Story (7.45/10): The story of Saenai Heroine or Saekano as the shorter version is, begins on one single faithful day. Tomoya Aki is our main protagonist, a proud Otaku who appreciates the finer things of Otaku creation. One day when returning back home, with the cherry blossoms blowing through the wind, Tomoya on top of a hill, meets a girl who stands on top of the hill behind him, creating that signature galge moment of the characters meeting their "fated" one. It is here that he meets a girl named Kato Megumi, the girl that he chooses to be the star of a game that he, in the spur of the moment, wants to make. And soon, his journey of starting a doujin game circle begins.
Saekano is one of those anime that utilizes a very underused way of storytelling, genre parodying, being an anime that utilizes generic scenes that are featured in the genre that it's affiliated with (in this case, harem), and pokes fun at it by having characters or situations similar to what they were based off, but with a slight twist that makes it more comedic and overall more enjoyable. Because of this, the show differs from a general harem, making it a more different than what one would normally expect from a show tagged "Harem."
As for actual story, the show follows the progress of how to make a Visual Novel as the characters featured in this show progress through episode to episode, making more progress with the game that they are developing. At least, that's one part of it. In addition to that, the show also develops the characters alongside the game, giving us, the audience, raised flags with the girls featured in the series, each with their own "route" that usually ends with some degree of hilarity. It is with this that Saenai Heroine distinguishes itself from a lot of other harem, providing a different and more enjoyable experience.
However, there are a couple flaws that I find with the story. Some...bugs, if you may. One of the biggest problems I have with Saekano is the fact that the series doesn't really end on what I would consider to be a satisfying end. The show doesn't necessarily finish the game that the characters are developing, meaning that there is most likely more material after the show's 12 episode runtime. In addition, the buildup towards the actual gamemaking was extremely slow. A good chunk of the show itself was simply just the characters bantering over whether making a game was a good idea or not really felt like a hinderance because not a lot really happened during the slow beginning and without the character banter, it probably wouldn't have been as enjoyable as it was.
Overall though, Saekano had a very interesting story idea as its basis. It played off of the idea of harem without truly having a genuine harem, the show was funny on account of it poking fun at the harem genre, and it brought in the process of serious doujinshi making, something that I don't think before this has been done in animated form. While it did have a slow start and has an unfinished story, the show by itself is enjoyable and well worth the watch.
Overview:
+ Pokes fun at the harem genre
+ Talks about a different medium of otaku culture
- Slow buildup for main plot
- Unsatisfying ending
Characters (8.21/10): Similar to the story, Saekano manages to do the same degree of genre parodying, with practically every character being a parody version of the character troupe that they were based off of.
First off, we have Tomoya Aki, the main protagonist of Saekano. As a character played by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, channeling more of a Sora/Arata sort of character, Tomoya is a character who is very focused and passionate about his tastes. As an Otaku, any form of work that he sees that appeals to him is something that he will defend with his night. Over the course of the series, we see Tomoya as a character driving towards his goal of creating a game, putting in time and effort, even helping his circle members with their other projects, just so he can create the game that he wants to bring to the world based on a 3-D girl that he wants to turn into a heroine. As far as development goes, Tomoya more or less gets his from the experience as a circle leader, but personality-wise, he doesn't really change all that much.
Then we have the two main girls in the series. First, we have Eriri Spencer Sawamura, the blond twin-tailed girl who represents the tsundere childhood friend troupe. Contributing to the group as the artist (as well as being an 18+ doujin author whose works belong on Fakku), Eriri is a girl that sort of breaks the troupe by really not being all that tsundere while turning her twintail hairstyle into two very effective whips. And then, there's Utaha Kasumigaoka, the LN author who is the girl who serves as the long, black haired senpai with a cool, levelheaded attitude who speaks in a harsher manner while also possessing slight yandere undertones when jealous. Over the course of the series, you get to understand a little more about these two characters, thus providing their development and some explanation as to why they associate themselves with someone like Tomoya.
And then we have who I think by far is the most interesting character in this series, Megumi Kato. As the girl that Tomoya wishes to base his game off of, Kato is a girl that is rather interesting in anime period. Compared to the rest of the girls in this series, and female characters overall, Kato's personality comes off as rather plain, passive, easily accepting, and albeit somewhat boring. She doesn't have a defined character troupe to tie her to, and I think that's what makes her such an interesting character. By breaking the bounds of character archtypes and having Kato be a character who is like her, the show really draws in this idea because of the sheer irony of her being the "main heroine" while not having any sort of heroine qualities that make up any given romcom.
While the main cast of characters really do shine in their own right as far as the show goes, the side cast of Saekano really leaves something to be desired. More importantly are the characters Izumi and Michiru, characters representing the little sister and cousin troupes. What really bugs me about these characters is the fact that the show makes them out to be more important than they actually are. By featuring them on the same level as the other girls, one can assume that their character importance would be near or at the same level, correct? Wrong. The show doesn't really utilize these last two members of the so-called "harem" (since Saekano really doesn't capitalize on that idea.) and are really just booted to the last couple episodes with Michiru getting a similar treatment to Eriri and Utaha via a condensed version. It kinda bugs me more on the fact that the conversations that go on between these characters really are golden moments in this show, and having more players to the mix really would've made this show a little bit better.
That being said, there are also other side characters in this show that really play little to no importance. Because for the most part you'll be watching the ones listed above, there really isn't much to say about the side cast.
Overview:
+ Interesting troupe-breaking characters
+ Good development for main characters
- Side cast really isn't interesting or used much
- Some characters could've been handled better
Art and Sound (7.45/10): The art for this Saekano is a very...interesting pick for A-1. The art is very light colored and bright, giving off a sort of slice of life feel to anyone who is watching it. That being said though, it looks to me that several other animation studios seemed to influence the animation, which I find somewhat odd.
In addition to just general animation, the show hosts a very odd form of visual imagery, utilizing a colored sheen over a character or body. In addition, the show also uses odd angles and closeups on certain areas which for some reason reminds me of Akiyuki Shinbou's work (no head tilts though). While this isn't bad per say, it's just something I wanted to mention because I didn't expect something like that to come out from this show.
As for flaws though, the animation does have a couple choice moments and things that don't sit well with me. For one thing, the designs of the girls. Similar to the girls in La Fruit de grisaia, every female in this anime features a red highlight around their eyelashes, thus giving them a strange rash look. This is really more of a personal complaint because I just find it odd to see a random red line around a girl's eyes. In addition, there's one specific scene that doesn't sit well with me, which is mostly due to the fact that Tomoya's hair isn't colored in, leaving him with white hair for about a minute. Yeah, that's not normal.
As for sound, the music for the anime isn't really something that I would call incredible. The OP and ED are good tracks and can become memorable as they feature a happy-go-lucky tune to them, but I can't in good conscience say that they deserve more credit than what I give them.
Overview:
+ Good art
+ Decent music stylings
- Couple mistakes with the art
Personal Enjoyment (8.39/10): While Saekano wasn't as stellar as it could've been, it was still a great show nonetheless. With its use of genre parodying and storyline, the show managed to keep me hooked in week after week with laughter spent at the characters own point outs on any given cliche scenario.
What did I like about this anime?
For one thing, I liked the characters of this series a lot. They were all likable in their own way, and their interactions with one another were something that I enjoyed seeing with every passing minute. In addition, the fact that they played off on the troupes that they were based off of was funny enough for me to enjoy laughing along with whatever was going on. The story while wasn't complete, did give insight into doujinshi and Comiket (for those who didn't know), and overall, made the show an enjoyable experience. They also reference other anime in it in Tomoya's soom such as SAO figmas, an Amaburi LN, and an Oreimo poster just to name a few.
What didn't I like about this anime?
The slow start in conjunction with some underused characters really put me in a bit of a sour mood. A lot of good could've come from just having the characters come in a little earlier and a little bit faster beginning few episodes because quite a few areas in the later parts of the series felt rushed, leading to a very glaring art issue.
Would I recommend this anime?
If you're looking for a casual watch that pokes fun at harem, watch either this, or Noucome. If you don't want fanservice, then just watch this. Saekano is an enjoyable series that doesn't really takes itself too too seriously, diving headfirst into the world of doujinshi whilst making fun of the harem genre altogether. It really is an enjoyable experience because not a lot of anime poke fun at the cliches and troupes that do exist in anime, so personally, I feel like anything that's like this really deserves to be watched. Plus, you get to see awesome characters banter with each other, what's not to love?
Overall Score: 7.49/10
