Denki-gai no Honya-san

Welcome to Umanohone bookstore, one of the bookstores across Japan that sells manga, light novels, and doujins - even the dirty ones. The bookstore has an interesting workplace with a variety of characters that you won't feel dull encountering at. Denkigai no Honya-san is one of the few slice of life anime this season, and as the first few anime starting this season, it shouldn't be ignored nor forgotten.

The story is simple - just characters interacting together and partaking activities in and out of the bookstores. Nothing much can be detailed further. But what I can say is that the comedy is great. Certain tropes ... and same jokes may have fallen but it's great that it has sustained well from episode to episode. There are plenty hilarious moments from the characters which may be memorable for a while, and these show what's true in their character. What is not expected in the anime is the romance. Halfway through it, I can spot a few relationships between the characters. While they are not very developed as the story progresses, it is sweet to see how two people in one relationship interact. Of course, you may feel tired seeing similar interactions, but like I said, it really didn't develop much.

But both comedy and romance in the anime are balanced well, and nothing had overshot to break the story and hence it becoming worse.

The anime uses a number of references from manga, light novels and anime. I wouldn't have spotted all of them since a lot of references are not very similar to the real counterpart. A few of them do give away, try your best. The fanservice doesn't really exceed to become an ecchi anime, but there are still some of it throughout. Some may say they are definitely not needed, but looking at the context, I think a bit of them is enough.

Each character in the anime is special. It might have been a typical cast of slice of life characters, but in this anime, they have a nice range of emotions and thoughts. They are likeable and funny, depending on how they act. Development-wise, not really much for a slice of life anime. But looking at how the characters feel in their relationships, I think they are trying hard to be normal, since he first steps of romance can be hard and shaky. Also, looking at Umio, as the most recent hired employee of the bookstore, he adapts well with his co-workers and that's great!

It's also great that the cast is small and it didn't introduce a ton of characters. There are a lot of anime with has a huge cast and it's really hard to keep track of all of them. But in this anime, even with a small cast, there are a lot happening in the story.

The anime's art is simple but not very dull. I like the colour palette to pull of a bright cheery feel. The scenery, both interior and exterior, look good, enough for a slice of life anime. I like the character designs as the characters look cute in them. The facial expressions are funny and adorable. Not much noticeable visual effects but overall, I think the atmosphere is fresh and sometimes lively, depending on the story.

I really don't know how the opening relates to the anime. Sang by one of the voice actresses in the anime, Taketatsu Ayana, its theme is about apples. It doesn't really match the context of the anime, although the animation of it does. Ignoring that fact, I think it's sweet and lovely. Who knows, I think it's a perfect Spice and Wolf S3 opening. The ending song, sang by four voice actresses of their counterpart working in the bookstore, is more cheery and catchy to hear. The background music doesn't really stand out a lot but they are nice and chilling to listen to. The voice acting is great as the voice actors tried their best in acting out the emotions of the characters. Most of them aren't relatively new to the voice acting industry, so there shouldn't be any screw-ups.

I read some chapters of the manga before watching the anime and I love how the anime adapts almost all of the manga used. Maybe the last episode may have been an original, and trust me, that was an awesome episode to end off the anime. Back to point, I think that the director did a good job in using most of the source material and added a few originals in.

Overall, the anime is fun to watch. It doesn't lack anything much, so it shouldn't disappoint you. If you need some laughs now, it is a good time to watch it. I don't mind a second season and I don't know if there will ever be, but for now continue reading the manga.

(This has been adapted from my reddit thread)

Having a passion is often a rewarding experience. A hobby or talent that brings one more joy than anything else. We understand this easily. For us, anime is one of our passions. Talking about a compelling story, comparing favorite characters, and listening to opening and ending music tracks are just some of the many varying attributes that anime entails.

And through anime, through our passion, we are able to converse and connect with others. This situation pops up with all groups, not just in anime. Take the world of manga. For Denki-gai no Honya-san, manga is the passion and ... the setting, but little is found beyond the panels.

STORY

Denki-gai follows the lives of the crew working at Umanohone, a local manga store. Umio, Sensei, Kantoku, Hio, Fu Girl, and Kameko deal with everyday life while attempting to juggle work and relationships.

This anime is first and foremost a comedy. The situations involved are often silly in nature, with the characters usually taking part in gag-like humor. Sticking to its "seinen" roots, the jokes are usually sexual or more adult-oriented. Despite where it all takes place, the comedic moments require the viewer to be a bit older to understand let alone appreciate the funny events for what they are.

But already two problems arise, one small and one big. Starting with the smaller, the anime attempts to incorporate romantic developments between the characters. That is, instead of focusing solely on the humor, it shifts its attention at times to romance. Not only are these elements unsatisfactory and largely unexplored, but their inclusion deters from the comedy that is at the show's core. Moving to tackle this issue, the anime tries to then use the romance as a stepping stone for the comedy. But it doesn't work because the feelings and emotions between the characters feel weak and unwarranted. In other words, it tries and fails to be a romantic-comedy.

The bigger of the two problems is located within the comedy itself: repetition. What's strange is that Denki-gai actually contains some rather unique jokes or funny dialogue during certain moments. But in-between these exist the same exact set-ups time and again.

Examples include Sensei's "girl power," Fu Girl's zombie hatred, and Umio's obsession with Tsumori. Repetition isn't necessarily a bad thing; characters can have hilarious shticks that can see quite the degree of variation. Denki-gai, sadly, doesn't do this. A clever joke involving Sommelier's talent in the past or an "inspiring" speech by Kantoku is drowned out by the use of the previously mentioned, already-used jokes. In conjunction with the poorly executed romantic elements, much of the comedy that the show aims at presenting is ultimately lost.

Beyond the comedy, romance, and repetition, Denki-gai gives us at least one life lesson. Whether you are having fun with your friends, staying up late to finish some work, or pining after the one you love, at the end of the day, life is what you make of it. The events you experience are shaped by you and those around you, and they become everlasting memories. Even when tomorrow becomes "work per usual," as long as you had fun in the moment, its impression will last a lifetime.

ANIMATION

Denki-gai offers a mixed bag when it comes to the art and the animation.

The art style feels both unique and generic at the same time. The locations are often typical (work place, someone's home, in the city), but it all feels devoid of detail. The character designs, on the other hand, hold a different vibe. Fu Girl's sharp upper teeth, Kameko's afro, and Hio's sparkling eyes are simple examples that show off how different they tend to be when compared to other shows. Also of note are their general body heights. They all (minus Sommelier) appear quite short, but they are in fact older than at first perceived.

The animation within Denki-gai errs on the side of caution. It contains some rather well done moments with a good amount of character action, typically thanks to them exploding the situations. However, during its downtime, there isn't as much extravagance to be had.

CHARACTERS

The characters of Denki-gai play their parts, generating an overall nice cast.

There really isn't a main character within the anime. If anyone gets the title, it falls on Umio. As "otaku" as they come, his initial reason for working is to be close to the subject he loves most. Helpful towards his friends and understanding of the situations they find themselves in, he more often than not experiences more trouble than the majority of the cast. He's your typical, everyday enthusiast, "one of us," if you will.

Having a strange nickname, Sensei is an aspiring "mangaka" to be. Her low girl-power, low self-esteem, and low tolerance for difficulties may make her out to be a rather annoying person to deal with. But behind these layers of low lie a much more refined young woman. She constantly seeks to better herself, be it with her drawings or in the art of love. At the same time, she is no stranger to accepting aid, giving the audience the opportunity to contemplate such actions. That is to say, everyone can always use a little help.

Hio is known for her general clumsiness and large bust. While quiet, she is prone to outbursts, especially when dealing with Kantoku. Among the whole cast, she is often the most at odds with the feelings she maintains. It's difficult for her to properly express herself because she cannot seem to comprehend the idea of the person she loves feeling the same way towards her. Complex emotions are generally hard to articulate, and she serves as a nice example.

As a gentle giant, Sommelier is the watchful guardian. Silent at all times, with eyes almost never noticeable, he seemingly has a sixth sense when it comes to people's tastes. Even from a young age, his heart has always been in the right place. For him, his motto is "actions speak louder than words."

Fu Girl has a strange name and an even stranger personality. Reserved in all things but the zombie apocalypse, she's a kind young girl looking to have the one person she holds most dear look at (and consequently, down!) at her. Part of what makes her special is how out of place she seems, even among everyone working at Umanohone. Her actions are usually either non-existent or extreme in nature, lending credit to the argument that everybody is different.

Last, and indeed perhaps least, is Kameko. Placed on the sidelines for nearly the entire season, she is quite dishonest with herself. She prefers peering at the world through a camera lens as opposed to with her own eyes, giving her the chance to capture those all-important memories. In a way, she acts as the audience member; never contributing much to the on-screen antics, and merely along for the ride.

SOUND

The best part of the OP comes in the beginning. It has a more whimsical feel about it, giving it a "Christmas-y" vibe. The little bell chimes add to this effect, while the rest of the composition is mostly uninspired.

The ED is quick, and fits more in line with what the anime offers. The vocalists take turns singing, creating a fun little arrangement that, combined with the nice drum beat, makes it a catchy tune. Plus, the "pa-pa-pa" parts at the beginning and end are just as silly as the rest of the song.

The soundtrack contains mostly float-y and nonchalant pieces that fit the mood of the scenes at hand. None of them are particularly standout, however.

Voice-acting-wise, there are no notable performances to be had. Special shout-out to Takahiro Tomita for his role as Sommelier, where he has nearly zero actual lines!

ENJOYMENT

As a comedy, the show is largely hit or miss. The repetitive jokes never made me laugh, but the cleverer, unique ones were certainly able to at least get a chuckle. Again, the issue is that the more witty jokes can only be found by trudging through what the rest of the anime has to offer. It's never going to make you laugh consistently the whole way through. And while comedies don't have to accomplish such a feat, the amount of laughter that this one got out of me was just too minimal.

The romance, while out of place, at least helps it slightly. Tons of blushing and attempts at getting him or her to notice were fun to see. However, since the anime isn't particularly interested in developing the romances in the first place, it unfortunately leaves many areas largely open-ended, with no clear future for any of them in sight.

As a comedy anime, this one is less than stellar. While the characters represent more than their outward appearances may show, the story and animation elements just don't reach the same level. The workplace can be quite the hilarious topic, but Denk-gai no Honya-san couldn't capture this feeling.

SUMMARY

Story: Bad, "adult" comedy lost among misplaced romance and misused repetition

Animation: Fine, art style, character designs, and animation are each average

Characters: Good, Umio, Sensei, and the rest personify more than just their quirks

Sound: Fine, bad OP, okay ED, okay soundtrack, average VA work

Enjoyment: Bad, laughs are few and far between with unsatisfying romances

Final Score: 4/10

Expectations sure are a bitch! Keep them too broad and you’re bound to, eventually, be met with disappointment, but we still need them to prepare ourselves whenever we began experiencing a work from the media we love. When I first began watching Denki-gai no Honya-san, I had just come out of watching the first two seasons of “Working!!”, which remains one of my all-time favorite anime, so I wanted to experience another slice-of-life focused on the day-to-day of people at work. Being the workplace in question a manga store and the people in question passionate Otaku, people like me, I was in for a treat. ... It just wasn’t the treat I was expecting.

Story and Characters

Credit where credit is due, the show actually makes a nice move by utilizing two distinct characters in order to develop the setting: Umio, a very passionate otaku with no restraint to displaying his affection for the hobby, is the new employee, which gives the anime the proper excuse to explain the situation of the cast; Hiotan, in the other hand, is the one character who has no experience with the one true religion of Otakudom, so it’s in relation to her that the show gets to comment about anime, manga and other aspects of otaku culture. Not a bad setup, now allow me to explain why it fails: remember how Genshiken, for example, actually spent the first episode giving away the characters main traits and easing the protagonists in to then begin developing the conflict? Denki-gai is not very good on that. At all. Right off the bat it’s easy to see that the series is more worried about setting the scenario than the characters, which is ironic since once the conflicts begin, this setting seems more like a backdrop to bring the cast together than something actually meaningful to the plot.

The running motif of the story here are the different couples who form amidst the various gags, so before progressing, let’s do the presentations:

Sensei is an aspiring manga artist and the only one to seems to have what is immediately recognizable as an actual character trait, rather than a simple quirk, that of being slovenly and easily stressed. As early as the first episode, she and Umio start developing romantic feelings for each other, although it displays the most barebones chemistry possible: nice guy helps desperate girl. I realize this might sound hypocritical, given some of my favorites, so I’ll address it properly in a moment. A running gag involving Sensei is her lack of “Girl Power”, and that happens to be one that eats away a lot of her “development”, since frequently all of the traits the show applies to her end up invariably playing to this same gag.

Next is the growing bond between Hiotan, whose quirk seems to be excessive and trivial panicking, and Kantoku (director in Japanese), nicknamed this way because he apparently likes to film his employees in awkward moments. Truth be told, Kantoku seems to be the only one with the semblance of a diverse personality: he’s a pranker, but not a mean spirited one, which doesn’t clash with his behavior when he needs to act as a leader or be responsible with his employees. The way the romance between this couple springs into existence, though, is piss-poor: at one point in the story, Hiotan clings to Kantoku, initially for comedic purposes, and then begins to take his kind acts, in contrast to his usual behavior, as the result of romantic feelings, up until the show decides to treat their clichéd, innocuous and barely eventful interactions as the marks of a “soon to be”, “maybe someday” couple. Please, craft bigger quotation marks in your mind, these ones are not enough.

One relationship that seems to be already going on is the one about the backfired moe bullet Fu-girl, who is obsessed with anything related to zombies and has a mad crush on Sommelier, a tall and silent man who acquired the nickname by doing manga recommendations to the clients. It’s obvious that the feelings here are mutual, but none of them really progress in their efforts because both don’t know how to properly communicate that. As I write this I noticed that none of my notes over the series actually addressed their relationship, and that is because, frankly, all that can be said I just summarized right above. The two are easily the most vapid creatures in the whole anime and their interaction is a very clear example of the general problems plaguing the show.

Couples out of the way, now we can get to the lone candleholders on the block: firstly, Kameko is a girl who enjoys taking pictures with her camera (get it? CAMEra, Ko = child, get it?), who is revealed later on to have a crush on Kantoku, but got left behind for trying to keep low profile for too long. Why should the audience be invested in the late-to-show-up emotional grievance of the second most insipid block of ink in the show is not properly conveyed, but hey, at least she’s not Fu-girl, whose brick-like presence and complete lack of meaningful personality drags the scene down from painfully average to just painful. Did I come off as bitter? Anyway, next in line is Tsumorin, a former employee at the shop and now a cosplay celebrity/ doujinshi author who ALSO had a crush on Kantoku. Is there any kind of projection going on here? I hope you like attempts of empathy for a character that has barely been established and offers no reason for the audience to care about, cuz this show sure is going to try! Possibly the only real reason she exists in the story is to make the idea of a romance between Hiotan and Kantoku a little more credible.

Ok, let’s dial back a bit and address the issue of Umio and Sensei, Some might find a bit hypocritical of me to criticize their dynamic, since some of my favorites (Toradora!, Working!!) have similar ones going on between their main characters. The point of my criticism, though, is not the set up itself, but the way it’s handled, which is why I don’t think it displays good chemistry between the two, so please hold on while I attempt to expose my perspective. Building good chemistry between love interests in a story involves crafting this idea that both play off of each other’s personalities and visibly add something to the other part. That can’t work properly if it happens to be a one-way street, as it is here: Umio acts kindly, helping Sensei with her manga, she pretends to bring out some semblance of confidence, backpedals and the situation devolves into a gag. Being fair, as a plot point, the relationship between Umio and Sensei actually does something to Umio’s character, by portraying him as a very supportive person, even if in a simplistic way. That, however, never goes beyond the “nice guy/awkward girl” archetypes they are set into and the show doesn’t properly convey how they could really work as a couple. Truth be told, the notion that they are meant to be in a romance is kept simply by the shackles of the genre, which we’re all knowledgeable of already, and by how heavy-handed the anime is about it.

You might have guessed already what the main problem here is: the underdeveloped cast. At the top of the characterization pyramid is Kantoku, but even then he only reaches the Decent mark, while the rest of the crew is stuck between completely vacuous outside of a simple quirk, or one-dimensional. You may argue that the way they act within the jokes lay out more details in a subtle manner, but I think the point of having effectively subtle characterization is by getting the various traits about a character to connect in the big picture (personality), so when these traits fail to connect in a cohesive manner is that the attempts of characterization become meaningless. The point I’m trying to get with this diatribe is that the characterization in Denki-gai is disjointed and the show’s attempts at it end up creating a shallow picture instead. To make matters worse, the romantic progression is close to nonexistent. Romances get introduced, for sure, but no proper confessions are made and whenever any kind of development (or at least what the anime passes for it) is attempted, the show seems to take a step further, just to step back and shove its head in the ground, dreadfully afraid of making the status quo any less stale.

As expected, these problems spread over to the humor too. Now, I have no issue whatsoever with establishing comedy based on character quirks; “Working!!” has about 80% of its comedy crafted in the same principle, Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge drives this home in every chance it can get away with (which is every time) and I have no complaints with the way these shows do it. The matter of the issue here, besides the lack of additional layers to the characters to help endear them to the audience and make their reactions comically effective, is the application. In both of the shows mentioned, the quirk in which the jokes were based on was a constant, but the punchline was handled with a twist in every opportunity, either a difference in timing or the situation in which it was applied, while the same doesn’t come out much in Denki-gai, and knowing each character’s main trait makes the joke quite predictable already. This anime tried a lot, in many forms of humor, but none of them displayed the cleverness of writing required to actually pull it off and set the timing to the appropriate moments.

Presentation

This is not turning out pretty. At least the presentation section comes out shorter than the Story one in my reviews.

So, how else does this anime drops the ball? Well, we have the character designs, for once. It’s not that uncommon for different characters to have similar faces in the same anime, but it’s uncanny how the models in Denki-gai seem to have identical facial structures, with only hair and accessories used to differentiate them. Add to that a sickeningly excessive use of blushing and I wouldn’t exactly call this an example of variety in visual presentation. I’m not kidding when I say that with a third of the show left to watch I was having pavlovian style reactions of disgust every time I saw someone’s face go red, Fu-girl herself I couldn’t even look at because of how much her character became an eyesore with her face that screamed “I’m about to start crying desperately” in every frame.

When it comes to the voice acting, the show is surprisingly tame for a gag manga, although this might also be an effect of how stretched out are the skits, and the acting doesn’t reach very emphatic degrees for the genre. To be fair, this particular approach might resonate better to the comedic preferences of other viewers than they resonate with mine, so it isn’t really a point I can use to detract from the anime. That same trait also spills over to moments that are more dedicated to “characterization, although perhaps with the exception of Matsuoka Yoshitsugu as Kantoku, and thank goodness for at least his presence in this anime. Fun fact: Hiotan shares the same seiyuu, Takamori Natsumi, as Miyano, from Tanaka-kun. She doesn’t have the friendly demeanor or the dedicated personality Miyano displays, though.

Personal Ramblings

Just comes to show how connecting to the work in the first place helps a lot when you watch it, it’s a lot harder to find enjoyment when the first episodes failed so hard to get you involved. Sometimes I wonder how much more I’d speak highly or poorly of any work if it managed to be something I had special attachment to, or no attachment at all. Were my disposition towards a show like Steins;Gate, for example, superior to indifferent, would I be among the people shouting endless praise to it and stamping a 10/10 in my review? There were some instances, sadly not many, of my re-watch of Denki-gai when I looked at what had just played out in a scene and thought to myself “This normally would be something I’d laugh at, if my disposition weren’t so low”.

That doesn’t mean I don’t stand by everything I said here or in my other analysis, but it really makes me ponder how much our initial attachment or to a work can makes us more prone to catching up faster to the qualities or shortcomings it might exhibit. Tell me if you never thought about it: watching a show you already like in the first episodes makes you see more than other viewers do when getting to specific moments that might come off as meaningless to others, while if you dislike the show from the beginning the multiple little grievances stack up to form a larger problem, making the whole picture seem uglier, to the point where its qualities end up becoming mute.

I didn’t expect to turn out this bitter when I first decided to write this, but among my set of opinions that have changed over the years, this one didn’t turn up for the better.

Well, after a long absences, I'm back (no thanks to that S.O.B K***h) to make my review , so I'm not gonna go around the bush and just present my review as simple as it is, btw, my review is only for this anime, it ain't perfect but its my review. So let's get down to business:

Story: Poor 3.

Because, there isn't any, there is no plot, just the characters and the setting. It isn't unusual for an anime with a comedy/ Slice of life genre in it, Let's face it, this anime is a gag anime so a plot has no place in it.

Art: ... Fair 6.

Ok, so Sensei's wardrobe makes her look like a grandma than a 20 something character, but then gain I can forgive it, hummmmm maybe just a little. But you know, the way the characters where illustrated does have some cute side of it, but only just a little. Now I do have some issues with the way Fu Girls was illustrated as a teenager in a 8 year old body and Sommelier who would pass as a criminal. there is also Kameko's 60's floppy hat that doesn't seem to suit her. Then again I did mention about the illustrations cute side which is why I gave it such score.

Sound: Good 7.

Forget about the op and the ed, I just love the seiyuus who did the voices of the female characters, most specially Hio-tan's voice, but I was unforunate that we never hear Sommelier speak, if he was to have no speaking lines then why did studio "Pony Canyon" have to get the services of Tomita, Takahiro, when all that the character does was to hum? Well, I guess only the creator, Mizu, Asato knows.


Character: Good 7.

All I can say it that the characters really did entertained me and I'm sorry if I have nothing much to say.


Enjoyment: Very Good 8.

For a plotless anime this funny, was enjoyable, though some gags maybe cheesy, then again it's forgivable, since that what original creator Mizu, Asato intended to be.


Overall: Good 7.

I gave it such score, since it is good, there where situations that present some annoyance, like the way Sensei does her everyday things in certain episodes, where it kinda gross me out, now I can't spoil it, you're just gonna have to watch it. All I can say is that it maybe good but there few stuffs that may wanna make you puke.

Being a quirky anime, not really following any storyline, "Denki-Gai no Honya-san" was a pretty cute anime to watch.

This anime revolves around six employees at Uma no Hone comic shop, all with unusual names -- or nicknames to be exact. Among the cast is Umio, newest employee at Uma no Hone, Sensei, a mangaka by the name of "Jona Taro", "Director", acting leader apart from the manager, Hio-tan, a newbie to the manga world, Sommelier, a quiet guy whose face is never seen, Fu Girl, the zombie lover, and Kameko, the camera shy photographer. This anime is pretty basic -- it's about the workers at ... the shop, and their interactions with each other all orbiting the manga world.

While it didn't have much of a story, Denki-gai was the perfect light hearted comedy to watch. Each episode covered a different experience, with different characters. I was glad to see that the anime focused on all the main characters instead of just following one and their interactions with the whole group. Each episode had to have at least one inappropriate happenstance, whether it was a ramble about the panty shot, a speech about boobs, or a talk about girl power. Each inappropriate aspect of the anime was approached so uniquely, that it turned out comedic, and fun to watch. It was a pleasant surprise that this anime also includes budding romances between characters. It's really a sweet sight to witness.

Asato Mizu's, the author of Denki-gai, art style is pretty simple, but exceedingly cute. Each character, while you can tell they're from the same anime, has its own unique look, and Mizu displays her artistic prowess quite nicely throughout the animation. There wasn't a single episode that seemed kind of off in someway, nor were there any awkward transition, to my knowledge. The backgrounds were fully developed, and the art style helped give this anime its light-hearted feel.

The music fit perfectly with every action scene. The opening and ending songs are very catchy, and by the twelfth episode, I was humming along to both of them. What bothers me is, why is the opening all about an apple?! The lyrics are about an apple, the animation's about an apple -- it leaves me very confused. This anime isn't even about and apple, and the place they work at is called AmaUsa....Bunnies plus apples equal confusion.

Each character is well-developed, and each gets their well-deserved screen time. Umio, being the newest employee doesn't have a nickname yet, but he's a hard worker, has some talent in drawing, and is an anime nerd to the bone. Sensei is a capable girl, and very good mangaka, but lacks "girl power." "Director" is a pervert. But an attractive pervert when drawn right. Hio-tan is the least "cultured" of the group, not very well-versed in anime culture. She's the girliest, and is very clumsy, often resulting in accidents of some sort. Sommelier is a big, quiet guy with an immense knowledge of anime, manga, and the like. He has a deep fondness for cats, and his face is hardly seen. Fu Girl is, surprisingly, a high schooler with a love for zombies. She's the loli, but very cute, even with her zombie quirk. Kameko is the supporting loli, with exploding curly hair that she tries to hide with her hat. She takes photos of the group, and doesn't interact very much, preferring to stay on the sidelines. Every character is so diverse from the other, it's refreshing. None is developed too much over the other, and they all make the anime seem balanced.

I rather enjoyed watching this anime. It was produced very well, and kept my attention for all twelve episodes it showed for. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to take a break from animes with storylines, and just needs a good laugh. This anime is hilarious, and had me holding my sides at a point.

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Story - 7
Not much of a story, but the characters are developed, each gets an appropriate amount of focus, each episode is funny, relationships develop, and it's good for a laugh.

Art - 7
The artwork is simple, but cute. Offers a lighthearted atmosphere.

Music - 7
Sweet OSTs that match the anime's mood, catchy OP and ED. I'm just SO CONFUSED by that apple in the OP, though.

Character - 9
Beautiful character development. Each gets perfect amount of screen time. None majorly more developed that the other. Interesting characters, all differing in personality.

Enjoyment - 9
Great for a good laugh. Nice, easy going pace. Kept my attention the entire time.

Overall - 7.8
Overall, this anime was very enjoyable. It was nice to take a break from all the serious plots this season. I would recommend this to those looking for an easy, good laugh.

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Favorite Character: "Director"

Favorite Ship: "Director" x Hio-tan

I like that every other manga or poster featured in the background settings have become anime now. Kuma Miko, Servamp, Re:ZERO, Taboo Tattoo.

The story and "plot" is pretty simple. Bunch of co-workers, friends working at a manga shop. It's nothing too special except for the fact that there are romantic tension between a majority of the characters.What bothered me is how the story introduced the romance between the girls and the guys. They kept it subtle at some-points during the story. Then there were scenes where anything could happen like kissing or... maybe sex but not really.

The second bothersome part of the story is that ... nobody was paired together towards the end. I couldn't fathom what the point of adding all of those intense scenes where characters could have potentially had created a romantic relationship; if there was no intention of acting upon on it. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

As for the comedy that the story has to offer. It's actually not that bad. There are a bunch of random moments where hilarity ensues and those moments are quite effective! Besides the romance, the comedic moments where something that I had fun looking forward to seeing each episode.Overall the story was good however, I felt like if the romanctic intentions were acted upon, then the story would have been much more satisfying to sit through. Too much teasing and not enough action were my main reason of giving the story a low 5.

The art and animation was certainly unique. I think the character designs were the best thing about the show. I felt like the character designer did a great job of making characters both stand out and... cute. Background settings were pretty nice too. As I mentioned earlier there are a lot of shout-outs to other popular light novels and manga featured in the background of the work shop.

The sound department could've been better however, I don't really think it had much of an impact on the show. When I went back to re-watch this, I noticed that the soundtrack doesn't really play a part in a majority of the scenes that play out in Denki-Gai. The voice actors were great. They did a pretty amazing job with the romance scenes. I felt that they put a lot of emotion into their characters and that made them feel "real.'

The characters themselves were great to a certain extent. I felt like each of them had a good personality to them. They were likable and there interactions with each other were always fun to watch. Especially when they would do competitions with their rivals. My only problem with the characters would have to be the lack of pairing. As mentioned earlier the romantic tension between most of the characters was play a big part in why I loved the series. However, not having the characters properly confess and pair up in the end ruined my experience.

Enjoyment for the series was above average. I was able to remain engaged in the story, there were plot developments that took me by surprise, and I was happy with the comedic moments. It's sad that the only thing that killed a lot of my hype and good impression for the series was the lack of pairing the couples together.

Overall Denki-gai no Honya-san is pretty good, despite the failed relationship pairing and romance. I gave it a 7/10 because it manages to remain interesting as well as hilarious at times. When there are romantic scenes I like feeling involved in them. I would highly recommend this series for casual watching.

Denki gai no Honya San, a hilarious anime with 2-3 skits per episode.
Episodes: 12
There is not so much of a plot to this anime. But it's good if you want to pass your time laughing.

Story:
A group of friends or co-workers working in a manga store spend their daily lives working in the store or dealing with their own problems. Not one character is the spotlight rather it's a mixed story about all of them. So, each episode is divided into 2-3 skits just like in Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou or Lucky Star. But the level of jokes is a bit adult so it's quite fun ... to watch.

Characters:
The characters are well designed keeping in mind what kind of an anime this is. The characters are indeed funny in their own ways and some mild romance also occurs between the characters which is fun in itself.

Enjoyment:
It's a good time pass. That's all I can say. You can watch it when you're tired of some serious action or romance type anime. It's quite relaxing and the jokes are pretty funny. I like this anime for this purpose.

This anime is for a slightly (17+, in terms of the jokes) mature audience and I doubt kids would find it very enjoyable due to the jokes they make.
Anyway, it's a good laugh. A good comedy anime for Fall, 2014.

I don't know what was the point of this clown fiesta... There's not really a story here, plus the sexualization of minors and the other ecchi funny content is not funny, it's clearly stupid...
The anime revolves around the workers of a manga store which are very underage girls and a minor and two dudes with no personality! The anime is supposed to be about their lives with ecchi "funny" content but the content is extremely fantasized, no effort behind this. I would've given this a higher score but they failed so miserably with the characters that I won't be watching the other episodes.

Work. It's a fact of life that we all have to get a job in order to make money and support ourselves. In addition to the hard labor that we must endure, we also have to deal with co-workers and the omnipotent boss that rules over what we do in the workplace. But what kind of life would you have if you your job was working in an otaku store, surrounded by members of your kind? Well, that's the kind of thing that Denki-gai No Honya-san provides.

Story (6.88/10): Denki-gai's story is really what'd you expect in a show like ... this. As a slice of life show, the tone of the show is rather mellow, using comedy as its gateway for entertainment rather than a standard plot with rises, a climax, and an ending, thus following the lives of seven individuals and two outsiders as they work in an otaku store filled with manga, eros, and boxed anime sets, showing us that working at the place where your hobby is stored might not always be a good idea.

The plot is shown in a sort of 4-koma style where every episode features several minisodes about certain characters and their interactions both inside and outside the workplace. While this has been shown to be a time-tested formula of storytelling that has worked well for some anime such as Lucky Star and Nichijou, Denki-gai somehow lacks slightly on the flair and charm that it has in its storytelling. By no means is the storytelling bad, but while watching it, the show felt a little bland to me personally as a viewer as rather than using cunning wit and sharp tongues, the show uses over exaggerated scenes with crazy facial expressions, close-ups to make things look far more extreme and overall a more loud and crazy style of comedy.

Which also brings me to the central part for any given series similar to this, comedy. The comedy is varied. On one hand, some of the comedy scenes provide some decent laughs, making the show enjoyable. However, on the other hand, the show also has some scenes that were supposed to be funny, but rather fall flat, being more awkward more than anything else. In addition, the show also flip flips through different moods, showing a more focused scene centered around two characters and delving into one of three romantic subplots that go nowhere, then goes into an entirely different thing featuring a crazy day at work, then reverting into something involving alcohol, a more serious scene, or about girl power. The transitions aren't really very smooth from one scene to another but don't hinder the show much overall.

As for an ending, I have to give the show some props for how they ended the show. Normally I find it hard to see a good ending for a slice of life show since many shows following this sort of format haven't been able to find a decent ending due to the non-existent plot, usually as a result, becoming a more open ended ending that leads people to beg for more. Honestly, I can say the ending as far as I could see was quite ingenious because of how they made a scene where they referenced their own seiyuus. (Basically a cosplay picnic where every character dressed as their perspective voice actor's or actresses's past roles. It's true. Look them up.)

Overall, Denki-gai was an interesting watch. There were points in the show where it tried way to hard to be funny with its over-the-top comedy, as well as some awkward mood transitions from one scene to another, but overall, it did entertain.

Overview:
+ Good ending
+/- Mixed Comedy
- Awkward transitions from scenes

Characters (7.10/10): You can't have a slice-of life without good characters; it's a known fact. Characters can be even considered even more important than plot in slice of life shows due to the fact that the comedy and charm of the show can only be executed or be memorable through the use of the show's personalities. Denki-gai...has a mixed bag.

The show features seven very unique individuals as the main characters. Umi, Sensei, Hio, Sommelier, Kantoku, Fu-girl, and Kameko. What makes the characters unique first-hand are their names, seeing as how a good deal of them are called nicknames rather than actual names. Without going into too much detail, each of these characters are...unique. They each all have their own quirks and traits about them that make them each a character that has not been overtrouped or overused, which is a plus for the show. However, as a result of this, the characters don't get a lot of traits as a result, more or less resting on their more "unique" traits and make them more one note above anything else with the only exception being Kantoku in terms of character depth as he is shown several times to be more than just the manager of the store.

Aside from the main cast of seven, there are two other side characters that make occasional appearances. What's interesting to me is the fact that these so-called side characters actually get some backstory and a bit more explanation and exploration to their personality and why they do what they do, which always struck me as odd seeing as how the side characters become more interesting than the main ones.

Overall, the cast of Denki is rather mixed. On one hand, we do have some VERY unique personalities to the cast of only nine characters, but as a result of their unique traits, forces them to rely on those traits in order to sustain that unique quality, ending most of them up to be one-note characters above anything else.

Overview:
+ Unique non-trouped personalities
+/- Side characters are more interesting than main characters. (It should be the other way around.)
- Main characters stay with static personalities.

Art and Sound (7.00/10 and 6.22/10): The animation for the series is well...kinda meh. There're no real standout points for the series as everything is rather consistent visually and the style doesn't really stand out above other shows. The show utilizes a lot of crazy facial expressions to compliment its crazy and wacky comedy style, disfiguring their characters to suit the situation, and giving the characters a blush on their cheeks that make them look like they have a constant fever. Overall, the animation is decent, but nothing extraordinary.

The music is honestly not even worth the time to listen to. There aren't any standout tracks and everything is rather generic. They're all kinda meh.

Overview:
+/- Meh Aesthetics

Overall Enjoyment (6.88/10): When I first found this series, the first thing I thought of was Working!!, as the concept for the series was quite similar, what with the whole interaction with one's coworkers and possible interwork relationships due to romantic subplots. But as I continued watching the show became something more of an over the top exaggeration more than an actual slice of life. It wasn't particularly bad with how the show took this direction, but it wasn't as far as I could see, beneficial to the series.

Did I like this series?

In some ways, yes. The show's characters regardless of their one note flaws, are characters that don't particularly follow any sort of troupe. This gives a very fresh feeling for the show and even makes some of the subjective comedy somewhat easy to laugh to. In addition, the overall feel of the does give a very casual and non-serious tone, making it somewhat relaxing to watch to.

What didn't I like about this series?

The transitions inside each minisode in terms of mood were definitely a big issue as you laugh in one scene then have to become serious as you watch it without word or warning because some of the characters do get a bit serious at times. In addition, the comedy as I have mentioned before is a subjective style of comedy where it bounces off people in different ways. Some people are guaranteed to laugh at the antics of this show, and other may not.

Would I recommend this show?

That really depends on your taste. The show is definitely one of those turn off your brain shows because there aren't really any moments that really require you to think deeply. It's mostly just a show that you would want to sit down and watch in order to kill time. However if you're not a fan of ecchi humor, talking about eroge constantly, or romantic subplots, this show will not be for you. It's not the best show ever, but it does have some positive points.

Overall Score: 6.97/10

Denki-Gai.

Yes, I didn't know if to watch it or not, at the beginning I wanted to, then I didn't, and it went on like that for a while.
And I'm happy I watched it at the end.

So, let the review begin! With pros!
The characters are amazing, I LOVED each and every one of them! They each add to the team and make the experience more enjoyable. They are so unique and funny, I just burst out laughing!

The animation may be a bit childish but that what makes the show even cuter! The music was nice and fun.

So now to the less pleasant part of the ... review. Cons.
So each chapter is like a new story, and I dunno about you but like it that the episodes are connected.

Another thing is the anime ended too soon and felt a bit incomplete, but of course that doesn't have to be a con if you like leaving room for imagination, and I do, but to me it still felt that way.

Some romance included, but no making out, for all you who literally pray for kisses. That is somewhat of a con.

And this is something I am not sure if it's a pro or con:
The show is a bit messy and all over the place. Usually it would be a on, but here it makes the show sweeter, and more related to real life. So make your pick: CON or PRO.

I would recommend this anime for people looking for a cute, silly and funny anime. It is enjoyable and fun to watch.
But if you are looking for an anime with an actual plot, go fish!

Hope I was helpful!

“Denki-gai no Honya-san” is a delightful slice-of-life comedy that offers a humorous and endearing look into the world of manga enthusiasts and retail workers. The anime’s charm lies in its vibrant cast of characters, each bringing their own unique personality and quirks to the table.

The episodic nature of the series allows for a wide range of comedic scenarios and heartfelt moments. Whether it’s dealing with demanding customers, organizing special events, or simply hanging out after work, the interactions between the characters are consistently entertaining and relatable. The humor is lighthearted and often revolves around the peculiarities of otaku culture, making it particularly enjoyable for fans ... of manga and anime.

The animation style is colorful and lively, perfectly complementing the show’s playful tone. The character designs are distinct and expressive, enhancing the comedic timing and emotional resonance of various scenes. Additionally, the series effectively captures the cozy and bustling atmosphere of a manga store, making it a treat for anyone who has ever spent time in such a setting.

While the anime primarily focuses on comedy, it also touches on themes of friendship, passion, and personal growth. The relationships between the characters are well-developed, with moments of genuine connection and support that add depth to the overall narrative.

Overall, “Denki-gai no Honya-san” is a fun and heartwarming series that provides a delightful escape into the world of manga retail. It’s a great watch for anyone looking for a light-hearted and amusing slice-of-life anime with a strong sense of camaraderie and a love for all things manga.

8/10 👍

Umanohone Bookstore, the one-stop shop for all the books and mangas you need (Yes, even the 18+ ones c/o Sommelier). This is where Denki-gai no Honya-san revolves around. This is the first ones to premier this Fall 2014. It's underrated, yet it is not to be pushed aside.

The story is easy to understand for it just focuses on the lives of the employees of Umanohone and the crazy events that happen to it.

Story-wise: I can say it's okay. The character developments are there, just not obvious. The relationship between the characters are the reason why I keep holding on to this series. Hey, Kantoku and ... Hio-tan's relationship is my favorite! Let's not forget Fu Gurl x Sommelier and Umio x Sensei too~ And also mentioning Tsumorin for she is just too adorable :))

Animation and Art: New to my eyes as well. Giving it a 9!

Humor: The humor is always present. It's just that... sometimes the jokes are repetitive and that makes it quite blant. But yeah, it's still good.

Music: Can't say much about it. I liked the ED more~ XD

OVERALL: It's a 8 / 10 for me~
If you are running out of Comedy series to watch that also has romance and manga references, check this one out~

Story: Denki-gai is about a young man named Umio who starts to work at a manga store. He meets some of his friends who are his co-workers. Lot's of slapstick comedy happens within the store, and you never know what's going on.

9/10

Art: I don't think I have seen any anime with art as fluffy, light, and cute as Denki-gai's. Denki-gai's art is something unique and difficult to find in other anime. Overall I find Denki-gai's art to be something alright.

10/10

Sound:
OST - It was awesome to listen to. It either made me excited, or scared, the OST was cool and it fits.
Opening - It was a ... quite fun song to listen to, but not a song I would want to have on my MP3 player.
Ending - Oh my goodness! This is so addicting! The ending beats the opening by tons! It's super fun, addicting, and overall catchy!
Voice Acting - Moe Moe awesome voice acting is where Denki-gai comes in. All the voice actors did an awesome job on their characters and there is not a single voice which made my ears bleed! Wonderful job!

9/10

Characters: We have Umio, a brand new worker of Denki-gai, Sensei, a manga writer, Kantoku, a cold-hearted guy, Hio-tan, a busty worker, and there is many more to name!

10/10

Enjoyment: Denki-gai was one of the funnest anime I have ever watched! I'm quite happy I got to watch Denki-gai, because if I didn't, I sure missed out! I hope it gets a second season, until then, I will miss Denki-gai.

9/10

Overall: 9/10, which means: I loved it!

Denki-gai no Honya-san

What it’s like to work in a manga store, with heavy slice of life elements, that’s basically what Denki-gai is. It’s super funny, it’s all over the place, it makes very little sense, it’s a ton of great fun. The girls are all really cute, the way everything melds together works so well too.

Working in Umanohane, we have a nice large cast of characters: Sensei, the manga artist who’s trying to go pro, Fu Girl, a crazy zombie loving girl who loves horror manga and will imagine things in her favor to try and kill “zombies” (she’s really funny), Kameko, the ... one who takes pictures of all the events that occur, a slightly sad tale for her, but she has fuwa fuwa afro hair and is super cute, Sommelier, the silent one who knows what you like just by looking at you, specializes in ero ero goodness, Hio-tan, the clumsy one who is super embarrassed around the Director and tends to get picked on because of her body shape, Kantoku, or the Director, he loves to take video of things happening and is always a huge tease to everyone in the store, also manages everyone around and lastly Umio, the new kid, super shy, has a huge passion for otaku related things, daikimaru’s, pantzu, waifu’s, you name it, he’s pretty funny.

So what happens when you work in a manga store, well a lot, you deal with wild customers who are desperate for the latest manga releases, everyone wants the latest ero books, things in the work place are occurring, love is blossoming, tons of things. There are events that happen both in and out of work and as such, that’s what you’re watching in Denki-gai. Yes, it’s very slice of life, yes it’s 100% episodic and yes, it’s laugh out loud funny with what appears to be info on actual work in manga related places, so it’s pretty great!

I mentioned in my Ninja Nonsense review that I’ve never seen an art style as unique as it before, but here comes Denki-gai and what do you know, it actually has some striking similarities, especially in the way faces and eyes are drawn, so I think that’s pretty cool. Denki-gai utilizes some really cute colors for its’ art and is also very nicely drawn. I think it’s a cute anime to watch.

OP and ED, like always I have no complaints, I think they’re very cute, fun and upbeat, makes it easy to listen. A lot of great sound effects and BGM too, but the best thing were the seiyuu for sure. The girls, when they get flustered and embarrassed, so unbelievably cute, all the stuttering, all the high pitched voices, all the yelling and running away, all the squeeing when the girls are next to the boys they like, Ahhhhhhhh, I love it all and there is so much of it in Denki-gai, just soooooo goooooood ~, seriously ~ gao gao ~

Denki-gai, it’s a good watch, gao gao ~

I loved this anime, and plan on reading the manga to catch up on the entire story soon.

I am a huge fan of the slice of life genre, and this anime captured it very well in my opinion. The art style was simple, yet cute. The characters interactions with each other was well done and extremely enjoying to watch.

Overall, this anime is great for winding down after a long day of work, or even after a shower or bath. The story line is fun, and involving, but it is very easy to leave off after an episode or two and pick it up ... the next day.

I think this anime targets the specific audience of otakus and anime lovers alike. It’s definitely a show where people go “I relate to that” or “Yep, that’s me”. It’s extremely funny when you understand the jokes and situations and can somewhat relate to them. I feel like if your new to anime this show would confuse you and probably won’t be as funny as you don’t really understand Otaku culture. Not saying you can’t watch it, but it’s way more funnier when you understand certain Otaku-ness if I can say that.

STORY 9/10
It’s meant to be an anime where each episode is like a ... short story of their own little world. I love anime where it doesn’t make you have to recall something that was 10 episodes ago just to understand what’s happening. Especially now since I don’t binge anime in one go as I used to. I definitely love how they develop characters in their own relationships and bring in some extremely funny jokes into the show. Every episode I was laughing so hard I almost had tears rolling down. I also was a huge fan of Skull face bookseller Honda-san with its sense of humour and storyline about working at a Japanese bookstore. Denki Gai opened up another anime which I could also watch a similar storyline and laugh just as hard. It also brought so many memories of being in Japan and going into bookstores, especially the layouts and the special events in the anime (although in real life they weren’t as crazy haha)

CHARACTERS 8/10

The characters are really cute and I love how each has their own personality and likings which creates really different interactions with other characters. I will admit, sometimes some characters got a bit too much for me on trying to be cutesy, but I think everyone has their preference in that.

ART AND MUSIC 7/10
It’s got standard art and music for it’s time. Nothing too amazing but nothing too shabby. Not much to say here

OVERALL
It’s a fun loving anime that’s easy to watch. I think it depends on your preferences of what kind of anime you like but for me, I love comedy with funny and somewhat relatable scenes. If you love an easygoing anime which is pretty cute and may remind you of being in Japan, defs worth giving this a watch.

I first got interested in this show after seeing a gif. It was the pretty and clean art style that got my attention. After that I watched the first episode and then came the rest. The art was just as I expected , it had bright and cheerful colors that set the mood of the show.

The character designs weren't your average cliche designs, instead we got characters that are breath of fresh air, they won't resemble any other characters and you will enjoy watching them. Combined with the art, all the characters really pop out and instantly grab your attention. It wasn't only the ... art and character design that made the characters stand out, their personality and who they were also was a plus. There wasn't any character development, but their personalities weren't too annoying or needed any major changes. There was a bit of emotions thrown in there near the second half of the show but it isn't anything too major, to begin with this is a Slice of Life show so you shouldn't expect too much of a plot or changes in the characters.

It really had quite a few funny scenes and romance moments, tho the romance itself doesn't go anywhere, it nevertheless was cute. The interaction of characters in love was also sweet, there was a lot of blushing and embarrassing moments, also lets not forget the awkward ones. They all were innocent when it came to love and I felt like watching a couple of kids fall in love with each other. I just wanted them to hurry up and get together already but, sadly, that didn't happen, which brings me to my only disappointment with this show.

From how they always acted I was sure that they would get together at the end, half my disappointment is because I just really wanted them to be happy together. I wanted to believe that the romance would give fruit at the end but that disappointingly didn't happen, the show had good pairings and characters that I cared, for that reason when they didn't get together at the end I was pretty disappointed.

If you wish to watch a funny and cute Slice of Life anime then give this one a shot, with its art, animation and characters, I am sure you will enjoy it. Don't expect any romance, as that will only lower the full enjoyment you can get from the show.

Hidden gem among the comedy slice-of-life shows, with stellar voice cast and well-executed pacing. The stories within each episode flow forward effortlessly, it almost never feels like it drags or loses steam. (Except maybe for the last two or three episodes, here and there, but not in any critical way.)

The roster of characters is also well balanced. There isn't the usual single character carrying the whole show on their shoulders. There is genuinely something to like about each one of them. Good luck picking your best girl here!

The animation has a cute cartoony style, but feels slightly left down by the colour palettes ... used, which can feel somewhat pale. (Might be just a compositing issue.)

The music is mostly fitting, with a couple of tracks standing out, but there were also one or two moments where the composer could have pushed the emotion a little further.

Denki-gai no Honya-san is a funny, irreverent romp, steeped in otaku culture and self-aware to the very end. Still, even as it manages to sow the seeds of compelling characterization, it ultimately fails to follow through and become more than it is, what I feel it is meant to be. Beginning with the story, it is simple and episodic throughout, while managing to be consistently funny and in many cases heartwarming, even if it is far hornier than one would expect at first glance. It is simplest in the first half, but grows with the struggles faced by the employees ... of Umanohone, and builds up several storylines which seem at first to promise later payoff. Be it the various romances or career aspirations, I found myself invested by the end, only to have all the loose threads left blowing in the wind, and nothing to show for it. Indeed, for all the fanservice they managed to cram in 12 episodes, it would seem they're pretty damn nervous about a kiss or two!

The art is the strong point of this anime, far exceeding all standards of quality one would expect from either the time period or genre. The color palette is vibrant and reflects the spirit of the show, the backgrounds are fully detailed and painstakingly worked, the character designs are pleasing to the eye and distinctive in a variety of ways, and the fluidity of the visual gags speak to the talent of the team behind it, as well as their cohesion with the writers which shows itself in its impeccable comedic timing.

The sound is surprisingly good, with a fun, emotive soundtrack, engaging voice work, and sounds of life which make the world feel more grounded and believable.

The characters of course provide major forward momentum for the show as a whole, and through rock solid line delivery coupled with a kinetic visual language, prove themselves as more than just vehicles for the story or comedic elements, but instead as surprisingly three dimensional characters which enthusiastically drive the show towards its conclusion. Many comedy anime feel as though they abandon their characters to the whims of the story or for the sake of comedy, but they avoid that pitfall here. From the large and engaging cast, I have to say the best characters are Sommelier and Sensei, though Kameko was the most personally engaging for her unique position among the cast and distinct characterization from the rest of the Umanohone girls. Overall, I feel it must be said that this anime is a 6 only because it straddles the line too much. If it remained a lighthearted comedy with no aspirations of character growth or romantic culmination, then it would be a 7, or if it managed to stick the landing and give the audience a satisfying ending, then it would also be a 7. Unfortunately it does neither, and is demoted to a 6. Still, if you enjoy shows dealing with the chaos of retail or otaku culture, then you'll find both here.