Yes, I apologize, but I'm going to have to join the Mayoiga debate, since there are apparently a large number of individuals in the anime community who are convinced that this beautiful disaster is somehow entirely unaware of the fact that it's a comedy. Now, I've heard a lot of things said about the matter, and so I would firstly like to clarify that I am not a diehard fan of the show trying to justify it, nor am I attempting to tell anyone that they are somehow stupid or foolish for assuming that Mayoiga is actually just mind-numbingly stupid trash. I don't even consider
...
this some enlightened or critical interpretation: this review's main purpose is to tell people that yes, this show is worth watching, and that yes, it is only worth watching if you look at it from the standpoint of "Mizushima and Okada have fun messing around with B horror tropes", because while there are certainly a fair number of blatant giveaways, much of Mayoiga's humor comes from the small details.
So why is Mayoiga good again?
Most anime comedies are bad. That's an opinion, obviously, but it's one that I'm fairly hard-set on. Anime comedy derives mostly from physical comedy, overreactions, making fun of anime tropes, stupid sex jokes/boob jokes/food jokes, and other versions of uncreative/broad-appeal humor that gets reused over and over. When anime does set up good jokes, it often ruins them by pointing to them aggressively to make sure you understood the fact that yes, this was in fact supposed to be humor.
Mayoiga never does this. Once. What makes the show work more than anything is that it's so absurdly self serious one-hundred percent of the time. More than anything, this is likely why there is so much debate surrounding it, because there is never a single moment in the show where Mayoiga acknowledges that anything that it's doing is a joke. On the other hand though, this is what makes it so entertaining. You have stuff like Nyanta and Jigoku wandering around with amunition belts and assault rifles or Lovepon ceaselessly screaming about her gradually-escalating need to execute someone, and no one pays this even a lick of attention. It's pretty much the anime equivalent of that comic with the dog in the middle of an inferno saying "this is fine." In Mayoiga, nonsense passes as logic and no one questions it once. The names "Hyouketsu no Judgeness" and "Jack" are acknowledged to be 'similar'. A character claiming to be able to see dead people is accepted as a valid argument as to why another character is not in fact a ghost. Medieval forms of witch torture are used as practical assessments of guilt, with a council of thoughtful glasses-pushing intellectuals actually trying to stab a twelve-year-old girl just to check if she'll bleed or not. The offhand way in which Mayoiga spews utter nonsense without ever treating its story and world as anything other than absolutely intense and important makes what would be an absolutely attrocious plot into a phenomenal piece of entertainment.
But it goes past that. Mayoiga's dialogue and overblown character tropes may be fun, but what really makes the show special is that it assumes that the audience has seen at least a few B horror movies and murder-mystery plots in their day, and it uses that to violently thrash their expectations in the most viscerally unsatisfying ways imaginable. If Mayoiga was a violent gorefest it would quickly slip into the realm of incoherence, lose the appeal of its nonsense dialogue, and turn into another Another (heh). But instead, Mayoiga capitalizes on lethargy and apathy. It treats its plot twists and reveals like inqonsequential details to skim over. Instead of whipping its characters up into a frenzy, it makes the majority of them lazy, subdued, whiny, and complacent. It devotes ominous attention to cast member that are never remotely relevant. If ever there were a perfect backdrop against which to place a few under-the-radar psychos and sociopaths, it's the one that Mayoiga creates through its easily-distracted mob. When characters start going missing, large portions of the cast are more concerned with existential reasoning or even debating the spelling of said character's names than with worrying about their own or their comrade's safety. Beyond this, Mayoiga goes so far as to present some of the worst direction concievably possible, pace itself in ways that make no sense, and demonstrate a staggering penchant for anticlimax right through to the very end. It could be argued that the plot was technically 'resolved', because it was, but it is done is such a way that you're left confused and slightly baffled, wondering 'wait, what? that's it? this is a story, weren't there supposed to be dramatic stakes?' and then you can't help but chuckle at the fact that Mayoiga got you good one last time as you realize that it couldn't have been any other way.
So yeah, Mayoiga is hilarious. I laughed out loud at least two or three times an episode on average, with plenty of chuckles in between, and I'm talking about from the very first episode. This is funny stuff.
That said, even for what it is, it's by no means perfect. I enjoyed the show immensely, but I still wish that it had been just a little bit better at what it does. The final third of the show is noticeably less funny than the rest, with a reliance on anticlimax and executing big moments horribly taking away from some of the show's momentum. In addition, the show is composed by Okada, who has always loved her melodrama, and this becomes more and more apparent as the number of faux-emotional flashbacks intensifies until that joke has been overdone and it loses its charm. If these flashbacks and idiotic backstories had become increasingly more absurd and creative perhaps this would have worked better, but the show's best backstories are mostly the early ones so unforunately this wasn't the case. In addition, it's usually the case the truly successful comedies succeed the way they do because they manage to be engaging even when they aren't throwing out jokes simply through atmosphere/intesity/actual plot, and again unfortunately when Mayoiga isn't making you laugh, it isn't really doing anything of note. In my opinion, this is what sets something like the first season of Jojo apart from the rest of the fold--even Mayoiga--in that even when Jojo isn't being immediately absurd, it manages to breed an atmosphere of fun and excitement that keeps you interested because it feels like an adventure and not just one big joke. So yeah, this thing is flawed. But that doesn't change the fact that it's a great time, and that it's consistent enough to not give you that empty feeling of 'I want to laugh more, I'm in a humorous mood, but the show's just not quite getting there". With the right attitude, Mayoiga delivers.
In the end it kinda just makes me sad to see the show getting so much hate, because it's a kind of unique and truly dedicated comedy that we see rarely-to-never in anime, and it would be cool if more people could appreciate it. After watching people explode over stuff like Konosuba (personally, I find Konosuba to be, well, kinda garbage, but to each his own) I was excited to have an airing comedy that I was also invested in and could laugh along with the rest of the community. At this point, it seems a little late for that, but it's not to late for all you smart people out there who spend your time wisely and wait until the end of the season to see reviews and decide what looks like it's worth watching. Despite what almost everyone is saying to the contrary, I firmly believe that if you go into Mayoiga expecting a comedy and a self-aware but deadpan parody that you will likely find yourself happily laughing for twelve delightful episodes. Every type of humor isn't for everyone, granted, but for what it does Mayoiga is pretty much one-of-a-kind among anime, and I think it's worth giving a shot, even if just to see if it's for you.
In Mayoiga-esque fashion, here's the score breakdown loaded ino the end of the review now that it's almost entirely irrelevant.
Story-- Decidedly unique. Better than Trasformers: Dark of the Moon. No other information necessary.
Art-- Totally fucking terrible, the CGI looks like a bad skyrim mod.
Sound-- Surprisingly competent, could even be counted against the show because it's too effective. Opening is catchy AF.
Character-- You either love them or you Lovepon them.
Enjoyment-- Really the only thing worth mentioning, it's a good time, that's enough of that.
Fin.
Hail Lovepon.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: 迷家-マヨイガ-
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
12
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Apr 1, 2016 to Jun 17, 2016
Premiered:
Spring 2016
Broadcast:
Fridays at 22:30 (JST)
Producers:
WOWOW, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Pony Canyon, KlockWorx, Studio Mausu, Azumaker, Shogakukan
Licensors:
Ponycan USA
Studios:
Diomedéa
Source:
Original
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#116992
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1113
Members:
217,279
Favorites:
294
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 163 / 174
Sort
Your Feelings Categories Jul 11, 2016
Yes, I apologize, but I'm going to have to join the Mayoiga debate, since there are apparently a large number of individuals in the anime community who are convinced that this beautiful disaster is somehow entirely unaware of the fact that it's a comedy. Now, I've heard a lot of things said about the matter, and so I would firstly like to clarify that I am not a diehard fan of the show trying to justify it, nor am I attempting to tell anyone that they are somehow stupid or foolish for assuming that Mayoiga is actually just mind-numbingly stupid trash. I don't even consider
...
Jun 17, 2016
Watching Mayoiga is like opening a surprise package and finding out it's something you so fiercely hate, thus transitioning your expectations into a decaying death. The premise itself is interesting, and there's a sense of an odd feeling of triumph at the beginning because as rarely as it comes, to see a pure original 'lost somewhere' flick is definitely something you can look forward to with excessive hype and such was the case with myself. As a matter of fact, before the spring season began, I had Mayoiga at the top of my most anticipated shows list. But Mayoiga, or rather Trainwre- I mean... The
...
Jun 17, 2016
Mayoiga (The Lost Village) is a really strange series and to watch it, you’ll really need to do it with some attention or an open mind. I can’t remember the last time I watched a show with such amount of absurdity, to a point where I feel just as lost as the characters in the story. Directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (Shirobako, Girls und Panzer), the series takes the genre of mystery but what you expect isn’t what you’ll likely get. And in many ways, Mayoiga sends a wrong message that makes the show look like a borderline comedy.
As an original series, the premise itself sounds ... Jun 17, 2016
It was like watching a train wreck, so bad, however so appealing to watch that you can't look away.
Escapism is a major part of the story. Each of the 30 characters want to start their lives over again because of a troubling past. Now don't get me wrong, Mayoiga had, has a very interesting concept, plot, and story however I felt like it wasn't able to execute (get the pun) important things like dramatic scenes and capturing realistic emotions very well. The story and plot felt a bit too cliche, predictable, and badly written to the point where I don't even want to go back ... Jun 18, 2016
The Lost Village is a rather unique show. Featuring a large cast of thirty named characters, acclaimed director Tsumotu Mizushima (Shirobako, Girls und Panzer, Dai Mahou Touge) and a similarly acclaimed writer Mari Okada (Ano Hana, Toradora, Nagi no Asakura); to call The Lost Village ambitious would be an understatement. In this review I intend to explain what makes The Lost Village brilliant whilst also explaining what makes this show as polarizing as it appears to be.
The Lost Village presents itself as a horror show. A bunch of kids and young adults board a bus to a mysterious village in order to rebuild their lives. ... Jun 22, 2016
Okay, at first episode I thought this anime got potential, maybe something that stand out from the rest of anime this season, well I wasn't completely wrong.
This anime got too many characters and hardly any of them are importants. Most of them are fucking annoying, make me want to punch my computer's screen hoping my fist would break through dimension knock them the fuck out. God, fucking Lovepon and her EXECUTION! This anime do a poor making me care about any of the characters. These characters are all losers who want to escape their lives because they fucking suck. We slowly learn how lame ... Jun 17, 2016
Welcome to "so bad it's actually funny" – the anime. Sort of.
It's hard to explain just how bad Mayoiga actually is without seeing it with your own eyes, but if I were to use one word to describe it then it'd be "amateurish". It feels like both the scriptwriting and the directing were done by a group of 14-year-olds for some school film project or something. It's like one of those second-rate western horror flicks that you solely watch for shits and giggles, except put in an anime format for even greater effect. You might be familiar with the 2012 anime "Another": it was an ... Jun 18, 2016
NOT FOR THE WEAK-MINDED
Ok first of all. This anime obviously made a lot of people disappointed, but just because it was able to do that was I able to enjoy it even more than I already had. This anime was tagged as Mystery and for the entirety of it I was just left wondering at awe in every episode. Even though the flow of the story was bad and it could've gone way better, I was able to enjoy this anime because of how crazy it is and how people are getting frustrated over it. Story(6) Yeah the story is pretty bland and the flow is a ... Jun 20, 2016
Mayoiga, the anime deemed "Comedy of the season". Personally, I find it quite appealing that someone would deem this "masterpiece" a comedy.
Story is a 7/10 from me. People go in a village, stuff happens, silent hill vibes. 7/10 Art 9/10, fluid art animation is quite seller. Much appreciated. Everything else *8/10) Characters were unique, concept was good. Got a Law exam tomorrow. Overall 7.5/10 or 8/10. ... Jun 19, 2016
Many people within the anime community complain about the degrading quality of modern anime works. Though I always try to view anime in a positive light, I can't deny that Mayoiga is a great example of this. I mean it was so mediocre and pretentious and it just fell into an eternal abyss of dissapointment.
The lost village is the type of show that tries several ideas and concepts but fails miserably at several of these endeavors. It desperately attempts to incorporate deep themes but can hardly get down dynamic characterization and development, not to mention a completely muddled narrative. The story of ... Jun 24, 2016
2/10 is actually a rather generous score for an anime so abysmal. If MAL offered negative scores, I may have spitefully given it a -2 rather than a positive one.
I trudged through all twelve episodes, wasting 22 minutes of my life every week hoping that somehow, the plot would actually slowly turn good, and the characters wouldn't be so goddamn obnoxious. Didn't happen. I'm asking God for a refund of those minutes after I die one day. First off: Why the everloving frick would you have 30 characters in a show that's only twelve episodes?! With so little time to develop anyone as a character, it's ... Jun 27, 2016
Mayoiga is a perfect example of a third-rate anime that takes itself too seriously with its cardboard characters and creates few unintended pitying chuckles.
A group of people travels to a hidden village to start life anew. Character introductions start immediately, with the worst possible way, letting each one stand up and talk. They are all eccentric and therefore typical in anime, each you might have seen in any other average show. The anime relies heavily on the mystery aspect to grab attention. It is all good and nice, but for a mystery to work, one needs to connect with characters. Otherwise, who cares about an ... Jun 26, 2016
Hey, are you looking for a well made mystery anime that boasts a suspenseful plot with intriguing characters? Then DON'T watch Mayoiga! This show failed miserably to be the good mystery anime that it tried so hard to be. Mayoiga got consistently worse and more agrivating to watch as each episode passed by. In fact, it almost drove me to take a bus tour to an abandoned town divode of life and technology myself just so that I wouldn't have to watch this disgrace on my PC every week.
Plot: 1/10 With an intriguing (albeit kinda stupid) premise, I figured that the overall story would at least ... Jun 17, 2016
Apparently, Mayoiga is categorized as a mystery anime, but the real mystery is figuring out what the fuck was going on half the time, and not really in a good way. One of the most talked about anime of Spring ‘16, Mayoiga deceived whatever target audiences it was trying to lure in; at first it seemed like a group of weirdos assimilating into an uncharted society, then it seemed to be a murder mystery, but really it was… a psychological “horror” involving freaky CG monsters.
Oh. Mayo-egg starts off with thirty Redditors getting on a bus headed for the middle of nowhere, so they can start new ... Jun 20, 2016
Mayoiga, was one of the most interesting anime in the spring season of 2016, there is a reason why I added "was" because it literally was interesting for the first 3 episodes or so.
let's talk about the story, a group of strangers on a trip to an unknown village. a lot of people got excited because those kinds of stories are really famous and they always turn out to be good BUT not in Mayoiga. don't get fooled by its misleading genre of Horror, Mystery, Drama, and Violence. they made it seem like it would be so scary with a lot of deaths, blood and ... Jun 19, 2016
I swear! The only good thing about this horrible show was probably the art. The characters were awful. Every single episode, they kept screaming and acting like idiots. It completely ruined the whole show for me!
None of them made any sense. They acted unreasonable. The only good characters were like two of them. The rest of them acted like complete retards who kept wanting to "control" the situation by themselves! Especially Lovepon! Oh god she was the worst! She kept going on and on about the execution crap! And what was with the ending!? After all that crap about beating each other, they suddenly started to ... Jun 27, 2016
There was a little anime and when it was good, it was really really good, but when it was bad, it was really really bad.
Mayoiga would probably be best described as a psychological supernatural thriller. There is no gore, no murders, no blood, ghosts or epic battle scenes. What this anime does deliver though is monsters, mysteries and cliffhanger moments by the bucket load. Story in a nutshell: A large group of unrelated & dysfunctional people disenchanted with society run away together to start their lives anew in a mysterious village which exists on no mainstream maps. The village is full of mysteries and it is ... Jul 16, 2016
There's this 2015 movie called Tag that's on Youtube as of this moment. It's by my favorite present-day foreign film director, Sion Sono, and it's easily one of the best modern-day horror movies I've seen in a long time. It was creepy. It was funny. Its take on puberty was pretty cool. And even if you don't agree with me on the film's quality, I think most of you would be hard-pressed to deny that it was better than watching Diomedea's attempt at scaring the living daylights out of people with their shitty horror comedy about a bunch of faceless rejects whining about personal problems
...
Apr 30, 2018
Most people said that it's bad but I personally think that it's good. I'm really not the type of person to give reviews but I'd probably make one for this anyway. The story about being lost at a certain village with bunch of people who has psychological scars piqued my interest. Most people had dropped this because there are quite a few who had written some bad comments about this particular anime (DON'T JUST JUMP INTO THE BANDWAGON). But why won't you give this a shot. It's only worth 12 episodes, the art is not bad and the music is outstanding. This is not everyone's
...
Jun 19, 2016
There is a TL;DR at the end. Just a little intro to my review, I have to say I really enjoyed this series. I was not expecting much from it since it was original content and nothing had been said about it before. I think that as an anime series it did a great job and was also completely different from everything else we have been seeing for the past few season. Also if you are a little lazy you can just read the Overall.
Story: The story is about 30 men and women, some younger and some older, who go to an unmarked village to ... |