Shigofumi

Okay, first review on the site, I'm not really one for long essays, and I've only just recently got into anime so apologies if it's not very technical but felt I wanted to pass my view on.

When I first read the summary of the anime I was very excited, the plot semt really intresting and just the type of anime that I was looking for. It was also a short series therefore I completed it within 24 hours (barely) the opening couple of Shigofumi were really good, very nice. Kept me intrested until 3am in the morning and that is a task all on its ... own. But when I came back to it the next day (very excited may I add) I was sadly dissapointed....

I felt the episodes were hit and miss, some were actually quite powerful and moving, and as people have said already dealing with very touchy subjects, it was like a rollercoaster ride, on minute I would be hitting the 'next episode' quicker than a kangaroo on steroids, and then for the next couple of episodes it took me great strength to not just turn it off and drop it.

I never felt very close to characters, I didn't feel sympathy, I dont feel they were developed well enough, the main characters I thought were pretty bland and unintresting in my personal opinion. Although the plot had potential, and I did get what was going on eventually, I just felt it could have been handled better (maybe with it being such a short series they just didn't have time to fully develop the characters well enough for my taste)

I shall end with some positives for the show because despite it seeming like a loathe this anime, it probably wasn't as bad as what I am making it out to be. First of all I though both opening and ending songs were really nice and atmospheric and went well with the show. I especially like the ending which I have even downloaded. The picture and art in the show is very nice with fluid motion throughout. If anything the sound and art really brought the series up in my eyes, and I have said before some episodes were really gripping and very good, and at points I was actually gripped and thought that it was going to go somewhere.

But overall I just think the story didn't really contain any 'wow' factor for me, I did not really care much for any of the characters (especially the annoying and tbh quite useless sidekick staff) and while some episodes were quite thrilling and gripping and I do appreciate and respect that they were touching on real life problems and tragedy's (abuse, teen suicide, bullying etc etc) I still found some of the episodes rather boring and hard to get through. But I loved the art and soundtrack, and I must say the ending was quite touching.

Shigofumi was created by Yuzawa Tomoro and written by Okouchi Ichiro under J.C. Staff Studio in 2008. How well does it hold up when compared to their other works? Let's find out.

Story:

Our heroine, Fumika, is a postman but not an ordinary one. She delivers Shigofumi, the final memento of the dead delivered to the world of the living, usually in the form of a letter. That's a good sign to start with. It is an intriguing idea and could make for a really good episodic title on the level of Petshop of Horrors. Unfortunately, the concept isn't taken full advantage of. A lot of the ... episodes deal, at least in part, with Fumika and unraveling what happened to get her in the position she's in. By itself, that wouldn't be a huge problem. Sure, it would be an odd decision but a major underlying story could work if it was well told. What makes it a huge problem is that Fumika's story is boring, predictable and not very well handled. The ultimate payoff is a letdown too.

I will say, to the series' credit, most of the time the episodes that focus more on the concept and have a lot less of Fumika's generic tale are really good. The one about the game designer, the bullying episode and the story of a tennis player who receives a shigofumi from her estranged mother are all really good. The first three episodes, before they really get into Fumika's story, are good too. Just not as strong as those three.

Now, there is some really serious content about abuse, suicide, and sexual exploitation. Some of it is well handled, some of it, not so much. So you may want to consider that before deciding whether or not to watch it.

Characters:

You know how some episodic anime have a problem with under-developed one-shot characters but have really developed and complex reoccurring characters? Oddly enough, Shigofumi has the opposite problem. The reoccurring characters are exceedingly bland and underwritten. In contrast, a lot of the really good episodes that deal more with the concept follow the characters who are important to the story and really take the time to flesh them out, give them verisimilitude and they even develop with their own miniature story arcs. Which leaves me with the same question I had when I watched Shingeki no Kyojin, if the writer can clearly write characters then why are the main focus characters so cliched and drab? Oh, and expect the pop culture idea of dissociative identity disorder to pop up. Although Shigofumi, like Akuma no Riddle, has enough fantastical elements that it doesn't come across as out of place.

Art:

The artwork is okay. The character designs, backgrounds, and action are all pretty decent. They aren't anything grand or amazing but they do their job just fine.

Sound:

The cast is a bit more mixed. While there really aren't any people in the cast who can't act, there are a lot of stale characters. Which leads to some actors, like Asano Masumi, Ueda Kana, Terashima Takuma and Chiba Saeko to deliver really stagnant performances. In contrast you get some really strong performances from the actors voicing side characters who show up once or twice. Iwanaga Tetsuya, Hirakawa Daisuke Okano Kousuke, Kitamura Eri & Arai Satomi all do very well in the little screen time they get. The music is pretty good too.

Ho-yay:

There's a little bit. The episode about the tennis player happens to also feature her girlfriend in a prominent role. Their relationship is pretty cute too.

Final Thoughts:

Shigofumi has a really good concept and it shines as a series when it takes advantage of that concept. The problem is that far too much of the series is occupied with bland major characters and a generic, predictable plot line that only serves to weaken the series. In the end, it's still decent but it could have been so much stronger. The final rating is a 6/10. If the concept sounds compelling to you, you might want to give it a shot. I would personally suggest watching the first four episodes, episode 6 and episode 10 while skipping the other half of the series. Next week, Conqueror of Shamballa.

Shigofumi starts by grabbing your interest with its fresh and unique premise, the story of a postal worker that delivers the parting thoughts and feelings of the recently deceased. Each new episode focuses on a new character and their personal struggles, slowly working toward an ending where the main character Fumika eventually becomes the focus. A lot of the characters cross paths with each other, making the series feel more connected despite its episodic nature.

After watching a few episodes however, it became clear that Shigofumi was heavily inspired by other shows. Halfway through I felt that I was watching the cute little sister of such ... shows as Hell Girl and Boogiepop Phantom, both of which I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed this. All three revolve around a mysterious girl that ties together an episodic story, all delving into the same themes of bullying, suicide, family-drama, and similar horror-drama scenarios.

The presentation is the main point I’d like to bring up. The reason Shigofumi only ends up being the cute little sister of these other shows is because of its tone. The soundtrack is more mellow and peaceful, with a number of great tracks hidden inside. The art-design works well for scenes with grounded drama, yet it lacks the genuinely scary imagery that would fit the psychological horror in it. It simply doesn’t convey the same amount of emotion through its style, ultimately becoming more neutral in comparison.

Neutral is the perfect way to describe how the show left me feeling, which also was part of its intent. To paraphrase the main character when she delivers her letters, it’s not about presenting things as good or bad, but simply about being honest. However, there are moments where these honest feelings do come across as clearly good and bad, which brings me to the portrayal of the characters. When looking at the core plot and the people in it, they tended to be very hit-and-miss. Some were enjoyable to follow from start to finish, others bored me to tears, and then there were the occasional WTF-moments where all subtlety was thrown out the window. Once again, the dispassionate tone made the enjoyable characters have less of an impact, the boring characters became more boring, and the crazy characters became less natural. It is a mixed bag where personal taste will decide how much of the show you will enjoy.

Shigofumi is a series that did alright with what it was aiming for. Alas the direction could have done so much more with what was there. It is an alright drama, just less so when compared to others like it. I would recommend anyone interested in the series to try the first two to three episodes, as they perfectly portray what to expect.