When I started reading Kuzu no Honkai manga, I loved how Mengo Yokoyari showed the characters and their relationships.
That's why I got excited when I knew it would have an anime; although then I was afraid thinking that it could be adapted following those nefarious clichés that have taken over the industry in recent years. Which, in this case, would have been completely catastrophic.
For a manga that was not a hentai, showing intimacy in the way it is shown in Kuzu no Honkai was kind of weird. I will not say new, because in the 80s, 90s and before, that style was common; However, I will say that I had not seen something similar for a while.
And coupled with that audacity, the plot was exquisitely developed with characters that either you loved or hated for their actions and attitudes. But beyond what you felt for them, it was undeniable to see them as real human beings, as people you could find anywhere.
There is another point to highlight in this series, his characters always gave the impression of being people who could find you in real life. Human beings that could be in your family, between your friendships or at work; that approach as realistic and raw as life itself was handled impeccably.
At a time when there are still plenty of series with flat characters, built on clichés; see a series that gets so much out of that pattern is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air. Hanabi and Mugi are people with many problems, with many complexes and with difficulties to mature.
And here is another key, yes, Hanabi and Mugi are immature high school kids; however, there is a huge difference between them and the average protagonist of the anime series set in high schools.
While the common of these characters are presented with exaggerated gestures, shouts every time they speak, insecurity so big that borders on the surreal, and a shield of virginity in the boys that takes them completely out of reality. In Kuzu no Honkai, we are introduced to typical real-life teenagers; people eager to try things and stuck in the middle of an identity crisis, which includes sexual identity.
But in addition, this series gave us one of the best female characters in the anime of recent years. Yes, I mean nothing more and nothing less than Akane. This teacher at the end of the day was the nucleus and engine of the whole plot. Kuzu no Honkai managed to play with our minds by making us believe that we would see the love story of Hanabi and Mugi; However, in the end it was all about life and development as a person of Akane.
In fact, towards the end of the series, it did not matter what happened with the "protagonist" couple; the real end of this anime was the penultimate episode. The rest was simply an extra; that although it could damage everything by forcing things, in the end it did not fall into temptations and the story closed brilliantly, as it developed.
Not for nothing, the best dialogue of that final chapter, and perhaps of the whole series, was neither of Hanabi, nor of Mugi, it was obviously of Akane. Because she had one scene, and less than 1 minute, to steal the show even in the outcome of the story of the protagonists.
I do not want to go deeper because that would imply giving spoilers and I prefer that each of you live the series. This is an anime that every fan of the genre, and every fan of a good story, should see; I assure you that you will not regret doing it. And it probably make you think about some things in life; and above all, on many of the positions that we assume or that we see others assume.
A sublime series on a technical level
In the technical section I can not help but continue to write compliments. A design of first class characters joined a daring animation. That style of using panels as if we were reading a manga I loved it. Above all because we are facing an impeccable adaptation and very faithful to the original material.
Regarding the soundtrack, I will say that one of the things that I will miss most about this series, besides Akane, will be the ending. The Heikousen theme will not be a masterpiece, but it is able to convey the feelings of the series; other is to say that in more than one episode, the end of it linked to the beginning of this song was something sublime to witness.
Sayuri did a great job in the interpretation, but it is the director's achievement to have created that powerful combination. Masaomi Ando made true art with this anime. It had been a long time since I fell in love with a management. The rhythm, the editing, the camera handling, everything was impressive; and see the compositions that Ando managed to create only makes me take my hat off his talent. I hope to see his next work soon.
In short, a brilliant series in all senses, daring in the way of showing the plot; and realistic in the way it presented to ourselves the characters. Totally recommended; 8.5/10.
