Most of the Fall shows have wrapped up. Here’s my take on the ones I actually finished:
What I Watched: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukanai
What I Expected: Band of misfits discovering their true potential
What I Got: Interesting character interactions from some very damaged people
Socially awkward people are the lifeblood of otaku culture. The nerds that obsess over the correct coloring and style of pantsu on a figurine can relate to a club for friendless people. Each character had their own quirk, with the near-normal Kodaka leading the group. The main love triangle was kept quiet by his terminal denseness. It never got overbearing or creepy, though it did flirt with schmaltz at the end with Yozora’s big reveal. In the end, everything went back to normal(?), and it’s set up beautifully for a second season. That’s good news, because this show is the best one of the Fall. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukanai gets 4 stars out of 5.
What I Watched: C³ – Cube x Cursed x Curious
What I Expected: Magical girlfriend series with some supernatural fighting
What I Got: An incomplete horror dramedy
In the West, we have some difficulty combining the horror genre with comedy. The Evil Dead series is the only one I can think of that wasn’t a funny movie poking fun at horror, or a horror movie with funny elements. In Japan, they’ve taken it as a challenge to get it right. C³ is the latest attempt. It’s an odd concept to begin with: cursed weapons taking on human form. It started as a monster-of-the-week show, then tried to jam a plot in at the end. The fighting was surprisingly gory, yet they then tried to pivot back into wacky harem land. I can’t say it succeeded, but it certainly was a game effort. It’s set up for a season two, and I would probably watch it. C³ – Cube x Cursed x Curious gets 2 stars out of 5.
What I Watched: Mashiro-iro Symphony
What I Expected: Eroge adaptation #7612938750
What I Got: An slice-of-life that started strong, then petered out into drama slop
Makers of eroge must curse To Heart. That groundbreaking show was the guiding light of how to turn an eroge into a watchable series. Every attempt after has failed, even the follow-up To Heart 2. Mashiro-iro Symphony started promising, but then took a love triangle route at the end to squash any momentum the characters had built. I do give them props for actually choosing a girl, but it was a bit too polite in how it handled it all. The characters had potential, but it was drown in angst. Mashiro-iro Symphony gets 1 1/2 stars out of 5.
What I Watched: Maken-Ki
What I Expected: Ikkitousen + harem comedy
What I Got: A surprisingly UNsexy, plotless mess
Let’s count up the sins, shall we? Ugly character designs? Check. Tsundere childhood friend beating up the male lead? Check. Unremarkable boy with “special hidden power”? Check. No real plot to speak of? Check. I could go on and on, but that would just depress me. I suppose I kept watching this expecting it would become a guilty pleasure. But that only happens when the producers don’t take themselves or their show seriously. There’s no wacky here. Even the battle in the pool against Team Venus was a poorly choreographed mess. Most series that leave the door open at the end intrigue me. This one just made me relieved that I wasn’t going to have to watch a sequel. Maken-Ki gets 1/2 star out of 5.
Part 2 is on the way!
0 comments:
Post a Comment