Charlotte was first recommended to me by a friend around seven years ago and only now did I get around to watching it. This is exactly what I want in a 13 episode anime in terms of story telling. Are there flaws? Yes. The pacing is all over the place and only a couple characters get any real development. However, there are perfect episodes, fun character dynamics, and a conclusive ending.
Our main character Yuu has developed the power to possess people for five seconds at a time which he selfishly uses to be the top of his class. Nao is from a special school protecting power wielders from researchers who dissect children with similar powers; she gives Yuu his comeuppance for abusing his power then convinces him to join her student council to protect himself and others. The first five episodes follow Yuu, Nao, and the rest of the student council as they're persuading others to come to their school or stop using their powers. Episode six is when things take a turn. Charlotte goes from a generic anime to intense drama. I personally liked this turn as it breathed new life into the show. The monotony of the first few episodes is to lay the groundwork for what's to come. The seemingly smaller details like what happened to Nao's brother becoming increasingly important and builds upon itself. Episode seven was a fantastic exploration of grief and love and lays a bedrock foundation for Yuu and Nao's relationship. I think the writer is very good about handing out consequences for actions and making the children act like children. Yuu uses his powers in a childlike way in episode one, Ayumi is unable to control her powers initially, Yuu's entire final mission; many decisions come out of a place of youthful ignorance. Everything from episodes 1-12 is great even with the tone being all over the place. Charlotte could have ended at episode 12 with Yuu leaving for his journey and I think it still would have been a poor ending to an otherwise great show. The final episode gives a conclusive finish, but why rush it? I believe that an extra episode or even second season would have done a lot of good for justifying the chosen end, exploring the morality of Yuu's actions.
Character growth and dynamics are where Charlotte shines the most. Every character gets a surprisingly definitive arc. Yuu begins as a selfish, manipulative dirt bag who orchestrated a car wreck to get closer to the girl he likes then develops into a selfless hero who takes on the responsibility of helping every person with powers. I couldn't stand Yuu in the first episode but he grew on me over time. Nao doesn't experience much growth and is supposed to be seen as the most reasonable person at any given time. I mostly like her dynamic with Yuu where she's a bit of a tsundere. Yuu's sister Ayumi is a favorite of mine. She's a sweet and considerate young girl trying to take care of her brother in absence of their parents. Misa and Yusa are other fun additions to the cast adding their own melodrama and layer of comedy regarding Yusa being an idol. Shinsuke, despite being introduced halfway through, is the most important person in the story. His choices have crafted the plot but he himself is bland. He's necessary for the plot to move forward but doesn't have many defining character traits.
I'm going to lump together the technical aspects of the show for this review. The animation was mostly good and experimental at worst. There are some weird moments of excessive camera movement. For example, we didn't need the 360 camera shot if the student council room when Yuu first joins. These moments are relegated to the first few episodes but are jarring nonetheless. The soundtrack was fine. The opening was pretty good but that's about the only notable part of it. The voice actors did a pretty good job but I didn't hear any life changing or particularly notable performances. Both the animation and sound were fine without much to note.
I really enjoyed my time with Charlotte. It was short with a lot of heavy themes and a surprising amount of character development. The pacing was a bit all over the place and the ending wasn't very good. In the end the journey was better than the destination. I will forever love episode seven and see it as a perfect anime episode even if it didn't mean much in the scope of the show. I'd recommend Charlotte to anybody who wants to watch a short anime and doesn't want to waste their time with something soulless.
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 8.5/10
Art: 7.5/10
Sound: 7/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 8.2/10
