(Updated 12/31)
For anyone who's seen the other works of Studio 3Hz, you'd know that they created Sora no Method, which spiked about a 6.7/10 on MyAnimeList, and continues to be criticized for one of the worst plot holes seen in anime. On top of Sora no Method, Dimension W, a Sci-Fi Seinen that got pretty popular spiked about 7.3/10 on MyAnimeList. Studio 3Hz didn't do Dimension W on their own, the did it in part with the studio Orange, and besides Sora no Method, there seemed to be no original, redeeming work that could make a name for this studio.
Fall 2016 rolls around, and with
...
the releases of several new fan favorites and a few new sequels to popular anime, Flip Flappers was one of the releases. Just like every season, there's seemingly one or two anime that get pushed aside and not really mentioned, and Flip Flappers is one of those anime. Does it deserve it? Absolutely not.
Flip Flappers is something totally different, a breath of fresh air in terms of animation, character, music, story, and setting. Every time I watched an episode of Flip Flappers, I felt happy, relaxed, and desperate to watch the next episode. It starts early with a hook, and it definitely keeps you reeled in.
Studio 3Hz really blew it out of the water with this fun, colorful, beautiful, and enjoyable anime with extremely likable characters, both protagonist and antagonist and even background characters who are hardly mentioned.
Story - 8
Flip Flappers has a concept I've never seen portrayed in anime. The collection of "fragments" throughout the setting of Pure Illusion is both relaxing and will keep you on the edge of your seat to see what happens. The setting Studio 3Hz set for Flip Flappers is gorgeous and so flexible, so full of adventure and molds the story into something that's beautiful, enjoyable, and allows viewers to feel like they're a part of the world Flip Flappers portrays.
However, what keeps the story from the perfect 10 is that in the first 4-5 episodes, the story seems scattered and spotty. The execution of the story is weak, but eventually the hook that starts in the second episode with more story in Pure Illusion makes the story eventually progress like it should. The first few episodes seem to lack follow a plot that progresses later into the anime, it's more to show us, the viewers, the world of Pure Illusion, and the inhabitants and natives of Pure Illusion.
If the story in the beginning would've started off with the story of Cocona's confusion about her life, and about her parents, and how she's started going to Pure Illusion after meeting Papika, then this score would be much higher.
Art - 10
Flip Flappers has gorgeous animation and character and setting design that Studio 3Hz has never indulged in. To quote my friend, it has that "Trigger" feel to it. The feeling that reminds you of Kill la Kill or Uchuu Patrol Luluco. The animation is smooth, the setting of Pure Illusion is gorgeously portrayed and makes you want to pause so you don't miss a single thing it shows you. Even when the setting isn't in Pure Illusion, the art is still bright and colorful.
Even when the ambience on the animation and color is turned down to a darker scale, like in some parts of Pure Illusion or at night time, it still pops out and looks gorgeous. The art is extraordinary.
Sound - 10
Personally my favorite part of the show is the sound and music. I'll be honest to tell you that the opening song and ending song are probably on my top favorite anime songs of all time. The music is just the right amount of hype to get the viewers excited for the episode that follows, and the ending song is peaceful and has the viewers on their toes desperate for the next episode, so they can experience the beautiful atmosphere this anime create.
The sound for the battles that happen are realistic, but also add to the added Sci-Fi genre Flip Flappers have, giving it that "futuristic" feel. That's what I love most about this anime - it's Sci-Fi, but it's not a Sci-Fi that's ruined with over-the-top cliches, especially in terms of the sound. The ambience and sound in Pure Illusion just hypes up the gorgeous setting more and more.
Character - 9
The characters in Flip Flappers are unique and all differentiate from one another. We have Cocona, who later in the anime has more of an important role than the beginning, but is portrayed at first as an idolized honors student. Papika is a mixture of our comic relief, but is also Cocona's loyal, cute, and enjoyable partner. Together, these two take adventure into Pure Illusion, where we meet Yayaka, who is partnered with Yuyu and Toto. Yayaka, Yuyu and Toto prove to be interesting characters and great antagonists for our heroes Cocona and Papika.
With Pure Illusion being used in the first few episodes just to show off how this universe and world work, we are given a variety of unique and amazing characters that do not come back after the episode they're premiered in. Characters like Welwitschia would be amazing to see work alongside Yayaka, Yuyu and Toto, but is seemingly removed right after her appearance. Uexküll, Cocona's pet rabbit, is given a good chunk of screen time in the beginning and is seemingly shown to maybe have an impact in the show, but never actually does a lot. And the addition of TT-392, or Buu-chan could've been done so much better. Buu-chan seems to have a lot of potential, but is easily manipulated and converts to whatever female antagonist is thrown at us, and seems to be more of a hinderance than a partner to Cocona and Papika.
Enjoyment - 10
As I've continually mentioned in my review, the anime's hook starts right when we're introduced to Cocona's and Papika's delve into the wonderful and gorgeous world of Pure Illusion. The anime is extremely enjoyable and makes you want to delve into the same adventures of Cocona and Papika (Studio 3Hz, Flip Flappers game pleaseee?) Every Thursday watching this anime, I was so excited for the newest episodes to come out that I would wait at the 30 minute mark before they came onto Crunchyroll just to watch them right then and there.
This show is extremely fun and enjoyable, and it's definitely my pick for my absolute favorite for Fall 2016.
Overall - 9.4/10 (rounded down to 9/10)
I could not recommend this anime more. It's so fun and so stunning, Studio 3Hz really blew it out of the water with this.
WATCH. THIS. ANIME!
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Dec 31, 2016
Flip Flappers
(Anime)
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(Updated 12/31)
For anyone who's seen the other works of Studio 3Hz, you'd know that they created Sora no Method, which spiked about a 6.7/10 on MyAnimeList, and continues to be criticized for one of the worst plot holes seen in anime. On top of Sora no Method, Dimension W, a Sci-Fi Seinen that got pretty popular spiked about 7.3/10 on MyAnimeList. Studio 3Hz didn't do Dimension W on their own, the did it in part with the studio Orange, and besides Sora no Method, there seemed to be no original, redeeming work that could make a name for this studio. Fall 2016 rolls around, and with ... |
