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May 5, 2020
Sometimes its great to switch your brain off and simply watch the pretty colours on your screen. Ao-chan can’t study is a bit like that. It has no depth, no intellectual capital to draw you in, no sotry depth, it is not a show to think about, but just watch and be entertained.
And it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than that. The series provides all the typical hallmarks of a show designed to appeal to the young male - bikini’s, people in various states of undress, awkward inappropriate touches and a blossoming love overlaid with sexual tension. Just the thing for filling in a
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couple of free hours.
This series had me wondering what kept me watching and not switching off as I have done with some series (Conception I’m looking at you). Simply put – its like any junk food craving – you don’t have to like all types of junk food and know it is bad for you, yet you still crave it. The craving desired by the caudate nucleus and satisfied through bursts of serotonin and dopamine due to the erotic visual stimuli is something I know I need from time to time. A break if you will from the often serious nature of reality.
But I digress. The main protagonist Ao Horie is a girl conflicted. She is conflicted about her sexual desire which she been repressed due to the overt sexual nature displayed by her father. And conflicted by her desire to explore her repressed sexuality. Ao has a very immature approach to love and sex and despite purportedly being well read on the subject thanks to her father, lacks the proper emotional capital and maturity to explore said emotions.
The love interest, Takumi Kijima, is about as 2D and wooden as you can get. He has no real personality, no background, no story and no development. He decides he loves Ao, and pursues her relentlessly, despite there being no chemistry between the two, no initial give and take to spark a connection. The relationship seemed very forced between the two, but despite that there will still moments of humor and I did want to stick around to see what happens. I think it also helped the episodes were only around 10 minutes in length – a typical junk food snacking time.
So ultimately while I may disagree with the way in which Ao was portrayed (I thought it was unnecessary for her studies to suffer) and tough to watch Ao’s dreams slowly shift from focus and success to fulfilling carnal desire, it was entertaining. I enjoyed (albeit while cringing) the interactions between the two main characters and wanted to stick around to see if they started at third base or first. I thought the artwork for Ao was cute too – and that helped immensely.
So would I recommend this? Well while this is a middle of the road anime, it is not without entertainment value. As long as you don’t expect more from it than what it offers, Ao can’t study is not a complete waste of two hours.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 22, 2020
This anime is amazing art – an in depth examination and exploration of love and all the elements that it entails, set against a backdrop of emotion and tears. We are treated to a study of parental love, the love shared between friends, sibling love and romantic love. The story is skillfully woven around this simple premise and elevated with deep characterisation and believable backstory which affects the reactions, motivations and emotions of characters in the present.
True tears has left an indelible mark on my soul. It is one of only a handful of anime’s which have drawn me in to such a degree.
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The emotional response the story was able to elicit, was deep and long lasting, like that first love you never forget. I was genuinely moved by the story, moved by the plight of the three main characters as they learnt and grew through love.
Shinichirou as the male lead and object of affection for three very different women was chacterised through his struggle to recognize and act on his own emotion. Understanding his place in the family home, how he is perceived in society and who the object of his romantic affection is. Shinishirou’s struggles and growth throughout the series were worthwhile as he grew much like the picture book story he developed – an allegory for his own struggles and growth.
Hiromi, the orphan adopted into the family of Shinichirou struggled with her own loss, her own feelings of romantic love and her place in a new family. It was beautiful watching her develop and grown, learn and finally acknowledge and accept her own feelings.
Noe, arguably the main character of the story also had to face her own grief and emotions. Withdrawn after the death of her grandmother and subsequently unable to cry, she struggling to find her own strength over and above a lack of emotional response. While searching for a way to regain her emotional response and tears to become whole, she became the catalyst for the growth of both Shinichirou and Hiromi.
Many of the supporting characters were not just there to create tension for the main characters, but had their own plights, emotions and motivations. The world in its entirety was believable if not typical of a slice of life anime.
What I did appreciate was the maturity with which the characters were treated. This is what created a believable universe for me. There was little overexaggerated reactions, no real fan service to speak of – just a solid character driven story. If this is the type of anime you like – I would watch this immediately. But take your time to savor the story, to reflect on the characters and their motivations, to reflect on the metaphors so beautifully implied throughout the story.
In short, I hope you love this as much as I did.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 19, 2020
I had keenly anticipated As the moon, so beautiful, to feed my desire for heartfelt romance anime. And while this anime reduced me to tears on occasion, it could have been so much more. While an enjoyable watch, it was not an anime that would etch itself upon my heart and attach itself to my soul. It’ll be interesting to review this again in 12 months’ time, after the initial emotional imprint has left my mind.
The pacing is laconic, like a brook slowly rambling through a forest, with nowhere in particular to be and nowhere in particular to go. Does that make it a bad
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watch? No. It is somewhat relaxing in its approach. We get a peek into the slowly developing and deepening relationship between Akane and Kotarou. But while it does show the developing relationship, to me it was almost too slow and too painful to watch. The awkwardness between the two main characters continued for far too long and had me wondering time and time again why they were persisting with the relationship. It just didn’t seem to be developing quickly enough and with enough mutual attraction.
I was also pained by the lack of chemistry between Akane and Kotarou – the lack of flirting. The relationship does progress. We get handholding, then kissing and hugging, but it seemed forced. Like the two had been forced to conform to societal norms for a relationship and they were exploring human contact for the sake of that exploration. I get they are young middle schoolers and this is all a first for them, but conversely – this is a first for them! They are experiencing love for the first time – so lets have a little more emotional investment from them both. I get not everyone experiences love in the same way, particularly romantic love, but there should at least be some elation and utter dejection. While there was an attempt to introduce some of this drama, the two seemed ultimately unemotional about themselves as a couple.
While I did actually enjoy watching the relationship develop, I never felt that deep emotional bond that I wanted to feel. I wanted the characters to be kids, to focus on their world and all that it entailed, to embrace the moment and thrill to the new experiences and feelings. And draw me into that world and those experiences. However, there is very little of this. I was also frustrated the characters were rarely able to show or say what they felt – rarely providing us a glimpse into their inner psyche, wants and desires. Yes, I know the focus should be on the show, rather than them declaring their desires, but there should have been some semblance of both. But again – I got very little and it left me flat.
It was interesting to see that romantic love was not the only focus point – and I enjoyed the familial love portrayed, particularly with Kotarou’s mother and to a lesser extent father. Most of the other relationships were superficial. We did get a nod to friendship love, and unrequired love, but ultimately they were underplayed and didn’t develop depth. While I did enjoy the parental love on display, I did baulk at Kotarou’s mother’s reactions, which burst into flame, only to die just as rapidly. The friends never really got their own story, and the hinted romance between Ryouko and Roman was never deeply explored or resolved. The other characters were as you would expect - to add some drama and turmoil in the main couples’ life, without developing a life of their own.
Overall it is an enjoyable watch, one that will pull at the heart strings, but ultimately won’t stand among the cream of the crop in this genre.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 12, 2020
This was so much more than I expected. A harem romance/comedy from 2003 – virtually unheard of to my ear and rarely spoken about on random anime recommendation threads.
I was jarred at first by the artstyle – which I found aged, although not without its own charm. However, by the end of the first episode, it had stopped being an issue for me and I was able to enjoy it for what it was.
The series focusing on Maiku and two potential sisters, Karen and Miina and I found myself falling in love with the three of them. The characters had depth, struggles and were impacted
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by their past – something they were striving to move past and grow from.
Outside the main trio – the supporting characters were reasonably bland. We had the teacher who at least initially acted like a potential love interest. Then we had Tsubaki the student counsel vice-president and even Maiku’s friend Kousei all as potentials. Of these supporting characters, only Kousei receives any real development – the others are used as plot devices, moving the story forward or giving the main characters a reason to react.
As the series progresses it is obvious who the two true love interests are – and of that we hope it will be resolved with one being named the sister and the other free to pursue her love. It does seem the writer was trying to play it a little safe – and have Maiku react appropriately towards the sister, while allowing his romantic feeling to grow for the ‘stranger’, but there was still enough doubt to hold the viewers interest to see what the ultimate outcome would be. And we were not disappointed. That there was a resolution at all, I was grateful for – I would have felt cheated if there was no definitive sister and stranger. Especially after hearing it mentioned in almost every episode, multiple times.
Of the three main characters, I felt Karen developed the least – there was more time and effort on the development of Miina and Maiku. However, Karen still got the first kiss and was able to grow enough to admit her love to Maiku and became responsible enough to hold down a part time job while going to school. Miina was able to let go of some of her insecurities and open up about her past – and ultimately recognize the change in herself and admit her growing feelings to both Maiku and Karen. Maiku was able to give the lobe he so desperately wanted to give and come to understand that life is not just about serious work and school – but there is time for fun and romance as well.
Now I’m not saying this series was brilliant and without flaws, however, I still rated it an overall nine, primarily for the emotional response it was able to elicit from me. I was able to move past the flaws, although I recognize that some people may not be able to. But I was able to become invested in the characters struggles and root for them – which is all I want from any story. I will add it did grate on my ear hearing ‘we might be relatives…we might be strangers’, over and over again – but I felt it did serve to highlight the inner turmoil the characters were going through. If I was in the position of the characters, I believe that I’d be struggling with that issue on a daily basis. It would play on my mind – as it played on theirs.
And not to forget this is a harem – in typical harem fashion, we can expect to see a reasonable amount of fan service – and this series didn’t stray to far from that premise. We had the beach scene, we had the accidental kiss scene, we had naked bath scenes (almost every episode!), regular panty peek scenes, and we had the characters interreacting with each other in various states of dress. Check, check and check. Did this detract from the story? I felt it didn’t – but I felt much of it was not necessary to the enjoyment of the series.
Overall – I’d class this as a hidden gem – and I’ll make the recommendation of watch to whoever will listen. It is right up there with my favorite harem’s and the fact it has a resolution makes me give it two thumbs up. Give it a try – but come with an open mind.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 10, 2020
I was excited to watch Hello World – it has some of my favorite themes for any story, through any medium. I mean, what could be better than a love story – overlaid with sci-fi themes and time travel. This story had so much potential. I could have overlooked the inconsistencies, the lack of character development, if there was one element that stood out. One element that would draw the reader in.
In some movies, it’s the love story, and we can forgive the story other inconsistencies or less developed areas. In some stories it is the world building that captures you. In others still it
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is the science behind the world – the exposition of deep philosophical intent. But unfortunately in Hello World, we fall short in every area, with not a single eminent to drive our interest and love we desperately want to give.
I felt the writer (Mado Nozaki) didn’t completely buy the story himself. Its like he had some ideas, but something kept him from realizing the narrative’s true potential. He tried to blend stories such as the matrix, inception and closer to the current medium, Stein’s Gate – to bring us something wonderous and thought provoking. Except it fell flat. It felt the ideas were not completely developed and were able to stand a simple reality check.
It’s almost as if the story and themes got too big, the science too difficult to explain. The viewer gets lost in trying to find something to connect with and care about. There is so much happening, the focus is lost on what drives the story – the three main characters (if we separate old/young Naomi into two people).
I felt the love story was too rushed. I didn’t think the characters had proper, well characterization and motivation. Firstly for young Naomi to grow enough to begin a relationship with Naomi, but secondly – after very little interaction, Naomi devotes ten years of his life and tortures himself just to try and bring Ruri back. I simply wasn’t invested enough in the relationship. And the way Naomi blandly accepts he’s a simulation felt unrealistic and added to the pointlessness of his ‘life’ and my lack of care as to what happened to him.
My second main gripe is that Ruri Ichigyou was just a plot device. Her character didn’t develop. She was just there to have things happen to her so Naomi could react. She is cute, and I felt the writer was trying to develop her character, but fell significantly short. She started off cold and aloof, and interesting, but we never got to explore that – or understand why she wanted to change and how or why she was changing. We get no sense of her motivations. Ruri is the a-typical damsel in distress, an object, rather than a person. For this I cannot forgive the writer, no matter how cute the artwork.
The science was the aspect of the story that put me off the most. It was like the writer couldn’t bring the concepts together to create a coherent whole. He tried, there was a bit of an explanation, but nothing I was satisfied with. If the science is a motivation, then you need to explain it so I can buy it. It doesn’t have to be a deep and complex explanation, something that sets the rules of the world and gives the characters motivation and a reason for the viewer to care about what is happening. I didn’t buy the science here – in fact the explanation only served to make me care less about the characters, not care more. I didn’t feel like there was enough at stake.
Ultimately I believe the elements for a good story were here – but it was let down by some sloppy writing. There was a deep psychological link that could have been explored to give the characters motivation – but sadly, the writers skill or lack of care meant this was not realised.
So would I recommend you watch this? Well if you like cute characters and don’t care too much about the story then yeah. If you are looking for anything deeper here – you won’t find it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Nov 18, 2019
So what does the title, YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world actually mean? After watching this anime I am still at a loss to determine what it means and how it fits into the overall story. However, to unpick it here would be to provide spoilers – so suffice to say I’ll leave it as my interpretation being the strength of love (and a little zygyte) can draw two characters together, no matter the distance, no matter the dimensional barriers that they face.
Despite the ambiguity of the title, it doesn’t mean the anime is poor, in fact I found
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it quite entertaining. I had no idea coming into it exactly what its history or pedigree was – I came in as a cleanskin, with no preconceived ideas. As such I found it quite entertaining. Not without flaws, but entertaining nonetheless. Whether it is better than the source material it is based upon – others can argue, but for me, the story was interesting, new and multi-faceted.
The story itself contains two main arcs, one on earth or one of the many versions of reality – and the second in another world. The setup is quite well done – and like the ominous tapestry that hangs on various walls throughout the story, contains many threads that are gradually linked together. While not every thread is resolved, the main plot points are addressed and the ending reasonably satisfying, especially for those who are into Electra complexes.
The story focusses on the branches of reality and the many-world concept or multiverse. And that every action or decision we make can have an impact and create a new branch of reality. The viewer is whacked over the head a few times to drive this concept home – and that while history can not be changed, and some events are set. Then the main character, Takuya goes on to break those rules and potentially change history or have history change under his nose. Sigh…
There is a little exposition on the concepts of the multiverse, what it means and how it operates, and frankly I could have used more explanation – rather than the same one or two concepts being explained over and over. But that said – enough world building and rules were developed to allow the viewer to reasonably follow what was happening. However, I still scratch my head as to how Takuya’s father was able to communicate with him – or why, outside of a simple plot device.
If I was to be critical it would be on the second arc – the typical isekai adventure. It seemed too much license and gratuitous coincidence was introduced, more to shock the viewer than for any legitimate plot exposition. That said – the arc was coherent in driving towards an ultimate outcome and worked to drive a final showdown of good versus evil with a typically non-typical ending.
Overall the anime held my attention throughout its 26 episodes and 9 hours of screen time. At the end I was satisfied – although glad it was finished and ultimately I would recommend for those who like the sci-fi, drama, mystery genre.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 26, 2019
Some people feel the need to have a story spelt out to them – they need to be explicitly told what happens. They need things to be neatly wrapped up with a bow, without any ambiguity or thought. They don’t want to be part of the story telling process, no intellectual investment, just pure entertainment.
It’s almost laughable to speak about intellectual investment in terms of a harem anime which is definitely what this is. But while Isuca is far from a masterpiece, or even the best example of the genre, that doesn’t mean it isn’t entertaining in its own right.
The plot is relatively simple –
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the main protagonist, Shinichirou, is saved by our bow-wielding heroine, Sakuya, who it is revealed is vying to make her temporary title as head of her family of monster killers, or exorcists, official. Shinichirou it is discovered has a special ability to vastly increase the power levels of those he kisses. Therefore harem mischievousness ensues.
While the approach and execution of the story are nothing revolutionary, it is entertaining. And at ten episodes, completing the series is not a significant drain on your time. You could binge this in an afternoon, without missing a beat. And you’d be entertained, as long as you are not going into this expecting it to be a deep exploration of the human condition.
I will note the character development is a little lacking, perhaps due to the ten episodes this anime is limited to. But perhaps deep character development is also not the point. As light, fun entertainment with cute girls and awkward situations, it holds fast and true to expectation.
While character development is minimal – there is change among the two main characters. Shinichirou grows in acknowledgement of his blossoming feelings, as does Sakura. There is also a deeper plot which is touched on, but not significantly explored, with the mystery surrounding Isuca and Sakuya’s father. The anime was slowly moving in the direction of exploration, but the ten episodes were over before this was drawn out in any detail.
It should also be noted that this harem anime does stray into ecchi territory. Personally I found this aspect of the show a tad unnecessary – especially the sheer volume of strategically torn clothing, or various states of undress the girls find themselves in. This aspect of the show was unnecessary to the enjoyment, but it is there – and makes watching the uncensored version necessary, for ugh, educational purposes.
So despite what you may have heard about this anime, it is solid entertainment. It’s not a must watch – but if you come across this – I’d recommend giving it a go.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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