Ok, after seeing so many mixed reviews and landing where I am now, I feel like I need to make a review on THIS MASTERPIECE.
This is a spoiler-free review, btw.
But I'll put a disclaimer out there: If you are not a creative or if you don't enjoy stories that are more than just action, you will not enjoy this story. You will not.
Going by the pattern of ratings, either you get REALLY LOW or REALLY HIGH, and that says something. This show is not for everyone, and if you don't enjoy the creative side, the thinking, writing, explanations, world-building side of a story, then you
...
will not enjoy this story.
Re:Creators, like the premise says, is a story in which the creations of various popular media find their way into their creator's world, and after landing here, they end up with one of two motives: 1.) To go back to their world as it was or 2.) to force their stories to change.
Re:Creators is just what the title creates, it's a story to creators, something that all of us creative types one day dream of: meeting our creations in person. This story is not exactly emotional but merely seeing these creations come to life in this anime, seeing their creators react, et cetera, is enough to make me emotional and even go so far as to tear up. It's exciting, it's exhilarating!
This story is more than just the action, it's more than just seeing these OP creations come into the real world. It's about the complications of them being here, what it means for them to be here, and even more: the realization of knowing that you had been created by somebody for "entertainment."
And that is why this story will resound with creators more than the normal viewer, and that is where I presume the low ratings/bad reviews come from. So I will say it again. If you are not a creator or a creative type, or if you are expecting a crazy shounen with tons of action and epic fight scenes (it does have epic fight scenes, though, I'll tell you that), then you will not enjoy this anime.
And now breakdown, which, now that I've finished the anime, will have my full review!
Story: 8/10
Brought down from 10/10.
Masterful. Absolutely amazing, brilliantly written, and obviously a story written with love and care. The premise is far from original; every creator dreams about being able to meet their creations in real life. It's something that we can only dream of. And this story does exactly that, only it thinks about the consequences of something like that happening.
It does more than just give us creations coming into their creator's worlds. It's fleshed out and thought out. It explains things that need to be explained. Now, mind you, there is a LOT of dialogue in the story, which is definitely where many people think it falls flat, but this is where I disagree. The dialogue makes sense for the characters and the story, as they are trying to make sense of what is happening within the story. I cannot think of any other way to make this story work without having the dialogue that it has.
It is a story by creators, for creators. Those who build worlds within their minds, who create fictional living beings, fictional interactions... This is a story any creative will love.
However, there are some parts that seem either a bit rushed or just sort of quickly brushed aside, which leaves the watcher wanting more. The story is obviously flawed, and things could have been addressed differently... The idea is also far from original, as most every creator has once thought about meeting their creations in-person, but it still doesn't change my opinion of it being amazing.
Art: 7/10
This anime is playing on clichés, so some of the designs are obviously clichés and even callbacks and very wonderful nods to some of the more popular characters in OUR world. One look at the names, at the designs, and you can definitely tell what they're referencing. Heck, there are even a bunch of references to other studios, etc in there! But I'm getting distracted.
The art and animation are absolutely gorgeous. There's also the fact that the 3D animation in here is actually really well done. I'm incredibly happy that they're finally catching up to the western animation side of things. Nothing looks out of place, nothing looks weird.
Perhaps my favorite thing is that there is a slight stylistic change between all the Creations, and that is absolutely masterful from the art director's side. It only makes sense, given that most popular stories have very distinct styles (more or less.)
As of the end of the anime, I'm lowering the score of 9/10 to 8/10. Unfortunately it does suffer from some fanservice (for both genders, though mostly for the male gaze), but my biggest critique is perhaps the switch of one character who used to be primarily hand-animated became animated in CG for these last few episodes. I can understand why they'd do it, considering the scenarios in which the character is in, and the 3D allows for more dynamic shots, but having seen the character primarily in 2D and then suddenly in 3D makes it a bit jarring.
The action scenes also retain their intensity, but some of the animation seems a little lazier or rather, rushed.
Despite that, it is all definitely still great.
Sound: 8/10
The sound is amazing. The soundtrack is even moreso. It really reminds you of the other series that TROYCA has worked on, particularly Aldnoah.Zero. It really works in fueling the mood of the story, and setting it, as well.
Then, we won't even get into the voice acting 8V9 It's so incredibly well-done, it has so much emotion in its characters voices that they feel REAL. So an absolute kudos to the voice actors!
My only real beef with the sound is that some sound effects are a bit loud or odd, but it doesn't distract from the story.
Character: 9/10
By now you're probably thinking that I'm just being super biased towards the story and only giving it praise... But I am and am not at the same time.
I'm giving it a 9/10 because it's definitely working with clichés, but it's doing it in such a way that it's believable. It's referencing to many currently popular stories in our world whose characters are also cliché. Not only that, but to be able to keep the characters in-character? Lordy, that's just... Amazing.
That being said, there's also a LOT of character growth. I'm sure that anybody who finds out that they were a creation of somebody would never react very positively... in most cases. And then meeting your creator would either change you completely or... who knows.
The point here is that these characters stay true to their tropes. The 9 comes from the sometimes-frustrations to them not doing something or doing something that just seems dumb, but it balances out considering the fact of who they are and where they come from. It Makes Sense.
These characters Make. Sense.
Also a note. The supposed "plot device" that some people say that the main character (Sota) has, ie, the "hidden secret," isn't exactly a bad plot device. It makes sense. But unfortunately it's not something I can delve into due to spoilers. I'll just say this: it's something that any creative can relate to, because we've all felt it before.
Enjoyment: 10/10
If I could give it a higher score, I would. I said it in the intro and I'll say it again. This story isn't exactly an emotional one, but it is definitely something that hits home. Something that most of us creators all dream of happening, and it puts it in an animated format. With characters who have voices, move, live, breath, eat, sleep... It's something that can move you simply by Existing.
The action scenes are amazing, the dialogue scenes are engaging (given you are the type to enjoy world-building). The characters are enthralling, and the scenes make you feel a wide array of emotions, from anger to fear to sadness to joy. Nothing seems out of place, and the story works well in its own world. Everything Makes Sense.
Aside from those in my top 10 (which is actually only like, 7 anime), I don't think there has ever been a story that's engaged me so far within only two episodes. And I can tell you this now: this is definitely on my top ten.
It's a show that I will remember for ever and always, and a story I am getting an incredible amount of enjoyment out of.
Overall: 9/10
So overall, I was trying to give this story a fair and non-biased review, but as a creator, there is just so much that I admire about this story. There is so much that I love. The only semi-frustration I have with it are that the characters do dumb-character things sometimes (like in every other world) but I excuse it because it Makes Sense within the world and for the character. I can't see it happening any other way while staying true to the characters.
The story has its flaws, though, I'll say that. It did some things that I would have liked to see different, things that my Top Two (Gintama and Natsume's Book of Friends) were never afraid of doing, but despite that, I still enjoyed the story. I would have enjoyed it MORE if it had done those things, but it doesn't stop it from being a great anime.
So I'll say what I did in the beginning once again: do not let these reviews throw you off. If anything, bare in mind the extreme differences between the bad vs good reviews. They are at the opposite end of the spectrum and for Good Reason. This show isn't for everyone, but if you are a creative, if you create stories, create characters, draw them, ANYTHING, if you enjoy looking at the process of creating a story and making it believable, making it Make Sense, I can ensure that you'll love this story.
A 9/10 overall, but going down as 10/10 on my list because Bias x'D
All (1)FriendsAlso Available atRSS Feeds |
Sep 16, 2017
Re:Creators
(Anime)
add
Ok, after seeing so many mixed reviews and landing where I am now, I feel like I need to make a review on THIS MASTERPIECE.
This is a spoiler-free review, btw. But I'll put a disclaimer out there: If you are not a creative or if you don't enjoy stories that are more than just action, you will not enjoy this story. You will not. Going by the pattern of ratings, either you get REALLY LOW or REALLY HIGH, and that says something. This show is not for everyone, and if you don't enjoy the creative side, the thinking, writing, explanations, world-building side of a story, then you ... 
Dec 19, 2016
ClassicaLoid
(Anime)
add
**REVIEW IS OUTDATED. IT'LL BE UPDATED ONCE I FINISH THE ANIME**
I'm not the type of person to sit down and write reviews, but seeing as this astounding show has such a low score here on MAL, I want to clear some things up: While having musical knowledge really gives you an insight on the puns and references, you don't need it in order to enjoy it to its greatest. The jokes are top-quality, the art style is stupendous, and the characters absolutely make this show. ClassicaLoid is about certain famous composers, such as Beethoven and Mozart, who have been "resurrected" into the modern world. Obviously not ... 
Jul 31, 2016
Perhaps I'm going to be a bit biased in my review, but this is my first review, so here I go.
First off, I started watching the anime, and when Episode 5 aired, I couldn't deal with the wait anymore and decided to binge the manga. That was the best thing I could have ever done in my life, and without a doubt, Orange has become one of my most favorite shoujo of all time. Story: 10 I don't think it's much of a spoiler, as I figured this out by the very summary we had of the manga/anime--that a letter has been sent to the main female ... |
