Island

On a remote island far from the mainland named Urashima, a man washes ashore, with no recollection of his name or homeland. What he does recall, however, is that he is a time traveler with a mission: to save a certain girl from harm. As nightfall arrives, he meets Rinne Ohara, a girl who sings a tune that reminds him of a specific name—Setsuna—and decides to use it as his own.

Knowing another "Setsuna" herself, Rinne takes him to her household as a servant, hoping that he is the same one she remembers. On the other hand, Setsuna continues to learn more about Urashima, desiring to identify his lost past. He comes to know about the island's folklore, its three great families, and the endemic disease that prevents anyone afflicted from stepping out into the daylight.

As the mysteries of his missing memories and Urashima itself unfold, Setsuna must remember his purpose and fulfill his mission as soon as possible. But, as he witnesses the myriad of troubles plaguing the island, Setsuna begins to question—is his temporal displacement merely an effort to change a single girl's fate?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ohara, Rinne Main

Tamura, Yukari Japanese

Kurutsu, Karen Main

Asumi, Kana Japanese

Garandou, Sara Main

Yamamura, Hibiku Japanese

Sanzenkai, Setsuna Main

Suzuki, Tatsuhisa Japanese

Ohara, Kuon Supporting

Satou, Rina Japanese

Tandori, Mei Supporting

Nakajima, Yui Japanese

Hatoma, An Supporting

Takayanagi, Tomoyo Japanese

Sunada, Emiri Supporting

Tanaka, Takako Japanese

Kurutsu, Subaru Supporting

Kawanishi, Kengo Japanese

Kurutsu, Natsumi Supporting

Kitamura, Eri Japanese

Kurosu, Nobuhiko Producer

Shimosato, Satoru Producer

Kobayashi, Kiyotaka Producer

Takigasaki, Makoto Producer, Planning

Reviews

Sep 16, 2018

animesscythe

Recommended

The review contains spoilers


While waiting for someone to write a positive review about this, I thought I'd wake up because that won't happen, so I guess I should do it myself. I find 7 to be above average, not something I'd recommend, but it's good compared to the hate this show is getting, and I actually like it. So there may be spoilers because no one cares about a show with this low of a rating, right?

The story with its mysteries and use of time travel is stunning, it's all connected and covers up most of its plot-holes (not really all though). The way ... Setsuna wants to save someone, which is later implied to be Rinne, the way the Island repeats itself, the way Kuon is revealed to be the future Rinne. It all felt smoothly connected, believable, and most of all, shocking. Even I was surprised by how an overhated anime can shock me with its twists, but surprisingly it surprised me. But that does not mean it is without issues. The ending where saving Rinne is neglected kind of was off the point, but I can't say after that big shock that I cared enough. It still dropped my scoring a bit, in addition to the Never Island segments having copies of the Island segment, that was hard to believe. Ignoring the flaws, I believe the story is the strongest point in the series, but its minimal flaws make me rate it a 7.

Songs by Rinne's seiyuu are really nice to hear, I love the seiyuu. Insert songs are also well made, no complaints. Art looks nice, which is something even the haters can agree on.

And I bet we all can agree that the characters are flat. They were used as plot devices, and if the plot wasn't good, this series would be as forgettable as School Days. Even though they are bland, I did not really dislike them, nor like them. The 3 main girls are cute with cute voices, and Setsuna with his manly seiyuu, not much to complain about, but I did rate the characters a 5. The show would be an easy 8/10 with stronger characterization.

Obviously after everything I said, I did enjoy the show. Characters do not really affect enjoyment, and enjoyment is the main reason we watch anime, right? So it's not wrong to ignore certain flaws if you enjoyed a show. You do not have to agree with me, after all, I like SAO. But I could name 50 shows better than SAO and Island, so even if they are good in my opinion, you can find better, but you can give this a try.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Sep 17, 2018

Mama_Mega

Mixed Feelings

My experience with this anime that is... ALLEGEDLY a VN adaptation can be summarized in one word: "...what?"

At least once, I found myself going back to the info page to make sure this was indeed the VN adaptation I was following this season, because it suffers from an issue I've never seen before in a VN adaptation (and I've seen plenty of subpar VN anime): every week, it felt like they were making it up as they went along. I'm not sure who's at fault for this, actually; whether the anime team didn't do a proper job explaining everything or the VN itself didn't do ... that, but either way, I, the viewer, was left scratching my head.

The cause of all this confusion is that most ill-defined and whatever-they-want-it-to-be of plot devices, time travel. I recall something in the earlier episodes about one of the leads thinking they were from the past or something and one thinking they were from the future, then some side characters (who ultimately proved to be irrelevant) were given arcs lasting a couple episodes each, some of whom were convinced they were or had to become time travelers themselves, then they took away the protagonist's memory a second time or something and had him time travel again and suddenly the setting was totally different for just two episodes, and then the final episode with its final twists that feel like they thought them up in the week beforehand got even more ridiculous and I've given up trying to follow the order of events.

I was so clocked out trying to follow the plot, I had actually dropped it by episode 11. At the time, I was thinking the plot still made so little sense that they'd be making something like 16 total episodes to properly resolve everything in a way that made sense. It wasn't until I found out it suddenly ended at just 12 that I decided to watch that final episode. That final episode, I can summarize the same way I'd summarize this whole series: while it kind of has good character moments, I'm too busy not understanding what's going on to feel anything.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Sep 16, 2018

Stark700

Not Recommended

Ever wondered what would be like to wake up and have no memories about yourself? Island takes this traditional trope but instead of translating it into a survival tale, it turns it into a story about rediscovery. It’s a series based on a visual novel but I confess to say that it’s very questionable in terms of presentation. Looking at the show made me wonder how such a simple premise descended into an abomination.

The simple premise of Island honestly made me curious about the show at first. Taking place on this island known as “Urashima”, it gives the impression of a setting of isolation. It’s ... away from cities, civilizations, and the social problems that we have to deal in our everyday lives. In fact, the first few episodes really makes it clear that the islanders there live in a carefree way. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that there’s more than meets the eye about the story’s mystery. A big part of the show is trying to sell its suspenseful plot by connecting the past with the present.

Before I actually get into the juicy part of the show, it’s noticeable that Island underwent some changes before the actual premiere. From my understanding, there was dispute over the script so what we see on TV may not be what was originally planned. I have not played the visual novel (even though it’s available now in both Japanese and English) so I came into the show as a fresh newbie. Still, a show like this felt more like a niche designed to target the specific audience. In this case, it’s aimed at people who enjoys the feeling of a dramatic adventure. And to be honest, that’s a tough pill to swallow. The first few episodes flirted with relationships between the main cast. Meanwhile, the story suffers pacing issues from the very start as each episode constantly bounces between cheesy comedy and dramatic sequences. Then, there’s the mystery that tries to carry the plot. What we get instead is more of a wish-fulfillment love story that doesn’t know what it’s trying to do. There’s a lot of pitfalls that hardly puts emphasis on the story. This is evidenced with the sex jokes, ineffective writing, and in general, lack of care in the characterization.

Speaking of characters, Setsuna Sanzenkai is what I like to describe as a blank piece of paper. You try to write down facts about him and there’s really nothing. That’s because the guy has a mysterious past but in reality, his personality is just as empty. Through his interactions with the main cast, he doesn’t stand out any more than they do. It doesn't help that his dialogues sounds robotic and often lacks enthuaism. The main cast consists of three girls – Rinne, Karen, and Sara. Each of them seems to have some sort of connection with Setsuna as evidenced through various flashbacks. The show also dedicates a decent amount of screen time by using montages to enhance their relationships. Unfortunately, it fails to cook up any meaningful relationship between Setsuna and these girls. There’s too much generalization on the girls’ personalities and much less on their development. Even Rinne, the girl that Setsuna spends the most time with suffers from this. Sure, there is background storytelling that makes it clear he and Rinne knows more about each other than meets the eye. However, it’s the type of relationship that adheres to wish-fulfillment. These characters are not larger than life and in fact, you can find them in just about any eroge visual novel. It’s a shame really since they look charming on the surface.

So is there anything worth watching about the show? To be honest, it’s really comes down to the decision on what you’ll find attractive or not. The comedy is blatantly inauthentic with poor timing between the characters’ dialogues. While the show had potential for its mystery elements, it really doesn’t get the ride going until quite later on. In other words, this anime will test your patience. I’ve honestly struggled to stay awake when watching Island and this show felt like it would be better if you played the game.

Perhaps there’s some redeeming quality about the show when it comes to the technical quality. I have to admit, Island does look well designed in terms of its setting. It’s able to convince me of the cultural differences between itself and the outside world. The idea of isolationism also looks credible with the relaxing atmosphere and being away from urban cities. Characters all look like they live the carefree life with their simple clothing and moderate technology. There’s also quite an abundance of fanservice that may sometimes feel uncomfortable. Because let’s face it, some of the girls in the show looks like kids. You be the judge but it’s hard to deny their physical appearances.

On the other hand, Front Wing was able to create this series with a very relaxing and atmospheric music. While the montage songs can sound a bit generic, they are also appealing by itself if you just listen to them. Unfortunately, the show definitely takes a step back when it comes to voice acting. I already mentioned Setsuna but his voice really sounds like a cog in a machine when he opens his mouth. The female characters’ voices doesn’t sound any better and often too high pitched to take to heart.

I’m glad this show is only 1 cour because any more than that would feel like a chore. To be able to attract an audience towards this show takes more than just a creative setting. The premise had some potential but it’s weathered down by its ineffective plot and one dimensional characters. Perhaps if I watch this without thinking too much, it would’ve been a better experience. The fact is, Island is just another example of a poor story with a budget that it doesn’t deserve.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Island Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Sep 16, 2018	186 replies	by PedroKarim64 »» Oct 20, 1:18 AM
	Poll: Island Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Sep 9, 2018	82 replies	by PedroKarim64 »» Oct 20, 12:42 AM
	Poll: Island Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Sep 2, 2018	69 replies	by PedroKarim64 »» Oct 20, 12:07 AM
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