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May 13, 2014
I didn't exactly start Mikakunin with a parade of excitement. It was a show based on a series I'd never heard of before, and somewhat of an iffy premise. Regardless, I gave it a shot, prodded further by the suggestion of a friend, and found an incredible show out of absolutely nowhere.
STORY: 8/10
Mikakunin de Shinkoukei is the story of a rather plain young girl, Yonomori Kobeni, who, upon turning 16, is shocked to learn that she is to be married to a young man she has no recollection of. We are immediately introduced to her sister, Yonomori Benio, a refined schoolgirl between school walls but
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an eccentric siscon/lolicon at home, and eventually meet the young man in question, Mitsumine Hakuya, quiet, mysterious boy from the mountains. He and his younger sister, Mitsumine Mashiro, a dignified, yet childish girl, quickly move into the Yonomori household. This is where Mikakunin really starts to shine,as the interactions between the other characters are really fun to experience. From Kobeni's conflicting feelings about Hakuya to Benio's crazed obsession with Mashiro, the show is tons of fun to experience in this respect, as is the case with many slice of life shows. It follows along a pretty safe romance slice of life path, at least, until a certain fact is revealed. I know a lot of people who feared where the series would go after this somewhat infamous reveal, myself included, but thankfully it's impact on the show is relatively minimal. The twist doesn't try to command Mikakunin in its own direction, instead taking the back seat to what the show did so well with from the beginning, and I think that was the best thing that could have been done with it.
ART: 8/10
Mikakunin had very solid art and animation quality, especially when compared to other shows of its season, quite frankly. Characters were highly emotive an expressive through their animation, and there weren't really any noticeable drops in quality.
SOUND: 8/10
I never really know how to rate sound in an anime. Certainly all the characters had nice voices that suit them, and I really loved both the OP and ED themes, so I'll just go with that.
CHARACTER: 10/10
As mentioned before, characters are Mikakunin's strong point. Benio's obsessive admiration over Mashiro, and Mashiro's fear of her, makes for a fun dynamic, while Kobeni's growing relationship with Hakuya is interesting in and of itself. I'd say that all the main characters are developed well enough for what they've set out to be. At first I had criticism of Kobeni's "main character" syndrome, as I call it, but the show doesn't abandon her plain personality, but rather uses it to further her character later on. The rest of the characters, though, you get a feel for pretty immediately, so the entertainment value can spark quickly.
ENJOYMENT: 10/10
I really loved this show; it was certainly my favorite of the winter season. The only thing that really upsets me about it is that it wraps things up rather well, and I can't see a season two happening as a result. Maybe it's for the best, but I'm a simple creature, so boo. At any rate, I'd highly recommend Mikakunin de Shinkoukei to any slice of life fan, or just someone who wants a cute, fun show to watch.
FINAL SCORE: 9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 24, 2014
Noragami really took me by surprise this season. I figured it wouldn't be much, considering no one seems to talk about it, but upon watching the first episode I was hooked. It's a show that offers a lot, with an interesting premise and complex characters that combine to form an enjoyable experience.
SOUND: 10/10
I'll review the aspects of Noragami in order of my impression and procession of them as I go along. That being said, goddamn this show has some great music. I currently have both the OP and ED on my personal music player, a position held exclusively with Noragami because music in anime
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seldom stands out to me. The rest of the OVA doesn't shy away from that level of quality, either. Many of the intense scenes are matched with energetic electronic music, with vocals that reinforce the theme of gods and the other-worldly. I enjoyed the cast of voice actors as well, especially Yato.
ART: 9/10
Noragami has a really cool art style going for it. Its use of vibrant colors and radiant shading schemes complemented the atmosphere of the show at many key points, and the animation is stellar in key scenes, while never really falling below consistent otherwise.
CHARACTER: 9/10
The characters of Noragami are what make the show so fun to watch for me. Yato makes for a really interesting character. He can go from stern and serious to silly and playful in a way that isn't jolty, and still supports an overarching personality. Yukine doesn't start off very favorably, but his light shines later in the story. I did feel as though Hiyori was more of a support character than anything; one that exists more to enhance the character of others rather than have an equally established story of her own. She seems to pull through at the end, but everything is over before her chance to grasp at any complexity, as it would seem.
STORY: 6/10
This is where Noragami starts to take a bit of a dive, I feel. The show offers such a rich atmosphere, with so much potential for growth and extrapolation and development... aaand, then you see the episode count. Twelve episodes was not enough for this show. That starts to show near the end, where the introduction/conflict/resolution process accelerates. Things happen so quickly, and certain plot points are resolved before they really have time to be impactful. Noragami, in my opinion, has more than enough energy and passion, to have been a 24 episode series, but for whatever reason it was cut down to 12. If a second season were made it could flesh out some more-or-less forgotten characters, close loose ends and help things overall, but as it stands this is the glaring weakness of Noragami, in my opinion.
ENJOYMENT: 9/10
Despite that, though, I still really enjoyed Noragami. Its premise is unique, and it matches its exciting fight sequences with really emotional scenes so that many people can get something out of it.
OVERALL: 8/10
It really is a shame that this show was only 12 episodes long, because it isn't even necessarily the show itself that's to blame, just the fact that, for whatever reason, it wasn't able to get the >20 episodes it deserved. I hate that such a thing has to knock a point or two off my final score of the show, but I don't have anything more to work with. Regardless, it's still a great show, with a superb audio-visual style, interesting characters and an intriguing universe in general.
Season two, maybe?
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 6, 2013
I felt at a loss when I looked at this season's anime lineup. It seemed crowded with a lot of action and supernatural-oriented shows, two genres I don't generally mesh well with, so when I saw Non Non Biyori it instantly stood out. Being a fan of the gentle, Ichigo Mashimaru-styled slice of life style, I decided to give it a shot and I was not disappointed.
STORY: 7/10
Story is never a strong suit in a genre that is based around nothing really happening. Non Non Biyori doesn't bring profound storyboard elements to the table, but you can't really expect that. It instead seems to
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offer very subtle undertones based on the premise of country life. The show follows Ichijou Hotaru, a 5th grader who has moved from the city to the country, and her friends, who happen to be the only other gradeschool children in town. Concepts of culture shock are touched upon lightly in Hotaru's occasional confusion of life in the country, and the connection between the main characters seems strengthened by the loneliness of being in such an underpopulated location. Story is taken lightly, as I feel it should be.
ART: 10/10
Mother of all that is holy, those backgrounds. I feel this is one of Non Non's strong suits, that being the art. A peaceful, countryside setting offers stunning scenery, and this show does not shy away from taking advantage of that. The first part of the first episode greets us with a collage of beautiful mountains coated in trees, gentle streams, and peaceful fields. The style of the characters themselves is solid and very cute, and the animation is fluid and consistent.
SOUND: 8/10
The soundtrack of Non Non complements the atmosphere of the show very well. It's peaceful, quaint, and traditional. The only complaint I have is the more intense music in episode 5, but it wasn't very much of a big deal. The voices of the characters are pleasant and fitting.
CHARACTER: 9/10
Here's where the slice of life genre shines, and Non Non doesn't fail to deliver. The anime is centric around four characters; Ichijou Hotaru, a mild-mannered fifth grader from the city, Koshigaya Natsumi, the playful sixth grader, Koshigaya Komari, the older sister of Natsumi, and Miyauchi Renge, the eccentric first grader. Each character has something interesting about them, such as Hotaru's loving obsession with her senpai Komari, Komari's sensitivity about her short stature, Natsumi's carefree nature, and Renge's... well, a lot about her is interesting. These traits are brought out through the interactions between characters in a fun, natural way.
ENJOYMENT: 10/10
I really enjoy this show. It has the peace of a really gentle slice of life, but surprisingly has the ability to get me laughing or even tearing up a bit (looking at you, episode 4.) It achieves this in a subtle way that I just love to experience.
OVERALL: 9/10
I look forward to future episodes of Non Non Biyori. It's certainly my favorite anime of the season, and for good reason. If you liked Ichigo Mashimaru, then I feel you'd enjoy this show too.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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