But this series made me seriously consider if I could call it an "Exception" just this one time. And I've seen quite a few generic harem series, so for this one to be the first one to make me feel so is actually quite the achievement.
Story: 3/10
The story is incredibly generic for a school/harem/action anime.The most predictable plot "twists"? Some power that you can develop by attending this specific academy? A protagonist who attends said academy to gain power after a childhood incident, then turns out to be special? A "main" girl that comes from some foreign country? I could probably name a dozen more series that follow this same, boring pattern in the harem genre.
Now, for the development, it's pretty much nothing but what you'd expect from a harem. Most girls taking a liking to the male protagonist, some going boundaries to make him like her (a cliché that I never fully understood why it worked most of the time). Actually, some development is hindered simply because of the term "Duo", but I don't want to spoil anything if I don't have to.
Art: 5/10
I can't hate on the art, yet I can't praise it either. It's just good enough, yet it doesn't hold anything significant or impressive. But, the one thing I found annoying in the art is the "boob physics" and how much it bounces. It doesn't really help either that almost all girl characters that are somewhat significant to the story have their chests big and outlined.
Sound: 4/10
This is definitely my bias speaking, but I just can't stand the VA that voices Tooru, because he also voiced Kirito in SAO, which I was constantly reminded of almost every time I dived into a new episode and heard his voice again. His shouting made it all the worse. The other characters don't sound too bad, except the "ja" and "nej", which, as a Swede, felt like someone was stabbing my gut with a knife every time I heard it.
Other than that, the music for the battle scenes was good. Somewhat generic hard rock, but one of the few things in the series that I could enjoy while watching.
Character: 1/10
First off, Tooru Kokonoe, the male protagonist. Shy and dense, except when he's confronted by it. Had a tragic incident happen when he was younger, caused by an unknown person, and therefore attends the academy. This also gives him the "resolve to protect" that most people have grown tired of seeing. The VA choice just strengthens my lack of
Then, Julia Sigtuna, a Swedish girl, and a cliché well fulfilled. Not only is "Sigtuna" quite the odd surname for a Swede, but saying "yes" and "no" in Swedish in a Japanese accent is insufferable. I repeat myself, it's like being stabbed in the gut by a knife, hearing her as a Swede. At the same time, her voice felt a tad too weak whenever she wasn't infuriated, making me even more irritated by her.
Another foreign girl, Lilith Bristol, this time a Brit. She fulfills the "joyful and open-minded" cliché, but is more toned down than other characters following the cliché. I always disliked these kinds of characters (unless they got something else going for them, which Lilith doesn't), and this time is no exception. She calls Tooru her "future spouse", yet doesn't do a lot later in to gain his attention, which goes off from the cliché in a bad way, since now she doesn't manage to hold up a harem properly.
Tomoe Tachibana, the "onee-san" character. She is the character I had to cling on to keep my calm, because she felt reasonable. Probably the only character that I enjoyed, but even that was shattered mid-way, for reasons I'm obviously not going to mention. Just keep in mind that she's not one to hope in the series, because no one grants that through the entirety of the series.
Lastly, Miyabi Hotaka. The lovebird. She is the character you know won't win, and you can tell very quickly in the series that it is indeed the case, so I don't count this as a spoiler. Unfortunately for her, it's another cliché I despise thoroughly. Being a shyness overlord, almost any solo screen-time she gets is her thinking about Tooru, which is quite pathetic, honestly.
Enjoyment: 1/10
Although I rated story at a 3, the art at 5 and the sound at 4, the 1-rating for the characters should really be less, and would be if I could. The seeming need to make clichés happen in an attempt to be different but ends up being almost as any other of their sort. Especially the "ja" and "nej", but I don't think I need to emphasize that any more, because it's already dead.
Most generic harem series tend to have some point of comedy, but this series didn't even manage THAT. Instead, by trying to off-set some clichés and just having a serious feeling to it the entire time, they made it worse.
Overall: 2/10
Definitely something that I would NOT recommend to anyone, especially not to someone who is familiar with Swedish. It's utter trash, and I highly regret even picking it up.
If you're currently watching this, do yourself a favor and drop it. I didn't, (because of my "policy"), but I wish that I did.
