Story: 3/10
There is not really any real plot to Kiznaiver, and that's why it is the weakest part of the show. There is one mini arc in the middle of the series that felt kind of satisfying, and the long overarching story which, quite frankly, makes no sense. Tons of things are left unexplained, and the ending, which could have tied up many loose ends, ended up rushed and nonsensical. When I finished this show, I couldn't really tell what it was about apart from badly written teenage drama.
The story played around with many edgy and deep themes but failed to deliver it remarkably. Everything felt forced, from the awful dialogues which repeated the same things over and over again about "pain", "feelings", "friends" to the deus ex machina and the totally unrealistic science kiznaiver bullcrap (I know it's Trigger, but still). What started as a light hearted and kind of fun comedy evolved into an awful melodrama that got worse after each episode. I couldn't feel anything for the characters, because their problems just seemed so unimportant. "Oh my god he/she doesn't love me let's make a scene" <--- This happened maybe 5 times in the course of the last 3 episodes. I actually wondered if some of the scenes at the end were not written by 13/14 years olds edgy teenagers with too many hormones, because this felt like it.
Basically, ok start and middle, and a terrible ending.
Art: 10/10
I freaking love studio Trigger and its art. Can't find anything bad to say about the gorgeous palette of colours and the wonderful, natural flowing animations. The character designs were fun and remarkable. The visuals for the opening blew my mind the first time I watched it, and it was definitely the best visuals for an opening this season.
Sound: 9/10
I also loved the soundtrack. Wasn't really memorable (maybe because I only watched one episode a week), but amazing. The opening and ending were both incredible (the opening reminds me of the song Take On Me by a-ha, which I love.)
Characters: 6/10
This one is tricky to rate. At first, I was interested in all the characters. They were cliché, but well done. I was very curious about Hisomu, which was quite the enigmatic one and I loved Tenga and Chidori.
Sadly, as the plot worsened, so did the characters. Tenga and Chidori became the two most annoying characters in this show, to the point where I couldn't even comprehend their tought process. Kacchon and Sonozaki, which were both mysterious, were developed the most, but with the way the dialogues were made I had trouble understanding what they felt. Hisomu, sadly, stayed as a comic relief character with a couple good scenes, and never got much depth to him. Nico, which I found a tad annoying at first, became the best character in the show for me. All in all, the characters had their good and bad moments. Most of the time, their reactions were not very realistic and felt forced.
Enjoyment: 6/10
I really wanted to enjoy this show. The great soundtrack and pretty visuals helped me forget a bit about the convoluted plot and dialogues, but not enough. Some episodes were a drag, while others were really fun. The finale was
Overall: 5/10
This is not an horrible show per se, as it has a lot of redeeming features. If you are able to turn our brain off for a bit, or are into melodrama (I hate using that word that people use to diss actual good animes, but this is really what Kiznaiver is), then this show is for you.
