Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku (TV)

Mikagura School Suite is is an adaptation of Last Note.'s vocaloid song project that spawned a light novel and manga (all written by Last Note.) This would make MSS the 4th anime that adapts a vocaloid project.

Story: 4/10

Mikagura School Suite's story is incredibly mediocre and not special in any way. The plot likes to wave around in different areas throughout the anime to try to give the other characters more depth but it just didn't work (at one point theres a giant Godzilla-esque robot just cause, no logical explanation given). The ending is also very predictable and honestly not fulfilling; I feel it needed ... at least a short epilogue to show how everything ended up afterwards with the many different characters (I don't count the montage in the last ED has much of an epilogue if that was what it was meant to be). One last note (pun) is the the humor in this anime is horrible, it's just not funny. The jokes are dragged out like Shigure's character wanting to get with his cousin. Also, don't hope for Eruna to end up with anyone, because it doesn't happen.

Art/Animation: 3/10

Ohhhh boy. This anime had many MANY art and animation issues. The fight scenes were done incredibly poorly and were done very choppy. Lots of scenes the art looks off and just wrong. The animation overall is below average. Now, to the character designs. I HIGHLY dislike what Doga Kobo did to Akina's character designs. Akina's original designs were quite good despite being simplistic but Doga Kobo changed them to have weirdly shaped eyes and just did not look good. It also made them look, well, out of place next to each other. The backgrounds are very simple and average.

I did like the special ED for Eseragoto Spiral's cover song in I believe ep 11.

Sound: 6/10

I honestly can't note anything particularly good or bad about the OST, it did its job. I did enjoy the covers of Esoragoto Spiral and Houkago Stride but they weren't as good as the original songs. The voice actors did their jobs well, I felt most of the voices fit but Asuhi's voice was WAY to high.

Character: 4/10

Most of the characters in this anime are ok or annoying.

Our main character, Eruna Ichinomiya, is always hitting on girls and loves girls very much. This is one of the few different things about this anime as I don't see MCs like this. Other than that she's a typical positive MC.

Shigure, Eruna's cousin, is either a normal pretty good person, or a crazy comedy relief character trying to get with Eruna.

I, personally, liked Minatogawa and Asuhi the most in this anime and series. Minatogawa is a lonely member of the flower arranging club and I liked his character even though he was minor. Asuhi is a member of the astronomy club and I also liked his personality.

Yuto, the head of the drama club, was a very weak character. Yuto is like a cheap knockoff of fellow vocaloid song series Kagerou Project's Shuuya Kano. Yuto faked how he felt and this was brought up and solved in the same episode and was really underwhelming.

Some of the characters have vocal quirks, mostly in the drama club, it's very very annoying to me. I did not enjoy listening to them. Another major character, Bimii, says "ryui" all the time and its annoying and his dialogue is all unfunny. It's also not really explained why Bimii is with Eruna most of the time despite he's supposed to be a teacher at the school.

Enjoyment: 5/10

Somehow, this show kept me watching despite its content. I never really felt like dropping it so I'll give it that. However, it gave me mostly criticism and that's not a good thing.

Overall: 4/10

I can't recommend this anime, I really can't. I recommend you check out the songs because they're far better than this anime.

(This has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

After completing Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku, I started to wonder what kind of ability I would have if I was granted one based on what I do. At first I thought of a keyboard that would create out of thin air anything I typed out in full – “Manifest Words” would be the name I would give it – because of how much I write. Then my mind wandered to a snowboard that was not so restricted and could go on all surfaces – “Any Board” – because I like to hit the snow when such an ... opportunity presents itself (it is pretty rare nowadays). Regardless, I know that whatever I happened to receive I would have as much fun with it as possible because that is what life needs to be: good, safe, and reasonable fun. This is what the anime tries to convey, but somewhere along the way, it loses sight of what it has to say.

STORY

For many people, Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku appears to be “just another high school anime.” It takes place at (coincidentally enough) a high school, everyone in the cast has unique abilities, and it involves some comedy, some drama, and a resolution where it all ends happily ever after. Sounds rather common on paper and that is perfectly fine, since anime do not always have to be something startlingly new. However, Mikagura is not like other anime. Do not be mistaken; this is not a compliment. The show missteps each time it moves its feet, and for one reason only: disconnectedness.

Mikagura’s toes usually point towards the flashier section of what it brings to the table. More specifically, a high amount of emphasis is placed on the characters’ abilities, the clubs they enroll in, and the battle system in place. As the calling card of the show, it makes sense that the anime would want to show off Eruna using “Tension Max” or Seisa enacting “Killing Art.” But it does not do this. Despite Mikagura putting much stock into the abilities, it is quite uncommon to see them being used in any capacity. Skirmishes are alluded to and it is obvious that specific move-sets exist, but the anime defers to using repetitive comedy in the form of Eruna’s love for “yuri” or Shigure’s ridiculous crush on his cousin. Should the battles even commence, they do not last for very long. It is very strange to witness because it is clear that the show wants to make the battles and the abilities have meaning within the world presented, but because it is so averse to showing them directly, they come off as unimportant and without purpose. As a result, the events which occur feel disconnected since what does happen – like the investigation of relationships between characters or Otone’s entire arc – hardly coincides with the goals or focus of the anime.

Nowhere is Mikagura’s loss of focus more prevalent than with the finale. Throughout the season, it was evident that the biggest conflict was Seisa’s inability to open up based on some past transgression. Therefore the show was structured to keep the issue hidden as long as possible – Seisa is removed from the festivities willingly but also to keep her shrouded in mystery. A disconnect, however, is created once again since the anime waited beyond the point of acceptability to divulge the problem. Said problem is revealed close to the last, prominent segment – the duel between Eruna and Seisa – leaving little time to process the ramifications and no time to see a respectable resolution of the main plot point.

In hindsight, the order of the events is logical from a narrative stance: the beginning of the season demonstrates where Eruna and Seisa are strength-wise, setting the former on a path of fun and learning, with the ending designed to mirror the start and Eruna’s inevitable improvements. Yet the middle portion’s disconnectedness does not accurately portray such growth in Eruna, causing the final battle to feel unnatural. In other words, because the build-up is avoided – due to the anime refraining from having these battles – the payoff from the final fight is never achieved either. Worse still is the explanation behind Seisa’s sudden reversal of brooding (a few words of wisdom not from Eruna, her constant supporter) and the reasoning for their coming together (a supernatural phenomenon referenced, at most, twice), both of which feel disconnected from the rest of the show.

Interestingly, the main theme of Mikagura revolves around disconnectedness, too. Essentially, while everyone might be different or separate or unique, such differences do not matter when people come together to have fun. The disconnected units are able to connect with one another precisely because they are disconnected in the first place. That is a powerful message because togetherness is an inherent need of people. Interacting and connecting with others is something each person should experience, no matter how disconnected he or she might be. This mentality can be seen throughout the season, with Eruna bringing people from the drama, art, gardening, astronomy, calligraphy, and newspaper clubs into one group of friends. She does not care if the person wields a scythe, writes symbols, or shuts herself in. She simply wants these people from every walk of life – these disconnected parts – to come together and have a silly bout of fun. While the show’s lack of battles prevent the theme from being explored outright, there is enough there to keep the plot from feeling completely useless.

Unfortunately, Mikagura could not prevent disconnectedness from ruining whatever narrative it managed to string together.

ANIMATION

Mikagura is a mixed bag when it comes to its art and animation. Looking solely at the art, it does not immediately dazzle the eye, consisting mostly of the school and the surrounding forest. Other areas are visited as well, such as Seisa’s mansion or the various club rooms and hallways. While it appears run-of-the mill, the backgrounds have a strange combination of two- and three-dimensions (more two than three) that give it an air of uniqueness to match the characters’ abilities. Also of note is the handling of civilians or non-cast members. Rather than including a handful of extras with minimal designs, Mikagura opts to include as many as they can with the caveat that they have no details whatsoever. Using this technique, the cast members receive all the attention without the show feeling as if only they exist.

Some attention is paid to the character designs as well. For each person, it is easy to derive who belongs to where and what they do. Kyouma is a painter, so his face is covered in colored marks while he wears a lax uniform. Sadamatsu works with flowers, giving his grassy hair and robe of tranquility more meaning. Even Seisa, who appears normal, sticks out with her mismatched stockings that represent her off-kilter power. The same level of detail can be witnessed with each character, not just those listed; an obvious boon for the anime.

Not as obvious is the strength of the actual animation. When the anime pushes the regular, everyday scenes to the front, movement of limbs, eyes, and hair is not too noticeable. The comedy is quick, so the actions of the characters are usually jittery or choppy to keep up with the speed. Fights see a technique similar to the civilians: the show reduces style and detail in favor of fluid motions.

CHARACTERS

Mikagura does not put much stock into its own characters. Their development is weak and their characterizations are arguably weaker – Eruna is energetic, Asuhi is shy, and so on. To be fair, the anime’s symbolism in regards to the characters’ abilities does add more depth. For example, Eruna’s explosive and energetic personality manifests as insane agility and dazzling light. Yuuto represses his emotions, so he uses art to release his feelings. Otone likes to keep her halves in-check or “wrapped up,” and since ribbons do just that they are her weapon of choice. Asuhi is always hopeful, keeping his head held high and seeing the bright side to life, which his telescope and astronomy tendencies personify. Seisa’s ability as well matches her person; she hates forming relationships with others, something that is almost physically impossible to do, thus she bends time and space to make it a possibility. Each character can be dissected in this way, but it does not help when the characters are rarely utilized or developed. However, when the anime decides to actually do something with its characters, it usually takes one of two forms.

The first form is investigating a character’s past, thereby allowing them the chance to change for the better. Yuuto, Kyouma, and Seisa are the figureheads for this form. Sadly, it devolves into the same pattern: dramatic past is shown, presently resolved, and forgotten in the future. That last bit is the worst offender; after having these characters overcome their troubles, very little is done with the outcome. All three more or less act a bit nicer, but the impact of their development means next to nothing for others and especially themselves. The second form is investigating a character by association. Specifically, Eruna and Otone undergo this type of development, with the latter using the former to achieve it. That is to say, the rest of the cast members develop Eruna whereas Eruna alone develops Otone. For Eruna, this kind of development does not work because she is at the pinnacle of her person; drama and conflict are impervious to her personality. For Otone, she simply hangs out with Eruna to balance her polite and rude sides. But Otone’s character seems pointless, since her role only consists of being an extra member to create Eruna’s club and to aggravate Seisa further. As it was with the characters going through the first form of development, after Otone has “fulfilled her duties,” she is pushed off the stage to finally put the spotlight on Seisa, effectively reducing any importance Otone’s character might have had.

It is unfortunate because Otone is arguably the most interesting character within Mikagura. Looking at the two main girls – Eruna and Seisa – Otone mediates the disconnect between them. If the three were placed on a “personality line,” Eruna would occupy the affable end, Seisa would be as far away from Eruna as possible, and Otone would sit in the center. As such, and as is seen, Otone is capable of connecting with both extremes. She follows Eruna’s wacky antics because she had always wanted the same kind of fun, and she empathizes with Seisa because she had been in the same predicament before. Her involvement brings Eruna and Seisa’s relationship to the breaking point, which ironically needed to happen; to bring them together, Eruna and Seisa had to be disconnected even further than they already were.

But reiterating, the inclusion of Otone and the symbolism of the abilities are mostly lost due to the mishandling of nearly the entire cast.

SOUND

The music of Mikagura follows a simple motif: fun. Like Eruna’s ridiculous optimism and the comedy of the show, many of the pieces that the anime offers are upbeat and filled with happiness. The opening theme is catchy despite the quickness of its beat. The main ending theme slows down slightly, but maintains the same peppy vibe with its fast singing, changing vocalists, and lyrics literally referring to being happy. The jazzy ED is not exactly “fun” but it still has disk scratching and strange sound effects to make it fit the atmosphere.

The other EDs fit the same pace as the main OP and ED, as does the majority of the remaining soundtrack. While there are more melancholic or intense pieces for those sad and dire moments respectively, the show mostly uses slice-of-life arrangements that coincide with the comedy and fun being had.

As far as voice acting is concerned, it is neither the best nor worst ever heard, with most of the cast providing performances of the average variety. The exception is Juri Kimura as Eruna whose constant excited attitude could instantly be heard whenever she spoke.

ENJOYMENT

Repetitive though the comedy may be, I still found it pretty hilarious whenever the jokes were used. Shigure fawning over Eruna followed by a subsequent beat-down, Bimii screaming due to the transformation machine, and especially Eruna going gaga over Seisa and the other girls was overdone but still entertaining for me. The anime using Bimii as the “straight man” to Eruna’s craziness was a smart move, since if Eruna had free reign to do whatever she wanted without occasionally being reeled it would be almost too much to handle. This same tactic is seen with Kurumi (Seisa’s handmaid). Stopping Eruna from taking her relationship with Seisa into risqué territory quelled Eruna’s imagination, forcing the audience to use their own imagination to think where it would lead; a subtle and clever move once more.

The reality, however, is that I was not too fond of much else. Seisa’s character had potential but was treated horribly writing-wise throughout the season. Same for Otone, who seemed to have a place and a purpose within the show but was ultimately there as a slightly more fleshed out Seisa. The rest of the cast is largely forgettable, either because their jokes are not worth remembering (like Nyamirin and her big boobs) or because they have next to no presence (like Meika, the new calligraphy club member). But the most frustrating part of the whole anime was the ending. The show makes such a big deal out of Eruna and Seisa becoming friends, or at least getting Seisa to see the fun side to life, and when it finally happens, I am given a few snapshots of the result. It was nothing short of wholly unsatisfying.

Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku does what it can to be fun, but the disconnected narrative and lame characters keep it from preaching what it wants to say. The detailed designs of the cast and the incorporated music attempt to silence such obstacles, but it is not enough to make its voice heard. Simply put, if the anime had an ability of its own, it would be called “Wanting Better Execution.”

SUMMARY

Story: Bad, disconnectedness is rampant throughout the season

Animation: Fine, the art style does its job, nice character designs, about average actual animation

Characters: Bad, Otone is interesting and symbolism exists, but the rest of the cast members are handled poorly

Sound: Fine, fun OPs, EDs, and soundtrack, with average VA work

Enjoyment: Fine, overused jokes were hit or miss, Bimii and Kurumi were clever additions, but everything else, especially the ending, was rather frustrating

Final Score: 4/10

This review might have some very light spoilers. Just a heads up.

This is my third review on here. I don't write reviews often, because many times others have already covered most of the important bits newcomers should know about a particular anime. I felt that I should write a short one about this series, while it's still fresh in my mind and as it's not one of the most popular shows out there.

I binged it last night, but not because I found it to be wonderful, but rather, I wanted to try to make sense of the randomness and instability of it by the end. ... Was there any sense in the end? Let's find out.

The story of Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku is hard to put into words simply, as it feels more like a mashup of multiple tropes from different series out there jumbled into one show, and not in a good way. It mainly deals with these students at this unusual school attaining superpowers to combat each other as part of their curriculum.
The main character, Eruna, is a girl whose really into girls, and she's not afraid to show it. I'll be honest, this was the main reason I even picked this one up, as yuri in anime is one of my favorite things.

In the early episodes, Eruna's fantasies are in full force and she gets very excited every time she meets a girl at the new school she has joined recommended by her cousin who attends it. She's not afraid to show her infatuation with cute girls, cool! But later down the line, the yuri, for the most part, is heavily reduced to the point of almost being forgotten in favor of "plot progression", which there isn't much of. The plot moves every which way in random zig zags and curves that make no sense, and then towards the end tries to wrap it all up immediately without any explanation of how it came to be really. Eruna's awakened power was sort of explained why she was given it, sort of. But her progression to becoming as strong as she is at the end was done quite half-assed. The entire show feels more like a parody of anime than a legit concrete story.

Now, it's fine to make a show rely on comedy to make light of the plot and give people the impression that it's not taking itself too seriously. But when the comedy falls flat on almost every scene, it makes you question the validity of the show's existence in the first place. I found myself not laughing almost at all throughout the entire series, save for a few scenes here and there, which was quite disappointing. If the plot is already as ridiculous as it is, then at least make a better effort to make me laugh. It usually doesn't take that much. Perfect example is a simple story like the one in Blend-S. Uses parody of anime & otaku culture and has a very simple premise but the jokes are fantastic throughout. I didn't have to force laughter out of myself like I tried to with Mikagura here.

There's plenty more to say about the story of this show, sadly it's mainly more ranting in my case, so I'll continue to art.

The art & animation felt very off and inconsistent.. In many scenes, more than I've probably seen in my overall tenure with anime, which was reignited early this year after a 15 year hiatus. It feels like there wasn't too much quality assurance done before this show was slapped onto TV screens. The characters are often misshapen, the faces take a turn for the worse especially in high action scenes, and sometimes certain characters lose their body proportions (Otone, in many instances, is a good example).

The animation also has its own issues, but it's not the worst I've seen. The combat sequences are probably where most of the budget went, but they do range from not good to not terrible quite often. The environment or setting is pretty flat. The colors don't have much of a gradient to them most of the time.

Sound... well the voice acting was pretty great I thought. I'll expand on that in the character section.
The soundtracks I felt were not to my liking. I normally won't skip tracks that often in series where I enjoy the music, but I found myself skipping several times here except for the few episodes where it had changed. Sound effects throughout the show were okay, not great or memorable in any way to me.

Character. This is where I felt the few bits of comedy that worked, did because of the capability of the voice actors (Japanese). Each one is quite a unique individual in their own way, and their voices and characterization was done pretty well. There are a few that were not up to par with some of the others, such as Yuto. His backstory felt meaningless and then he became a backdrop character who was never really looked at again. The cute loli Himi seemed interesting but went from a fun supporting character at first to an empty shell for the second half of the show, it's too bad because she was one of my favorites.

So did I get enjoyment out of this show? Well, I guess enough enjoyment to binge it through to the end in one sitting, if you can call that enjoyment. More like I just wanted to see what sort of resolution would come from this giant mess of a show. But yes, there was some enjoyment to be had, mainly from the moments where I told myself that the writers of this show do not want you to take it seriously in the first place, and for a few moments that would keep me content with it. Until the end, that is.

I don't think I can say wholeheartedly that this is a great show. Neither a good one. It's not the worst I've seen, but it all depends on how you approach it. If you are looking for a show that takes itself seriously and gives you a solid storytelling experience, rich character depth, incredible eye candy art, and memorable songs, look elsewhere.
On the other hand, if you are just in for some over the top shenanigans without much purpose, a very upfront yuri main character, and somewhat decent action scenes occasionally, then Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku might entertain you for at least a little while. 4/10

P.S. I realize now that this review was longer than I had hoped. Ah well.

Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku or its english title known as, 'Mikagura School Suite'. I found it surprising that it got Dub. Which when comparing the two I found the Dub all the more appealing and easier to follow. Just seem to take a slower pace. As someone who has never seen or watched Vocaloid Shorts it's hard to say, but I just happened stumbled upon this show with no expectations whatsoever.

Gomenasai like always but minor spoilers.

Story: 3

Our protagonist is, Eruna. Right off it's shown that she's trying to decide which High School she wants to attend. Eventually deciding on 'Mikagura Private School' do to the ... wonderful assistance of her cousin Shigure and her hormones when she see a picture of Seisa. Without a doubt Eruna is infatuated by Seisa looks and is the main reason she attends. Seems like an ordinary school premise but many things unfold and it's more than just a ordinary school it's 'Magical School'.

In order to ever succeed and have 'Splendid' School Lifestyle, one must join a Club! That's the main focus of anime, it'll other events come into place. Such as tournament to get everyone club on notice or even beginning a club of your own.

Art & Sound: 4 | 2

The animation, when you have backgrounds characters that are a solid color white color, then you know there's something wrong. That in my opinion was a terrible misstep forward towards the show and made it all the more displeasure to watch. Furthermore, some characters have absurd designs. If I had to call out one it would have to be, Kyoma having paint markings on his face and clothings. Sure it shows that he's apart of the 'Painting Club' doesn't stop it from being ridiculous though. When it comes to fight scenes they were splendid well done, the only major drops in animation quality was towards the ending of the anime.

Sound, nothing worthwhile or amazing. The Opening and Ending Themes were dull and just for temporary showing nothing memorizing. The only that was just above average was EP.12 Opening and Ending Themes.

Characters: 3

Eurena is one of the most Universal Generic frustrating characters I've seen in awhile. She's a degenerate pervert the most irritating character archetype. It shouldn't be the lead character by any standards in my opinion. Much less when trying to incorporate all these types of genres at once. Furthermore, she has ‘Magical Powers' making he overpowered with few train scenes and by luck. I just finding unjustifying a character of her stature is one of the strongest club holders. Her main appeal is the more annoying one, and it’s her being the pervert she is.

Now as for Seisa she's more level headed and serious with a decent reason on why she create a club known as the 'Going Home Club'. Although she has the least amount of screentime compared to everyone else, she's the shows driving force behind Eruna to committing the actions she commits.

No one else deserves to be even mentioned. I couldn't even recall their names. There were too many characters with too little to no screen time. Some obviously having more important roles than others and more screen time but nothing worthwhile mentioning.

Enjoyment: 1

I hated this show half through episode one when she arrived at the school. I winced in agony knowing the type of anime it was going to be. I found myself tapping my leg against the ground waiting and wanting for the episode to come to a finish.

Final Thoughts/Overall: 1

Everyone has different taste. I however, found this anime is so unbelievably generic having all those annoying tropes I despise and hate. It was more than an agonizing pain to get through. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone being that it won’t even leave an impression on you. It’s one of those anime that just appears during the season and people forget about sooner rather than later.