There’s a lot to say about Platinum End – its concept and execution, its characters and their quirks and intricacies, its art and animation, its social commentary and outlooks – yet, Platinum End’s biggest flaws are Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
The two authors – story and art, respectively – of Platinum End. Chances are that nearly everyone that has read or watched Platinum End did so knowing, or perhaps solely for the reason that these two are the authors of Death Note. Platinum End will inevitably always live in the shadow of Death Note, considering its masterly writing and cultural impact - and it simply doesn’t have what it takes to break free from this label. This, however, is not to say that Platinum End should be seen as a successor to Death Note, which is what pushed so many people away from seeing Platinum End as what it is: its own story.
Back on track, Platinum End tells the story of Mirai Kakehashi, our MC, and eleven other god candidates - regular people that for one reason or the other, had given up on life and were on the verge of suicide, only to be rescued by their guardian angels, literally. Before you misread my tone, let me just say that I think the concept of Platinum End is brilliant: 12 people of different ages and contexts, all with their own unique struggles, dejections, and delusions, faced with a predicament of unprecedented severity, as only one of them is set to hold the very future of humanity in their own hands. Perhaps cliché, but brilliantly set up.
As the story goes on, we are presented to more characters and villains, each with different motives and goals, as rivalries and alliances begin to form. Characters like Mukaidou and Kanade give us compelling yet justified perspectives on a convoluted mess, while characters the viewer is more familiar with, like Mirai and Saki, show us a side of the coin which may not be as enthralling, but show a sense of humanity and composure that the average Shonen viewer might not be ready to embrace. Characters’ motivations are often simplistic and one-dimensional, yet they’re cleverly presented in a way that reminds us that humans are simple-minded beings. Nowadays, many shows will try too hard to find glamorous meaning behind characters’ actions, to a point where characters lose their authenticity. However, Platinum End succeeds in telling us an extravagant story, where the characters are nonetheless human.
The category where Platinum End truly fails to bring out its fullest potential, is the animation itself. It pains me to see Obata’s art in Death Note, animated by Madhouse, 15 years ago, look so alluring compared to whatever ‘Signal.MD’ (who?) put together for Platinum End in this day and age. Thanks to Obata, the art and characters in Platinum End look great… as long as they stand still. Not only is the animation subpar, but the studio somehow managed to use every tool in the box to make characters that are on the brink of their demise look even more lifeless than their own rotten souls.
Other aspects of the production of Platinum End are satisfactory enough not to hinder the viewer’s experience. The soundtracks and background art are sometimes somewhat dull, but they complement Obata’s art well enough, and the opening and ending sequences are surprisingly amusing, particularly the opening, with the second ending being an upgrade from the first. The occasional fight scenes are nothing to applaud, but they keep the tension high and are backed by adequate sound effects and soundtracks.
Overall, I think Platinum End deserves credit for giving the viewer a story that surprisingly manages to keep them on the edge of their seat, with well-timed cliffhangers and skillfully maintained tension throughout the length of the show’s run. Some aspects of its production weaken its impression but are backed by solid story writing and well-founded characters and contexts that keep the story fresh, and the viewer engaged.
Story: 9
Art: 6
Sound: 7
Character: 8
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 8
