Back to Konobae's Profile Konobae's Profile

In complete honesty, I am shocked at the lack of reviews for Tamen de Gushi! At the time I’m writing this it only has one other review! But, if there is one thing I know about Their Story, it’s that nothing will ever be so simply GOOD.

Enjoyment: 10
I love this manhua. I love it with every ounce on my being and that makes this whole review extremely bias but I hope you’ll take my advice and read it. Beacause it’s simple to describe Tamen de Gushi in one word: nice. It’s a nice experience. The story is nice, the art is nice, the comedy is ... good; the whole thing is just a pleasant experience which gives me butterflies every time it is updated.

Plot: 7
Girl meets girl, girl embarrasses herself constantly in front of girl, girls become friends despite being very different; girl falls in love with girl. It’s simplistic and that works because the comedy and style of the manhua allows this story to house as much emotion as any more complex manhua, if not more. It’s basic but Tan Jui uses this to grip their readers and slowly introduce them to new themes, ideas and emotions during the gradual progression of the story. (I would rate it higher but honestly there is no complexity at all… OR IS THERE?)

Art: 9
Again, its simplistic nature allows it to create a relaxed, clam tone with a nice light colour pallet which changes with the season within the manhua beautifully subtly.

Character: 8
The characters are very real. Nothing about them feels forced or abnormal even if they are melodramatic at times. Then again, doesn’t everyone act like that around the people they’re most comfortable with? I know I do.

Problems:
The only real problem is the lack of direction. Tamen de Gushi can be praised endlessly for its calming simplicity but, without any progression or clear destination for the story in each ark, the manhua is beginning to lose the interest of many. I only hope that the side characters can have more exploration in order to add the tension that 19 Days (a manhua by a close friend of Tan Jui) is gaining.

Overall: 10
In terms of how good the manhua is, I don’t know. This manhua is certainly in the eye of the beholder but, for me, it’s a brilliant read that I trust to entertain me whenever I see a new chapter pop up. It's easily my favourite part of any day that I read it.

Enjoyment: 9
While I know of the extensive flaws in the plot, No. 6 is a series that really resonates with me. It’s one of the few series that I’ve completely re-watched and, in my opinion, the relationship between Shion and Nezumi is one of the finest in all of anime. It’s got action, romance, conflict and really big twists. It’s an example, however, of why a plot to a short series shouldn’t be over complicated.

Plot: 8
Although I have to admit that the plot is original, it’s very hard to follow when watching for the first time. When I re-watched the show I did ... pick up pieces of information and ties between different episodes that I hadn’t noticed originally but they weren’t blatantly obvious and made the series more complicated than it could handle. The plot revolves around a utopian city after the third world war which resulted in the majority of the earth becoming uninhabitable. Being the sixth of these cities it is imaginatively names ‘No. 6’. However, the city harbours some deep secrets and has an insidious, 1984 style twist. When a young boy, Shion, who is an honours student with a bright future in the city harbours and mends the wounds of a fugitive, Nezumi, who’s only a year younger than him, he learns about the more sinister side of the city. An intriguing concept which the show delivers relatively well.

Art and Animation: 9
Bones. Do I need to say anything else?

Music: 8
Generally, the music is good but not entirely special. The opening, however, is a fantastic song which I feel creates a very unusual atmosphere for the show but not in any way a bad one.

Voices: 9
Both the Japanese and English voice acting is great so I couldn’t really give my opinion there but I do have to say that I absolutely love Luci Christian as Dog Keeper.

Problems:
My main problems have mostly been stated above but I do want to point out a few more things which really bugs me:
SLIGHT SPOILERS (WHICH YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW IF YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT THE SHOW)
- Nezumi’s refusal to admit his feelings for Shion. It was obvious to us, obvious to him and seemed to be quite apparent to Shion and yet Nezumi continued to deny it entirely which eventually does get more frustrating than sweet. This leads to a HUGE lack in development between their relationship.
- The pacing is appalling. Unlike most shows with pacing this bad, I cared enough to make it through but in other circumstances I’d have dropped the show 4 episodes in rather than finishing it multiple times. I guess the show made up for it?

Overall: 8
I admit, the show has its faults but overall I adore the show. Having never heard about it before watching it I was blown away at first and was blown away by different aspects when I took time to re-watch the series. Honestly, if you enjoy shounen-ai or enjoy a unique take on dystopian sci-fi, No. 6 is worth your time.

In this review I've decided to talk about the anime as a whole with the exceptions of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya/Yuki Nagato.

Enjoyment: 10
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is an odd show to describe. The only real way to explain why I enjoy the show in the way I do is that it’s a memory; the series was my first ever anime so I am slightly bias towards it. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it still, to this day, has a big impact on how I live my everyday life and my perception on life, my peers and the world.

Plot: 9
The story revolves ... around Kyon, a completely regular high school boy who doesn’t believe in anything out of this world or supernatural. Kyon is a very interesting narrator to follow through the dramas of the series since he remains entirely disinterested and resigned throughout. His personality is most entertaining when rivalled by the outlandish oddball, Haruhi Suzumiya. Kyon is encouraged by his new friends to avoid her but happens to notice and point out a few of her strange quirks which is the start of an odd not-quite-friendship between the two. In a strange turn of events, we learn that she herself is not be what meets the eye.

Art and Animation: 8
Being made by Kyoto Animation, it’s not surprising that Haruhi has an excellent standard of animation and a beautiful art style really highlighting the beauty of the direction. The art is particularly impressive for the time and the movements are mostly smooth.

Music: 8
Haruhi is a particularly good example of the expression “less is more” in terms of its use of music. While no songs of the OST particulary caught my attention, the overall tone of the music and the atmosphere it creates are fantastic. Also, the first opening, while not massively popular, is an opening I personally adore and the ending is, of course, famous within the anime community for its dance (which I do have to admit to having learnt) but is actually a very upbeat song which I feel fits the feel of the show well.

Voices: 10
Dubbed or subbed? In my opinion it is no question. The sub, while very good, doesn’t have what the dub has: Crispin Freeman. While I wouldn’t say I’m a very big fan of his, Crispin Freeman’s portrayal of Kyon is some of the best English voice acting I have ever experienced during an anime simply because of the constant bored tone which I feel gives the show a layer that nothing else has (except for perhaps SNAFU).

Problems and characters:
I have very few problems with the show but if I had to give some my main problems would be:
- Endless Eight
- Unanswered questions
- Lacking character development for characters other than Haruhi and Nagato
- The last episode (if watched chronologically)

However, these don’t subtract from the actual viewing of the show too much. These points are simply minor annoyances that I only really had after the show ended. I do have to admit that some of these problems where handled in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya and, if there had been a third season, it is clear that these problems would have been solved. But, alas, due to understandable reasons that I now know of, season three is likely to never exist. I’m keeping my fingers crossed either way and I hope you will too.