Little Busters!

Over the past decade, visual novel studio 'Key' has seen much success for their work on titles such as Kanon, Clannad and Air. If you have watched or read any of these series, you will likely be familiar with Jun Maeda's distinctive form of dramatic storytelling.

Do not expect another Clannad: After Story. You will not find it here.

At first glance, there is one startling difference in Key's latest adaptation. It is not animated by Kyoto Animation, the studio responsible for handling the majority of Key adaptations. Instead, the esteemed and beloved (not really) J.C. Staff is at the helm. For many this is ... a name that will undoubtedly be a cause for concern. In Little Busters, it is.

The story follows the misadventures of Riki and his four childhood friends. Set during the leader Kyousuke's final year in high school, the group of friends decide to make something of their remaining youth- not by overtly rebelling, but by practicing and playing baseball together. They cannot form a team with only five members though, which is why Riki and Rin are set to recruit more people from their school. Preferably females, as Rin is the only young lady in the group.

Little Busters' cast of characters is its strongest trait. No— not because they are especially well-written or unique, but because they are endearing- because they are entertaining. It isn't easy to make a group of anime characters feel like genuine friends with one another, but Little Busters manages to achieve this feat with its wonderful group dynamic. Even the later members contribute to the show in a significant and believable way. The characters truly do make the lighthearted segments a joy to watch.

Being part comedy, it's a good thing that the jokes are often fresh and clever. Of particular note is Masato. If you remember Sunohara from Clannad, he is a bit like that. Masato and all his muscular glory (and utter lack of brain cells) are the cause for many jokes. Usually at his expense. And usually met with a kick to the face from Rin.

It's a shame, since any appeal the show has is frequently pushed aside in favour of cringeworthy melodrama. The individual character routes were not very good in the visual novel and they are most certainly not any good here either. It would be one thing if these arcs were merely mediocre, but with J.C. Staff's lack of directorial talent they are made absolutely dreadful. The omnibus format also does little to help the rushed pacing, resulting in a format that feels highly formulaic and superfluous. One of the girls has troubles, Riki helps them to overcome it, one or two episodes of comedy follow— repeat, repeat. Thankfully the lighthearted segments are so entertaining, as otherwise you would probably detest each character by the end of their route. It is that bad at times.

The two worst offenders are Mio's and Haruka's routes. In Mio's route, the viewer is treated with illogical and contradictory character actions further complimented by a hilariously contrived deception on the writer's part. Plotholes? Everywhere. And it does not even attempt to answer them with anything besides equivocation. The climax could maybe be explained if the characters were taking psychedelic drugs at the time, but looking at it from a realistic perspective it does not make any sense whatsoever. Watching Utena may be less confusing.

Haruka's route will also make you want to scream in frustration. Her tragic backstory is implausible (why the hell were the people taking care of her not convicted of abuse?) and the motivations of the antagonist, Kanata, are silly at best. The rest of the route is comprised of more cheap plot twists and embarrassingly cliche melodrama. Heck, there's even a scene where the weather changes from sunshine to storm as soon as Haruka starts crying. How much more cheesy can you get? Little Busters seems to experiment with the limits.

Things do improve, though. After a decent start and two terrible arcs, the last third of the story provides a satisfying dénouement showing how each of the characters have grown over the course of the series. The last episode in particular is quite nice, with the long-awaited baseball game being played in high spirits. Some might argue that this improvement is too little too late. They might be right.

One area where Little Busters does not disappoint is with its soundtrack. There may not be anything on the same level of "Dango Kazoku" to mess with your emotions, but the soundtrack as a whole is solid and surprisingly memorable. Then again, it's pretty hard to make mistakes when you are deriving almost all music from the source material.

Little Busters' endearing characters are complimented by a highly talented cast of seiyuu. Yui Horie provides a convincing role for a male character (though does little to make Riki any less bland) while Masato's seiyuu does a wonderful job at delivering the comedy. Rin and Kud on the other hand will probably kill your heart from how adorable they sound.

There isn't much to praise about the art, but it certainly isn't bad. Just average. Just middling. For a TV anime it is passable, but when comparing it to previous Key adaptations you will definitely notice a significant drop in quality. Off-model faces are frequent and many scenes are reduced to panning and 'talking heads': devoid of any animation besides the character's mouth flapping. For an adaptation of one of the most successful visual novels, you would normally expect the artwork to at least be above-average. Not here.

As an adaptation, it is worth mentioning how it compares to the source material. Is it a bad adaptation? It is. If you want to experience the story as it is intended, it would be in your best interests to give the visual novel a read instead. On its own merits and as a condensed version of the story, however, J.C. Staff's adaptation is merely passable. It doesn't completely butcher the story but with the rushed pacing, poor characterization (especially with regards to Riki), lackluster art and incomplete story— most of the charm that made the visual novel so beloved is nonexistent here. At least there's more cute Rin scenes, though! Maybe that is the one and only good thing.

Little Busters will not be winning any awards for its writing or production qualities, but when taken as an entertaining comedy with likable characters, it is at least worth a watch. Putting aside the expectations, you will certainly find some enjoyment in Key's latest animated venture.

Hopefully, too, J.C. Staff won't let us down too much in the sequel. I can think of few things that would be more disastrous.

This will be a temporarily review until the anime is completed, I created this so that people won't get any misunderstandings from others UNTIL the technical reviewers come by when the anime is completed. I've also decided to create this review for the sake of those viewers who played the visual novel, and for those who havent since I'm tired of reading all these reviews made up of self-satisfaction, and sadly by biased and unperceptive views.

➟ "COMPARISONS AND BASELESS ASSUMPTIONS"
First to those who played the visual novel, please stop comparing the visual novel to the anime, they are done on completely different ways and is ... different on a fundamental level. So please don't use the visual novel's high standings as an EXCUSE that the anime will be the same. Using 'because it's a Key story' as a reason to watch [is a different matter though*], given that the same person wrote the same scenario as the whole of Clannad (and other various animes adapted from Key's work) is a plus and a good reason to watch this anime.
Second to those who are only here for the anime, please stop talking like you know everything about the anime when you have not completed the story yet (the anime is still AIRING). The slow pacing is not an excuse, many animes had slow pacing (not just for the first few episodes, it can even be over half the series) yet in the near end was seen to be praised very highly removing all those doubts for the beginning of the anime. I do not want to see people making such assumptions. As for the massive hype to you anime viewers, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A SOLE REASON AS TO WHY IT IS HYPED, DO NOT ASSUME NONSENSE and overlap it with the anime's weakpoints or disabilities.

➟ "CYNICISM AND SINCERITY"
Generic? I will not use this as an excuse but give this anime a break, the visual novel was created in 2007, though it was after Clannad, it's not a surprise there will be some generic settings and characters in this anime. Actually not everyone gets tired of these sorts of things, but those who do get tired... if you can overlook that, then go for it and watch it especially for the romance, drama and Key magic given. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY GIVING A DAMN ABOUT THE REPETITIVE USE OF GENERIC SETTINGS NOW OF ALL TIMES. There were so many other series that aired before this that was way more generic, and i don't see people going on about that?
As for the JC Staff hate on adapting this Little Busters, and wanting KyoAni to pick up this adaption, here is a powerful and deep quote for you guys:
=========================
"What dawned on me recently about Little Busters was that despite the premise of Riki building a baseball team via harem creation, the real focus on the show is not romance, but actually friendship, despite the Key label.

And that answers many questions I had behind LB and its production.

…It is this focus on friendship by the LB source material that it is well-loved by fans, and why JC Staff picked it up, and why, like you, I find it so charming and comforting."
-Slashe@from a blog on lostinanime.com
=========================
➟ "HIGH EXPECTATIONS THROUGH IMAGINATION"
...It's like what everyone always says: You WILL not be able to satisfy everyone since they all have different tastes and expectations. If it's not your type of anime, if you don't like Key animes, if you hate LB!'s comedy, sequence of plot or pacing, then you don't have to "bark" so loudly about how bad it is.
-For the visual novel players, it's an ANIME so obviously they will leave out many things that aren't deeply or specifically relevant to the plot. If they leave out a favorite scene of yours then find an another scene that the producers DID animate and is already giving you.
-For anime viewers, DON'T USE YOUR IMAGINATION on what you want to happen, or have expected this and that just because it's a popular anime right off the bat (no matter how many times I need to repeat this, i'll say it over and over, THE ANIME IS STILL AIRING), ...and compare it to the anime, because it will ruin your enjoyment on what the anime is already giving and portraying for you.

➟ "WHY SHOULD I WATCH THIS ANIME?"
I will also include the anime's traits and argumental downsides (negatives/cons of the anime that many people whined/complained about) to give new viewers a fair reason to watch this anime if they're looking for one. If you love animes with slow paces continuing to build up to the climax (LIKE CLANNAD (THE FIRST SEASON), STEINS;GATE, AND POSSIBLY MADOKA MAGICA), that goes by a omnibus format, then this anime is perfect for you.
I am aware that there are people out there who:
-hate this anime's moe-tification. (but some look forward to it and adore it)
-hate this anime because of the (again) slow pace, because it bores you. (but some enjoy the atmosphere and (again) the slow build-up tension giving you the mysterious feeling of anxiety to the climax)
-hate the cast of character's personalities, you must be one hell of a intolerant person. (but other's can connect with those characters whether it's because of their personality, or experiences)
-hate random panty shots. (Some don't mind nor care. Seriously, will a non-ecchi anime showing a SINGLE panty shot (or two) kill you?)
-hate the character's voices and/or VAs. (The voices are completely normal, and fine, many including myself love it because it fit's their personalities so stop barking so loudly about the voices.. and stop using Komari's voice as an excuse to drop it, you just havent watched enough anime to hear worse VA's. Komari's a popular character so you might be killed if you start hating about the voice outside of MAL). There is actually another popular heroine or two that actually has the same VA as Komari's, true fact and true story.

To conclude this review, if any of you ever go on assuming baseless facts about the plot, or questioning the idea of the anime and it's current setting without clearly knowing the entire story, and the reasons why each character is acting that way when the anime is STILL CURRENTLY airing/have yet to be completed. Then YOU are a narrow-minded person blindly looking for a reason to hate for your own satisfaction and unmet expectations (like those people who thinks an anime that contains 'hentai' in it's title would actually 100% contain it...)

Thank you for reading this very unrefined review :)

Now for my current rating for this anime:

Story: 8/10
-Good pace, not consistent enough but it improved as it continued pretty drastically. Seems like the staff couldn't get a better team together for the beginning because of the budget, which the current halfway point is quite the opposite now.
Art: 7/10
-Art is pretty, moe is cute, animation was bad but it apparently improved as the anime continued. Seems like the budget of Little Busters was reversed from lowest to highest.
Sound: 10/10
-Beautiful, melancholic music, very memorable.
Character: 9/10
-Seemed simple at first sight, but it seemed I was wrong and that the characters could be more double-sided and dynamic than I expected. The cast is full of many different personalities.
Enjoyment: 9/10
-My enjoyment is going up the bar since the beginning of this anime.

Overall: 8.6/10

~ End ~

There are many things in this world that can break a person's heart. Whether it's a tragedy, a memory, a breakup, a betrayal, or just because, these things can affect an individual's well being beyond repair. It's not like a physical injury where the wound heals. It's emotional and affect's a person's heart. Once that's damaged, it can be very difficult or in many cases, become unhealable. Luckily though, there are ways to go through this process.

For starters, friends are probably one of the best medicines. In fact, friends are one of the most valuable things that should be treasured in this world. It's ... not purchased at your local grocery store. It can't be collected like baseball cards. It can't be earned like points from a video game. Rather, a friend is a someone who looks after your well being and someone that you hold mutual affection for. When you're having a bad day, they are there for you and someone who can understand the situation. Through friendship comes forth a connection as people learn more about each other and more about themselves. If you look back through those memories and your photo albums, you might remember some of those memories of childhood. These memories that are built with your friends are irreplaceable and as long as you treasure them, nothing can take that away. With these friends, you learn to climb the stairs to adolescence through experiences while learning about the world. You know what that's called?

It's called growing up.

At last it's here! Fan of the popular Little Busters visual novel have always dreamed the possibility of an anime adaptation. Now, that dream has become a reality. The long awaited LB visual novel has become an anime series. The series is handed by J.C. Staff (Toradora! Sakurasou Pet no Kanojo, Hatsukoi Limited) who are already known for their high school settings involving students in a lighthearted environment in a zone of drama, comedy, romance, and emotions. Now, this could cause some mixed feelings for people especially for die-heard fans coming from the visual novel. In fact, the visual novel released in 2007 became ranked second for national PC game pre-orders in Japan as well as holding the number one top seller spot that summer. The polls set up later that year also gave the franchise a strong impression in all categories with the exception of visuals in terms of its rankings. This may all sound impressive but can the anime series live up the hype? Can Little Busters gives the fans what they want and deserve? Or rather, how can it be appealing to the fans (both VN players and anime original fans)? Is it worth watching? These may all be questions some people may wonder about. Well, let us find out what Little Busters offers from its anime adaptation.

First of all, the series is based off of a Key's work. They are known to bring viewers to tears with their strong emotional dialogue, visuals, and the soundtrack to present them in a way that is heartwarming. In fact, their previous works such as Air, Kanon, and Clannad (with its sequel Clannad After Story) all accomplished this in some way or form that have left a strong impression of emotions to fans. In this adaptation though, there seems to be a bit of lacking in that department. In fact, this series seem to shift more into the department of comedy rather than emotional appeal. Well, let's get to the part later but this is my original impression on the series after its first episodes.

LB takes place at a high school in Japan. From there on, we have Riki Naoe, the main protagonist of the series. He is a ordinary boy with nothing much to stand out with his features; the girlish look, expressions, weak build that can sometimes can be mistaken as a trap when dressed in a specific way. Furthermore, he has a sad past that we can call a tragedy considering the death of his parents when he was young. He also suffers from a case of narcolepsy, where he suffers from a lack of sleep. Yet at the same time, we can see that Riki is a very kind boy who is gentle and has a tendency to help others in need. As fate calls for it, Riki is helping to recruit others with his group of friends known as the Little Busters.

The team has it all.

We have the muscle and hotheaded member of the group - Masato Inohara. He is a roommate of Riki and a devoted friend of his. Often known for his quick anger and strange ideas, Masato is seen as loyal and sometimes a little bit too enthusiastic with things related to his friends and himself. We have Kengo Miyazawa whose loyalty is unmatched by anyone in terms of devotion to the team. His skills in kendo is one to be feared coupled with his personality. Then, there's Kyousuke Natsume who is known as the leader of the team. He is seen as the senpai (because he is older) and often has a head of strange ideas that can be abnormal. Yet, it is clear that Kyousake has the guts and skills to be the leader for his ways of thinking and loyalty. Now, that's just the boys side. Let's get to the ….*ahem* better part: the ladies of the team.

The main female protagonist in the series is Kyousuke's little sister, Rin Natsume. She is seen as a timid girl with weak social skills and often or not, hangs out with cats which is she highly fond of. Despite this, she is skilled with pitching and values the friends as well as the experiences she shares with her friends. Then we have the more childish girl Komari who is often seen as a clumsy little kid but often makes a fun impression on the viewers with her expressions and gags. Behind that image though lies a dark past, one which has left a trail of pain and sorrow. In one episode, it even caused her to go into a state of shock just based on that painful memory.

On the more serious side, there is Mio Nishizono, a calm girl who maintains a mature and reserved personality. Being a book lover, she often likes to read rather than hanging out with friends. Her parsol hides more than just her appearance as like others, she also has an interesting past that is explored later on. Likewise, we also have the more mature girl (and one of my personal favorites) Yuiko Kurugaya. Although the same age as others, she is seen as the older sister type with a replica of the katana for showing off her extra features. Despite being mischievous and almost a trickster at times, she knows when someone needs help and offers it without a second thought.

By this point now, a viewer can see the many characters of the series and get a good idea of their various personalities. I mean, LB has it all in terms of characteristics – the hotheaded guy, the mature oniisama, the cute little mascot, the shy cat-loving girl, the normal boy who has a not-so normal health, and the leader who brings them all together. However, the problem lies in some of their characters being one-dimensional. The high school outfits most of the characters wear are also a bit generic in the sense that they don't stand out much. Except perhaps the school council president, most of the characters hardly cares about the way they are dressed at school. It is amusing at the same time though to watch what they do with the team especially out on the field together.

Despite some of the action presented in the form of duels at school, the series often leans more towards the comedy department. From the first episode, we can see that the duels themselves has little serious risk on the line besides the bragging rights and earning an embarrassing name (lol). At often times, these duels are portrayed as being over the top humorous with the objects involved. The duels themselves are also often cliched and has no typical strategy involved. I have not played the visual novel but from this anime adaptation, it seems to try way too hard and at times too random. It works out at times but at other cases just seems too purposeless and unreasonable.

Because the series also takes place at high school, expect the common themes such as joining a club, making friends, relieving past memories, being school disciplined, and drama. Speaking of which, the series does occasionally pull itself through with the drama presented. J.C. Staff is known for some of their series that progresses drama in sequences. In Little Busters, it follows a similar fashion but only in arcs. The series itself takes these arcs and pinpoints individual characters who gets their highlights. In other words, it doesn't follow the usual linear storyline. Rather, it focuses on a more progressive character direction that is driven by LB's themes.

Unfortunately, the series suffers a number of problems that may be hard to redeem itself. The series often tries way too hard with its drama. In fact, one could call it as almost being artificially crafted from the the characters' development themselves. To add on more to that injury, there hardly is any development because some of the arcs either does one of the following: moves too slow or rushes it way too fast. It doesn't balance it together well. In fact, even some of the emotions portrayed in the various arcs lacks real passion with a weak feeling of realism. As there are even some filler episodes, the series lacks a true progression to fit material to be adapted. Then, there's the problem with the romance aspect of the show. For some reason, I cannot get into the feeling of romance into this at all. In fact, I hardly notice it being present because the show seems to focus far too much on comedy. Not to mention that, the moe like features, expressions, and sometimes random gags seems to become a distraction.

Then, there is a problem with adaptation. I have not played the original visual novel game even though it has a huge fan base. From the various comments, feedback, and other sources, the series seems to suffer a case of this especially involved with “things that should be there but aren't”. It's hard to meet everyone's expectations especially with a caliber of a series such as Little Busters but from an objective standpoint, that's not an excuse. J.C. Staff has a history of adaptations – some which transformed into a revolution while others dropped the ball. From the viewpoint of an anime-only viewer, I will say that J.C. Staff pulled off an alright adaptation. However, based on some technical backgrounds, the series just pulls way too many comedy with not enough what the fans actually may want. It's a bit of a disappointment but I guess we always can't get everything we want. To me though, this looked like a buildup to a greater medium.

The artwork of Little Busters comes together like a picture frame on a wall. It fits right but probably not all the way through especially in some of the earlier episodes. It does have its appealing imagery though especially with expressions on some of the characters' faces during various reaction scenes. For more of the fun factors, there is the moe incidences of some of the younger characters. The series adapts these scenes to seemingly give a lighthearted outlook because the series has a more pleasant feeling of fun and high school comedy. At other incidences though, there are serious scenes and even emotions especially in one of the later arcs. The background artwork seems only mediocre though and nothing seems to stand out. Along with the school uniforms, the series keeps itself with its generic designs.

As for music/soundtrack, the series maintains its composure of that lighthearted melody. Jun Maeda orchestrates the rhythms for the series whom is already known for his other works such as Air, Clannad, and Kanon. In general, I found the overall tone of the soundtrack to be above mediocre but not too unique. Most of the OST is lighthearted with a soft paced tone. Although beautiful and melancholic at many variances, it seems to be a bit repetitive and ultimately becomes somewhat overbearing in various scenes. It's almost as if the music is on repeat. The OP song, Little Busters! by Rita depicts the team members from the series formed by friendship, connections, and unity. It also shows some expressions from various characters that can be seen as melancholic or out of this world. (especially for Riki's case) The ED song follows a similar suit.

Ultimately, Little Busters is a charming little gem but occasionally loses its shine. By the way it portrays itself, the series suffers flaws from pacing, direction, a seemingly weak adaptation coupled with some edgy artwork problems. The series also misdirects and fails to bring emotions from what fans expected from the characters themselves. It's not pleasing when you realize that something so emotional can zoom so fast right through. The series does make its way with good comedy though and its colorful cast of characters. Along with that, LB brings for a heartwarming feeling to viewers especially when you're looking for something lighthearted to watch. The characters themselves forms the team known as Little Busters (the title of the anime itself) and with that, they walk down a future of dreams and friendship; at least for now.

You probably have heard a lot of things about Little Busters, ranging from "This is an adaptation from masterpiece VN!", "J.C staff actually did a good job", "It's totally inferior to the VN" to "This is an absolute trash!".

Now, If you're confused about this polar reactions, then I think I should say that... Yes, Little Busters! is a very different anime every time you change your own mindset about it. That's why I think we need a technical review a bit early so you can probably guess the overall quality of Little Busters!, or probably just to see another point of view about it.

So, before ... we get to the real question, "Is Little Busters! a good anime?", let me clarify things about my own position :
- I have played some routes of Little Busters! VN, but nothing beyond what anime viewers currently watch...except of Rin 1 (Rin's "fake" route), which only told one spoiler material (which is not really hard to be guessed for now anyway)
- As a result of that situation, I can only judge Little Busters! from the anime-only viewers view point. However, having seen Rin 1 made me realize something about the future of Little Busters! story:

"This sh*t hides a lot of things behind it's carefree atmosphere."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This review is composed by "THE GOOD THINGS" and "THE BAD THINGS" about Little Busters! TV animation. I will try to keep myself objective as an anime viewer only, but with some awareness about the general direction of the future story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STORY
We could say that Little Busters! is composed by three main components :
- Common route materials : Slice of life materials with carefree and silly atmosphere. Serves as introduction and development episodes for the characters. Also, some of them are introduction for "Secret of the world", the main plot behind all of Little Busters! story. And baseball.
- Heroine route materials : At the first glance, it's generic KEY melodrama. Most of the story materials are related to each heroine's past, and of course they are going to end with "Everything is fine" happy ending.
Right, right?
...
- And then that's when Refrain, the main route of Little Busters will hit the fans. It reveals the "Secret of the world" which is always hinted at the entire part of Little Busters.

THE GOOD :
Refrain is claimed by many as Jun Maeda's peak of career as a writer, and generally it's a consensus that without Refrain, Little Busters! is nothing sort of special.

Well, I know. Refrain is not here yet. There's also a possibility that Refrain won't deliver as well as people claim to be, especially since it's under JC Staff's helm now. BUT knowing that there's something huge called Refrain and the so called "Secret of The World" probably could change your view point about the common route and heroine route episodes.

It's pretty hard to talk about this without go into details, but one thing for sure "There are a ton of clues that you can find in the series regarding 'Secret of The World'". It also connects a lot of seemingly random materials into one unity. Little Busters! scriptwriter also did a good job at incorporating them into very limited episodes, so kudos for that.

Speaking about character arcs, they are actually kinda decent. They are composed by a lot of themes, ranging from a simple symbolical story about memories to a complex story that involving astronauts, rebellion, life-death situation and magic in one package! However, they aren't without their glaring flaws...

THE BAD :
Individually, Little Busters! current story is pretty weak, mostly caused by amateurish direction and grade EX adaptation difficulty of original material. Little Busters! original material also had an obvious weakness : Although LB is a clever concept, it has a lot of writers which resulting in a lot of quality inconsistency in each of heroine routes.

There are other flaws : LB humor generally is very... silly and may turn some people off (although it's pretty funny and lovely if you gave it a chance to grow in you). LB also has a pretty disappointing route as the first route, since it's kinda sacrificed so people can see a sort of drama without waiting for 10++ episodes before some real drama starts. Some people are also complaining about the lack of "feels" in Little Busters!. It's a valid complain, although I have to say that some of them are coming from unrealistic expectation that they will cry at the first arcs of Little Busters. Folks, they were never meant as the primary power of Little Busters!, just like every other KEY works. Also, I have seen plenty of teary confessions from some watchers, so I think it's not anywhere as bad as people suggest.

CONCLUSION : 7. Individually it's only decent at best, but it has a lot of potential to be great later.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ART
THE BAD :
J.C Staff weren't remembered for great art quality, and Little Busters! isn't even a good example of J.C Staff animation works.

A lot of "QUALITY" shots, strange usage of effects, strange expressions, etc... Just to name a lot of homework that needs to be improved for the next season. To worsen things, KEY usually was related to Kyoto Animation, which caused a high expectation of KEY works in terms of art quality.

THE GOOD :
However, they also did a good job at times, especially at some nature shots (although it's nowhere close to KyoAni quality). I think most people also have no problem with the character design, which is kinda similar to Na-Ga design(The man behind Angel Beats and half of Little Busters character design. One thing for sure, it will turn less people off compared to traditional KEY character design.

Conclusion : 6. Decent at times, but generally are quite bad. At least it has a pretty good character design.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MUSIC
THE GOOD : KEY are widely known as a company that incorporate amazing music to support it's emotional punches, and Little Busters is not an exception to that.

Little Busters! opening also known as one of the best KEY vocal OST, and it's remixed (again) for the TV series! Alicemagic, the ED song, is also a great song, probably even better than the pre-remixed version. Generally, they are not only serves as a good song musically, but they also give a lot of hints about the overall story of Little Busters!

Voice works are decent. However, they will be tested at Refrain, when they were expected to show a wider scale of emotions. I think we have to wait until then to fully score their performance.

THE BAD : The music director simply needs to be fired. Also, some people may be turned off by some character voices (ex : Komari).

Conclusion : 7. Good songs, bad direction.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHARACTER
THE GOOD : This is one of the part when Little Busters! shines.

Many people claim Little Busters! as a group of "uninteresting and stereotype characters". In contrary to that, I can safely say that it's a premature judgement and they should peek a bit deeper into their characteristics.

Little Busters! original cast are unusual, for the starter : 4 boys and one girl, that's something that people expect from some girl-oriented visual novel. At the first glance, they are composed by various roles, including the "leader", "normal person", "the idiot", "the cool boy", and a... "cat obsessed girl?". It doesn't seem special at first, but tell me any work which is composed by similar composition (Especially for a show that dig more into male demography). I know that even finding an example would be hard.

At the deeper analysis, it's getting more unique. The main character, Riki, is pretty much an ordinary boy at the first glance, but there's something really unique in his "normal" behaviors. Simply said, he didn't act as a main character of an anime, and I find it's really refreshing. And he even hid a lot of mysteries behind his usual daily life, something which probably he didn't realize for now.

The main heroine, Rin, is also an odd example. "Cat loving girl" alone wouldn't be unique, but I find her anti-social behaviors are anything but normal for a main heroine of a romance series (not to add that it's really different from usual anti-social characters, which is usually portrayed as a loner/very silent). But that alone won't make her special. Her subtle, slow but sure developments are what made her a lovable character, since she actually grows rapidly along the story progression, even though she haven't even got her own route yet!

We probably haven't learned much about the rest of the boys. Kyousuke for sure is charismatic, but for now we can only tell that he hides a lot of secret behind him. We barely know anything about kengo for now, and Masato is a... lovely muscle idiot. But, don't worry. They will have their own spotlight later, and it's also a grand one.

What about the rest of the (girl) casts? They are really varied, and most of them are having good qualities behind their seemingly-generic attitude. Kud, for example, bashed a lot for being a "lovable Wafu~ mascot", but behind that she also hides a lot of characteristics. For example, She's actually really smart. One of her favorite theory is many-world interpretation theory, and she actually can solve some conceptual physic problems on her own. To compensate, she also had a lot of problems on trivial things, and she actually has a severe case of confidence problem. Now, what part of her is generic, again?

And all of those qualities aren't even the main power of Little Busters! characters. Their main power are their own chemistry. This is the part when they really shine, when they slowly growing together as a group of a really tight-knotted good friends, and it will only getting better as the series evolving.

THE BAD :
Too bad, to see their real potential, you have to invest for a lot of episodes before they grown in your heart. You will also have a polar impressions about some of the heroines, although most likely you will like all of the original members of Little Busters!... which is barely even scratched for now.

Conclusion : 8. IMHO it's the main power of Little Busters! If you don't like them, probably it's your own loss.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENJOYMENT
THE GOOD :
Now, this is a serious question... "Is watching Little Busters an enjoyable experience"?

I personally will answer with "yes". It requires some patience to wait for the group to grow, but most of the time it worth the wait. The best part of the story haven't even come yet for now, but it's already progressing pretty fast since they already thrown a lot of more noticeable clues regarding "the secret of the world". Some of the routes also have potentials to bring plenty of FEEL, although they aren't really exceptional for now.

Like what I have said before, the 2/3 early part of Little Busters! are only serving as an introduction for the real story. I don't want to sound like a broken machine, but there are different nature of stories. This is the series where you can't judge the arcs individually. They are meant to be rated as a whole series.

It may be not as great as what you expect initially, but one thing for sure : It's a common consensus that Refrain is definitely better than the rest of the routes, since it tying the entire story into one unity of a story called "Little Busters!".

THE BAD :
It requiring patience from you, so it won't be enjoyable for those who don't even want to wait for that. Of course, there's no guarantee that you WILL enjoy it even if you are following them with patience, so I think you could just drop the series if the first +- 14 episodes aren't fitting to your taste.

Conclusion : 7. It most likely will worth the wait, although there's also a good probability that it just doesn't fit to your taste from the very beginning.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GENERAL CONCLUSION : 7.

J.C staff's adaptation turns out to be better than what everyone expect at the beginning. Sure, many will disagree with me, but there are a lot of people that enjoy Little Busters as it is right now. There is a myth that only blind VN players who are supporting this adaptation right now, but it turns out that many of LB fans are... newcomers. So, the only way to found out about your opinion toward this adaptation is by trying it by yourself.

In the end, it's a very hit or miss story. The story as for now probably isn't a masterpiece by any means, but it has a potential to be. Nobody know for sure if the rumored "Refrain" will be a success or not, but in my opinion they have laid a pretty solid stage as the foundation.

And if you're still unsure about this, just wait until Season 2 comes out. You won't miss the news if they manage to deliver Refrain brilliantly, and if it's the contrary, you can safely ignore the entire series.

J.C. Staff, I was wrong about you! I was actually one of the many who was extremely disappointed about Kyoto Animation not picking up the job. Since Kyo-ani did a good job with Clannad Air Angel Beats and Kanon, you know they Key (Maeda) line up. But from what I have seen so far, J.C. delivered.

Little Busters! is a Key Visual Novel scripted by the Jun Maeda we all know love and hate. And it isn't like most of the visual novel adaptations. It simply can't be, it's too well known, the references are very firmly imprinted in the readers' minds. And in this, I ... believe J.C. has done well.

Music, Little Busters! is a very good song and I am very happy, I AM VERY HAPPY they kept a remix version of that song as the opening, same for Alicemagic for the ED, it's staying true and appealing to the veteran readers. I can watch the anime hear the song and remember the VN. It's a very cool feeling. The same can be said for the BGM in the anime, those are OST tracks directly from the VN and can allow a veteran reader to refer to the awesome moments in the VN that the scene is corresponding to.

Plot, so far it is accurate, to some degree, There were some cool
gags skipped or shortened but that as anime time allotted goes, is to be expected.

It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the plot is written in seeing how Little Busters! plot looks like a storyboarding nightmare and you literarily require several play through to beat it, with plot information added during each different play through.

We'll see, but for now I love the show. It appeals a lot to us veteran readers. so far I don't think I would mind J.C. Staff doing Rewrite. we'll see

Last Edited : 4 Feb, 2013

--NOTE--
First of all, Little Busters! is still Airing. So this review is based on how many episodes i've been watching. So for people who hate someone who reviews the anime when it stills Airing. Please, we just want to 'guide' some people who hasn't watch the anime yet. So that they can tell whether it is a perfect anime for them or not based on episodes that have been aired. And note that i will edit and update this review till the anime finished airing. Though, for now i will be tallk more on comparison between the anime and ... the VN.
__________________________________________________________________________

Little Busters! or LB for short is an anime that adapted from VN. If u know Clannad, Air, or Kanon (Key Trio) this is another great VN from Key. It tells a story about Naoe Riki whose father and mother were dead when he stills a kid. Spend his remaining day in sorrow and sadness, comes 4 kid that pretended to be called "Little Busters". Sadness that always been tailing Naoe now has gone because they comes to his life. And so they still spend time together in High school...

Well, that's for the synopsis. The story itself is great (in VN). As expected from Key. As for anime, good news that J.C.staff really adapted the story carefully. Although, the time frame looks different from the VN. And a lot of scene from the original story (VN) is edited or deleted here and there (Clannad too, but managed to be as great as the vn). Lets hope that J.C.Staff had a good reason for this. As for me, i really enjoyed the pace of the story. It likes when i'm watching Clannad. Slow and Entertaining. Lots of Comedy here. But anyway some part funnier in the VN though. An example is the old man Kojirou's screaming. Back in the VN i was laughing for 5 minutes or so when Riki comes to his rooms and he Scream like hell, too funny. In anime? a little boring.. But now i get it, Little Busters is a tale of friendship and adolescence. So, maybe they focus more on LB Team Friendship than a comedy, though the comedy now gettin' better. And of course for the drama too.

Art.... i must say that the art... is average. Yeah right it is colorful and the background is beautiful. And the character face.. looks similiar from the original VN. Great. Too bad it looks pale. But now J.C.Staff seemed put more effort on this anime. The animation got better and better. Good news for fans. And keep this up J.C.Staff!

For some reason, the animation style looks similiar to KyoAni's. So for people who love Clannad and K-on! Art, you will love it too. Plus, if you are a moe seeker, enjoy the ultimate moe in Little Busters. Although, some people hate the extensive moe in Little Busters.

Komari "Fuueee.."
Nggghhhhh!

Kud "wafuuuu~"
NGGGGHHHH!!!

But.... there are random panty shoots in Little Busters. Too bad, if it can be like Clannad (no panty shoots) it will be perfect, i think...

The Opening "Little Busters" is great. Just great! I believe people sing along the opening when they watch Little Busters. Best Opening so far in my opinion for Key's anime. And to be honest, i played the VN because i saw the intro in youtube and love the song LOL. And for the ending, again its the best Ending for Keys VN (and Anime). Although the BGM is not that great.. the best BGM will be Clannad i think, Little busters BGM, is good, just average. Good news that J.C.staff used an unused track in the VN. And its good.

And now character. You know Characters from Keys always seem interesting.

First, the main male, Naoe Riki. I love his character, really. Clumsy but can be cool sometimes. Always picked up by Kurugaya. Has a baby face. So long, he's alright. Just, in Komari's Arc when Komari fell to depression, how can he be that calm? It seems that he has this in his mind, "Ah next episode Komari's Arc ended so everything will be alright."
Feel unnatural there. But, later on, he matured a little by little. As he and the teams always work together to solve the teams or individual problems.

And now Rin, she is the main male (right?). To be Honest, among all the girls, she is my favorite. Dont know why but her shyness is just cute. And i like her when she kicks Kuzu, ahh i mean Masato LOL. And i was "NGGGHHH" when she played with the cats. Moooeee.....
But i feel like crying when she cried and hug Komari when her Arc ended, sweets.. And she get many char development till now (episode 17). Good thing that the development easy to notice so thats the viewers can feel the development and the character deeper.

Kyousuke, i just LOL'ed. All he did was almost out of place. Like creating a battle game that use a random weapon. And the way he test someone who want to join Little Busters team, LOL. Clannad funny because there are Sunohara, Little Busters funny because there are Kyousuke and Kuzu ahh i mean Masato.. Kinniku Yay Yay~ But sadly, in the first few episodes, he shines so much, bring the heavy content comedy to the viewers. But the comedy content that he (with Masato and Kengo) brings now decreased little by little.

For people who read the VN. Maybe you will notice that some characters seems different (personality). That because J.C.Staff edited some scene from the VN as we have talked before. But in exchange of edited scene, they added more friendship themes on this anime. Its now brings the viewers more about how LB team communicate with each other. It, for me is a great thing. As you know that, in VN, especially romance genre, when the story (of each arc) is near the end, its only about the main protagonist and the main heroine in the arc. It just the lovey dovey couple. But J.C.Staff didn't do that in the adaption. Because they want to show more the relationship of each member of LB!. They want to show more the Friendship among the members. Which is great.

Little Busters is a funny and (will be) heartwarming anime this season. I have high hopes for this anime. Although its too bad KyoAni break a contract with Key to animate Little Busters. But its alright if J.C.Staff can keep up the good work, as we know the quality of the anime has increased. And Little busters! reached 2nd place together with Chuunibyou (Yes, KyoAni's anime) in the "Most Popular Fall 2012 anime" polling with 1060 votes while the 1st place (Sword Art Online) is 1082 votes. So, J.C.Staff did their best to produce this anime so that it can rivaled the KyoAni's anime : Chuunibyou.

So for people who complaining :

- Why it is J.C.Staff who produce Little Busters! not KyoAni ?
- The anime is slow-paced
- Why it has a lot of Moe here and there?
- I hate the voice of She/ He
- I hate the personalities of His/ Her

Well, first. As we know from above, Little Busters! managed to get the 2nd place in the polling. Meaning that J.C.Staff is doing their best. And don't forget that J.C.Staff has a lot of great anime that they produce : Toradora, Sakurasou (still Airing), Shakugan no Shana, Ano Natsu de Matteru, Azumanga, Bakuman series and many more. So believe and enjoy their hard work.

You hate Moe? Can't say much, its your taste. But i believe, Animes that adapted from Key's VN (And Jun Maeda is the story creator) always had a extensive Moe-ness, slow paced, and the same comedy-style. Clannad, Air, Kanon is another example. So maybe Key requested that their VN adapted anime must be like that. You know the remake of Kanon by KyoAni? That happened because Key unsatisfied with the Kanon 2012 version (the predecessor of kanon 2006 by KyoAni). Maybe the 2012 version : didnt have Moe?, too fast-paced (13 episodes). Clannad, Air and Kanon is high rated despite that they have moe-tification, slow-paced. If Little Busters follow their Senpai, i think it will be success too and satisfy the viewers. Which is great right?

As for people who hates some of seiyuus or some personalities (maybe changed a little from the VN), as we know, although J.C.Staff changed a bit of scene in order for friendship themes cause but despite that, they put an effort to keep the originals being kept if possible. So they have to keep the original seiyuus from the VN although some of them didnt satisfy you. However, some characters suffer a seiyuu changes, because of some reason. Example : Nishizono Mio.

Well, if you understand those, hopes that you now can view Little Busters! differently = free of doubts. So that u can enjoy the show to their fullest. But of course i respect personal opinion and taste. After all i wrote this review so that you can decide whether this anime is for you or not. Not to urge you to watch it no matter what.

And for the closing, i enjoy this anime very much. Enjoyment = 9. For people who love Slice of life or Drama and love a heartwarming tale with comedy. And love the friendship themes but alright with the ultimate moe-ness and slow paced (KEY VN adapted anime styles) , Little busters is for you. Do watch it.

There is one thing I can say about this show "Under-Rated"!

This show has been treated as quite "generic" and too "slice-of-life". I say to those people "You obviously haven't watched the damn thing"! This anime is exactly what you'd expect from a Key anime, very emotional. A lot of the scenario's in this show are pretty unique and are something you really DON'T expect.

Story: 8
So it's about a group of friends that decide to form a baseball team as a way to enjoy their last year together, seeing as Kyousuke, the one who essentially holds the group together, will be graduation soon. This is ... sort of just an excuse to bring together all the characters, like the Drama Club in Clannad. The main MEAT of this story is "the secret of the world". Now, I'm going to look at this from an anime viewer's point of view (I have indeed played the VN), this plot point is quite interesting. Riki and childhood friend Rin receive a letter telling them that they must complete a number of tasks to discover the secret of the world. As the anime goes on, this plot point becomes much more interesting with plenty of hinting and foreshadowing, especially in the most recent episode.

Art: 7
Although I like the art in this anime, I have to say that it loses points due to poor animation in some of the earlier episodes. Some of it is WAY too noticable and just leaves a bit of a poor taste in my mouth. But the episodes that do have good animation, are REALLY good. Episode 14 for example looks absolutely fantastic and if every episode was like that then I'd easily give the art a 10/10.

Sound: 9
The soundtrack for Little Busters is great. It perfectly fits the show and the emotion in it. It's also just well composed overall. The only problem I have is some of the placement with the songs with some times. The sound director seems to like playing a track for like 5 seconds and then changing it.

Character: 9
The characters in this show are great and lovable. Every character isn't 2-dimensional. They have all have a personality that stands out, they have very interesting ways of talking (such as certain characters having a certain phrase or word that they commonly use such as "Wafu!" with the character Kud and "Kiniku! (Muscles)" with Masato) and along with that, they all develop in interesting ways and have some pretty tear-jerking backstories.

Enjoyment: 9
I thoroughly enjoy this show, and if it goes the same way as the VN does, it will DEFINITELY become my favourite anime. The comedy is fairly funny (although gets a little repetitive at times), the drama is well done for the most part and it's really just a huge variety of emotions which makes it really interesting to watch.

Overall: 9
Overall, it's a good anime, worth a watch and with the way they're going currently and me knowing where the story goes later, this anime looks to be very promising and could probably get into the top 15 animes by the end of it's second season.

First things first, Little Busters has the theme and genre of (in ascending order of importance): Comedy, Romance, slice of life, drama and friendship. Also, I will give a special mention to tearjerkiness. Of course, this means that this anime will be for those who enjoy these themes. Those who do not may not like it.

Now, personally I believe a review should be written once the show has finished but I felt the need to write one down without the rankings being biased towards the visual novel and one which is written by someone who enjoys the above mentioned themes of this anime. Though take ... in account that my ranking system may be much more lenient than others so I will give a range of points which may seem appropriate. (of course, towards the people who find interest in this genre)


This will be a review based on what is going on so far. However I will also write about certain advancements of themes in general in the hopes to allow people to understand that what is shown now is not going to stay the same for the remaining of the show.

Story: 8 (+1, -2)
So far, it follows an average slice of life theme where the main characters do what a high school students do best, mess around and have fun. However, there are hints of something strange throughout the revealed episode and also some drama developments. Both the gags and drama however, are dependent to a person. Some of it will appeal to you while some will not. Gags and drama will always be hit or miss. Personally, I felt these were well done since they managed to pull a out of laughs and jerked a few tears out of me.

Future insight- This slice of life theme is a way to get viewers to get to know the characters. The feeling of strangeness will develop into something big. There will be a wide variety of drama so if the first one does not appeal to you, then the next may.

Art:7 (+2,-2)
One thing which can be easily seen so far is that the animators have split their budget to make the art vary a lot. The casual slice of life and comedy scenes will not seem too well done but on the other hand, the drama scenes had beautiful art which allows the characters emotions to be felt. The art style is close to those of angel beats but quality does differ.

Sound:8(+2, -1)
The music is reused from the original Little Busters visual novel. The opening and ending songs have both been slightly changed to make it more upbeat which makes it more catchy and interesting. These songs are really good and have meaningful lyrics. The OST in the anime is also very good however, at times it is not used appropriately at the beginning of the show. This issue has improved since then. The soundtrack is also fitting to the mood in the anime. Happy and cheerful scenes is lightened more with bright music while the sad scenes have there tension and heavy feel increased by melancholic music.

Future insight- Some of the most beautiful songs and soundtracks have yet to appear. These are really something to look forward to.

Characters:8(+1,-3)
The characters in this anime are undeniably common archetypes. We have an air head, moe character, a cool big sister type, a shy girl and a trouble maker as the female roles. These archetypes are also exaggerated a lot which effectively allows each character to stand unique from each other. This exaggeration also makes their interactions give a warm and fuzzy vibe. For the male roles, we have a muscle sidekick, a weak protagonist, a cool leader, and a kendo user. The interactions of the male creates a large sense of friendship when they help each other and when they screw around. However sometimes the interactions are taken a bit too far which lessens the impact.

Future insight- It will depend on a person whether they enjoy these characters or not. Some people may not like these cliche characters but what makes these characters unique from ones in other cliche animes is that most of the characters background is explored in their own drama scenes later. A quiet girl has yet to make her appearance.

Enjoyment:8 (varies too much)
I can only speak for myself here since everyone will find this different. I found the gags and slice of life scenes heart warming and uplifting. They bring a good smile to my face. The drama impacted quite a bit to me which allowed me to empathise with characters so far.

Overall:8 (+1,-2)
Little Busters, although has a lot of room for improvement, is decently shown right now and has great potential for some very deep drama once you can connect with the characters. The theme of friendship has been portrayed very well when the music, characters and story comes together. There was not a moment so far where I would feel bored.

first, before all of you reading this.
I will apologize if I do not use the English language correctly
yeah I do not really speak English fluently
also because this is the first time I made a review
so I do not really understand

when I heard that Little Busters! will be anime
I immediately download Visual Novel
so that I may know how the story

... after I finish all routes
I became aware of the importance of life
warmth of friendship
happiness may be lost one day
unimaginable grief in this life
and there are still many things that I can not explain through words but you will know when to understand the content of the story

I've also been watching Angel Beats!, and Clannad, Clannad: After Story
story is almost the same as some anime from Key
all of them told me about school life with a sad story in it
I love stories like this
especially when Nishizono Mio (eps 13 and eps 14)
when I first played the Visual Novel
The first route I took was Nishizono Mio
I almost cried when completing its route
I do not know why
when I see the sad scenes in Clannad and Angel Beats I do not feel sad
but in this anime
I feel very sad, just because this scene

I feel the picture is not good
not like Angel Beats! and Clannad
but it is not a problem for me
more important is that the story is not the picture ^ ^

OK
Now we move on to my rating
Story: 10/10
as I wrote above, the story is very sad but still good
Art: 7/10
yes as I wrote above again
the picture is less good than the other Key anime made
Sound: 10/10
BGM in this anime I can say Heartwarming
This makes this anime makes the watch a relaxing time watching
Character: 10/10
character setting is perfect
because they all have a sad past
although there are boring
Enjoyment: 10/10
I am very relaxed when watching this anime
Overall: 9/10


-End-

(Please read the Review before saying its not helpful just by the score. because you never know what might happen, you might actually change your mind!! ... which is impossible .. eh at least read the review before bashing) and there might be some minor spoilers. but no biggy :DD

Now that I finished this anime I can finally give it a proper review. Did I love Little Busters? OF COURSE I DID. I always had my doubts that somehow in the end the anime wont satisfy me, because it started slow and I thought that it wouldn't be true the the Original visual novel, and ... me thinking that the whole series will just be finished in 26 episodes wasn't helping at all... But I was wrong because there is a season 2, and that made me really happy.

Now before I start the review lets state some facts. Little Busters! is originally a Visual Novel Developed by Key, The company that makes awesomely amazing series that would probably make the manliest man on earth cry, and I was never disappointing in any of their work . And here I can easily say that Little Busters! is my favorite Key series ( and I played/watched all of Key's Titles!! O.O )

Story:

So the main story revolves around this kid named "Naoe Riki" who is in high school.. enjoying the school life and just hanging with his childhood friends (Rin, Masato and kengo)... you know high school stuff. But all this changes when his friend Kyouske comes back from Tokyo and suddenly decides to create a baseball team by the name of "Little busters!" (weeh shcokerz!). So from there on they give Riki the mission of finding other members to join the team, and that is how our main character meets the other 5 girls, they join the team and they all become this cutey big family. So the story progresses like most Key titles with Riki listening to the other girls problems and help them solve what ever is on their minds, sounds fair enough right? well here is where it gets tricky, aside of all that Riki and Rin keep reviving these mysterious messages stating that there is a secret of the world they live in, and they have to figure out what that secret is, Riki and Rin start receiving different tasks that moves them closer to the answer. Now I don't wanna spoil anything, but I can say that the secret of the world is reaaaaaaally jaw dropping and ... just shocking (in a good way), it changes the whole view of the series.

Ok so was season 1 good and true to the visual novel? for me the answer is yes, because now that I finished season 1 I can tell where the developers were going when they made it. The main point of this season is to show us the characters in the best way possible, to let us explore the world of Little Busters! to let us see the characters such as Riki and Rin develop. They didn't rush the anime, they didn't go into the serious part, and they saved all that for season 2 (Refrain) which is a pretty good move because now we have seen all the characters, we know exactly who they are, we some them develop, now in Refrain we can relate more to them and understand them much better.

Art:

I have to be honest here, as much as I loved the anime .. I have to say that the art wasn't that amazing, It was a bit weird ... I am not sure what exactly was wrong with it, but i didn't like it as much as the Visual Novel's.

Characters:

I think the character design is a major positive point in Little busters! because the characters were just amazing, at first you might see them a bit bland.. and a tad silly, but as you proceed in the series you will discover how awesome they are. Every character is unique and has his/her special design and his/her own awesome personality. All of them are lovable, I myself loved each and every character, and I think they are one of the most unique characters of any series i watched.

Sound:

When has Key ever made bad music. The music is just freaking hawt!! ahm excuse me I just loved the soundtrack... so anyway, you might not notice the background music that much in the anime because its an anime, and you don't really focus on the music in an anime as much as when you are reading a visual novel. But the anime did use the same OST and all of them were used perfectly and they all fit the moment.

The voice acting was good. Great at times and just Ok at other times.


So if I want to compare the anime with the original Visual Novel then I can just say that it was true to it. even though it skipped some small details here and there, but the anime was quite long, 26 episodes I think that's enough to explain the main story of the series and introduce the characters and the comedy was awwwesome :DD. All that aside the anime did have some changes that I quite loved and weren't in the VN. such as showing that some of the characters know what the secret of the world is, which builds up a really strong impact towards them. And I also loved the story Komari wrote about the The boy and girl helping the 8 dwarfs, I thought that was a really nice touch.

So yeah.. All I can say is that I loved Little Busters! even if I didn't read the visual novel I am pretty sure I would have loved it as well. A lot of people are bashing the anime even fans of the visual novel... I think these people should just chill and enjoy the wonderful world of Little Busters! :3

Little busters is my favorite anime of 2013, and may be my new favorite of all time, i know that alot don't like it, but i think it was a great adaption of the visual novel (Refrain still to come)
Story: 10- Little busters has an absolutely amazing story, for those who havent played the visual novel some scenes will likely be fairly confusing but it all will make sense eventually :) the theme of friendship is presented here i think perfectly :)
Art: 6- The only average part of this anime is the art. Its not lousy, ive seen plenty worse, but it could have been ... much better.
Sound: 10- The voice acting here i think is very well done, all the characters except for mio have the same VA from the visual novel, but mio's replacement did a fine job. Also the Opening is amazing, the ending is as well, the soundtrack themes are one of the best soundtracks ive ever heard as well.
Characters: 10- All the main and supporting characters are unique in their own way, from the eccentric Haruka, the childish Komari, the mature Kurugaya, the mysterious mio, and all of the original members of the Little Busters are all likeable and unique characters.
Enjoyment: 10- While quite a few episodes were quite sad and emotional(In particular Haruka and Mio's arcs, as well as the last 3 episodes) their were plenty of bright and lighthearted moments as well, i couldn't have enjoyed it more.
Overall: 10- Little Busters is an anime that doesn't come around every day, it truly is special and in my honest opinion a real masterpiece
:)

Little Busters! is the newest Key visual novel to be turned into a romantic/drama anime (along with Air, Kanon, Clannad) it is the second anime to be produced (after Angel Beats which was not a visual novel before becoming an anime) to be produced by J.C. Staff instead of Kyoto Animation. One thing to note about this show is that like its predecessors, it is about a main male character helping out other characters (usually female) and solving their problems. Along the way, a lot of drama, awesome music to complement said drama, and occasionally (well really only one so far in this anime) supernatural ... events occur.

Plot – 5
The plot of Little Busters is nothing special. Before going any further though let me tell you that this is because the entire season is devoted to introducing the characters and sets up what is supposed to be the much better second season (Refrain) that was announced at the end of Episode 26. Unfortunately, this show still does not pull off its first season as well as Clannad did, so let’s hope the second season is just as good and even better than the After Story. The plot consists of the main character, Naoe Riki, collecting members (mostly girls) to join the baseball team that he and his four other childhood friends started at their high school. This all began because Kyousuke, the leader of this group of friends and the oldest, wanted to do something fun together with everyone before he graduated at the end of the year and had to leave them. The one problem I find with this idea of gathering characters is that for some characters (especially Komari the first to join) I kind of forgot what their backstory was by the end since I watched this over several months as it was released. For some characters, like Kud and Haruka who have later arcs after they have already joined, this isn’t as much of a problem. But if you’re watching this simply for the baseball, you won’t find much here. One last thing, unlike all of Key’s other shows, so far at least, Little Busters has almost no romance whatsoever. It’s never shown if anyone even has a crush on Riki or if Riki likes anyone as more than friend. The only romance at all is between Kengo and one other girl a little bit towards the end and between two minor characters, one of which has appearances in about 3 episodes and the other only gets one episode and nothing ever happens with that.

Art – 9
The art is pretty good. The character designs are interesting and unique, and some of the scenes really have amazing visuals like starry night skies and sunsets. The visuals fit the sadder scenes nicely and change well according to what is going on.

Sound – 9
Obviously being a Key anime it’s going to have a dramatic soundtrack (it better at least). This show doesn’t quite stand up to Angel Beats or Clannad’s soundtrack, but it does have some perfect songs for the mood (especially “In the town of continuing rain” which I loved hearing every time it was played). It may take time to adjust to Komari’s voice though as she has a “frail” sounding voice (and Riki sound really young).

Characters – 8
There are a lot of characters (much like in Angel Beats) but Little Busters does a fairly good job of getting you to know each character. One thing that they did do right was make unique characters. Naoe Riki is a good main character who helps everyone solve their problems and has narcolepsy. I kind of wish they had used his narcolepsy a bit more during this season (I think he has three attacks in 26 episodes?), but I’m guessing it comes more into the series in Refrain. Rin is Kyousuke’s younger sister and the only girl in their group of friends prior to starting the Little Busters! team. She is a very shy girl who does not like talking to new people. Masato is a boy obsessed with his muscles and relies on being Riki’s roommate in order to survive. Kengo is the only of the orginal five who does join the Little Busters right off the bat (sorry) because he is in kendo club. There are too many other characters to list them all separately but just know that all of the other girls who join later have some kind of tragic past (only Kurugaya does not get an arc in this, but I think I’ve heard she has something more in Refrain?)

Enjoyment – 7
I liked Little Busters! but I definitely don’t think it was the best Key anime so far. I’m really looking forward to Refrain, though, and I hope it will be as big of a success as the After Story was. I recommend waiting to watch this show until Refrain comes out since this anime lacks the romance that I was expecting it to have by now.

To those who've never played the Visual novel:
My review would be different for 2 kinds of audience: The People who've played Little Busters Visual Novel and those who haven't. I will explain later as to why.

I'll start off to those who've haven't seen the visual novel. At first glance you would believe it to be a usual happy-go-lucky comedy anime with very few character developments, but just like many of Key's works, Little Busters is in no way a happy-go-lucky anime. It is filled with drama that would put you at the edge of your seat at every turn. For those searching for comedy, then ... this anime is just for you. If your one to look for romance, then this anime is very romantic, except, not in a "girl and boy like each other" romance. Its romantic in a way that its dramatic romance. The characters are unique and balanced. Each character balances out the other, and makes the show even more interesting. The anime focuses on the relationship of the Little Busters, and does not go beyond friendship
To be quick, if your one to find a new anime with comedy and romantic friendship and drama, this anime is perfect for you. I would recommend it. I admire the staff because they tried to change the some parts of the story and give some spice for original LB fans.

To those who've played the Visual novel:
I'll be frank. It was a big disappointment as an LB fan. I waited for a proper adaption since as usual, Visual Novels are vague to me, so I clear out the visual novel and then wait for an adaption. Well, to be frank, the Anime DID clear out the vague parts which are hard to understand with words only. The problem was that the staff did unnecessary and can be quite pissing changes. I won't point out the changes since these would show spoilers, basically, how I viewed the story and its value became VERY much less. Although important parts were well in place, they made changes on how these parts were shown. They forgot to add important details and disturbingly focused on friendship rather than the actual theme. They reduced romance to mere friendship drama and focused on comedy and friendships. They added unnecessary details and to be frank, in the visual novel, after each route I was at the edge of my seat about to cry(and yes, this happened even after repeating the story many times over), but the anime did not even bring me to the edge of my desk.

Well, to conclude, the anime is certainly worth watching, but the visual novel is certainly better. As an LB! fan, the anime would definitely give you a new perspective of the story, so if your curious, GO WATCH!. There were changes here and there from the original story (which from me was very important and really pissed me off because of the changes), but the important parts were properly done. The art was very good, the voice actors did a wonderful job, the BGM was good, and character development was, as usual from Key works, wonderfully done

The first thing I'd like to say about Little Busters! is to "give it a chance". If you can get past the first three episodes, you will be probably be able to ease into it- and the story will start to make a lot more sense.

One problem with Little Busters! seems to be that people expect another Clannad (possibly the most successful anime adaptation of a Key game thus far) animated by Kyoto Animation along with Air and Kanon 2006.

What strikes me is that even before watching Little Busters!, many viewers who are familiar with other Key titles (animated by Kyoto Animation) already have a ... certain prejudice; that the show must somehow not be as great just because another company produced it. Or perhaps the opposite train of thought; Little Busters! should be great because Key created the game.

The fact is, however, that "who created what" aside, Little Busters! cannot be the same as its predecessors. It's a different game.
In case you haven't noticed, it is not called "Clannad II" or "Kanon the Sequel". Yes, Maeda Jun's distinctive style is evident in the plot and characters, but walking into something with colored glasses on can really ruin the experience.

So throw the comparisons aside and prepare to enjoy Little Busters! as it is. The story can be a little difficult to understand at times, but I feel that J.C. Staff did a great job, particularly considering they had about three episodes to spare for each character's route. In addition, the game itself is structured in a way where each route is somewhat incomplete when it stands alone. The pieces really don't fall together until Refrain- which in turn won't really make sense until the first season is viewed.

Conclusion: Good luck with the first few episodes as you ease into it, forget about Clannad, enjoy Little Busters! as Little Busters!, and finish with Refrain; it's a good watch if you are okay with something with a slightly heavier storyline.

Little Busters suffers from something I like to call “Key Syndrome”. Effects of it include a male lead, a bunch of attractive females who have their own characters arcs as a means of developing them, a story that really sticks with the viewer and inane fantasy nonsense that shouldn’t be there to begin with. Key Syndrome mainly works in the anime’s favour however, with Clannad being the most potent example of how the formula works. Little Busters attempts to do the same with the same attitude and demeanour as Clannad, dare I say, it’s practically the same thing. Does this make Little Busters bad? No, ... though it makes it very misguided as its own individual series to the point where it’s nearly the same than watching another anime altogether.

And, no: I haven’t played the Visual Novel. It’ll be evaluated as an anime only.

Little Busters stars token Key Syndrome male lead Riki, a boy who lost his parents and suffers from narcolepsy, which will put him to sleep whenever the plot wants to come to screeching halt. Compared to Tomoya from Clannad, he’s seemingly fortunate to not have parents and actually have people supporting him from the very beginning – such a lovely change of pace. Riki is a second year student at a high school along with the rest of his social group, including the most popular male in the whole school (who, interestingly, likes to fuel the Yaoi truck with Riki) and a shy girl who spends her time with cats until she is inevitably developed into including more friends into her life and comfort zone.

One of the things Little Busters seemingly did not contract from Key Syndrome is the plot – it’s surprisingly weak and instantly forgettable, which isn’t a good sign. Riki and his gang of misfits form a new school baseball team; because it’ll be the last thing they do together. The popular aforementioned male – whose name is Ryousuke – will be graduating after the school year is over, since he’s the oldest member of the group. The team is named Little Busters, due to it being their group name when they were kids. However, the plot transcends the baseball and becomes Clannad: Riki meets girls along the course of the story, they have tragic pasts and it’s up to him to basically resolve their anguish through friendship. Another plotline is that Riki and the shy girl must do eight challenges in order to find out the secret of the world.

There’s too much going on and this is the main problem of the entire anime.

At first the baseball plotline seems like the most prevalent one – it’s usually the main focus and something baseball related happens nearly every episode, so of course it’d make sense that it’d be the main focus and yet Clannad bursts into the room, holding baseball against its will. Little Busters tries to follow its older brother rather too closely, in the centre of its large shadow. Unlike Clannad, where those character arcs are mainly devoid of any fantasy, half of the character arcs in Little Busters have a fantasy element which is not explained whatsoever. This is particularly jarring in the last character arc, in which a deus ex machina saves the focused character in the most ridiculous way possible. The secret of the world plot seems to be, curiously, the main story yet it’s rarely touched upon and may as well been the entire series. Little Busters suffers from too much going on and the Key Syndrome didn’t give it the factor that it needed the most.

The unfocused plot becomes somewhat problematic when other characters are introduced, which is another problem with the series. Usually, a great plot is complemented with great characters, as both the story and characters stick with the viewer. With its messy plot, Little Busters’ characters can’t complement the story whatsoever, rather complement each other. Instead of introducing a character for the sole purpose of having a character arc about them, Little Busters did something that would’ve worked tremendously if the story wasn’t unfocused – introduce the characters long before they become a main focus. In their introductions, they’re usually the focus which allows the audience to get to know them better, allowing you to care for them later on. Not all of the characters get an arc to themselves, such as Kurugaya who acts as a voice of moral reason and always wants to be surrounded by the rest of the female cast (she pilots the Yuri plane). Little Busters’ characters are the most endearing part of the entire experience, brought down by its riddled story.

The art style and music is something that’s… not exactly worth mentioning. It’s the same studio as Angel Beats so the characters retain that style, which isn’t exactly bad but it doesn’t scream fantastic: it’s a very colourful art style that isn’t dull, yet also isn’t impressive at the same time. The music is something that could be called forgettable. The opening and ending themes are alright at best, nothing too inspiring but the music cues are usually overshadowed by Riki’s annoying narration every ten minutes or just casual discussion. This is one of the factors where it doesn’t try to be Clannad, though perhaps it should’ve been. Clannad’s music was so touching and memorable: it made it stand out. Little Busters is, unfortunately, weak in both of these areas. It’s taken its cues from areas that already needed some improvement.

Little Busters one-ups Clannad in one factor though: humour. Little Busters seems to be a lot funnier than its older sibling, which ultimately is brought by it’s interesting characters and their mannerisms. Kurugaya will always coin a lesbian joke here and there, yet it involves herself; that not only seems appropriate but also hilarious given the comedic situations that ensue later. One of the characters, Masato, will usually get into a fight with another character. This is played for laughs, as Ryousuke will ask the other students to throw any item that can manage to get their hands on, which usually ends badly for Masato, who is usually given a gag weapon, such as soap. This does happen often during the course of the series, though it’s funny every time to see him defeated in a different way every time. Upon defeat, the victor gives him a name which upon he will be called for the rest of the day or longer. It’s one of those occasions where, despite being in another language, the humour crosses over well with western audiences.

Little Busters isn’t a bad experience, dare I say that it was actually enjoyable. However, the fantasy feels very misplaced, as it shouldn’t really exist in the first place. The story was all over the place, it lacked a true central focus and the art and sound isn’t the best you’ll ever see. However, the characters are the best part of the entire series, some of the themes in the character arcs are actually endearing, which is a shame since it seems like they should be the main focus of the whole thing. The ending isn’t complete, though a second season is on its way which will basically be Littler Busters: After Story (though it’s called Refrain). In the end, Little Busters will have you remember its characters, it’s funny moments and its charm. With the preview at the end of the final episode, we can only hope that Little Busters: Refrain will be even better.

Please bear in mind that I have yet to finish the visual novel of Little Busters, still working on getting introduced to the characters, therefore I shall not be comparing the adaption to the visual novel. I will be comparing this anime with another of Key's work, Clannad [Not After Story (Actually, the first few small arcs of After Story)]

Story - 9
The story starts off by introducing multiple characters, and then going into character arcs in where the main character helps out the character that needs the help. Very very similar to Clannad. The character arcs were great!... except a few ... of them had random supernatural moments, something I wasn't expecting from this anime, as the anime never really showed anything supernatural until the part it happens at. Don't get me wrong, the arcs are still wonderful, enjoyable, addicting and emotional! I did feel that the character arcs were a bit choppy, going from one arc to another without much of transition.

Art - 8
The art was wonderful, colors were pretty good, I enjoyed the style of everything. Not much to talk about.

Sound - 9
Doing exactly what KyoAni did with Clannad, J.C pretty much used the soundtrack from the Visual Novel. I still absolutely love the soundtrack, as they are great at setting the moods. I also enjoyed the OP as well, a song that uplifts the spirit, something the entire anime is about!

Characters- 10
The thing about this anime that stands out the most are their characters!
I absolutely love the design of the characters (especially the female ones, they just look awesome!). Their personalities are the typical ones found in other animes, the optimistic ones, the shy ones, the cute ones, but we get to see what happens to their personality as they are presented with a conflict of some sort. (Some of the characters are so kawaii, I mean so very very kawaii.. Kud

Little Busters is the newest anime adaptation of another one of the great Visual novels developed by Key. This seems to be one of the better Key adaptations, so far it seems to be on the same level as Angel Beats, So its pretty good. The story revolves around Riki a boy with Narcolepsy and his gang of friends as they try to form a baseball team..... It sounds weird I know that's cause it is. Riki himself is a pretty flat character, his friends on the other hand are weird as shit. There's a sexy insane boy, a girl obsessed with cats, crazy ... kendo kid, and then the strong spazy kid. They all balance themselves out pretty well too. If slice of life/ drama is your thing then Little Busters! is for you.

From the makers of Clannad and Clannad After Story comes the story of group of childhood friends who form a baseball team in a last ditch effort to create lasting memories before they all graduate and go their separate ways. The main character Riki is tasked to find more members (preferably girls) to join their team The Little Busters. However, beyond this simplicity lies much deeper subplots. These subplots concern the insecurities and hardships of the new female members of The Little Busters. Some are much more simple to comprehend immediately, while others are shrouded in mystery which isn't revealed until ... the last minute.

To me, the story was interesting and unexpectedly good. This wasn't an anime that you could predict where it was going. It had unique scenarios that were believable and emotional. Where the anime stood the best was in its subplots.

As far as main characters go Riki is one of the first likable main male characters to exist in a show like this. Usually, the main character has a mediocre personality and the viewer wonders why girls are so obsessed with him. However, Riki is kind, honest, calm, and caring to others. He puts other peoples' concerns in priority to his own concerns. Moving beyond the main lead character, I believe the other main characters were great to. It was good to see that the main lead didn't just have that "one guy best friend". He had three others with outrageous personalities. The main girls were great and had a lot to offer in the show. Although at times I thought the voices of a couple of them were a little unbearable, each girl was unique and special.

The only objections I have to this show is that it didn't close some extremely interesting plot holes. Who is sending the letters? Why is Riki's narcolepsy so significant? What is the secret of this world? If the anime closed some of those holes I would have gave it a better grade, but ultimately I still think this is a good anime. I would suggest it to those who are looking for slice of life, deep character development, and unique subplots. I would highly recommend it to people who liked Clannad and Clannad After Story.

Did people watch this show and expect there to be a romance? Haha! I didn't even realize that the show's tag had romance until I finished the show. Which means I wasn't shipping any characters and expect them to be all lovey-dovey towards each other. I also didn't read the VN version and never will.

(There will be some SPOILERS in my review)


[Story]: (5/10) (SPOILERS)
The story is not that interesting or even mind-blowing. The show focuses on Rikki as he tries to recruit more people for the "Little Busters" which is the name of their group and their recently created baseball team. I won't go ... with his past life, flashbacks, or his conditions. The show focuses on 2 main things. The 1st is him recruiting more people for the "Little Busters" and the 2nd one is Rikki and Rin trying to solve the mysterious letters that they have been getting from a cat named "Leon".
Let's focus on the first one. Yes, Rikki successfully recruits more people which is mostly girls because their boy-to-girl ratio was 4 to 1. What happens after he successfully recruits a girl? What you get is 4 character arcs with forced dramatic moments and melodramatic moments. I mean, the character arcs did make me cry...a little bit... but one of them is just plain horrible and what's worse is all the character arcs are rushed. The arcs lasted for only 3-4 episodes. One of the arcs had some laughable ending that didn't really make sense. For example, Mio's arc had some potential but they messed it up with some imaginary bullcrap and ending that just doesn't make sense.
At least, the 3 remaining character arcs are good and it gave me a few emotional tears. The remaining character arcs that I loved are Komari's arc, Haruka's arc, and Kud's arc. I won't go in-depth with these arcs but all I will say is they're great to watch and will make you cry. Even if you're a man. Probably.
Let's focus on the 2nd one which is the "mysterious letter". I honestly don't know what the hell this is. Is this a filler or something? I just hoped that they solve the mystery letter and find out who has been writing that letter in the 2nd season. The mysterious letter is not the only episodes that happens in-between the character's arc. There are also some "breather" episodes that are just for the laugh and giggles. The jokes are repeated but they're still somehow funny.
I'm not even going to mention the ending. It's terrible. Did the creators run out of ideas or something that they couldn't come up with a decent ending. The post-credit scene did peek my interest and I'll be watching the second season just to check it out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Art/Animation]: (7/10)
If you have seen Angel Beats before then you'd notice that the animation is very similar. The animation for AB is obviously better and I am not being biased here. Yes, I watched the 1080p version for both shows but let's not get on that. The show's animation suffered from lack of details to crappy character motion, etc. It's not a bad animation but it's not great either.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Sound]: (6/10)
I can't believe they used the same opening for 25 episodes straight. This is one of the few animes where I was hoping that they change the OP as soon as possible but sadly, that didn't happen. I just skipped the OP after episode 8. The ED theme song is also horrible and I only listened to it for 1 episode only. The background themes are decent.
I watched the show in English Dub so I'll be reviewing the English voice acting. All of them did a terrific job and I loved most of the VA's except for one voice actor. The English VA of Rikki annoyed the living hell out of me. He sounded like an annoying teenager who hasn't dropped his balls yet for whatever reason. I know, he was voiced by a girl, that's why he sounds like that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Characters]: (8/10)
I loved every single character in the show except for one. That's the main protagonist. Riki just isn't that interesting of a guy. He's just a nice main protagonist guy that I somehow don't like. Does he have redeeming qualities? Hell no. He just goes around, helping and fixing the girls' problem before they are recruited. Yes, every girl has a problem and Rikki "fixed" all of them. This is an example of a forced dramatic moments. Every single girl has a ridiculous past-tragedy and they must overcome it. With Rikki's help, of course. How the hell did they all end up in this school anyways.
These dramatic moments are forced as hell but that doesn't mean I hated them. After seeing Komari's arc, Haruka's arc, and Kud's arc. The show successfully made me love these characters. Except Mio's arc. That arc was just terrible.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Enjoyment]: (8/10)
Most slice of life today has a crappy story but I don't really care for the story. My enjoyment rating is 8 because the jokes are hilarious and the forced dramatic moments somehow worked.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[OVERALL]: (6.8/10) --- Rounding it to -- (7/10)
All in all, this is a good anime series to watch. The show has a lot of flaws but the show also has a lot of good moments like the dramatic and emotional moments and the comedy episodes in-between. If you're looking for a drama series then you might want to check this out. If you're looking for romance as the tag suggests then don't watch this show. The show has no romance and that tag was just misleading.



Pros:
+Good Animation
+Great Characters
+Funny moments
+Dramatic moments successfully executed


Cons:
-Mediocre Story
-Mediocre Soundtrack
-Unlikable Main Protagonist
-All female characters had a past tragedy
-Character's arc were rushed
-Terrible ending

Key, Key, Key . . . What do we have here?

Little Busters! eh?

If you're searching for stories like Clannad, Angel Beats, Kanon or any other Key work. This is something that you should watch. The Anime ver. is not as good as the Game ver. .. Because there are a lot of information withheld here. Though it feels like cheating since I know the story through the game, which actually made me cry more than Clannad.

So for the objectives ... Story 8 / 10

Frankly speaking, the Anime version toned down the "Tear Meter" a lot, it could have made more impact if the last episode ... had shown the person who knows the "Truth" of the world. But the anime did a great job on the Comedy scenes, no problem with that.

Art 10 / 10

Key's art is one of the best IMHO, Still improving and going strong.

Sound 10 / 10

No, really. Since there is no more score higher than 10, the music here has a lot of meaning, same with Clannad and Angel Beats, though if I was asked which music is rated higher, then there is a clear distinction of #1 for Clannad #2 for Angel Beats and #3 for Little Busters! ...

Character 10 / 10

One of the elements that keep the story going, being true to one's nature no matter the circumstances are, to improve throughout the series and make the watchers think about their own characteristics.

Enjoyment 10 / 10

It could have been better but it easily made 10 for me. Every episode gives you another meaning of "Watching" though it is as expected because it is from Key. Crying, Laughing aren't the only feelings you'll feel when watching this, especially in the Refrain! part.

Overall 10 / 10

Story may not have as much impact as the last two latest anime of Key but I swear that Refrain will make it up. Really, everything in the anime has a meaning (Well, maybe except for some comedy parts.). If you stopped watching this because you didn't like how it started. Heh~ I'm telling you... You really need to watch this in order to know what happens in the Refrain.