Tasogare Otome is a beautiful piece of work. It takes plenty of liberties in its plot (a nicer way to describe the use of plot conveniences), though most of the times, they're taken consciously. In other words, Tasogare Otome is abstract in nature; an impromptu. A story primarily focused on emotion(s), presented through scene direction and art that I can only describe as bewitching. It's an anime that can reach deep, and had the potential to reach even deeper, had it not wasted time playing around with some of its early and mid episodes. Having said that, Tasogare Otome remains passionate and even intimate at its core. Had it been handled more maturely, who knows what this anime could amount to.
First and foremost, visuals in this anime. Scene direction in Tasogare Otome is absolutely fascinating; it effectively communicates volumes of feelings without spelling out a single word... it's nothing sort of visual magery. The frame of the screen is frequently manipulated, shrinking and focusing in on characters, measuring their (in)significance under various contexts. Scene transitions can come in the form of panels fading in and out across the screen, creating a peculiar sensation of continuity. Shot angles and composition is generally well merged with animation. Backgrounds can go wild along with colours: the sky and the surrounding environment are free to transform according to the mood, be it for scenes of tension, isolation, or mystery. You can notice the art style itself changing at some scenes, borrowing the traditional "ghost story" aesthetic every once in a while. Music accompanies such scenes very well. Visual information can be limited when deemed necessary. Quality is maintained through the course of the anime. Did I mention how amazing the opening and ending are? Even the little panels with Yuuko at the start of every episode are such a nice touch... have I missed anything?
And it doesn't end here when it comes to pleasant surprises. Take for example, the application of unique narrative styles, particularly that of episodes one and ten. Tasogare Otome is not afraid to commit in them, and the results are quite satisfactory; I believe episode ten alone is a testament to the expertise of the people who have worked on this anime. The dedication in delivering themes is also there, although not immediately obvious. Despite the harem-ious nature of the early episodes, we get an unusually gratifying confession scene later on. From that point onward, the show is passionately dedicated to one relationship, essentially nullifying any other character relevance... which slowly brings us to the debatable aspects of this anime.
I had some issues with side characters, you see. The Kirishima Yuuko episode, for example, is stretching reality a bit way too much. Like episode ten, it wants to portray the terror of mass hysteria; the paranoia of people facing an invisible threat. Though unlike episode ten, it isn't believable in its presentation. Not only are the students incredibly gullible, but through that episode, half of the school's windows are shattered, students are running amok in the corridors, screaming in horror... yet there's still a concern whether or not teachers will find out? That's pretty insane, don't you think? I'd much more believe it if you told me no teachers were present there that day, because otherwise I'd expect police forces having stormed the building before anyone had done anything. It's not a bad story... just a pretty far-fetched one, is all.
Then what about Momoe and Kirie? Momoe is pretty irrelevant, she's more or less the show's tool for generating comedy and balancing tension, expected aspects of romantic stories. Kirie is quite a different case. She can sometimes play a symprotagonistic role, that of aiding Teichi achieve a common goal with her. She has the knowledge Teichi hasn't, and while that can make her an exposition machine sometimes, it doesn't get tiring. Her personality is one of greater interest, a mix of a "tough outside, soft inside"; hotheaded, contentious, and with a secret passion. She gets her own dedicated episode which is cool, but for the love of god. Can we stop making harems? Please. Pretty please? Tasogare Otome acknowledges its romance, yet it still chooses to make a harem. Not even a love triangle... a damn harem. Ugh.
Anyway. At the end of the day, Kirie and especially Momoe are not as relevant as I'd like them to be. Nonetheless, they're decently established personalities, in that they never seem to get off-character. They're both hot fuel for the harem atmosphere, though we later find Kirie with a change of heart in regards to Teichi - both of which eased my worries and irritation. Speaking of Teichi, the guy's a pretty normal MC-kun alright, let for the almost unnatural display of resolve on the final episodes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he actually says she loves her... more than once! So yeah, I enjoyed that.
Jokes aside, until he gets there, he has the staple, ambivalent MC attitude of "Sure! Maybe. Also when I mean sure, I don't mean it in a romantic way" towards every girl. Plus, I can't forget how he transformed into deus ex machina and activated god mode in episode nine. Yeah, I've seen Transformers, and that's a transformation I assure you. Citing Michael Bay movies is a legitimate way to support your argument, and you cannot convince me otherwise.
I can't lie, Tasogare Otome did have some issues. It's unnecessarily harem-oriented. It purposefully remained abstract in its various settings, inadvertently exposing a fragmented world. Yet, it still managed to somehow feel impactful. Why? Because the objective was characters, not their world. It's about capturing their moments, the emotion, their significance. It's about presenting a narrative in an engrossing, stylistic way; eerie ghost stories intertwined with intimate themes. A tale of an unfortunate girl wanting to taste the joy of life, but in the process forgetting what "life" even means. A fleeting melody under the orange sky - the Dusk Maiden of Amnesia. Tasogare Otome is an enchanting experience and a real pleasure to the eyes. Yes, it's a naughty show... the maturity of its themes is occasionally ignored for horny points, I suppose. Still, that isn't to say that it cannot reach deep. It waltzes around in a playful roundabout, until it finds the opportunity to slowly land at the right heartstrings... and trust me, you'll feel it when it does.
