the story of SSA has adapted an episodic pattern, where every episode we get to discover new cases along with their background story and solution. the show should be able to exhibit its nature only in the first pilot episode. every day the main protagonist highschooler join up with sakurako the osteologist after a long day of school. they depart for different places (forest, beach..) and dig up every possible corner in search for rare bones. however for some unknown reason, they always end up finding human corps. that's how the mystery cases set off.
while these mysterious aspects may be considered as elementary level compared to other series -the situation is not very complicated if you ask a "detective Conan" fan-, the show hands us all the required information to resolve the case right at the beginning. in other words, anyone would be able to find out the truth only by combining the puzzle piece he was given at the start. but yet, i doubt many viewers were able to do so. not until sakurako enters the scene, divulge all the secrets and finally closes the curtains as if nothing had happened. as a result, the whole event starts to look dull and simple.
the pacing of the series is definetly one of the decisive privileges that makes the one judge if the series is either boring or exciting. the pacing of SSA is very fast. that doesn't mean that it skips some important details. for a better explanation, let's say every episode is divided into two parts. the first part is where the main cast discovers a body or get dragged into the troublesome situation, it barely lasts for 5 to 8 minutes. and throughout this part, sometimes it is possible to deduct what's going on and find out the truth. then comes the second part that lasts for the rest of the episode and surprisingly feels rushed. the events escalate quickly, the situation becomes more intense until finally everything gets wrapped up as a conclusion. personally, i find this quick pacing to be perfect for a show of this nature. while other people may disagree justifying that it doesn't give a chance to the viewer to keep up with what's going on, i say that slowing down would result in the show being boring instead. the ultimate goal of the series is giving prominence to sakurako's intelligence and driving us to admire her while she resolves different mysteries and makes them look as a piece of cake.
despite SSA's fast pacing and episodic nature, there are some stories that take up to two episodes. the mystery is far more complicated and most importantly the sphenoider (I'll be talking about him later) is usually the mastermind behind it. the conclusion of this episodes often saves us some exciting cliff-hangers making the viewer anticipate for more.
leaving the mystery aspect aside, this time, let's talk about what does this show's romance holds for us. a 15 years old high schooler possessing a one-sided love for a women in her middle twenties, sakurako. if i had to count every show i know of that covers this kind of relationship it would be only one (garden of words). that's how rare romance featuring two partners of totally different ages is, especially if the guy is the younger. unfortunately, their relationship didn't develop in the least throughout the whole 12 episode, since apparently, SSA doesn't recognize the so-called "character development" between main characters. shoutarou who likes sakourako, and sakourako who likes bones, nothing will change that much.
speaking of bones, sakurako is an osteologist. it is natural for her to be interested in bones. however, her love for them gradually switches from being a peculiar interest to become a frightening, creepy and unstable fetish. despite her taciturn attitude, charming appearance and intelligence, she got quite a childish character, as an example her mood reverses over meaningless things, throwing tantrums whenever she's angry, needless to mention her love for cake and pudding. and then the poor shoutaro, MC and narrator. compared to her he's the complete opposite, totally normal and kinda mature for his age. the poor guy, he hardly deals with his crush's depraved hobby only to get a chance to spend more time in her side. along with his narration and simple character we always get to observe the events through different perspectives. wich again adds up another reason to not get bored.
now check this: there aren't many side characters in the show. approximately 4 prominent ones. all of them got their own stories, their past was revealed and most essentially we got to see a huge development in some of them. yet no development for the main cast and no considerable development in the plot. what does that mean? the show certainly alluded small details about sakurako's dark secret. in the end of most episodes, after the ending song we could see her talking to herself and blurting some strange lines, or talking to someone in the hospital. honestly, it feels as if she made a contract with a demon, and now she's waiting for her death. but in the end, nothing is revealed. same applies with the sphenoider. he is declared to be a dangerous criminal sakurako is trying to catch, the "abyss". but guess what? nothing happened that deserves mentioning either. indeed, the last episode was spent looking back at shoutaro and sakurako's first reunion, however, it is absolutely not the perfect time to promote such a thing. it feels as if all these 11 episodes were for naught, as if we're back to the zero point, and i personally find it to be a bummer, really unfortunate.
the visuals, in the other hand, are an aspect i can definitely rely on for covering up for the plot's lack of progression. the show's first episode was set in spring, displaying the dazzling scenery of the pink sakura blossoms along with green trees. the exposition of natural scenery in SSA is without a doubt one of its strongest points. especially when the biggest part in the show occurs in such places. surprisingly the bones were also carefully animated. when sakurako starts explaining the victim's characteristic only by examining the remains of the corpse, the bones are not professionally drawn, but at least, it's done with enough details to understand and keep up with what she's saying.
the opening and ending song are certainly entertaining to listen to, but they carry more than just that. sakurako's obscure past wich was not revealed in the end, are also hinted throughout the visuals display. while the OSTs are nothing noteworthy it still succeeds in fitting with the theme of the events, however not very thrilling as they should feel in some particular situation. shoutarou and sakurako's voice were nicely played. especially shootaround's voice. it was a perfect match for his mature character in my opinion.
to conclude it all, let's say that SSA is the slice of life mystery show that lacks romance. getting into it holding these same expectations would make it a very enjoyable watch with no exaggeration, as it did with me. kinda. but if you're looking for something more plot-heavy, a show that knows how to progress a story and how to develop the main characters, then better switch to something else (maybe subete ga f ni naru). you can go ahead and drop it in the first few episode too, while complaining how boring it is. just keep in mind that sakurako-san no ashimoto ni wa shitai ga umatteiru is an anime made for slice of life lovers, as an out-breather from similar melodramatic and school life shows.
