I love how multi-faceted the characters are. Honestly, aside from the skull face woman (who has albeit also shown some appealing attributes), there hasn't really been one antagonistic character. I honestly don't know the mom's agenda -- she's quite mysterious -- but throughout the entire series, not once did I think she was evil or mean-spirited. When first introduced, and she called the Duke a "death incarnate" and stopped contacting him, I thought she was all that stuff. But via all the dinner scenes and miscellaneous stuff, she just turned out to be slightly cold-hearted and callous. I like the very, very subtle implications that she's not wicked. If she was, she wouldn't have said Viola looked good after changing into a dress. And if she was, she'd do everything in her power to forbid Viola and Walter from visiting the villa. She is angered by it and disapproves, but I like the implication that her children have some freedom. I don't know if the mother is an "antagonist", but regardless, I definitely like her character as it is now, and think she's written well. If she were any softer, the series would lose its edge -- but if she was any harsher, she'd fall into the stereotypical villain category. But like I said, every character is multi-faceted. None of them show exclusively one trope. Pretty much every main or recurring character has shown some form of affection, along with happiness, sadness, irritation or anger -- as well as wisdom as well as naivety. Every character has strengths, but they've all got flaws. None of them are overly perfect. None of them are overly flawed. The creators of the franchise really knew how to make the characters immersive and somewhat realistic while also being entertaining.
After the first two episodes, I had this series ranked at a 6/10. The first episode was effective in introducing the plot, but very bland (even for "slice of life" standards, if you could call this show that) - and almost poorly written: not with inconsistencies, but it felt very very amateur. But after getting midway into the series, the story found its footing. It walked a fine line between being episodic while also having a steady plot progression. There are standalone scenes with comedy or wholesomeness or whatever, but we also slowly find out more and more about the world. Little by little. By the end, I was at peak immersion. Maybe the show isn't a 10, and I'm afraid 9 would be pushing it (although I'm tempted to rate it that). But nothing less than an 8/10, from me. The show accomplished what it was trying to accomplish. And if renewed for a second season, there's so much more to learn about. Yet, season one definitely had a feeling of completion and temporary closure.
The animation? Interesting. The only anime I've ever seen pull this type of 2.5D medium off is Land of Lustrous. I was skeptical at first glance, because I along with pretty much everyone else do not like 3D anime and prefer the traditional medium. But honestly, it works in this show's favor. I hope this style doesn't become the mainstream or go-to in the future... but I can let it slide for this show, exclusively, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Strangely enough, I think there's a charm to the SLIGHT stiffness of the characters bodies and faces. I can't put my finger on it... it's like the characters are doll-like, and sometimes lag when they move. But there's something really cute about it. And on top of that charm, and in spite of that factor, the characters are still very very expressive. Their faces, their body language, and of course their voices. I think the character of Walter is a prime example. I always loved his strange body movements. Like when he was with Viola in the attic, or when he tripped and fell into the Christmas tree, or when we first saw him and he was crawling around on the floor...
Walter's definitely a standout character lol. Idk why he's so laughable. I don't know if Viola classifies as slightly "tsundere", but I'm usually not a fan of her character type. But I eventually grew to like Viola a lot. The Cuff and Zain character additions were also beneficial. I like how Cuff is dense, but not stupid. She's absentminded and kinda slow, but she's competent and seems dependable. Zain embodies the classic perv trope you see in anime, but it's perfectly balanced out with him being well-meaning. That scene on the roof was pretty well-done; I loved the exchange when the Duke found out he stole the logbook.
Rob's also a nice character. Seems like he's got potential for character exploration too. I like how he's a friend to the other characters, but can at times show signs of naivety and wisdom, clumsiness and/or overwhelming competence, worry, relief, and even anger. I worried that he'd just be this gag character that'd only pop up for a few seconds every now and then and contribute nothing to the scene. But, like I said, there's plenty of potential to impact the plot, i.e. him knowing Alice's mother. He showed up a lot more than I thought he would throughout these episodes, and I never quite knew what to expect, but I found him to be a good character too.
I've already voiced my approval of the MC in other posts. But to reiterate... he is the ideal MC. Perfect, from a storywriting perspective. His default mood is pleasant and polite. But he seems capable of emitting just about any emotion you can think of, except for genuine mean-spiritedness. From extreme angst and depression, to pure anger (albeit not anymore, but intriguingly in flashbacks), irritability, childishness, maturity, clumsiness, talent, lust, bashfulness but also straightforwardness. In fact, that's one of my favorite aspects. I've grown sick of the "does she love me? does she love me not?" trope in every slice-of-life, where it's just a back-and-forth with no progression until the very last episode. But since the beginning, both the Duke and Alice were honest about their feelings for each other from the get-go; yet, progression still somehow occurred, with them expressing their love in a more serious manner gradually throughout, with a slightly increasing frequency. It's refreshing seeing a character be able to just say "I love you" or "I care for you", with neither party falling silent and blushing to oblivion. There IS a time and place for tropes like that, but it's a resounding rarity to see a departure from that trend in a lighthearted comedy/romance/slice-of-life anime.
Throw some slight tragedy elements in there, a historic theme (Victorian, perhaps?), and some supernatural elements as well..... and you have quite a unique anime. At least compared to its current contemporaries. Loved the overall vibe. I look forward to potentially more in the future. This was a time-well-spent binge. |