Jun 10, 2013
Aku no Hana is the sort of anime that makes you feel nasty inside, but you still feel like you have to know what happens next - like looking at gore for the first time, it's real and it scares you, but you're so curious as to how it looks, that you keep exposing yourself to it.
Now, Aku no Hana's plot thus far can be noted as impressive. The continuity of themes and information is all there. If you start watching this anime sometime after the 1st episode, I guarantee you won't know what's going on. It is also well paced, making sure that the
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events in the episode are substantial enough to deviate from the "filler" label, and leave the viewer wanting to see the next episode. Aku no Hana does this in a unique way as well, usually ending episodes with a scene that could qualify as the episode's true climax.
Art was dope, nuff' said. Aku no Hana uses realistic, truly humanoid depictions of characters without seeming pretentious. Mannerisms and speech are very richly pronounced. The scenery is awesome, not too particle-based Heaven's Lost Property cartoony awesomeness, but detailed, almost freehand landscapes and features. When you see the way they show the water in a river, you'll know.
The soundtrack for Aku no Hana isn't anything too amazing, but for the series and its intended purpose of scaring the shi-- I mean establishing a rather darker mood, the music works. Aku no Hana opens up with not necessarily brighter, but more up-tempo and instrumental music pieces with very well written lyrics. The episodes tend to contain moon-setters as opposed to signature themes with replay value. Monotone humming for scenes with great tension, that type of deal. At the close of every episode, they transition into the abstract ending song by playing the vocal part by itself behind dialogue, then letting the instrumentation drop in. It's a great fit for the ending scenes especially, and if you watch, you'll get it.
The characters were well developed across the board. I think Kasuga, our protagonist's purpose was made very clear. Typical conflicted teenager met with stimulus he's not built to sustain yet making poor decisions and later having to face them. Though, his monologues are usually rich with foreshadowing and poetic allusions, making them twice as intense. And of course, Nakamura, the backwards red-headed antagonist of the story, as well as maiden Saeki, are developed quite well.
I gave Enjoyment a low rating, cuz frankly I don't really "enjoy" the anime, but I can appreciate it. Like a good horror/psychological piece, I don't particularly enjoy watching it as it frightens me/disturbs me, but I can give it ups and downs towards its production. It will definitely stick with you on a negative note, but you'll keep coming back simply because it's as interesting as a believable ghost story.
Overall, Aku no Hana is a well made series thus far and frankly I encourage those who haven't started it yet and like a little bit of strange, eerie tension to compliment their dark nights alone at home, to watch it.
LunoA96, signing out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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