May 20, 2022
This is my first review, so cut me some slack, and do let me know in which areas I can improve.
When I was recommended to watch this anime by my friend I was a bit enthusiastic but then I was soon primed for disappointment after the first couple of episodes. I figured that the characters were supposed to represent cliché characters from shopworn story outlines and that their actions were supposed to be similarly satirical. I could kind of see where it was coming from but didn't think that it was all that clever - lots of "wacky, fun-filled high-school shenanigans and goings-on, only now
...
we're being ironic about it." At about the third episode, my opinion drastically changed. i.e., because I was not watching it in the recommended chronicle watch order.
Based on that strong foundation, the series further succeeds with a truly phenomenal level of attention to detail. As previously stated, the episodes air out of chronological order. I considered this to be a gimmick at first, but it works surprisingly well. The chronological sequence of events makes sense logically, but the aired order of the episodes more closely follows the traditional structure of Aristotelian drama. The order chosen leaves no narrative gaps that cannot be filled by simple inference (but while it is possible to guess what happened in an unaired "preceding" episode, one still feels compelled to watch exactly how those events unfold), and superb planning prevents any plot holes or contradictions. I watched this series a second time immediately upon completing it the first time, and I was amazed at how well even seemingly inconsequential events were all tied together.
The indicative of the extreme attention to detail in every area of the series. While the stock "anime" character designs grate a bit, the background art is exquisite, realistically rendered based upon actual photographic references. The animation quality is also excellent at important points. For example, there is a musical performance late on in the series in which the characters are shown playing a song - this may sound trivial, but the subconscious effect of watching (film-quality) animation which corresponds to the soundtrack is incredible.
In short, I love this series for some reason. By its very nature, it is something that I generally dislike, but its execution is so unique and well-carried out that I can't help it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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