Photokano

High school student Kazuya Maeda finds his daily life dull and meaningless. This changes right before the end of his summer break when he receives an old camera from his father. Initially hesitant, Kazuya decides to experiment with photography and starts looking for potential models for his pictures.

Kazuya is approached by various girls willing to model for him: Haruka Niimi, his popular childhood friend; Nonoka Masaki, the athletic ace pitcher of the softball club; Aki Muroto, the Student Council president; Hikari Sanehara, a fellow photography enthusiast; Tomoe Misumi, his timid classmate; Rina Yunoki, the only member of the Cooking Research Society; and Mai Sakura, a friend of his sister.

As he pursues his new hobby, Kazuya feels like every day becomes more vibrant and meaningful. However, his continued interactions with the girls lead him to wonder if they want to be involved in other areas of his life besides his photography.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Niimi, Haruka Main

Itou, Kanae Japanese

Masaki, Nonoka Main

Saitou, Chiwa Japanese

Muroto, Aki Main

Nakahara, Mai Japanese

Sanehara, Hikari Main

Mizuhashi, Kaori Japanese

Maeda, Kanon Main

Ise, Mariya Japanese

Misumi, Tomoe Main

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Yunoki, Rina Main

Oogame, Asuka Japanese

Maeda, Kazuya Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga Japanese

Sakura, Mai Main

Kanemoto, Hisako Japanese

Uchida, Yuuko Supporting

Takagaki, Ayahi Japanese

Takatori, Masashi Producer

Hayashi, Youhei Producer

Taguchi, Ayuri Producer

Tsunoki, Takuya Producer

Reviews

Jul 1, 2013

darkj25

Recommended

Before watching this anime, you should know the definition of "omnibus format". The omnibus format main purpose is to dismantle harem genre anime such that the protagonist is able to have romantic developments with the multiple different chosen candidate without having a dispute between each other. One famous example would be the Amagami SS.

Amagami SS was the first anime that adopted the style "Omnibus Format". Each heroine had 4 episodes arc in which their romantic confrontation was completed. By each confront's conclusion, the universe would reset to the initial world for the next heroine's romantic confrontation to begin. All memories of moments that happened during ... the 4-episode arc are also wiped. Photokano was successful in doing the same style.

However, Photokano which was aired in an omnibus format, used a different approach compared to Amagami SS. It used an introductory arc to let the viewers know more about the characters. Then, it approaches to appeal the viewers using the omnibus format.

Many would think that one or two episodes for each character may be too short. I might have to disagree with that.

The few episodes duration was enough. Even with the short duration, they've managed to deliver a well-developed character progress. Each heroine has drastically improve their relationship with the protagonist. Remember, at the end, the anime only has 13 episodes, with about half has been taken off for the introduction arc. If you're looking for a fully developed romantic anime, this place is not for you, please leave.

One thing I would like to mention which is the introduction arc. It's not very appealing and is superficial in expressing the show to its viewers. When I began watching this show, I was expecting this show might not produce great results. Although the omnibus format truly surprised me, the introduction arc didn't cause a great impact on me to continue watching it. In the end, one would think it's just an introduction. If the introduction were juicy, will it affect the main story and the climax? Ultimately, the decision lies on the viewers. For me, I'm fine with the advancement they used.

But again, this anime doesn't have many advantages. The only think I like is that they surprised me with using the omnibus format and the acceptable character development within such short duration. Other than that, I wouldn't say I'm very interested in the most other areas of the show.

In a nutshell, this anime is designed specially for people who are looking for an omnibus format style anime. If you like Amagami SS , this could be a wonderful gem for you. However, if you prefer a fully detailed romance anime, I suggest you drop this anime immediately.

Please note: You're suppose to give your feedback whether this review is helpful or not. Even if this review has its flaws but is helpful, you should choose the appropriate answer. Well, I'll leave that up to you. Good day, peeps!

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jun 28, 2013

Obihiro

Mixed Feelings

Photokano is about a boy Maeda Kazuya whose father passes his old camera to him. "Through the viewfinder" (he says it that way), he meets girls, and told in separate episodes, develops romances with each of them.

Story: 5/10
The initial premise frankly doesn't sound too bad. You are given introductory episodes where Maeda meets the heroines. After that, each of the heroines' romance stories with Maeda is told in one episode. Each route follows the same format: an encounter that puts Maeda on the girl's route, problem, resolution, confession, then ending. Because each route is crammed into one episode, everything is rushed, and abrupt development ... occurs. It's hard to take it seriously. Especially where at the end of each episode you get the "I like you", "I'm okay with you?", *hug*, process. Admittedly, I have done other things while watching Photokano and could still grasp what had happened. Well, it's not really something to be guilty of, but it goes to show how predictable it is.

Although, it's good to note that Maeda's narration puts an ample amount of interest. Though it sounds the same in each episode, it gives the impression of him breaking the fourth wall - knowing that there are possibilities with each of the girls he has met. This isn't expounded on however.

Art: 6/10
Not sloppy. But not eye-catching. The best part would be the camera shots, which at least look like something that is photographed.

Sound: 6/10
Nothing special. You hear the same thing almost every time.

The prolific seiyuu in the voice cast (Saito Chiwa, Kaori Mizuhashi, Sanae Itou, among others) is the only reason why I watched this. But because each girl is usually important for just two episodes, you don't get to hear your favorite seiyuu much. At least you get to hear them.

Characters: 4/10
Here we go.

Maeda is an amateur photographer -and clearly does not have any perverted intent in his actions- . Sounds too good to be true. Although he has many perverted encounters, he has good moral character. He's that kind of guy, so I guess it's not too bad. His clubmates, led by the eccentric club president voiced by Midorikawa, are pretty much opposite to him. They are perverts who like taking perverted pictures. And they're funny.

...
..
.

The heroines however, they follow common stereotypes which makes them generally...stale, personality-wise anyway. To list: Niimi Haruka is the ideal girl, Nonoka is a sports girl, Aki is the ever-so-strict student council president, Hikari is the unsmiling one, Tomoe is another unsmiling one, Rina is the ideal waifu, and Mai and Kanon satisfy the kouhai and imouto complex respectively, and inner lolicon collectively.

Probably the only character I really cared about was Uchida, the stealth photographer, who in each episode you slightly learn more about her. Too bad she didn't get a route. Now while they are stock characters with stock personalities, it doesn't mean they don't develop. But since each girl only gets one episode, you don't get to feel the momentum of her development that leads to romance and/or realization. The result: an unsurprising 24 minutes.

Enjoyment: 6/10
So you have a route-type plot coupled with stereotypical characters. You get scenes you've probably seen numerous times like, "Try this food" and a succeeding "Delicious!" phrase. The humor is silly, forced, and unfunny. Unique to Photokano though are the camera scenes. They be objects, scenery, but mostly, the girls. Many of their poses are suggestive, but in the anime itself there aren't many ecchi scenes.

For fans of Hikaru Midorikawa, he has extremely hilarious lines and shouts in each episode preview. Listening to that with UTW subs, it was something to look forward to every week (and was the only thing that kept me watching). Even if you're not a fan of him, please don't skip the episode previews. PLEASE DON'T. I BEG YOU. That's the only saving grace of a dull half hour.

Overall: 5/10
If you have a thing for dating sim adaptations and girls having their pictures taken which results into generic romance, by all means watch Photokano. Otherwise, you might just be wasting your time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jul 2, 2013

Stark700

Not Recommended

Well, what do we have here. It's PhotoKano, a series based off the dating game of the same name. The series focuses on this young boy named Kazuya Maeda who happens to be a high school student enjoying the youth of his life. Perhaps he is enjoying it too much though with that little toy of his. It's a camera and used to capture memories through its lenses. With imagination, you can discover magic through a camera. But that's just all an imagination because in PhotoKano, magic doesn't exist. Rather, there exists many girls who wants to pose for you in lascivious positions just wanting ... to capture those 'memories'. Honestly, this series is definitely something that I don't want to be part of my memories.

Now for starters, the anime series is adapted from a dating sim developed by Dingo and Enterbrain. The way it structures its series is a bit bizarre as rather than a linear storyline, it focuses on our lucky protagonist-kun who is involved in several arcs each with a different girl whom gets acquainted with him. But hey, that's just high school life right? It's all about teenagers getting involved in romance angles and creating drama. Well, the thing here is that Kazuya, the protagonist becomes the chick magnet who somehow is not only be able to attract the various girls in this show but also get them to do pose in seductive positions. Talk about having a lucky life.

Well, there are some basic merits to this show. For instance, there's the Photography Club who invites Kazuya to join as a member. The club itself is made up of guys who likes nothing more than capturing those seductive photos of girls and making them worth a thousand words. Kazuya on the other hand seems to be the easy-going guy who is able to make friends with both guys and girls like a day in the park. The catch here is that as a bonus, he is able to take pictures of girls with his camera. It's making friends, taking seductive photo-shoots, and striking relationships all in one package of this lucky guy.

For some reason, the girls of this show only allows Kazuya to take pictures of them in those seductive poses. Why? That's probably a magical question beyond what I can comprehend. Perhaps it's because of his easy going personality. But wait, the guy doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with the girls he hangs out most of the time. Rather than just 'hanging out', the girls of this show all seems to be interested in the boy for reasons beyond just 'taking photographs'. Kazuya on the other hand plays the follower and goes with the flow. Sometimes, this lands him into trouble as he is accidentally labeled as a 'pervert'. Despite Kazuya trying to negate these situations, they just happen to come by like pouring rain with the compromising positions, accidental kisses, and even other situations where he doesn't want to be in. Ugh.

The series falls under many of the cliched themes of an ecchi/romantic romance. There's the childhood love, the beach episodes (more than just one of them actually), various confessions, and the obvious fan service. Speaking of which, the fan service of this show is thrown at your face literally every episode. There's the panty shots, the suggestive poses, the swimsuits, and camera angles. The OP song even focuses this as if it''s some sort of art. Then, there's the camera shots that focuses more than just painting a memory. Rather, it points at the various angles of the camera at suggestive body parts. Again, Kazuya is having the fun of his time.

At some point, I just decided to watch this series for the sake of a possible deeper story to develop. Unfortunately, the plot of PhotoKano is more dry than sands of the beach. It doesn't progress and makes little sense. For whatever reason, Kazuya is like a bachelor and whether he likes it or not, he gets the attention of the girls through his charms. At many points, the boy isn't even trying and girls are allowing him to take suggestive photographs of them. Then, there's the love confessions and lovey dovey scenes that follows. Oh and no one is safe either. Whether you're a class president, an athlete, a school beauty, an imouto type, childhood friend, or the shyest girl on Earth. No girl is safe from Kazuya's 'charms'. NO ONE. Once you're part of the route, expect romance to pop out of nowhere.

Well at various points, I try to dig out something out of this series. I mean, there has to be something that can attract the viewers right? The artwork might be part of that from what I originally thought but it's nothing at all attractive. Rather, it's generic, standard, and poorly constructed. The school uniforms are all generic and nothing stands out. It's not even unique in the sense of being attractive. Rather, it's typical and hardly memorable. The soundtrack isn't any better as the OST itself hardly makes an impression. The OP song "Koisuru Lens" by Kaori Hayato clearly matches the theme of the series through those lens of the camera. Only problem is that it seems Kazuya isn't getting any highlights in it. Rather, the girls are the main course of the dish and gives those delicious poses.

To conclude, this series is something crafted out of a weak plot, with weakly developed characters, and a lackluster premise that makes it a dull experience. The main male protagonist is dull anyways so nothing else new to see there. It doesn't help with the lackluster soundtrack or the artwork. On a positive note though, the series does have a variety of characters to watch and see how they interact with Kazuya. Unfortunately, it all ends with predictable results that spells out what a cliched series this is. I can't recommend PhotoKano to anyone, not unless you enjoy photography or something in animated form. But then again, it makes fun of that in a lascivious way of an attempt to spark interest. It tries too HARD and this was one series that I had a HARD time getting through. But if you really want to try this out, then the ball's in your court.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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