I decided to make this review since there are only 2 other reviews, both of which give this short movie an 8/10. There are fundamental flaws present in this work that I strongly consider bar it from such a rating.
These are that the story is dull and the animation is trash.
The story revolves around a mute, sickly boy, bullied by his peers and with only one friend. He is passionate about art in an apocalyptic grey world. You see the problem here? It's like I'm reading out of a checkbook of pity tropes. The main issue is that a fat half of the runtime is
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Sep 19, 2017
Koi to Uso
(Anime)
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Not Recommended
Koi To Uso is one of the most painfull to watch romance anime I've ever seen. Nothing encapsulated the horrible parts of teenage drama shows more than this one. It truly is perfection, in a perverted way. So let's talk about all the horrible things this show has to offer. (Oh, and there will also be light spoilers)
-,,Just don't think about it" If you don't think about anything. You'll understand everything. But if you think about it too much, you'll realize everything is nothing and life is pointless. I mean, you'll realize just how amazing this show is. I mean, it fucking sucks. The show is ... filled with so many stupid plotholes, that I genuinely could not have gotten past the first episode if I didn't write down all the dumb stuff that happened, for satisfaction. So, just 'cause, I guess I'll post what I've written along with this review. You can read it if you want, but it's not necessary to understand my other points(especially since I cut certain portions out to not repeat myself). Also, these will not make any sense if you haven't already seen the show. Episode 1: - Apparently, the children born after this new law had higher average intelligence, which doesn't make sense biologically. Did they kill off dumb people? Did everyone take an IQ test, where, if the score was too low, you wouldn't be allowed to have a partner? I guess ,,Red string of science sounds cool" is good enough. We do get a little information related to this later, but not nearly enough to justify it. - Why was Misaki 4 hours late? The show's excuse is that she didn't plan to come, which is the most retarded thing in the history of anything ever (especially once we get more info about her MAD LOVE for Yukari). Episode 2: - Why didn't Yukari, Ririna and their families meet up in a weekend, instead of having to skip school? - Couldn't Yukari just call Misaki? - Ririna's personality is incredibly inconsistent. At the meeting, she was straightforward and friendly with Yukari (despite not knowing anything about him, not to mention the importance of that meeting) and continued to act like that through the entire episode (e.g. her interactions with Misaki), but she's apparently an outcast in her class and socially awkward? Bullshit. So far, she hasn't show any signs of being shy. Not to mention her tsundere attitude directly contradicts her ,,shyness". This inconsistency continues in later episodes. - WcDonalds. - Didn't Yukari tell Ririna about all that happened between him and Misaki? There was absolutely no sign that he skipped over a part of his story to Ririna. So how didn't he mention he kissed Misaki? Episode 4: - They don't take physical preference into account. Complete and utter bullshit. There will always be teenagers who only care about how their ,,love" looks. In that case, they'll hate it if the person they're assigned with is ugly (something that apparently the government can't control), resulting in a toxic marriage. It's a pandering way of appealing to unfit or ugly people by saying ,,It doesn't matter how you look, you could still get the girl you want" so that they can project themselves more onto the show. You could say that if their egotistical personalities match, than they will both look good, but no. The show completely rejects that idea by stating people ,,don't fall in love with outward appearances". Some people DO fall in love because of outward appearances and it's foolish to deny that. - How does a government official *forget* someone's address? Episode 5: - Isn't being carried in someone's arms more embarassing/sluttier than being piggybacked, especially in a swimsuit? - It was stated in episode 1 that ,,romance with anyone besides their assigned partner is forbidden", but now, according to Yusuke's dialogue, you can change your partner. So, romance with someone besides your assigned partner isn't forbidden? Quite hypocritical. - If you could just change your marriage partner, why did Misaki and Yukari act like it was the end of the world at the end of episode 1? Could it be because that wasn't the original concept? The information we get in this episode completely contradicts the show's concept. - Why the fuck do you have to pay such a harsh penalty if you reject your assigned partner? Isn't it the government's fault if they don't provide you with a suitable partner? If they would've actually given you a perfect match (like the government promotes these assignments), then you wouldn't have even thought of rejecting it. This is stupid and completely illogical. A fee would indeed make sense (as in the money spent searching for a new partner), but rejection of education and employment? What the fuck? Why? How does the government benefit from this? Episode 6: - Suddently Ririna started having a crush for Yukari, which feels incredibly rushed. Up until now she showed no signs of interest or love for Yukari (being embarassed in an awkward situation and doing tsundere shit doesn't count). The dream she had would not have happened if she didn't already have some affection for him. You could say it's because of what happened last episode, but, she didn't seem to abandon the idea of Yukari and Misaki becoming a couple (this is later confirmed). - Why is the governement shoving sex down everyone's throats when these kids are barely 16? All of these couples are still in highschool. Wouldn't it be extremely bad for their education if they got pregnant before finishing their studies? They don't even mention anything about the dangers of unprotected sex. Not to mention this event will be really awkward for a large number of these couples(e.g. Ririna and Yukari) since they've only know each other for a couple of months (usually not nearly enough to develop a strong relationship). It would make much more sense for them to be taught this when they're 18 or 20 (the age at which you are no longer considered a minor in Japan) or at least have this special class be optional. Episode 7: - Why is Yusuke forced to participate in the play? There's absolutely no way a normal school would allow such blackmailing from the teachers (,,I'll knock 30% off your attendance"), especially since it was said in public. Yes, we know that Yusuke didn't go to school for some time, but there's been no indications that some of his absences haven't been written. In fact, the quote ,,and it's questionable as is" implies that all of his absences have been written. - Why is Yukari asking Silver_hair_guy for advice? Why not his parents or close friends? Silver_hair_guy seems like the last guy he'd want to talk to, considering all that happened. Episode 8: - If Misaki had such a large crush for Yukari, why did she have no reaction to his confession in episode 1? How could neither of them have noticed the other was constantly paying so much attention to them? Episode 10: - Yukari and Ririna could not give less of a shit about Misaki being Yukari's assigned wife (even though they went crazy at the beginning of the episode). First, they *forget* to ask Misaki about Shuu and then they don't even bother to call her, better not waste her precious time. Later, after Yukari finally gets Shuu's number, he writes her a message as if she forgot to give him his pen back or some shit and this is the first time he's talking to her (not to mention he's worried that he might sound SERIOUS). - Everyone doesn't talk to Ririna because she's not smiling enough. Yeah that makes perfect sense. -The Concept I've actually seen a lot of people praise Koi To Uso for it's concept (in a positive way), which I think is undeserved. The idea of government officials controlling relationships and love, by itself, could be really interesting. However, when the show tries to delve deeper into this concept and explain how it works, everything falls apart. First, they make the setting in modern day Japan, stating that all of this happened in less than 100 years, which kills any ,,because future" excuse they might've had otherwise (and yes, the synopsis IS lying about the setting being futuristic). Then, they imply that the government completely understands your personality by analysing your genes (which gives them 50% of your personality somehow) and then discovers the rest through tests. WHAT? That's so stupid. You can't understand someone's personality through fucking tests. It's impossible for someone to be self-aware enough to the point that they can answer every question regarding themselves perfectly. They're teenagers for fuck sake. Have you ever heard of narcissism or special snowflakes? What if someone lies and writes something different on the tests intentionally in the hopes of a better partner? It's literally impossible for them to discover if they're lying or not. ,,Oh no, you see, everyone will take the tests seriously because it has such a large effect on their lives". That's exactly why some might lie, in the hopes of having an amazing life, not to mention they're goddamn teenagers. What if someone was gay (just like in the show) or asexual or a mexican? What do you do then? How does the government even know who is compatible with who? Trial and error could never work in this situation because of the infinite amount of possibilities. There are no 2 human minds identical, similar yes, but never identical. I could go on and on about how this doesn't make any sense, but it's pointless. Oh, and they also change like half the rules by episode 5 and completely abandon it by episode 12, truly story-telling at it's best. -The Characters I feel like this is how naive extroverts, that never met any shy people, think of shy people. They think of them as charismatic, straightforward, but occasionally embarrassed people. Do you see where I'm getting at? Good, then let's talk about each main character respectively and why they're so horrible. Misaki Takasaki -I'll say it now, Misaki is not a character. She's a plot device. Or, I guess you could say, a 'pander device'. She's just there to be ,,the girl the MC loves that turns out to also love the MC". The only reason we're given for why she loves him so much is because he seemed like a nice guy and he gave her half a razor. What the fuck? If someone gave me half a razor, I'd think ,,Oh, thanks, I'll pay you back later" not ,,Oh my god, he's so kind, I wanna suck his dick". Now, It makes sense that a child would act this way. Kids be kids, you know? But a fucking teenager?! She should've realized how stupid all of this is when she was 13. Here's the thing, if the show was actually smart, they could've made her into a naive or easily manipulated character. This would make sense based on how quickly she fell in love with Yukari. Or maybe have a twist where it turns out she never actually loved Yukari and this was all part of some government plan. You know? Break the mold a little. But no, because that would mean she'd no longer be a plot device and the show needs her to be one. She's there just to introduce Shuu and to be filler to complete the love triangle drama bullshit (which is quite ironic, since Ririna has the same role too). Also, the fact that she's 4 hours late to her meeting with Yukari (who she apparently had such a large crush on) is like the cherry on the top of the plot device cake. Ririna Sanada -This is one of the most inconsistent characters I've ever seen. One minute, she's a full on tsundere that bitches about everything. Then, she gets all shy and flustered and doesn't want to talk to anyone. This character, just like Misaki, doesn't feel like a human being. She instead feels like a template to pander to otaku. A waifu, if you will. "the girl of your dreams that is so shy and needs someone to save her because she has no friends, even though she's so nice and blah blah blah". Her romance with Yukari is rushed beyond belief. The fact that she's a loner and nobody talks to her makes no fucking sense. And most of all, even as a cliche tsundere, she's boring as hell. I never found myself interested in anything that had to do with her. Then again, that was kind of my permanent state the entire run time of the show, but... come on! You're a tsundere! Do something interesting! Yusuke Nisaka -This is the best character in the entire show, which isn't saying much. I actually found his love for Yukari intriguing, but the show doesn't do anything with it. Instead, the show puts him in the ,,popular friend of the MC, that just so happened to become friends with the MC, even though the MC has no friends" box. Apparently, he's also shy and doesn't want to be in the center of attention, which is bullshit, if you pay any attention to what he does. Yukari Nejima -Finally, the elephant in the room. Well, a tiny elephant, but an elephant nonetheless. I've seen a lot of people simply describe him as a ,,generic harem protagonist". Which is somewhat true, but because of how amazingly bad Koi To Uso is, I think there's a couple of things that make him stand out. First, he's a LOT more childish. And by childish, I mean dumb and naive. There were moments in the show were I simply thought ,,How can you be so dense?" (I suspect the PG-13 rating to be the cause of this). His hobby for burial mounds is brought up to 11 and eventually becomes very annoying. You like burial mounds. I get it. Now can we move on and have some actual character development?. He's probably the only actually shy character in the entire show. But it's harem-shy, you know? The kind of shyness where if you walk next to him he gets a seizure. I could talk about the supporting cast, but I'd just be repeating myself, you can already tell how boring they are just by looking at them (except for Shuu I guess). -The Art and Animation This is probably the worst thing about the show. It's not good enough to where I can admire it, but it''s not bad enough to where I can laugh at it. So it's just in a middle section of blandness. The art is average. The animation is average. The color pallet is average. None of the characters stand out and could easily fit in any background. The background is average (if you consider how boring the setting is). Everything is average. The only good thing I can say about it, is that it fits the light-hearted romance vibe the show is going for. -The Romance Oh boy, this is what I've been wanting to talk about this entire time. Quite ironically though, this is almost my last point and this is definitely a more sensitive topic, but I'll do my best anyway. In my opinion, the show doesn't understand what true love is. Think about it. The only love that actually makes any sense is Nisaki's love for Yukari, because he actually knows something about him). Misaki and Ririna don't know jack shit about Yukari, besides ,,he's nice". Heck, not even Yukari knows jack shit about Misaki and Ririna, besides ,,I'd stick my dick in them". True love should be caused by relating to a person and said person's problems and by wishing to help that person and to be next to that person for the rest of your life (At least that's what I think). It's kind of hard to explain true love, but this doesn't feel like true love. This feels fake love. The show constantly mentions ,,Do you want to kiss him?" as a confirmation to whether you love him or not. In my opinion, this confirms what I've said above. Just because you want to kiss someone, that doesn't mean you love him. You can love someone without originally wanting to kiss them. In fact, if you love someone *just* because you want to kiss them, then you probably don't actually love that person. I also think it's not right to love 2 people at once ( in this case, Yukari's ,,love" for Ririna and Misaki). That's called cheating. And don't give me some bullshit like ,,Oh they don't mind that he's cheating", it's still wrong. A true partner should be just that. A single person that you love from the bottom of your heart. You usually try to devote all your time to being with your true love, especially if you're a teenager. You can't do that if you ,,love" 2 people. You have to commit to a single person, not do this harem bullshit. I mean, if this was an actual stupid harem show, I wouldn't mind, but when it's taken seriously, that's where you lost me. Then there's sex. Which they tackled horribly. Since they're PG-13, they can't actually go all out like any other show with sexual themes (i.e. Scum's Wish), so they just have the characters kiss a little and then Yukari pussies out, out of getting some pussy. They never explore any of the themes of sexuality, like intimacy or lust, so what's the point? Why introduce sexuality if you're not gonna do anything with it? I'm gonna tell you why, so that they can appear smart and mature in front off dumb teenagers. Fuck this, literally. -The Sound Design Ok, we're wrapping this up, but I might as well talk about the sound a little. It's below average. I think the OP and ED are fine. I can't really criticize them, since I'm not an expert in that category, but I thought they they were mediocre and usually skipped them (although that might've been caused by how much I hated the show). I think the phrase ,,Show, don't tell" applies to sound as well. Every single scene, even if it's not that dramatic, has this loud drama music in the background and, in my opinion, most of these scenes would've been much more powerfull if they weren't drown out with music. So, in a nutshell, fuck the OST. -Conclusion I'm finally done with this horrible show. I could've talked more about the finale and all that Friendship Is Magic bullshit, but I just want to be done with this. So, in conclusion, Koi To Uso is a horrible show with a dumb plot and bad characters. Unless you want to watch it intentionally to make fun of it (and there aren't a lot of things to make fun of, mostly just cringy and boring stuff), you should skip it. There are much better drama shows out there and Koi To Uso isn't one of them. You might as well look at paint dry and get a better experience than this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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