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Apr 12, 2022
Originally discovered this anime thanks to Kyosuke_Kosaka's recommendation for 'similar anime to Sakurako,' which ya'll know I love. This series DID NOT DISAPPOINT. TLDR: The cast of Kamisama is well rounded, characters with more depth than Sakurako's, and the ending leaves you feeling quite satisfied - no loose ends or plot holes.
Now onto the nitty gritty for anyone who might be entertained by my fan girling:
OMG the character depth! In the beginning, we're introduced to various support characters and a large cast, but we gradually get more tidbits of their own lives and personalities with every episode. There's so much humor in their dialogue that
...
I'm really not sure how this is missing the comedy tag. I think the creators deliberately paced everything slowly so that the audience wouldn't be overwhelmed with the details - especially while solving detective cases.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like Narumi going in, because it's a (sadly) common trope to have a male lead
a) "ordinary guy," with no special skills
b) fetishization or excessive romanticization of the females around him
c) no personality, no growth or character development
d) all the above = see 'harem' animes
Given the rise in popularity of such unattractive characters nowadays, I honestly thought Narumi was gonna be one of those 4, and if so, I'd probably drop the series.
But I was blown away. I was wrong. I was IMPRESSED.
Narumi seems pretty clueless and not exactly the most opininated person at the start. And his growth could be categorized as more reactive than proactive. But don't doubt it - it increases after each case, and soon enough. He learns to use his voice, his brain, and most importantly, his physical strength. As a woman, I gotta admit, I feel like Narumi became a real man over the course of the series, and there's nothing more attractive than that. His character arc reminded me of Zuko from ATLA, that's how good the transformation was - albeit ATLA's being much longer and more significant.
I'd even say that I liked Narumi as much as I liked Alice. Possibly even more than Alice, which typically doesn't happen when I watch shows with strong female protagonists. Narumi just felt like a 'real person' with human habits and emotions, and we see detective cases differently, precisely because of how human - and empathetic - he is towards others. His presence becomes the 'why' behind 'why are we doing this?', 'why do we care?', 'Why should we care?'.
Because HE begins to care and show that he gives a damn about the people they're trying to help.
The other thing I really like about Narumi is that even though there's light fan service moments, he doesn't notice, or take advantage of them. Compared to most anime out there, it's refreshing and practically record-breaking. It's just really positive and respectful towards female watchers imo, as if... the studio has (gasp) women working in it too! This is the primary reason why I think this anime is much better than Sakurako. It actually stays focused on the storyline. There's no excessive romance distracting the audience from the real plot. And the female characters who are presented, are far from one dimensional.
The pacing could've been a little faster, but after completing the series, I can see why they wanted to spend time on just a few cases. For them, it seemed more about quality than quantity. And giving more time to each case meant the studio, and writers, likely had greater flexibility in making each plot richer - it's fantastically done. It's because it's so well done, that I know I could've kept watching this series for a long time. I would've been happy if there were 2 - 5 seasons, so it's a little disappointing we only got 12 episodes.
But, despite that, the last episode is definitely what made me give them a 10. Unexpected case details, depth, and satisfying communication between all the characters to wrap it all up. It left me feeling very fulfilled. I'm really glad and grateful to have watched such a powerful and meaningful series, and highly recommend it to others too!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 10, 2022
If you got blue ball(s) while watching "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! | 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった…" (I'm going to abbreviate it to MNL for my review) this is THE anime for you. The uncensored version is the adult version of MNL - and frankly, all the things that MNL should've been.
If you haven't watched MNL, I'd still recommend it if you like:
A) Super handsome princes
B) Otome games
C) Equally good looking male and female leads
D) Hentai anime with realistic human proportions (seriously)
E) All of the above
The characters have excellent depth as hentai animes go, and I feel this story
...
is beautifully unique on two main points:
1) the protagonist actually plays along with the game storyline.
We see so many otome isekai protagonists doing everything they can to "reverse" "reduce" "prevent" their tragic fate, and get their happy endings (wish that happened irl). But this isn't the case here - our protagonist Diana accepts her fate sadly, and does her best to keep the story going according to plan... even if that means a bad ending for herself.
It's the best example of selfless love I've seen so far, and really worth a mention.
2) the prince triggers unique scenarios not in the game/preset storyline
Anyone who's played otome games know that it's sadly pretty standard. The male characters may be different, but the female lead is typically an ordinary person with a cookie cutter personality, sometimes even faceless in appearance. No matter what answer we choose, the endings are still fairly linear, there isn't actually a "bad ending," at least not in the ones available to the North American region (I wonder about this all the time; like there's probably way more in Japan... I need them all lol).
In this anime, the male lead likes "bad girls" more. It's a fantastic exploration that's different from traditional cultural values throughout East Asia. He sincerely reacts to his partner, and even starts his own scenes not featured in game. You feel like you're watching a real story, and not just a script.
The voice acting really fits with the story - no underage or whiny tones here. Every episode was a blessing to me - feels like God's gift to [wo]mankind on a visual and emotional level.
My only gripe is I wish that we had more episodes, another season, or even more anime inspired by this one. It's too short, and has the potential to be a full anime series with at least 3 seasons.
Definitely watch the uncensored version (aniwatcher or other streams) - you won't be disappointed. It's a masterpiece in my eyes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 24, 2022
I enjoyed Ghost Hunt WAY more than I thought I would. Originally discovered after someone recommended 'similar anime' to Beautiful Bones (Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru) on MAL, I can see the similarities of mystery/horror genre. Sakurako is more psychological/crime drama, while Ghost Hunt is for people who enjoy supernatural/occult/Japanese folklore themes.
Entertaining as it was (10/10, seriously), I hesitate to give it more than an 8/10 overall, because of a couple points:
- The story pacing is too slow, especially in the first case. They drag out a mystery 'case' that could have been solved in 1 - 2 episodes.
- They introduced
...
too many characters at once.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVED the supporting characters, and each had decent character depth (not to mention good looks). But, because there's typically 5 - 10+ characters on any one 'case,' it felt overwhelming to watch in the first half of the series, and I was wondering why the same people kept coming back onto the scene.
Shibuya Kazuya enlists the help of these supporting characters, but we don't get much of an explanation of what they actually do for work, if they truly want to be there, etc. it felt a bit weak, storywise, like the writers just wanted it to be a 'supernatural group,' but failed to really explain the premise. Very half-hearted writing there, and of course, not everyone got equal screentime.
- Because of the point above, it episode 'format' does get quite predictable and repetitive
I would still watch several seasons of this series, but the predictable format of each episode (discovery, data collection, testing, solution, conclusion) could've been distributed better.
- Fun as the adventures and mystery cases are, we know next to nothing about the protagonist's love interest, i.e. Shibuya Kazuya until the end - and it's critical information that could've changed the entire series. I won't mention spoilers, but the way they revealed info about him was way too abrupt, and completely unacceptable unless there was a Season 2.
- Personal gripe: For all the tension and chemistry between Mai and Kazuya, there isn't a happy ending; only neutral. On one hand, it's great that the anime stuck to the mystery/horror genre and didn't become a full blown shoujo anime. Felt like the content, overall, stayed close to its roots. On the other hand, I'm generally an optimistic person who likes to see characters happy and together with the ones they love, so, this was disappointing. Just didn't feel satisfied, you know?
I will add that I absolutely fell in love with the monk character, Takigawa, towards the second half of the show. I don't think I would've enjoyed the series as much as I did without him - he provides excellent comedic humor and timing, is real, sincere, and really cares about Mai too. If she doesn't end up with Kazuya, I definitely hope she ends up with the monk or the student, Yasuhara.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 16, 2022
TLDR: Recommended to fans of crime/forensic investigations/Sherlock (BBC)/Natsume Yuujinchou. Had potential to be a masterpiece, but I took 1 point off for 3 major unsolved plot points and nonconsensual relationships.
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I wanted so bad for this anime to be a 10/10. It had all my favourite elements:
A strong and beautiful female protagonist, Sherlock vibes, crime/forensic drama, and the other main character resembling Natsume Takashi from Natsume Yuujinchou. Indeed, I found out about this anime while searching for more of Ishida Akira's voice acting work (he plays Natori in Natsume Yuujinchou).
Sakurako is so cool and attractive, and I wanna be as smart as her, though
...
maybe not as weirdly passionate about morbidity. I felt the same way about Sherlock, so I was positive this anime would be a new favourite to my collection.
Sadly, there were a couple of alarming points that I couldn't look past. The rest of my review will include spoilers / elaborating on the problems. Please stop reading if you don't want spoilers.
1) Unaddressed plot points
- We never see Sakurako's fiance Naoe Ariwara, not even once. I get that she lives alone, but aside from a one line narration in the beginning, it's a little disturbing that he never visits, contacts her, or seems to have any memories with her. Heck, no one (not even the housekeeper Grandma!) mentions him except Shoutarou. I want him to exist, for Sakurako's sake. But also so that his existence would balance the story and also put a curb to Shoutarou's ridiculous fantasies and romantic overtones.
- Sakurako's late younger brother... we get glimpses of flashbacks, a photo, and even the transition slide that says 'underneath Sakurako's feet' constantly suggesting that we'll find out about her brother... nope. Nothing. I really thought we'd solve his case in the last episode, and they didn't even touch on it. To say I'm annoyed about that would be an understatement. I don't even want to think about it, that's how mad I am.
- Hanabusa ... I think the finale was less of a cliffhanger and more like 'studio ran out of money' and couldn't deliver what they promised. Extremely unsatisfied. They could've cut the 'high school festival' filler scenes and actually added more time to the butterfly case.
2) Shoutarou is the problem
Because his looks and personality traits overlapped with Natsume's, I thought he'd be my new best friend. I was willing to overlook the fanservice on Sakurako's body during Episode 1, telling myself "these are normal high school boy fantasies." When the fanservice appeared again... and again... and on other characters such as Kougami, I stopped smiling. I thought this was a mystery / psychological series open to all genders, but there's an unfortunate bias towards the male gaze in this one too.
The biggest red flag was this comment:
"She may be pretty, but she's pretty with flaws." -Shoutaro describing Sakurako to Isozaki sensei.
I was so pissed off.
Who doesn't have flaws? Are there beautiful people with no flaws? I don't know if this was coming from Shoutarou's ignorance/inexperience with relationships... OR a shallow, superficial mindset talking... but either way, it's unattractive and I'm not here for it. Sakurako is way too cool to have this lout beside her.
The biggest problem I have with their dynamic is that Shoutarou's romantic affections aren't consensual. Sakurako is repeatedly shown to care for him as she cares about her little brother. What should be a healthy sibling-type relationship is consistently challenged by Shoutarou to 'be something more.' He denies it in public, but then has an internal emotional crisis about how he feels about her and wants her to like him. Again, if Sakurako felt the same way about him, sure, go for it. But she doesn't, and so his affections felt wrong and incredibly uncomfortable for me to watch. It just got sickening and tiresome to have that element in the series, and definitely detracted from what could've been a masterpiece.
The best supporting character throughout the series had to be Kougami. Her character didn't seem like much at first, but her past, relationships, and most importantly, how she views 'protecting the ones she loves' as her top priority is seriously admirable and so, so precious. She's an excellent role model for high schoolers imo and I really hope there will be more girls like her in future anime. Such an inspiration! Isozaki sensei also had decent depth, and I'd be thrilled if he got a bigger part in their story in the future.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Feb 5, 2022
In a nutshell: If American youtubers who made anime parodies were given license to write the entire script for a school series.
I wasn't sure if I'd like it going in. I assumed it would be another slice of life anime with overly kawaii characters, fanservice, harems, and no actual depth - the kind of anime that's popular nowadays, and unfortunately, tends to be a hit in North America. I figured I'd drop it after the first or second episode. But the storyline was intelligently written, and it was easy to follow along after the second episode.
All the mini stories, almost like 'chapters' of
...
a book, were hilarious, because the characters were hilarious. For me, Hanako's "socially repressed, thus insane at times" character was actually the most relatable, especially when I was growing up, so it was super funny to watch. Each character breaks an anime archetype in their own way, and more than once. This anime is full of self awareness, so a lot of the content is about 'breaking the fourth wall.'
To fit with breaking the stereotypes, the art style is cleverly adapted to each scene, with genres spanning from shoujo, shounen, horror, realism, to gore and more. It's meant to be comedic, but if you find this kind of art style too inconsistent, you might not enjoy it.
I think the main flaw with this anime is that it did only it promised: showing the daily lives of 3 bored junior high students trying to entertain themselves. It had the potential to, but didn't, deliver more. Given how well written the characters were, I thought they could've easily recreated something like 'School Rumble', where it's equal parts comedy, high school adventures, and hilarious teenage angst. They could've easily done this by bringing the girls outside of the classroom - something that only happened once or twice in the anime. Hence, the story ideas do get limited after a while, as there's only so much people can do within the confines of an abandoned classroom.
Despite the low re-watch value, I still think the intelligent and hilarious writing deserves an 8/10 for breaking the boundaries in the anime world, and providing us with a beautifully realistic representation of the female psyche.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 29, 2022
I see a kimono, I click.
Animax's description said "Japanese culture gains popularity in the West", which was grossly inaccurate of what actually transpired. So let me break it down for you real quick:
8 year old* Japanese child moves to Paris in hopes of 'studying abroad' all things French. Instead, she becomes an au pair (domestic helper who is typically unpaid) to a working-class family on the verge of bankruptcy. Every episode is filled with culture shock, subtle racial discrimination, and abuse from her host family.
Whether you choose to watch this series is totally up to you, and there are many parts that are enjoyable
...
- but I feel all viewers should be aware of the above, instead of being completely deceived like I was. Honestly, the initial description led me to expect affection and admiration of Japanese culture. And Japanese products to be in high-demand by all of society. Which already happens today in certain niche social groups as we know - and may even be a part of. But like, I thought it would be fun (if not fascinating) to see it happen in 18th - 19th century, and more importantly, the kind of art and goods being exchanged through foreign trade.
So, on that front, if you were expecting similar things, you're gonna be in for a huge disappointment. Avoid watching this at all costs. This anime is for Francophiles and fans of Les Miserables. It's hardly about Japan.
The rest of my review will contain SPOILERS, so stop reading here if you don't want to know the rest.
Things I enjoyed:
1) Alice.
My favourite character by far, and a girl after my own heart. We both collect very expensive Japanese furniture, accessories, and other traditional art (though I don't think chiyogami paper was available to France back then). It was like watching myself on screen, except Alice is much prettier.
Even if she made several cultural faux pas, you gotta give the girl A+ for effort! There's not many people who are that hardworking at understanding a foreign culture. It provided a lot of hilarious moments that are just cute, rather than feeling like any kind of cultural appropriation - especially because Alice corrects herself once she realizes she's in the wrong. Alice grows. She learns. She changes and begins treating a lot of people better as the anime goes on, and has an excellent character arc.
2) The art style
The anime's art style is undeniably good, and the color palette is slightly more muted (2011 timing, perhaps) to give it a softer, vintage look in many scenes. I would even describe the art as 'faded,' color tones. Though I was expecting a lot more designs on the clothing front (especially for yukatas and kimonos), there were still sufficient designs to keep my gaze satisfied.
3) Alan (side character)
The most underrated supporting character. He has so few lines throughout the series, but the ones he does have are simply priceless.
4) Camille
I wasn't sure how to feel about her in that one episode... but after we learned more about her. Wow, I'm in love. While she could've been better at communicating her external restrictions/rules to Claude, I still think she's awesome and deserves the very best. A lot better than Claude, but, despite that, I ship them hard and still hope they'll be together because I want Camille to be happy.
5) The thief/homeless child
I liked that they showed that. Up until that episode, I had been wondering 'Wow, I guess they're just gonna gloss over the high crime rate and awful people in Paris,' because it's pretty common for people to romanticize Paris. This incident was refreshing, even if still unrealistic with everyone being one skin color... that one's probably a historic anime problem we know about though.
6) Yune explaining the 'customer first' mentality
I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of her explanations on the culture of putting others first, consideration for the public or community good, and being helpful, even to strangers. A lot of her community-driven values can definitely be seen in other cultures across the world. So it was nice to watch her debate with Claude, whose words reflected typically Western concepts such as individualism, freedom, and a self-centric mentality.
Things I did not enjoy:
I loved this anime starting out. I'm a naturally sensitive person, but it shocked even me to cry during the first episode of an anime. I thought this series must be something special, and I couldn't wait to watch more of the heartfelt, warm, feelings that come from Yune trying her best against adversity. I was ready to give this anime a 10/10.
But, solely because of Claude, I'm lowering it to a 7.
At first, his hardworking attitude makes grandpa look bad, but as the episodes go on, it's clear who is the real villian at work here. I don't know what I would do with someone so rude, brutish, insecure, abusive, egotistical, and bitter in real life. Not to mention he's an emotionally disturbed pedophile. And no, I'm not saying that because of the la bise. Everything else.
I would struggle between calling the therapist or the cops, lol.
He behaves like an ultra-possesive boyfriend towards Yune, and then abuses her daily. Her developing Stockholm syndrom doesn't help either. It gets tiring - and loathsome - to watch. His complete cynicism towards the world may be a survival habit, but everything else? His obstinate ignorance and intolerance towards anyone not like him...? Even if he has good moments, it's just difficult to like him when his cons outweigh the pros.
And the worst part is that, unlike Alice or even Camille, he does not change throughout the series. His character development is weak at best, changing from racist intolerance to indifference, if you can call that progress. It's a pity that the anime chooses to portray him as the hero, when really, he's more of a selfish predator who projects all his fears and aggression towards everyone around him. God help him, he won't accept help from anyone.
*I only discovered while writing the review, that Yune is actually 13 years old. Which isn't mentioned in the anime, and with her apperance and overall plot points (ABC book, anyone?), it's not very believable to me. Mentally and physically, I think she is 8 - 10 years old, definitely not past 11. Even if she were older, the dynamic between her and Claude is still extremely disturbing. Not a fan.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 15, 2022
If you've ever seen Karneval and Avatar the Last Airbender...
Thorfinn (the protagonist) is like a perfect combination of both Gareki and Zuko. Extremely traumatizing past, leading to a lot of *unresolved* emotional angst and insane fighting skills. He has so much potential, and it's because of this, I really liked the story, but thought it could've been better. His character depth doesn't develop or transform the way Zuko's does, which is disappointing.
Overall:
Would recommend Episode 1 - 11
Episode 12 and onwards is optional - it's addictive to watch, and the political / action elements keep you in suspense. But the emotional depth of characters,
...
while touched on, still wasn't enough for me, and Thorfinn's original goals (like family) are quickly lost in the scuffle of other character plots (Canute's, Askeladd's).
Long version: Thoughts in bullet points, no particular order:
- Lots of characters with gray morales (e.g. Askeladd), constantly makes the viewer question life and ethics
- Not sure how to feel about Askeladd, but I guess on some level, deeply sad. As an optimist, I really wanted him to be a 'does questionable things but actually a good guy', and we did see some parts with that. But every time I was beginning to think 'hey, he's not so bad,' he would go and do something inhumane / psychopathic.
- Not sure who needs therapy more. Almost everyone in this show does, but I feel Askeladd has a tie with Thorfinn. He doesn't need to provoke the kid daily, and Thorfinn shouldn't react so predictably after being baited... and yet they both get triggered over family insults. It's pot calling the kettle black, and in some ways, I think they are more like father and son.
- It's probably because of their dynamic, that I wish Thorfinn could've improved their relationship. I don't think he would ever admit it, but he cares about Askeladd very much, and the ending confirms it. This guy has given him meaning to life, even if it was a little misplaced. If Askeladd let Thorfinn win a duel once, and Thorfinn forgave Askleadd, I imagine Askeladd as a great mentor, who would likely also train Thorfinn to be a skilled warrior. Thorkell could've also been a fantastic mentor.
- Very, very disappointed that they did not reveal Floki's betryal and responsibility to Thorfinn... I think that would've changed things dramatically. Was also hoping that Thorkell would hear about the betrayal, murder, etc., and that SOMEHOW, Thorfinn could still have a good life as the grandchild to the prestigious Jomsviking family. I could see it happening, and indeed, wanted good things for Thorfinn. It's in this same vein that I'm disappointed that Thorfinn remains a growing, angsty teen, rather than a legendary warrior to live on his father's legacy... or even start his own. It didn't happen, at least not in this season.
- Too much philosophical dialogue with any part involving Canute, and even worse, his alcoholic monk. Skipped over most of it and didn't miss anything.
- Felt that the story began to revolve more around Canute, vs. Thorfinn in the second half of the show. Canute is cool and all, but again, I was watching for Thorfinn and waiting for his legacy to start. The historical drama context is great (And I ended up reading a little outside of the anime), but, again, it wasn't what I signed up for.
- Pacing was pretty good, episode 1 - 12. Excellent music as well.
- Art style was kind of like 'Attack on Titan,' but easier on the eyes. Environmental and background design were also fantastic.
- Ending: What did I just watch? I was going to give the series a 9/10, but after the abrupt ending that didn't really make any sense, I'm going to have to lower it to an 8. That was one of the worst wrap up / transitions I've ever seen.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 3, 2022
I never thought I'd find another anime that hit me as deep as Natsume Yuujinchou did. And then I came across this treasure and was in love from the first episode. It's hard for me to even begin describing it, because it's such a powerful and inspirational series - not to mention highly relatable.
I'll start there: Who it's for, and who I would recommend it to:
- Aspiring artists
- Creative souls
- Stigmatized, marginalized, or minority folks (define minority how you like, I am using the term liberally here). The more you have been discriminated against (or faced extreme hardship) to pursue your life's passion, the
...
more you will be able to relate to, and enjoy this show.
- People who enjoy strong female characters
- Friends of those mentioned above.
If you don't fall into one of these categories above, I'd still encourage watching it, but I can't guarantee that you will like it. This is not a light-hearted story like Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, where creative passion is fun and comedic. Arte's story is generally presented in a 'life or death' way. Where there's a few laughs, but a lot more scuffs and bruises.
Arte is such a wonderful and heartwarming series. It's an autobiographical account of a noble woman who's wanted to pursue art (painting) her entire life, but has to fight physical, financial, and societal barriers to even consider that life path as an option. Despite the setting being in the 16th century, I found much of the script to be applicable and relevant to today's world. e.g. "My mom burned my sketches" will always make me laugh, because I've lost count of how many times my mother destroyed my work, and threw away gifts from others. But I know that's - thankfully - not everybody's past, so here are some other modern-day topics that the anime covers:
- Competition and rivalry among artists
- Cultural expectations (especially of women) that getting married is their only purpose and worth in life; without marriage, they are 'worthless'
- Family neglect, abuse
- Gender discrimination, stereotypes
The anime deals with all of those topics gracefully, and respectfully. It's incredibly insightful into the traditional painting / apprentice process as well. If those topics sound interesting to you, and you want to watch a protagonist who keeps going even when life is hard, then you're in for a treat. It's a very encouraging and empowering story, and hopefully will inspire you not to give up, too! I may have cried every episode just from the feels...
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 31, 2021
Expectation: Protagonist magically heals broken hearts from lots of emotional high school romances, divorces, and mild trauma in each episode that ends on happy notes. Alright, sounds like just the right blend of bittersweet but warm and empowering, I'm in.
Reality: Ditzy girl with 0 superpowers devotes the majority of her life to a failing kindergarten with predictable children. "Helps" people by forcing her way into the daily lives of neighbourhood's residents, and is rewarded when they smile.
- I was initially surprised that I hadn't heard of this anime before. The description sounded appealing for a sensitive sh*t like me, and I generally appreciate
...
protagonists who try to make others' lives better, because I too, like helping people in real life. Now I know why it was never popular, and hope it stays that way. It is NOTHING like the description said; the description is a LIE.
- Out of 24 episodes, we can say maybe 2 of them were actually 'broken heart' related stories. Literally everyone else was under 10 years old and 'healing their hearts' could be as simple as telling someone they're awesome that day. That's. It. There is no deeper meaning, no tragic backstory, and very little focus on young adults or anything adult, really. This show is a show about KINDERGARTENERS. PRESCHOOLERS. TODDLERS.
- And I love toddlers. e.g. Gakuen Babysitters is one of my favourite 'feel-good' series to watch. But ... this isn't one of them. Where Gakuen Babysitters shows realistic sides (good AND bad) behaviour from babies and their families... these toddlers were one-dimensional. They had as much depth as a cardboard tree cut out. Their voices sound the same, they generally do what they're told, they're unrealistically peppy all the time; they're basically a lifeless NPC army.
- Protagonist has too many aspirations, and there's too many genres and elements stuffed into one series. You're never sure if you're watching a magical fantasy anime, supernatural spirits, working part time job lifestyles, or fake Japanese mafia. They somehow cram all of that into one episiode, so nothing makes sense.
- They introduce new characters (e.g. Kohaku) and then you only see them again when the protagonist needs their help DESPERATELY. It's inconsistent and very confusing. And the characters. Ohmygod, the side characters. I wish I could say the supporting characters saved this show - they didn't. While we do get VERY good looking male characters that were totally my type and why I even bothered watching at all (Doumoto is best boy) ... we don't really learn much about any of them, male or female. They had a lot of potential, but it seemed like the writers were content with focusing on the idiotic protagonist and her "love interest who is not a love interest".
- Re: love interest
God, that guy is a piece of WORK. He is an arrogant jerk to everyone. He works 3 jobs at any time, taking out his unresolved childhood trauma on strangers, and never smiles. But of course, because of how poorly this anime is written, he's somehow The World's Most Eligible Bachelor to our protagonist. She sees him as a 'project' to take on, similar to women who want to change womanizers they've fallen in love with. No. Do not. Stop. Ladies, you know this kind of story never ends well. You can't change someone who doesn't want to change on their own! But this anime will tell you that is exactly possible, and ONE WOMAN can change the world. The way the world revolves around the protagonist perfectly, they could've showed her ending world hunger and achieve world peace, and it would be a plausible storyline.
I am actually really bummed about this part. Like I sincerely hope that this anime did not influence viewers too much and encourage females to chase after men who are abusive towards them. While the efforts to improve someone's life are commendable, there are so many other people who will appreciate the love, energy, effort, and support given out. 'Projects' could benefit more from professional psychotherapy than years of well-meaning do-gooders who don't address the root source of trauma, neglect, abandonment etc.
- The love interest's character growth improves... by the end of the anime. Same thing with the other side characters including "Ioryogi." I actually found the 'talking plush toy animal' gag very annoying after 2 episodes. Especially because they employed slapstick humor throughout the series, breathing fireballs and other 'comic relief' scenes that came off as cringy to me. I don't think I could reasonably tolerate this much slapstick humor unless I was 12 years old again. He could've been an intelligent bodyguard dog of sorts, but no, they had him as a menacing toy that yelled every. five. seconds. It wasn't funny to me.
- Did I mention that the kindergarten the protagonist is obsessed with is in unexplained debt? Throughout the series, we know that the land(?) the school sits on is valuable, and the teacher owes money. But why she owes money, how the debt even started, isn't explained until Episode 22+, and even then, it's very vague. Like two sentences. It's incredibly frustrating to watch, and felt like the writers created fake drama so the story would have some plot. Huge waste of time.
- Lastly. The stream I watched this on translated the candy representing hearts into 'confetti,' which was mildly offensive. I'm pretty sure the correct translation should be Konpeitō (金平糖, コンペイトー), a standard in Japanese sweets and known globally...
- The graphics were also terrible (though I'm not sure if this was because of the streaming platform), only 360p available, so it felt like I was watching a series from 2005 and not 2009, when it was supposed to have aired. Other graphic / artist rant - Kobato's clothes are faded pastel tones at all times... but they're not done well. There's a lot of cream yellow, maroon, light green or light pink. I didn't really like any of her outfits, they felt like a very weird clash of 'Lolita meets Mori girl' fashion. There's so many ways and colors to do that well, and this fell flat. Hurt the eyes.
In conclusion:
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I'm just utterly relieved it's over. I wanted to drop this series many, many, times, but the social pressure of people on MAL generally finishing their series kept me going. I didn't understand the word 'Pollyanna' and thought it was Americans misunderstanding optimistic people. No. If I only had one word to describe the whole series, it would be that: Pollyanna. Now I know the perfect definition of it, embodied in Kobato, and why it's unattractive.
If you still want to watch this anime.
Nothing happens from episode 1 - 12. That's right. You can completely skip the first half and literally won't miss anything.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Nov 21, 2021
If Studio Ghibli (Hayao Miyazaki's movies) and Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) had a baby, this series would be it. If you like both of those things, this might be your new favourite.
But if you're looking for a light-hearted anime that doesn't make you think too hard, or can't stand supernatural / spiritual journeys, you're probably not going to like this.
Full review:
I wasn't sure what to expect before watching. Truthfully, I came here for Tanda's voice actor (Tsujitani Kouji), the muted color palette didn't seem very appealing to me. What could be that exciting about old people in palaces, forests, and herb gardens? I
...
even planned to skip through it if I didn't like it.
- Characters:
Then the first episode came on, and Balsa captivated me. She's everything I could want and ask for in a strong female hero who thinks on her feet. Someone who is respectful as she is dangerous. It's a pretty rare combination to come by these days.
I think most media portraying female warriors make their characters appear overly masculine in personality or appearance (e.g. Dragon Prince, Legend of Korra), as if to compensate for the "masculine role." But Balsa is not like them, and I'm incredibly thankful for that. Balsa is beautiful, and her facial features are gorgeous. Her physique is more muscled than an average woman's, but she isn't bulky. Actually, everyone in this show was drawn to accurate and realistic proortions. It was very, very refreshing.
There are moments in the series where her actions don't seem to make sense, but her intelligent reasoning is often explained in the same episode, or immediately after. It's not frustrating to watch.
Going onto our second main character, Chagum. This little prince is the CUTEST - though I also love "rich kids suddenly uncertain of the environment around them" scenarios. His quest for fairness and kindness towards others is what makes him so endearing. He isn't afraid to speak his mind, even if his opinions cause controversy. It's both both hilarious AND charming to see him tell others off, no matter their age. He has so much depth, and really handles his hardships well.
Third main character / supporting character is Tanda. I'm in love with his voice, and his pitch from Blood+ carried over here too. The relationship between him and the heroine aren't touched on until quite late into the series (which makes sense, it's not a romance of any kind). But, given the increasing number of hints towards the end, I thought the anime could've done a better job at solidifying their relationship status.
Other characters that were fantastic (everyone, really): Old lady shaman, Star reader Shuga (very attractive in personality and looks!), Chagum's older brother. I could've done without the emperor, since that was the only person who didn't seem to change or improve over time, but I guess someone has to be a good villain.
- Storytelling
The anime had very rich storytelling throughout. The only thing I didn't like was how they explained the different worlds they live in - or rather, failed to explain them. It wasn't clear at the start, and now that I've finished watching, I'm still not sure... are there 3 worlds? 4? Just how many cities and provinces lie outside of "Shin yogo", how many dialects are there?
They didn't provide the audience with enough information on the beautiful world they built. Should've showed a map of kingdoms in the beginning or something. If you prefer very straight forward plots, these spirit realms will not be your cup of tea, and it's best to skip the series.
In case it isn't clear, this is also a fighting anime, there's a fight almost every episode or two. There's excellent martial arts and fight scenes. I rewatched several parts just to play the moves back - and I'm not even into sports or most action stuff. The animation was flawless, it was very easy to watch.
Music was 10/10, a lot of the same traditional instruments and soundtracks similar to ATLA. Really made an impact.
Personal bias:
I was very happy to see Chinese influence throughout it. It's not common you get to see this kind of clothing and culture in anime. I think anime tends to show Chinese culture in a negative, stereotypical light, and that was not the case here. It was truly a visual and cultural masterpiece that portrayed the historic heritage beautifully.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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