Keichii Sigsawa's 'Kino no Tabi (Kino's Journey) The Beautiful World' is one of the longest running ongoing Light Novel series in existence, generally releasing a whole volume of material every year since 2000. In that time it has received first an Anime adaptation in 2003 directed by the late Ryutaro Nakemura, and this 2017 adaptation by Studio Lerche. For fairness, I will not try to compare this version to its source material or the previous adaptation too much and try to judge it based on its own merit.
The premise of the series is that it follows the Journey of a traveller named Kino and their
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talking Motorrad Hermes through their travels across a world made up of small countries which each encompass their own unique ideologies, cultures, and traditions. From this, Sigsawa uses the perspective of Kino, a traveller with no ties to a particular culture of their own and a maintained neutral outlook on the morally grey activities which they often come across, to look at multiple facets of philosophy and the human condition. This results in a very interesting and thought provoking episodic series, whatever its incarnation.
While this will be a positive review overall, as I did find more to enjoy about this adaptation than I didn't, I will start this review off discussing the negatives of the series first, as they are perhaps the more glaring issue with this adaptation, and the one which may turn potential viewers (be they familiar with the source material or not) off.
The biggest issue with the adaptation is without a doubt the stories that were adapted for this versions. For those of you who didn't know, the stories from the LN selected for this adaptation were picked from a poll in which fans of the LN were asked to vote for their favourite stories from the series. While this may sound like a good idea on paper, as it means we get to see what the fans themselves picked as the highlights, sort of like making the series a Band's Greatest Hits compilation which can in turn help to entice new viewers, the issue comes about when the stories placed near each other cause the series to feel extremely uneven.
What I mean by this is that in the original source material, these stories would have been written in the order they were for a reason. That becomes apparent when we see how tonally conflicting the series can be, as the episodes can often be radically different in terms of tone so that one week we witness a deep and quite dark study of the way that humans take their lives for granted but then next week get a silly, action packed episode. This often extreme tonal dissonance which occurs between the stories can often feel jarring, and lead to the feeling that the series suffers a severe identity crisis in which it doesn't quite know what it's trying to be as a series.
It doesn't help also that some of the stories in the series perhaps aren't what I would have selected as being among my favourites. The worst offender perhaps being an episode which is itself a compilation of short stories which each feel insufferably self parodying and painful to watch (this is episode 9 in case I've convinced you to skip this episode when you watch).
Another major problem with the series is the direction it takes. Lerche are a studio whose work I'm only familiar with from this year, and from what I can gather, the popular consensus seems to be that they're an extremely uneven studio, and that certainly reflects in this adaptation, which additionally serves as a showcase for both the studio's strengths and weaknesses. They certainly aren't a studio known for subtlety for one thing, and when the series does try to showcase its more philosophical side by showcasing the actions of people within the societies that exist in this world, their emotions and negative reactions to things which dilute their customs can sometimes feel a bit overblown, not helping is some really overacting VA work for those characters. This can unfortunately cause the side characters to feel a bit like caricatures, and the way such scenes are so sporadically directed to have some sort of dynamic breakdown suddenly occur can often lead to it looking a tad more silly than it was possibly intended.
Additionally, the studio's trademark heavily saturated lighting can sometimes cause the colour pallet to feel overblown and processed, and this becomes an issue when it subtracts from any atmosphere the story in question is trying to convey, and for those with more sensitive eyes can perhaps look a bit ugly when it is done wrong. That said, this lighting effect when done right can actually help to enhance the atmosphere in some episodes, and make some genuinely lovely background art which brings the world of the series to life, looking appropriately Beautiful as the title implies.
Now, with these admittedly very large issues of inconsistent story quality and sometimes harmful directorial choices, I will say that the series is actually good overall, when it manages to overcome these issues. More specifically, when the strength of the source material is able to shine through in the stronger episodes. For me, these would include episodes 1, 4, 5, 6 & 10. Each of these episodes appeal to the main strength of the series, a frank look at philosophy and the human condition, sometimes told through a surprisingly dark and chilling lens which invites the viewer to reflect and think about the morality of what just transpired.
On the side of characters, Kino and Hermes are of course the main characters of the series, travelling across the world with a neutral stance towards the (often terrifying) events they encounter which in turn helps us the audience to view them with a similar lens. Unfortunately, there's pretty much nothing in terms of development for the main character as a slight result of that aforementioned episode order, with the possible exception of episode 10.
Adding fuel to the fire is the addition of episodes which don't feature Kino as the main character, as we also see stories told primarily through the perspectives of other travellers who Kino met on their journey, such as their mentor, and Shizu; the former prince of a dead kingdom who travels with a talking dog, and later a unique child. These characters are likeable enough on their own, and does provide a counterbalance by looking through the different perspectives of characters who lack Kino's neutral ideology and solve situations differently from how they would, but it does become a problem in the second half of the series when their episodes dominate and cause Kino to feel almost insignificant in their own series.
On the technical side of things, I already discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Lerche's heavily saturated lighting. The animation looks fine for the most part, though it does look fairly safe, there's nothing much unique about it. Some people criticised this change in artistic style from the 2003 adaptation, but this ignores the fact that Sigsawa's own illustrations for the series have changed through the years he has been working on the series. The 2003 version reflected the designs he used at that time, while this version reflects his current artstyle, so it isn't really "betraying the source material" as many said.
The OST isn't particularly grabbing, while some of the side characters do overact a bit, the voice acting is generally fine for the most part, with Aoi Yuuki being typically lovely as the voice of the main character, and Inori Minase providing an appropriate mix of nervousness and calm to her one-off character. The OP and ED are both quite lovely (and evidently where most of the animation resources were allocated above all else) capturing the more calm and tranquil aspects of the series, as well as its serene sense of beauty.
Perhaps the most frustrating conclusion I have come to in this review is that I still don't quite know who I'd recommend this series to. I suppose if you consider yourself a "Super fan" of the source material you should at least try it, outside of that it becomes a bit trickier, as I've seen from the community mixed responses to the series, some newcomers feeling unmotivated by it, others enjoying it, and similarly mixed opinions from fans of the 2003 adaptation. I will say that if you're a newcomer, the 2003 adaptation is probably a better bet to go on, as it has a much more consistent tone and represents the strengths of the source material in a much more solid way by ignoring some of the sillier storylines that pop up in this version. And check out this adaptation after that if you feel you can tolerate it.
As I said before, despite this adaptation's glaring faults, its uneven quality, I still found it to be a fairly faithful adaptation of the source material. Especially in those stronger episodes that I highlighted. And it does reveal many of its cracks, especially in the second half of the series, but for what it was, and for those episodes I liked, I do give it credit.
Dec 22, 2017 Mixed Feelings
Keichii Sigsawa's 'Kino no Tabi (Kino's Journey) The Beautiful World' is one of the longest running ongoing Light Novel series in existence, generally releasing a whole volume of material every year since 2000. In that time it has received first an Anime adaptation in 2003 directed by the late Ryutaro Nakemura, and this 2017 adaptation by Studio Lerche. For fairness, I will not try to compare this version to its source material or the previous adaptation too much and try to judge it based on its own merit.
The premise of the series is that it follows the Journey of a traveller named Kino and their ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 25, 2017
Little Witch Academia (TV)
(Anime)
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1966: Mitseteru Yokoyama, inspired by the Japanese popularity of the US sitcom ‘Bewitched’, created a little Anime called ‘Sally the Witch’ about a young girl from a magical kingdom who came to earth and used her magic to help with the troubles of the world. This now sadly obscure title would go on to be highly influential in leading to the creation of the ‘Cute Witch’ genre, which would go on to be a subgenre for a much larger genre, the ‘Magical Girl’ genre.
1969: ‘Secrets of Akko-chan’ would expand upon the Magical Girl genre by introducing elements such as shapeshifting, and instead of involving a ... girl born with magic, involving an ordinary, relatable human character who attains such abilities. 1970: Osamu Tezuka’s ‘Marvellous Melmo’ further expanded the realms of the genre, intending it for an older generation of young girls than previous titles in the genre had been by implementing the mature themes of other Tezuka works. 1973: The most revolutionary title of its time, ‘Cutey Honey’ introduced concepts such as the Magical Warrior Girl, an influence of American Superhero comics. It also introduced the transformation sequence which has since been a staple of the genre. Additonally, its provocative and unapologetic fanservice made it one of the few magical girl titles that appealed to men and women, as well as one of the first aimed specifically towards an adult audience which would mould into the growing Otaku fan culture. 1975: ‘Meg the Witch Girl’ introduced the dark magical girl genre with a series involving domestic violence, substance abuse, extramarital relationships, and a politically charged mythos which introduced the Queen/Conquest element to the genre. 1980s: A decade in which Studio Pierrot effectively dominated the genre saw an increased focus on commercialisation to the now established Otaku subculture, as well as an increased focus on Magical Girl team dynamics. 1992: Naoko Takeuchi’s Genre defining ‘Sailor Moon’ became the first Magical Girl series to really break through into the West, becoming by far the most popular entry in the genre, and making the Magical Warrior the definitive face of Magical Girls. A series which embraced each trope of the genre (messages of love and hope, cute animal sidekicks, aimed towards a primarily female audience, elements which could be considered more Sci-Fi than Fantasy) to influence the likes of ‘Precure’ and ‘Wedding Peach’, but also had a compelling mythos and likeable cast of characters which causes it to still resonate with many to this day in a way that previous entries in the genre had not. 1998: ‘Cardcaptor Sakura’, the most minimalist and subversive entry in the genre up to that point bridged the gap between ‘Cute Witches’ and ‘Magical Warriors’ by including aspects of both genres, as well as mixing in Slice of Life elements. 2003: A 3 episode OVA remake of ‘Cutey Honey’ co-produced between Toei and Gainax saw a more self-aware, stylized interpretation of the genre, which was particularly notable due to its outlandish, fast-paced animation style which in part can be attributed to the Key Animation of Hiroyuki Imaishi who would go on to direct ‘Gurren Lagann’, and of course found Studio Trigger with fellow Gainax key-animator You Yoshinari who held much of the same kinetic animation style. 2011: Following a decade of increased evaluation on the genre in titles such as 2002’s ‘Princess Tutu’ and ‘Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha’ which branched out beyond the trappings of the genre, perhaps the most well-known subversion to the genre came with Gen Urobuchi’s ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica’, an extremely dark, psychological Magical Girl series which looked at the traumatic side of being a Magical Warrior. This anime would prove to have an enduring popularity which resulted in an increased market of Dark Magical Girl series such as the ‘Wixoss’ franchise and ‘Magical Girl Raising Project’ 2013: In the midst of this backdrop of dark series came Studio Trigger’s crowdfunded debut feature, a 25 minute OVA titled ‘Little Witch Academia’, a ‘Cute Witch’ piece which endeared to a large audience with its likeable cast of characters, establishment of story threads which set up for potential continuations, and the Imaishi inspired high-energy and inventive animation style that would go on to define Trigger’s other works. It’s popularity of course then launched a sequel OVA, and a television series. The LWA project has resultantly become Trigger’s primary selling franchise, similar to Type Moon adaptations for Ufotable, or ‘One Piece’ for Toei. Fall 2016: A new subversion to the genre came in ‘Flip Flappers’ where rather than darkness, abstract surrealism which from a superficial perspective provide entertaining eye candy, and from an analytical perspective provides an intellectually stimulating observation on art and philosophy. Neither interpretation is wrong, but for the purposes of this review I will say it’s enjoyability is more relevant, as the series presented an alternative to series like ‘Magical Girl Raising Project’ the same season through its upbeat happiness. 2017: Coming immediately off the heels of ‘Flip Flappers’, the ‘Little Witch Academia’ tv series can be seen a confirmative shift away from the seemingly overpowering influx of darker Magical Girl series as of late with the series’ positive and upbeat attitude. Whereas ‘Flip Flappers’ had an abstract nature which caused it to go outside the Magical Girl genre however, ‘LWA’ is a Magical Girl series through and through, and is proud of that fact. Ok, I apologise for that extremely long intro, but I decided to make that to service the point that I wish to make in this review. The simple version of it is that ‘LWA’s appeal stems from it being fun. The greater version of it is that there is more to it than simply “fun”, or that the “fun” of it holds an even higher emotional resonance for its audience. That it expertly creates a work of escapist fantasy which is exactly what the average anime fan is looking for, a goal which is reflected in its trademark Trigger style and expansion of what was established in the two OVAs. To gain a proper understanding of the series, one should certainly watch the two OVAs before giving the tv series a shot, as although it does begin at a point chronologically before them, there are multiple references and call-backs to them which require prior knowledge. As a magical girl series, ‘LWA’ feels very much like a reconstruction of the genre, with a premise which takes it back to its roots in the concept of ‘Cute Witches doing Cute things’, and while the witches in question certainly are cute, it also reverses that age-old concept in having Akko be an ordinary human who discovers the wonders of the witch world, as opposed to Sally who was a witch discovering humanity. This restoration, in addition to giving the series a unique place in a modern market dominated by the warrior subgenre, also allows for us, the audience, to experience this world through Akko’s eyes. Akko Karagi very much makes this series what it is, with her upbeat and excitable attitude matching the overall tone of the show fluently. Her desire to be achieve greatness in spite of her shortcomings and her stubborn nature and her relentless misdemeanour makes her a compelling and greatly relatable character who in equal parts is able to provide moments of comedic relief and incredible sympathy. Of course, this is all stuff we’ve before in the OVA, but what is unique to this series is the way in which her character grows and develops, as the timespan of 25 episodes allows for a large length of time for her development of her powers to feel authentic and realistic, while also slow enough that one can’t help but cheer when she finally succeeds in using them in episode 13. Akko is essentially us, the audience, the Otaku. The way that she looks up to Chariot reflects how many of us look up to our favourite Anime characters and how she sees value in what is essentially intended as merely a piece of escapist entertainment in Chariot's performances. The other characters previously seen are great also, Lotte is still the wise and humble voice of reason in Akko’s trio, Sucy, despite not going through any real development, does display her delightful eccentricities and hints that she cares more greatly for her friends than she is willing to openly admit. The greatest achievement of the cast however would have to Diana Cavendish, or Best Girl Diana, who goes through a significant development throughout the series. Many of us remember her from the OVAs as a snobbish and selfish antagonist to Akko, but the series highlights why she acts the way she does, as we learn more about her life and her personal situation. Although she seems stubborn towards Akko, she truly does care the wellbeing of the other students and like Akko hopes to prove herself. It is through her interactions with Akko that the quality of the writing shines brightest, as the success of Akko’s brash actions initially alienate her, but eventually helps her, causing the two to grow a closer bond with one another and eventually developing something resembling a friendship when they learn that they have more in common than they initially believed, note the festival scene at the beginning where you may notice a certain someone. When I described the series as ‘escapist’ earlier, I was referring to how it is able to embellish such a feeling of positivity in the viewer. This is reflected in many ways throughout the series, one such way is in how its world is presented. The series is split into two halves, with the first being an episodic, largely character and comedy driven series focusing more on character development than story progression, while the second half is more plot driven. While story elements such as Akko’s quest for the seven words to restore magic to the world and find her hero, Shiny Chariot, permeates through the whole series, the amount of time we have allows the writers to present a fully fleshed out world. This is particularly noticeable when we see the ordinary world where technology has largely replaced magic, and the conflict this presents to Luna Nova Academy. The concept of Magic becoming obsolete by way of technology is one that I can’t think of having been done in any other work of fiction before, so it is an interesting direction to take, bringing to the forefront the theme of traditionalism vs modernity, which we are able to view the multiple facets of, whether they be the stern and traditionalist attitudes of the Luna Nova elite, or the prejudiced attitudes of the modern world. The series never tries to take a side, as our main character opts for a middle ground in this conflict, though the series even confronts itself on that front when the main villain, Croix, takes such a position (seemingly, at least). This applies to one of the key themes of ‘LWA’, the idea that nothing exists in absolute terms. Sticking to the ways of old are clearly not working out entirely well for the Academy, but the negatives of life in the outside world are also emphasised, with many obvious references to real world political events such as football riots, racism, and the epidemic of internet trolling towards Yetis (and you thought this series was just “fun”). Yeah, I wasn’t expecting to see stuff like that from this franchise. In case you’re worried the series gets too political, you needn’t worry as, in keeping with that theme, the story never allows one side of itself to completely take over, thus this aspect is left primarily as an interesting backdrop. It is also reflected in the tone of the series, and some of the criticisms that I have seen. The first half of the series received some criticism for lacking story progression in favour of humour, while to a lesser extent some have also criticised the second half for being overly serious. I respectfully disagree with these viewpoints, as I feel that while the second half did indeed give us dramatic moments (well executed ones at that), they never reached too overboard with it or tried to become too melodramatic. The first half meanwhile did still see some story progression, particularly in the excellent episode 6. This theme is once again examined in the characters, many of whom at first may appear to be unlikeable, but we grow to like them more as the series progresses and they are shown to have more dimensions to them. Dianna is the most obvious example of this, but in one scene we even see this change in her two sidekicks when they thank Akko for jmgjb cvvnjkhf (spoilers). The new character of Andrew Hanbridge, a male non-magical equivalent of Dianna who holds society prejudices towards witchcraft, believing it to be an outdated tradition, but eventually grows to respect them through his experience with Akko, whom he initially takes a disliking to, but comes to hold a certain admiration for. Or in the sterner leadership of Luna Nova’s professor Finnelann, who ends up helping towards the climax. Even our main villain is shown to have a tragic and sympathetic backstory and is given a chance for redemption towards the end. If I must dispel with some negatives towards the series, I would say that while I wasn’t as bothered by the series pacing as most people were, the episodic nature of the series did hurt it in some places, such as when we get an episode which is mostly filler gets in the way between some significant story progression. One example of this for me would be episode 5, which I found to be a rather dull episode, lacking the series’ usual kinetic activity. Though I say mostly because even episodes such as this have something in them which does add to the series such as this episode being the one which introduced the technology conflict. Another thing is that being stretched across 25 episodes, the animation quality takes a significant downgrade from the OVAs, and can often feel a bit lacking in some areas. Finally, I would add that despite the length of the series, there are still some story elements which are left underdeveloped towards the end, such as the secret society of witch hunters from episode 18, or the fact that Lotte and Sucy, despite being Akko’s closest friends and getting their own individual episodes, do end up taking a backseat in numerous incidents. Yoshinari has expressed interest in creating a second season, and it feels like some elements were left in the dark to serve as potential sequel bait, though considering the question of whether a second season will come to fruition it does feel like a bit of a shame that the series doesn’t end on a conclusive note. That said though, the series we got was great. It was magical. Despite the animation taking a downgrade, it does still imbue Trigger’s trademark energy throughout, displaying a brilliant mix of speed and visual cohesion in the displays of magic in the series, with the highlight being a fast-paced broom race in episode 3. It additionally features visual influences of Disney cartoons and 70s Shoujo series, as well as multiple references of other works such as ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Evangelion’ (this is a Trigger work after all). I am also a fan of the decision to have the second ED be computer animated to reflect the shift in focus towards technology. Speaking of which, the magic also shines through in Michiru Oshima’s soundtrack. The Main theme and its variants are always a delight to listen to, whether it is the triumphant, loud rendition which plays during some of the series more visually spectacular moments, the lowkey version played during some of the more laid back, comedic moments, or the slow and quiet rendition played in the series’ more sombre and intimate moments. Being an Oshima soundtrack, it also incorporates elements of world influences, such as a Celtic track serving as the accompaniment of the series’ deeper mythos (it has a legitimately interesting mythos btw) or a soft, winterlike piano melody which we alongside the ‘search for Akko’ scene late in the series, those who’ve seen it know what I’m referring to. One word that I don’t think a lot of people will really bring to mind when thinking about this series is “balance”, as people wouldn’t normally associate high-octane Trigger-ism with that word. But I for one think that it does accurately describe ‘LWA’ as it’s episodic nature, despite being a negative in some areas, is a strength for the majority of the time, as it expertly expands upon the world established in the two OVAs. I’ve barely even mentioned the story of Ursula in this review, though I will say that it provides one of the great student-teacher duos in a year full of such duos. It all feels exactly like Yoshinari had planned this from the very beginning, and to see this long running, crowd-funded project come to fruition is truly a sight to behold. The fact that it does so while also providing a great escapist experience for our troubled times, reflecting those troubled times in the backdrop, and displays a multi-faceted and nuanced mythos and cast of characters makes the series a definite success, as well as an effective reconstruction of the fun side of Magical Girl series, and definitely one of my favourite Anime of the year. TL;DR: ‘Little Witch Academia’ is utterly magical! The character are magical! The setting is magical! The style is Magical! The series represents all of Trigger’s best qualities as a studio, and stands as possibly their strongest work to date, as well as serving as a fun dose of Magical Girl entertainment with a broad appeal. This right here, is why we watch Anime, because at the end of the day, it’s fun!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 25, 2017
Alice to Zouroku
(Anime)
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‘Alice and Zouroku’ is the latest of a flurry of recent Seinen series about cute children and adoptive parent figures bonding, in the vein of ‘Usagi Drop’, ‘Barakamon’, and ‘Puco’s Udon World’. Except for the fact that it takes more of a Fantasy route.
The story involves our main character, Sana, a girl with an ability known as Alice’s Dream; which allows her to materialize anything that she imagines. This ability has kept her and other children with the ability locked inside a government facility until the day that she escapes. From there, she meets an old florist named Zouroku, who agrees to take her in ... and keep her safe from the government trying to find her. The reason the series is called ‘Alice and Zouroku’ despite the main character’s name being Sana is because the story makes use of a lot of allusions to ‘Alice in Wonderland’, certain characters are made as clear reflections of characters from the Lewis Caroll novel, and the premise, as we learn later on, is intended as a sort of subversion to the novel, with our main character’s development being how she goes away from the representation of Wonderland, and finds excitement in ordinary life, from which it is able to mould a ‘Coming of Age’ tale similar to Caroll’s book whilst also cleverly subverting it. Combining elements of Slice of Life and Fantasy can be a tricky thing, one that could result in the series feeling trapped in an identity crisis. Thankfully, the series is mindful of when to properly use its genre components. The Slice of Life area of the series is where it shines the brightest. The chemistry between our two main characters is a particular delight to watch. Sana, being the young and optimistic (despite her experiences) child dominated by an intensive curiosity for the world around her works well as a comic foil with Zouroku’s gruff, grumpy old man persona. In Sana’s case, her powers offer an unlimited range of comic relief sections which help to make for a nice shake away from the mundane nature of most SOL series. The development between the two is also delightful, as they both learn from each other, Sana reigniting Zouroku’s softer side, while Zouroku helps to teach Sana how to adapt to the new world around her. I also enjoy how despite the story containing some hinted darker elements, they never tried to make that into the focus of the series. Most of the supporting characters are there to provide either extra Comic relief or lengthy exposition. Zourokus granddaughter Sanae, who takes an instant liking to Sana is cute if a bit naïve. I read that some people found her character annoying but I never did mind her. From the facility are two other Alice’s Dream weavers, twins named Hinagiri, Yonaga and Asahi, or as I like to call them, Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dere, they don’t really do a lot apart from try to capture Sana early on in the series before going through a background development. We also get Naito and Ichijo, two government agents Zouroku gets to help him. Despite often being used as subjects for exposition, they do provide for some entertaining moments, and even make you think a spin-off starring the two of them wouldn’t be a bad idea. Later in the series, we also get introduced to Hatori, a depressed young girl who discovers that she has those powers as well, providing the conflict for the final arc which I won’t get into for spoilers, but her story is still quite gripping, providing the best part of the series. The fantasy elements of the series permeate through its production. The Soundtrack attains a nice ambience to it. The OP and ED are also relaxing as hell. Even though none of it is particularly memorable, it does still manage to achieve what it sets out to do. The animation looks fine for the most part. At first, I wasn’t too sure about the blocky, cartoonish character designs in what at first seemed to be a dark series, but as the series settled into its tone and decided what it wanted to be, the more the character designs seemed to fit. Being a fantasy series, it should only be natural that the animation is used to make a wondrous visual display. This is certainly true when we see Alice’s Dream in action, and later on when we see the surreal environment of the representation of Wonderland, we see the series’ strengths really come into play with a myriad of animation styles keeping the environments visually interesting. The first episode did feature some terrible CGI which was so unpleasant to look at that I almost considered dropping the series there, but I kept with the series and I’m glad I did. So, with so many positives weighing in favour of the series, ‘Alice to Zouroku’ is one of the best shows the year, right? Well, unfortunately there is a major setback the series has going against it. As I said before the series works best when it embraces its slice of life elements. Additionally, the last arc focusing on Hatori displays the series’ ability to also weave its more fantastical elements to create a dazzling visual treat. I haven’t so far however mentioned the early-middle portion of the series, because that is where the series was at its weakest for me. The storyline of Sana trying to hide from the government feels too much like ‘Elfen Lied’ for my taste, and it largely consists of action setpieces involving the character’s powers. These aren’t as exciting as the series seems to think they are, mainly because the unlimited nature of their powers takes away a lot of the suspense. It is my belief that action scenes should have some sort of limitation for the protagonist to overcome, and while a character who can create anything in a fight may sound exciting, it ultimately just feels like a cavalcade of randomness which feels severely lacking in tension. This portion of the story also carries a debate about whether the Alice’s Dream weavers can integrate into human society, but this theme was already examined a lot better in the quieter moments when we actually saw Sana interacting with the ordinary world instead of relying on dull exposition to make us think this. Not to mention, the arc goes on for a lot longer than it needs to, thanks in large part to these action scenes, which unfortunately takes a lot of the series’ runtime away from the more enjoyable moments. I was relieved when the arc finally did end, and the series got back to focusing on Sana and Zouroku’s everyday misadventures, as well as that final arc which really does accentuate the series’ highest qualities. With all that said, ‘Alice and Zouroku’ is still at least worth a watch if you have nothing better to do, or if you’re looking for an alternative Magical Girl series/Slice of Life. Although it could have reached higher heights, I am still ultimately glad that I checked it out, and that is perhaps one of the nicest comments you can give a series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 31, 2017
Kuzu no Honkai
(Anime)
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The high school Romance is a staple of the anime medium; a genre whose heavily repeated traits and clichés have made it a source for either adoration or disgust, what with its overwhelming cheeriness and extreme market saturation. While the revulsion to the genre died down since height of the Anti-Moe movement at the beginning of this decade, some of the criticisms of the genre still stand, with its overwhelming sameness seemingly striking with ten new Shoujo every season.
Enter 'Kuzu no Honkai' or 'Scum's Wish', the antithesis of the genre which came out in the Winter 2017 which soon became one of the few highly ... rated series that wasn't a sequel to come out of that season. It also became one of the most talked about, and naturally one of the most divisive anime of that season. While the cover may not make it look like anything different, the series' exploration of mature themes such as sexuality and questions we often ask ourselves when in a relationship made it the talk of the anime community for quite some time, for reasons I will get into later. As said before, the series was heavily divisive, with many different opinions coming out now that the series is finished. These can be split into three categories; those who see it as nothing more than trash with awful characters and disgusting sex scenes, those who enjoy it ironically as a soap opera-style mess about terrible people doing stupid things but who don't really see much depth to it beyond that, and those who genuinely like it, considering it to be a good or even great exploration of it's themes. While I spend the first two episodes or so going back and forth between the first two (believing that it would go down as the most overrated anime of the season), you can probably tell by my high rating for the series that I oddly found myself in the latter category by the end. Funnily enough, I actually enjoyed it more as the MAL rating went down during it's airing. And the reason why is because it's themes and presentation won me over as they became more apparent to me throughout the series. The story follows Hanabi Yasuraoka, a high school student with a lifelong, aching infatuation with her older childhood friend and teacher. To console her heartache over her inability to confess her feelings, she begins a faux-relationship with Mugi Awaya, another student who is in a similar situation with his teacher. The two make an agreement to use this fake relationship to console each other until either one of them is able to get in a relationship with their respective desired objects. From the premise, you would probably think that we're going to get a series of wacky shenanigans in which the two main characters ultimately end up together, and you would be dead wrong! As said before, this series explores highly mature themes which other entries in this genre would never dare touch. This series is dark, to the point that some have described it as to the Shoujo genre what 'Madoka Magica' was to the magical girl genre. While I wouldn't quite go that far myself, it does certainly pack a strong punch, especially when the characters reach their low points. I will say that I wasn't a particular fan of the first two episodes, which deceitfully commit to various genre tropes, such as the introduction of a stereotypical Loli character who I initially found irritating but who did become more sympathetic later on. Where the story becomes really interesting is where the character's viewpoints (mostly Hanabi's) allow us an insight into the other characters (mostly Ecchan but there are other characters)who themselves offer for an extensive and disturbing insight into various ideas of love. These range from childish infatuation represented by Moka, to manipulation for personal gain represented by Ecchan and some adult characters, to simple lust represented by Mugi and Hanabi's own desires for their respective teachers, which being emotionally irresponsible teenagers they mistake for actual love. Maybe it sort of is, but they also learn a mature lesson about how love is more complicated than either they or the audience perceive it. Speaking of which, let's now talk about the most controversial aspect of the series, the sex scenes. Oh yes, this series features quite a few of them! And this has caused the biggest source of contention amongst detractors of the series, who view it as little more than soft core pornography, and that they seem to be the whole purpose of the series. Well, I probably won't disagree with that second part, they are certainly important to the narrative. Although many people are taken aback by the seeming graphic nature of these scenes, and admittedly they aren't exactly going to take away someone's masturbation abilities, they're not really as "disgusting" or "shameless" as many have said. In fact, their content is actually fairly tame compared to most HBO TV series. For me, this restraint works in the scene's favour, as it diverts more attention towards the thoughts and interactions of the characters in a given scene, allowing for the interpersonal intimacy that such a scene should convey by exposing the most innocent and ugliest parts of their personalities simultaneously. These scenes are mature, not in the sense that they are sexual or that they are for an adult audience, but in the way they are written without feeling the need to serve as fan service. Indeed, the series is surprisingly light on what I would consider to actually be fan service, as none of these scenes take away from the experience through cheap pandering, but are instead used to enhance the character's personalities. It is in these scenes that the series' greatest strength is conveyed, as it uses it's high school setting and young characters to focus on their apparent ignorance regarding sexuality and by extension love, essentially poking fun at the actions of the main characters that these sorts of series tend to have, where their lust is often the subject of comedy. This series however is very serious, and so the bright colour pallet of the series, and the conforming behaviours of many of the unnamed background characters in the halls of the school serve to complement this aspect by serving as a sort of cosy exterior to the ugly underbellies of the main character's innermost thoughts. As it is a drama, much of the focus is on the character's emotions, and this series is certainly full of them, with the character's lusts manifesting in self hatred and despair. As the characters experience the unpleasant but necessary changes which they have to bare, they are allowed to grow up and mature as a result of the harsh experiences they sometimes go through. The title of the series does imply that the characters are 'Scum', and while many of the characters do horrible things, manipulating other people, using other people for their own pleasure, they each get their own moments where, even if they are still horrible people, they are shown to have reason to be, even if that reason isn't justifiable. When the characters experience their moments of catharsis, you may find yourself changing your perspective on them as people. Hanabi herself often seems like an innocent spectator to the actions of a character who we learn does horrible things (I'm not going to spoil that though) and seemingly becomes interested in this at one point before ultimately backing out and coming to take control, even though it happens in the least desirable way possible. Other characters include Moka, the Loli character who harbours a childlike infatuation for Mugi due to having an idealized view of romance. And then there is Ecchan, Hanabi's close friend who secretly harbours a crush on her. There are several other characters who I won't go too into detail about, but who help to complement the series' themes and ideas. I am embarrassed to say that I saw a little bit of myself in many of the characters. As I myself am only a few years older than they, I still have memories of when I was as naïve as them, and to a certain extent I still am. I relate to many of their feelings, such as their lust, their admiration for other people sometimes manifesting into confused infatuation, feeling of isolation. On a less proud note, I also relate to some of their more perverted desires and some of their enjoyment in observing other people's drama. Many of us have probably felt at least some of these at some point in our lives, and the rawness with which the series handles them, as well as the array thanks to the cast of characters representing different aspects of these feelings helping to illustrate the complexities and multitudes of these issues. The art for the series is gorgeous, the occasionally shot where characters are drawn without eyes notwithstanding. The series frequently uses metaphorical imagery to develop the narrative, such as in the first scene in which Hanabi places her hands on the unshaded part of a desk representing Kanai who in the same scene is partially shaded just like the desk. Different shades of lighting are appropriately used to convey different atmospheres depending on the scene in question. Many of the most evocative moments are created with effective uses of watercolours to illustrate the appearances of the characters. The series frequently uses a manga panel display in order to show a scene from different angles in order to bring us closer to the perspectives of the characters effectively, helping the series to maintain a consistent degree of stylishness. Another stylish trademark of the series is the use of an inkblot during scene transitions to underscore the darkness of the moment with it's blackness swallowing the screen. The background music for the series mostly consists of slow piano sounds. Not especially memorable and often minimal, but certainly effective, as it gets noticeably louder in the more dramatic moments where the dialogue comes to a halt to leave auditory room for the music to flourish. The OP is brilliant, ranking as the 4th best of this season just behind 'March comes in like a Lion', 'Rakugo' and 'ACCA' with its dramatic effectiveness and use of visuals representative of the characters with obvious symbolism. The ED meanwhile is arguably the best of the season, with it's desperate vocals and use of Kaleidoscopic imagery featuring the characters in nude, almost resembling an orgy. This represents not only the sexual nature of the series, but also the metaphorical exposure of the characters throughout the series. 'Kuzu no Honkai' is certainly not a series for everyone, as it's sexually charged themes and exploration into the dark side of personal relationships can certainly be an understandable turn off for a lot of people. I myself certainly don't think it is perfect, as there are points when the story goes off into tangents which ultimately don't do anything for the plot, there are some characters who could have used more screen time, other characters who could have easily been cut, some awkward attempts at comic relief, and it may take a little while to get sued to at first. But in the end, these are ultimately trivial complaints to what is ultimately a thoroughly gripping series whose unpredictable nature regarding the destinations of each of it's sympathetic characters kept me invested each week. The series explores deep questions such as the very idea of relationships itself, and what we do to desperately get other people to like us. Kind of like how I wrote a review for the series in a desperate attempt to get other people to notice me to feather my own insecurities. Ultimately, 'Kuzu no Honkai' is definitely one of the standouts of the Winter season, a thought provoking exploration of the idea of love which uses the tropes of the Romance genre to deconstruct it's more questionable aspects, even if not everyone may see it that way.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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