Akuma no Riddle

Tokaku Azuma has just transferred to the elite Myoujou Academy, a private girls' boarding school. But there's a catch: she, along with 11 of her fellow students in Class Black, is an assassin taking part in the challenge to kill their sweet-natured classmate, Haru Ichinose. Whoever succeeds will be granted their deepest desire, no matter the difficulty or cost. However, each assassin only gets one chance; if they fail to kill her, they will be expelled.

Despite the extraordinary reward, Tokaku decides to take a different course of action. Though Haru is her target, the young assassin soon finds herself drawn to the very girl she is supposed to kill. With the entire class out for Haru, Tokaku refuses to let her friend die, vowing to protect her from a growing bloodlust.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Azuma, Tokaku Main

Suwa, Ayaka Japanese

Ichinose, Haru Main

Kanemoto, Hisako Japanese

Hashiri, Nio Supporting

Nanjou, Yoshino Japanese

Sagae, Haruki Supporting

Uchimura, Fumiko Japanese

Banba, Mahiru Supporting

Ootsubo, Yuka Japanese

Inukai, Isuke Supporting

Asakura, Azumi Japanese

Takechi, Otoya Supporting

Numakura, Manami Japanese

Hanabusa, Sumireko Supporting

Arakawa, Miho Japanese

Namatame, Chitaru Supporting

Misawa, Sachika Japanese

Shutou, Suzu Supporting

Anzai, Chika Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Maeda, Toshihiro Producer

Fukuda, Jun Producer

Aitani, Atsushi Producer

Reviews

Jun 22, 2014

DatDamnPR

Recommended

One of the more anticipated series of the Spring season, this series definitely did not live up to those expectations. That being said, the series is very good. I mean, the entire series is based on teenage girl assassins, with very little side story. What's not to like? Throw a little yuri into it and it becomes a fairly interesting series.

A brief summary: The story is set at Myoujou Academy, a private girls' boarding school. The 10th year's Kurogumi (Black) class has 12 assassins with their sights on one target, Haru Ichinose. Tokaku Azuma is a recent transfer student who is also targeting Ichinose, ... but she gradually develops feelings for Ichinose, and becomes her protector. And that's really all you need to know. The show's plot is very straight forward and basic at best. But it has a ton of action, with some puzzles that need to be solved. But the viewer doesn't really need to solve them. Tokaku solves them for you. LOL

Each episode centers around one or two of the assassins and their attempt to assassinate Haru. During the episode, you learn of their motives, and reasoning behind why they are participating. Each assassin has a unique situation which drives them which is something I really enjoyed about the series.

In regards to the music and "art", they both were very good in the series. Each episode has it's own ED, which is very unique and something I rarely see. The character were drawn fantastically and the animation is spot on.

Probably the biggest negative I have is the length. I think the series could've used another few episodes to further explain things. At a few points, I felt the episode and series was being rushed a tad bit due to the time constraints.

Overall, Akuma No Riddle isn't the best series of the season, but it's far from being bad. It's filled with a ton of action, and doesn't stray too far from it's straight forward plot. The premise of the series kept me interested, and the series should keep you entertained if you aren't looking for a series that requires a ton of wit and thinking.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Aug 2, 2014

RedPark

Mixed Feelings

Upon the understanding that a film, book or television show will feature assassins as its fundamental aspect, it’s likely that the immediate set of expectations we receive from this falls along the imagery of thrill, excitement and aesthetics. Akuma no Riddle is very much a show that exhibits these types of expectations. It sets the stage for a high-school battle royale well enough by introducing 12 female assassins, each with their own desires, and one target, a girl striving to survive the oncoming ordeal. The assassins and target must all participate in Myoujou Academy’s elusive Black Class, where they’ll assume the guise of high-school students, ... and whoever is able to successfully kill the target may have their any wish granted. However, due to a twist of events, one assassin successfully defects to the target’s side, vowing to protect her at all costs. It is quite an exciting premise and definitely promises those characteristic expectations of assassins. Unfortunately, Akuma no Riddle falls short on the delivery of said expectations and is ultimately a weak series. That is not to say that it fails solely because of its lack of deliverance. Rather, the series’ shortcomings can be directly attributed to a much greater, fundamental flaw located right at its very core. That and one particular misfire that brings down all hopes of the show had of being redeemed.

The particular assassin that defects to the target’s (Haru Ichinose) side is Azuma Tokaku, the central character of Akuma no Riddle. We are affixed to her presence from the show’s very beginning and quickly learn that she is stoic, reserved, and not the most determined assassin out of the bunch. Her reason for defection is not initially made clear by the series though this is not a hindrance but a gateway for speculation that Tokaku has become subtlety attracted to Haru. Tokaku is very much the protagonist of the series though, due to her newfound predicament, she finds Haru, the series deuteragonist, in her company more often than not. Haru is a surprisingly cheery and optimistic girl for a girl of her position, and her grand desire is to achieve friendship with the assassins and graduate from the Black Class, not as enemies but as friends. It seems to be a vain goal but, we learn that through Haru’s past experiences, she has been shaped to think like this. The main characters don’t have the strongest or most convincing characterization they could but, it is done well enough to make them interesting to follow. What’s more interesting than their individual characteristics is their relationship. Tokaku and Haru share an inevitable bond that grows stronger with each assassination attempt, which is a pleasure to watch. It is probably one of the the series’ greatest strength. It’s not long before the series sets us free to discover the other 11 assassins and their motives. The quality of their characterization varies, but Akuma no Riddle sets out to define each and every assassin to their distinct character. However, the success of this greatly hindered by the great limitation of the series: its very own formula.

Harkening back to the rules of the Black Class, assassins must hand in an advance notice to Haru in order for their assassination to be considered valid. From there, they must successfully execute their assassination within a 48-hour limit. Failure upon doing so means expulsion from the Black Class. In retrospect this is where the series limits itself. This is not an apparent limitation but it’s how Akuma no Riddle handles this rule that causes the series to become restricted. From the start of the assassination game, the series decides to formally focus on usually one assassin and their assassination attempt per episode. This type of formula of focusing on a different character each episode is a familiar one, so it’s all up to the execution to make sure that it’s an effective episode with strong characterization and memorable moments. Akuma no Riddle fails to deliver here. With the conflict of the show’s premise (Tokaku protecting Haru from her assassination), the 48-hour time limit, and only one assassination attempt per assassin, it’s obvious that there can be only one outcome. For the sake of the show to continue, it should be no surprise that Haru and Tokaku are able to prevail over their opponents, resulting in the opposing assassin being disqualified, never to be seen at Black Class again. This type of formula can get tired fast and yet, Akuma no Riddle decides to let it dictate nearly the entire series. It gets old seeing the same thing twice, nevertheless the 8th time as well. By deciding to have this formula, the series allows itself to become entrapped in a web of predictability. It doesn’t matter what happens to the protagonists in each episode because you know what the outcome will be. Surprise is effectively killed, despite the series’ best attempts to shake it up now and then. It is a breathe of fresh air when the series does shake it up, but the problem is that the formula is still there when it really shouldn’t be. It’s probably the most roundabout & counterintuitive way to execute the series’ premise.

Predictability is not the formula’s sole crime however. A very important and much focused on aspect of this series is affected as well: characterization. Each episode has a focus character and the show wastes no time in its attempts to characterize them and flesh them out. However, with solely one episode to work on a character (who probably didn’t get a lot of spotlight because prior episodes focused on different characters) Akuma no Riddle’s attempts at characterization are ineffective and insubstantial. There’s just not enough time to develop these assassin-of-the-week characters who won’t be seen again and any attempts that are made are just shallow. Usually a good option for this one-episode-character trope is to have these characters leave an imprint on the main characters and have them develop instead. However, Akuma no Riddle has no desire to do this. It solely attempts to develop these side-characters who will ultimately have no significant outcome on the story. It is entirely futile and the series doesn’t do a particularly good job at making us care for these characters anymore than we did before, no matter how tragic the character is. It’s thanks to this formula of strictly focusing on side characters that the series forgets to focus on the more interesting aspects of the series, like Tokaku and Haru’s relationship. If Akuma no Riddle had focused more on their relationship, we generally would have gotten character development that mattered and watching it would’ve been more rewarding.

With surprise taken out and weak characterization in abundance, surely Akuma no Riddle should be able to soar with exciting, thrilling and aesthetic action. After all, the formula is not strict enough that it needs the action to subscribe to it. As I said earlier, Akuma no Riddle is not able to completely deliver upon these expectations. Assassinations are not as clever or exciting as one would expect. Most assassinations don’t have much effort put into them, they lack effectiveness and creativity, almost as if the assassins aren’t really trying to seriously kill Haru. Though this is unconvincingly addressed by the series later on, it doesn’t make it any more engaging. There’s a point where the series understandably breaks free from its formula, and surprisingly enough, it is almost able to redeem itself. The final three episodes are able to deliver thrilling revelations, truly exciting action, and well-built momentum for an engaging, albeit confusing, finale. However, it is what directly follows the finale that permanently sinks Akuma no Riddle. An epilogue that is meant to give closure to the series, while also attempting to please the viewer ends up becoming a complete misfire. It’s confounding in its own right, but as a direct cause of being an immediate follow-up to the climax, it becomes incredibly jarring and backwards. The finale sets up a definite ending, one that is understandable, and a good one for the series. The epilogue completely rewrites this climax, undermining it as well as everything else the series had built up prior. The bizarreness of this epilogue is outstanding that it’s almost surreal and its disparity with the rest of the series is too apparent.

Akuma no Riddle had all the pieces, but assembly led to mistakes that ultimately brought down the series. It is still has its enjoyable aspects however. Animation, while not incredibly impressive overall, conveys the fight scenes and action quite well. The soundtrack accompanies scenes well, and while nothing stands out, it fits into the background nicely. Character design does stand out thankfully and each assassin has a memorably distinct design, setting them apart from the rest. The OP "Soushou Innocence" is notable in delivering a fittingly moody & energetic tune that fits well with the opening animation. Regarding the EDs, Akuma no Riddle generously gives nearly every assassin their own song which can serve as further characterization as to who they are. For example, the 8th ED "Mayonaka no Toubou" is able to effectively exude the melancholic delusion of a character through its lyrics, tune, and visuals. The art for these EDs are in good quality as well, matching the characters nicely and further indirectly characterizing them. It’s a shame that the series was not able to deliver the same level of characterization with such conviction.

Even with Akuma no Riddle becoming a slave to its own formula, it can still be enjoyed. Tokaku and Haru’s relationship is pleasant to see (when it is actually focused on), the action is decent, reaching an all time high near the end, and some of the characters can still be entertaining (notably the ones given more prominence than others). However, its formula is its greatest enemy, bringing down the deliverance of expectations, characterization, as well as the effectiveness of its story. Along with a questionable epilogue, Akuma no Riddle is weakened and restricted from crafting the exciting, thrilling and aesthetic battle royale it wanted to be.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Aug 3, 2015

Ezekiel_01

Not Recommended

Anime Review No.8
Akuma no Riddle an anime about 12 girl assassins enrolled in a prestigious private high school where they are gathered there for one reason and that is to kill the daughter of a very powerful and influential clan in japan. The plot is already not promising for it’s kind of one sided. Oh come on? 1 vs 12 and they are assassins for crying out loud! But the story have a twist one of the assassins named Tokaku Azuma decided to protect her for unknown reason giving the targeted girl named “ Haru Ichinose” a chance to survive. This anime is something you ... can expect to be good because it’s like the same with Mirai Nikki in terms of two partners helping each other to win the battle royal in a yuri type of way but entirely after finishing this show you will be disappointed for you can’t understand what is going on about the show?


“Warning this review may contain spoilers but if you want to be save by not wasting your time to badly written animated show please here me out”.


Plot (3/10)
There are so many elements and events that make the plot badly written to the point you can’t understand the show anymore. It’s not your fault if you can’t understand the show. It’s the plot’s fault for not giving proper explanation on what’s going on. I list down below the major plot holes they carelessly didn’t give a damn for the viewers to better understand the flow of the plot.
 1st is that the Tournament rule mechanics is not properly explained. Even though they did explain the rules for just a “few seconds” you can’t understand what are the penalties and other alternatives that rule can offer. They just let the action do the explaining in which in the end just make the viewers and also me so confuse in what the heck is happening to the show. We don’t know what happen to the girl if she failed to assassinate the girl and another thing is that does the rules even fair to begin with? The girls are randomly selected to kill haru but do the girls have the right to interfere just to give them the chance to kill haru in case the present challenger failed? The problem of the rules is it doesn’t give a clear explanation how it works which make the battle royal pointless.

 Another thing is that Haru background story is unclear why the black classes wanted to kill her. Being in an influential family is not enough for an explanation.

 The logic of the show is screwed. Why do haru even push herself to study in a school where she already knows that all her classmates will attempt to kill her?

 Being friends with the people who will try to kill you is very stupid mindset even in the most common sense.

 The show present flashbacks to characters at first it was understandable but as the story move’s forward I cannot even understands each of the story.

 The story is trying to make the characters feel dramatic or I call it the “FEELS” factor which is useless for the characters have no depth. You cannot make character depth in a few seconds of a flashback which is another weak factor for the plot.

 The plot is so train wreck you cannot take it seriously for the action makes no sense.

 Lastly the biggest plot hole is that haru manage to survive just because the characters who have the 100% chance of killing her and win the game goes full retard in at the last second and always give Tokaku the “prince charming figure” the chance to save the damsel of distress from its assailants. Obvious plot armor.

Characters (3/10)
The characters have no originality if you watched a lot of anime with typical stereotype of personalities it is not hard to identify. Major weaknesses of the characters by the ff.

 If you are going to kill someone never give a second thought that’s not assassin like. The moment I always see this scene the more I discover this girls are not really mature assassins but immature children going on crazy because of puberty.

 The logic of Tokaku being allied with haru is senseless. They just met for a few hours, talk about each other’s pass and exchange some dialogues and boom what we got Tokaku changing of heart out of the blue’s thought the so called manipulation ability of haru explained in the last episode make’s sense but still it's confusing if you need to endure 11 more episodes.

 The action’s and logical reasoning of the characters is so predictable in the point you’re annoyed.

 Pretentious dialogues. My issues of this show for what they say is different on what they act.

Sound (2/10)
Characters songs are pointless if you don’t like the characters.

Art (5/10)
I will give an average score for the good action scenes, knife slicing, explosions and girl punches.

Enjoyment (2/10)
I just enjoyed the small scale action and nothing more.

Overall (3/10)
This anime is not about assassin being mature but it’s just show killing people is “Immature”. Immature violence and nothing really happens in the story. Nobody dies and everybody lives happily ever after like the story just makes a reason for the girls to kill and hurt each other in the first place.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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