Jul 29, 2023
Love this show so much, it's just lots of fun and made me laugh the most out of all of the comedy anime I have watched. The characters work extremely well together and it even got me to read the original source (Manga). This adaptation did the best it could have done since it seems it had a low budget. However, that hardly ruins the enjoyment for me but it may do for other people and if it does, it can be looked over as there is so much to offer in a short space of 12 episodes.
I can see why people compare it to
...
Danganronpa but this is it's own media. The characters are simple but executed in quirky ways and a lot of fun to understand on a deeper level if the commitment is there. The comedy is fantastic with references to characterisation of one specific character: Makino, as an example. He sleeps all of the time and it's simple yet effective due to the fact you always expect it but it's shown in unexpected ways to lift tension and to fit the comedy genre. In the OVA there were repeated segments of him just sleeping but the very last one was him actually waking up, to only fall back asleep. There is really a lot to enjoy about the flow of comedy here.
The art style is pretty good (yet stiff*) and the attention to detail from the atmosphere with it like... how they tend to raise their hands on a majority vote: It's not just copy and paste for all characters, they all do it in their own way; my favourite being Iride having an over-exaggerated tone that is definitely ear-splitting (that's the charm on it) but compared to Anya being reluctant to raise his hand as he couldn't give a sh*t (more charm to character.) To add, the last episode, they all have outfits that agree with their quirk which was entertaining. The style also reflects on the mood of the characters, emphasising a serious or special moment: changing the colour palette or adding more flare to the visuals. Stuff like these are very small but great to draw attention in.
*This really does depend on the budget here. It did do a really good job but at times can be stiff and not as fluid as some frames should be.
The sound is also neat. There isn't much to consider but the opening is quite catchy and actually sung by the Japanese VA for Anya so that's a nice touch. The soundtrack otherwise is compiled with J-pop songs at the end that really don't fit with the ethos the show has to offer at some scenes. It's quite fitting in it's own way though, as a reminder that it shouldn't be taken so seriously.
In hindsight this series is just a bunch of laughs and easy to immerse yourself into.
If there were to be more of a serious critique to take on the story itself then consider to look at the very few moments where some characters are shown to have an upsetting past. It's immersive to theorise that this whole series depicts the coping mechanism of escapism and how they were brought into a simulation to really draw the viewer in as well to reflect on the psychology it was going for. To be honest, in the anime, it wasn't shown much at all and wasn't portrayed the best and was just made to present witty humour, with the serious-ness only previewed in flashes. If it was emphasised more, even with episodes dedicated to it, it would be more of a token to appreciate the characters on a personal level.
You can take this series seriously and analyse it like a nerd or just watch/read it to get a dopamine rush and that is what there is to love about it. It really needs more of a chance to be appreciated for what it is.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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