When I first heard about this anime, I had no idea it was an adaptation of a videogame. I watched it, therefore, as an anime, and not as a videogame. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I can't quite say that I think most of the negative reviews are fair, since a lot of them revolve around how well it matches up to the game. Therefore, I want to provide a review based on the anime alone, and what it does, rather than based on the anime as a game, and what it doesn't do.
The first thing I noticed in this anime (and thus, the first
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thing that I'll rate) was the characterization. In the very first episode, we are rapidly introduced to a fairly large number of characters. One of the primary issues I have, in any manga, anime, movie, etc., is telling characters apart. So I was pleased to see that the characters were so diverse, and that it wouldn't be difficult at all to remember which character was which. And yet, the characters weren't empty shells. Even in the short time that we had to get to know them, we saw them form attachments, develop as characters, and grow as people.
The next thing I noticed ended up being my primary issue with the series (and it's a small issue at that,) which was an animation sequence in the trial scenes. The "bullet" animation when we hear "you've got that wrong!" was cool, but it seemed to get used a lot, and I started to want a little more diversity. However, other than that, I had no issues with the animation. Admittedly, I'm not one to focus a lot on how something is animated unless it's brilliant, or terrible, but it wasn't terrible, so I had no problems there.
Branching off of that, I'd like to note that the blood was pink. While some find this annoying, I actually thought it made the show better. Why? Because gore isn't meant to be the focus. I can handle a bit of blood, but I prefer to do without it. This way of coloring the blood, in a color next to red but not directly there, made it easier to handle the intense scenes without (in my opinion) compromising the effect of the scene. And considering how exaggerated the characters look to begin with, it didn't even strike me as unusual except for a moment when I first saw it.
The sound was good in my opinion, but like animation, it's not something I put a whole lot of focus on, so I'll move onto what was my favorite part of the anime, and why I enjoyed it so much.
The story was, in my opinion, fabulous. I've seen people complain, in particular, that it moves too quickly, but I think that the speed actually aids it as a show. Is it a mystery? In part, yes, but not one that we're meant to solve. The game (which I would be interested to play, but haven't yet) may likely put more emphasis on the mystery aspect, but I don't think that's what the anime was going for. I saw not a mystery show, or some drama show where we want to learn every little detail about the characters' backstories, but rather, a story about despair. The mystery and the characters were used as tools and, I believe, used very effectively.
The way the story moves so quickly makes us fear that our favorite character, whoever it may be, could be dead any minute. The way that we don't have enough time to put all the clues together causes us to feel the pressure of the characters as Monokuma sets time limits on them as well. The way that the characters never get a fully developed backstory shows us what strangers these people really are. And while deep characterization, mystery, and plenty of time may have been valuable assets in the game, in the anime, the quick pacing was what made it work. The characters and mystery were well done, but weren't the point of the story.
No story does everything. Some stories may use plot as a tool to help us get to know the characters, and others may use characters as a tool to advance the plot. Both are valid methods of storytelling, though individuals may prefer one or the other. Some stories may even use different methods all together.
In conclusion: if you're looking to find the game in anime form, you will likely be disappointed. But as an anime, (regardless of the game, because it puts emphasis on different areas,) I believe that this was a show worth watching.
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May 19, 2016
When I first heard about this anime, I had no idea it was an adaptation of a videogame. I watched it, therefore, as an anime, and not as a videogame. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I can't quite say that I think most of the negative reviews are fair, since a lot of them revolve around how well it matches up to the game. Therefore, I want to provide a review based on the anime alone, and what it does, rather than based on the anime as a game, and what it doesn't do.
The first thing I noticed in this anime (and thus, the first ... |
