Jan 2, 2021
This won't be the world's longest or most in depth review, but I had to get some of my feelings about this show out.
First of all, a quick summary of my thoughts: This show is barely okay. Just barely. I loved the art, and I loved the music, and those two elements are arguably what prevented this show from being a complete flop in my eyes. Honestly, the first 5 or so episodes genuinely had me thinking that it could have been something special. Anime of the season at least, if not more.
But unfortunately, this show is plagued with issues, the most egregious among them
...
being the pacing. The pacing is HORRENDOUS. There are full episodes where little to nothing happens, only for the later half of the show to increase the pace to an almost absurd degree. Then, the final arc feels far too overdrawn as a result (which is really an accomplishment, because that arc is also far too quick). It killed any kind of emotional attachment for me, which is the whole reason shows like this work.
Another big issue is the characters. Some of them felt okay, such as Hina (for the first 6 or so episodes) and Yota (for about the same timeframe). But beyond them, the cast of characters felt really absurd, and the reason that many of them stick around (outside of Yota's friends) is simply because of belief it would happen from Hina's "divine powers". Yet I still find it amusing that a celebrity would take the time out to help a high schooler she barely knows film a movie, or go with him to a fireworks festival, or any of the other random stuff that occurs. Personally, I feel that connections between the main cast have to feel genuine, or else it comes across as a plot hole that was never really addressed. That was the case here. Some people may not mind that fact, and if so, great! But it's not for me.
(THIS PARAGRAPH HAS SPOILERS):
One other thing that bothered me was the "reveal." Throughout the show, I had always felt the subplot was out of place. Nobody in the side plot is truly connected to the main cast outside of the reveal, and as such it's not really something I was interested in. Then, the reveal happened. Let me tell you first, I think the reveal felt like a connivence used to fill the plot hole. A supercomputer chip helping some poor girl live, and all these people basically say "she's too dangerous to be kept alive!" and take it out of her via kidnapping. I mean, what??? If this shit happened in real life, this would be national news, not a normal Tuesday. But even overlooking that fact, the fact that our side plot baddy then tries to amend his mistake by going to the same school as Yota and dropping subtle hints for like a whole year? It just feels too forced and, again, WAY too rushed. This could have been handled better, perhaps if the chip was actually slowly killing her, and the ending was her dying from it, and them trying to prevent it, or something more plausible and, you know, sad? The side plot and the reveal that goes with it are just weak.
Finally, I'll end on a few good notes. First, the music and art are fantastic. I expect nothing less from P.A. Works, phenomenal stuff. Also, some of the humor in the initial episodes was genuinely funny, a staple of Jun Maeda's prior work "Angel Beats" too (I haven't seen Charlotte yet, so it could be there too). These aspects are pretty much what got me invested, and what little was left towards the end was what kept me watching. So, at least that stayed the same.
TL;DR: In conclusion, the show presented good ideas and genuinely interesting questions that were then ruined by poor pacing, a poor main cast, and a rather odd answer to the questions it brought up. In one word, disappointing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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