Super Sonico The Animation is probably exactly what you are expecting...well, that's what I was saying before it aired and saw all the reactions, at least. What was everyone else expecting? A rags-to-riches story of a three-girl band going from zero to hero? A deeply emotional and psychological show about a girl with headphones permanently glued to her head (if you look deep enough, this actually happened)? Sonico nipples?
It turned out to be exactly what I was expecting, though, and that is: Sonico fanservice. No, not in the ecchi way (though there is some of that), in the "watch Sonico do just about everything you can imagine the producers might have her do" way. You know, for fans of the Nitro+ mascot, Super Sonico, and to just promote her in general. If that doesn't sound like your idea of a fun time, then I honestly don't understand why you would watch this show.
But what of value does the show actually offer? Well, aside from being Sonico fanservice, it is a slice-of-life about a girl, her friends, her band, her grandma's restaurant, her modeling agency, her out-of-the-blue vacations, and her pussy...er, cats. As one might guess, it is largely episodic, though there is a certain amount of continuation with the story of the band she is in with her two friends, First Astronomical Velocity (I still think the name would be better if "Velocity" was changed to anything beginning with a "P," but what's done is done).
These episodes are largely standard in nature for an anime such as this, though it does have a few particular episodes that reach a greater height, such as the episode where Sonico mysteriously goes on an adventure, doing random things and meeting multiple people along the way. It felt like an episode out of Aria the Animation with its serene and calming atmosphere. There is also the Christmas episode, which turns out very sweet and touching. And if you are a cat lover, there is an episode in here that was made specifically for you, because you get to see cats, cat drama, cat saving, cat fighting, cat loving, cat befriending, and get cute cat feels.
Does the show have more than Sonico? Well...sort of. The show does make an effort to give other characters attention, but Sonico largely takes the spotlight. Her band friends, Fuuri and Suzu, are pretty much one-trick ponies as an excessive eater and super band leader, respectively. Her manager at the modeling agency is some awkward cosplayer who is always wearing a mask and protecting Sonico from her own naivete. Sonico herself is sort of a do-everything standard moe character. Ironically, the characters who get the most development in the show are typically the ones who don't get much attention. Sonico's old mentor who gave Sonico her first guitar is a good example of this. She's barely seen, if at all, outside of flashbacks, but makes quite an impact nonetheless. In a single episode, the girl who works at the maid cafe whose name escapes me got more of a character than just about anyone else in the show ever got. The best-developed characters in the show are probably Sonico's cats, especially Cha. Cha is such a badass.
One would expect the show to be pleasing to the eye, and it is...but again, if it's what you're looking for. Sonico appears in a multitude of different outfits and situations, some lewd, some tame. Animation is mostly fine, though you can tell when the budget got a bit low because of the occasional CG animated scenes, usually for the ending credits (which are new every episode and deserves a mention of its own), but also used occasionally for the band scenes.
Apparently, no one knows who or what voices Supah Sonico, but it manages to be good...I guess. What really catches your ear is the music, since there is a band theme going on here. As mentioned, every credits sequence is new, and that includes a few different songs, as well, some better than others but all largely to the tastes of the kinds of people who would want to watch this kind of show in the first place. Oh, and the OP, which I looked forward to every time just for the random "DESU" at the end. Even if the rest of the episode sucked, I knew I had one guaranteed laugh just from that.
I was once told, "Don't judge a book by its cover," but when I started watching anime I realized I needed to judge these books by their covers more often than not, and this is most definitely one of those cases. I enjoyed this show, not astoundingly so, but about as much as I expected for the exact reasons I expected; just a nice, silly way to spend 20 minutes once a week, watching a girl with a future of back problems solve her present problems.
