*mild spoiler warning*
First of all, I see unfounded criticism of this show based on cliches and lack of originality, but I think that is even a poor description of what is wrong. If I were to guess, it's because the characters in this show are not completely original since they remind me of Hyouka, which I also like very much.
If anything the show goes out of its way to avoid unoriginal scenarios to force development such as school trips, festivals, and beach days. This show progresses slowly with its romance through the adventures with the photography club and offers unique scenarios based on the character's
...
backgrounds that simultaneously let us learn more about the characters while developing them.
Even character reactions, at least in the romantic sense, tried their best to be uncliched. Constant blushes and overreactions to contact, walking in on a kiss (or waking up from it), typical mc who falls at first sight and constantly acts nervously around one girl despite not knowing her for more than 10 minutes were all things that didn't happen and proof that this anime avoids such unoriginality.
Anyway, the story is probably the weakest point still with it being borderline 8, maybe even a 7.
In this story, there was no "fateful meeting" or true love at first sight in my eyes. It was simply Teresa getting in the way of Tada's shot and then running into her once more. It may seem like the third meeting was another coincidence, but this is later explained and not a work of fate like most romance anime try to emit. Outside of any setting, these characters interacted naturally and the foundations of their bond were set. Despite avoiding typical anime tropes in the first episode especially, the plot forces itself into a school setting that is completely understandable yet unremarkable and slightly disappointing. This is a minor complaint, but the anime had to ground itself somewhere. The story structure is typical of a good slice of life anime with a steady progression with Tada's progression to open up to Teresa and for them to both realize they share love. Unlike most romcoms or just romances, there isn't any real sign of a harem or a second romantic interest on equal ground. I honestly hate how overplayed that type of drama is and it is refreshing to me that this anime does not have that. There is still Charles, but that is a completely different matter. The story, especially with the background of Tada and the relationship between his past and the current situation + his own emotions is tied in through various episodes and caused me to cry. The buildup on this was very nice, however, the end of the story anti-climatic and I think it could have been handled better. The closure that is given before the ending theme sends a message, but that impression quickly dissolves when the author decides to create a happy ending in what I would call the aftermath of the entire story. It is better than the author doing nothing about the ending in my opinion, but it could have been handled better and is my biggest complaint about the story.
Next, the art is just amazing, so I give it a 10. It is always fitting of the mood in the story and of course, with photography being a primary pastime of the story, all the photos are stunning and turn out beautiful. No moments in the anime feel like they are poorly or cheaply done and it just looks stunning and awe-inspiring.
I would say the sound is about a 9. I really like the opening and the upbeat nature of most of the music featured in this anime. The background music captures the scene very well and relaxes the listeners. Plus there is no fault in the quality of the sound and even the ambient noises are able to capture the personality of this town in Japan. This might sound like I'm overreacting, but I genuinely enjoyed listening to all it had to offer. It still wasn't too impressive to me for whatever reason, so I just give it a 9, but this distinction doesn't really need to be explained honestly.
The characters were all interesting, but it is still an 8 compared to the rest of the anime. The interactions between them and their reactions such as laughing or dialogue are sometimes forced which is my biggest complaint about the characters and degrades the value of each of their personalities. The characters themselves aren't exactly completely new but I still love this setup, so I won't fault them for being slightly unoriginal here. The characters like Ijuuin and Alec offer a great balance to the characters they specifically support (Alec to Teresa; Ijuuin to Tada). The main character, Tada is very interesting to me and I personally love main characters that seem to lack life in them. I find it boring when the main characters are always the extremely kind and cheerful type so stoic characters like Tada are very fun to me. When they are shut off like Tada is, it also is a great way for them to develop and change compared to other stories where the kind and the cheerful person may simply become more mature and understand what they need to protect or something like that. This show also features interesting characters like Nyanko Big who seem to be a reminder of the past as well as a character that brings everyone together. Most characters in this show have character-defining moments and backgrounds that are introduced to the audience and it really helps deepen the audience's understanding of each character.
Lastly, my enjoyment was a 10 because despite its flaws I was always able to be interested in the show and felt immersed in its moments. Especially in the later episodes, I was so immersed that I began to put myself in the place of Tada. When he was mistakenly recognized his friends in a moment of desperation and got his hopes up, I did it too despite the obvious fact that they weren't his friends. It was something anybody should have seen given the circumstances from a typical 3rd point of view, but I was so immersed in the story and enjoying it that I overstepped that typical boundary. Moments like these and the moments that made me cry are what made this anime so great for me. It gave me something to laugh about, something to think about, something to cry about, and most importantly, something to enjoy innocently. It was an all-around great anime and something I thoroughly enjoyed.
In conclusion, overall - 9
story - 7.5
art - 10
sound - 9
character - 8
enjoyment - 10
Jun 25, 2020
Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai
(Anime)
add
*mild spoiler warning*
First of all, I see unfounded criticism of this show based on cliches and lack of originality, but I think that is even a poor description of what is wrong. If I were to guess, it's because the characters in this show are not completely original since they remind me of Hyouka, which I also like very much. If anything the show goes out of its way to avoid unoriginal scenarios to force development such as school trips, festivals, and beach days. This show progresses slowly with its romance through the adventures with the photography club and offers unique scenarios based on the character's ... |
