I’m fan of a lot of different genres, but personally my two favourite genres of anime are science fiction and mystery. Zettai Shounen is a typical example of the latter. Mystery definitely is a tricky genre that’s easy to screw up with, but when done right it can produce some of the most unique series. Zettai Shounen is definitely not for everyone, but at the same time it’s a wonderful example of the mystery genre done right.
First of all though, if you were expecting a fast-paced story, action, or a series that treats its viewers like idiots or people with a short attention span, then go and look somewhere else. A lot of the characters in Zettai Shounen are teenagers, a large theme of this series is adolescence, but at the same time the series treats them with a surprising amount of maturity. Most of the series just consists out of people talking with each other, whether in person or through a phone. These conversations can be short and to the point, but they can also take up half an episode. If you hate series with lots of talking, stay away from this one.
And yet, that’s also the beauty of this series. The thing that makes Zettai Shounen unique is that the mystery is actually fairly simple, yet the conversations that the characters have about it is what makes it deep and complex. Every character in this series has a different way to relate to the mysterious phenomenons that pop up throughout the series and everyone interprets it in a different way.
This is a series by Tomomi Mochizuki, which leads to a wonderfully realistic portrayal and dialogue. The characters all act naturally and far away from stereotypes; there’s nothing overly moe and instead the creators created this wonderful down to earth atmosphere that really draws you in.
This all leads to a truly excellent cast of characters. Aizawa Ayumu is a terrific lead character, unlike just about any other male lead I’ve seen. The relationship he has with his father is especially amazing, but just about half of the cast here in this series sets itself apart and stands as a unique and captivating character. I really loved characters like Miku, Wakkun, Sakakura, Okaka-baba and even the minor side-characters like an old man and his dog with a hat on leave their impression. There is A TON of character development in this series, and the cast gladly makes use of it.
This is a series that’s divided in two halves. The interesting part is that both halves have completely different focuses, and even the lead characters switch (only two regular characters of the first half return as regular characters of the second half). Personally I liked the characters of the first half a little better, but both halves have more than enough to make them worth watching, and the second half especially is where the character development starts shining.
What really sold me over this series however was that it knows exactly how to build up. Instead of wasting time, it’s constantly either trying to develop the characters or flesh out its setting, and it makes everything come together wonderfully during its rare climaxes. Both halves of Zettai Shounen have got some awesome endings that make wonderful use of the build-up that’s been handed to them.
Zettai Shounen is both a very relaxing, and very deep series. It’s skillfully constructed and the dialogue, in what form it may be, is constantly as sharp as a knife. The one thing you shouldn’t do with this series is get impatient, because then you’re missing the entire point of the story, but I really recommend this for any mystery-fan who doesn’t mind quiet stories.
| Storytelling: | 9/10 – Quiet, yet very sharp. Excellent dialogue, great sense of build-up that it manages to use really well. |
| Characters: | 9/10 – The characters are charming yet flawed, they’re consistently enjoyable to watch and receive a ton of meaningful development throughout the series. |
| Production-Values: | 8/10 – Dreamy soundtrack, undeniable visual style, though the CG can get intrusive at some points. |
| Setting: | 9/10 – Realistic and down to earth, yet deep. |
Suggestions:
– Ghost Hound
– Dennou Coil
– .Hack//Sign
I was fairly new to the anime world when I watched this. I used to think that the term “zashiki warashi” was a Zettai Shounen ONLY word. I guess it wasnt xD
I did watch the first episode of this once, but I never got very far with it. Maybe I’ll put this on my to-watch list. I do love the OP song though.
So, are you telling me this is how Bakemonogatari should have been made to be actually good??
Absolutely loved this show…
One of the hidden gems. It just slipped under the radar when it was on. I happened on it at that time and have loved it ever since. Mochizuki is really a great director/writer. House of Five Leaves proved that again this year. That may be my top show of 2010.
so,
mystery
dialogue heavy
detailed characters/ character development
I’ll probably check this out sometime soon.
One question/ request though concerning your short reviews. I notice you usually (intentionally?) mention nothing about the plot of the series in your reviews. ie. What is the series actually about?.
Sure, I could wikipedia or whatever but imho a brief paragraph in the reviews would be helpful.
For example if you were to review Shiki, it would be nice to shortly mention the subject (vampires attack) and the setting (isolated village, realism). That way when you’d go on to talk about things like atmosphere, pace, dialogue etc. in the way you usually do, they are much easier for me as the reader to place into context.
Just some feedback on my part. I love reading your blog so please take it in a positive way.
O boy! It’s been over 4 years since I watched this. This is the first place I have ever seen this blogged (nice!). btw, this was, by far, one of the most original shows I have come across. It is a far cry to the usual harem-pseudo-porn anime that we see.
remembering about this anime kinda makes me sad at the current state of anime industry.
I didn’t like this one very much. All you said were true, but the slow pacing is really really slow. Among the 200 series I watched, I think it was the slowest. Fortunately, characters do grow, that’s what kept me awake. I think House of five leaves is at least thrice faster than this one.
I also agree that the first half was better than the second one, and the main reasons are that the mystery is better (maybe because of the setting is a village in the middle of nowhere) and because the lead character is also better.
I adore this series, though it was something like three years after it aired when I first watched it, because, like others, this one flew under the radar for me at the time. I’ve watched it twice, since, and picked up things I missed the first time through. This is a show that can be a goldmine for those who are determined enough to endure its frustrating slowness and the po-faced, emotionally-blunted inscrutability of the characters.
This is the first time I have seen this blogged in about 5 years. It was only by accident that I stumbled on Matthew’s Anime Blog and read about it. I enjoyed the series but as Immelman says it is the slowest anime I have ever seen in my 13 years of fandom. This is really a unique series. You rarely see anything like this.
this is a good anime i have watched a lot of animes like naruto and death note
(Aizawa Ayumu is a young boy, who is sent to a small town called Tana to live with his father for a while. Even though he doesn’t want to go, he agrees to do so when his mother offers him a mountain bike. Ayumu used to live in Tana before, and now his memories of the time are shrouded in mystery – apparently something happened when he was a child. Enter Miku, a young girl who knows more than she tells, weird glowing lights floating around, reflections of UFOish objects in the eyes of cats and dogs, a nosy female announcer, a forest with a mysterious past, and a weird boy called Wakkun, who wears the clothes Ayumu used to when he was a child, and you get the world of Zettai Shonen, where mysteries remain mysteries amidst a slow, normal, everyday life.)
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