Ixion Saga’s second episode was funny, but not as funny as the first episode, which has me a bit worried. Can it keep up its pacing for its entire airtime?
Also, there is only one reason why I picked Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo over Little Busters. It’s a simple reason that could have very easily been fixed, but it’s massively affecting my enjoyment of the series: the female voice actresses! I mean I get high-pitched and all, but you don’t have to feed them helium. It had good parts, but that alone turned this into the show with the worst two opening episodes for a Key series for me. It’s still quite good and I will pick this up if I ever were to drop SAO… but I first need to numb myself to those antics.
As for Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, here is the thing: after watching so many annoying, flawed and poorly done shounen romantic comedies, I want to follow one that is actually done right. That’s another reason why I didn’t go with Sukitte Ii na Yo, by the way. Both series have a lot of romantic tension and good drama, both are quite underrated, but in the end, Sakurasou’s characterization is just better. Add that to Kamisama Hajimemashita and it would be a bit of a romance overload…
What sets Sakurasou apart is the small bits it adds to the characters. They’re stereotypes, but this show fleshes them out in very interesting ways. Like the detail in eating baumkuchen, or saying congratulations with the cabbages. Little Busters for example did not have that: that also had characters who were really trying to be quirky, but there is little variation in them, and it also lacks some of the wit. Granted though, some of the yelling does get on my nerves, not to mention the pointless harem set-up involving that female classmate.
Then there is the genius subplot. In Tonari no Kaibatsu-kun, I could buy the really high grades of the female lead, but not from the male lead. With the geniuses in this series, I can buy it. Shiina has been so focused on drawing and nothing else that it makes sense for her to be this amazing artist. Misaki and Jin meanwhile feel like the kinds of eccentrics that aside from devoting time to study, also devote a ton of time to being weird/chasing girls.
And then there is Shiina. I mean this show has a ton of fanservice, and she is the biggest source from it. With her, this show is pretty much huge wosh fulfillment. What it does better than most other romances is character chemistry, and this especially stands out for Sorata and Shiina. The tension between the two of them is actually surprisingly engaging to watch, especially with Shiina’s incredibly blunt statemtns, and Mashiro being more than just yet another straight man for them.
Also, thsi show is concise. I remember how Nisemonogatari annoyed me with a similar set-up because it just refused to go anywhere with its endless dialogues. An even better comparison would be Denpa-Teki to Seishun Otoko, which also focuses on a guy taking care of a girl with mental problems. The balance between the dialogues is actually good here and the show actually does not drag itself out.
Rating: 4.5/8 (Good)
