Charlotte

If not for his ability to take over people's mind and body, Yuu Otosaka would be an ordinary high school student. Though it only lasts for five seconds at a time, Yuu's mysterious power allowed him to cheat his way to the top of his class and enter a prestigious high school, where he continues his dishonest acts.

His shenanigans are eventually stopped by Nao Tomori—the headstrong student council president from Hoshinoumi Academy—who sees through his deceit. Through coercion, Nao convinces Yuu to transfer to Hoshinoumi and join the student council. Hoshinoumi Academy is secretly an institution created for adolescents who possess supernatural abilities—with the student council serving as a means of locating those who abuse their powers.

With Yuu begrudgingly assisting in council affairs, the group sets out to find and protect new ability users from harm. However, as they further investigate the abilities, their findings entangle them in far more complicated matters than they could ever imagine.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Charlotte
Side story:	Charlotte: Tsuyoimono-tachi

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Characters & Voice Actors

Tomori, Nao

Main

Sakura, Ayane
Japanese

Otosaka, Yuu

Main

Uchiyama, Kouki
Japanese

Otosaka, Ayumi

Main

Asakura, Momo
Japanese

Kurobane, Yusa

Main

Uchida, Maaya
Japanese

Takajou, Joujirou

Main

Mizushima, Daichuu
Japanese

Otosaka, Shunsuke

Supporting

Ono, Daisuke
Japanese

Kurobane, Misa

Supporting

Uchida, Maaya
Japanese

Shane, Sara

Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki
Japanese

Kumagami, Takehito

Supporting

Takemoto, Eiji
Japanese

Maedomari

Supporting

Hanae, Natsuki
Japanese

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Staff

Horikawa, Kenji

Producer

Toba, Yousuke

Producer

Maruyama, Hiroo

Producer

Tsuji, Mitsuhito

Producer

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Opening Theme

"Bravely You" by Lia (eps 2-9, 12-13)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Yake Ochinai Tsubasa (灼け落ちない翼)" by Aoi Tada (eps 2, 5, 7-12)
	2: "Rakuen made (楽園まで)" by Yusa Nishimori (Maaya Uchida) (eps 3-4)
	3: "Tasogare (黄昏)" by Anant-Garde Eyes (eps 6)
	4: "Kimi no Moji (君の文字)" by Anri Kumaki (eps 13)

Reviews

Feb 9, 2024

peonchi

Recommended

Mod Edit: Review contains spoilers

It all starts with a meteor which gives special powers to childs till their teen years strike, which then they forget about their powers and completely lose them.And ofcourse Jun Maeda( famous for making clannad and angel beats ) writes this anime and forcing some melodrama in the middle of the anime.
While a mere teen "Otosaka Yuu" has to cure them all from their " disease" so that they won't be experimentated by the government.

At the start of the anime Yuu has the power to plunder other abilities but he doesnt know that, and he has the power to control someone ...

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Sep 26, 2015

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

The way I look at Charlotte is like a show that started off buzzing with potentially well-thought ideas. Then as time went on, it really crashed and burned. Like almost pouring rice.

Charlotte, an original show conceived by Jun Maeda, is a series made by Aniplex and P.A. Works. The series takes place in a world where a small percentage of people manifest supernatural powers. While this hardly sounds original, Charlotte does have a unique presence with its characters. Yuu Otosaka, a first year student at Hoshinoumi Academy, developed his ability to possess others temporarily and made himself a fake academic honor student. The first ... episode establishes himself as a narcissistic individual who uses his powers for personal gains.

Now, this actually sounds kind of like a neat idea. The ability to possess others can really have a dominating effect especially for someone like Yuu. Early episodes establish him using this ability with some dangerous risks. That is until we have a girl named Nao Tomori who catches Yuu using his ability and forces him to join the student council in order to help others with these unique abilities. Like Yuu though, Nao also shows a narcissistic side of herself and for some reason lacks female friends. A good portion of Charlotte shows her using a camera filming events around her life. Joining them includes Jojiro Takajo, a boy who can apparently move at supersonic speed, and Yusa Nishimori, a popular idol singer who can channel the dead. As part of the early phases, the show takes on a slice of life focus. Every episode essentially shows the members of the student council use their ability to help others and prevent troublemakers from causing chaos. This sometimes comes at high risk as some abilities can be quite dangerous. And as such, the show maintains a somewhat dark side with some minor foreshadowing. Furthermore, we are also introduced to Yuu’s little sister Ayumi, who is like an energetic light bulb that can brighten anyone’s day; figuratively of course.

With a small cast of main characters such as this, Charlotte essentially had a good story going. Yes, some of the episodes feels like distractions that incorporate generic school life activities such as baseball or outdoor camping trips. However, the show originally maintained a cool level of comedy. It can make the viewer laugh such as with Joiro’s over-exaggerated expressions of his obsession towards Yusa. Ayumi can also be likable at times with her bright personality that seemingly has some influences towards others. Everything originally was standard and then, trouble hits.

I guess it shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Jun Maeda is known for his involvement in Key related works. These include Kanon, Air, and Clannad. Some recurring themes include family values, magical realism, and his intention to draw tears from the viewers with emotional scenarios. So here for Charlotte, it really isn’t much of a surprise that there’s a familiar trend. The first few episodes sets up a lot of fun and actually works hand in hand. Then, the second half of the show kicks into a darker tone with the story. And to be quite frank honest, it feels like the show got possessed. It turns into a series that forcefully tries to draw out emotional impact starting with Yuu’s depression. There is a good reason for this but the transitional direction of his character really is an oddball. Furthermore, Yuu’s role becomes somewhat like a savior to protect a certain someone. It’s like Yuu almost became another person as the story progresses. The turning point of the series makes Yuu look like a hero but is really one? Honestly no. In fact, Yuu is more of the anti-hero and without a certain person’s help, I fear what he really may become. The recurring themes written by Jun Maeda comes into full hold as we get alternate worlds, timelines, and loops. And in general, the show changes way too much for its own good. A major problem I found throughout the latter half of the story is the numerous plot holes that appears out of nowhere. Furthermore, there are the continuous jokes that becomes apparently blend after seeing it so many times. The mood of the story constantly changes from one point to another that eventually becomes almost intolerable. It’s also fairly predictable and has some fairly anti-climactic resolutions to problems. Despite this, I do give Charlotte some credit for taking the risk. I think the show is more suited for certain audiences that appreciates the writing style of Jun Maeda. Otherwise, Charlotte will take some enormous patience especially to get answers to wanted questions. These include the meaning of Charlotte, how Yuu’s relationship with others changes, and what true essence of some of the characters’ powers are. As with I mentioned earlier on, there’s a strong uphold about family values that is easily carved out with Yuu and Ayumi’s relationship.

Speaking of relationships, the most noticeable one is probably Yuu and Nao throughout the series. In several ways, they are similar but hard to get along. Yuu’s change builds a more stable relationship with her as time goes on. However, when it comes to love or romance, the series drops the ball. You’ll have to see it for yourself but it’s something that’s easily forgettable. That also brings back to my earlier problems with the show. Some of the characters establishes their presence such as Zhiend’s singer but are later seemingly forgotten. There could have been a more meaningful relationship that they can forge and leave viewers to remember for. Instead, too many things happen at once and the final few episodes really seems like it’s trying to fit everything into a box. Yuu’s attempt to become some sort of savior makes me feel like he really isn’t suitable for the job. And lastly, I think the glasses guy (Tokajo) and Yusa’s relevance in the series slipped like sands of an hourglass. Of course, their relationship hardly moved an inch.

Now I will say this. Charlotte makes its name and presence known with its high level production values. Once again, we see the colorful style of P.A. Works’ characters and a few of the scenes in the show can be described as scenery porn. While the character designs are usually generic, the powers themselves holds a dominating presence. Yuu’s ability to possess others is heightened by the way the art is done with his eyes while there’s also neat camera focuses of characters’ facial expressions. The OP and ED theme song has a mystical presence that invests on its show’s themes and foreshadowing. As such, the cinematography and overall animation for Charlotte is exceptional and is something to remember.

When a show mixes in comedy and tragedy, you’ll need to transit both with a fitting way to match the presentation. While not as strong as its artwork, Charlotte’s soundtrack works well on most parts. Dialogues matches with character voice mannerisms and the OST in general is easy to keep up with depending on the shift of the tone. For voice mannerism itself, the characters are represented in a tolerable way whether it’s Yuu’s narcissism, Ayumi’s hyperactive energy, Yusa’s charming personality, or even her other self, who is almost a complete opposite of Yusa’s character. The show also retains some musical themes as introduced in later episodes although the songs can be questionably enjoyable. For all other things though, Charlotte’s soundtrack is satisfactory without breaking the limits.

Charlotte is pretty much a show that is hard to accept. I think taking Charlotte for granted for what it is originally was easier for some people but as the story progresses, it becomes more and more difficult to tolerate. This is evidenced by its sharp turn in characterization, story mood changes, and reused ideas coming from Jun Maeda. As a show that tries far too hard to induce drama or tear-jerking moments, it really didn’t succeed in such a way. Now I will admit though, Charlotte’s comedy can make the fans laugh a bit and the premise can seem to be interesting. The first few episodes were really fun to watch and although had a plotless direction focused well on what it is. Just be aware that the second half of the show will take a drastic change and whether you like it or not, it’s hard to adapt with. And honestly, that’s a certain kind of blunder.

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Sep 26, 2015

Link_of_Hyrule

Not Recommended

Mod Edit: This review may contain spoilers.
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Tell me if this description sounds familiar: “A group of ‘special’ highschoolers defined almost exclusively by archetypes and/or tragic pasts form an organization together. They don’t really get along at first, but they get to know each other extremely intimately over time, eventually culminating in a romance. Many tragic events take place as the innocent and sympathizable highschoolers are victimized by the cruel, cruel world. Eventually, they must accept sacrifice to fulfill their lives and destinies.” Some of you are probably thinking “That’s Angel Beats!”, while the rest of you are probably thinking “That’s Charlotte!” Well, good news: You’re ... both right, because for all intents and purposes, they are exactly the same show.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to criticize this anime on the sole basis that it isn’t even pretending to differentiate itself from another show; I’m going to criticize this show because not only does it contain all the same errors that the show it plagiarized (yes, I know they had the same writer, so it’s not technically stealing) also contained, but it managed to magnify those errors significantly. Horrible plotholes, absurd amounts of over-convenience, awful world-building, identity confused characters, my god; Charlotte is nothing but a fucking mess.

Let’s start with what is, in my opinion, the biggest problem the show has, the characters. They are completely shallow, completely one-dimensional, and more often than not, completely devoid of personality. Let’s take our protagonist, Yuu, for example: The first episode introduces him as a character brimming with personality. He’s intelligent, arrogant, devilish, etc. These are traits that at the very least gave him a personality and the potential for development. However, as soon as the ED played at the end of episode one, everything about him that was established in that first episode is COMPLETELY forgotten. Never again does he exhibit any of traits that supposedly define him. He instantaneously turns into literally Otanashi; A boring bland, personality-less nobody which is pretty much the worst thing a character can be. Did they really think that we wouldn’t notice if they stopped giving him individuality after a single episode? It’s either a laughable oversight or an attempt to trick the audience.

There really isn’t much to say about the rest of the cast; they are either completely indistinguishable or defined entirely by traits/quirks. There is one in particular I will go over though just so I can talk about how terrible the romance in this anime is: Nao. Nao is Yuu’s love interest which is a big problem for one simple reason: They fail to demonstrate so much as a single iota of chemistry or personal connection with each other at all. Rather than gradually growing together, we are instantaneously told that they are in love! No no no writers: that’s cheating. You can’t just skip all the necessary steps of a good romance and expect us to buy it. Seriously, what intimate moments did they ever share together? I can even recall a scene where Yuu watched Nao get brutally beaten by a mob with complete indifference, as he did nothing to even attempt to assist her. What a pair. This romance is so laughable that when a love confession is finally made, the other character remarks in a surprised/confused fashion “I don’t think there was ever a time for you to think favorably of me.” I mean… That pretty much hits the nail on the head. I don’t think there was either.

I haven’t even gotten to how shitty the plot of this show is and the reasons why it didn’t even remotely work. First of all, it doesn’t make sense. Being a show about superpowers, it’s obvious that plotholes are going to emerge from characters not using certain powers at certain times or in certain ways, but to THIS extent? You will pull your hair out trying to count how many times a situation that could have been easily resolved through superpowers is treated as a legitimate conflict. Every cardinal sin of story telling is present in Charlotte: Dues ex machine, plotholes, asspulls, you name it. It’s some of the worst melodrama to ever be animated.

The second big issue with the plot is the remarkably inconsistent tone and its total inability to incorporate elements of both comedy and tragedy without being clumsy and awkward. This is a problem that is seriously pervasive in anime as a whole; if you want your dramatic scene to be taken seriously, DON’T IMMEDIATELY PRECEED IT WITH CHILDISH COMEDY! Every time something that is supposed to be taken seriously happens, you better believe a heaping dosage of comic relief is right around the corner. Even scenes involving death can’t keep comedy out of the picture. This form of writing demonstrates an inherent immaturity and lack of understanding of said medium; it’s completely embarrassing and there is no excuse for it. This disturbing pattern NEEDS to disappear from anime.

The last thing I feel the need to especially stress is the god-awful pacing and stupendously rushed nature of Charlotte. If you want an example of how to rush your show so badly that even the most naïve audience members become alienated, watch episode 13 of Charlotte. Seriously; the world needs to see that miserable atrocity and learn from it so that history does not repeat itself. When you could literally turn the events of single episode into a series of its own, maybe spread your material out a little better? I’ve somehow gone multiple paragraphs without mentioning Angel Beats yet again, but this anime has the exact same issue with pacing; it’s very evident that these two shows had the same writer.

In conclusion, Charlotte is one of the worst anime dramas you will ever see. Even Angel Beats with all its flaws is noticeably superior. This rushed, childish, shallow emotion porn cannot be believed by a thinking person; you will literally be taken aback by how many obvious mistakes have been made. The animation and music may be nice, but I do not recommend this anime to anybody unless you want to see how NOT to write a good anime drama.

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Yuu's Ability PenguinLam - Apr 18	18 replies	by PenguinLam »» 7 hours ago
Poll: Charlotte Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Sep 26, 2015	886 replies	by KumaGetsu »» Yesterday, 10:21 PM
Poll: Charlotte Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Aug 22, 2015	459 replies	by Tsunamii_ »» Apr 6, 4:08 AM
Poll: Charlotte Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Aug 15, 2015	858 replies	by Mads004 »» Mar 29, 8:52 AM
Poll: Charlotte Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jul 11, 2015	444 replies	by Jaellll »» Feb 13, 6:33 PM

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Tomori, Nao

Otosaka, Yuu

Otosaka, Ayumi

Kurobane, Yusa

Takajou, Joujirou

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