Back to SBphiloz4's Profile SBphiloz4's Profile

Grisaia no Kajitsu is based on the adult visual novel that follows 5 female students at Mihama Academy. However, this is no ordinary school; only those 5 students are enrolled here, each with "special reasons" for being in an academy that seems more like a prison. Kazami Yuuji, a mysterious "exchange student from Canada", becomes the first male student enrolled in Mihama Academy. Although he claims to desire a normal school life, events of the students' past start to unfold, piece by piece. Just who really are these students? The girls must revisit their past and take hold of their lives for another time.

I ... was honestly very interested by Grisaia no Kajitsu, knowing that many of my friends recommended me to read the visual novel. Seeing that an anime of the series was to be released this season, I decided to go and see if the anime will entice me enough to spend time reading the VN. As I watched this series, such friends were able to let me know the differences between the anime and VN, so I can represent two parties in this review. However, does Grisaia please the VN readers as well as newcomers to the series? Sadly, this is NOT the case. Rather than showing off why this series is strong and emotional, it turned out to be incredibly disappointing, and the adaptation in short is a trainwreck.

If there are a few positives about the series, the sound and art are consistent and actually pretty well-done. The seiyuus from the PSP version of the series come back to do their individual roles. Most of the roles are well-done and solidly depict their character. Maon Kurosaki's "Rakuen no Tsubasa" is a pretty nice opening theme, and it's a song I'd definitely listen to on a regular basis. There are a whole bunch of ending songs to this series, all of which are decent, especially "Rainy Veil" by Yanagi Nagi. Best part of the series? Probably, and that's somewhat unfortunate.

The art is nothing extraordinary, but gets the job done nonetheless. Nothing particularly enticing or awe-inspiring, but the art is at least consistent and there are hardly any moments where the quality noticeably drops. Give 8-bit credit that this is really the only part where they have put noticeable effort into the series, which particularly includes putting much of their animation budget into unnecessary flashy panty shots and a couple of long H-scene-like kiss scenes.

The characters are actually very interesting from the start, each having incredibly unique personalities. From the blond twintail tsundere (Michiru), the quiet and cold lady (Yumiko), the obedient pink-haired maid (Sachi), the loli with the dirty mouth (Makina), the red haired perverted "onee-san" figure (Amane), and the enigmatic male lead (Yuuji), it's very likely that you'll like one of these characters, and that's understandable. So what is the problem about the series? The problem starts not on the characters themselves, but how Grisaia decided to develop their individual characters. This is where most of the positives end.

Grisaia attempts to mimic the visual novel by showing all the possible routes of the series, totalling to a whopping 80 hours of gameplay, and throwing it into a 13-episode anime adaptation. Now you don't have to be a mathematician to know that 5 girls = 5 possible routes, and by logic, cramming 80 hours into a 4 hour series simply cannot be done without sacrifices. However, the sacrifices Grisaia made were far too severe, and turned into a huge mess. After 3 episodes of introducing the female mains with fanservice and panty shots (at least that was pretty good, actually), classic school genre humour, and brief hints on each student's past, the series has 10 episodes to do 5 routes. Although the first 3 episodes were well-done, this is where pacing becomes a concerning issue that plagues the rest of the series.

Each route in the visual novel follows one of the female students and the male lead and her have various interactions. By these interactions, a traumatizing past rears its head back to a particular female lead after an event in the present. The anime attempts to show all the routes of the female leads in the order presented above. However, two episodes is just simply not enough time to fully develop a character without feeling incredibly rushed. Some of the main female characters even only get a single episode to represent their route, which is even more unreasonable. Grisaia made an attempt to make the viewer feel emotional about the female student in question during their particular route. But in the end, it almost felt like a race to see who can "develop" a character in the shortest time possible. Simply put, events that supposedly trigger emotions are thrown at the viewer in quick succession, and before you can swallow what just happened, the anime is already miles ahead of you, and completely different events start happening. Suddenly, the route ends off, almost like one of your coworkers that get off of work RIGHT on the dot at 5PM, and no later. The character in question finds her resolve, but you really can't feel anything for the character just because the character development was so rushed. Grisaia would be a horrible relay partner, because they would just go ways ahead of you doing its own thing, while you bite the dust and never even get a chance to catch your breath.

It's a huge shame because I really did like the characters in the series at first. Their base character before their route is very nice, and their character after their develop is good too, even if you have not a clue how they got there. However, the problem is when the character is being developed themselves. It's possible to feel incredibly sickened and shocked by the context and background information Grisaia gives you for a particular event (Episode 12), but it's strange that one can feel almost no pity for the spotlight character themselves. Worst of all, some of the main characters don't get much spotlight throughout the whole series, and feel more like a harem piece, if anything, just because they don't have substance to back up their character. Goes to show the lack of direction the character development has in the series. And it's not just the main characters that experience this problem. Motifs of the side characters are incredibly unclear and underdeveloped, and you question their position and why they are relevant in the first place. They don't exactly help build the story as they should do, which is another letdown of the series. The anime also skips a huge portion of each route just to cram it in the little time they give it, leaving viewers confused on how things jump from place to place. And a huge blow for VN readers, Grisaia decides to butcher up parts of the story in attempt to solve the time limit and end it "how they wanted it to end", a disappointment for those expecting the story to stay true to the original series.

The dialogue is also very patchy and confusing in many instances; questions are answered in awkward fashion, and it's very noticeable that it's due to the time constraint 8-bit put themselves in. Yuuji, for one, can somehow can lead thought A to thought E, while skipping potential thoughts that normally people would think of making it even more difficult to follow. Yuuji himself is a character that has little development, which is incredibly unfortunate. I know that compared to the rest of the main cast, he should not the main focus, but viewers just really know he's not your "average student" that does "dirty work in the undergrounds". Unfortunately, aside from some appearances from his boss and coworkers, not much was given about Yuuji's past at all. He really doesn't have much else other than being a classic OP character that can solve everyone's problems. Why he does this to ruin his "normal school life" is not something that's explained at all, and nothing in the series would change the fact that Yuuji is a relatively bland character right from the start. I guess Spring 2015's "Le Eden de la Grisaia" will focus on this, huh?

Unfortunately, what took the last bit of hope from this series for me was how some scenes were meant to be incredibly dark and serious to build an unimaginable tragic past and see a character's internal struggles and emotions. However, it almost as if 8-bit wants to make a fool of themselves, and make Grisaia more of a laughing stock, if anything. Just as they unveil dark imagery and psychological themes, they throw in a panty shot, or an intense and passionate kissing scene. This is supposed to be a psychological series, and based on the core that was established, there are definitely some potential to make this series interesting, dark and meaningful. Instead, it almost feels like it's a parody of the series rather than being a serious adaptation, while being incredibly unfortunate that such money is completely wasted in enhancing these unnecessary scenes instead of properly planning out the story and actually develop the lead characters. If the adaptation company themselves can't take the whole development and tragic past seriously, why should the viewer?

I really wanted to enjoy this series, I really tried to. And I'll admit, there were at least some few parts that I did enjoy, mostly from the first few episodes, and maybe the final episode too. But it doesn't save the gongshow that happened for the rest of the adaptation. It was an okay effort by 8-bit to condense 5 routes in less than 4 hours. Perhaps you'll feel something for a character, but it sure didn't last long for me. Maybe my expectations were too high going into the series, but in the end of the day, I was pretty disappointed by how this series was handled. It had the huge potential to be much better, but alas, it tried to do too much all at once, and failed to properly execute anything at all.

In the end, Grisaia is a half-baked summary of the VN series that fails to please the majority of the target audience. VN readers and fans will be incredibly disappointed by how little substance the adaptation kept from the original series, while newcomer fans like myself will feel confused while experiencing little emotions for most of the characters. The pacing and character development is absolutely atrocious, to be blunt, and doesn't allow time for the viewer to absorb any events that occur. Is it the worst anime ever? Of course not. But there's just too much missed potential that makes this series go to waste. Grisaia the adaptation can be summed in one word: disappointment. If you have read the visual novel, please save yourself and not watch this dreadful series. And if you are a newcomer to the series, you would do yourself a favour by not spoiling a more worthwhile experience of reading the superior visual novel. Will season 2 be a much more worthwhile sequel, or just another letdown? We shall see...

Set in 2095, magic is now a form of technology and science. After the 3rd world war, magic wielders were high in demand in the world to defend their individual countries from further chaos. Mahouka follows two siblings, Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba, who are enrolled in Fist High School. Based on enrolment test scores, the brother becomes a Weed, a presumed low-achieving magician, while his little sister becomes a Bloom, a presumed high-achiever in magic. However, there's more to these two siblings than as first thought. And school life at First High School will no longer be the same...

And thus, the most anticipated, but highly ... controversial, anime of the spring season has reached its conclusion. Controversial in the fact that this series ranged from "Mahouka is the best anime ever!" to "Wow, this series is complete BS." So how did it truly turn out? Was it as good as the die-hard fans claim it was? What about the opinions of the critics who truly despise this series? I find that Mahouka truly fits in between the two; it's neither really good, nor really bad. It was nonetheless a somewhat enjoyable anime series that I didn't regret watching.



Before I begin, I will say that there's a high chance that you may end up being in either of the aforementioned polarizing sides. To make things a bit easier, for those who really like and would only watch a huge action-packed series with an adventurous plot, non-stop fight scenes, and emotional characters like some shounens have, you probably want to stop reading this review and find another anime series. The relatively slow-paced Mahouka will actually bore you really fast, and would DEFINITELY not be for you. I probably weeded out a few of you, and you'll thank me for it. Now, I can't guarantee that this review will be spoiler free, but let's dwell a bit further into this series, shall we?



Story
Mahouka focuses on two main leads, who are the Shiba siblings, Tatsuya and Miyuki. The series is split into three arcs, each having a specific school event attached to them (enrolment, a school competition, and a thesis competition). The general idea of Mahouka is that conflict arises, usually from a specialized group having ulterior motives for magic, preventing these school events from going as calm and smoothly as planned, and the students from First High School and other acquaintances will have to deal with them. Conflict doesn't happen immediately, however; everything is set up with loads of dialogue and explanations. Unfortunately, the huge amount of set up can turn stale for some viewers.

The biggest problem about Mahouka is definitely its pacing. Some would find this series to be incredibly slow due to all the explanations and dialogue used to set up a conflict, especially as a shounen anime. This is highly prominent in the first arc. Later, the events in the story became extremely rushed, which happened most often in the second arc. Most magic was no longer explained in its entirety, and some prior background have been omitted at times. I ended up consulting light novel readers a few times of what I just witnessed. Regardless of your opinion on Mahouka, this is easily the biggest flaw. I like to turn that around and use it as a way to say that this series is unpredictable in nature because of this pacing. You don't know what will Mahouka bring the next episode, but even this can be a relatively frustrating process, especially considering that the plot had very good potential to be great. In all, the story was executed well to a certain extent, but it definitely could of been better. Viewers will have to acknowledge this imminent flaw should they decide to take the plunge to this series.

However, each arc does have some pretty interesting perks in the story. There were very well thought out concepts for all the arcs, but the 3rd arc of the series (Episodes 18-26) was easily my favourite. Of course, I won't say what happens then, but for me, the final arc made the series a worthwhile watch. It might be frustrating to have to consult LN readers at times to know some background facts that Madhouse has omitted, as well as a lot of confusing bits here and there, but it's flushed out enough to at least give a small sense of satisfaction at the end to the typical anime watcher such as myself. 6/10


Art
No complaints here. The art style is very typical of shounen anime, and instances where the animation quality gets noticeably bad is extremely rare. Action scenes are fluid and flashy, while the character designs are very cool and slick. Honestly, those are some pretty badass school uniforms. There's nothing about the art and animation that really stands out compared to other series, but it gets the job done, and does the job well. I really give Madhouse credit for the great animation quality of this series. 8/10



Sound
Another one of the better points of this anime. Mahouka has a huge cast of characters (which will be explained later), and Madhouse pretty much recruited the best of the best to voice them. No character sounds awkward or out of place, as most match their individual character's personality very well. I mean, it's like a dream team of all-star seiyuus, including Yuichi Nakamura (Tatsuya), Saori Hayami (Miyuki), and Kana Hanazawa (Mayumi), just to name a few. A job well done to all the voice actors and actresses involved in this series.


LiSA's “Rising Hope” is arguably one of, if not, THE best opening song of Spring Anime 2014, while GARDiNELiA's “grilletto” stands up as one of the better opening songs for Summer 2014. The ending themes are decent too, but sometimes, the ending scene of an episode does not transition well into the song, especially when suspense was attempted to be made. Mahouka's OST is good in general, and definitely sounds very shounen-like. A good plus side of the series. 9/10



Characters
Now, this is the second category that many individuals critic about Mahouka. The story focuses on Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba, two characters that are, for some reason, really hated by a lot of people out there. Do the Shiba siblings make or break the series? For some, there is that chance. So I'll explain the pair to the best of my abilities, alongside the other characters of series, and note the places where some people hate about them.


Tatsuya is enrolled into the First High School as a weed. This would mean that he's presumably weak in magic, right? Wrong. Rather, this guy is seriously overpowered. We definitely can question how on earth was he determined to be an inferior weed in the first place due to these placement tests. The problem some people have over Tatsuya is that he is claimed to be just another “Gary Stu”. He only seems to get more and more OP as the series progresses, making him pretty much the “perfect” protagonist. I personally don't think he's completely perfect; he comes at the cost that he rarely develops emotionally. Tatsuya in a sense doesn't feel human, which does make it difficult for him to fit with his classmates and live a perfectly normal school life with his little sister. His lack of human emotions is definitely a conflict that he must always go through, and is something that is explored throughout the series.

Tatsuya's mysterious nature definitely creates some suspense in Mahouka. We know Tatsuya is great, but just HOW good he is? What skills will be pull off next? The enigma that is Tatsuya really makes viewers wonder just who the hell he really is. How many things he can pull of his sleeve is pretty damn incredible. Heck, his classmates don't really know who he really is as well later. Tatsuya is an enigmatic character, but whether this is an enjoyable trait is definitely up to the viewer.


Miyuki is the other main character, who is perhaps as controversial as his older brother. Miyuki is your beautiful, smart and kind female character that many look up to. However, her personality and ideals in general, like Tatsuya, are very simple. Some may argue that it's even bland. Oh, and she may have a slight bro-con for Tatsuya. I'm pretty sure all the complaints that Madhouse got over her cries of "Onii-sama" ended up having her get less screen time later in the series. Now, it definitely isn't as black and white as this; however, Madhouse unfortunately does not dwell into this further, which is something that I'll be looking into in the light novels. I do like Miyuki, mostly because of her sincerity and well-mannered demeanour, while getting notable roles in the story as well. However, I'll note that both Tatsuya and Miyuki barely undergo development throughout the series, at least emotionally and a character as a whole. If you get frustrated about characters who really only develop in terms of OPness, then this probably won't be the series for you. For others who don't mind, you're in for a treat.


The supporting cast is very cool, but they are the supporting cast for a reason. After all, Mahouka centres around Tatsuya and Miyuki the most, who are relatively mysterious but simple individuals in the first place. Some characters appear in episodes to glue some parts of the story together, but they don't get quite enough spotlight to have them fully develop. Again, a lack of character development may be a flaw of this series for some viewers, but that would be way too much to put in a 26-episode series, especially considering that some parts were already feeling rushed. There's at least enough of a blueprint for all the supporting characters to be able to pick a favourite. I personally love the student council president Mayumi myself, but I was slightly disappointed that she didn't get that much time to develop as a character. Overall, this huge cast of characters is nice, but unfortunate sacrifices had to be made in order to prevent these 3 arcs from stretching over 40 episodes. 7/10




Personal Enjoyment
This series is flawed, yes. The pacing of the story is my biggest concern, with a somewhat lack of character development being another. But I did have the motivation to continue and look forward for the next episode. I personally found the series to be quite enlightening, and there was enough substance for me to be intrigued to continue in watching, even if I know there was quite a few things wrong about it. The concept of Mahouka is very nice, although Madhouse may have not brought it out to its full potential. I do look forward to reading the light novels and continue the series from there.

 8/10



Overall
On a completely realistic overview, character and story must be weighed more than the art and sound of an anime series. The former may be the weaker points of the series, but it definitely isn't AS bad as some people say it is, nor you should write if off just because of the flaws I've listed above. This is a series where you really have to see it to give a proper opinion on it. Don't inflate your expectations, or you will be disappointed. If you are interested enough after the first few episodes, I'll say that you'll be on the road to watching a pretty nice series. Will it blow you away? No. Will this be a waste of your time? Mostly likely no as well. All in all, despite some flaws, it has been a pleasure watching Mahouka, and I hope some of you will consider watching this series as well!

Final score: 7/10

(First review, feel free to give some feedback!)