Cheating Craft

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Zuobi Yishu

Japanese: チーティングクラフト

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 12

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 5, 2016 to Dec 21, 2016

Premiered: Fall 2016

Broadcast: Wednesdays at 18:30 (JST)

Producers: Haoliners Animation League, Emon

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: Blade

Source: Novel

Genres: Action, Comedy

Theme: School

Duration: 12 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 5.38¹ (scored by 24,919 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #12011²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #2595

Members: 69,985

Favorites: 50

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5.38

Ranked #12011Popularity #2595Members 69,985

Fall 2016TVBlade

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Episodes: /12

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Synopsis

In a world where academic success decides your entire future, the exam room becomes a ruthless battlefield. Passing the exams guarantees a successful future. Failing dooms you to live a cruel life, tormented by suffering and despair. Only the most intelligent—or cunning—students make it out alive. These are the two strategies of combat: spend your entire life studying for the test, or perfect your cheating strategy. The students who dedicate themselves to studying are called “Learning Type” students, and they are forced to collaborate with a “Cheating Type” student in order to battle their rivals for the top grades.

The cheater Zhuge Mu Ming and studious academic Qiao Yi Huang decide to team up against the exams. However, the allies are soon divided, becoming bitter rivals. Will they be able to make it on their own? And if so, who will survive the challenge and emerge victorious?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Ten minute shorts based on Gemini Xin Luo's novel Zuobi Yishu.

Episode Videos

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Characters & Voice Actors

Zhuge, Mu Ming

Main

Yamaguchi, Tomohiro
Japanese

Huang, Qiao Yi

Supporting

Kugimiya, Rie
Japanese

Jun

Supporting

Ikeda, Junya
Japanese

Liu, Bai Jiu

Supporting

Ueda, Reina
Japanese

Zhou, Lun Yu

Supporting

Namikawa, Daisuke
Japanese

Xing, Li

Supporting

Hikasa, Youko
Japanese

Wang

Supporting

Mitsuishi, Kotono
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Motonaga, Keitarou

Director

Iwahata, Gouichi

Storyboard

Kusuda, Aina

Theme Song Performance

Watanabe, Shio

Theme Song Lyrics

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Opening Theme

"Kasoku Suru Trial (加速するトライアル)" by Kamen Joshi

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Ending Theme

"Welcome Future (ウェルカム・フューチャー)" by Aina Kusuda

Reviews

Dec 21, 2016

3xTripple

Recommended

Cheating Craft is the definition of an absolutely brilliant mediocre anime!

You might be thinking, "How could you give this mediocre series a ten, especially when you only give tens to three percent of anime?!" Well, it's actually a six, but hear me out for a second...

(TL;DR at end)

If you've already watched this show, you probably already know that it's really not THAT great. However, have you ever seen another series like this...? The answer is probably no, and that's where I feel this anime shines the most.

Anime is supposed to be the genre of artistic imagination, yet we're constantly bombarded with the same concepts ... repeatedly. However, Cheating Craft goes against the norm by being a short, 12-minute parody series that makes fun of some popular anime concepts with a fun twist. Every episode contains a comedic and dramatic story, where all you know is that the main character will somehow cheat to prevail over a test in a dramatic way using his family's impossibly diverse Shokatsu techniques. It has a linear plot and moves at a really great pace towards the single end-goal of living a life of luxury by graduating from their prestigious school.

One of the characters in this series really stood out to me, and that's Kou-chan (or Huang, Qiao Yi). Kou-chan is is voiced by Rie Kugimiya, otherwise known as the "Queen of Tsundere Voices". Kou-chan stands out to me because she's: smart and nerdy, but not shy; simplistic, but not average; unusually focused, but laid back; she's confident, rude, sarcastic, perverted, bl-loving--- in other words, she's a very unusual and lovable character. In fact, I think she may have one of the more unique (unrealistic) personalities that I've seen in the anime genre (let me know if you agree). I think she's a worthy favorite if you like her enough.

I strongly believe that Cheating Craft should be praised for its unrealistic and bold concepts, like using supernatural abilities for the sole purpose of cheating to pass exams. It's a stark contrast to most other anime because the teachers are actually the main "villains" of this supernatural school tale. Hell, they might as well have just studied with all the effort that goes into cheating each episode! To add to the humor, you have a disclaimer every episode that says "cheating is a wrongful act, do not imitate." Note that it is physically impossible to imitate almost anything that happens in it, which makes it even funnier! Then, to finish it off, you have the hilariously dramatic episodes and backstories of the main protagonists.

This anime does not even try to take itself seriously, which adds to the mediocre brilliance. It may be extremely mediocre, but it is honestly the most enjoyable mediocre series that I have ever seen.

TL;DR
This series is masterfully mediocre.

Story: 5 - Linear, good pacing, rather average story.
Art: 6 - Fluid, Dramatic, Good Enough.
Sound: 9 - This actually threw me off... There's not usually great music in a mediocre series...
Character: 5 - All are archetypes except Kou-chan
Enjoyment 9 - Surprisingly entertaining, despite having no intellectual value.

I highly recommend that you watch it! If you don't like it by the 3rd episode, then you probably won't like it.

Overall: 10 out of fucking 10.

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Apr 1, 2017

Thakamura

Mixed Feelings

Are you bored with no ideas? Do you want to see a low-rated anime? Do you like to waste time? You no longer feel that feeling: "How Dragon Ball fillers are good."?

If your answers were "Yeah" so far, then watch "Cheating Craft". I would not recommend this anime even for my enemies.

Let's talk about topics:

1. History. Totally rushed, with more holes than cheese and totally and definitely able to give you Bugs and Tilts in the brain. It turns well until the 2nd episode. Where to start from there begins the "shooting" to leave holes. Missing explanations of why such thing was done, how things ... happened and even, I do not know if it was a spoiler or a sheer sneer of the anime developers, but in the middle of the anime ... the story of a meaningless jump! We look like "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?" And suddenly things return to "normal" but with the previous effects of history that have jumped. Completely confused this anime. And the end? Gives that pain that they wanted maybe a second season (or still want). It is almost a torture to imagine that there may be another season to leave me sleepless worried that so spending money and time in it.
2. A comedy. The comedy itself is well made and thought out, this is the best of the anime. As much as the story is unstructured, you can have fun with the anime. What made me more comfortable after watching it was the comedy, because nothing else is useful.
3. Characters. Good but at the same time misunderstood. We have a very unique protagonist, but he's not that stupid character. The others are a little confused ... When it comes to romance, friendship and coexistence. And the worst is that some really are unnecessary at one point.
4. The "Antagonist." Do not expect an antagonist so early in history, can forget it. While he does not appear, he can stay there trying to find an anti-hero as meaningless as the story.
5. The design. Yeah, there's nothing to deny, the anime has a good character design, the skills are well described and well illustrated. It looks like a "My Hero Academy" with no history.
6. Sound effects. Yeah, there's so much to complain about too, it's that non-differential pattern.

This anime really does not make sense. I think if they did something more fluid, 24 minutes per episode and without history holes; He could be a good, profitable anime. I definitely do not have the slightest desire to recommend it these days. I felt cheated by watching it and realizing that it is just a curse to divulge a manga. I feel totally and definitely stupid to watch even having low scores on My Anime List.
The only reason to see it anyway, is to recognize how ecchis cliches are good compared to this anime. How much fillers sometimes have more logic than this anime.

If you've read this far and still want to see this anime. Congratulations, you have the courage. (Or you want to see only the comedy scenes in an attempt to escape the routine.)

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Dec 21, 2016

Whoahoho

Not Recommended

Ok, if I would describe this anime amongst the character's technique, I describe it as "Suck-katsu Technique" as it in this anime for all of what is expected "TOTALLY SUCKS!!!!!" as one reviewer's comment states, "It becomes a chore than an amusement." Man, just what the fuck was Haoliner Animation League', studio Blade thinking for making an anime out of a Chinese light novel titled Zuobi Yishu by Gemini Xin Luo? Tbh, I have nothing but regrets about allowing myself to subject to such chore of watching this.....thing, where it would have been much exciting to watch 'Prison School" than this, sooooooo:

Storywise, It was ...

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Poll: Cheating Craft Episode 6 Discussion Stark700 - Nov 9, 2016	49 replies	by Vindicater »» Jan 12, 2023 2:30 AM
Poll: Cheating Craft Episode 12 Discussion Stark700 - Dec 21, 2016	48 replies	by bushman66 »» Sep 3, 2022 7:55 AM
Poll: Cheating Craft Episode 7 Discussion Stark700 - Nov 16, 2016	25 replies	by bushman66 »» Aug 30, 2022 4:16 PM
Poll: Cheating Craft Episode 5 Discussion Stark700 - Nov 2, 2016	37 replies	by Dawizz »» Aug 25, 2022 11:21 PM
Poll: Cheating Craft Episode 2 Discussion Stark700 - Oct 12, 2016	46 replies	by Dawizz »» Aug 25, 2022 7:36 AM

Cheating Craft

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