Back at the beginning of the season, I decided to read more into the seasonal line-up. That's where I ran into Kiznaiver. I thought to myself "hey that sounds like a neat premise, and it's made by Trigger too! Kill la Kill was pretty cool. This should be solid!"
But by the end of it all, the only thing I know for sure that's solid in this show is the brick that is the main protagonist's personality. It is an experience for which I no idea how to feel about it. Instead we are treated to an awkward, drawn out clustershow of character relationships that never really feel like they amount to anything. So complicated that two of the support characters actually had to draw out a vusual diagram of who likes who.
While we do get some very emotional scenes, it never feels like it really contributes to the development of the characters as people. For example, one girl reveals a very dark moment of her past that led to her being cold and distant. After this dramatic scene plays out, she goes back to being a complete bitch. Instances like this make me feel as if none of what I'm seeing really matters, and it can be incredibly immersion breaking for people.
Arguably the most frustrating thing about this show is that it has enormous potential to go deeper into complex themes surrounding it's science fiction premise. The ethics of child experimentation, the concept of the good of group over the good of individual, and the morality of the Kizna system. These are all themes lightly touched upon over the course of the series, but is unfortunately obfuscated by the confusing litany of "friendship and love can overcome any obstacle" that the characters keep spouting through the duration of the anime.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just some dumb American guy who is not enlightened enough to understand whatever the hell message this anime was trying to get across. The only message that I took away is that Trigger's attempt at making a deep and meaningful show about emotions ended up being so emotionless.
