This show. I still have no idea what to make of it. Why does it care so little about making sense? And why at the same time does it work so well on the emotional level?
The use of kids in this episode was just… bizarre. We first had this kindergarten teacher who is actually a member of POG. She then takes a bunch of random toddlers along with her, without ever explaining what happened to their parents, and brings them inside a dangerous building that’s at the verge of collapsing. Some random bad guy then appears from out of nowhere and locks the door everyone’s in, and instead of helping to solve the puzzles in question she made herself as quickly as possible, she spends her entire time trying to bust open a locked door. Add that to the bizarre leaps in logic this show already has.
And yet the characters in this episode were really charming. And I have no idea why. Granted, the teacher in question had a solid story, and the use of atmosphere was really great, but could that alone have been enough? Nonoha was well acted in this episode, and the characters here are far from tedious to watch, bizarrely enough.
In a way this show reminds me of Suteki Tantei Labyrinth. I’m not sure how many people actually watched it back when it aired, but it basically involved this kid who had to solve some of the most ridiculous mysteries, and even though it was very childish and incredibly far-fetched at times, it was fun and had surprisingly enjoyable characters, unlike what you might expect when you first see it. The thing is however, that that show did have a “so bad it’s good factor”. It was great to see how crazy it could become, and it had A TON of cheese. Phi Brain doesn’t really have cheese, though. Its drama is simple but genuine, but it’s not exactly angst-filled or something.
Rating: * (Good)]]>
Phi Brain – 07
I think you misunderstood some things about this episode… The puzzle wasn’t made by the kindergarten teacher but by her fiancé who had died. And of course she tried to open the door, the building could’ve collapsed on them in any moment. Which, by the way, was the idea of the new bad guy (played by Morikawa Toshiyuki – the voice cast is getting pretty impressive for a silly children’s anime).
Anyway, I think “charming” is the key word here – this series is just so charming and cute. Yes, the puzzles are nothing too complex (it’s a kids’ show, after all) and the stories are nothing to write home about, but the characters are very enjoyable, silly as they are. The drama works as long as you don’t expect too much from it, the humor is nice, it looks pretty good, and the music is pretty nice as well. All in all, I’m glad this is a 2 cour series!
I really enjoyed this episode. Sure the series makes no sense but I doubt it’s their goal to do so. Just before the episode I was like…it would be nice for Nonoha to also have a title, I mean she has skills that are useful in puzzle solving. And then I saw the episode’s name: Nonoha’s Title XD! She has to my favourite character on the show for now. I think @kuromitsu’s got it. The show is charming. Nothing too deep but it’s still enjoyable. We need shows like that too.