I remember being very bored at one point surfing the internet for anything that might pick my interest. I thought to myself I could use some sparkle in my life so I browsed through the romance genre of manga. Koi to Uso immediately stuck out to me with it's very distinguishable art style. And that's where we will start with what I believe is Koi to Uso's strongest element, Art.
The Manga of Koi to Uso had a visual flair very appropriate for romance. The character designs were very grounded as well as defining the characters archetype at a glance. And while some might have
...
an issue with the design of the eyes, I welcome it whole heartedly. In anime, movement and strength of the eyes can express the characters feelings that they would be unable to say themselves. And to that I would love to say that Koi to Uso's visual language is graciously sympatheic. It has a variety of extreme close up shots on lips or hand movement accentuating the nervousness. High angle shots on a slouching character in a time of weakness or distress. It is also very rare for a scene to skip a close up of the characters eyes, further emphasizing the importance of the eye.
Moving away from the face, the body language is just as important. While we still get the common shots where it includes multiple characters standing there with little much to do while a few characters talk, I welcome them. Because not much is meant to happen. However, when the story is meant to be really personal we see shots of different angles often showing us the position most expressive of their feelings. I also feel that the cuts in this anime are almost of a perfect length. And length of the scenes are well paced, feeling neither rushed or too long to fit the episode.
Besides the character design, my favorite aspect of animation in the anime is the lighting. Whether if it's broad daylight, a red dusk or in the middle of the night, the gradient layer of white at the corner of the shot accentuates the moment. The bright color palette is very nice but I feel Koi to Uso is at it's strongest at night. Dark colors conquer most of the screen, however, the few lightning we have on the characters express a sensual relationship with the uncertainty.
Ironically, uncertainty is what I feel for the sound department in Koi to Uso. Unlike with the animation, the music does not know when to cut away. The music is mostly drawn out and tries it's best to express the mood of the scene. Contrary to it's purpose, it actually breaks the mood. As there were both verbal and visual dialogue and requires time to translate between the characters. The best thing to do would have had complete silence and when the characters are finally able to draw a conclusion through the dialogue is when the music should be executed. In addition, the soundtrack seems to be just a cut above average. The soundtrack seems to be very small. Although, the ending theme is very nice to listen to.
I've always been a fan of Hanazawa Kana as her voice is really easy to listen to. Kana plays her archetype fine. Makino Yui on the other hand took me some time to relate her voice to Ririna. At times the visual language and verbal language didn't seem to match but I like her voice nonetheless. Ohsaka Ryouta voice I find to be very troll at times, and I mean that in a good way. His voice fits Yukari almost perfectly barring the times he speaks with Nisaka. When Yukari speaks with Nisaka, the pitch of his voice seems to shoot up a level emphasizing his ridiculous levels of sensuousness to Nisaka. All to incite Nisaka's inner tsundere towards Yukari. And while the VA are doing what they are supposed to be doing, it still bothers me. Selection of the VA's to the characters was pretty spot on, though.
Lastly, it's very difficult to separate a story from characters. This is especially true in the slice of life genre where the story is heavily influenced by the characters interests and goals. However, the only thing on our main casts mind seem to be love. Besides Yukari's interest in Burial Mounds, Koi to Uso has very little material to build on. Resulting in simple plot development and a spiral of melodrama.
While the story is very simple, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It allows the story to focus on our cast. The existence of the Marriage Plan is pretty ridiculous and is probably the only offender of ridiculous reasons to bring characters together and cause melodrama. It is also our source of fun, our reason for watching this series. The special events that forces the characters to bond do not feel random. Instead of having Yukari randomly meet Ririna out in the wild, they take the initiative to invite each other. Or their parents act as an intermediary. At least in the world of Koi to Uso, it all feels very plausible.
My biggest gripe about the cast is really Yukari. He's mostly just a nice guy and lacks initiative or the strength to make his plans come to fruition. Regardless, I cheer for him to express his feelings. Ririna sits in the middle ground for me. At first, her actions are very questionable as we all know it's going to cause issues later. I empathize with her naivety, because she is forced to live with the consequences. Misaki is perhaps my favorite character from Koi to Uso. Being reluctant with her love for Yukari at first but choosing to let her feelings out when she can is all understandable.
I very much enjoy that I can empathize with the characters of Koi to Uso. The dialogue always reminds of what the characters are feeling. The animation has a firm grasp of their feelings and well placed cuts keep the scene active although not much is happening. Although, less music would help with the atmosphere. And at times the volume of the sounds can be an issue. Koi to Uso was a good show.
Sep 18, 2017
Koi to Uso
(Anime)
add
I remember being very bored at one point surfing the internet for anything that might pick my interest. I thought to myself I could use some sparkle in my life so I browsed through the romance genre of manga. Koi to Uso immediately stuck out to me with it's very distinguishable art style. And that's where we will start with what I believe is Koi to Uso's strongest element, Art.
The Manga of Koi to Uso had a visual flair very appropriate for romance. The character designs were very grounded as well as defining the characters archetype at a glance. And while some might have ... 
May 5, 2015
Nodame Cantabile
(Anime)
add
Nodame cantabile is a wellspring of fun and excitement. Chiaki Shinichi plays the Tsukkomi, the straight man, keeping the story relevant and the symbol to which we can relate to. Noda Megumi plays the Boke, the fool, entertaining us from start to finish. The duo creates an almost perfect balance of dramatic exchange and comedic relief for the series. That being said, I felt that Noda Megumi was lacking as a character as well as relevance to the plot.
The plot is driven by Chiaki's desire to become an aspiring conductor. Chiaki makes for the perfect medium for the plot, as there is never a dull ... 
Jul 20, 2013
Chikan Otoko
(Manga)
add
The stories short but the journey feels like a life time worth. From how the first chapter introduces itself one wouldn't expect how it would end. The story is also heavy based on the relationships of the characters but it never loses focus.
A pencil, a Pen and maybe an eraser is pretty much the tools needed for this manga (And bare minimum computer assistance). The workmanship at first glance seem as if they were doodles on a notebook. But the consistency of the characters is quite astonishing. And although the background detail is limited to certain panels it never disrupts the flow of the ... 
Jul 1, 2013
Shingeki no Kyojin
(Anime)
add
I find the world of Shingeki no Kyojin to be fairly well defined. In the opener episode of Shingeki it briefly touches up on the effects the Titans have on society. Character tropes are established. Then an horrendously exhilarating Titan invasion finishes off the opener leaving one wanting more. And it doesn't let up, humans are pushed back without a light of hope. This gives the viewer an idea of how desperate the situation is. But while I love the world of Shingeki no Kyojin the story starts to drag itself as it gets further into the story. Minor characters have character development and long
...
Jun 9, 2013
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
(Anime)
add
When I looked at the Fall 2012 anime series line up I immediately threw this anime onto the 'do not watch' list. When I see Moe girls and Comedy on genres or themes I assume there is little to no story. But of course I was bored like anyone else so I went to watch this anime for the laughs. The first half of the series was lighthearted comedy but it actually has a story comes the latter half. The twist was a nice touch. The ending was okay for the most part but it left a void for me.
Kyoto animations does a great ... 
Jun 9, 2013
Kotonoha no Niwa
(Anime)
add
Kotonoha forced it's romance too much. While I can understand Takao's affection for Yukino I could not say the other way around. I am also against the time jump in the movie because it cuts time out for actual development leaving it up to the viewer. Parts of the anime felt longer than they should've been while others that I felt should've been longer were shorter. I would appreciate it more if the movie was 2 hours rather than 45 minutes.
If possible, I would like to see every anime in existence animated like this. The composition of the scenery were amazing they could probably sell ... 
Jun 4, 2013
Ao no Exorcist
(Anime)
add
The concept of the story is nothing new but I'd like to believe it is something anyone can get into. The execution of it, however, is disconcerting. Situations were overly dramatic when it did not need to be and lighthearted situations were longer than they needed to be. And the plot twist at the end of the anime was randomly thrown into the series to give it an epic closer. Which backfired in my honest opinion.
The animation was very clean. Character designs followed shounen trends for the most part having the cast in their uniforms for a majority of the series. Backgrounds did not ... |
