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Oct 7, 2022
This review is heavily influenced by nostalgia & a love of the franchise. I do not necessarily think an adult without the same childhood adoration of Pokemon will watch this movie and appreciate it.
HOWEVER; as an adult, looking back at one of my childhood faves, I cannot help but appreciate a few things:
The themes here are strong and cohesive. By strong, I mean they are complex; the writers did not assume that kids would be "too young" for a storyline that questions purpose, identity, and humanity. While the main plot spurs Ash, our MC, to an island under the pretense of battling a "strong
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trainer," the movie heightens this simplicity with its preface and Mewtwo's reckoning with creation, being manipulated by humans, and ultimately choosing isolation.
I also appreciate that kids' movies in the 90s knew how to mix a complex theme & satisfactory storyline into something less than two hours. It's short, but includes a heartfelt arc (as well as humor) and understands its place as a spin-off franchise movie.
I especially appreciate this movie in light of the games, where the plotting has become increasingly watered-down post gen. 5, with antagonists simply taking up space instead of having compelling motives or interesting arcs.
Anyway, I am slightly buzzed and this movie gave me more things to feel and more thoughts to think on a re-watch than I expected. I can't say, objectively, that it's worth watching. But if you feel compelled to compare it to other Pokemon media, or kids' movies in general, in may be worth your time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 23, 2019
I was hoping this would be a witty, interesting detective spin-off with new characters to love and enough removal from the original source material to maintain fresh writing in the futuristic world of the Sibyl System I was enthralled with watching first season.
So far, at episode 5/8 (with twice the time per episode to develop plot and characters), I find myself incredibly disappointed with the trajectory of the show. Each episode is supposed to be its own detective story with some subtle hints at an overarching “grand finale” plot. However, NONE of the characters aside from the two leads have any personality at
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all. The writer opts for one-liner clichés and trope-heavy indirect characterization. When it’s alluded that a “mole” might be present in the Public Safety Bureau, it’s hard to even care, because we know so little about the characters IN the Public Safety Bureau. Any intrigue that might become available to the viewer feels hollow, as we don’t get to know the characters interacting with story developments (and because a lot of story developments happen in “round table” discussion format that is monotonous and long-winded to watch.)
There are several things about the writing that are cumbersome--we learn early on that Arata has special powers, but the viewer doesn’t have the pleasure of discovering more about how they work or his background. Instead, we get to see him collapse a bunch of times in a bunch of ways, all while his partner picks up the pieces. It makes the “detective genius with an odd quirk” trope get old REALLY fast. Sometimes you get a taste of maybe learning something new and fresh, but then it’s dropped or left unexplored. Part of the issue is the show opts for adding new characters or pieces to the puzzle for intrigue instead of using the core pieces it already has efficiently. What’s left is a confusing jumble of forgotten characters and vague tangents that promise more info with no follow through.
Social and political issues such as immigration and economic evil are referenced, but the exploration of these themes remains shallow at best. It feels like the social issues that are discussed and the world building run parallel—when the writer tries to intersect the two, it feels clunky. I’m still holding out hope for developments towards the end, but as it is now, the show already has quite a few problems.
I will say that the animation and music, particularly during the fight scenes, are entertaining and well executed (though few and far between). If you’re a completionist or die-hard fan, this is bearable content. But if you’re looking to get into the series this way, or are satisfied with how the last two seasons played out, it’s safe to say you can skip this storyline.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 12, 2018
I’ve been rewatching some shojo that I really enjoyed when I first started getting into anime, and Special A happened to make that list. Unfortunately, this anime has a lot of flaws that I didn’t see when I was in middle school! It’s a fun romance if you’re younger or just getting into anime, but after seeing quite a bit of shojo, this anime has a lot going against it.
For one, characterization is lacking, especially for surrounding characters. In other shows with similar dynamics, such as Ouran or Maid-Sama, the background characters have a lot more depth compared to the cast in this show.
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The plot is slower-paced, making some of the episodes drag, and Kei, the main love interest, puts all the responsibility on Hikari to discover his feelings for her. (Spoiler: she can’t read minds!) This is charming for about three episodes. It’s hard to sympathize with the male lead when he makes no attempt to convey his feelings, yet gets frustrated at being misunderstood.
In Maid-Sama, the closest comparison for me to this show, at least Usui Takumi makes it more obvious he has feelings for Ayuzawa and appears more patient with her denseness. Kei barely does anything besides looking shocked when Hikari does something he likes, or seems pissed off/possessive on the flipside, giving Hikari (and the viewers) emotional whiplash.
Because of the underdeveloped characters, the frequent, more serious turns in the plot just cannot be taken seriously. The humor in this show is the strong suit, but with the plot developments, the conflicts are cheesy, over-the-top, and fairly transparent. There are also some classist undertones that go unaddressed/can’t be offset by the main characters. In Ouran, Haruhi’s character offered the “commoner” point of view, which worked well to humor and ridicule the portrayed aristocracy. There is no such character in Special A, often making the plot about rich people being rich.
Despite this criticism, Hikari is not the MOST annoying lead in shojo. The humor and cute moments made me remember why I thought this show was so charming. Though I don’t think my opinion of it is very high, objectively, it could be fun for a shojo-lover.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Aug 19, 2017
Better animation could not have saved this show. Looking past absolutely terrible graphics, you find a surplus of characters developed so poorly that there is no reason to be invested in the (mediocre) plot whatsoever.
Ajin tries to be a grungy sci-fi about a handful of poorly treated immortals who can control a “black ghost” or IBM. Unfortunately, the main character, whose name I have already forgotten, is so all over the place in the course of this short season that he could do literally anything and it would be deemed “in character.” We get almost no context for why any of the characters are
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doing what they are doing, and if we do get context, it’s vague and sloppy. Any hints at character development or people switching sides goes unused or dropped, and execution of the plans and schemes and terrorism that keep the plot going are tired and rushed excuses of every other good terrorist/smart main character shows we've seen. Relationships in this show are built on stupid coincidences or tired tropes and it was all very exhausting and boring to watch.
I couldn’t invest in any of the characters, therefore I could’t invest in the show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Feb 21, 2017
After reading several of Tsutomu’s stories, I have come to the conclusion that the major flaw keeping me from enjoying any of them is the way the characters are presented and developed throughout the story. Short, long, it doesn’t seem to matter; the characters are introduced all at once and in a manner that makes it impossible to remember who is who. We get the names in roundabout ways without any characterization, making it very difficult to follow the plot. Abara is no exception.
This is because Tsutomu prefers to tell his stories using visuals rather than dialogue. Despite this, he does not flesh out any
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ways the reader could become attached or interested in the characters, even with the dialogue we have to work with.
The art is the high point of the manga. If I were to observe some of the pages as objective, apocalyptic, gritty stills, I would find them fascinating. Reading this as a coherent story, however, is just plain confusing. The motive of the characters is obscured, replaced by vague reasoning and urgency used to spur the action forward.
I understand that withholding information is a plot device, but Tsutomu keeps everything to himself but names and basic terms, leaving the reader with little beyond cryptic drawings to unearth some motive along the way. While people praise this as a “deep, psychological” manga, the reader simply has to work harder to uncover why anything is happening, hiding an exhausting guessing game behind psychological intrigue.
The author wanted to draw gritty, sci-fi-esque monsters and fight scenes, and the plot and characters were sacrificed because of that. Beautiful art aside, my score is low due to sloppiness. There was no reason why the author couldn’t add in a detail here or there to help the reader keep the characters in order and understand the plot.
I will say this: I am aware that I am impartial to character development and a fleshed-out story. If you don’t mind feeling a little confused or detached from the characters, this is a grungy and action-packed read that you may enjoy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Dec 24, 2016
IT’S CUTE! It’s really cute.
Doukyuusei delivers a quaint story told in several sections, each developing the central relationship. While the story is simplistic, the characters are carved out in a way that highlights the charming animation style while engaging the viewer. I was afraid that it would feel equally rushed as the manga, but the writers diminished parts of the source material that I didn’t like and brought everything that I enjoyed about the original story to life. The music blends with the emotions of the characters using soft guitar, and the animation is gorgeous. The story doesn’t try to be more than anything
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it is, but the characters stand out enough in humor and struggle to entertain. The length of the movie was surprisingly satisfying—the writers didn’t draw out the plot to an excessive length and instead focused on the details of the animation and story itself.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 21, 2016
I love the sports genre and played soccer for many years, so I started watching this anime as a hopeful viewer. My rating started high and kept declining as the season went on because the show lacked a few essential things:
While the show had a lot of promise, the character development was lacking. Tsukushi emulates the familiar sports trope “not very talented, but dedicated to practice every waking moment.” This was fine for me (but if you dislike that trope, run for the hills). I was interested to see how this show would set Tsukushi apart from other characters within that trope. Not only did
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the writers fail to distinguish him as a unique character, they failed to write the trope very well at all. Instead of fleshing out a diverse cast, the show kept revealing new backstories for incoming rivalry teams, giving characters one or two base traits to fall back on as the story moved forward. Tsukushi doesn’t really do anything exceptional throughout the season to demonstrate how he gets better at soccer (besides running around the school a bazillion times)—he just kind of does and the viewer has to accept that because every rivalry team reacts to his mediocre performance the same way. Even though this happens in other sports anime, because he wasn’t developed very well as a character, his success falls flat.
As for the gameplay, well, it was a bit hard to tell they were playing soccer at all. The animation in general was sparse when it came to the action of the show, and it was clear that the writers took some liberties to spice up the plot. Not that sports anime has ever stayed realistic to the sport itself—I wasn’t looking for authentic soccer. However, the animation of the gameplay did not make up for the long-winded conversations that occurred on the field (conversations that didn’t really do much to provide insight or emotion to the viewer).
Days is an anime that begins with some hopeful charm and ends with dissatisfaction.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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