Back to Pyro's Profile Pyro's Profile

Establishing an entertaining and compelling story with likable characters within a mere two minutes per episode is definitely no easy task. Most anime shorts that fit such a mold are rarely ever worthwhile. Ame-iro Cocoa fits perfectly into that classification. There isn't much to say about Ame-iro Cocoa, so this review will be short and simple.

To be frank, the story is nonexistent. It's just a bunch of random scenes strung together with no sense of an actual plot. You follow five male characters who work at/visit a café called Rainy Color. These guys talk to each other and their customers about random, mundane subjects that ... goes nowhere. That's essentially it in terms of plot. There's no progression, no development and nothing interesting happens. I suppose one shouldn't rag on such points since this is a comedic short. Well, the comedy is just as bad since it mostly just boils down to bits that doesn't add to anything besides padding an already fleeting runtime. With the absence of anything funny, it fails at the main thing it's trying to do.

The art and backgrounds are simple and plain. The animation was lacking from start to finish. Since most of the focus is fixated on the characters' basic dialogue interactions, there's not much worth in terms of actual animation. The art style and character designs are generic shoujo bishounen fare with not an ounce of creativity. In terms of visuals, it's exceedingly bland.

The sound is probably the best thing about this series, but that certainly isn't saying much with the bar being as low. The music gets the job done on the barest of bones level. It's easily forgettable. The moment it stops playing, one could wonder if it was even there in the first place. The opening and ending songs are quite basic as they're generic, run-of-the-mill pop tunes you've heard countless times in these type of series.

Every character lacked value and appeal. There's sadly nothing to work with. They're all unimaginative cardboard cutouts of anime character stereotypes, and they're unsurprisingly predictable and boring. Since the runtime is only 2 minutes, there's no room for development or change of any kind. Frivolous chit-chat and interaction is all there is to be found. There's no charm to the cast. Overall, very weak characters.

If you just want to turn your brain off and watch a simple short about pretty boys, then you might find some worth here. It doesn't take much time to get through, but one could spend that time on something better due to its aimless nature. If bishounen isn't your thing, you'll end up questioning why you're even watching in the first place. I suggest to let this short go by the wayside as it's a sad attempt at comedy that ultimately doesn't justify its own existence. I award Ame-iro Cocoa with an overall rating of 2.

I believe this is the first time I've heard of an anime visual album. I went into this Netflix original relatively blind, and it turned out to be pretty decent for what it is. If you've seen Ninja Batman, then Sound & Fury here will look and feel nearly identical since the two share work from the same studio and some main staff members.

First things first, I thought the music was pretty great. It's mostly blues and synth-rock throughout. If you're into those or similar rock subgenres, then you'll likely find more enjoyment in this. There's not much to say storywise. "A mysterious driver heads ... deep into a post-apocalyptic hellscape toward a ferocious showdown with two monstrous opponents." That single sentence from the synopsis about sums everything up. These are extremely straightforward music videos, so don't expect much in the narrative department. As bare bones as they are, I'm sure most can give it a pass considering the music and visuals are the driving focal point here.

The use of CGI is highly prevalent. It wasn't too bad. Some parts looked quite good, while others looked janky and lackluster. It holds up for the most part. The visuals went well with the songs, and the changing art styles kept things interesting. I'd say the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th parts were the best. "Remember to Breathe," "Sing Along" and "Best Clockmaker on Mars" respectively. They were the more visually striking and dynamic scenes in my eyes. As for the worst, I didn't care for the 4th part with its synchronized dancing and overall goofiness. The sudden contrast in tone didn't work for me. The live-action bits were pretty standard fare with nothing particularly worth mentioning.

While these 10 parts were mostly well done, they all lacked the substance and meaningful expression for an actual connection. There's not much to these pieces beyond some notable art and cool, fast-paced action scenes. That being said, viewers will likely be content if they go into this for the musical and visual ride alone. Overall, Sound & Fury is not among the best or experimental anime music videos I've seen, but it nonetheless has enough flair of its own to warrant a solid watch.