Oct 19, 2014
Kokoro Connect is a rarity in anime. It is a romantic drama that thanks to the strengths in its characters and writing avoids the annoying melodrama that shows like Golden Time and more recently Glasslip unfortunately fall prey to... For the most part anyway. This can probably be attributed to its satisfactory pacing, which again is something quite a few shows in this genre seem struggle with. The review will cover Michi Random as well. Now on to the review!
Story: Requires suspension of disbelief far too often, but is still well-written and well-paced.
Its setup we see far too often in anime
...
these days: A club of misfits have to deal with a fantastical situation that leads to drama and lighthearted comedic moments. Not exactly treading innovative waters. However, Kokoro proves that execution is everything by taking standard anime tropes showing you not everyone is so simple. The plot starts off with the club members switching bodies seemingly at random. At first this creates hilarity and confusion, but it isn't until later on we see the rather devastating mental effect this can have on a group of insecure angsty teenagers. Drama is handled in a mature, believable manner and was always entertaining to watch. Sexual tension is incredibly high in this anime which is a little odd, but makes the romance feel more authentic in my opinion. The ending is strong as well resolving all conflicts between characters, but oddly not explaining the phenomenons that had been plaguing the our lead characters the entire show.
Characters: The definite strong point of the show. Every single one is explored and developed thoroughly.
Yoshifumi Aoki- Master of nothing. He's the most boring character in terms of.. well.. just about everything and relies on the rest of the cast to make him interesting (its even admitted in the show). He does play a pivotal role in developing the rest of the cast and is actually well-developed character himself. Just not an exciting one.
Himeko Inaba- Master of being waifu material. As many who have actually seen this show to its conclusion will agree, Inaba is awesome. She practically carries this show on her back just as she often tries to with her friends in the show. I don't want to spoil too much since this shows plot is essentially its characters but she is a coodere. Seems cold, uncaring, and methodical but in reality is still just girl with girl problems. Something she is embarrassed to admit.
Yui Kiriyama- Master of Karate, but is actually the most vulnerable out of the five. She tends to over think things to point where she almost always feels like a burden and her back story matches her present-day personality quite well. Much like Aoki she is well-written but not that exciting.
Iori Nagase- Master of deception. This character is best described as Chitanda (Hyouka) x Sengoku (Monogatari: Second Season). She is cheerful, playful, and basically the opposite of Inaba although they still share a strong friendship. Despite all of her upbeat antics she is subject of/to nearly all of the drama this series has to offer. Because in this show not everyone is what they seem to be.
Taichi Yaegashi- Master of wrestling. Taichi is our main protagonist and is a "selfless-freak" in the words of Inaba. She is correct. "Typical" nice guy that wants to help everyone even if he knows attempting to do so will only cause them more pain. His greatest strength is also is greatest flaw and that makes him pretty interesting.
Sound: Effective at setting the mood.
Its effective and timed well in all scenes. It never out of place or disrupts the mood, but its nothing that I will ever remember now that the show is finished.
Art: Art is good, animation is pretty standard.
Everything is well drawn, and character designs in particular seem to stand out, but the animation can be noticeably lackluster in some scenes. It never was enough to take me out of the experience though.
Conclusion: At just 18 episodes this show is more than worth your time. And, Himeko Inaba is pretty damn awesome.
Watch if you:
-Are tired of character tropes
-Enjoy an unpredictable, but not over dramatic love-triangle
-If Rom-drams are your thing (in that case why havn't you seen this yet!?)
-Enjoy supernatural anime
-Enjoyed Nagi no Asukara
-Want a climatic and conclusive ending
Don't watch if you:
-Absolutely can not stand teenage drama
-Hate characters that tend to wallow in self-pity
-Don't enjoy drastic mood swings in your anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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