Reviews

Senyuu, like many short anime, is a frantic gag comedy that moves at a blazing pace, even if nothing much happens at all. It's a parody of adventure fantasy stories as a whole, and succeeds in this aspect with impressive regularity. However, for how funny it is, it must be noted that not every joke sticks the landing, and when there's already not a lot of this anime to begin with, the mistakes are a little more noticeable. Beginning with the story, we are presented with a bare-bones plot which serves as a vehicle for further self-aware adventure comedy. I find the truncated format works rather well in this context, as in too large a dose that concept risks becoming a little tired due to its lack of depth. Regardless, it went in directions I fully expected, but executed those storylines in ways I didn't expect, the unpredictability of which kept much of the show fresh and fun. My favorite aspect of the show's execution however is probably the midpoint between story and art- the intro. There's a regular intro where the viewer is presented with a short recap, but every episode something is different about it. Whether it adds a giant robot, alters the animation style, or breaks the 4th wall entirely by parodying the production studio itself, it is this routine which is the strongest part of the anime, and I don't even know what category to put it in. I'll give it to the art, just so it fits somewhere, ironically making the otherwise unremarkable art into this show's greatest strength. The art meets all standards of quality one would expect for the time period, though occasionally it breaks the mold with a complicated stylistic imitation in order to reference another anime, and such instances can be found throughout the show. The characters are funny and serve as more than just vehicles for the humor, but rather active participants in a world which is inherently ridiculous. This is big for a short gag comedy, as often the characters feel paper thin, but with Senyuu they avoid that trap and as such allow for the suspension of disbelief, at least in this one regard. A major drawback is that not all of the characters really land, similar to some of the humor, which is a shame. It is difficult to choose a favorite from among the cast, as they work largely as a unit for the progression of the plot and its humor. Even if they do feel more believable than other gag comedies, they still lack a high degree of individual distinction in this regard. Overall, Senyuu is silly, fast-paced fun that could have benefited from some quality control at the end of the day. I recommend it, as the good outweighs the lackluster, and it's not an undue time investment either, even if there was a little more potential they could have gotten out of this premise.