Hand Shakers: Go ago Go

"Life doesn't imitate art, it imitates bad television.”
― Woody Allen

Conclusion: Hand Shakers is life.


The unaired 13th episode is either a sequel or a prequel to the original tv series. I saw it once raw and once subbed and I honestly have no idea.

The story centers around some folks who were probably also present in the tv series. I can't really recall because all of them looks the same and none of them has a personality, but it is really interesting. The episode is about this debate over which one of these nice fellas is to blame for some thing like being late ... for 3 seconds. Apparently everyone wants to take the blame for this inconvenient delay. I have always hated waiting so the story is just great.

The background art is fantastic. I wish all the good anime series had an art like this. I can unironically call it the prettiest thing ever. Shame it gets constantly blocked by bunch of lolis who hold hands and some bishie megane princes who wear suits and hawaii shirts. I also appreciate how little they spent money on such useless things as "animation", still shots where camera work creates the immersion of movement is the core of cartoons. Disney has used it for over a century now. They still animated all boob wiggles, tho. There is nothing less believable than anime where physics don't work, so it was just essential.

The voice acting is impressive. Whenever two hand holding lolis speak in sync, I really feel like they are one and same body and soul. It's like fusion from Dragon Ball. The music is great. All the unz unz wobbity wobs and slice of life type BGM's make the series capture the essence of hand shaking. The OST is really good. Especially the song used when lolis hold hands so tightly the air got full of Bayblades, is neat. I will unironically acquire it for later listen.


When it comes to enjoyment, I watched this twice so you know it's worth of your time. I especially recommend watching this for the scene where suit wearing bishie feeds food to the prettier identical loli girl and the less pretty identical loli girl looks like she has never in her life been left down so bad. Her facial expression is the visual representation of betrayal. It's almost as if there is no place for her in the world. Feels bad man.

It’s been over a year since the demon known as Hand Shakers, terrorized the land. It has been over a year since it had been slain. It has been over a year since the community at large celebrated their victory.

3 months after the warriors of MyAnimeList finished their assault, a hatchling had been born. Son of Hand Shakers, it was called. No one knew why it was produced, as the purpose it would set out to fulfill was done so by Hand Shakers already. People had been anticipating the day it would enrage the community. However, it was late. So late, in fact, that everyone ... let their guard down. Now the beast has appeared to make his move. The fiend is weak; only one man is needed to slay him. This young man views the demon, sharpening the sword of ostentatious criticism and rage.

It sounds similar, though the noise it makes at least makes some sense, at least at first. The lazy, overblown, stock look its predecessor had, carried over almost as hideously. It doesn't have the army of abominable caricatures that we're so dreadful from before; it has younger, more benign versions of them. The sheer lack of movement makes this an easy target; it is cake compared to the vomit that came yesteryear. It means nothing, it is nothing, and soon it would prove to be less than that.

Somehow the field is wiped, contradicting the rules of its predecessor being that the field has to be empty aside from combatants in order for a fight to commence. Its true colors are revealed, spouting the same lacking movements and attacks over and over as if it were a zombified attempt at motion. Somehow it didn't jitter like the previous incarnation, but that hardly helps this beast. It's revolting and pointless attempts to appeal to emotion fall on deaf, outraged ears, as the beast is silenced. No tears were wept by anyone other than shallow caricatures that never mattered.

The absolutely contradictory snooze of a fight is over. It was boring, insulting even. Regardless, the demon deserved to be slain, and the final corpse has been spat upon. It may not be as abominable or long-lasting as what came before, but the mere existence of this was pointless. No legacy is left behind; spite and bitterness are all that remain.

Good riddance, for all of eternity, family of the Hand Shakers.