2/3rds consensus: Mediocre, with salvageable peaks. I'd normally wait 'til it's over to write something, but I don't see this improving. Tiana is best girl, and Curran being an anime Meatwad is great. Also, give my man Zem his beard back.
I rarely watch seasonal anime anymore (not having the unlimited freetime of a highschooler really changes things...), but Ningen Fushin caught my eye. I mean, the cover art isn't anything fancy, but the character designs are cute, the premise is reasonably more interesting than the typical 4X-Strategy-Wannabe-RPG-Fantasy/Isekai that's been done to death, and it seems to aim to hit some heavier notes than standard fare.
...
However, you're immediately met with an incredibly strange intro episode, and then you're just brought through this long stretch of tonal dissonance, like the author couldn't decide what he wanted to actually write.
Before getting into the writing, I'd like to note one very important thing: The production of this anime is sloppy, poorly handled, and very clearly intended to be shlock to pad the production studio's catalog. There's literal stretched JPEGs everywhere (roofs, floors, etc.) instead of just, y'know, using properly scaled textures or artwork. Further, the music is incredibly forgettable - I remember [i]none[/i] of it, and the actual animation got so bad at one point that it looked worse than Episode 4 of Gurren Lagann. It is definitively not good.
Now, it's worth noting that those are problems specific to the production studio Geek Toys, which has produced the great and renowned anime of... Date A Live S4 and... Plunderer? Admittedly, they were established in late 2017, so it's not like they've had a lot of time to get experience or solid talent involved, but they still aren't what I'd call quality. However, for Ningen Fushin here, the art direction, while somewhat generic, isn't what I'd call bad, and while the writing is decidedly indecisive, it at least is aiming for something different and a little deeper than the Overlord-style "I will just build a nation..." stuff that, frankly, takes way too damn long to get anywhere (and never has clever enough writing to have any meat to it).
I like the characters. They're cute, a little more human than I was expecting, and I know who I'm looking at when I'm looking at them. Speaking of which, the character designs could use another pass for some final polishing, but they are distinct and very clearly came from someone who has experience. And not just visually, either - the characters have their established personalities, and aren't just stubborn mules for the sake of the author needing to fill a stereotype, which is [i]always[/i] a major plus, especially in something as consumerist and stereotypical as fantasy anime. However, the way they're integrated into the story is very hamfisted, though that's really a result of the weird and amateur writing.
To illustrate what I've been getting at with the writing: Let's say you're coming up with a new fantasy story. To begin, you need to establish to the audience what the story is, and introduce your characters and world. This is where you set up what's going on, who's involved, where they are, and what the stakes are. Simple enough. You start by coming up with a premise, and in this case, you settle on writing a story about four disaffected loners who were mistreated and betrayed by people they thought they trusted. Immediately, you start thinking "Okay, that also helps me set the tone. I can write something deep and meaningful with that...", and so you go on to establish your characters and introduce them... Except, in Ningen Fushin, the author figured: Why don't I just cram everyone's backstories in the very beginning with very little explanation of what's going on, and with progressively less intrigue and literal screentime for each backstory, and then just... not keep that heavy, emotional tone at all? And later, why don't I introduce a talking sword that's an old guy, but also an annoying omniscient and telepathic twink that lets two of my characters fuse so I have to come up with more character designs? Also, what if we had math test next to a boxing ring and a side arc about a tiger man that gets very angry for getting exposed for cheating during the math test? Oh, but we'll contrast this wacky SoL business with awkward and forced family-bonding time scenes with no emotional stakes because we never had the time or opportunity to get attached to the characters?
What? Yeah, me too. Obviously, I'm playing it up a bit, but it's very apparent that the author came up with the initial idea, and then had either themself or someone else come up with the designs, and then had nothing else. There is no consistency to what's being presented. The visuals say average-to-good fantasy (depending on what you're looking at, admittedly...), the characters say bittersweet drama, the plot says weird episodic slice-of-life... thing? I mean, none of these things are mutually exclusive. A very solid bittersweet SoL is Welcome to the N.H.K., and a great series that does all three is Haibane Renmei. The problem, however, is that the plot doesn't stick to any of these things long enough to develop them in a meaningful manner, nor does it bother utilizing previous groundwork to build on top of. I can go on, but I think you get my point, and it's 3:45am and I want to wrap this up.
I think if I had to define what I dislike so much, it'd be this: Ningen Fushin is like an art student painting portraits on the sketch layers of a landscape. There's very clearly some understanding of what makes a good character (both visually and conceptually), but the way they're integrated with each other just doesn't quite work, and they certainly do not match what's underneath, even if it were competently done. But, to contrast this, I genuinely believe there is a good idea somewhere on that canvas. Fantasy anime rarely bother with things like "depth," "stakes," or other... basic storywriting... components, so seeing one even dare to approach that (as flat on its face as it falls) is something I applaud.
I wish the author luck and hope he walks away with some good writing experience, because I'd like to see a better handled story from him in the future. After all, this is his first published story! That's a fantastic feat, and it's not like me and my no-name late night criticisms can say the same. I also hope any of his future projects are either picked up by a more competent/caring studio, or Geek Toys manages to kick it into gear.
Mar 3, 2023
2/3rds consensus: Mediocre, with salvageable peaks. I'd normally wait 'til it's over to write something, but I don't see this improving. Tiana is best girl, and Curran being an anime Meatwad is great. Also, give my man Zem his beard back.
I rarely watch seasonal anime anymore (not having the unlimited freetime of a highschooler really changes things...), but Ningen Fushin caught my eye. I mean, the cover art isn't anything fancy, but the character designs are cute, the premise is reasonably more interesting than the typical 4X-Strategy-Wannabe-RPG-Fantasy/Isekai that's been done to death, and it seems to aim to hit some heavier notes than standard fare. ... |
