Mar 15, 2023
Let me get one thing out of the way first: I went with "Mixed Feelings" for this one, because when I try to think of people in general, I think some will like this series a lot and others just won't feel as engaged by it regardless of the show's quality, and rather due to the oddball premise. Considering only my friends and acquaintances, from a personal point of view, I would in fact recommend this one to them.
Overall, Paripi Koumei was a very pleasant surprise for me. I had low expectations based on the description of the anime; the weird pairing of historic
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chinese tactitian with the 'oshare' pop music theme reminiscent of idol anime, neither of which I'm personally not a huge fan of (yet) to begin with. Despite that, the anime doesn't fail to deliver on excitement, conflict and mood, surprisingly drawing me in to hit 'play next' with every ending episode (I prefer binging what I watch). The opening is entertaining and well paced in music as well in visuals, not lacking a tablespoon of silliness for comic relief. The show doesn't take long to make the viewer care about the characters and their struggles, all while light heartedly blending the historical battle tactics vibe of Kongming with the feel of pop music anime. The hiphop aspect surprised me too, some of the lyrics felt rather elaborate. Of course that's not to say, the show doesn't have cringy moments but there is a lot less of embarrassing instances and more wholehearted characterdrama. I also liked that the ending introduces main characters to the animation sequence as they join the show, as it shows how much the creators cared about detail. Seiyuus do a great job of conveying the difference between Eiko's and Nanami's level of singing. The musical score and animation are also solid, nothing groundbreaking, but also not leaving a lot to be wished for. With that said, nothing happened in the show that swooped me off of my legs in terms of originality and ingenuity. It manages to blend together two very different worlds but doesn't manage to create anything new or unique by doing so. I also felt that Kongming's inner drama was very detatched from the rest of the events, especially with flashback scenes of his old compatriots and master, which fail to create deep and meaningful parallel with his struggles with Eiko. Kongming doesn't really encounter significant conflict (neither inner nor outer) in the show, which dulls his development as a character. Not to say that he's not entertaining as he is, but providing a deeper, more emotional connection to his new friends and their struggles would be a spice that could substitute for the empty feeling flashbacks without purposeful drama.
Having said that, Paripi Koumei nearly missed the 9 mark, making it 8/10, a well produced, entertaining anime to watch. I'd definitely be on board for a season 2 if we ever get one, and I've also made a note to myself about checking out the manga, as I'm interested in what else will happen to Kongming, Eiko and their partners in crime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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