Welp, this is over. And I won't lie, I'm a bit disappointed. I started watching this show a long time ago, when I only completed two shows, I didn't know anything about it and liked it but due to having other shows on my watching list, I put it on hold and ultimately forgot about it, until I came here. That's when I found out this show is a very beloved one, so beloved it is even considered a classic.
After reading some reviews on this website but also on others, I decided to get back to it expecting something at least great.
Now I wonder, where is the masterpiece ? Where is this wonderful show that is so good no one can criticize it ? I didn't see it. I didn't see it, and it is really bothering me.
Don't get me wrong, it was good and I enjoyed it. But, and I'll admit it might be me who is stupid, I'm still wondering where is this wonderful perfection.
First of all, one of the things I dislike the most in a show is for it to have only one or two actually good characters, while the rest of the cast is full of absolutely bland and/or archetypal characters deprived of depth. And here this is what I got. Holo and Lawrence are indeed good characters, but the others are very bland and stereotypical, except maybe Nora who is quite interesting but unfortunately underdeveloped. This alone is already enough to make me think that this show is flawed. But it's not just that.
Holo and Lawrence themselves are good, even very good in Holo's case, but not good enough.
Lawrence is pretty interesting, he is endearing and I liked to see his struggles as a merchant. But most of the time, I couldn't help but think that he was pretty boring. I wouldn't say bland, but boring. His personality isn't very fleshed out, because we don't know who Lawrence is outside of his job. I know Lawrence the businessman, I wanted to know Lawrence the man. I got to see some glimpses of this person, especially through his relationship with Holo, and it was very nice to see, but I wanted to see more of that, to spend more time with this version of Lawrence, the one who isn't always thinking about making money. I get that this is his job, that it is the whole point, but I would've liked to see him snap out of it from time to time, it would've helped me get more attached to him. I also would've liked to know his backstory, maybe it will be adressed in the next season, I hope so, but as far as this season goes, something is missing.
And now about Holo. This is where the sensitive stuff begins. I know Holo is a very praised character among anime fans, which is something I can understand. But just like for Lawrence, I feel like Holo is missing something.
I always found her character to be an interesting one. An old wolf goddess, wise yet playful, who suffers from having been forgotten without always showing it out of pride, now that's quite a great concept. I didn't like her all that much at first but I was intrigued, and after episode 4, she really grew on me and I started thinking that she would make it to my favorites by the end of the show. Each time I started a new episode, I hoped that it would have that one scene that would make me love her. Then I reached episode 13 and I wondered what exactly did I fail to see in Holo. But after a bit of thinking, I don't think I failed to see anything. I just raised my expectations too high. Holo is a very good character, that's for sure, and her personality is an appealing one, but I really wanted to see more. She spent way too much time completely silent, way too much time without doing anything, she even spent way too much time behaving like a rebellious teen instead of the wise goddess she is supposed to be. I am not even certain she is anywhere near as wise as she is said to be. Actually she isn't, a lot of her behaviour proves that. Not only that, but the many moments when she didn't do anything really didn't play in her favour. This screentime could have been used for development, but instead we just got shot of her looking angry, or smiling, or just without any kind of expression worth pointing out. I say that as someone who generally loves to see characters being sometimes silent, to see how their body language and facial expressions speak for them, how the little details such as rubbing hands speak more than actual words. But Holo's moment of silence most of the time didn't add much to her character. And when she actually got development, she was always reverting back to her playful, smug, and let's be honest, impulsive self. I wouldn't have mind it if it was adressed. If her vulnerability was put in a bigger light. But it never truly happened. And in the end, we barely see her outside of her interactions with Lawrence and that's a real shame, because it would have been very interesting to see her alone with people who aren't the one she got attached to. Just to explore more in depth her darker but also more fragile side. Not to mention she is clearly dependent when it comes to Lawrence, it isn't just attachment, and I wished this was adressed, just like I wished the fact that Lawrence isn't the first nor the last to encounter Holo's path was adressed.
I could also talk about how I got completely lost with all that economics stuff, but it is my fault, not the show's so well, I can't blame it for that.
I still give this show a 6 which is a good (but not great) score for me, and I will watch the second season, maybe it'll be better. |