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Oh, shut up! *screaming* Shut up! Shame on you! Bad queens! Bad queens. Do you even know who you're booing? I have been devoted to you for decades. When I was a little girl, I showed you mine when you showed me yours. Even though you didn't care. When I was in high school, I showed you mine when you showed me yours, even though you didn't care. And when I was in my twenties, I slept with you, even though you still didn't care. And now, *crying* you sneer at me at the Chelsea Market, and you-- *crying harder* you throw macaroni salad at me on Christopher Street? And it's so not fair, *sobbing* because I love you people! I have always loved you in a very unhealthy way. For my own personal development, *sobbing uncontrollably* so now love me back, dammit!
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Aug 13, 2022
PAPAN-GAPAN! In my opinion, Patalliro is a ‘grower’ not a ‘shower’. It’s an acquired taste but I think it’s one that’s worth acquiring because it really is a delightfully weird little gem that deserves more love.
Phew, it’s hard to even know where to begin with explaining Patalliro to those who haven't seen it. It was absolutely ground-breaking for its time for being the first ever shounen-ai on Japanese TV. I would say it's a psychedelic adventure involving a Japanese, gay James Bond and a wacky, time-travelling prankster dictator who solve diamond thefts and other mysteries. It has all the charm of those really classic shoujo
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shows where all the tropes were established.
STORY: This show is weird and wacky but in the best possible way. You never know what’s going to happen especially because there are lots of unexpected sci-fi and supernatural elements that crop up, like witches and time travel. One thing we learn from Patalliro is that if you aren’t using your time-travelling abilities to hook up with past self then you’re clearly doing it wrong. The show is largely episodic with recurring plots like the Plasma-X robot family saga, diamond thefts or attempts on Patalliro’s life. Some of the standout episodes are the ones that focus on side characters, especially the ones involving Zachary (who’s a fabulous fortune teller that Patalliro torments) and of course, Robbie (which is my favourite episode of the series - *my heart breaks*). It’s a wild ride: there are trips to revolutionary France, gigantic chickens and acid-spewing dinosaurs but the characters and running gags keep the whole tone consistently comedic and entertaining.
At its core, Patalliro is a spy story (I think…) with most of the episodes revolving around clever plots to assassinate Patalliro or to steal his diamonds. The mysteries are usually solved by Patalliro himself who’s quite the sleuth but it’s Bancoran a.k.a. bishounen-killer that does most of the actual grunt work. That said, there are shenanigans and antics galore so it’s a gentle reminder not to take this too seriously - it's a gag anime after all. What makes comedy successful is a highly subjective thing but I’ve laughed many times at this show despite the fact that a lot of it’s comedic chops come from puns and references that non-Japanese people will struggle to understand. It's a niche style of comedy but it's more nuanced than just simple slapstick - there's a lot of wit there and I personally find it very funny.
CHARACTERS: All the things I found mildly off-putting became the things I ended up loving about this show - most notably Patalliro the main character himself. A character that shouldn’t work but ultimately does for several reasons:
1. If you find him annoying I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest, I did at first - but he’s also meant to be. It’s part of his character, it’s the impetus for a number of story lines and plot points. It makes sense with his upbringing and position.
2. What’s great about this show is that it has moments showing a much more endearing side to Patalliro that makes you start to like him and by the end of the series, you love the little weirdo and his bizarre antics. When it comes to the crunch, he’s a nice guy really and despite his selfish whims, he really does care. There are some genuinely touching moments that flesh out this typical gag anime character into someone more well-rounded.
3. Another reason that Patalliro as a character works is that he’s balanced and countered by the other characters in the show. His constant bickering with Bancoran and Maraich and their almost violent but playful disdain for Patalliro keeps him in check.
Bancoran is my absolute favourite part about this show. He’s so dashing. I’m a sucker for chivalry and even more so when the chivalry is in favour of boys' love. Some of the best escapades involve Bancoran and his bishounen-killer ways, bewitching every young attractive male and even the unattractive ones (I’m looking at you Patalliro). Not that I’m blaming them, who wouldn’t fall for Bancoran? Maraich getting violently jealous is always a fun gag and their romance was one of highlights of the series.
ART & MUSIC: While the aesthetics of Patalliro may be off-putting to some, for me - it’s probably its biggest selling point. The whole thing is gorgeous to look at as long as you’re open to old cel animation styles. Some of you will roll your eyes at this but to me, there’s a richness that you get when it’s all hand-drawn that’s so delightful to watch. It’s very stylised in both its backgrounds and character designs and I just love it - so much so that I’ve even bought a couple of the animation cels. The whole thing looks so stylish, like a mix of an Aubrey Beardsley painting and an Erte fashion drawing. The colour palette is a vibrant technicolor and while it’s not for everyone, it’s utterly eye-candy to me.
The OST might be called cheesy or dated...and it is - but it’s undeniably suited to the style of the show. It reminds me of those old-school detective shows like Charlie’s Angels or classic Bond films. I think it’s fun, vintage and charming. The pseudo-seventies porn music that starts every time Bancoran begins to seduce a bishounen is a particular highlight.
OVERALL: Honestly, I don’t have many problems with this anime. Of course, there are some episodes that are stronger than others but that’s the same for any series. The biggest problem with this anime is that for many people there are SO many deal breakers acting as barriers to general enjoyment: its art style is bizarre, the animation is very old, it involves shounen-ai romance, it’s full of Japanese puns, it’s weird and often very surreal. If you can get past all that, you’ll come to love it but I imagine that for most people, it’s just too much an oddball.
I’ve tried hard not to fanboy too much in this review but I think it’s very apparent that I’m obsessed. Hopefully, that will convince some of you to give this a try because it saddens me to see how under-watched and under-appreciated this anime is. As I’ve said, it’s hard to recommend: it’s weird, it’s old, it’s gay but for those of you willing to jump those hurdles, it’s enchanting and in my opinion, a really special show that's worth your time.
The biggest question Patalliro leaves us with is: Who really DID kill Cock Robin?!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 15, 2021
Whatever you liked about the first OVA, you won’t find it here. Don’t bother.
I enjoyed the first OVA, it’s nothing spectacular but it’s full of charm and adventure. It’s fun and entertaining with a charismatic cast of characters. Unfortunately, the second OVA missed the mark on those things almost completely. It’s not awful, it’s just a non-event. It’s bland and charmless with lazy writing, which is disappointing because the sequel has potential to be great if only they’d put a bit more effort into continuing the actual story.
It’s hard not to compare it to the first OVA and it just suffers by comparison
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in almost every regard (by the way, I’m assuming that if you’re reading this then you’ve seen the first one - if not, why are you reading a review of the sequel?). This felt like a side story not a sequel, something harmless and frivolous to watch but in no way had enough stakes or plot for a full OVA.
STORY
I was invested in the plot of the first series. It has a coherent plan and focused goals and antagonists. It has a build up and a sense of adventure. This series really just meandered around as if the writers were lost. I perhaps suspect they thought the cast and the comedy would be enough of a selling point for this series and they’re just not. They leaned into the comedy and it’s just not that funny. The comedy skits are fun when it’s an aside to the actual adventure story but when it’s the bulk of what’s happening, you’re just left thinking - this isn’t that funny and it needs to be.
In the last OVA, MAL had the nerve to call it a romance but this anime, they really made up for the lack in the previous series. This is mostly a rom-com but unfortunately it’s not a good one. The mind-boggling thing is that this no longer has the romance tag!? Also, this has somehow turned into a harem. Makoto basically somehow has three women lusting after him by the end.
Now if you need a reminder, the first series was largely a fantasy adventure. The first episode of this OVA is about a jilted bride looking for her runaway husband, which is a far cry from the war and potential apocalypse they faced in the previous series. Sure things amp up a bit by the third episode but not in any way that you would care about. It just takes too much time to get going. In the first series, it keyed in to the main plot from the get-go and it allowed the main content of the OVA to be focused on that. This doesn’t really get started till well over halfway through the run time.
CHARACTERS
My first problem with how this OVA handles characters is that I hated the way they included “Ifurita”. It just seemed like a cheap way to sort of include her but not have to explain how she got back to El Hazard. It's lazy and feels inconsequential by the end. They really wanted that character design to make an appearance but couldn't be bothered to think about a way to get her back from Earth. It was just a bit disappointing because I was hoping to see more of her in this series and see the relationship between Makoto and her develop but instead they teased it then took the possibility away. Lame. Also, the new incarnation was milquetoast.
Perhaps the biggest problem with this OVA is Kalia - she's such a bland villain. Such poor reasoning or explanation is given to the villain’s motives - I mean, she doesn’t really have any motives. I couldn’t even tell you why she’s doing this. There was a moment where I thought we were getting a back story and it just fell completely flat. She has no real character or anything remotely distinctive or interesting about her. It’s lazy writing and it’s a shame.
Jinnai was always played for laughs but they really have him as nothing but a fool in this - he might as well not be there. Believe it or not, there’s more maniacal laughter in this OVA than the last one - seemingly it’s the only consistent motif between the two series. Also, anyone watching this OVA will feel all the characters’ regret for saving the princess in the first season considering how unbelievably irritating she is in this - since when did she turn into a groping lesbian?
I sound like I hate the characters. I don't. I actually do like this cast, they’re fun together. There's some good camaraderie but with some people missing, the newly-added characters being somewhat annoying and a few of them having not that much to do (Nanami might as well not be there), it sort of took the fun out of it.
ART/ANIMATION
Art and animation took a bit of a nosedive this season. It’s distinctly more sloppy than last season. While the previous OVA wasn’t always top-notch quality art, it had some great moments that elevated it - this just seems basic. Although some of the sequences using their magic I actually thought improved. It was cool to see their powers take on manifestations of titans, dragons etc. but it’s nothing to shout about and is barely utilised.
HOW COULD IT HAVE BEEN BETTER?
I think what makes this OVA frustrating is there are so many things that were set up in the first OVA that could have been used as a natural jumping off point for the second series and that’s what I was expecting. By the end of the first series it leaves us with several cliff-hanger questions: What happened with the Phantom people? Will Ifurita get back to El Hazard? Will Makoto and his friends get back to Earth? Yet, not a single one of those questions is answered is this. I don’t get why they wouldn’t just build a story around one of these questions.
Personally, I think it would’ve been so much better if this season had been about taking on the Phantom people as the main villains - I really don’t know why they didn’t. They weren’t the main focus in the previous story (in fact, we barely found anything out about them) but they had interesting powers and sort of just disappeared at the end so I thought they were primed for a comeback. The series could have explored the lands underground where they live, given more detail on their backstory and how they ended up in El Hazard etc. and it would have made a much more interesting adventure that both tied in to the previous series and gave the viewer something new to see.
OVERALL
So, would I recommend it? Well, it depends what you liked about the first one. If you like the sense of fantasy, adventure and seeing a colourful cast of characters band together in a common goal to prevent factions from destroying the world...then don’t watch this. This has basically none of that or certainly not done with any finesse. If you loved the daft comedy moments and didn’t really care about a good plot or villains then this might be made just for you.
It’s not awful by any means but it's not good either. It’s probably best just to enjoy the first season for what it is and not bother continuing with it unless you found the first season hilarious and are dying to see these characters prat around while a vague story continues in the background.
Sadly, it had a lot of potential but it’s a disappointing sequel. It’s really not worth your time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Aug 12, 2021
This hidden gem is surprisingly addictive and there’s a lot more to this webtoon than you’d expect.
In case you don’t know (I didn't either), Ennead means group of nine and typically refers to the nine deities of Egyptian mythology. The good news is that if you know nothing about Egyptian mythology, it doesn’t matter because the author gives a neat little rundown of the creation story at the beginning. There’s also a helpful little family tree at the end of each chapter. Also, this is a story that takes Egyptian mythology as its starting point - what happens next is largely original but plays on
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the myths and characters of the pantheon. This part is done so well, it seamlessly blends the author’s story with the mythology so much so it feels authentic.
First off - if you’re choosing to read this now then congratulations because season one has finished and you can happily binge it. It’s the type of webtoon you’ll want to binge because of all the cliff-hangers. I read the whole season in one day and loved it. It would have frustrated me to wait week on week for updates (much like the other reviewer).
It's hard to say too much about the story without spoiling things but basically, the story centres around Horus and his challenge of the current ruler of Egypt, Seth (the god of war and the desert). Seth has done some...unscrupulous things and Horus's mother Isis (goddess of magic) REALLY wants to overthrow him. Horus therefore challenges Seth to three matches of different skills with the victor being recognised as the rightful ruler of Egypt. That's what the story is about on the surface but there's so much more that gets uncovered on the way...
There are three major selling points for this webtoon...and one caveat:
Selling point 1: The Plot
Want to talk about a page-turner, I literally couldn’t put it down till I finished it. It’s the classic cliff-hanger strategy to keep you moving onto the next chapter to see what happens next and it works! There’s a great structure to this story and it doesn’t feel like the author is making it up as they go along. It’s clearly been well planned out. I think the premise of the three challenges helped keep the story structure in place, it would always come back to that. There are some shocking moments, some plot twists, some character revelations. It’s all very entertaining.
Selling point 2: The Characters
One thing I love about this series is that the lines are blurred on the characters - you begin to realise that you don’t know who anyone is. It’s not such a simple tale of good guy, bad guy. It’s more complex than that and it’s also not necessarily what you’d expect. I can’t say too much more without serious spoilers but the character development is excellently done. Those you might love, you come to despise and vice versa...and I really like that, even in this mythology based yaoi webtoon there’s something real about the characters, no-one is ever completely perfect or villainous and it does a good job at keeping you on your toes with how you feel about the characters.
Selling point 3: The Art
Probably the biggest selling point for me, even if you just read one chapter of this - do it for the art, it’s so well done. I love the art style, it’s perfectly in-keeping with the mythological vibe yet has its own style. It cleverly uses colour palettes to signify flashbacks and incorporates changes in its art style to more “traditional-looking” Ancient Egyptian style when explaining certain elements of the actual mythology. The art is consistently good throughout the whole thing and there’s some really stand out dynamic fight sequences.
Caveat: The Yaoi
It goes without saying, if you don’t like yaoi then this is not for you. That said, I will say that the yaoi elements are fairly sparse, I think there’s only like two scenes if you don’t include the extra chapters. But even if you’re reading this FOR the yaoi (I see you) there’s two things you should be aware of:
1. It’s this old chestnut again, if you are uncomfortable seeing abuse or rape then this webtoon is not for you….there are two scenes and they both contain abuse/coercion. One thing to mention that made it bearable for me though is that it wasn’t necessarily romanticised in either situation. They didn’t have the characters fall in love with their abusers, which is often my problem with those types of scenes. I don’t have a problem with depicting a sexually abusive scene as long as it’s not glorified and I personally didn’t think it did glorify those scenes too much.
2. If you’re reading this FOR the yaoi then you’ll likely be disappointed - there’s barely any tbh. I think it goes for like 35 chapters or something without any sex scene. I might be miscalculating but I think there are only two scenes in the whole first season. So the yaoi is not the selling point here. If you’re in it just for that, there’s way better webtoons you could be reading. I’ll admit the guys are kinda hot in this though...
Overall
This webtoon is really great. I picked it up on a total whim and ended up absolutely loving it. So, who would I recommend it to? If you’re into mythology even remotely - definitely read it. If you’re into really great artwork - read it. The only thing I’d warn you about is there’s barely any yaoi scenes and they aren’t exactly consensual - you can decide if that bothers you enough to miss out on this.
I’m excited to see where season two goes, without giving away any spoilers - I feel like it’s going to be dramatically different to season one…
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 23, 2020
Puparia is a stunningly beautiful short that's well worth your time, all three minutes of it.
The biggest selling point here is the visuals. The art is absolutely god-tier, each frame could be a painting. It has a level of detail and vibrancy that you rarely see in anime. What I appreciated most was that as detailed as it was, it was aiming for something different than hyper-realism - it was very creatively stylised and illustrative. I just loved looking at it, evidenced by the fact that I've seen this short four times already. However, I can see that perhaps some people wouldn't like it since
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it's definitely different to the typical anime style.
In terms of story, I can't particularly comment a lot - it's a very short anime, it clocks in at around 3 minutes and it has no dialogue. There are several scenes shown in this anime but it's not made clear whether there is any through line or connection between them. There's a certain pensiveness in all the scenes and a sense of fantasy or supernatural in almost all of them but I'm not going to try to discern any deeper meaning or symbolism to try and avoid sounding pretentious.
I was completely transfixed as I watched Puparia. It has a hypnotic quality to it, largely due to the intricacy of the animation and the style of music used. I don't have much to say on the music except that it's fantastic and perfectly fitting for the visuals. Animation doesn't always have to be about complex plots or well-developed characters, that's not what Puparia is trying to do. What it does achieve is beautiful aesthetics, a great atmosphere and a mysterious vibe. The rest of it is up to you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 29, 2020
Cute, fun but ultimately frivolous. No drama or strife, it's just fluff but it's well-done fluff that's an enjoyable watch for fans of the franchise.
In one way, you know exactly what you’re in for when it comes to Sekaiichi Hatsukoi but in another, I had different expectations from this "movie" - and perhaps that’s on me. I thought it would be longer like an actual movie runtime (there was no duration listed on MAL when I watched it) and also, I thought it would be a more drama-focused episode about Ritsu and Takano taking their relationship to the next level and it's not that.
It
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was much more like the Valentine-hen "movie". In fact, it's exactly like Valentine-hen, when they cycled through all the couples rather than just focusing on one except this time instead of the theme being Valentine's Day - each couple has a short scene following several of them attending a wedding of two of their colleagues. I actually like this structure where you get to see all the couples, but it doesn't exactly have much plot or development when it's so short.
For me, Sekaiichi Hatsukoi has the ability to charm you with its cheesiness. At the start of certain scenes, the cynical part of you might eye-roll but by the end, it's won you over with its charm. Yes, this show is sometimes a bit cheesy but adorably so. The plaster scene between Ritsu and Takano in the bathroom is the best example of this and the highlight of the episode for me. Ritsu really is undeniably clueless. The other scene that stood out was the bath scene - I'm not sure Sekaiichi has ever gone this far before but I liked how open they were being about their affection for each other. It's not smut by any means but it's certainly more suggestive than most of what we've previously seen.
The animation looks great. Well, not great but it's improved SO much that you'd be tricked into thinking so! I kept looking at the animation and thinking, damn - they’ve really stepped up the quality. It’s smoother, the chins are less awkwardly pointy and the eyes look a lot better. The problem is, they were starting from a pretty low point so even with the improvement - it's still nothing special.
If you're already this deep into the franchise, then you're probably going to watch this anyway. It's made for fans of the show and that's exactly who I'd recommend it to. I wouldn't expect it to entice or entertain newcomers but for those of you who like these characters and their relationships and want to see some drama-free, wholesome, fun BL romance - then it's catnip.
(Also, I laughed at the fact that girl said her heels were so high when it was the stumpiest little kitten heel you’ve ever seen.)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 10, 2020
This is super cute. One of the most wholesome BL manga I've read. Get into it.
After I really enjoyed the prequel, I was excited to see that there was already a sequel released. The main reason for that excitement is that while I loved the prequel, it definitely fit into the typical BL story you often read where one boy confesses to the other and the other slowly realises that he's also in love. It's typical but very good. However, I was excited about this one because they are already dating at the start of the manga and you don't get that often so it
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made a really nice change.
I think what makes this manga great is that it is pure slice of life. Nothing particularly happens and if you were to write down the plot you'd struggle to come up with things to say. Since there's no summary above, I'll try and explain the plot. Wataru is working at a cinema and they are both attending different universities. They don't get to see each other as much as they'd like to. They go see movies together and then go to a firework show, then they take a trip to an island. That's about it but that's what I love about it. We had all the drama in the first volume but this is pure wholesome romantic bliss.
There are lots of blushing and doki doki scenes. There's tons of my favourite thing: hand-holding. They kiss and confess their love. It's just adorable. My favourite moment was the moment just before it turns into a yaoi. It totally doesn't, it stays fully wholesome but there's one moment that heavily hints at what could have been which is fun because it triggers your imagination without ruining the vibe of the manga.
The art is really good. There are some really nice scenes, it's all done very well. There's nothing confusing or out of place. The characters have some great expressions and it all works really well. Zero complaints.
Overall, I would highly recommend this manga especially if you're into Slice of Life because it's so much more calming just to bask in the cuteness of their relationship without worrying about any calamities that might happen.
Go read the prequel first and if you like that then you'll love this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 31, 2020
I felt like this anime needed another review. I'll try to keep my fanboying down to a minimum but bear in mind that I love this show.
It's hard to describe Patalliro to those who haven't seen it. It was absolutely ground-breaking for its time for being the first ever shounen-ai on Japanese TV. I would say it's a psychedelic adventure involving a Japanese, gay James Bond and a wacky, time-travelling ‘Scrappy-Doo type’ prankster dictator who solve apocalyptic diamond theft mysteries. It is very Japanese, there is a lot of surreal humour involving puns that you likely won't get unless you speak the language but
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even if you don't, the antics are often entertaining.
The movie Patalliro Stardust Keikaku is actually a great installment of this franchise. Given the score of the film being so low, I expected it to be like a bad episode but I would say this is one of the stronger episodes of Patalliro for several reasons:
1. “Junior” is a great antagonist. Partly because he’s pretty fabulous - He has poison lipstick and he throws a rose before he tries to kill you, which is a bit of a giveaway but very stylish. But also, he’s a catalyst for friction between Bancoran and Maraich, which means the film is more focused on their relationship - which I love.
2. All the main characters are great and have fantastic chemistry. I love Bancoran, his bishounen-killer ways and his almost violent but playful disdain for Patalliro is really funny to me. We also get to see some inner conflict for him in this film. Maraich’s jealous love for him is entertaining. Patalliro is a very acquired taste. I used to find him annoying but now I find his antics fun and silly (one reason why it’s probably best to watch the TV show first).
3. My favourite thing about this film is the ending, which I won’t spoil but it was rather beautifully melancholic. The stardust and diamond aesthetic was gorgeous to look at. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wacky and the “space science” doesn’t really make sense but the villain’s plan to end the world through the falling frozen diamond satellite causing mass extreme hail was really interesting.
4. The plot felt tight in the best way. I'm pretty astounded that some people have found this movie to have no plot mostly because the plot is very evident, it’s totally wacky but it’s also totally there. If anything, there’s too much plot because a lot happens in this short runtime. There’s just enough comedic relief. The romance is well-woven in so that it’s pertinent to the story line. The denouement right at the end was honestly pretty unexpected.
Here’s one caveat: I personally think you need to have seen the TV show to really appreciate it. It’s similar to the Revolutionary Girl Utena movie in that it’s intended to be standalone but if you know the characters, their motives and the basic set-up for the plot then it definitely helps. I would imagine that I would have been completely bewildered by several moments in the film if I hadn’t seen the TV show.
For me, one of the main reasons for watching this is the art. This is very subjective, I would imagine that most people will hate the art style because it’s very unique and very dated but in a way that’s endlessly charming rather than jarring in my opinion. The backgrounds are stunning and the psychedelic colour scheme is so vibrant. It’s very stylised. It looks graphic and ornate and it reminds me of an Aubrey Beardsley painting or an Erte fashion drawing. I love the art style but it’s probably not for most people.
The sound might be called cheesy or dated by some and it is but it’s also perfectly suited to the style of the show. It reminds me of those old seventies detective shows like Charlie’s Angels or classic Bond films. I think it’s fun, vintage and charming. For those fans of the show, much of the OST is reused (you’ll be pleased to know that the “Who Killed Cock Robin?” song makes an appearance) but there are also some fun new additions.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I think it’s really fun, weird and a great watch. I also think it’s unique and original with a great art style. That said, I’m not sure if I would recommend it to most people, it has so many things about it that people dislike, for example: it’s old, it’s shounen-ai, it’s very weird, it’s full of very japanese references and the animation is dated. If you can get past all that then you’ll probably love this film but it’s certainly not for everyone.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 23, 2020
Okay, this is cute. Get into it.
By the time you've got to this "movie" you've already seen both seasons and the first movie if you've done things right so you know what you're in for. This short anime basically runs through all the couples and shows them on Valentine's Day and how each of the them deals with the "dilemma" of giving chocolates to their romantic interest. What I liked most about this is that it was theme-focused rather than couple-focused. Most episodes of Sekaiichi Hatsukoi are specifically centred around one of the couples but this shows all of them.
The short scenes are cute
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and wholesome. The characters act pretty much exactly how you'd expect them to act but in a way that seems adorably fitting rather than predictable. I particularly like Ritsu's story because I think that was pretty creative as well as Chiaki's story because it made me laugh. I might just be sold on the whole Sekaiichi universe but I found it pretty charming. It's not groundbreaking or amazing but it's achieving exactly what it's setting out to achieve and that's be a short, fun, cute valentine-themed shounen-ai anime.
The other thing I liked about this is that it showed the couples all being pretty happy and content with each other. It had less angst and moodiness than the main show so it was a cute change.
Let's be honest, as far as animation goes, you know what you're getting into at this point with Sekaiichi Hatsukoi - it's not great is it. In fact, I'd say calling it fine is generous. The chins are a bit pointy and there's something off about the uke's eyes. But whatever, no-one is watching this show for the animation style.
Overall, I found this to be charming but frivolous. Just a fun little bonus movie with some cute scenes. Perfectly watchable if you're into the series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 18, 2020
I often think that it's inherently difficult to make fantasy work as a one-shot. High fantasy is so often reliant on good world-building and in a one-shot, there's so little room for this to be fleshed out that it often feels lacking, superficial or unfinished. Unfortunately, Doku no Aji is a prime example of this and is not very good.
The story is ultimately fairly simple: a blind guy who was raised by nuns (for some reason) finds a dragon in its human form in a cave and decides to help set it free. The problem is there are way more questions that there are
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answers. Why is the dragon in human form? Also, the nuns just seem out of place in this mythology.
There's no real fleshing out of either character. The main guy is blind and that's pretty much his only character trait. The dragon is: Sad? Angry? Who knows? There's several mentions of poison and a fire rope and it all just reads as nonsense. The BL is not particularly romantic or charming. The only erotic moments are when the dragon licks blood off his hands, which if that's appealing to you then great but it didn't push my buttons.
The artwork looked kinda messy to me and not in an intentionally artistic sketchy style like some other one-shots I've read. It was honestly a bit hard to make out what was going on in some scenes.
I didn't enjoy this. It felt unfinished and confused. If I'm going to acknowledge any positives about it then at least it had some ideas. Shame it didn't execute them well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Apr 18, 2020
This is a super cute one-shot. I always think it's ambitious to introduce supernatural elements to a one-shot because there's obviously not much room to explain them and expand on them so they often end up being a bit scant or superficial. In Toshokan no Youkan, I actually thought the supernatural elements were used really effectively as a story-telling device.
The youkai becomes sort of a manifestation of Hashimoto's feelings when he's too shy to act so it has a purpose, it informs his character and it adds a more original element to what would otherwise be a fairly standard shounen-ai story. The story itself
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is cute and wholesome but not very detailed or complex. It does it's job well enough but I feel like there could have been a couple more scenes fleshing out Hashimoto's character a bit more or explaining a little more about his relationship with the demon.
The biggest selling point for this one-shot is the art. It's definitely a love/hate situation because it's very stylised but I happened to love it. It's sketchy in the best possible way because it really does manage to look dynamic. It reminded me a little of the art in Doukyuusei.
Overall, this is very cute. It has a great art style and is something a little bit different with the added element of the youkai. The ending is a little rushed but I'd still recommend checking this out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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