Magikano

So I'm going to make this as short and sweet as possible.

First off I watch mostly the newly English dubbed version, except for a few episodes in Japanese but quickly switched back, so that's the version I'm going to based this review off of that version. First off, this is one of the funniest animes that I've had the chance to watch so far, mainly because they used foul language without any fear of censorship. This cruel slap-stick kind of humor kept me pretty enthralled in the plot, for about the first three episodes.

For the plot, it starts out pretty fast, slows down ... until about the last four or five episodes, and then goes forward to a half-baked ending that will leave you scratching your head for a while. The only thing that I could do was take the plot with a spoon of sugar and remember that I made me laugh a whole lot.

Overall, if you're looking for a fun anime to watch that you don't have to put any thought into or pay attention to plot, this would be the perfect anime for you. If not, just watch the dub and remember that laughter is the best form of medicine, so just keep on smiling all the way through. In the end, if this show wasn't funny, it would probably receive a two from me, but the puns and quick back and forth between the characters completely redeemed the show for me.

It is a fun watch for someone who wants to be entertained with some humor. It would have been better if it stuck closer to it's Manga eechi roots, then the talking cat panties would have made more sense in the overall story line. Over all it's not outstanding but cute enough to keep your attention, but the ending really really drove down my rating for the story. It's like deus ex machina gone wild - like the writers suddenly decided to get serious at the very last moment. This ending makes the ending for Neon Genesis look reasonable.

From the very beginning of this series it seemed like it would be a typical magical comedy, but it isn't until the final four episodes that sets this apart from the rest. I wouldn't recommend this anime to anyone that wants to feel satisfied at the end. I am definitely disappointed with how they decided to end this show, especially since they made everything that happened up to the ending pointless. There is absolutely no conclusion and not even an ending that allows the viewer to determine what kind of ending they think it was. They literally made the story into a complete circle where ... nothing different will ever happen. This is the part that annoyed me the most. If they at least allowed for the possibility of something new happening then the show would have been much better.

I just finished watching Magikano and throughout the series I couldn't decide whether or not I like the anime, but by the end I found it to be okay.

Story (6):

The story follows a witch Ayumi Mamiya who is cursed to lose her powers unless she awakens the boy she saw in the mirror who happens to be the protagonist Haruo.

It's pretty basic as far as harem anime goes. To be honest, by episode three I wondered if this anime was intended to be a parody of the harem genre by just how over the top it could be with some of these cliches.

The episodes ... that focus on advancing the plot, such as the one with the class play, or the final two episodes, are enjoyable to watch. Had there been more focus on the main plot throughout, the story would've received a higher score. There is a lot of filler and a few cringey episodes to get through, but a good amount of humor makes it possible.

The ending comes out of nowhere and is quite a disappointment.

Characters (4):

A lot of the characters in this anime are unlikeable. To begin with the main protagonist is your run of the mill harem lead. Though to be fair, his obliviousness is not his fault due to his sisters constantly erasing his mind. (This reason for him being oblivious is why I considered this being a parody). However when he finally is able to resist the mind erasing charm, he is legitimately angry, and I would have liked to see more of that side of Haruo, unfortunately that's about as far as it goes. So there's nothing special about the protagonist.

I found every single girl in this anime, except the minor character who has a crush on Yuri, and Rika (pretty much the only two who aren't interested in Haruo) to be annoying. The main character Ayumi is too whiny and selfish. Maika, who is in love with her own brother, annoys me by not allowing her brother to make his own choices. Actually that can be said about all of them. All they are concerned with is getting Haruo, yet not a one considers Haruo's feelings on the matter. Ayumi is the only one who actually has a reason, but as for the others, I don't understand why they're so interested in this one guy, it's never explained.

The best characters by far are Haruo's friends: Sora and Hajime, the boys in the supernatural science club. They are hilarious every moment they're on screen. And they break the pervert best friend trope by actually having hobbies and personalities. In fact I wish they were the main characters.

Art (7):

The art is decent. The animation is decent. It's nothing ground breaking, but it still looks good.

Sound (8):

I love the ending song. It's so catchy and fast paced. The dancing animation that accompanies the ending is fun to watch. It's a song I would listen to on its own as well. The opening song is calming and sweet.

I watched the English dub of this anime and I love the dialogue humor. I laughed so much at all the puns and references throughout. They made many references to other fandoms which earned a chuckle or two. The girls arguing with each other is funny. They speak in modern vernacular in a way that doesn't come across as annoying or trying too hard.

Still the best part has to be the commercials. Whenever Sora and Hajime introduced a new item there was an infomercial type voice over that explained what the item was and included the fast talking fine print and all. Those moments never failed to make me laugh thanks in large parts to the voice actor.

Enjoyment (6):

The enjoyment was hit or miss depending on the episode. There were some good episodes such as the sports day one (with the best surprise ending), the pool episode (again, great resolution), the school play episode, and all the plot relevant action episodes. Then there were a few lousy episodes, the second episode and the one with the talking underwear were too annoying and ridiculous to enjoy.

Mostly it was the humor and the dialogue that made the anime fun to watch. In many cases the episode's resolution did come as a surprise, which I felt added to the enjoyment of that particular episode.

As mentioned earlier, I didn't care much for the overall ending.

Overall (6):

Magikano had potential to be good. As far as overall plot it's decent, and the humor is great. However there were too many cliche and annoying characters to really enjoy it to the max. The fact I didn't root for any of the girls due to their obnoxious personalities (and overall objectifying Haruo) made it a little less enjoyable.

The music and humor are this show's best qualities. However, I'm still going to have to give Magikano a score of mediocre.

6/10