Back to 00Blade's Profile 00Blade's Profile

Koimoku is a relatively weird series, focusing on one aspiring mangaka by the name of Inamine Kouta. As he tries to achieve his lofty goal, what ensues is what was meant to be a touching story of human nature, and also morals, but it doesn't really reach those heights.

Story : 8
The story is relatively unique, but at the same time sort of cliche. It has a typical shounen style setup, with a MC having a dream, but failing repeatedly to achieve it. Then along his journey, he encounters a few friends who help him along, and also some setbacks, which he thoroughly brushes off with ... sheer obliviousness and kindness. In the end, he archives this goal, and lives happily ever after.
The first thing after reading( or maybe even during ) you notice is that the story really seems rushed. This feels so especially after the 14 chapter. This can contribute to the sense of stress and panic the MC feels from his manga I suppose. The characters have really weird motivations, and also their personality changes don't really make sense sometimes. This causes disconnects, which really hurt the story.

Art : 7
The art isn't terribly good, but manages to convey the mangaka's vision, if somewhat in a lackluster way. The character designs were very downplayed, sticking close to what a real human would look like, no crazy hair or anything. There is fan service, but only a few scenes, and they only last a couple of frames each.

Characters : 6
The characters are the basis of any romcom, and as such they need to be fully established. The characters in koimoku are relatively stereotypical, and some don't even have any backstory, and feel like they were just thrown in for that one purpose, to help the MC. Some characters frequently break character, leaving disconnects in their image, which doesn't help. Interaction sometimes seems forced, so many scenes have a a very awkward feel to them.

Enjoyment : 6
This is a manga for enjoyment. All manga is for enjoyment. If a manga doesn't even fulfill this small task, is is inevitably going to fail. Koimoku provided enough of enjoyment, but didn't really broach anything new. The last few chapters had some really fast paced scenes, but this really breaks from the rest of the manga.

Overall : 7
WOULD RECOMMEND BASED ON TASTES
This isn't a manga everyone will enjoy. This isn't a question of ecchi lover or not. This is a question of whether the characters are more important, or the overall setting and story. This is invariably a story and setting manga in my opinion, and relies on its readers' curiosity and interest in manga and its industry to attract them.

Barakamon. Barakamon. Barakamon.
It just keeps buzzing around in my head, after watching the series in a week.
It really surprised me. I truly did not expect an anime about writing calligraphy to be such a fun and worthwhile watch.

Story: 10
The story is quite refreshing, after so many animes being either 1) WE GOTTA SAVE THE WORLD OMG!! or 2) just plain ridiculous.
The story feels like it could really happen, and the only problem I could find was that it felt a bit hurried along. Following Handa's misadventures on the island feels natural, and very heartwarming. The ending almost brought a tear to my eye.

Art: ... 8
The art is pretty average, but the calligraphy seems to pop right off the screen. The ED in particular has very good animation, and the entire anime has pretty detailed characters and backgrounds.

Sound: 8
The voices were pretty well picked, and they all deliver pretty well, without sounding strained. The OP and ED weren't my favourites, but they are pretty good, with excellent lyrics.

Characters: 10
The characters are very well written, and the all interact very naturally with each other. Watching Handa's development was very worthwhile, and he truly emerges a different person by the end of the anime. I truly identify with Handa, and I expect many people would too. The other characters stick well to their identities, with each character having their own lesson to impart to Handa.

Enjoyment: 10
This anime is one that I enjoyed thoroughly, from start to end. Sometimes the comedy feels a bit forced, but then it's quickly covered by the truly touching moments between Handa and the other characters.

Overall : 9
This anime is veritably one of this season's finest, and really manages to stand apart from the rest. Everyone should watch it, if they have the time.