Wataten accomplishes its goal of a funny, slice of life anime but its so called gimmick within this ever increasing genre of cute girls doing cute things (cgdct) is where I find the show struggles the most.
The story involves the protagonist Miyako as she falls in love with a friend her little sister, Hinata, brings home named Hana. The comedic situations within the show are very well done and I had a few moments of laughing fits throughout the show. The comedy is pretty typical for this genre so don't expect anything out of the norm but its pretty good within the confines these shows
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have set for themselves. I did find myself rather bored with some of the situations the characters got throw into as it felt like instead of playing to the show's strengths in its character relationships, it just hit the typical cgdct story beats (character gets sick, movie date, cultural festival, etc.). However, when the situations do work, the episode where they are in the mall for example, the show really shines in its effectiveness. It fully delivers on the cute factor as well you want from this sort of show and really emphasizes the cuteness from the main cast of girls. Then, there is the gimmick with the show that I unfortunately have many problems with. The show is not formatted to work with this lewd theme they are going for so the few scenes with Miyako and Hinata where some love progression could be made comes off as incredibly awkward for more reasons than just the age gap. The show does have effective comedy and cute factor, exactly what this show is going for, but struggles whenever it goes off the course into typical cgdct story beats or trying to use its gimmick effectively.
The art in the show I think is generally one of the strong points of the show with no huge complaints outside of three: background art, some character design issues, and lazy direction. The background art in this show is some of the most flat and lifeless background art I have ever seen in anime, period. It feels like the characters are running around a green screen at times and really kills the vibe for me in otherwise great scenes. The character designs are usually on point and cute, especially the designs for all of the mother characters who carry this cute but mature style that I absolutely adore, but the necks on their models look so thin compared to their blob-like heads that it can be off putting for me at points. The lazy direction in this show can really kill the comedy of some scenes in this show as the director constantly cuts back to the same shots for emphasis on a joke and it comes off so outstandingly cheap that it hurts. For example, a character would say a joke and then cut to a different character for a second and then back to the exact same frame from the previous joke just to emphasize the joke AGAIN. I generally enjoy the art with its clean and overtly cute style but those few bumps can really affect my overall enjoyment of an otherwise great moment within the greater show.
The sound design in this show is probably the worst part and it stems from more lazy direction, I think. The character's vocal range seem fixed to one style and hardly move from that style even when they are expressing different emotions. In one scene a character that expresses an overly energetic attitude is sad and doesn't sound that much different from her usual voice. The VA's are definitely good for their roles and fit fine but needed better direction on where to take their voices. The music in the show is incredibly boring and I found maybe one background track in episode two I thought was good but other than that, incredibly bland. I didn't even get a good op or ed for this show with just more boring cliques with the main cast singing the op with boring backing animation and a stiltedly animated ed that is supposed to come off as cute and quirky but instead reeks of familiar territory.
The characters in this show I think are an overall strong point and they really play well off of each other. I really enjoyed the sisterly relationship between Miyako and Hinata and thought it was incredibly heart warming as they went through their fun and tribulations together. The main children characters also play well off of each other and lead to many of the most comedic moments and heart attack inducing cute moments in the show by far. I really enjoyed the mother characters little group together as they support their kids and show a real relationship with their kids. The stand-out characters for me were the class reps and Hinata: the class reps had pretty good chemistry and their interactions of the mature one who can be relied on and the one who wants to be relied on and tries her best is super cute and Hinata is just a ball of energy and her love for her sister made me think of my little sister when she was her age which pulled on my heart strings at some points. Unfortunately the main gimmick of the show is again not good and really brings down the relationship between Hinata and Miyako when they're on screen together, which is most of the show.
Overall, I had quite a few problems with the show but the characters and overall comedy and cute factor really brought this show up for me. I recommend this one if you're in the market for another cgdgt show because this one will deliver on that front. For shows like this I'd take a look at Gakuen Babysitters which is another slice of life show like this with toddlers instead of fifth graders or Uchi no Maid ga Uzasugiru which has a similar gimmick to this show if you enjoyed that aspect of the show unlike me.
Apr 5, 2019
Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!
(Anime)
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Wataten accomplishes its goal of a funny, slice of life anime but its so called gimmick within this ever increasing genre of cute girls doing cute things (cgdct) is where I find the show struggles the most.
The story involves the protagonist Miyako as she falls in love with a friend her little sister, Hinata, brings home named Hana. The comedic situations within the show are very well done and I had a few moments of laughing fits throughout the show. The comedy is pretty typical for this genre so don't expect anything out of the norm but its pretty good within the confines these shows ... 
Mar 22, 2019
Gakuen Babysitters
(Anime)
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This show is odd in that the main driving force for the show and the reason you stay isn't necessarily the interactions like most SoL shows but the general cuteness the show radiates. The character designs for the older characters including the protagonist and the supporting cast were very good and were perfect for each character's defining trait like Ryu's design encompassing his compassion or Kamitani's being slightly menacing but approachable when the show needed it. The character designs of the kids were a bit weird when I saw them for promotional stuff but in the show, they worked really well for showing off how
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