Some seasons of anime are better than others, but the past winter season has hit a really low point. If you ignore the sequels, then it has been the worst season I ever blogged. Out of the series that did catch my attention enough, Kotoura-san turned out to be best. Not perhaps because it was the most consistent, but because it was the only show that really managed to stand out in a way. Yeah, it’s nothing special, but at least it’s something.
It’s especially the first and the last episode in this series that made sure of that. Perhaps they’re overdramatic at times, but the first episode plays really well with its mood-swings, making for a nice introduction, and the last episode wraps everything up nicely with a lot of character-development, making for a nice conclusion. Kotoura-san’s characters are by no means good or sophisticated; they’re all really simple teenagers without much depth. Still, they are genuine. That gave them a charm that I missed in all other non-sequels this season.
The series does have some big problems, though. You know the saying “it’s not about the destination, but about the journey”? Well that totally does not apply for Kotoura-san. I mentioned above that for Kotoura-san, it’s start and end are great. Inbetween though… it clearly had difficulties in filling everything in. This results in a pool episode, a beach episode, and a silly crime story that all feel really forced. The creators had some nice ideas for the characters, but they didn’t know what to do with them. Because of that the journey in this series can be really tedious because there really is not much interesting stuff going on. It also does not help that the antics of the bunch of perverts in this series gets annoying really fast. Still, it’s fun. It charmed and entertained me more than the other series this season.
One-Sentence Review: Kotoura-san is about mind-readers: it’s honest and genuine and that gives it a charm that makes it worth watching, despite the fact that it doesn’t know how to use half of its airtime…
Suggestions:
– B Gata H Kei
– Hitohira
– Mahou Tsukai Tai
I liked the cliche episodes – they’re cliches because by now they’re a staple of anime highschool life, and it was a joy watching Kotoura experience them. That is, watching Kotoura live a normal life, with normal joys and hijinks rather than the dark depression she started with. One thing the anime did 100% right: making me attached to its main character.
Got to say, Kotoura wouldn’t have as much trauma if she just learned to keep her mouth shut.
What about Zettai Karen Children – The Unlimited? Ok, it’s a spin-off, but that was definitely the highlight of the season for me besides sequels. I don’t know if you dropped it, but it’s worth a try.
I thought that crime arc started out quite interesting … until it ended with that ridiculously cheesy conclusion |D. Oh golly, that was… quite the theatrical play…
Still, I also really enjoyed Kotoura-san throughly. I especially liked Mifune and Muroto, to me they’re basically a couple already x) Yes. A nice little show. Even if not much happened, sometimes it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
This season did mostly suck (not counting sequels)…though I think Maoyuu Maou Yuusha deserves at least a mention. I personally liked it better than Kotoura. Even Sasami-san was interest with its crazy ideas…
Honestly Kotoura-san had the most potential within its first episode as far as the Winter season goes. The initial plot and execution was a definite 10 for me. With few exceptions the overall cohesion (and personally my interest) tapered off after episode 4. The last two episodes somewhat redeemed this anime though. Multiple half-assed and messy antagonist shifts. Lack of character development in the main two characters. Last word: give the series a first 4, and make up your own ending. You’ll love it.