Re:Creators

Re:Creators the definition of CREATIVITY! Everything about this anime is unique and special especially the recap episode. From mecha to magic girl, any types of the character that you could ask for will be appear in this anime.
PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THE RECAP EPISODE!

Story: 10/10
Just when "Isekai" trend is everywhere, this anime use the concept of reverse Isekai where the character from the fantasy world coming out to join the real world instead of the protagonist blend into some parallel world.

Art: 9/10
The animation is not the best but is good enough in the year of 2017. Nothing outstanding but you will realize that the ... working team is giving out their all into the art after you watched the recap episode.

Sound: 10/10 - STRONGLY RECOMMEND!!!
One word - Epic! Both opening theme song are awesome but the first one is better. Moreover, several soundtrack could just simply become one of the best OST in 2017 like AL:Lu, brave the oceans, layers, here i am and god of ink. Hiroyuki Sawano, you are a legend!

Character: 10/10 - AWESOME!!!
This anime got every types of character and its actually insane! What is your favorite type of anime? Mecha like Gundam? Female knight like Saber in fate series? Magic girl like Madoka Magica? RomCom like Toradora? or even wizard, princess, yakuza, gunner, delinquent, psychotic murderer, military, tragedy. Yes, you read it right. Every single one of it will be appearing inside this anime.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Me? Of course, I am extremely enjoying this series. In my personal opinion, this is the best anime that I had ever watched. Outstanding in the music and the idea of fitting every single possible types of character into one anime. The ending is kind of like a little bit unexpected but it also stick with the anime's concept which is being unique and special.

Overall: 10/10
They do not copy. They are not lazy. The soundtrack is awesome. The character design is marvelous. The story is special. This anime is really unique. For example, the way they had done their recap episode is not like the other anime where the working team just cut and edit the past scene. Re:Creators's recap episode is one of the protagonist recap the past scene for us with the mixture of the protagonist's point of view and the working team took the opportunity to criticize the negative opinion toward the current anime industry in Japan and complaining their current workload to the studio. In my opinion, I think I just witness the birth of the most OP character ever, ALTAIR!
Doubt my review? Why not give the first episode a try?

* Sorry for my poor grammar, do drop me a message if you found any grammar mistake that I had made.

I believe I mentioned this before, but I find it consistently harder to write in praise of an anime than to bash it, to the point that the only manner in which I could be satisfied on doing so, would be to break down each episode while highlighting why I believe certain scenes or bits of dialogue are so great and important to the big picture. As you can imagine, the highest I value something, the harder it feels to explain, so let it be known right from the start: I do see Re:Creators in VERY high regard!

Story and Characters

To begin to understand why the ... show works so well, the first good hint would be the original writer, Rei Hiroe, who wrote the story that led to the anime. For those unfortunate enough to not know who Hiroe is, he’s the author of the Black Lagoon manga and the responsible for the dynamic between Rock and Revy, two of the finest characters crafted in the media. In Black Lagoon, he demonstrated his strength at crafting witty and meaningful character studies, while in Re:C he displays, with some aid from Ei Aoki (director of Fate/Zero), his efficiency at developing cohesive, effective and strong plot.

Some comparisons I’ve seen be made about the nature of Re:C in regards to other anime vary from a knock-off of Fate/Zero’s concept, for those who see the combination of colorful fighters of multiple origins as somehow related to F/Z and nothing else, to a shallow piece of propaganda fellating the Japanese government and military, in the same fashion as GATE, for people who are too obtuse to notice the obvious differences and like to make asinine comparisons (you know who you are!). The closest I’ve seen to actually hit the mark was to Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, since both works are commentaries on the media they’re a part of. This comparison doesn’t adequately prepare you to get into Re:C, but it is a better assessment of the nature of the show. While Haruhi is purely a dissection (or you might even say a “deconstruction”, if you can believe it) of the tropes that are to this day prevalent in anime, made brilliant by twisting the role of the protagonist and titular character, along with the ones that personify those tropes, Re:C is a commentary on our relationship with fiction, both from the perspective of the creators as well as the audience, and it's made brilliant by making what would be natural parts of that relation into integral, tangible elements of the plot. I’ll discuss the perspective a bit more when we get to the characters, but for now let’s talk about the strength of the narrative

Besides characters, which I consider to be the most important thing in a story, something I also find of great importance when analyzing is how well structured is the narrative. That takes into consideration things like pacing, as in the rate in which the story progresses or new information is introduced, the role different characters play and how meaningful they are on that role and, specially, when things happen for a reason. Re:Creators shines in that regard, among other reasons, because it wastes almost no time. Every episode in this show is there for a reason (yes, even the hot-spring episode) and nearly EVERY scene has something to help bring out new information, develop the numerous figures of the cast or reinforce what is already known, character and narrative-wise, through a new method or situation. Want an example? The events of episodes 9 and 10, for once, might seem to have no effect in the rest of the plot, at first glance, but looking closely you might notice that they made for the perfect set-up for the main characters to confirm a plot point that would prove itself vital for their future plans, as well as kick into motion Aliceteria’s character-arc. Take this episode out of the equation and you’ll have that plan turn into a complete ass-pull and have Aliceteria’s change of heart be completely unwarranted.

If you are reading this review, I’d assume you already know the premise of Re:C, so I’ll not waste much time explaining it. So, a feeble mind would predict the main villains of a story with such premise to be those who were already villains in their original stories, but this is one of the instances where this anime subverts expectations in the best way: the real villain of the story is a character that originally had no purpose, while the one who was originally a villain turns into a wild card. The series tackles motivations and work ethics of the different artists, ranging from those who do that simply to make a living to those who see on the act of crafting a story as their way of expressing themselves in the way that is the most fulfilling. That said, let’s talk about the characters, starting with the main antagonist

Altair, or the Princess in Military Uniform, was an original character, created based on one of a preexisting fictional game called Eternal Wars Megalosphere and is noted from the beginning to be connected to Souta, one of the main characters, and Setsuna, a former friend of Souta who, and I don’t think I’m spoiling much about the first minute of the show, committed suicide a few months earlier. Do you want another example of how finelly crafted is the structure in this anime? Since not much is shown from Setsuna’s perspective prior to her suicide, some viewers might get frustrated at first, feeling that they missed on something important, but that turns out to be a necessary decision, given what we see from her on episode 21, in which her avatar plays a decisive role in the conclusion. This decision is a great factor into making the experience of this episode as meaningful and effective as it is, besides the excellent writing, of course. Altair was a character created without a set purpose, carrying only the emotions of her creator, to whom she feels a strong connection with. Therefore, she takes upon herself the task of avenging her creator, who she feels was wronged by the world. That lack of a reason to exist, coupled with the angst carried by the one she held the dearest led her to see the real world as a cruel story, and what better way to enact her revenge than by causing the world to implode on itself?

Mizushino Souta, a highschool-age student, is part of the main cast, but regards himself and is treated by the narrative more as a narrator-type figure. He’s an aspiring illustrator who’s a bit shy about his art and holds a guilt complex in regards to Setsuna’s death, who he believes to have betrayed. He considers himself partially culpable for her suicide, for not coming to her aid when it was needed, and that feeling of guilt is what motivates him to take action during the second half of the story. The conclusion to his is arc is not one of overcoming the guilt, but of learning to shoulder the pain of his mistake and making something positive out of it, through his creations. Episode 21 (seriously, folks, it’s a very important episode) is where that is displayed at full force and he ultimately comes to peace with Setsuna. Souta also provides insight about the perspective of people who enjoy and avidly consume fiction, like on his argument with Aliceteria, where he tells her how characters like her are loved because they motivate people with an ideal, a model of how to act, to be honest and never let themselves be brought down by hardship. He also comments later how the passion for anime, manga and other media gives the viewer the opportunity to see the world through someone else’s perspective

Starting the hoster of creations with the heroes, we have Selesia, a character from the light novel and anime series Elemental Symphony of Vogelchevalier, an Escaflowne looking, magitech inspired Mecha that I like imagining to be set in phantasy 1920s. In her world, she was the partner of the main male lead, Charon, fighting against the forces of the Avalon Brigade, which gave her a resolute, quick to action personality, but still calm when among friends. In an interaction with Souta, she advises him to take his time and not try to rush his artistic development, because that way he would be able to grow appropriately along with his work. That interaction reflects the experience she had fighting in her universe, experience that also makes for amusing banter between her and her creator, Takashi Matsubara. Initially, she complains to him about why he didn’t make her stronger, not understanding his perspective as the writer. Their relation eventually becomes mildly like father and daughter, and Matsubara comes to be protective of her, cherishing her as his creation. He comments, during a conversation, how writing is his way of telling the world that he has been there, of leaving a mark on other people. He comes off as an experienced writer, who understands what he can and cannot do in order to keep the audience invested on his work.

Next in the roster is Meteora, also known as Best Girl, originally a NPC from the RPG game AVALKEN of Reminisce, where she takes the role of a powerful mage and the responsible for the library at the End of the World, right before the final boss. This is a very important detail about her, because it influences the way Meteora relates to the real world and other creations, as well as fiction. She states early on that her world is deeply detailed and fleshed out, having even fiction of its own, therefore she has better appreciation and understanding than other creations have about art, its mechanics and the influence it has over people. Interestingly, in one of the early episodes, she and Selesia contemplate a graffiti, and while Selesia has an amazed look on her face, Meteora displays a colder, more analytical expression, denoting the difference in impact for both of them. Lacking social interaction but being remarkably intelligent, she doesn’t have an easy time expressing her emotions properly, which she tries to mitigate by pulling off horrible puns. We see more of that restrained playful soul in episode 13, the greatest recap episode in the history of anime. A nice, detail about her character is how initially her speech is notoriously long-winded, but over time it’s possible to notice it becoming less prolix and more personable. Her knowledge of fiction allows her to read effectively into other characters and she quickly learns to understand what goes through the heart and mind of people from the real world, making her the one to give Souta the emotional support he needs to come clean about his mistakes and deal with the guilt that torments him. She is definitely the one the boy feels the most confortable to talk to, and their friendly chemistry persists throughout the series.

Hell, I ship them!

Since she becomes the brain of the group, fact amusingly displayed when nobody knows what to do and quickly turn to look at her, Meteora also develops a professional friendship with Kikuchihara, the government official responsible for dealing with the situation of the fictional characters. Both recognize and grow to respect each other as the one from both groups who knows best how to deal with the situation

Mirokuji Yuuya is every anti-hero/rival voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto: impetuous, self-reliant, prideful, hedonistic and occasionally clever. Funny enough, his rival from his original story, Sho, is himself voiced by Okamoto, which might be the most amazingly subtle reference ever. Both come from Yatoji Ryou’s manga Lockout Ward Underground: Dark Night, with Yuuya being laid-back and uninterested in doing what others tell him, hanging out with the heroes simply for the fun of fighting the villains, while Sho is obsessed with killing Yuuya, whom he believes to be his sister and best friend’s killer. Perhaps mirroring Yuuya’s personality, Yatoji is arrogant and a bit difficult to deal with, but softens up fast due to their dire situation. He and Matsubara worked together in the past and don’t go very well with each other, but it’s hinted that Matsubara appreciates Yatoji’s work and still worries about him being able to continue, as shown when Yuuya decides to beat up his own creator.

By now we had the light novel female warrior lead, the RPG kuudere, the adolescent power phantasy and fujoshi bait, it’s time for our Gundam boy. Yes, Kanoya is the “Gundam” representative; he went looking for some young poon-tang on his first week in the real world, so he cannot possibly be the Shinji look-alike. His author, Nakanogane-san, wrote him to be someone who gets easily defensive, but also quite heated-up in battle, but as soon as he comes to the real world, the kid decides he doesn’t want to fight anymore. What? Did you expect the Gundam kid to not have his “get in the robot” moment? Silly you!

Kanoya’s small but charming character arc involves him realizing that the obligations he shoulders in his original world are not arbitrary, but something that only he as the protagonist can fulfill, which gives the kid newfound sense of responsibility. His conversation with Souta in episode 11, while superficially seeming like just a fine motivational moment, also highlights an important part of creating effective stories: that characters need to have a purpose to guide their development and actions, creating a sound narrative. Nakanogane-san doesn’t have trouble finding his place, though. The creators here don’t just sit around while their characters fight to save the world: they take initiative on putting together the pieces of Altair’s past and goals to find the best course of action.

Lastly, there’s Hikayu, the visual novel heroin created by Nishio Ohnishi (har har!), who’s a pervert. A good-hearted one, don’t be too harsh on the guy, he means well. Since her game of origin was primarily an eroge, Hykayu is disheartened to learn how exposed she’s to the world, which makes for some of the best comedic moments on the show, like when she does her badass entry during the heat of the combat, shouts her passionate entry lines, while feverishly blushing in shame of her outfit. Surprisingly, or maybe not, her game is not exclusively made of fap material and contains emotional moments that she carries over to her experience in the real world. Could this be a tangential commentary about the tastes of the stereotypically perverted otaku, who can accept a story having blatant smut as well as heartstring-pulling narrative? Perhaps a jab at how we feel the need to justify liking questionable material with the argument that it has a serious and emotionally gripping story? Who knows, but it does add more substance and weight to the notion that the writers and staff do know the ins, outs and running trends of the media they are representing in the anime, instead of simply crafting half-assed references.

Chikujouin Magane (creator not important) is the one creation to have been a villain in her story, but like Yuuya, prefers to act by herself and have fun with people’s suffering. She takes quite the liking or the real world and for Souta’s emotional struggle, taking him and the creations as her main source of enjoyment for the first half of the show. She doesn’t seem to like Meteora very much, though, since the girl doesn’t fall easily for Magane’s mind tricks.

On Altair’s side, the first ones to appear are Aliceteria, the idealistic knight, and Mamika, the unlucky Magical Girl.

Mamika comes from a show for kids, where the morality is black & white, villains are recognizable at first glance, good people who don’t immediately side with the heroin just need to be beaten into agreement and violence is bloodless, so for her it’s a shock to learn that in this new reality her powers might inflict serious harm on people. Kind-hearted and naïve, she doesn’t so much change her nature as the series goes on, but instead learns about the complexities of the new world and takes different methods to bring end to conflict. Aliceteria, in the other hand, comes from an equally black & white reality, but one severely more violent, bloody and harsh than that of Mamika. Aliceteria is stubbornly idealistic, to a point where the anime makes it clear she fooled herself into believing the real world is really a home of sadistic, cynical gods, who created her reality just to amuse themselves with the suffering of the people in it, so it’s her duty to force her god, Takarada-san, to fix her world and free it from evil. Takarada himself looks like a young, emergent author who still hasn’t mastered the creation of layered and complex characters, relying on the archetypical noble hero to focus his work on. It’s partially through Souta’s intervention and passionate speech about why figures like Aliceteria are beloved on his world that she begins to realize how disconnected she is from the true motivations of her fans.

Mamika and Aliceteria form a strong bond in their short time together, despite the difference in mentality. For once, when going to recruit a new creation, Mamika hopes it’s a good person, while Alice hopes it’s someone trustworthy and strong (to their dismay it’s neither), and it’s the similarity in values, despite the difference in priority, coupled with the courage and backbone that warms the knight to the young magical girl.

These two characters, among others, help put into perspective one of the brilliant ideas applied on Re:Creators: the anime purposefully built one-dimensional characters into the narrative because in context they come from stories that aren’t as well fleshed out or detailed. Selesia and Meteora, were created by authors who intricately crafted their personalities, worldviews or universe, so when they come to the real world they act more human, but also can better understand the morality of their creators, while Mamika and Alice were shallow characters, created to be good and righteous, but lacking understanding of complex notions of right and wrong, so they become easy prey for a villain who can spout ideas that sound good and presents easy solutions to their problem. That shallowness is not the final state for them either, but a jumping point from where they develop into layered and intelligent individuals capable of understanding the new reality and taking the best decisions based on their own morals.

Lastly, because going further would be spoiler, there’s Blitz Talker, the hard-boiled supporting character from the manga Code-Babylon, written and drawn by Suruga Shunma. Blitz clearly knows of Altair’s true intentions from the beginning, but stays with her because of his desire to protect her, whom he sees as weaker than she lets transpire. Suruga is an intriguing character because she keeps a low profile most of the time, not showing much of her personality and mindset. Most of the time she comes off as an aloof workaholic, constantly drawing, barely taking her eyes off the paper, only to look woefully uninterested when she did, but in her confrontation with her Blitz, she delivers plenty of substance. She makes for a great parallel to Setsuna. The girl had a sudden boost in notoriety, but didn’t have the time to grow up and learn to deal with the hate that comes with the spotlight and that negativity was too much for her young mind to deal with. Suruga, on the other hand, had to struggle with competition and criticism, suffered with the negativity, finally reaching enough success to be able to sustain herself with her art. Many viewers might think her outlook on fiction or her creative process is cynical, but it’s better to describe it as pragmatic and she shows to genuinely love and take pride on her work.

On episode 03 the anime introduces the concept around which the entire plot revolves: audience acceptance. They first note that the characters to appear in the real world tend to be those who had the largest impact among the public, so after Matsubara fails to alter the description of Selesia, it becomes obvious that the creators can’t simply change their characters as they go along. They soon began to theorize that what can really affect their status is if they manage to get enough of the general public to empathize with the changes made to them, idea that is solidly proven in the events of episode 10. It’s based on that concept that the heroes elaborate their plan to defeat Altair, by crafting a story that would be able to gather acceptance from the public to the point where they are able to bait and trap Altair on the Bird Cage, a scenario located within the real and fictional words, where they’d be able to defeat her for good, with the approval of the public. Fun fact: Bird Cage is a reference to Altair’s name coming from the Arab word for bird.

Looking at the contextual level it’s not hard to see that the idea of acceptance is a method of commenting on the common fictional elements that have the most success with the public on our own universe, as well as the difficulties faced by writers of popular works, who need to keep constantly in mind what the audience wants from them. Fiction is manipulation by nature, it’s designed to engage the audience in an illusion where the artist pulls the necessary strings to make us feel or think a certain way in relation to what happens to the characters. Bad fiction happens when the illusion is not convincing enough or when the trick is so poorly conveyed that we can see the strings in the background, and no character in Re:C exposes that better than Altair herself in the last few episodes. Not only are her powers the ability to manipulate the fabric of fiction (reason why she can’t simply nuke the world into oblivion), but her speech is constantly centered on the idea of what exactly pleases the audience and gets their acceptance. Her originally neutral condition also contributes to that concept: Altair is a character without cannon beyond the original powers given to her by her creator, so there’s little restraint for other artists to invent new abilities for her, as those new powers can just as easily get approval from the wider audience, contributing to her continuous growth in power and number of tricks up her sleeve. Part of me wonders if this is not a paradoxical trick the writer crafts with the audience. As the viewer, we are conditioned to expect the main villain to not go down until the very last moment, and only against a worthy hero that can pull off the strongest emotional reaction from the audience, therefore, the writers are fooling us into expecting Altair to pull off something new to aid her in battle, knowing that the nature of her powers allows for that.

Presentation

Across the multitude of designs presented the anime displays excellence in keeping verisimilitude and coherence. In fact, that might be the most valuable quality of the work’s presentation, beyond the technical aspects, which are not shabby by any means: the directing is excellent, packed with clever transitions and enthralling shot composition (special shout out to that one camera movement in episode 06 that tells us with no effort that Magane just gets it).

Every element of character design was conceived in a way that the experienced anime fan could safely note what they make reference to: Selesia and Charon dress in the angular and colorful style that has become a trend among light novel characters, clearly made to please cosplayers instead of having practical combat utility; Meteora sports the distinguishable attire of an RPG mage from works like the Tales franchise, cuz the design is clearly too confortable to be Final Fantasy; Kanoya uses the slick, futuristic uniform of robot pilots across the Mecha genre. All of this is important because it says something about the characters, not only from what kind of story they come from, but also their personalities. Even when in civilian outfits, the choice of clothing tells something about them: Meteora dresses with cute and childlike attire, because she’s a petit woman and is tired of constantly using a thick uniform, while Selesia’s adorably modest choices help flesh out her personality as reserved, possibly chaste.

The same care extends to all the fictional websites, products that appear on the show as well as the different magic symbols used by the characters. The designers commented in interviews how there was an entire creative process behind the elaboration of the multiple logos, focused on creating an internally consistent scenario. There’s no “Gaagle” search engine or “PZP” console in this story, all the fictional products, social medias or websites presented here were designed to look and sound believable to the extent that one could easily think that Mauchly, Piclive or Songbird are a real thing, or that SONY might actually create a console called Play Portal, which I imagine would be a portable with meager first and third-party support.

The sound department continues the effort in verisimilitude by featuring performances consistent with the universe and genre each character comes from. I’ve already mentioned Nobuhiko Okamoto previously, brilliantly cast as Sho, not just because of the irony but also because he’s can skillfully express Sho’s devoted and naïve mannerisms. Other clever choices are Suzumura Kenichi as Yuuya, fitting since this voice actor has experience with characters who speak in mischievous tone, and Minase Inoue, as Meteora, who previously worked as Rem in Re:Zero and is capable of pulling off a character who speaks stoically without falling into blandness. Now, voice actors are a fun subject and all, but that’s not even the most exciting aspect of how Re:Creators sounds. That would be Sawano Hiroyuki’s amazing soundtrack, tailor made for this anime. Permeated with intense electronic beat and bombastic energy, these songs are never misplaced; the same track can mark the intensity of action sequences but also play to great effect in comedic beats, adding more points to the directorial work. Just look at Selesia trying her new power or Hikayu doing her badass entry and you’ll know what I mean. The lyrics, off course, in songs like Here I Am (Mamika’s theme), God of ink, Layers, Brave the Ocean and World Etude are perfect mirrors for the characters inner thoughts and their goals.

Personal Ramblings

I first thought about talking about this in the story breakdown, but I decided to leave it for this section, as it is the main reason Meteora became my favorite character in the show and why I began to see this anime with higher appreciation. In episode 04, after learning about the passing of her creator, Meteora decides to play her game on its entirety. Later, she confesses her main grievance from when she came to the real world and talked about her experience with her own game: it was fun, and that’s all that matters, because all she needed was to known if her creator loved her world the same way she did. This moment was particularly relatable to me because it reminds me of a book I’ve read long ago, The Hour of the Star, where the narrator talks about the protagonist of his story, and about how he loved her. Later is that I came to realize that such love was not a traditional sentiment, but the love of the artist for his creation. Meteora’s confession displays the inverse route, from creation to the artist, but to me it emulates the sentiment of the audience, the feeling of experiencing a work that had love put into it, where the people involved were truly invested in created something that would resonate with the player, the reader or the viewer.

Re:Creators is an anime I never knew I wanted, but now that I have it I wonder if there’ll ever be something else like it. The way multiple aspects of artistic creation are talked about and analyzed, the portrayal of the audience and Souta’s mindset as a passionate consumer were all relatable and the show frequently would surprise me by doing something I already expected, but in a way that I did not imagine. Rei Hiroe’s writing tends to do that.

I sure hope there’s more originated from it, off course. The many works mentioned in the story might as well spawn new franchises in the future, now that they had the perfect introduction. I sure would love to see what they could make out of Elemental Symphony of Vogelchevalier, since those who saw Re:C already know of some spoilers for it, or how they could conceive Mamika’s anime; perhaps as something initially childish-looking that progressively gets more serious and multifaceted. I know Mecha is in life-support nowadays, but it would be nice to see Infinite Divine Machine Mono Magia get its own anime too. The possibilities are not endless, but they sure are plentiful and can be fruitful as long as those works continue to have comparable quality of writing, directing and care put into them as much as it was put in Re:Creators.

what happens when you bring your favorite anime character to our world. considering the copious amounts of shows where we have the opposite and we go to their worlds it's a little refreshing.

the art is good but I don't really care enough because the show is mostly people sitting around talking and giving exposition. for the action scenes, we do see it is fairly original and fluid it is worth the sitting around.

the music isn't that memorable to me but I like the casting choices. it feels like they belong with the characters.

the characters are amazing, going in you may expect basic mainstream anime tropes ... but everyone feels alive and like they're their own person. they are very memorable and they do have their references to other characters from different stories but it was done right to feel as if it is not cliche. They have great reactions to the realization of the situation they find themselves in and seeing who their creators are, are they like gods they imagined or not. the main character doesn't add much as he is just around to tell us who the characters are as king otaku (not a stereotype btw) but I guess it's useful knowledge.

the story is great but it's too much say and not do. like I said before its 90 percent sitting around talking in one room and that can be boring and for a lot of people is. I am really into this show for I don't know if I can handle it for 22 episodes from my history with anime I will get bored and I hope we get a little more movement at least. Otherwise, I love this show and want it to improve. i want more show and not tell

i give it a 8 out of 10 the story is enough to keep you watching but don't be surprised if you want to skip through at points.

*Beware of massive spoilers*

Creativity is something to be cherished, at least when it's not used for malicious intent. Creativity is part of the soul of all good stories, and even the most generic, lifeless trite has at least something creative to call its own, for better or worse. Creators of fiction create their own worlds, characters, situations, etc., and exploring what would happen when their creations transcend fiction and leap into the realm of reality is, well, one of the most creative premises ever conceived in fiction, inevitable puns aside. However, premise draws is to a show, but execution is what keeps us away or ... coming back, happy, disappointed, excited, or enraged. Luckily, this show actually knows what it's talking about, giving a real reason to stay invested every time it slows down. It's a fascinating show, to say the least, and I love it, blunders and all, thanks to its wonderful intrigue, character interactions, fights, and designs. Is this the best show of the year, certainly not, but it's damn good. It's going to be rather hard to make my review as meticulous as this show is, given that this review is probably the hardest I’ll ever make, but I’m willing to try, thanks to the power of taking notes for this wonderful show.

So as I reach my proverbial hand, I ask you two things: will you join me on this magical journey, and do you have any questions? Hopefully, you said yes to both of these, but I will certainly never know. Regardless, provided that your question is one that this review can answer, let’s find out, shall we?

This series glorifies the audience, treating them as actual gods. After all, our reception of a show, on the whole, is what determines its success, and so do our wallets, especially our wallets. We determine a show’s success by watching it and decides to spend money on it. This series knows that so it assumes that we tend to only do that for quality shows. Hence, it makes sure that each of the fictional stories these characters are pulled from are from series that many people in-universe find to be of good quality. It expects that we only watch the good stuff or at least support what we consider good. This isn't entirely true for real life audiences, but it's nice to see a show treat us so kindly as a whole. It also pays special attention to detail with audiences. It doesn't just show perfectly accepting and cheering audiences like all other series that have fictional audiences do, it even shows some that are very perceptive, saying stuff like “that's our writer, classic him” or even “man, haha, this is so stupid” which many of us are definitely like, especially myself.

The series also downplays the power of creators. We’d like to think that they can always have full control over their stories and change them up on a whim, and thus assign them all the credit or blame. That simply isn't true, and the show knows this. It shows they you can't just revise a product and expect that to fly with the audiences, you need to add something that will work instead of changing things to something already established. Sometimes there are many writers that have to come to some kind of agreement or end up dealing with what other writers wrote down before them. I know this show didn't the to show the executive meddling side of things but that happens too. Characters try to get their creators to make massive changes and that doesn't work for the reasons mentioned above.

I love how there are certain story actions that only certain characters end up doing. Of course, Selesia ends up having a minute long dialogue about why she’s doing what she’s doing in her big combat scene in episode 19, she’s a character of a Light Novel adaptation. Of course, Rui with his mech has to be the one to kill someone he cares about who is in another mech. Have you seen Gundam? Of course, he gets a plastic model kit for his robot. Again, Gundam.

There here is some great foreshadowing here at play too. We get great foreshadowing as to why Sota refuses to tell anyone about Altair’s creator when they need to know and he already knows, he feels horrible about what happened to her creator, Setsuna, since he wasn't there for her when she needed some semblance of emotional support. Setsuna being a character in episode 20 for the show they were doing to take down Altair? Sota pinned the idea a few episodes back and they thought it would be a crazy and controversial move (turns out it was but they made a cover story). Charon being an antagonist? Marie flat out told this to Selesia back in episode 3, unaware that this was the anime adaptation version and not the original novel version, where she was betrayed.

The pacing in this anime is really slow, like, Ergo Proxy levels of slow, but that's ok. The dialogue in this show is almost always necessary because it's slowly but surely feeding us more important information about the world or exploring the themes via the characters interacting with each other and their stories in some way. Almost never is a scene remotely wasted, and in fact, they probably should've added a few scenes about the spinoffs leading into the big gargle so that some of the reveals don't come off as asspulls because of them needing to do something and saying “well, the characters told each other about this and you knew these were a thing so it's ok”. Maybe part of the spa scene in episode 16 could've been taken out for that but it's more than just the plot dragging its feet like what some may claim.

Of course, I can't spoil the series without talking about how it all ends. Think back the whole Setsuna episode 20 deal. This was the perfect way to beat Altair, as well as a very creative one. Altair had always felt resentment over how Setsuna’s fate went thanks to the ridicule she received upon the creation of Altair. Using this to their advantage was a brilliant move by Sota. Of course, most OP end villains are defeated through the hero becoming insanely strong and then killing them or otherwise sealing them up completely, but here, she's convinced and consoled dialogue, dialogue between her and the one she cared about, as their last resort, and none of it came off as anti-climactic. After all, this was the end of Altair’s character arc, resentful of the world for what it did to Setsuna and now finally meeting her and then finally relenting in everything.

With the remaining creation characters sans Magane and the characters that died (or basically allowed themselves to reside at the end of the story at the end of episode 21 meant to contain Altair), we see everyone give their final goodbyes and move forward. Barring Meteora (and the ones above), the rest of the creations say goodbye to their creators and head back to their worlds with the kind of banter you'd expect from them and their relationships with their writers, and everyone heads off to their old lives again, with new projects and anime adaptations in the works. Thus, we come back to Sota and Meteora, who submit their scripts and we see the title one last time, with every creation sans Altair just hanging out in a drawing. We now see the anime adaptation of the show Selesia was in end, in a way that seems like she’s giving encouragement to the audience, so by extension, Sota Nearly brought a tear to my eye with how great that ending was.

Of course, this narrative isn't perfect. Even excluding some problems mentioned earlier, the series can really beat us over the head with the whole “creator” and “audience acceptance” bit and it can feel borderline pretentious towards the end at times. There are holes regarding Sota’s seemingly absent mom and the idea that he goes to school but we never see him go to school. We have no idea how Altair managed to become sentient let alone get into the real world, and despite teasing us the connection between Altair and Sota, they never interact even once, which is honestly mind-boggling. The dialogue in episode 11 in particular can get intrigue given that no one makes a move in that episode’s fight until after 20 seconds of someone talking. There are also a few minor missed opportunities as well but honestly the surprisingly rickety narrative is still pretty rich.

A large chunk of what made this show great comes down to two things: character dynamics, and the “creations” themselves. They, along with certain things I’ll get to in a bit, make this cast so great, despite the fact that they probably shouldn’t be. I’ll tackle some of the creators first.

Sota is...interesting. A lot of people complained that he was weak and unable to do much other than support until the end, but that's kinda the point. He’s an ordinary kid surrounded by ordinary yet fully grown adults and epic badasses with superpowers. I doubt you can say that he can get much done without it coming off as forced and stupid. Sure, a ton of things revolve around him in some way or another, but he only gets to do something epic in the end, that writing Setsuna into the story to be the one thing that stops Altair, all for the purpose of telling her something he wishes he could've told her while she was still alive. After all, he wasn't exactly a great guy before, finding some glee in her ridicule and not being there when she needed someone the most, all out of jealousy. It's this character arc that makes him so appealing, seeing him try to deal with what he had done, even if it meant hindering the group until someone broke the truth out of him, forcing him to accept it and bite the bullet for his team. Besides, while you can consider him the main character, don't. In episode 1, he actively states that above all else, he’s just the guy who gets to bring us into this world where he is one of many characters whose perspectives are largely shown. Regardless, he’s still a great character for what he is.

The other creators don't get as of an ability to be memorable. I actively forget the names of most of them, though I do still like some of them, especially Suruga and to a lesser extent Matsubara, whose sort of snarky yet eventually caring father/daughter-esque relationship became really nice to see. I like seeing what happens to a creator emotionally when he sees his creation die, in that he feels like a family member of his died. The only creator I really can't stand is Nishio. He is the typical ultra perv character and to see him as a creator was disconcerting. Thankfully he gets the least actual plot significance because everything about this guy is insufferable. Back to what makes Suruga the best creator character: the scene with her and Blitz. This scene was epic, showing just how much she understands her characters and how she was eventually able to convince him to betray Altair. She even came prepared with a bullet-proof vest because she’s that awesome.

There are now two non-creation characters to really talk about now: Marine and Setsuna. Marine draws some obvious Setsuna parallels in that she sometimes feels ridiculed and saddened by what she is passionate about yet proceeds to keep drawing, much like Setsuna did prior to suicide, and she almost always feels like when she tries to do something right, she ends up making things worse. That made it even better when she managed to give Selesia that fire sword attack in episode 10, which was already an epic moment. I've already touched on Setsuna’s suicide and how I feel like there should've been more seen on her end as to why she committed it but she was still an alright character, just a typical shy but mostly happy teen who became depressed at the harsh reality of what success can bring you. It's a shame we don't get to know much about her, but the scene with her and Altair was, again, incredible. Now, with that said, time to move on the real stars of the show: the creations themselves!

The creations, the first 9 anyway, are what drive this section home. They are responsible for most of the best banter in the show and most of the exploration of these themes that to them, are very existential. Their personalities are also the ones that challenge and get challenged constantly, more so than any of the human characters sans Sota, though it's more of his past actions and hiding from them that get challenged rather than his personality and motivations. Some of them draw especially major parallels with certain characters from shows of our world, and I'll address major ones I see along the way. Welp, let’s dive right in.

Selesia is easily my favorite of the bunch. From her character design to her overall immense beauty, to her expressions and overall character, I love her more than any other character in the show. She’s the first we see have to really be hit with the reality her she is a fictional character, and I find it really amusing that this is the anime adaptation of her exclusively, so she eldest know what happens later in the novels. She had one it the weaker personalities on the whole but that's where the banter and facial expressions come in. Her facial expressions, particularly those of the dialogue-heavy, yet casual situations, are always hilarious and I like how she ends up arguing with Matsubara a lot until the halfway mark, and how she reacts to some situations like the exact way Rui shot her down in episode 5 or how insufferable Nishio was being in episode 15. It's also funny to see that she refuses to read the novel of her or watch the anime because she feels it's awkward and embarrassing. It's a shame she had to die, but hey, what can you do?

Meteora is an interesting one. I can understand her boring many viewers, as even in her game she was mainly exposition, and that carried over immensely, so that's an understandable trait of hers, but especially early on in the show, we see her being the one who drives the meta themes home, like about how she ended up really enjoying her game and shaking her view based on the passion put into her game by the now deceased creator, or how she still recognizes Sota as someone who played the game as the protagonist. The recap episode with her was uproarious though, seeing her find a way to diss anyone she can from this story and even come up with a crazy alternate scenario that results in her winning against Altair easily to end the story. Of course, it would be her bro hung up complaints from the studio itself and the fact that the recap episode was planned from the beginning. Of course, she’s the first one to really form a friendship with Kikuchihara given their similar personalities, and it's nice to see that at the end, she’s the only one that ends up staying to become a writer herself.

Yuuya and Rui are the two of the 9 I have the least to say about to they get to share. Yuuya’s a fun jackass for most of the show and it's funny seeing him come up with a weird nickname for Meteora. The dude has no qualms about who he fights and probably more than most characters, Magane (who I'll really get to soon) repulses him greatly. As for Rui, he really draws a lot of parallels with Kamille Bidan from Zeta Gundam, especially at the beginning. Think about it: a whiny, angsty, blue-haired mecha pilot who grows into someone better over time. I wish I could've seen the development instead of knowing that he came back a changed man, but it was nice seeing him and Yuuya become bros and seeing him try to encourage Sota to be less scared and emotional.

Hikayu’s easily the weakest of the bunch, both physically and as a character. She’s very timid and eventually gets superpowers, and she does a little bit of moralizing, but she doesn't really have a strong presence or dynamic, let alone anything she really brings to the table other than some flashy moves and more fanservice. Then again, both of the characters that get introduced after the ⅔ mark are kinda lame, and we’ll get to the other one later.

A common trait you'll realize about these characters is how complex and informed they are. They're of stories that aren't hellholes or black and white morality shows, so they get to be very complex and actually willing to be as informed as possible about his world and the nature of creators, unlike the antagonists. Before we get to them though, we have one last character to talk about.

Magane is a complete wildcard, and I'm probably not the only one who hated her for a while, for right and wrong reasons. She doesn't care about anything other than having fun, and she finds the struggle and suffering of others to be really, really fun, just like one of my favorite villains of all time, Terumi from Blazblue, especially when she manages to really bring Sota to despair by making him doubt his team and bring back his repressed guilt of not being there for Setsuna prior to her dear. She fucks with him especially hard, making it even more cathartic in episode 19 when he accepts that like her, he’s not exactly a good person (though he isn't as bad as she is). She challenged so many characters’ own morals and feelings, including the more black and white morality of characters such as Alice and Mamika. I initially grew to hate her mannerisms and eagerness to repeat a word multiple times before continuing her dialogue, but I grew to kinda enjoy her presence towards the end, especially when she helps out our heroes in episodes 19 and 20 with her reality-warping powers. With her out of the way, time to move onto the antagonists.

Mamika is clearly the most sympathetic of the group since she’s a magical girl protagonist. This means that her morality is so black and white that she perceives those to some listen to her words of peace as bad guys. It's epic to see how the attacks that are usually fairly harmless and acceptable in her world cause massive hysteria and destruction in real life, causing her to panic and feel horrible. I especially like her relationship with Alice, as while they are from stories of polar opposite tones and moods, their ideologies on how they want to save the world and defeat evil are one and the same, and they bond over that in an almost sisterly fashion, making Alice want revenge for Mamika’s death. Then again, a magical girl with “Mami” in the name is pretty much destined to die, and both of these two characters die in their pursuit of heroism and saving the world, with Altair doing both of them in. This means I've basically described Alice as well, unfortunately, but that at least saves me some time. There is one thing about her to mention though, her Saber parallels. Blonde blade wielder from a sort of medieval-esque origin, her pose and background in the first OP being like that one set of Saber standing in a bloody battlefield of swords and armor, her almost naïve sense of justice. You see it too, don't you?

Blitz is also interesting. Out of the people working under Altair, he’s the only one exclusively from a manga, at least the only one explosively stated as such from what I understand. He knows he isn't some big hero, so he isn't manipulated by Altair from that perspective. He’s just doing what he can to assist her because he feels resentment over his writer’s narrative in which he’s forced to kill his daughter, who looks kinda similar to Nunnally from Code Geass (it's like they know me). He feels like he’s a failure as a father and he, again, knows he’s not some grand hero, so he finds it odd to see his comrades behave the way they do, and his payoff in episode 18 after the already glorious confrontation between him and Suruga, as I already mentioned is great.

Altair is easily the best of the antagonists though. She’s as bitter as she is pretentious. She can manipulate everyone with ease and her powers are beyond broken. Some people say that's automatically a bad thing, to have a villain sue character (a villain who is OP and constantly winning), but in this case, it really isn't, for reasons I'm about to mention. Despite the fact that she stands around too much, she’s always one step ahead for most part, especially in the second half when she uses the good guys’ main plan against them and slowly and sadistically picks them off one by one. Everything she does is for Setsuna, as she feels outraged by what the world did to her, which is an interesting motivation for a villain, as we can see her so vulnerable so many times and just have an epic emotional outburst that feels reasonable for everyone. And again, the way she is defeated was perfect.

Chiron and Shou are also kinda weak and don't get much time to really be fleshed out, but I like the foreshadowing for Chirion being an antagonist all the way back in episode 3 as that he does all of this because he’s tired of the fighting and suffering. Shou just wants revenge for his family, which is a decent motivation too, and his powers are also cool as shit though, so both of these guys are at least better late characters than Hikayu.

So, you can no doubt see two common traits with some of these guys here. Some of them feel absolute resentment involving their creators while others feel like this is their duty, but all of them sans Altair are woefully uninformed of the abilities of the creator, completely overestimating them. I also find it interesting that none of them are created as villain characters, just heroes and one character that adopted the role as the villain due to having no role and nothing but hate, when the only character created as a villain, Magane, is just a brutal wildcard.

Again, it's not just the personalities that make most of these characters great, but far more so what they represent and their relationships with each other that make them stand out. Obviously, I didn't bother giving everyone, as not everyone is really worth mentioning, and some of these characters are still weak, so I wouldn't say it's an all-around fantastic cast, but even still, the better ones here are amazing enough to elevate everything to nearly reach that level anyway. They're about as good from a characterization and writing standpoint as they are from a visual standpoint on the whole, and speaking of which...

TROYCA was the spearhead behind this ambitious show, and the characters look pretty good. The writers and other normal people look...exactly that, plain and ordinary. After all, they're mere mortals in this real world, nothing inherently special. The character designs of the true fictional characters are pretty good, and I am an especially big fan of the designs for Selesia and Altair. Selesia looks genuinely lovely no matter what outfit she's in (and she gets to be in a ton of casual outfits that look fantastic on her, so these guys either have great fashion sense or she’s generally just that good, but I love that they did that) and Alrair’s design is physically pretty complex and interesting, with the detailed suit and gauntlet and even the eyes with the red pupil and blue top of the iris and black bottom side of the iris, to the point where it's accepted in canon that she’s a pain for the team to animate (yet they never mess up, good on them).

The character expressions (especially Selesia’s) can be real funny when they need to be and despite them all coming from different genres, their art styles all work perfectly here. The action is pretty fun as well, with no real fault in the choreography, though the camera is sometimes in the way. Still, these set pieces are really cool and fun and so are some of the powers, and there is a ton of flashy abilities on display here, and adds specific moments that look exceptional. The CGI can range from pretty decent such as Selesia’s mech which is a gigantic pain to name, to really bad, especially Shou’s CGI mecha knight-looking thing, though they're only used for the mechs and cars. Their designs can look decent though, like Selesia’s mech (again). There is an insane amount of dialogue so there are plenty of moments where there isn't a whole lot of animation happening, unfortunately, and the environments aren't interesting enough to hold our attention, so thankfully the character interactions and great Sawano OST for most part do that job just fine, especially in the first half.

It is a commonly accepted belief that Hiroyuki Sawano is among the greatest anime music composers to date, with famously beloved OSTs for Guilty Crown, Attack on Titan, and Kill la Kill. This one is no exception and is one of the few actually good popular anime that he had the luxury of working on. There are a plethora of really good tracks for this show, including both versions of “Layers” and “Brave the Ocean” (though I much prefer the original over the MOD version for both). Many of these tracks are good enough to help bolster the enjoyment of the more dialogue-heavy scenes, especially for game-changing discoveries (such as the track “creator”) so you can imagine how well they work for the fight scenes. This Sawano OST isn't his best unfortunately, as while it's pretty good, it's highs aren't as epic as those of his AoT and Kabaneri OSTs, nor do they really match the Gundam Unicorn OST, which I feel is his best anime OST to date, even if tracks like "Re:Suspense" are up there and are still numerous. That should come off as less of a knock on the show and more of a testament to his musical prowess that great isn't one of the best.

OP 1, "gravityWall" by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Tielle & Gemie is a very catchy and epic tune that really preps you up for this crazy ride you’re about to have, and one of the best OPs of the Spring 2017 season. OP2, "sh0ut" by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Tielle & Gemie, is even more epic and empowering, especially with the buildup before the now famous “Sawano drop” moment where after the epic build up, the song shifts into high gear. This is easily one of the best OPs of Summer 2017, and sometimes I struggle between choosing which of these two OPs is the better of the two, they’re both that good. ED1, "NEWLOOK" by Mashiro Ayano, while a decent song and ED in its own right, is a bit disappointing since many shows that Sawano did the music for bad both great OPs and great EDs, like Attack On Titan, Gundam Unicorn Re:0096, and last year’s Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. The episode 13 ED, "world Étude" by Aki Toyosaki, is a bit better and I like that it’s the trailer theme from Altair’s planned series that was discussed in this show, but it's still only ok. ED 2, "Rubikon (ルビコン)" by Sangatsu no Phantasia, really grew on me. At first, I kinda thought it was alright and that what they did with the visuals was way better by it fits really well with everything and is a really nice and happy song in and of itself. I especially enjoy what they did with the visuals and the mixing of the show’s animated elements and different art styles with real life stuff, making it a really pleasant cross between everything it talks about. You kinda need to see for yourself how great and inventive it is. Overall, Sawano did another really solid job, as he’s known for, even if this isn't his most epic work.

I had a ton of fun with this show, and the way it handled its ingenious premise. The dialogue was usually riveting, if a bit nervously heavy-handed at times, the characters, especially the “creations” were great, the foreshadowing and attempts at causing suspicion were great (especially for the reveals of Altiar’s creator and the fact that Chirion, Selesia’s best friend, was an antagonist), the comedy was almost always spot on and uproarious, and the fights were fun as hell. Again, a lot of people are gonna feel bored with this one, especially thanks to its slow yet necessary pace and the fact that it is infinitely more dialogue-heavy than we were initially led to believe, but the dialogue is almost always interesting for aforementioned reasons, and barring maybe the first half of episode 16, every scene is necessary, nothing is wasted, so despite it feeling like it drags at times, it almost never truly stalls. I like how it basically glorifies the audience as like a wrathful god that only likes good entertainment (we wish), even if the show sometimes feels like it has to hammer the point of some things home (probably out of fear, even though this backfired for many people).

Back when this show was still coming out, I heard the mixed to negative reception of this show from many of my friends. Needless to say, I was beyond worried, and I began pleading for this show to be good. I am so released to say that I'm not disappointed in the slightest. Re:Creators is anything but recycled garbage, it’s actually ambitious, interesting, and creative. Are there missed opportunities? Yeah. Is it heavy-handed and at times boring? Sure. Are there a few downright asinine aspects to this series. Certainly. That doesn’t stop how smart and epic this show is with its amazing premise or wonderful character interactions. This show kind of glorifies and expects a ton from you, which is charming in its own way. It’s in no way pretentious, but it’s more ambitious than most anime of this year, using so many kinds of tropes and characters from other genres perfectly and juxtaposing them with real life, as well as showing how a real setting that can allow for many more scenarios than a typical storyline for these characters can bring out so many different sides of them and incite some actual change from them. That makes it hilariously ironic given that this is a work of fiction though, and I’m not entirely sure if it’s aware of that or not. Even still, this is definitely one of the standout titles of the year, as it's a wonderful ode to creators and the work they put everything into. Now, as always, I bid you adieu.

Anime community has been berated for many years now. I've seen it, you've seen it, everyone's seen it. I think it's safe to say that, while certain individuals are to blame as well, the major fault lays in the thing that we're gathered around. Anime isn't particularly subtle about its tropes or its origin. Stuff that's acceptable in Japan is often times seen as weird, unnaturally obscure or even morally wrong in other parts of the world.
What I always believed was the major issue however, was the way anime itself has been presenting its fans over the past couple of years. How many characters that ... that are anime fans were shown in a clearly positive and acceptable way in the last couple of years? Most of them are hikkikomoris, shut-ins, socially awkward or straight up mad people. While I know that this sort of stuff has mostly been portrayed as an example of what you shouldn't become, I always noticed the distinct lack of people like us, people who watch anime in their free time, who still have a social life, who go to school and study like normal human beings. Perhaps some that already go to work and watch anime as a way to spend their free time.
How about people that are passionate about creating their own work based on anime? We had Shirobako, but besides that? I don't think I remember someone who wasn't a somewhat negative example of a passionate fan. Anime has inspired many to create art and to write. So many in fact that nowadays we see the growth of people from overseas who work in the anime industry. There was always a distinct lack of representation of those types of people as well! Until...

In summer of 2017, a new original anime from studio TROYCA has started its 22 episode run. It received a fairly mixed feedback with several reasonable arguments on both sides of the spectrum. Fast forward to the 26th of May, same year. Mother's Basement releases a video by the name "Re:Creators is a Classic Anime in the Making", and at that point, all hell breaks loose.
People who wholeheartedly believed that Re:Creators is simply a bad anime get louder and louder around the internet, negative reviews start to flood in and in almost every single one of them, a word "classic" can be found, most notably in the context of that Re:Creators is the opposite of that, something that's forgettable and won't be remembered upon its finish.
So, what is it really? Was it truly a classic in the making? What are the arguments that both sides voice out in their attempt to defend their opinion? Did the show portray anime fans better than any other show? Is Re:Creators something that will fade out, or stay in my head for a while? Let's get right into answering those questions, shall we?

*Spoilers included*

The show starts off when Souta Mizushino, who's an artist and an otaku, gets transported into the world of an anime that he's watching. Few moments later and he, alongside the main character from that anime by the name of Selesia Upitiria, teleport back to the real world. Turns out that she's not the only one who has appeared. They get into a big brawl with a mysterious, unknown character that they call "Military Uniform Princess", and later on meet other characters who have been ripped out straight from their story. Two camps end up being born, one that is set on destroying the world of the creators that caused great suffering the worlds of the creations, and one that wants to protect it, for one reason or another.

The most important thing to know going into Re:Creators is that your expectations will most likely not be met, and I don't mean it in the "Oh, it's not that good" sort of way, but instead I want to tell you that this series is not quite what it markets itself to be, or what it looks like in the first episode. While you may expect a Battle Royale type of story, or an action oriented one, you'll be disappointed with how those things are done.
Re:Creators is a show that transcribes itself through dialogue, and culminates through action. Most of its time is spent on set up, exposition and theme exploration, done using a set of strongly identifiable individuals, that are the anime characters, and their creators. The dialogue itself is written very well, with powerful messages getting delivered, clear rules being set and deeper understanding of the narrative or the characters is provided with each set of discussions. You might not be happy with the way the show does it, but it does it really well. Take a look at few conversations from the show, even the ones that didn't take place during anything important. Meteora explaining her idea of Altair's plan in episode 2 makes you immediately understand the threat she poses to not only individuals, but reality itself, it gives Meteora a smart, cool and collected vibe, and on top of that it gives you a clear understanding of how the show outline's will work out, that being big events containing the most important moments from the narrative standpoint will be followed up by both sides figuring stuff out and creating future plans.

To establish its characters faster and give the viewer a better understanding of their personalities early on, this show simply relies on the fact that most of it's characters are stereotypical. They're really, and I mean REALLY easy to read if you've seen the genres they're a part of, or anything similar to the product they come from. The one exception is of course Altair, who's a compilation of fanart, thus she's an unknown and has a mysterious presence to her for a long time. What gives those characters actual personalities in general are, more often than not, their creators, with the exception of Mamika. The passion, care, love and attention to detail you see them put into their characters reflects on the stance of the characters themselves, as they are being ripped straight from their world and their story. All of them are characters that the audience respect and care for deeply, those that are popular and are able to touch people, so it's safe to say that all of them are established and characterized well enough to adapt to new circumstances. If a character, at the point they are in their plot, is willing to kill their Gods or have some personal vendetta to attend to against the other character that was summoned, they will most likely side with Altair. If a character isn't established properly as a character that would be able to live outside it's world, they will have problems adapting and understanding other's reasoning for defending their beliefs. This right here is probably one of my favorite ideas I've seen in anime, and it's executed extremely well too.

As I mentioned, this show uses it's strongly defined, stereotypical characters to create a narrative, that being fictional characters judging the real world based on their own worlds. It's the base of the entire plot, most of the time is spent on understanding it and taking things away from it. Alicetaria not understanding why her world cannot be changed, Mamika's belief of a perfect world or Magane's twisted image of using the real world for fun are all views that the world would never experience otherwise, and it's clear that people that get in contact with them undergo severe changes by doing so, especially Souta, the protagonist of the story. I can't imagine a guy who would need to meet characters from anime and manga more than this guy.

I'm saying that because Souta is an artist, inspired by gaming, anime, manga and all the other parts of otaku culture. He's been undergoing a stagnation as a creator for a long time, ever since Setsuna committed suicide. He believes that by not reaching out to her, he is essentially one of the reasons she ended up dying. Of course it was a combination of the online hate and the lack of support, but nevertheless, as a close friend back in the day, realising he was overtaken by jealousy, he takes the blame upon himself, since he's most likely the only one that could stop it. Seeing her creation wrecking havoc on the world must've been a hell of an experience for an already destroyed Souta, but he can find comfort in all the heroes he's admired throughout the years. Those characters for him, stand for everything that he couldn't reach, so confessing his story in front of them, and more importantly finding their approval to go on, is the turning point of his life. He comes back to drawing, and even becomes the key to saving the world because of his work, which he created after that.

But Souta is only one of many otaku's that this show presents. In fact, this show's all about them, but unlike most shows in recent memory, it doesn't do anything grand with them. They're all normal people, both students and working adults, living their lives and finding comfort by engaging in the culture as a hobby. Painting them in such a light becomes especially important during the last few episodes, which are all about viewer's acceptance. All of those people, all of them different and watching anime for different reasons, gather to watch something that they love on a big screen, with numerous other passionate fans, who are also invested in those stories, standing right besides them. The show paints this beautiful picture of a giant crowd cheering their favorites on and wondering how will the event go. something like that can be compared to sport events or concerts, and Re:Creators doesn't make it seem weird or out of place, it shows passion at its purest, just like it did throughout the entire show, showing creators and an aspiring artist that is Souta grow an understanding of their work and why do they make it. This entire show at times feels like it's a love letter to us, the fans, the people writing about anime, people inspired by it and everyone else involved in the topic, and I don't even doubt that it is one. You may call it gratification, but it feels so nice to see that the people who create for us, actually appreciate us, and believe that we appreciate them.

Let's switch it up for a bit and talk about the negatives though.
First one would be the fact that we never truly learn how does Altair move characters and people throughout worlds. It's something that bugged me for the entire time. Sure, it's not necessary, but it's quite a plot hole and definitely something that could influence one's experience. The best thing I can come up with is that her omnipotent Holopsicon allowed her to do that, but quite frankly, that would be bullshit. You can't just say that if a creator wrote into the story: "a character can move between worlds and take others with her" and make that a thing without establishing the fact that the "real world" isn't actually completely "real".
Second, the show's visuals seem to take a small dip in the middle, and the last few especially have quite... mixed results in that field. The usually crispy clean designs become more blocky and begin to look less detailed. I'm sure this is something that will be fixed in the official release, like it always is, but that's how it was while it was airing.
Thirdly, the show markets itself as an action show, while most of it's time is spent on dialogues or monologues. While I love how it turned out, the talks took quite some time to get used to initially. Giving a viewer a taste of the great action directing, just to take it away from him as it goes on can be frustrating, and it surely was for me until I really got into the narrative and the characterization.

Back to the positives, let's talk about the visuals and the music!
The director working on Re:Creators was Ei Aoki, who's mostly known for his work on Fate/Zero, the script was written by Rei Hiroe, the creator of Black Lagoon (if you wondered who helped on those awesome points of the show, he's most likely the one, and Aoki just made it flashier and prettier I'd bet), and the music was composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, who you might know for composing the OST's of Attack on Titan, Blue Exorcist and Guilty Crown, among many others.

Ei Aoki is quite an interesting figure, in that he himself stated that he's inspired by Hollywood, and especially Christopher Nolan. You can definitely see that influence in the ending, which is grandiose and mind-blowing, completely out of the scale of anything that happened before it, but still believable to a degree. They both achieve that without sacrificing much of any other parts of their project. The Hollywood influence can also be seen just in the fight scenes. Nobody's going to tell me that the last fight with Altair wasn't influenced at least a tiny bit by superhero movies, those all vs one scenarios, which usually diverge into multiple smaller storylines during a big fight. It's definitely clear that this is Aoki's style, and he's not bad at it. I'm glad that he's brining both Hollywood-esque ideas into anime, and brining some Nolan into it too. He did a great job at directing the talking scenes, he seems to have had quite a few ideas for them, like Blitz's talk with Altair after which the viewer realizes that they've been hiding inside a church after a zoom out, or any talk with Magane and her movement during her speeches.

The art as well is of high quality, especially the designs of the characters. They bring out the most recognizable, stereotypical, yet cool and fancy attires for each of them. They all look completely different as well, with different figures, a lot of variations of facial shapes, and different color pallet fitting them all in their own ways (Selesia's boldness = red, Alicetaria's knighthood and strive for justice = gold and so on). The mechas' look very interesting and fresh as well, Selesia's smaller, white robot contrasting with Rui's Giant Robo and all the idea of how they fight, one with a sword and the other one with this big laser coming from his elbow combined with the sheer mass of the machine itself.

Even more importantly, Sawano's back and he's got drops for days! Nothing gets me quite as excited as a good Sawano soundtrack to be honest, and hearing Re:Creators alongside Attack on Titan's Second Season in Spring was just the best. In Re:Creators, we hear a good mix of his tamer side, as well as a good few tracks that can get you pumped for what's coming next. The electronic tracks can be cheesy, but that's Sawano, and he knows how to use that cheesiness and make it amazing. If you digged any of his other projects, no doubt you'll enjoy him here, there's no better praise I can give him, he's just this consistent at making things real.

And on that high note, I'm going to sum this up.
Re:Creators is a hell of an anime. Hell of a flawed anime too. It's definitely quite a task to suspend your disbelief for a lot of its stronger moments, but the explanations, the payoff, the eye candy, the ear candy, it's all there if you can give it a shot. I can't say it enough, but it's definitely worth a try, for some of you it might even be a favorite contender, and in time the show itself might grow into an obscure classic that you might be inclined to watch anyway. It has enough Nolan-ism in it that I think some will consider it as one at least.
I know I had a blast with Re:Creators, quite frankly I simply enjoyed it. It's a fun show to both watch for me, and a fun one to think about, it tackles things that I'd never thought of and pleases me greatly at the same time. Again, I can't recommend giving it a shot quite enough, if you think you might like it, please do attempt to watch it, even if it'll be a risky move. Seriously, do it.

As always, this is purely my opinion, I highly recommend you to develop your own.

12/22 jun-25-2017

The truth behind Re:Creators

When I first saw this work was originally written by Rei Hiroe I got very excited and the reason is quite obvious: He created Black Lagoon. And who the hell doesn't want another slice of that amazing cake? I miss his amazing and well developed characters, his mature approach to write Seinen with all the deepness of works like Cowboy Beebop but without the psychological thickness of works like Evangelion.

In a nutshell, I expect quite a lot of Rei Hiroe. And when I looked into direction, I got a very amazing surprise to know it was going to be directed by ... Ei Aoki. And if it does not ring a bell for you, well my friend, Ei Aoki is one of the best directors out there. Kara no Kyoukai, Fate/Zero, Aldonoah.Zero, Ga-Rei Zero are masterpieces that serve as testimony of my words. The guy knows how to direct Seinien, not a single doubt.

Then I found myself with another BIG NAME: Hiroyuki Sawano. He is composer for works such as Blue Exorcist, Kill la Kill, Aldonoah.Zero and MOST IMPORTANT: Shingeki no Kyujin (Attack on Titan).

And with such a cast of talented individuals, my expectations for Re:Creators started very, very high.

Many individuals have very accurately decomposed several aspects of this amazing work so I won't bother to repeat it again. Instead, let me approach this review from another perspective:

THE AMAZNG Re:Creators POTENTIAL

This anime has all that is needed to make a long lasting time-proof masterpiece. And some kids are actually not liking it (therefore it was a lot of mixed reviews) because this is not what they expected. In Re:Creators is not about Fan Service, is not about Action Scenes (although it contains some very amazing ones), it is also NOT a male harem. Is a (sometimes) slow paced anime full of dialog, introspection, philosophy and a very original perspective on how anime, manga and game characters perceive us (instead of us, viewers, perceiving them).

If you are looking for a mature and interesting perspective about what may happen when fantasy worlds and the real work collide, look no further. It will remind you of Fate/Zero as well as Re:Zero. However, Re:Creators has it's original flavor and the cliché characters are designed specifically to go beyond their own clichés. An amazing example is Mamika. Oh Gosh Mamika is such an amazing character.

All that said. I expect Re:Creators to become a masterpiece. So far, so good. We will see what Fate has to say.

Now-a-days many good anime become mediocre or plain out boring due to the repetition of the almost identical storyline/plotline and the audience (us) being exposed to these clichés or developments numerous times. Thus, whenever a new anime with a different plot arrives, it peaks my interest. Re-Creators belongs to that category and the criminally low score and constant online bashing of this anime spurred me to write my first review on MAL.

It sets itself apart due to its somewhat opposing setting to the ‘Isekai’ (other world) genre, where typically the MC gets transported to the imaginary world and becomes the hero. In this case, the ... characters, both villains and protagonists, from different works such as Shounen anime, Magical Girl anime, Mecha anime, Visual Novel and Games are transported in the real world. The realization of them being characters dawns upon them and the sense of being ‘entertainment’ pours out a variety of emotions ranging from bewilderment, anger and excitement from being in a new fun play area. Thus, in order to be as much spoiler free as possible, the ideologies of these characters clash and along with it they fight for what they feel will lead to their goal. The most important pull factor for me became the premise of characters with different fighting styles from various genres battling against each other and the unpredictability of these clashes. Music is the strong point of this series, especially the battle music they play in almost every fight scene. It really makes the fights a hundred times more exciting.

Now, the dissatisfaction usually boils down to the first episode being awesome and the succeeding episodes being void of any action. The simple answer to that is that these episodes are used in explaining the premise of this series, which may arguably contribute to boring episodes in contrast to the first episode. Some (including me) point to the unlikeable MC, Souta, but miss the general point that this anime makes him take the back seat and the rest of the cast makes it much more enjoyable and entertaining. My view on this is to stick with it for a few episodes as it would ultimately lead to better understanding of the setting, plot, battles and in the end more fun to watch. I believe that Re-Creators is a hidden gem and a wonder in the making, causing it to be a must watch.

Sometimes when different kinds of things get mixed together. A miracle can happen, forming a new thing that is greater than all of the mixed.

Cliches, negations, inadmissible. Those kinds of things. They often appear a lot inside anime series and movies. Because they are unavoidable. Nothing is perfect. Anime is simply just a form of representation for those kinds of things. Acting like a mirror that we, anime fans, see everyday and judge it’s imperfectionness despite the fact that we too are as imperfect as, or even more than the anime, the mirror itself.

Story ( 10/10 )

Re:Creators is such a mess. Yet ... it managed to appeal me up until the point where I shed tears and spent the fewer hours I have left of the day completing the show. The show was very realistic when it comes to handling. There are characters which came from the world of anime, manga and games. But regardless of the many possibilities of cliches that may happen due to that alone. The story handles it well and makes it an acceptable factor which is appealing.

Political aspects are used to stabilize the story. They made it simple to understand without me needing to get my head around it much. Moreover, it's also not over explained up until the point where the show becomes engulfed by politics.

The story development of this show is solid and progressive. It keeps me intrigued and constrains me within its story. Forcing me to continue until the end. There are only one or two flaws for story development, and that is the overuse of cliches that it nearly become unacceptable. Nearly. Another flaw of the story is the

“A good story does not have to necessarily be the one that is accepted by the majority. But it can always be the one that is approved by your heart.”

When I began Re:Creators I knew right away that I was up to something that I’d never forget. The story is straight out 10/10 so as because it’s exactly what I needed. A unique isekai with the story that could teach us many life lessons.

Art ( 10/10 )

Troyca’s not really recognized that much. The only anime I’ve seen from them are Sakurako-san and Yagate kimi ni Naru ( excluding Re:Creators ).

Their art style and quality are high-tier. They never once made me doubt their animation at all. It’s good, and I like it. Re:Creators probably have the best animation and quality amongst the other two anime I’ve seen from Troyca. I’ve noticed this after seeing a couple of fights within the show. It’s high quality and flashy with no low budget drops that makes me feel disgusted for a second or more. The animation and quality is maintained really well for Re:Creators and that contributes to my overall enjoyment for the show.

Sound ( 10/10 )

The workforce behind the shadows that allowed the show to maximize its potential. The sounds of the show.

Although the openings and endings may seem mediocre at first glance. As feelings become attached to it, they will turn from a mere time waster to an inconceivable art. Just like how any food can taste better when seasoned. The openings and endings became a factor that strengthened the show and enhanced my overall satisfaction towards Re:Creators.

The OSTs also have the same role. They’re ACTUALLY beautiful and it made everything so much better. They’re so onpoint with the scenes and catchy that I just can’t use any other words to describe it except the word “masterpiece”.

Voice acting is also outstanding. The voice actors have done well to voice with the sound and tone that exactly matches the characters they’re voice acting as. They also do well with expressing the emotions of the characters according to what they’re expressing at the moment. And that makes the show even better!

Character ( 10/10 )

If this anime was interpreted as a system with subsystems. Then the characters of this show would be the system. It connects everything together and makes everything work despite the fact that the “everything” is quite a mess. How do they manage to do this exactly?

The first thing to understand is to acknowledge that this show is about “anime, games & manga becoming reality”.

With that set as a mindset. Enjoying the show wouldn’t be as hard as trying to masturbate in less than 5 minutes. The characters come well in both designs & traits. With of course the matching voice and personality which suits their character design. The show makes use of the characters realistically and efficiently. Even supporting characters are given a sufficient amount of role and recognition.

Keep in mind that this show is categorized as fantasy. Yet the show tries to make it seem as realistic as possible but still doesn’t make it go over the top in order to maintain that appeal of the “cliches that work”. The characters do a big role in this because there is only one main character who isn’t from another world. They are the reasons why most of the things which have happened in the show are acceptable. They work with the story like they are one with it.

However… One of the most confusing yet acceptable things about this show is the character developments. It’s so full of plots that it’s making my mind go crazy. Sadly, it is also one of the things that pulled this show down a little.
1 ) They overuse plot armors and plots that it nearly felt not right. Nearly. I nearly doubted the show just because of it. ( probably already mentioned in story )
2 ) Because they overused them. It makes the ending satisfactory and not a masterpiece. It’s the same feeling as when your friend’s going to leave but then decided to stay with you for 10 minutes longer.

Overall not bad though. The rest of the show makes up for the satisfactory ending that could’ve been way better.

Enjoyment ( 10/10 )

I really enjoyed this show. I could even say that it’s the best isekai I’ve ever seen in my life. Though it is categorized as mecha, my worst nightmare. The show’s barely about mechas so it doesn’t even matter.

This show teases and makes you WANT the cliches to happen. It’s very hard to accept cliches, but this show knows how to make it appealing before my very eyes. Incredible. Just absolutely incredible. I think I’m running out of what to say now.

Overall ( 10/10 )

Absolute madlad. This anime was a gift from the gods. I’m glad I watched this. This will be something that I will never forget.

Recommended to everybody honestly.

Re:Creators is being criminally underrated this season because it had a cliche sounding premise and very meh first episodes. But if Re:Zero and Madoka have taught us anything it's that cliche sounding premises may not be so cliche after all, and that sometimes shows need time to get the ball rolling especially for a two cour. This show is ballooning with potential, I'm just hoping that balloon doesn't pop

Re:Creators is truly a gift that keeps on giving, as it really does have 9s across the board so far for me and is set to keep up that pace. The first thing I have to praise ... is actually the supposedly cliche premise. The idea of bring other characters into our world from different universes isn't exactly the newest thing ever, but it has never been executed in this way. These characters from fiction are actually aware of the oddity of their existence in the modern world, and the other characters are too. We see magical girls surprised by how much destruction and pain their attacks can cause, single minded driven characters that appear foolish when placed in circumstances with real consequence, and very typical anime stereotypes explored as if they were real people. And the best part is, they grow out of those stereotypes as they learn the realities of the world of their creators.

The interactions between the creators and created are also great. To some creations their creators are like gods, but to others they're more like parents. I'm pleasantly surprised to see interactions that aren't entirely unrealistic from pretty much every character in the show. The real live humans behave rationally for the most part, and the anime characters behave like anime characters. As the show goes on, even the more boring characters(like the MC) are fleshed out much more until they become legitimately interesting.

The great thing about original anime is that their stories are usually better since they don't have to hack something together to try to give the illusion of finishing a story when the source material is unfinished or sometimes not possible to adapt fully. Re:Creators seems to have a grander plot occurring in the background and I couldn't be more excited to see where it goes. At this point I could see this becoming a classic as iconic as the first two I mentioned in my review.

Watching this show in for the first time the year 2025 made me forget that this show aired all the way back in 2017. Re:Creators has a premise that turns the traditionally used concepts of isekai and even reverse isekai on its head, and while a premise alone will only market the show, where you get fans and a lasting impact is with good execution. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, and has some of the most intelligent character writing and world building available to see. From start to finish, this show is very smart and knows exactly what it needs to do to deliver an ... engaging and meaningful narrative to its audience.

Starting with the story, Re:Creators begins by subverting the common genre tropes immediately, and maintains the feeling that it belongs in the story and is not just a gimmick for the purpose of writing an interesting synopsis. If your story doesn't have a reason to be something, then it doesn't need to be that in the first place. This show has a real and sustainable purpose to be a reverse isekai and it handles that incredibly well. The systems it has in place for the way the world works and the powers inside it all make sense and compliment the main concepts of the show, the idea that making stories is like making your own world that you can build to be whatever you want it to be, and that those who create should always do so with a passion for their work.

Given the year of its release, the art and animation are very strong. There are shows that have come out in the past few years that don't look as nice or leave as much of an impression as Re:Creators does.

The soundtrack isn't something that knocks your socks off, but it's certainly not offensive, distracting, or anything of the sort. The songs are effective and the sound design gives enough oomph to conflict and other scenes.

The show is one that is rather easy to derive enjoyment from, it's appealing to fans of the genre, and it's appealing to those that may not care for the genre because of the way it subverts and expands upon the concept in an engaging manner to build interest in the outcome of the narrative.

Now it's time for the meat of the show, characters. This will be a thick segment, there is SO much to reward for this part, because this show is VERY clever with its characters on both a macro and micro level.

Re:Creators has a very large cast of characters of many different types. Despite the large roster, they manage to make every single character important and give them believability and a way to garner interest. The designs stand out among their peers, too. Where things really stand out is how clever the writers are with the characters and how they engage with the systems at work in the show. Each Creation is pulled from popular media and the characters chosen are considered popular and iconic. The way most characters become popular or iconic is by being likeable. Every single Creation has traits that make them likeable or gives a very authentic reason as to why an audience may find them popular. It's easy to understand that Mamika probably has a ton of young girls that playground roleplay as her, Alicetaria is a courageous knight that serves as the last bastion of a falling kingdom and that builds sympathy and support, Magane is an antagonistic wild card that knows how to make the most fun out of any situation and keep things interesting which makes her enjoyable. Without fail, every single one of them feels authentic, and this is built up even more by how it's very clear which of them have more complex character descriptions like Selesia or Blitz and which ones were designed in a simplistic way like Mamika or Alicetaria. Simple characters aren't bad characters, and having a diversity of depth just builds up the authenticity of the roster, as an example, a protagonist in a children's show like Mamika is going to have no need for complex morals or mindsets.

Even so, these Creations have room to grow from their experiences in the real world, showing that while they have preset personalities and mindsets, they are capable of change within the confines of their deep-rooted perspectives. This is seen many times throughout the show, and the growth these Creations have after meeting Creators and learning new things is another factor in making this cast of characters so likeable. Each Creation has a character description that acts like a filter on the way they navigate this unfamiliar world and collect new information. When they meet with their respective Creators, they have drastically differing reactions to their personalities and even have different things that they're looking for to ease their minds. Some just want the Creator to have put passion into their world, others scorn the Creators for creating tragedy, and more than one are shocked and disappointed with the idea that they live for the entertainment of people looking upon their lives from another world entirely. Every action taken by the Creations is in line with their personalities, some are conniving, some are naive, some are dedicated, and others are uncaring. Each inclusion adds another piece that plays a natural and important role in the narrative.

The Creators are similarly diverse and certainly are not lacking. Matsubara's passion is the most notable one, because he's a driving force of inspiration throughout the show. Suruga's depth of understanding of her own Creations makes her stick out, too. Marine's clear self doubt despite her skills is something many can likely relate to and her enthusiasm over meeting all these Creations is almost unmatched among the Creators. I could keep going but nothing else mentionable is as noteworthy enough and also avoids the spoiler territories.

And now to turn to one of the stars of the show. Altair. To put it simply, Altair has a laundry list of positives going for her. As a key player in everything that happens, she's constantly involved in some way, and Altair delivers on all fronts. I would love to gush about this character for a dozen sentences or so, but much of the excellence this character delivers would be regarded as a spoiler. Without touching those details, she is an incredibly likeable character with unique circumstances among this roster of already very diverse characters and this is instantly spelled out in the very first episode before our two leading protagonists, Sota and Selesia, even have a proper conversation. Adding on, her design is fantastic, her actions are stylish, she's entertaining to watch, she challenges others, her abilities are cool as heck, and the way she interacts with the systems of the world are a major part of the plot and the execution of it is incredibly clever and keeps the audience on its toes. Altair is easily one of, if not the, most engaging characters in a show that already earns the attention of its viewers with ease.

Re:Creators is a very smart show that deserves all the praise and attention it gets, and even more. What hasn't even been mentioned yet is how self aware this show is. As a story that focuses on storytelling and the fictional worlds created by stories, it doesn't falter to mention the minute details. Most authors don't bother to flesh out all the details, because the reader doesn't particularly care for the way bread tastes in that world, what matters to them more is how much bread they have or if it's stale. Not many pieces of media have stories within their stories beyond things like myths and legends or historical records and origin stories of heroes from the old days. These kinds of topics get brought up multiple times with the show being aware that it can deliver a meta commentary on the nature of stories and audience reception on top of the standard themes it brings to the table, and while this kind of message about stories can be delivered through another method, the self aware and sometimes seemingly 4th wall breaking nature of fictional characters being brought into a fictional real world talking about their stories while they're still in a story that we, in the real real world, are witnessing unfold is layers dee and gives a unique lens to deliver this type of commentary through.

An incredible work of art and a masterclass of intelligent character and world design/writing.

This anime is one of the best anime I've seen in its genre. Others have dropped it after going only a few episodes in, but this anime is more than what can be summed up in four or five episodes.

Story: the premise of this is the main thing that drew me into Re:Creators. Even though some anime streaming sites do not have the best summaries, the first episode drew me in. The plot to Re:Creators lets the story tie into our world. Even though there are some episodes where discussion takes place, this discussion is extremely important to how the plot moves. Action is not ... the main focus. The characters are. And boy are the characters well thought out.

Characters: Here we have some of the typical character types for different genres: the magical girl, the wise guide from a fantasy game, the mecha kid, and so many others. If the creators of Re:Creators hadn't thought out how to combine all of these different character tropes and types into this one anime, it could have ended badly. Instead, all of the characters change throughout the story. All of them grow. And they don't all join the same side. They all have their different motives and reasons for joining the sides they do join, and there is change within the sides, too.

Sound: Everyone keeps saying how the sound is amazing because of the legendary Sawano Hiroyuki, and it's true. The soundtrack to Re:Creators is extremely good. I don't know what to really say about it, except to say you should listen to it.

Overall: I highly recommend watching Re:Creators, and do more than the first few episodes. Actually give it a chance. It's not a 13 episode series, so it can spend a few episodes building itself.

Slight spoiler (?) below:



Re:Creators is also not afraid of killing its characters, whether they're main characters or not. When you have heroes of different stories come together, not all of them prove to be the main characters they are in their own stories.

This is my first review here. I feel like a lot of people who are watching this are mistaking it as an action anime turned boring and got turned off.

Story: 7- Interesting premise and as an original anime, the story unfolds nicely with some elements of humour but contains a lot of dialogue to swallow in the first 3 or 4 episodes. Characters from different mediums (manga, anime, video games) are now becoming part of the 3D world. One side is trying to disrupt the balance of the real world by seeking vengeance against their creators (whether intentional or not). The other side who sides ... with the MC are trying to find all the creations and protect them in order to stop the Uniform Military Princess (the person who brought them to this world) who wishes to bring this world down with her as her creator has already left the world.

Art: 8- No complaints, I like each character's appearance and I think it matches with their descriptions quite well. The MC is drawn very plain. I guess he is more like the narrator of the story, although he does play an important part to the story. Animation is quite smooth as well, not surprising about that since TROYCA also did Aldnoah Zero.

Character: 7- Some of the characters introduced get shoved into the background and didn't get much time to shine yet. We get to see a variety of characters splashed on the screen, but only got to explore 2 or 3 so far so I am hoping that they do something with the two or three characters that they just introduced and never really had more screentime after that point. My favourite characters would probably be Meteora (some may find her boring with her long dialogues but thats how she was like in her world as well. I see her developing each episode and I love that she has a gluttonous and mischievous side to her as well ( She is voiced by Rem's VA, how can you hate her?). We also have Gunpuku Hime who is the main "antagonist" of the show. While we get to see some of her reasons as to why she would come to hate the world, she hasn't had that much screentime after ep 1, but she does make a memorable impression and you can see that they spent a lot of time into her character creation. Her battle moves are badass and she clearly is going on her own path without caring about what the MCs think. Freshly introduced in ep 6, we have Magane, who dresses in a high school uniform, but gives off a villainous aura. She has a great sense of humour (in ep 6 where she's just sipping on juice while watching the two sides battle it out)and is the only creation so far to have killed a human (if i'm not mistaken).

Sound: 9- OP is awesome- as expected of Hiroyuki Sawano. He also did the insert tracks for the battles and they are pretty epic as well. I am loving the music in this anime and you can tell they put a lot of effort into it.

Enjoyment: 9- I was hooked from the first episode onwards, I even found the episodes with a lot of dialogue quite enjoyable. I feel that it is needed for the world building and progression of plot. Action was good in episode 1, picks up nicely again at episode 5. Episode 6 left off on a high note where all the creations are fighting against one another for the first time. Guess we are only missing the military uniform princess so I'm expecting her to join in Episode 7.

Overall: 8- I will continue watching this as I think these first few episodes are setting the anime up for something greater. I'm excited to see how this story will progress. I don't recommend it to someone who was expecting a shounen.

Re:Creators



Story 3.5/5

- Interesting and original idea for a setting and great execution of it

- most of the workings of the world are explained throughout the story

... - At first set up to be a battle of two different mindsets with a wildcard in between

- there were not that many fight scenes, however those that were in the show are
well choreographed in their different stages and are set up properly

- Complete Episodes dedicated to exposition and setups

- The Exposition delivery could drag at times with a lot of it being delivered through
monologues and dialogues instead of actions

- Funny and interesting recap episode that was more than just retelling the story till
that point

- Through the huge cast of characters, characterization took more of the forfront
than storytelling for a big part of the show

- Really well executed and logical ending that was satisfying to watch and tied up
most of the characters personal stories (rest will probably be handled in a later OVA
episode)

- in some parts the show was rather predictable

- some of the events that happen feel a bit forced

Characters 4.5/5

- A big cast that expands further as the show progresses

- Inspite of a big cast most of the character motivations are fleshed out and well
developed giving the viewer a clear image of what the characters want to achive
throughout the story and how they want to get there.

- A lot of emphasis on the relationship between the creators and their creations
(similar to the master and servant bounding in Fate, but without the masters
controlling the servants)

- There is a number of main characters and not one standout main character other
than Souta and, which is more used as a narating bystander compared to the other
characters.

- I think that one of Soutas main purposes in the story is to show the difference
between these godlike beings and ordinary humans.

- Besides Souta the most prominent character from the "Fantasy Worlds" was
Meteora. Which was responsible for most of the exposition in the show

- Other than those two Magane has a fairly important role in the story aswell

- The characters had a high variety in genres from which they appeared

- The over time added characters had tie-ins with the story before or were added to
further show the variety of character types that could appear

- I think there could have been more focus on Altairs character to higlight her
backstory and her mindset

Soundtrack 5/5

- Stellar soundtrack done by Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan, Kill la Kill, Aldonah
Zero, Guilty Crown etc.)

- A lot of the tracks that were played during the show had vocals, like the most
played song during battles "Layers", which was used quite often. Other songs that
stood out to me were "Brave the Ocean", "God of Ink" and "ABYSSwaltz" which
gave of a completly different vibe than the others.

- Rather similar to the soundtrack of Kill la Kill and Aldonah.Zero

- all both of the Ops were well directed. Both of them had great songs("gravityWALL"
and "sh0ut"), but I liked the visual storytelling and the subtile forshadowing in the
first OP more.


- The first ending was more laid back and casual, while the second Ending was
incredibly meta having all the characters watch their own creation in a chibi form.

Art/Animation 4/5

- The animation was done by studio TROYCA which exists since 2013 and it's other
works were Aldonah Zero(together with A1) and Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa
Shitai ga Umatteiru(which was the only other anime they have done before
Re:Creators)

- The character designs for all the characters from the "fantasy world" look amazing
and fitting for the characters. The human designs are more realistic, yet are also
easy to seperate(unlike Joker Game for example)

- The animation in the fights is a bit above mediocre for the most part with some
scenes that were a bit sketchy, yet most of the bigger action scenes looked good.

- A highlight were some of the facical animations (for example Altair and Mamika),
which did a good job of transmitting the characters emotions.

- A high variety of different backgrounds and settings.


Overall 4/5

My score of this is show is a bit opininated. Nevertheless I really enjoyed Re:Creators for the most part. Yet I can see why people might dislike it. The dialogues are sometimes long and exposition heavy and the action scenes clearly take a backseat compared to character building. Also the supposed main character feels weak and uninvolved in most of the more dramatic scenes in the show. However I am someone that does not mind exposition when it leads to a fullfilling result in the end which Re:Creators delivered for me. Also I don't mind Souta's weak nature, cause that way he has room to grow over the course of the season. What impressed me the most about the show, was how well the inital concept was handled and how the author tied the authors into the story without deminishing the feeling of power and superiority from the Creations. Throughout the whole show most of the creations felt frightenigly strong and could cause mass destruction at any moment.
Also I liked the Slice of Life parts were the Creations from Fantasy/Sci-Fi genres explored our world and the games from which they originated from. The opposing views on their origin the unfairness that was brought with it. The realisation that everything they did up until that point was for someone elses entertainment and the way they dealt with that knowledge on one side. On the other side the thankfullness to their author that they created them with all their heart and effort. That their existence brings joy to many people and that they want to protect the things that are important to their author. Overll I really enjoyed Re:Creators and I hope for an OVA in the future to tie up the last remaining lose ends.

Edit 1: This might seem like your generic anime from the starting but do not fear as this show will prove it's worth soon enough in the later episodes to shock you.

This is undoubtedly one of the best animes I have ever
watched. This is actually my first time posting on this site and I have got to say that I could not hold back any longer from writing a comment due to my own excuse of being 'lazy'. I must say that the first half of the anime rivals all of my top favorite animes I have seen so far. There are so many ... vibes I get from watching this anime. I feel like it's a mashup of Sword Art Online and Death Note (The way the show presents things and how it explains each occurrence logically unlike numerous other animes I have seen where things are not explained due to the anime being an adaptation of a manga).

This idea is also unique in the anime industry with many cliché tropes being combined into one big story. It is a refreshing break from the seemingly endless amount of 'Very similar' and 'Generic' animes I have seen so far. The art of this anime (in my opinion) is really awesome and I could even go as far as to say almost the entirety of this series is movie-like production quality. (Based on the 14 episodes I have seen so far)
There are no filler episodes (except the 13th episode which recaps the first half of the series) and each episode is either action packed or filled with thought provoking subjects that the show spurs you on to think about either the story or how well each loose end the show leaves behind can be rationalized if you try to think of the reason (Except the episode where Selesia's creator had time to open his laptop while a fight was ongoing to publish the work online and have THOUSANDS of likes and views after mere seconds).

However thinking about this kind of thing really defeats the purpose of anime overall since anime is not realistic and it is a form of entertainment (Ironically that's a part of the sub-topic the characters in this anime had a discussion on with). If I were to mention every single little thing the show has done right this comment will turn out to be over two thousand words sooner or later.

To summarize everything the show has done right (so far):

1. Appeal. (Superb opening fight scene)
2. Fluidity and smoothness of the plot with inter-linking plot points introduced and made use of.
3. Soundtrack is awesome. (For an anime fan like me)
4. Almost all characters introduced are part of the plot. (Or related to)
5. Good mix of comedy and seriousness without being over the top extreme and exaggerated.
6. New, unique, fresh, hybrid, you name it!
7. Animation art, SFX (Special Effects), CGI (Computer Generated Images) were all used appropriately and is making the ride that much more enjoyable.
8. Characters' problems are more or less similar to what we deal with in real life. (Except it is more dramatic)
9. Interesting story-plot progression.
10. Sort of like the assembly of heroes from the Marvel Universe in the Avengers movie.

I'll actually move my ass and write a review, because seeing all the pseudo-experts spewing bullshit about this anime is just painful.


Let's start with the most obvious part, art/animation.
It's gorgeous, even distant shots of characters have a certain degree of detail and quality. You will not see derpy animation with characters "spilling out" due to too little frames or rushed drawing. Art attempts to be as realistic as possible for an animation and it succeeds, characters look different, they have distinct features and the way they look suits their personalities, that goes for supporting characters, like the Creators too. Animation's flow is great, there's ... no "too fast to see" bullshit. Sword fights are especially well done with viewer being able to catch every movement. What I really like about this show, however, is how sparingly it uses lighting to improve the art. We don't get blurry shots of characters to make them look more appealing. It's not that artists were lazy, the show simply doesn't need it.

The next one would be sound and I'll include voice acting here.
Starting with the most obvious, the opening. It builds up the tension quite nicely only to release it in melodic and optimistic chorus, which at the same time lacks overcolourized emotions, feeling quite natural. The lyrics combine Japanese and English, the latter being quite good (which seems to slowly become a standard in anime).
The second opening goes along very similar lines with verses giving it a bit more mysterious feeling, while the chorus has a lot more pop feeling, like something you'd find on the radio. At the same time it feels much more emotional. Again, Japanese and English are being mixed, with a good effect.
The first ending brings back memories of Yui's Rolling Star and other Bleach openings, soft, melodic and simple J-rock makes for a good candidate to your playlist and surely an ending you don't want to skip.
Second ending doesn't exactly suit my taste, it has, by far, the most powerful background of all the opening and ending songs, however a high-pitched vocal makes you think of generic anime endings. Despite that the composition is alright, the bridge does well at building tension which is released before chorus.
Now, about the BGM. The first opening is extensively used in battle and high tension scenes. Its tempo and groove make up for a great atmosphere during beautifully choreographed and animated fight scenes, while also fitting the more comedic ones. The rest of background music is a mix of different styles, most of vocals are sung in a well sounding English and some of them are based on Western genres. Cutting it short, the BGM consists of various musical styles, it's not just epic orchestral music or dramatic drumming, the compositions are quite entertaining and don't get boring partially do to being used in a fitting way and rather sparingly. However each time BGM kicks in, you feel hyped like a rich kid before their father's payday.

Let's get down to Re:Creators' selling point, the characters.
I will not lie, characters are rather stereotypical. We have a "book lover" Meteora with voice devoid of emotion, magical girl who doesn't like fighting and hurting people (yet has no issues blowing up a skyscraper) etc. Do not look for Senjougahara or Hanekawa here. The main dish are not the characters themselves, but their backstories and interpersonal interactions, especially with their respective Creators. Seeing Matsubara's and Selesia's relation growing and changing is one of this show's highlights. Despite coming from different worlds the Creations can create interesting relations as well, like that of Yuya and Kanoya, or Mamika and Aliceteria. As the series goes on their teamwork and ties grow stronger allowing for some utterly awesome moments mixing magic, occult and high tech universes in single scenes. With amazing effects.
This being said, it doesn't mean that the characters are flat, they sure feel so right after coming to our world, following their character descriptions very closely, yet with time they develop little quirks and additional features which make up for interesting personalities.
Then, there's the antagonist, Military Uniform Kid/Princess/Girl. Her motives and ties to Souta become known around 9th episode. While her reasoning is rather shallow and childish, her pure overpoweredness and personality of an evil, scheming entertainment mistress, make up for a great villain.
In between two warring camps, there is, but one person, who doesn't give a shit, namely Magane. A neutral chaotic character doing things her own way, for her own entertainment. She doesn't care for either side and just wants to have fun while eating crepes and sowing chaos for audience's entertainment. With a power over lies, she can use everything you say against you, making up for some truly great scenes when paired with more impulsive characters. Certainly, waifu of the season.

Story
As noticed by many before me, the premise is interesting. While the first half of the show develops rather slowly, allowing us to get to know a very large cast much better, the story picks up a lot of pace after Souta's and Altair's relation has been discovered, and new Creations join the fray. Tension raises and is kept high until the very end, and as of episode 20 it's still impossible to say who will win, as the Creators pull out heavier and heavier guns in their fight against the Military Uniform Cutie, their ideas going from cheesy to great, like in a proper story.
Not only is tension kept high and built in a rather natural way, with more and more information about Creations and Altair being discovered with every episode, allowing for fast and naturally paced developments, but the story itself is well thought out with great writing, which is especially visible when rewatching, with some interesting hints being thrown here and there.
There are also some great references to the real world showing how much care was put into coming up with this series, and a lot of 4th wall breaking, Re:Creators style.
Similarly to PriPri, this anime is not a good choice if you want to turn off your brain and write a shitty review using some smart words. You have to focus and watch it carefully to catch everything there is to it. I'm currently at my 1st rewatch, on episode 8 and the entire series looks even better, as I see more and more connections and hints about fates of different characters.

Enjoyment/Overall
What can I say... Great BGM, great animation, very good and well thought out story, with interesting relations between characters. Just saying that I've decided to rewatch it even before it's finished, already says a lot about the overall enjoyment. It's just a great show with awesome parody elements, poking at stereotypes in anime and manga. It's way over the top when it should be, it's toned down and dramatic when it should be, resolutions of each character's fate are natural and well written.
I'd give it a 10, if it wasn't for very few shows which simply do things perfectly, like Monogatari Series. As such, a strong 9/10.

NOTE: This anime has not finished airing as of post date

Here we go, an anime I can confidently say is a masterpiece.
Other reviews attack this anime for being boring. Unlike other anime, Re:Creators shows you what goes on "behind the scenes" to give you information and build up along with tension between main characters. A lot of these scenes take place in a single room or just one part of a building, but these scenes help you understand each character more and see their motivations for what they do. I personally think most people who rate this low are used to anime telling you ... what's going to happen then throw you right into the action. If Re:Creators was at the pace of other anime I think reviews would say "it's to rushed". Right now the pace is prefect.

Now for everything else. This show has a unique plot with incredible characters that show emotions that you and might feel. None of that "I'm the hero so now i'm suddenly the strongest character", you have realistic (to an extent) characters that have their own realistic strengths and weaknesses. The emotions are carried so well between these characters and you through beautiful dialogue and monologues that might get your heart racing or you eyes teary.
Music, Music, Music. Sawano Hiroyuki does such an incredible job with this anime. In my personal opinion, GravityWall and sh0ut are the two greatest openings of the past year. Tielle&Gemie deliver stunning, powerful vocals to bring you these beautiful tracks that you just cant skip. With he main battle themes AL:Lu and Layers, you will feel the emotions of the fights and get your adrenaline pumping.
Character design is outstanding, each character's design is similar to what their Creator made them. Scenery and backgrounds are very well done, with much attention to detail. Extremely visually appealing.

To sum it all up, in my book there's no anime like this one. Outstanding on all fronts and an overall Masterpiece of an anime.

Out of all anime I have seen this year, Re:Creators has the most creative premise ever. I went into this blind, not knowing much other than some people saying that this anime could be an anime classic. I can totally see why that is now. The idea of creators meeting their own creations is a fascinating idea that has an endless pool of possibilities. It is a premise that normally fan fictions would be capable of doing. Just to note, I will be saying "creators" and "creations" a lot in this review, because those terms are important into understanding Re:Creators.

I have wanted to see ... this kind of idea come to fruition since the first time I have watched crossover media. The concept of many characters from various genres meeting each other was something I wondered about as a kid. What stimulated such an idea was character chemistry. How would a character from an adventure genre interact with a character from the magical girl genre? What kind of conversations would they talk about? How would they be able to settle their differences and form friendships?

With a kind of crossover like this anime though, I realized now it would be hard to make this work as a sensical story without connecting various plots together and doing intense research. Watching Re:Creators fulfilled that part of my imagination that I wanted to see happen in such a long time. I could tell that the creators of this anime put a lot of heart into making this concept because there were lots of interesting ideas explored. Re:Creators, to me, is a celebration of Japanese media.

The story really blew my expectations in the first episodes. Not only are these character interactions happening, but there is also major interaction with the real world, where the creators of these characters live. It further intrigued me, given that this crossover is mainly based on Japanese media (manga, anime, games, light novels). For me, Japanese media has been my hobby for the past several years. Re:Creators having such crossovers of Japanese media with the real world made my mind explode more. Even more ideas and questions expanded in my head while I was watching.

I also had this thought in my young mind about creators meeting their own characters too. I wanted to see how the creator would interact with their characters they put much heart into creating. The impossibility of such a situation really stimulated my head and made me think about what the interaction would result in. Would the creator be awestruck, happy, crying? Alas, I never thought about it much more and only played around with the idea in my head, not going beyond the event of creators and creations meeting each other, because I never truly understood a creator's motivations on making media back then.

Today, as someone who has loved and researched Japanese media, this anime was a dream come true for me. With all of these concepts in Re:Creators, I wondered how the overall story would be executed in this anime? Does this fulfill its potential with its concept? Mostly.

Re:Creators explores many interesting relationships between creators and creations. To summarize, each creator has a different philosophy, motivations, and perspective on how they create their stories. There are creators who want to make the best story by deeply exploring their world to ones that that create for pleasure and/or entertainment. There are some creators that go through hardships just to get their stories known to people. Some are poor and live with what they have, while there are some that are lucky and reach huge success. It covers many different types of creators inspired by real-life creators in the Japanese media industry.

Then, there are the characters. I really like these characters because they are basically amalgamations of various notable characters in real-life Japanese media in terms of personality and design. If you watched this anime with different anime fans, they will have different opinions on what each character is based on. For example, you could interpret Mamika the magical girl being inspired by Madoka Magica with both of their notable pinkish design, while others could think she is inspired by Sailor Moon or PreCure noting visual traits such as the weapon she wields and the transformation pose. The interpretable quality of these characters helps people identify and understand these characters easily.

This is where I talk about the biggest strength of Re: Creators, the interaction between the creators and creations. This is where 90% of the anime focuses on. These conversations are really interesting because you get see the creations ask their opinions and questions to why their story is the way it is. Creators can get life-threatening criticism from their own creations. Through these conversations, it help the creator improve their personal development and fixing their flaws as a story writer. It is an unexpected way of character growth that I really enjoy and can connect to.

Creations also get their own development through the realization of being a fictional character. Each development is very unique as there are creations of various genres that deal with situations in amusing and sometimes meta ways. They either decide to accept or decline their creator for creating the story as it is. I could really tell that the real-life creator of Re:Creators put a lot of thought into making a coherent plot and crafting development for these characters. I feel the story created in this anime is such a huge feat accomplished for how many elements play an interesting role in Re:Creators. These are some of the many creative ways Re:Creators does with its overall plot, and I do not want to say more to avoid getting to spoiler territory.

To get into the few cons, the dialogue can be potentially boring for those who despise long exposition and/or prefer more action. This never personally bothered me because each conversation between the creator and creation has enough purpose and progress for me to be consistently engaged. By the end of the anime, a few notable characters do not get solved resolutions, which is a bit of a problem. I also felt that there could have been a bit more story potential that could have been done with interaction of creator and creation. These are really the only few problems I have with the anime, but it is not really enough for me to seriously dislike it.

To cover the other aspects of Re:Creators, I really enjoy the music utilized in this anime. The soundtrack mainly consists of awesome electronic techno music and a bit of orchestral by the composer Sawano that nails what Re:Creators is about. The music gives a particular feeling an epic battle appropriate for this kind of crossover anime. The art and animation is pretty solid as well. When it comes to the occasional action scenes, they are pretty exhilarating to watch as characters clash against each other. These other aspects complement each other to help make Re:Creators a very entertaining watch.

I would also like to address the other problems that people talk about that I personally think are not actually a problem before I close my review. Mainly, it being the lack of in-depth exploration of the creation's worlds:

There are some people that say that not exploring the character's fictional stories enough is a flaw in Re:Creators. In my opinion, the creation's worlds in Re:Creators do not really need to explored, because these creations can be easily identified by an audience who watches several anime, you do not need to know their backstory if you have a good background on anime. If this anime had to share their backstory, why would it matter to the premise? It is irrelevant. Because ultimately, Re:Creators uses the character's stories to help create interesting relationships with the creators and creations. Why would I care about a creation's story if ultimately the creation/creator relationships matters? It would deride the premise and the goal it is trying to achieve.

Overall, I think Re:Creators is one of my favorite anime that I have watched EVER! This anime filled a gap that I wanted to see happen, and fulfilled that premise very well. If you are a fan of Japanese media, I would not dare miss out on this anime!

Alright, so, this is a really interesting anime. The first few episodes are kinda iffy, but the more you watch, the better it gets. I just finished episode 9, and I can comfortably say, that this anime has really interesting characters and the concept itself is quite unique. I won't say what exactly happens, but lets just say, that the anime took a darker turn on episodes 8-9. I really thought that this anime wouldn't have this kind of event in it. The way that the anime is presented in the first few episodes seems lighthearted compared to how it is at episode 9 now. ... So far, each episode has left me wanting to see the next, which is a really good aspect of the anime.

if you love the stuff that happens in every anime all the time... Re:Creators might not be for you.

I'ts a heavy and interesting premise with a lot of somewhat hard to understand development. And while the action looks good and is enjoyable, It's definitely a secondary part of this anime.

While there's a very rough part around episodes 2-5, which is when they go into most of the actual mechanics of the premise, those are important because after episode 7 the story gets a lot faster and anyone who didn't understand the mechanics would get lost.

I've seen people arguing about "the story isn't good, ... i can't even figure out which one the protagonist is supposed to be" i promise if you stick it out you will understand.

the last few episodes are emotionally powerful in a way i don't often see from anime's that include action.

It's a much better anime than people have given it credit for, but I'll admit that there are a few episodes early on that are hard to get through.

Short Review

Re:CREATOR is one of the if not the best anime concepts ever made, a story of stories colliding and characters that are too far even genre apart characters meet and interact with each other is almost a genre on its own.

Concept and characters already exceeding a 10/10 limit but this is also where the show's weakness shows (pun intended) the rest of the shows fundamentals are overshadowed causing not the best execution of connecting them like the pacing and the dialogue on power systems were basically useless because there were no power system but its also because making a power system in this concept ... is basically impossible causing the huge part of the anime pretty boring because this is FILLED with dialogue.

In conclusion I think this anime can absolutely stand as one of the classics or a must watch for the sole reason on how original and unique this concept is. Every popular anime will always have a predecessor or atleast similar concepts but Re:CREATORS is just different. It might not be a 10 out of 10 anime but this is still one of the only original shows that will remain original with no predecessors especially if you are also interested in writing this will give you infinite new perspectives.

Because no one can RE:create Re:CREATORS (pun intended)