"We are all wonderful, beautiful wrecks. That's what connects us — that we're all broken, all beautifully imperfect." — Emilio Estevez.
Regardless of how well people may think they know you, be it friend or family, it is more likely that there is something you keep or hide from them for whatever reason...but what would occur if, by some series of supernatural phenomena, you were forced to remove the mask you so often don to appear acceptable to society and reveal your true, imperfect self to others?
To some, this may not appear to be such a menacing notion, but to others, it may just as well be hell on Earth.
Welcome to "Kokoro Connect", a series that revolves around a group of five high school students who must tackle the frightening task of opening up to others and believing in themselves.
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I'll be very straightforward in this review, mostly because without doing so, I wouldn't know exactly what I think about the show. In other words, I have ambivalent feelings, and the act of writing this show is partially for the purpose of sorting them out.
The greatest merit and fault of the show is that there's too much goodness to explore.
Before you shred this review to pieces, allow me to explain.
I'll start with the animation and sound, as expressing my thoughts on these is much easier. The animation is decent, but it's nothing to be excited about. The character designs are very similar to those of the "K-On!" and "Tamako Market" series, mainly because the key animator/original character designer for all three shows were by the same person. There's nothing particularly wrong with this per se, but...no scene ever struck me as amazing. The animation style is definitely not made for complex movement, and this can be seen in certain moments of the show.
You may argue that a show such as this may not need great animation quality — certainly, a valid argument. However, similar shows such as "Hyouka" (brilliant with day/bright colors) have proven that artwork can drastically add to the ambience of the show, something that the simplistic nature of "Kokoro Connect"'s animation fails to accomplish.
The openings change every two arcs (a total of 2), while the endings change every arc (a total of 4). I found the majority of them to be very addictive in nature. In addition, they seem to understand and match what the show is about, which is hard to accomplish in music. The openings are light, fluffy pieces that briefly and charmingly show our characters in their every day lives, while the endings are more bittersweet in nature, with a greater emphasis on the electric guitar.
As good as the openings/endings are, the background music is unfortunately quite weak in comparison. I can't seem to recall any single piece that shook me or greatly amplified the emotion in a scene, although that's a very subjective matter. This was a great pity for me, because a show with drama of this magnitude could have been even better when completed with a great OST.
The voice actors (Japanese dubbing) do a good job with their roles, delivering the right emotion in every moment, although it may feel strained from time to time (but not frequently). I particularly applaud them immensely particularly for the first arc, for which the voice acting was superb; you'll see what I mean when you see it for yourself.
To summarize, the animation and sound do exactly as they should. There is no major flaw with them, but there's nothing that makes them stand out and grasp the viewer from the screen. With the exception of the great voice acting, the rest are decent at best.
As for the plot, the concepts for the phenomena are genuinely interesting and unique. The phenomena that occur to the main characters are initially superficial, but get more profound in nature with every arc that passes by; at first, it's as simple as switching bodies, but later progresses to something more frightening, such as acting on impulse or having your thoughts being read by others (at any random moment in time).
Near the beginning, our five main protagonists find their own, interesting/fun ways to cope with the situation at hand, but soon come to realize that this is no laughing matter. Brilliant drama unfolds between characters as these phenomena, once a passing joke, begin to reveal the darker aspects of their personalities and long-hidden pasts.
A lot of the shock factor originates from this shift in tone. A once seemingly fascinating concept very suddenly ends up being very destructive towards the characters' friendships and even their own identities. The main characters, unable to tell others of their problem, try their best to "stick together" and "work through it as a team", even forcibly so, to resolve everything. Unlike some other shows where doing this seems to magically solve everything, "Kokoro Connect" satisfyingly shows that confiding in others (or even in oneself) is a very difficult task.
The writers did a good job by respecting the plot. There were plenty of opportunities for the show to stray into ecchi/fanservice territory, but with good execution avoided doing so and kept this to an honorable minimum.
That having been said, the characters are definitely the strongest part of the show. In fear of spoiling too much, I'll refrain from sharing too much, but whenever a dire situation strikes our feebly connected group of five, every character faces his/her own set of problems and undergoes a very profound, extensive, yet still comprehensible development. As a result of simultaneous development in different characters, our protagonists constantly change how they interact with one another, whether that be an act of romance or friendship.
It's very difficult to come across a show that gives such an incredible amount of character development to a main character cast of five people, and even more difficult to find one that develops its interpersonal relationships in such a delicate fashion.
All in all, when there is drama, the show does it just right — the characters act for motivations that we can understand and evolve in ways that are easily relatable. Additionally, they're not obscenely spelled out for the viewer, as the creators refuse to treat its audience like idiots (and rightfully so). So what's so bad about this? Well...quite a few things.
I previously said that "there's too much goodness to explore", and a simpler way of putting it is that the show is paced very awkwardly. In my humble opinion, I believe this to be the case because the creators of the anime adaptation tried to include too many arcs (4 volumes out of 8) into a short time frame (17 episodes).
For certain other shows, this might have been fine, but it's because each and every arc of "Kokoro Connect" is so detailed that even 5 episodes may not be enough to flesh everything out properly. At certain dramatic moments during the show, too many insightful interpersonal relationships and character changes occur concurrently that it may take the casual viewer all his/her effort to merely keep a tab on them. I say this not to sound offend others...I'm merely speaking from experience, as it took me my greatest effort and concentration to notice the nuances in every single development. Simply phrased, there's just too many things going on at once, and all of them are unfortunately too good to leave unnoticed or forgotten.
This means that the show is incredibly busy and has no brakes. In a story, it's definitely important that characters develop, but after each and every development, it is equally as significant that characters remain static so that the audience fully understand the character's current stances/positions. Only after the viewers have been brought up to speed and after things have settled down can a story progress without confusing its audience, something that "Kokoro Connect", in its hectic schedule, cannot regrettably afford to accomplish. Without a good, firm understanding of what our main characters are like, a lot of scenes seem to step into "melodrama" territory with characters overreacting (when in truth, they may not be) to certain situations, and certain phrases/actions seem completely out of character (when in truth, again, they may not be).
A lot of things about the plot are also left unexplained, but I won't criticize the show for that, as it does well to provide a lot of closure in its final episode (unlike a lot of other shows) and isn't exactly a completed work. As much as I've discussed the show's flaws, it was nevertheless enjoyable and I definitely hope that the second half of the light novel series gets an anime adaptation as well.
DISCLAIMER: This review includes the 4-episode sequel, "Kokoro Connect: Michi Random", as well.
"We are all wonderful, beautiful wrecks. That's what connects us — that we're all broken, all beautifully imperfect." — Emilio Estevez.
Regardless of how well people may think they know you, be it friend or family, it is more likely that there is something you keep or hide from them for whatever reason...but what would occcur if, by some series of supernatural phenomena, you were forced to remove the mask you so often don to appear acceptable to society and reveal your true self to others?
To some, this may not appear to be such a menacing notion, but to others, it may just as well be hell on Earth.
Welcome to "Kokoro Connect", a series that revolves around a group of five high school students who must tackle the frightening task of opening up to others and believing in themselves.
--------------------------------------------------
I'll be very straightforward in this review, mostly because without doing so, I wouldn't know exactly what I think about the show. In other words, I have ambivalent feelings, and the act of writing this show is partially for the purpose of sorting them out.
The greatest merit and fault of the show is that there's too much goodness to explore.
Before you shred this review to pieces, allow me to explain.
I'll start with the animation and sound, as expressing my thoughts on these is much easier. The animation is decent, but it's nothing to be excited about. The character designs are very similar to those of the "K-On!" and "Tamako Market" series, mainly because the key animator/original character designer for all three shows were by the same person. There's nothing particularly wrong with this per se, but...no scene ever struck me as amazing. The animation style is definitely not made for complex movement, and this can be seen in certain moments of the show.
You may argue that a show such as this may not need great animation quality — certainly, a valid argument. However, similar shows such as "Hyouka" (brilliant with day/bright colors) have proven that artwork can drastically add to the ambience of the show, something that the simplistic nature of "Kokoro Connect"'s animation fails to accomplish.
The openings change every two arcs (a total of 2), while the endings change every arc (a total of 4). I found the majority of them to be very addictive in nature. In addition, they seem to understand and match what the show is about, which is hard to accomplish in music. The openings are light, fluffy pieces that briefly and charmingly show our characters in their every day lives, while the endings are more bittersweet in nature, with a greater emphasis on the electric guitar.
As good as the openings/endings are, the background music is unfortunately quite weak in comparison. I can't seem to recall any single piece that shook me or greatly amplified the emotion in a scene, although that's a very subjective matter. This was a great pity for me, because a show with drama of this magnitude could have been even better when completed with a great OST.
As for the plot, the concepts for the phenomena are genuinely interesting and unique. The phenomena that occur to the main characters are initially superficial, but get more profound in nature with every arc that passes by; at first, it's as simple as switching bodies, but later progresses to something more frightening, such as acting on impulse or having your thoughts being read by others (at any random moment in time).
Near the beginning, our five main protagonists find their own, interesting/fun ways to cope with the situation at hand, but soon come to realize that this is no laughing matter. Brilliant drama unfolds between characters as these phenomena, once a passing joke, begin to reveal the darker aspects of their personalities and long-hidden pasts.
A lot of the shock factor originates from this shift in tone. A once seemingly fascinating concept very suddenly ends up being very destructive towards the characters' friendships and even their own identities. The main characters, unable to tell others of their problem, try their best to "stick together" and "work through it as a team", even forcibly so, to resolve everything. Unlike some other shows where doing this seems to magically solve everything, "Kokoro Connect" satisfyingly shows that confiding in others (or even in oneself) is a very difficult task.
The writers did a good job by respecting the plot. There were plenty of opportunities for the show to stray into ecchi/fanservice territory, but with good execution avoided doing so and kept this to an honorable minimum.
That having been said, the characters are definitely the strongest part of the show. In fear of spoiling too much, I'll refrain from sharing too much, but whenever a dire situation strikes our feebly connected group of five, every character faces his/her own set of problems and undergoes a very profound, extensive, yet still comprehensible development. As a result of simultaneous development in different characters, our protagonists constantly change how they interact with one another, whether that be an act of romance or friendship.
It's very difficult to come across a show that gives such an incredible amount of character development to a main character cast of five people, and even more difficult to find one that develops its interpersonal relationships in such a delicate fashion.
All in all, when there is drama, the show does it just right — the characters act for motivations that we can understand and evolve in ways that are easily relatable. Additionally, they're not obscenely spelled out for the viewer, as the creators refuse to treat its audience like idiots (and rightfully so). So what's so bad about this? Well...quite a few things.
I previously said that "there's too much goodness to explore", and a simpler way of putting it is that the show is paced very awkwardly. In my humble opinion, I believe this to be the case because the creators of the anime adaptation tried to include too many arcs (4 volumes out of 8) into a short time frame (17 episodes).
For certain other shows, this might have been fine, but it's because each and every arc of "Kokoro Connect" is so detailed that even 5 episodes may not be enough to flesh everything out properly. At certain dramatic moments during the show, too many insightful interpersonal relationships and character changes occur concurrently that it may take the casual viewer all his/her effort to merely keep a tab on them. I say this not to sound offend others...I'm merely speaking from experience, as it took me my greatest effort and concentration to notice the nuances in every single development. Simply phrased, there's just too many things going on at once, and all of them are unfortunately too good to leave unnoticed or forgotten.
This means that the show is incredibly busy and has no brakes. In a story, it's definitely important that characters develop, but after each and every development, it is equally as significant that characters remain static so that the audience fully understand the character's current stances/positions. Only after the viewers have been brought up to speed and after things have settled down can a story progress without confusing its audience, something that "Kokoro Connect", in its hectic schedule, cannot regrettably afford to accomplish. Without a good, firm understanding of what our main characters are like, a lot of scenes seem to step into "melodrama" territory with characters overreacting (when in truth, they may not be) to certain situations, and certain phrases/actions seem completely out of character (when in truth, again, they may not be).
A lot of things about the plot are also left unexplained, but I won't criticize the show for that, as it does well to provide a lot of closure in its final episode (unlike a lot of other shows) and isn't exactly a completed work. As much as I've discussed the show's flaws, it was nevertheless enjoyable and I definitely hope that the second half of the light novel series gets an anime adaptation as well.
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STORY (25%) — 8.3/10 & CHARACTERS (25%) — 8.4/10
"Kokoro Connect" contains a variety of phenomena that are all vastly different from one another, each unique and interesting in their own way. The jokes are dealt with in great taste, with the writers giving the characters a fair amount of respect and intelligence. Plot devices, while ridiculous from time to time, are all there for good reason. Each of the five characters are given a tremendous amount of development that is almost fragile, all of which are easily understandable and down to earth. The writers also don't treat the audience like idiots by blatantly stating every observable thing in a scene.
The problem with this is that there are just too many things to concentrate on at any moment in time, all to delicious to miss out on. All characters are constantly being developed without being given a break, almost as if "Kokoro Connect" were a train with no brakes. Honestly, the show just needed more episodes to deal with the amount of substance it had — a full 26 would have been sufficient (much like "Angel Beats!") to fix its pacing.
ANIMATION (10%) — 6.4/10 & SOUND (15%) — 6.8/10
Both the animation and sound are lackluster. The animation is fluid and the scenes always fit the tone of the moment, but nothing stands out, as is the case with the background music. Nevertheless, the voice acting is well done and the openings/endings were thoroughly enjoyable.
ENJOYMENT (25%) — 7.5/10
The show was enjoyable, but it would have been a GREATLY more enjoyable if I didn't need to focus so hard on it just to grasp even just the basics of the situation at hand. The show requires too much concentration to be able to enjoy anything casually (which is up to personal preference), and had it just been paced better, than this would've skyrocketed perhaps another 1.0~1.5. Even so, I greatly anticipate a second season to see how this all ends out, as there are many mysteries left unsolved.
OVERALL (100%) — 7.7/10
