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Feb 9, 2018
(NOTE: When writing this review I had watched the first 5 episodes of this title each week upon release. I tried to avoid spoilers. There may be some very mild spoilers by context, but definitely nothing plot related.)
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens is the most surprisingly entertaining and enthralling anime of the current season, in my opinion. It feels almost like a slice-of-life anime as you watch it, filled with colorful, interesting characters and goofy situations. However, these are interspersed with moments of intense action, drama, energy, and tension. Though it may start off a bit soft and slow, the story and its diverse cast of quirky
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characters will quickly draw you into their daily struggles for work, companionship… and survival.
Yes, survival. As in, trying not to get a bullet through the head. Despite its appearance and benign title, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens (I’ll just call it HTR from now on) addresses some very, very adult themes as the story progresses, and therefore this show might not be for everyone. And I don’t mean “adult themes” like an ecchi anime. Five episodes in I haven’t seen a single case of fanservice in this show. No, the adult themes of HTR are of a more dark, sinister nature, something that clashes wonderfully with the upbeat, charming characters that populate this world. The plot of HTR follows the stories of a number of hitmen and their associates in the city of Fukuoka as they fight for work, money, family, revenge, forgiveness, and the simple right to live a quiet and normal life as they please. The writers of HTR go on to bring in some incredibly dark themes such as murder, rape, human trafficking, political corruption and intrigue, blackmail, physical and psychological torture, and more. All this would normally produce an anime that leaves the viewer with a bad taste in their mouth, but HTR contrasts these themes brilliantly with a cast of comedic, intriguing, wonderful characters, who lighten the story and allow the viewer to approach these horrors in a relatively safe and controlled way.
While the story of this series is still developing at this point, I would also like to mention how well the plot of HTR has been woven together. The story starts out feeling somewhat disjointed; each character in the show is introduced individually, in their own separate contexts. However, the writers quickly lead us, the viewers, to suspect that all of these disparate characters are somehow, some way, connected to one another. Call it fate, call it good writing, call it whatever you want, the story quickly leads its audience to suspect that there is more to this anime than meets the eye, a feeling that has kept me coming back for more each week.
The music in this series has been fairly mundane thus far, nothing stood out to me as being particularly bad or good about it. The voice acting is excellent, the animation crisp and clear, and as I already said, the story is both entertaining and engrossing. If you are looking for an anime to try out this season, and enjoy complex stories that develop alongside their characters, I would highly recommend checking out HTR. We’re just five episodes in, and I’m definitely looking forward to next week.
Tl;Dr This show a delightful mix of Gangsta. and Durarara!.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 21, 2017
Note: This review contains some mild spoilers, but shouldn't be more detailed than what you would find in an MAL synopsis.
Watching Gokukoku no Brynhildr is like riding a train, when you know there is a train wreck coming up, but you stay on board anyway because the staff keeps serving you such delicious snacks. If you like anime that are full of the audio/visual equivalent of delicious snacks and don’t get too preoccupied with the nuances of its overall execution, you might really like this anime. If you are very particular, and only like thoroughly fleshed-out characters, realistic relationships, and calculated story arcs, then
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it might be safe to pass this one by.
And if you can’t handle a bit of gore, just turn around now and walk away.
Then again, this anime is likely more enjoyable than many of the others in its genre. The series itself falls into a hybrid harem/ecchi/thriller/sci-fi category. There is a single male protagonist who is introduced in various quirky ways to various quirky females, who each have various quirky hairstyles, clothing choices, and levels of physical endowment.
Oh, and they’re all being targeted by some sinister, evil organization.
Oh, and they’re all in constant danger of suffering horrific, mind-numbingly gruesome deaths.
Oh, and they're all demonstrating strange, inexplicable superpowers.
Oh, and one of them may-or-may-not be the reincarnation of the protagonist’s childhood friend, who is supposed to be very, very dead.
But other than that they are perfectly normal teenagers living perfectly normal (albeit ecchi-infused) teenage lives in an observatory at the top of manicured, lonely, grass-covered hill. Of course, the young women quickly become romantically interested in the (mostly) pure-hearted protagonist. And while I won’t go into too many details on the story… suffice to say that when the protagonist meets them, the girls are all alive, and the story is about making sure they get to stay that way.
The art in the series is well done, if sometimes unimaginative. It is clean and modern and approachable, an excellent choice for a bargain-bin harem anime. Don’t expect anything too ornate, and don’t expect anything too minimalistic. It strikes a good balance, and uses some great backgrounds, which I appreciate.
The OP for this anime is actually very impressive, and was one of my favorites during the season that it aired. Beyond that, the pacing of the dialogue is occasionally off in my opinion, and some of the music is a bit cheesy, but overall the sound is fine for an anime of this caliber.
To summarize my opinion of the show, you should know that I watched the whole thing, and enjoyed the majority of it. Ecchi anime are often made to be fluffy, stimulating, and easy to consume. Gokukoku no Brynhildr is all of those things, with an added air of mysterious tension. Though I can’t rate it highly as a whole, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth watching. It’s a good time-waster, a good anime to fall back on when there’s nothing catching your interest. Through all its faults, the authors definitely got a few things in the show right, and those things can make the experience worth it for their viewers. Overall, this anime is above average for harem anime of its kind; and if you wind up watching, I sincerely hope you enjoy it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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