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The story of Icarus is the tale of a Greek tragedy, regarding a man who decided to fly too close to the deadly sun upon gaining literal wings of freedom. Just like Icarus, COTE as a stand-alone anime flies too close to the "we're definitely going to get a second season" area of anime - an area that certainly brings down the show's overall quality.

This show has got to be one of the biggest disappointments ever in literally very category I base a show by - plot, pace, character, music, art, and overall enjoyability. Some have claimed that the light novel version of this story ... is an experience far superior to the anime, so if you're a LN reader I express my apologies early.

Let's start with plot. The concept itself is something I really shouldn't spoil but involves similarities to shows like Danganronpa or Kakegurui, In terms of the execution however, COTE fails to deliver as high a level of intellectual quality as the former example (with expectations of "big brain plays" being completely flushed down the drain), or as unique a style as the latter.

If a story can't carry a plot, then it comes down to the characters; getting easily emotionally attached to or being well written in general are both ways to capture the audience's attention. Yet, neither are done as well as they should be when you realise that this was a show released in 2017 which lasted 13 episodes. Even if it was made with the intention of promoting the light novel, one look at the lack of character development, or the sheer audacity to portray the entirety of the female cast as clichéd and two-dimensional, makes you think twice.

To sum up the previous statement into more digestible terms, I hate every single character. COTE manages to portray the students of the academy as snobby and silver-spoon-fed brats to a shockingly realistic degree, but then proceed to change nearly nothing over the course of five hours. From my personal perspective, not only were these landfill wannabees tedious and tiresome to watch in interactions, but gave me a sense of annoyance running so deep that I wanted to physically gouge my eyeballs out every episode.

The main character gets a lot of praise for being unique compared to everybody else but, to be honest, what I thought was steady development was simply me thinking too much into who he was and how he spoke and acted.

The rest of the cast including the supporting members were even worse. Bland, uninteresting, unloveable, unmotivated, lacking substance, lacking depth, and lacking desirability. The one and only character I liked was pink hair model girl who was for all intents and purposes the most anime-cliché dandere. If I wanted to watch a shy girl squirm I would rather watch my cousin prepare for a speech - and I'd STILL be more invested in that.

The final nail in the coffin - the character were so disgustingly mediocre for me that I genuinely cannot remember a single one of their names.

There's nothing interesting about the OP in terms of the visuals since it's a blatant Assassination Classroom OP1 ripoff (understandable since it's the same animation studio, Lerche). The song itself is also pretty average - Caste Room by ZAQ certainly sets up a mood, but it just doesn't sit right with the entire basis of the show, especially after knowing what happens over its run time, The ED Beautiful Soldier by Minami is just pure wasted potential especially with the powerful singer that she is (a key example being the DomeKano OP).

Nothing particularly stunning with the art either. I can tell that a lot of the backgrounds seemed Pinterest quality at best, with the character designs all being pretty average too - black hair, large chest, blonde gyaru, nerdy glasses, sociable dude with blonde hair. It's almost as if they're desperately trying to steal from Oregairu and use these stereotypes again and again and again.

With an awfully below average level of well, everything, I simply couldn't find myself enjoying the series as I would have expected. Maybe it's because I'm the only one who feels like it's too pretentious, or maybe it's because I've played too many social deduction games to the point where sticking objects on walls just isn't a smart solution to problems anymore.

If you're into a moderate level of psychological drama and school-based settings, it wouldn't hurt to give the light novel a try instead of the dumpster fire experience requiem that the COTE anime has presented to me.

Lots of people seem to be focussing on how uninspiring the characters are or how unenjoyable the story is, but I like to think that this manga comes with some positives too.

For starters, with the serialisation date being relatively new (2019), the entire concept of a "manga about streamers" hasn't really been done before. The story is simple and straight to the point, with the manga being dragged along by character arcs rather than narrative ones, hence why readers can see a more slice-of-life inspired chapter structure in this proclaimed "romance comedy".

Speaking of the characters, though they are the driving force they do have ... their own drawbacks, such as being relatively shallow at the beginning and falling into basic stereotypes - then again, that's just your average romcom, isn't it? As time goes on you slowly get to see more personal developments and as of the most recent chapter (47), there seems to be a shift of focus to the psyche and thought process of streamers.

In terms of the artwork, there really isn't much to complain about. The panels are all clean and occasionally contain singular coloured panels to highlight any and all important parts of the chapter. The character designs are nothing special but their streamer personas definitely draw inspiration from the streamers of today, though with a bit more exaggerated flair.

If you want to read something relevant now more than ever, and done so in a lighthearted and relatively cheery/easygoing manner, this is the manga for you.

Multiple boys or girls fawning over a mutual love interest is no contemporary trope in pop culture; love triangles, squares, and dodecahedrons have been part of the entertainment industry seemingly since the dawn of time. And so when a new show rears its head around saying “hey guys we have something that’s completely new and different that will blow your minds!”, deep down you know it’s bound to be exactly the same thing.

Kanojo, Okarishimasu! (彼女, お借りします), known better by its anglicized name ‘Rent-a-Girlfriend’ or abbreviated ‘Kanokari’, presents viewers with a premise brimming with potential yet failing to deliver. Rather than taking place at middle school ... or high school like the genre’s five million predecessors, university is where we lay our scene (a solid choice for the writers who wanted an adult-oriented cast but wanted to steer clear of ending up in the Sing Yesterday For Me spiral).

If mangaka Miyajima Reiji took this concept and delved deeper into the intricacies and budding romance between Kazuya and Mizuhara (two characters, mind you, that don’t conform to any particular anime protagonist traits, and are rather well written as individuals and in their interactions), this show’s upcoming negative critique and criticism would certainly be replaced by praise and admiration. However, that isn’t the universe we live in, and the reality is that three other potential lovers were added to meddle with the connection between our hero and heroine.

Rather than creating classic harem dramaturgy, committing this heinous crime has taken the smooth seas that the Chizuya ship was sailing on and plagued the waters with molten lava, tsunamis that begin to measure on the Richter scale, and divine interference from Cthulhu R'lyeh itself. A pretty nasty scene, but entirely accurate. By taking the spotlight away from the mains and instead throwing away precious 20-page weekly chapters left, right, and center for Mami, Ruka, and Sumi, not only has character development progress been hindered, but in tandem with the overall pacing and flow of the story.

Shows like Nisekoi, written 8 years prior to Kanokari, prove that pacing and flow are of the utmost importance when dealing with the harem genre. Although your first thirty to sixty chapters may be filled with foreshadowing and references galore, take too much time to stretch out the story and you’ll soon be met with fewer viewers coming back each week knowing that nothing will progress. Sadly, Rent-a-Girlfriend has been a follower of this unacceptable trait in the manga, leading many like yours truly to start doubting whether or not all this dedication was worth it. With chapters 100 and beyond setting up many potential areas of exploration but not delivering even 50 chapters later, it’s no surprise that the official viewer ratings on MAL have been slipping from its ruling position at the beginning of the season (Summer 2020).

Despite the lack of invigorating story development, the characters themselves are actually designed quite decently (in both aesthetic and personality), with the four girls having bits and pieces of different anime stereotypes rather than sticking to just the one. Doing so allows Miyajima to add the surprise element in terms of the decisions his characters make, by putting them in unfamiliar situations that draw out their hidden traits and help build onto the cast and the world. In terms of creative profits, this action has also started a sales-boosting “waifu war” where audience members pick one of the girls to support and thus buy their assorted associated goods - a trick that may sound devious at first, but can you really call yourself an anime fan if you don’t have at least one piece of merchandise?

Nevertheless, I have to applaud Studio TMS Entertainment for their ability to turn this melting pot of wasted possibilities into something enjoyable in comparison. The beautiful manga panels are definitely key attractions to the manga for those who appreciate the art style, but preserving, refining, and inking that quality of sketching is no easy task, yet a task that has been completed flawlessly. Backed up by the killer soundtrack that remixes classical music with 8-bit chiptune, an OP by none other than the peggies (famous for their work on Rascal Doesn’t Dream Of A Bunny Girl Senpai, Sarazanmai, and Boruto), and an ED by the one and only halca (famous for her work on Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Wotaku), both the music and the art elevate the entire show from its dumpster fire tier to a higher plane.

In the sea of new releases and episodes that get published and spread on the internet every day, it’s no surprise that a show starring four cute girls with a title that immediately attracts audience members both English and Japanese would get popular at such a rapid rate. That being said, with the manga disappointing in almost every aspect, the currently airing (as of 20/8/2020) anime adaptation covers for some of the flaws, but not all of them. Recommended to die-hard fans of the harem genre, but even still, why not watch something better like The Quintessential Quintuplets or Ouran High School Host Club?

Rating: 5.5/10

"The best way to write a realistic romance is to first be in love"

The fickle days that we spend at school are likely those compiled of comedy, tragedy, romance, drama, and a maelstrom of other emotions that all come back to bite years later after our graduation. And so, why not spend those days as happy as you can possibly be? Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo's plot is a simple one - a band of "misfit" students live their lives in the isolated dorm of Sakurasou, a classic trope for slice of life anime. And so, you may be thinking: "why does something so simple ... get such a high rating?" And my answer to that would be: "it's the most realistic interpretation of high school life that I have ever seen, perhaps even compared to real life." I FELT every single character and their position in the grand scheme of things, from Kanda's confusion to Nanami's hardworking attitude. Not only does each character have their own unique trait that speaks to the audience, but it evolves and morphs into an amalgamation of an answer to the question
what makes life worth living?"

Characters are the most important part of the story of Sakurasou's members bar none (while also achieving a perfect 10 for me in terms of the development and interaction). Yet, accompanying the relatable and likeable cast come the visual art, the music, and the technical aspects.

The artwork is phenomenal, I don't think I can use any other word to describe it. Both still and moving frame are all illustrated to a high degree of quality, the reactions and changes from "sakura petals falling down, Your Lie In April style" pretty to "Saiki K background characters pulling a funny face and over-exaggerating their emotions" pretty. Surprisingly, the combination of the two make for a highly entertaining visual experience.

I fully believe that the OP, ED, insert songs, and OST can absolutely help boost or even define a show's success and memorability. DAYS OF DASH and PRIME NUMBER, the two ending songs, are probably up there in my top 10 favourite EDs of all time when it comes to audio, and the former falling into my top 5 in terms of both audio and visual. The way that it manages to capture all of the emotions that the shows two major arcs radiate through songs lasting under two minutes long is completely baffling and every time I listen to them I just sneak in a grin. WOrth listening to no matter who you are.

And of course, the last thing to measure are the technical aspects that appeared in the show, from the mixing to the editing to, most notably, the voice acting. Although there are a variety of highly aesthetically pleasing shot directions in the anime, what takes the cake is how every single voice actor and actress was so perfectly able to deliver their lines with just the right amount of bravado or sass or composure. I don't think that there was a single line which was delivered badly, and these characters voices drew me in with just how fitting everything was from their appearance to their songs to their voice to the way that they appear on screen in differently perspectives and angles. I can clearly see that JC Staff put a lot of effort into this, and it exceeds expectations by 200%.

To everybody that feels like I may not have gone into enough detail in terms of what the characters are like or what exactly the plot is, I would recommend you to throw all of those worries away and go in guns blazing with a Hakuna Matata attitude - don't worry about it! Sakurasou is definitely an experience that I would recommend going into blind, or at least with little knowledge, which is what I tried to do in this review.

The Pet Girl Of Sakurasou is what I can claim to be an anime that I couldn't bare to binge, and honestly I thought that it was way too realistic, and that the level of emotional attachment to the characters is exactly what a good show needs. As Nanami said, "There are some things that you can't say to someone, no matter how close you are." And though her context and mine are on the opposite sides of the spectrum, I think that you, the reader right now, deserve this experience without knowing too much about it. I assure you, you'll love it.

When you think about your current or previous life at school, was it bright and rose-coloured, or dark and grey? Hyouka, a show that tackles a genre that doesn't often come by itself - Mystery (without the tags of Horror or Thriller or Drama), certainly delivers a strong message regarding this question, all from the perspective of a protagonist who's views on the world are rather glass-half-empty. The anime shines not just in art, as a show produced by Kyoto Animation usually is, but more so in the sound direction, flow of the plot, and the shining star - the characters.

The sound direction in ... Hyouka is likely the most impressive OST that KyoAni has ever made. It's not every day where you find a mystery-based anime without the rest of its stereotypical tags, making it difficult to compose for. Still, through the use of around 10 different tracks overall, the composer was able to express the sense of the unknown while also drawing out elements of music that paid homage to the Japanese heritage of Chitanda's family, to Satoshi's playboy-esque nature, to Oreki's unstable will to do anything.

This music goes hand in hand with the way that the plot is presented to the audience. Unlike certain mystery stories out there, you as the reader have all of the information required to deduce who was responsible for what. It's just a matter of how closely you look. To be honest, I was quite surprised by this as after each big reveal I always paused, took a breather, and collected myself, basking in the sheer awe that was how the writer of the Koten-bu series was able to so perfectly create setups and payoffs that didn't seem completely random, but rather depending on whether you, the audience, was actually paying attention to every tiny detail, from the smallest crack in the wall to the tinest smudge of paint of a book.

Yet what drives this show and is the raison d'être of why anybody should watch this is because of the characters. Expressing ones emotions isn't always the easiest thing, as it could make or break relationships that had previously lasted the test of time. The show understands this concept and shows it in the only way that those who are feeling troublesome to their core usually deal with it - suppressing their feelings deep into their hearts and never letting go. This can be seen in certain characters more than others, and to differing levels of depth.

Moreover, aside from purely being individual characters, the cast itself serves as an extended metaphor for the many struggles and ways of adapting during school life, though you'll have to see for youself how they do so, as everybody does it yet not many wish to admit it in person.

Hyouka is, quite to the literal meaning, a slice of life. High school life is always over or under portrayed in anime, but this show has certainly hit the nail on the head. With art that makes me realise how important eyes and colour are to define a character, the masterful background compositions that determine and drive and scene's tone, the visual and aural climaxes that are entailed in watching the OPs and EDs, the ingenious plot setups and payoffs of each and every mystery, the subtle character development and interactions, and finally an ending to tie it all off.

There truly is no better time to watch Hyouka than now, for no matter if you're a grown adult or in the process of your growth into becoming one, watching how other in similar situations came to become more mature is undoubtedly something that everybody can take away, perhaps shaping the type of rose coloured future we all have in store for us.

"You can have everything but my heart."

Relationships and dealing with unrequited love are some of the hardest things that any person has to go through, and what one does during these desperate times is usually beyond the confines of reason and justice. Kuzu no Honkai is a disturbing and uncomfortable journey through these emotions that blossom within the depths of a young adults mind, slowly taking over everything from their decision making process to their basic sense and sensibility. The story spirals down the rabbit hole of themes such as how beauty plays a major role in deciding ones fate, to how the rules of ... monogamy should be looser, to a bunch of other thoughts and ideologies twisted by the sickening double-edged knife of love.

With the plot revolving around such dark and desolate themes such as the feelings of letting go and clinging to the past, as well as having a unique cast who all individually have their fatal flaws, prominent in the way they act and move and speak and react, Lerche has gone above and beyond my expectations to what I would describe as a visual feast for the eyes. Although the framing of key moments in the style of manga panels and the rough and raw texture that the art style exudes are all good enough to seal the deal, the use of colour symbolism is by far the most impressive, and is the icing on the cake.

By using the five-colour spectrum of white, red, yellow, black, and pink to visually represent the emotions and struggles of each character, the anime has taken the phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve" to the serious extent. Yet, it all the more welcome as it merely enhances the shows creative direction. Similar comments can be made on the OP and ED, Uso no Hibana and Heikousen, which coupled with the suggestive and symbolic imagery of the OP, and the uncomfortable kaleidoscopic effect of the ED, manage to bring out the rouch and unpolished emotions that a relationship of revenge stems from.

I likely wouldn't have watched this show without knowing how deep the themes of emotional behaviour and the human psyche would be portrayed to an almost eerily realistic extent, managing to put off viewers. Though there are implied NSFW scenes, one must look at this as a statement and reflection of the grotesque yet longing creatures humans are, and allow that raw emotion to flood all over you, changing your outlook on just how far we are willing to go for love and acceptance in this lonely, lonely world.

What is love? To me, it is a passionate feeling greater than any other that has the power to completely change personalities, is the cause of many actions one wouldn't do under a normal circumstance, and the driving force that resides within all of us. Kaichou was Maid-sama is by far the simplest and most beautiful representation of this ideology that I have ever seen in any anime or manga, solidifying its spot as one of my favourite manga of all time.

Although the anime did leave a large gaping hole in my heart, the manga was quick to pick up off of where the ... anime left off and continued this legacy of a story that is the battle for love and acceptance between Ayuzawa Misaki and Usui Takami. With fantastic artwork leaving every panel filled with a sense of either love or awe, character development from my wildest dreams, and a gripping plot until the end, Fujiwara has outdone herself and deserves all the praise one can give towards the series.

ART: 9/10

Although I myself am not well versed in the wide variety of art styles in anime, the ability to appreciate what it is worth and the effort and willpower that made it possible for the artist to create such a broad range of visuals is beyond anything that I could have expected. From chibi to moe, to even gorgeously detailed double-page spreads, it's obvious that every single panel was done with a clear visual idea in mind - one that shows just how much blood, sweat, and tears were put into this work that took almost a decade to complete.

CHARACTER & DEVELOPMENT: 9/10

In terms of character development and character arcs, I honestly could not have asked for better narrative flow and overall conclusion. Although the show boasts an impressive range of characters, it is masterfully able to make it so that each and every one of them reaches a certain point of change, whether big or small, giving the reader an even greater feeling of satisfaction after completing the manga.

STORY & PLOT: 8/10

The plot development took an extremely unexpected turn compared to what I was initially expecting, particularly due to the fact that my friends spoiled the end of the show before I read it, which surprisingly lead to an experience which enhanced the journey rather than the destination. Moreover, the particular aspect that kept me continuously think about the hidden implications between the lines was how certain themes such as familial relationships and social hierarchy and status become more prominent - something that was certainly fresh and innovative to read. This is all made even more impressive over the fact that the story manages to keep the romance as the main plot in tandem with all of this going on in the background, creating a provocative story mountain that reaches peaks sooner than expected and descends at a slow yet reasonable pace.

ENJOYMENT: 10/10

I highly recommend this to pretty much anybody no matter if you yourself are a shounen or shojo in real life or at heart, as sometimes the best romance dramas are those that aren't targeted to a specific audience but can rather be enjoyed from anybody's perspective.

Tl;dr - wide range of stellar artstyle, characters that are able to all go through proper physical and emotional arcs, a story that challenges the normal shojo rom-com themes which keeps every chapter fresh and attractive, and all of which are suitable for everybody no matter who you are.