Apr 22, 2020
Recommended for slice of life fans looking for something different.
Essentially this show is a fairly low budget/uneven quality sitcom presented with 3D anime vtubers instead of real life people. The whole show takes place in one room and the 3D has some issues. Character's mouths move out of sync with what they're saying (minor), hair sometimes clips in and out of clothes (minor), character models sometimes move in ways real people shouldn't (minor), camera work is amateur (moderate), and the aliasing on Futaba's horribly chosen black and white striped shirt looks awful every time she moves (major). I feel the frame rate could have been
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higher too but it's hard to say whether that would have made an improvement or not. A lot of this stuff could have been fixed if they did some post processing over to top to correct it but I understand they were likely limited on budget and time. It's definitely better than the 3D we've seen from vtubers before and it's far from unwatchable, but as a professional show it feels like watching a low budget version of the future. Credit is due for the soft lighting, it makes the show feel warm and plays an extremely important role in stopping the visuals from looking sterile and soulless as common of CGI. The 3D modelling of the set is crisp and overall well done. The problem is the whole show happens in one room and feels a bit cramped especially towards the end.
But the main reason why I think this show is worth a watch is because it has something that I think has been lacking in a lot of slice of life anime recently. Something like SOUL or CHARM. The whole show is filled with it and you can feel the fun the actresses are having on set through their amateur acting and slightly off 3D models. This is the first time any of them had done any acting, it shows, but it feels like they fully embraced the opportunity as a welcome change from sitting on the computer streaming video games. The 3D graphic flaws and warm lighting help with the charm on the visual side too and it's really refreshing watching a slice of life with visuals like this as a change from normal anime.
It has very cliched sitcom writing with a mixture of comedic and touching moments similar to countless sitcoms that have come before it. The touching moments do well in bringing out the charm and chemistry of the three sisters but the comedic moments are hit or miss with the two stand-up episodes being the worst in the show. There's a distinct Japanese flavour to the writing too that's somewhat different to other anime. There's references to Japanese authors, bands, celebrities etc, but also to social customs, current affairs, language nuances, and all sorts of other minor stuff that might add a very specific sort of appeal for some people. Maybe it would be tiring for regular viewers of Japanese live action but it does stand out a bit from both slice of life anime and American sitcoms.
Sound wise the show is fine except for a bad laugh track. Fortunately they seem to have removed it for the second season and Futaba's awful black and white shirt has been changed too. There's also more characters and scenes set outside the Watanuki sisters' one room.
Sadly it doesn't look like this will get English subs anytime soon so it's limited to people with an understanding of Japanese. If you are one of these people and like slice of life, you may be in for a nice surprise and a welcome change of pace. I don't see myself becoming a devoted fan of these shows if they become more common in the future but this one is a nice novelty and it's a novelty done well enough for me to watch season two. Realistically it probably deserves a lower score but overall my enjoyment of it is around 7.5. It grew on me a lot after being relatively underwhelmed by the first episode and I think it deserves points for feeling new.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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