Let me start this review by saying that I’m usually not much of a fan of slice of life comedies. In my experience, they’re often boring, repetitive and stereotypical, and just look too much like each other. However, there are of course always exceptions. Hyakko last year for example was great example of a series that hit all the right notes for me, and here’s another one: GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class. This really is everything that a good slice of life comedy should be.
The way this series stands out is that it’s not only enjoyable, it’s also very informative. In every episodes the creators put these nice facts about rt, art techniques and equipment that also made it a very interesting series to watch. I raraly run into a series that actually teaches me something, but this series is one of those rare exceptions. Especially if you like art, there are enough details put into this series to keep you interested.
On top of that, this also is a really well written and directed series. Even though it follows the daily lives of a bunch of characters, it hardly ever repeats itself: every episode is distinctly different, and about a different topic, it hardly ever repeats jokes, and when it does it builds further upon them, rather than milking them out.
This really is a comedy for those who like fast-paced series. The creators really jump from one scene to the other, to keep the show fresh and from dragging. However, that does lead to a bit of a chaotic pacing, and you really need to pay attention in order to be able to follow it, so if you’d like your comedies to be more straightforward you’ll probably be turned off by this series.
Nevertheless, with a lovable cast, an excellent script and a very good portrayal of a bunch of high school girls, this really is one of my top picks in terms of this year’s comedies. It’s always consistently fresh, enjoyable and interesting, and even the parts that aren’t funny are still enjoyable or informative. It’s really a shame that it flew so much under the radar, because it’s definitely among my top 5 series of the past summer season.
| Storytelling: | 9/10 |
| Characters: | 9/10 |
| Production-Values: | 8/10 |
| Setting: | 9/10 |
Agreed with all your points. Love the show too! Truly the underdog of summer anime.
on the day that you watched this for the first time, you smacked it a low score along with two other shows. maybe now it’s time to reconsider the two other shows, cause honestly, I think you were just having a bad day.
For Kanamemo, I indeed might have been a bit too harsh, but I actually kept watching Princess lover to episode 6, which turned out to be a really bad choice. The dialogue was just overly cheesy and hardly anything felt inspired.
Hey, have you ever watched School Rumble? When you said you’re not much of a fan of slice-of-life comedies, that was the first show that came to mind… because despite the generic title and generic-seeming characters, School Rumble is a FANTASTIC show. It’s funny, it’s charming, it’s well-written, the characters are really well fleshed-out and likable… it’s just overall a highly enjoyable slice-of-life comedy. It’s like Azumanga Daioh, but dare I say BETTER.
If you ever get a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it. It’s a perfect example of how the genre SHOULD be done.
As for GA… I think you’ve finally sold me on it. I’ll have to check it out this weekend. It sounds right up my alley. (:
-Tom
Wyrdwad: I’ve watched the first 13 episodes of School Rumble, and like you said it definitely had some hilarious parts, but eventually the endless stupidity of the lead character Tenma got the best of me, and I unfortunately dropped it.
Awww, that’s a shame. Despite her stupidity, I actually find Tenma extremely charming and likable. There’s a certain innocence to her that’s just really adorable. (:
Of course, the real reason to watch is for Harima and his antics. Harima is one of the greatest anime characters ever. 😉
But yeah, if you didn’t like it enough to continue after 13 episodes, I doubt your opinion would’ve changed much as you went farther in. It’s not exactly an ever-changing show, so once you get a feel for the kind of stuff that’s in it, you pretty much know what to expect from the rest of it.
-Tom
This is without a doubt my favorite series of Summer 09 and might even be my favorite series of 09 so far.
I should however note the fact that is the type of show I tend to enjoy. Also it was my most anticipated series of Summer in terms of what I was waiting to try out. In part due to the first volume of the manga.
In regards to School Rumble, I used to liked it. However I lost interest once I realized it was a case of format ruining potential, but that’s another story.
I loved the cast in general, but for me the high favorite was Chikako. I was also quite fond of Miki and Miyabi as well.
I am watching kanamemo, and i reconsidered something about it. Originally it seemed to me the same old story with moe chars with the same antics with nothing new at all. That first impression remained, but i noticed how the direction played with stereotypes and their antics to make the show enjoyable. So in the end it was, sure not a masterpice, but an entertaining serie.
Its the kind of show I used to enjoy, but I was sceptical of it at first. After watching it, I take it back. It’s fresh, got its own taste of uniqueness to every episode, and never feels like it’s been overdone. The art style seeps quality, and the music goes with the style perfectly.