Charlotte is very much like SAO. Generic storyline but amazing execution… at first. Like SAO, Charlotte loses much of its charm and potential very very quickly. If my enjoyment of Charlotte were to be graphed, it would look much like a parabola - decent at first, then losing all of its charm, and finally redeeming itself with the last arc. It pained me to watch Charlotte because all I thought about was how awfully the producers and writers messed up. The anime had atrociously bad pacing, one-dimensional characters, and too many plot-holes to count.
Story: This was my biggest problem with the anime. Not only is everything recycled trash (Angel Beats! Clannad, and Charlotte share the same writers), the pacing went ahead screwed it up even further. Let me put how poor the pacing really is into perspective: The first episode introduces most of the characters and begins building the world. So far, it’s normal and enjoyable. However, the following 5 were filler-esque styled episodes serving almost no purpose aside from introducing another character. Episode 7 was decent, showcasing the major event of MC’s sister’s death and episode 8 was similar, showcasing MC’s reaction and recovery. The last couple of episodes introduces and solves the major conflict in the most rushed way imaginable. Could the writers not have made the story flow more naturally? Did the major conflict really have to be introduced two-thirds the way in? Did episodes 2-6 serve any purpose at all? Will Mxple-kun stop asking questions in this review?
And the pacing isn’t even the worst part of it. Somehow, the writers were able to take Angel Beats, rename the characters, borrow a scene from Clannad (baseball scene) and create Charlotte, a money-making success. And in the process of creating such an original anime, the writers somehow managed to make every episode come with its own couple of plot holes. The most obvious example being kids showing off supposedly SECRET supernatural abilities out in public.
The part that annoyed me the most is how poorly the characters reacted to trauma and death. After the death of his sister, MC became depressed, then abusive, then rebellious, then violent, then a drug addict, and finally reverted back to his original self in one. single. episode. The very next episode, everything returned to normal with poorly placed comedic relief inserted not even 5 minutes in.
And my last concern with the story: how overly convenient everything is to the point where every other scene is just made-up cringe. For example, MC was able to cure Kazuki’s madness or dementia simply by letting him hear someone sing. Every episode is filled with all sorts of miracles that usually only occur in children’s fairy tales and after a couple hundred, it becomes cringe. The story gets a 4/10.
Art: Not much to be said here. Art is very modern and enjoyable. But also not very unique. PA Works did a fine job. Nothing mindblowing but not at all bad. 9/10 art
Sound: Opening was alright, nothing too amazing. The ending wasn’t really great either. Only time the music really stood out is when Kumagami entered the room dripping wet. Bonus points for having unique songs written for HLH and ZHEID. 7/10
Characters: Another disaster. In the first episode, we are introduced to a cunning, mischievous, and very likable MC. However, it seems that Yuu Otosaka’s character traits completely vanish after the first twenty minutes of the show. He becomes the generic “ultra-shallow, overly-dramatic, face-palm worthy” MC in every generic slice of life ever. Only in the last few episodes does he show any change due to being subject to trauma. Along with our MC, most of the other characters are flat and centered around a particular character trait. For instance, Takajo exists almost solely as a clown for comedic relief. Not only is his comedic scenes cringe, they are also severely misplaced. In fact, he was making perverted jokes in front of MC right after his sister died. Wtf man.
Yusa/Misa was also a character I had a lot of problems with. Yusa is basically the embodiment of a cringey character you’d find in a 4 y/o’s cartoon. Misa isn’t much different and seems like a lazy attempt at writing a strong female character. And the way Misa acts in the anime is the worst part of all. She somehow feels the need to stick to her tsundere tomboy act at all times and never speaks a word without yelling and being overly dramatic.
All the other characters are similar but to a slightly lesser degree. Nao Tomuri is probably the only character that I actually enjoyed and respected. Tomuri is a much deeper character and actually shows different shades of emotions. She’s usually confident, cunning, sly, and rough but we learn that it’s mostly a facade. She has layers to her character and seems almost realistic. All in all, the characters are pretty trash, but Tomuri was cool so I’ll give characters a 4/10. Way to go Tomuri, carrying the team :b
Enjoyment/Overall: Although Charlotte is a disastrous mess of poor storytelling, flat characters, and cringe, Charlotte was surprisingly enjoyable. Episodes 2-6 aside, Charlotte was not a bad anime. Sure, it failed me in almost every way possible, but it still managed to find a way into my heart. If you’re bored or enjoy looking trash, I’d recommend this anime. And if you aren’t bored or enjoy looking at trash, still, maybe give Charlotte a shot. 6/10
