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Sep 17, 2017
Man... as a fan of this series, I have to say, this one is probably my favorite OVAs out of all of them. This one actually had me in tears.
Even though compared to some of the other Kono Danshi OVAs the animation isn't the smoothest, I absolutely ADORE the art style of this series. It's so pleasing, stylistic, and memorable, and its lack of animation and heavy reliance on tweening and visual elements really take the cake for me, because it just fits the art style so well. If nothing else, the style is what got me into this series, and for that I'm grateful.
Not
...
much can be said about the sound; it wasn't amazing, but it wasn't horrible, either. It was just good - the voiceacting, the ending, the soundtrack - everything. Enjoyable enough.
The characters... well... didn't have much development, but what do you expect? It was a thirty minute OVA, so they don't really matter all that much in terms of personality. Their actions are important, but that more so has to do with the story than with the characters themselves. They were decent enough.
Now as for the story - wow. If you haven't been told this before now, this entire OVA is basically one big metaphor for depression. If you go into it with that knowledge, then everything becomes a whole lot more understandable, and it honestly makes the story so much better. Because without knowing this OVA is supposed to be symbolic, it will appear rather... bland. It will feel fast-paced and random, especially since a lot of questions like "What are the aliens even doing here?" are never addressed. But if you understand the metaphor (and relate to it), this will have you in tears, and everything will fit together perfectly. Quite a few lines that the characters said hit hard. And while not a lot of it actually makes sense in the long run, it's somehow quite moving and memorable. The ending was quite optimistic and satisfying, and it was really relieving to see it end on such a happy note, especially with the kinds of themes it dealt with. Truly amazing.
Ah, yes, I nearly forgot about the shounen ai elemnt. If you came here looking solely for that, then I recommend you go watch something else, because the hints of BL in this are so subtle that I honestly began questioning whether or not this was tagged incorrectly. Unlike some of the other titles in this series, the romance really isn't ever addressed, but since the story is so good and endearing, it's really not something that really matters.
Overall, this is definitely a must-watch, especially since it's only 20-30 minutes long. Amazingly, this had me in tears, and it's one of the most relatable things I've watched since Watamote. The art is breathtaking and some of the most unique I've ever seen, and though the characters and sounds weren't all that special, they were still good enough to be enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed this anime, and I recommend it to anyone looking to watch something short, sweet, and yet still memorably good.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 17, 2017
Alright, so is this anime good? Yes. Is it worth a watch? Maybe, if you're looking for a quick, light-hearted pass time. Is this all it's hyped up to be? Weeeeellll... no.
I'm not familiar with this kind of fantasy-parallel-universe genre since I don't really know many "good" anime that stems from it, so when people say this is supposed to be a parody of that genre, I have to admit, I really have no clue how accurate that statement is. So I guess some of the humor is lost on me, then. Lucky me.
As a comedy, this didn't really work for me. Not sure
...
if it was just my sense of humor, but a lot of it felt like it was flat and bland. Not saying that it was terrible, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just the kind you typically find in anime. It seemed to fare much better with its longer punch lines and some of its running gags, though after some time, some of those got old quick. I will give the series some credit, since as it went along, it became much funnier and more entertaining, mostly because Darkness became more masochistic (okay, so I might have found that a little funny) and Kazuma became more and more done with everyone's shit. Kazuma cracked me up and probably was what made the show actually decent; he is my spirit animal, god bless his soul.
As for the actual plot... well, not much actually happens, but I don't think anyone was really expecting it to since it's a comedy. Which is kind of a bummer, because I really wanted to see them actually go on genuine adventures and defeat the Devil King and stuff. It gets a little boring when they're just doing the same things over and over again. Because - news flash - humor works just as well (if not better) if you actually spice things up a little. New settings are okay to use every once in a while - it won't detract from the fact that this is a parody (?) if you do it.
The art was pretty, but nothing special, especially for something made so recently. The character designs were pretty bland, especially for something supposedly set in a fantasy world, famous for its elaborate and creative character designs. Nope. None of that here.
The sound was probably one of the high points of the anime. While the opening sounded like something out of Love Live (aka bland and overdone) and the ending was too quiet for my taste (though it was pretty peaceful, which I'll give it credit for), the voice actors and their line delivery was what made me laugh sometimes rather than the actual jokes. Kazuma's tone when talking to the girls and Aqua's screams and wailing were absolutely perfectly done and quite hilarious, and the way the music swiftly switched on and off when something anticlimactic happened was entertaining, so kudos to the creators for that.
The characters were (ugh, I'm going to get a lot of hate for this) overall really bland and boring. Actually, Kazuma was the most interesting, because he was the most relatable: "Why am I here? What am I doing? This isn't the kind of fantasy world I imagined; I hate it." Darkness was probably the only girl I actually really liked, mostly because I kind of found her masochism amusing and her personality a little unique. Aqua was quite annoying, to say the least, and though I thought Megumin was cute, she was nothing special, as I've seen multiple characters just like her in the past. For a parody anime, it doesn't do too good of a job parodying tropes, now, does it?
I enjoyed this anime... I guess. I mean, I watched the entire season, and I'm planning to watch the next (and the next, when that comes out) so I guess I found it entertaining? Strangely enough, it stands out a little among others of its like, so I guess that might be it. I think the best way to describe it is it's one of those stupid cat videos on Youtube that wastes your time and are absolutely ridiculous, and yet you just can't stop watching them. But in all honesty, this review was probably a little harsh purely because of the high expectations that everyone set for this anime (and my terrible sense of humor), so I guess it didn't really reflect my true feelings.
Overall, this anime isn't terrible, but it's not as mind-blowing as everyone says it is. It's good and it's cute, and if you want a few laughs or just something a little silly and slightly entertaining to watch, then give this a go. If you're expecting something like Gintama or Nichijou, then you should probably go find something else to watch instead, since this is nowhere near that level of comedy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Sep 17, 2017
Alright, so I haven't actually watched the rest of the series yet, so my opinion might change by the time I'm done. But I felt like I needed to write this review before starting on the rest of the series since my feelings about it are going to be VERY different by the time I'm done.
Story: 8
Art: 5
Sound: 10
Character: 7
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 9
Story:
The first arc nearly made me want to put this down and come back to it later, purely because it didn't seem too interesting or unique. But the ending of the fourth episode definitely changed my viewpoint, and I found myself binging this and
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finishing it in about two days. The arcs are all so different and unpredictable, and seeing how the characters acted differently in each was enticing, to say the least. I have to admit, though, that some arcs were too over-the-top to make much sense or be realistic, which detracted a little from my investment, but the problem there laid more with how some of the characters acted than with the story, so it's not something that I'll go too into detail here. This anime did, however, leave quite a lot to be desired, though I hear the second season takes care of that. This story does get a little complicated and confusing at times, but that's partially what makes it so intriguing. I honestly was a little disappointed in the horror aspect of this series. I feel like I would definitely describe this more as a mystery since that's what it felt like it was concentrating on more to me. So if you came here looking for a plethora of horror, I recommend watching something else.
Art: I don't really think I need to elaborate much on this, but the art isn't the best, even for something that came from 2006. The character designs were pretty bland, and sometimes, some parts even looked a little awkward (mostly the hair, since it seems to strangely defy all gravity and physics, and the chibis, which for whatever reason felt very unproportionately drawn to me). The animation wasn't lacking however, and overall, the art style didn't detract from the story whatsoever, especially since you get used to it very quickly. Overall, not a reason to not give this anime a go.
Sound: Alright, I don't know much about sound, but usually in anime, I don't really give the soundtrack/music much attention. But this soundtrack was, in my opinion, truly a masterpiece, since it stood out to me notably multiple times throughout the show, something that nearly never happens. The soundtrack just fit the scenes perfectly, and it adds IMMENSELY to the overall vibe and feel of the scene; I actually got shivers multiple times down my spine purely because of it. Since this is a horror, sounds are especially important, and this anime seems to know this and give a lot of attention to them as a result. The opening was amazing and was somehow just the right mix of creepy and alluring, and the voice actors were pretty great as well, though nothing too memorable compared to some others that I've seen.
Character: Overall, the characters were good, and they were quite enjoyable. I actually quite liked the mc, which boosted this score immensely, since a bad mc is probably one of the fastest ways to get me to drop an anime. The character interactions were interesting, especially with how vastly different they were with every arc and yet somehow remained the same at their very core. I appreciated the character development that they gave the characters considering they're such a significant part of the story, but I have to say, everything with the characters always just fell a little... short. Even though these characters weren't shallow and actually quite likable, it felt like they were built up with a lot of potential that was just never explored. Quite a shame.
That, however, isn't my main problem with the characters - the main problem I had was the ridiculously unrealistic way they acted in certain episodes. While it was interesting seeing the different characters act differently in different arcs, sometimes, their actions were more believable than in others. Sometimes the mc, Keiichi, acted like Kazuma from Konosuba (intelligent and likable) while at others, he was just as bad as Yukiteru from Mirai Nikki (illogical and idiotic). This wasn't just a problem with Keiichi, however; this problem is prevalent with ALL the characters. It really ruined some of the arcs for me and came close to ruining my favorite, but since this is really only prevalent in about a 1/4 of the series and, even then, only at certain moments, it's quite overshadowed by the quality of the story and the character's actions in other circumstances, so it's not honestly not too big of a deal.
Enjoyment: I IMMENSELY enjoyed this anime. As a mystery, it operates amazingly well and is structured in such a complex and yet entertaining way that make it feel refreshing and unique. The constant what-ifs of the series and the way it manipulates and takes advantage of the flexibility the story offers took me by surprise quite a few times, and in a good way. Definitely one of those shows that you will be unable to put down until you're done with.
Overall: While I can't really say much about this series being a horror, the mystery aspect was definitely explored very thoroughly and written in a thought-provoking way. This series is definitely building up to something, and you can most definitely sense that it is going to be good. The art is mediocre and bland, but nothing that detracts from the series, so it's not something to give much attention to. The soundtrack was amazing and really made some scenes for me, and the opening was quite memorable as well. The voice actors were nothing special, but they did a pretty great job. The characters had some moments that made me think that the writers had no idea what their personality was like or what common sense even was, and though they could have had a bit more development, overall, they were pretty interesting and well-rounded. I immensely enjoyed the anime, and it had me invested all the way through, wanting to know what happens next and how everything links together. Overall, this anime is definitely worth a watch, and it most likely is going to make it on your list of the most memorable animes, if not on your list of favorites.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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