Reviews

Jun 26, 2012
Mixed Feelings
Oh the things this could have been. When one of my favorite manga became slated for an anime adaptation you can bet your ass I was jumping for joy, however the initial ecstasy was soon power-slammed into the ground and pissed on as time flew by. Penned by phenomenon known as Nisioisn, the Medaka Box manga started mediocre but eventually established itself as a wonderful clusterfuck combination of every genre known to man. The problem with the anime is that it didn't get past the mediocre part.

Story - 6

Gainax produced a 1:1 adaptation of Medaka Box's first arc, but this faithfulness is one of the anime's fatal flaws. By choosing to animate the series with only 13 episodes Gainax trapped the show in its slice of life phase. The problem here is that Medaka Box wasn't meant to be slice of life, it was meant to be a jumbled mess of battle, romance, fourth wall breaking, screwed up villains, and character interaction. The series pretty much focuses on the introduction of the story, and introductions aren't really that stimulating.

Art - 5

The inconsistency in quality is quite apparent, you can clearly tell the budget was saved to animate the last few episodes. One might mistake Medaka Box for an anime made in the early 2000's as the quality is far below the average series produced today. Rejoice though, for the budget can be found hiding in the final arc of the series! Unfortunately the first part was done so bad that I doubt many people even made it to the final arc, which is quite a shame really. In contrast to the questionable animation plaguing the opening sequences, the latter half of the series is animated quite nicely. It displays the vibrancy of Medaka, the immense power she wields, the emotion filled faces of her enemies, and all her splendor when what little sanity she has is substituted for the primal fury of a wild dog.

Sound - 3

There is no better way to start off a series than with a vapid J-pop song that doesn't compliment or tie into the story in any way, right? Thank god Medaka Box has one of these opening sequences to distract us from the generic ending song. All jokes aside though, the only thing memorable in Medaka Box's soundtrack is how unfitting the music is with some scenes.

Characters - 8

Enough with the negativity! The characters of the series are depicted as well as I could have hoped, showing each persons unique traits in a flavorful way. Akune's aura of superiority, Kikaijima's aloofness, and Medaka's overbearing superiority are fleshed out skillfully in the narrative. If you enjoy watching overpowered characters accomplishing a myriad of insane tasks then I definitely recommend this series. Characters are the driving force of Medaka Box, and while there are many who dislike overpowered characters, for those who do this anime is a special treat.

Enjoyment - 6

My views may be biased as a manga reader as I know the series should have been longer and had a quicker pace but I still enjoyed the show, if only for the ending. While the slice of life portion may have drudged on and on, the battle arc at the end nearly redeemed the series. Nearly.

Overall - 6

Many, many things could have done better but if you enjoy school life anime with a twist of battle shounen then I would recommend you at least try Medaka Box. Even if you're only a fighting anime fan then it may be worth it to marathon this series in preparation for season two which I predict will be MUCH better. Manga readers may be disappointed with the anime, but for a first time audience of the series this show may be quite the treat. All I have done is pointed out the major flaws afflicting the series, if you can deal with these gripes then by all means try a few episodes.After all it IS written by Nisioisin, the man who brought us beautiful works of fiction such as Katanagatari and the Monogatari series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice Nice0
Love it Love it0
Funny Funny0
Show all
It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login