Tasogare Otome x Amnesia

Seikyou Private Academy, built on the intrigue of traditional occult myths, bears a dark past—for 60 years, it has been haunted by a ghost known as Yuuko, a young woman who mysteriously died in the basement of the old school building. With no memory of her life or death, Yuuko discreetly finds and heads the Paranormal Investigations Club in search of answers.

A chance meeting leads Yuuko to cling to diligent freshman Teiichi Niiya, who can see the quirky ghost. They quickly grow close, and he decides to help her. Along with Kirie Kanoe, Yuuko's relative, and the oblivious second year Momoe Okonogi, they delve deep into the infamous Seven Mysteries of the storied school.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kanoe, Yuuko Main

Hara, Yumi Japanese

Niiya, Teiichi Main

Yonaga, Tsubasa Japanese

Kanoe, Kirie Main

Kitamura, Eri Japanese

Okonogi, Momoe Main

Fukuen, Misato Japanese

Kanoe, Yukariko Supporting

Takashima, Gara Japanese

Kirishima, Yuuko Supporting

Koshimizu, Ami Japanese

Sonchou Supporting

Naka, Hiroshi Japanese

Female Teacher Supporting

Shiraishi, Youko Japanese

Waitress Supporting

Suzuki, Konomi Japanese

Kawatou, Manako Supporting

Ogasawara, Saki Japanese

Kaneko, Hayato Producer, Planning

Ishizuka, Masatoshi Producer

Nakagawa, Jirou Producer

Oonuma, Shin Director

Reviews

May 7, 2012

Stark700

Recommended

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia. Even that title alone may convince some viewers to watch this series. But what you may least expect would be a ghost troll (a hot ghost troll if I may add) hanging out with the main protagonist on a daily basis doing cute little things here and there.

The story covers the Paranormal Investigation Club, a club that deals with the supernatural. From there, we have the other members starting with Teiichi Niiya, probably the only normal member of the group. He maintains an unusual relationship with our ghost troll Yuuko in which despite her flirtatious and mischievous attempts at him, ... he still values her as a friend and not forget her. Then, there's Momoe Okonogi, the most enthusiastic member of the group. Her enthusiasm of the the club is probably over the limits in Niiya's point of view as far as she shows the most interest in finding out what happened 50 years ago involving our lovely ghost troll, Yuuko. Of course, she still hangs out around the club while creating many mischievous interactions between herself and Niiya. Next, we have the Kirie Kanoe, the not so enthusiastic member. At first glance, she seems normal but when you get to know her more, you'll find that she's a very insecure person. Why? Well, for nearly every 5 minutes, she goes on about the dangers of Yuuko and warns Niiya to be on his guard. She can be seen as the antithesis of Yuuko for even though her outside (appearance) may resemble her somewhat, her inner self is worlds apart.

Then, finally our lovely ghost troll Yuuko, who can forget about her? After all, she is the star of the series and the "dusk maiden" of amnesia. Her flirtatious attitude with our main protagonist is guilty pleasure and some of the guys watching this might be biting their fingernails about how lucky he is. (I know I am at least sometimes) However, it does seems that despite playful self, she harbors a dark past she tries to keep herself a secret from anyone. She tries hard to forget about her past and make it into an amnesia but there's one thing you cannot forget: you can't run away from your problems like an amnesia.

And of course, even for stories like this, there would be fan-service, pool parties, and those cute "love-love" scenes. Then there is always those "horror" scenes mixed in with light comedy and even psychological twists later on. However so far, this series is not another Another (no pun intended). I mean seriously, let's ask ourselves: who actually got scared out of their pants in the first episode?

Despite this though, there is definitely an eerie atmosphere behind the curtains and lies beyond the horizon of the dusk. We also later learns the truth behind Yuuko's death and the hatred she developed that manifested as the her ying and yang. Hate is definitely a strong word this time around as her darker self becomes one of the driven antithesis of Yuuko's cheerful self. As she deals with her past with her new profound friend Niiya, they must cope with the horrors that may lie in the future.

Beyond that, I find the art of the series to be gorgeous as well as the various well captured angles of "dusk" in this anime and the night moon skies. Kudos to Silver Link I say, you sure know how to set a high bar for this season. As for the sound, it's not something you'll listen to while studying for your university entrance exam but it's also something catchy that fits the overall story. And take notice the OP and ED song that our beloved ghost troll Yuuko-san seems to be imitating. She would go pretty far in American Idol I'd say.

Overall, I find Dusk Maiden of Amnesia to be entertaining and makes Sundays a wonderful relaxing day to finish off the weekend. Its balanced light comedy and seriousness is something that most of us will notice and while it doesn't reach the necessity horror levels of some other series you may have seen in the past, it does makes it up with its entertainment and value. Its darker tone of the story later on will keep some of you viewers glued to your seat.

This is an unique anime at that and one such series this Spring Season that I'm sure most of us will not forget like an amnesia. (at least I hope)

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Oct 16, 2013

mahoganycow

Mixed Feelings

Seikyou Academy is a school whose history is steeped in myth and folktales, so much so that it even has a club dedicated to the investigation of the paranormal. Its members include Teiichi, a humble and unassuming boy; Kirie, a curt tomboy; Momoe, a ditsy and childish girl; and Yuuko, a flirtatious young woman. Oh, and Yuuko is actually a ghost who died in the basement of the school fifty years ago and the entire club is just a front put in place by Teiichi so that he can investigate the circumstances surrounding Yuuko's mysterious death. Yep. Anime.

In pure technicalities, Dusk Maiden is a pretty ... good-looking series. Productions which feature an element of horror or mystery can sometimes be guilty of straying too far to the “dark” side, but this show's color palette is all about contrast, with the high oranges and yellows of the titular dusk splendidly highlighting the deep purples, greens, and reds of the gloomy setting, as well as the pale features of key characters. The designs are pleasant, if leaning a little towards generic, the backgrounds are solidly detailed, and with the exception of a few off-model moments the art is of above-average quality. Some interesting choices in direction add heartily to the show, and they merit special mention. Many shots are angled to make rooms and hallways appear either smaller or larger than they are, adding an aura of claustrophobia or ominous openness to the setting. During moments of exposition, cuts to a brief black-and-white flashback or a series of still images illustrating a story are sometimes made—these are animation budget saving tactics, sure, but they're creatively used and mesh well with the folklore/legend motif that persists throughout much of the series, so I say “bravo.” The end result is that this show is almost never boring to look at. Quite the opposite; its visuals add greatly to the overall experience.

As impressive, though seldom as noticeable, is the musical score. It tends toward atmospheric noise, often relying on the eerie, echoic notes of a piano to gain the desired effect. Older, more traditional-sounding drums and chimes, slow and foreboding, sound right at home in the remnants of the decaying school building. Drama is sometimes accompanied by more complex orchestral compositions, but even these are usually integrated with a fair amount of subtlety. The most standout piece, a haunting vocal ballad, is used sparingly but effectively. The score can also be goofy, as the show can, but even the more lighthearted tracks usually have a thin coat of creepy applied to them, as if to present a playfully demented take on the school comedy soundtrack. That's a nice touch. Overall, the music does a lot while still feeling relatively minimal and unobtrusive, and I see no problem with that.

If there’s a recurring theme in Dusk Maiden, it’s the thought that unpleasant feelings cannot simply be shied away from; whether consciously or unconsciously, people will be affected by their fears and insecurities. This is most evident in the form of Yuuko, who is literally torn in two by denial. She’s able to maintain her jovial and lighthearted demeanor only because she has dissociated herself from her anger, jealousy, and the memories of her unjust death, which manifest themselves as a malevolent black entity termed Shadow Yuuko. Like the repressed doubts she represents, Shadow Yuuko always lingers in the background, waiting for a moment of weakness to exploit. Moreover, the series uses interesting internal logic to explain the appearances of ghosts. When the students look at a spirit, it takes a shape that is reminiscent of their own emotions. Those who are calm and have no preconceived notions about terrible things lurking about might see something benevolent, like Yuuko. But those who walk the dark halls of the school with anxieties eating away at them might see something altogether more sinister in her place. This is a theme of reasonable weight, and it’s both conveyed consistently throughout the duration of the show and interwoven with the show's audiovisuals to create an atmosphere that can be rather entrancing.

Yuuko as a character is an interesting concept; a decent amount of thought is given to what it would really be like to be a ghost, weird as that may sound. She is starved for human contact, and understandably so—most people can't see her, and those who can usually see her as something to run from, the Yuuko of urban legends. The series is good at conveying the feeling that most of what we're seeing isn't Yuuko as she was in life, but a Yuuko who is a product of her stale environment and the cruel way that her life ended—a teenaged girl trying a little too hard to be a teenaged girl, her carefree and bubbly nature concealing all kinds of resentment, anger, and bitter desires which are all the more frightening because they're understandable.

Ultimately, though, the series struggles to break away from the traditional trappings of high-school romances: despite the good showing of tantalizing ideas and the fair amount of effective artistry, it still desperately strives to be, above all else, a show about a guy with all the verve of a dried-up sponge who is inexplicably loved by three girls. Teiichi himself is poorly characterized, and while he's often described by the rest of the cast as “gentle,” “earnest,” and “dependable,” these traits are perhaps more of a ghost story than anything in the series, discussed in whispers but never truly shown or elaborated on. A more accurate description of him would read along the lines of “he is there” and “he is the main character.” To be sure, he performs what the show dictates are the proper actions, never taking advantage of the loneliness and vulnerability of his female friends, helping Yuuko track down information about herself. Yet, there's no indication that it's because of his personality (and, for that matter, there's no indication that he has a personality). Rather, he's the male protagonist in a romance, and that's just what the male protagonists in romances are expected to do. He's a nice person because he helps people and he helps people because he's a nice person; forgive me for thinking that's far from compelling writing. The result is that most generic of characters, someone who is difficult to dislike but also difficult to notice or care about in the first place.

Equally damaging are the show’s shifts in tone, which are as frequent as they are jarring. Sharp interjections of half-witted slapstick, usually centering on comedic relief character Momoe, sometimes abruptly decapitate more serious moments. Fanservice and boob humor are plentiful and unsubtle, inserted at all of the wrong instances, often overstaying whatever welcome they might have originally had. There’s no avoiding that much of what goes on is fluff unrelated to what could loosely be referred to as the story, an observation epitomized by the fact that they somehow managed to cram a swimsuit episode in here somewhere. And, worst of all, the show’s appreciable atmosphere of somber, reflective melancholy can often give way to a soapy melodrama of poorly thought out and repetitive dialogue (“I’m so lonely…so sad…in so much pain…”) that is downright difficult to listen to, much less take seriously. Drama, romance and mystery seem closer to the real heart of the series, but its peripheral elements end up distracting from, rather than enhancing, its strengths, and some of its strengths aren't that strong to begin with. The series looks good, sounds good, and knows how to get the viewer caught up in the moment—qualities, make no mistake, that I appreciate. However, it's also the kind of show that's very vulnerable to hindsight, and looking back it's clear that there are plenty of issues with pacing, characterization, and tone.

But when it comes down to it, I don’t think it’s unfair to let this series scrape by with a pass. It does a decent amount of things well, and the things it doesn’t do well are frequently irritating but arguably not deal-breaking. Be warned, though, that Dusk Maiden is one show likely to split audiences down the middle; if you don’t mind the sound of some of the attributes I’ve labeled as weaknesses, you’ll probably appreciate the show a lot more than I've indicated, and if you do mind the sound of same, you might not choose to give it the benefit of the doubt, as I have.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jul 3, 2016

Tiemuuu

Not Recommended

Even though Dusk Maiden of Amnesia is technically a ghost story, under the surface there's not much that differentiates it from other high school -setting slice-of-life (romcom) anime. Over the course of this anime our MC composes a harem of the most essential cliche characters, and this happy gang goes through the standard trite high school events.

We have Teiichi Niiya, our main protagonist. He is the silent observer who does little to move the plot forward. Teiichi is the one who awakens Yuko-San from her slumber, thus creating a bond between the two.

Yuko Kanoe is the Dusk Maiden. Yuko is the "first girl wins" character ... and is utterly devoted to Teiichi. The two of them are the "official couple" pretty much from the first episode onwards. For the series credit, though, it is mentioned multiple times that this is because no one had ever touched or even paid attention to Yuko until Teiichi became aware of her, so it kind of makes sense. Yuko's split personality and psychological repression, causing her amnesia, is the main plot device and the main cause of our characters is to find out about Yuko's past.

Kirie Kanoe is the tsundere one, who is the only student besides Teiichi who can see ghost Yuko. Kirie joins the rest of the main cast on their quest to find out about Yuko's past for no apparent reason other than she has no friends and wants to hang around Teiichi for god-knows-why, since the viewers are exposed to absolutely nothing that could have sparked her romantic interest. Kirie is used as a narrator for audience, since our silent protagonist is oblivious to basically everything happening around him and needs to be talked through.

Momoe Okonogi is the moe one, mostly acting as a comedic relief. She is used to create both fun and tension, since she is the only main character who cannot see Yuko. Momoe is obsessed over Teiichi, constantly trying to make a move on him, which often leads to sticky situations since Yuko is usually always glued to Teiichi ("haunting him"), thus sparking jealousy.

We have a high school setting, (unwanted) harem, fan service in the form of gratuitous boob shots and boob grabs. We have the swimming pool episode and the culture festival episode. Even though there are attempts at being genuinely spooky from time to time, those are the times when this show truly falls on its face. I do believe this show at its core tried to emulate what, for example, the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya did. The spooky and unnatural elements of the show are sprinkled upon, used to create ambiance, while the real focus of the show is in character interaction and the funny bits.

The problem is that unlike with Haruhi, there is pretty much no depth to these characters whatsoever. They are what they are: card board cuts. There is no character development happening and characters' motivations are justified very poorly, if at all. This is a shame because towards the end I was still feeling involved in this series for one reason or another, and felt that the characters could have been given a proper background and some distinctive traits along the way.

The best thing Dusk Maiden had going for it were the character interactions between Yuko and Reiichi pawing each other, Momoe freaking over the seemingly otherworldly occurrences and Kirie getting worked up by the couple's insensitive behavior because she's the only one who can see them getting frisky. Even though the plot lacks meat and is delivered poorly, the humor worked for me. The series is only 12 episodes long, so if you have some tolerance for stupid BS and fancy humor and some mild fan service (and you have seen every other anime that deliver on these things), Dusk Maiden of Amnesia could be worth a try.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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