This is a story of a young man's (Tomoya Aki) dream to create what he thinks would be the best dating sim the world has ever seen. In my opinion, though, he is just creating yet another run of the mill dating sim that graze the Japanese gaming scene. But enough about the game he wants to create and more about the anime about a boy who wants to create a game.
The plot encapsulates the otaku scene, where Tomoya believes 2D girls are more desirable than 3D girls. As he meets his plain looking, deadpan classmate Megumi during a chance meeting, he decides to make a dating sim that will touch every gamer's heart and soul.
As his endeavour takes shape, he recruits his childhood friend Eriri Spencer Sawamura who works as a hentai doujinshi artist and Utaha Kasumigaoka, a popular romance novelist who happens to be the 'smartest girl in school'. Before long, he takes it upon himself to 'train' his plain looking classmate Megumi Katou into the heroine of his game.
Saekano never intends to take itself seriously. For those who are well verse in the otaku culture will feel right at home. You can feel the sweat, energy and enthusiasm of all the characters as they work together (or not) towards creating their game.
Characters are well developed. We have the eccentric Utaha who is somewhat the de facto mentor of the group, guiding Tomoya on every step of the way. She is arrogant yet caring, beautiful yet jealous. It is this mix of personality that makes her stands out among the casts.
Eriri the illustrator is the almost opposite of Utaha. While Utaha is a renowned novelist, Eriri makes every effort to hide the other side of her, that of a hentai doujinshi artist. Being a childhood friend of Tomoya and openly professes her interest in him, she is often being made fun of by Utaha who, unlike Eriri, hide her interest in Tomoya.
The honour of 'boring girlfriend' is bestowed upon Megumi Katou, the plain looking, deadpan classmate of Tomoya. She is so ordinary that Tomoya does not even know she exists until the day he takes notice of her. Unlike the rest of the circle, Megumi is clueless to the whole otaku culture. Seeing Tomoya makes Megumi pulls an all-nighter on multiple dating sim (which looks suspiciously like a game that I have played before, in real life) is amusing to watch. But looks can be deceiving as there is more about Megumi than meet the eye. She is my personal favourite through her witty comments and her monotone delivery of dialogues. She has her way of talking down at people without offending the other party.
And then we have Michiru Hyodou, Tomoya's cousin and the circle's musical director. Unfortunately for her, her introduction into the series comes fairly late. It does not leave much time for her character to develop like the rest of the crew. But for the little time that we get to know her, we witness her transformation from rejecting the otaku culture to embracing it as her way of expressing herself through music.
Of course, we have Tomoya Aki, the young man whose dream it is to create a dating game that will set the (otaku) world on fire. He is oblivious to the love interest shown by the girls, as his energy is fully concentrated on making the game. He is very enthusiastic and determined to get his game created. The only problem I find is that he tries to mould his game into something that has already been done before. He tries to conform Megumi into an archetypical heroine seen in thousands of dating sim. In other words, he tries to make a game that does not really stand out. Why would someone buy your game when there are literally hundreds of others that looks just like yours?
The rivalry between Eriri and Utaha makes a regular appearance in Saekano. And to a lesser extent, Megumi as well (even though she picks her fight in her own subtle way). All three girls have, more or less, some feelings towards Tomoya which he is oblivious to, given his preference of 2D girls over 3D. Whether or not the girls succeed in professing their love is unimportant, the main point is despite their differences, they are willing to work with each other to realise Tomoya's dream.
Sometimes, Saekano even break the fourth wall casually. The characters say it so out of hand as if it is a regular occurrence.
For those looking for fan service, you will certainly find them here. But it might come as a surprise that this harem anime has less than the usual amount of suggestive pose. Whatever fan service there is, it is tastefully done. I can't believe I just said that about a harem anime. There are some suggestive scenes, but they are not overly done.
Graphically, Saekano is visually stimulating. Each of the girls can be seen dressed in different outfits. Camera angles are different from other anime that results in a refreshing look to the series. Vibrant colours are used throughout the series. The character design fits the personality quite well. Background is done impressively well, especially Tomoya's room. If you pay close attention, you might recognise the many posters, novels and figurines that litter the room.
The OP is upbeat, full of energy and charming, while the ED is cheerfully typical of anime songs. I personally like both of them and often find myself humming to the tunes. BGM is atypical of harem anime, nothing outstanding, but definitely nothing out of place.
Saekano is certainly not a guide on how to make your own dating sim game, but what is on offer is charming, light-hearted and humorous. The characters are well developed, the plot is enjoyable and the humour hits all the right spots. There is just the right amount of fan service to keep your eyes peeled. Overall, it is a well-executed anime that will appeal to both visual novel gamers and non-gamers alike. There might be just one heroine in Tomoya's game, but there are plenty of heroines in the anime that Tomoya stars in.
