The ending is less spectacular. Overall the voice acting is solid and there is little to complain about, or compliment either for that matter.
I find myself feeling both rewarded and disappointed with this show in the end. I think it had potential to be much better but at the same time it is never bad either. The repetitive stories and environmental raving at the end is a definite negative however this is offset by the great leading cast. It’s a pretty safe series in that it is unlikely to be hated by anyone but equally unlikely to be loved either.
