AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #3 Review

Hinata, could you play a match against me?

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

The time has come for the Kunahama flying circus team to strengthen their skills and take on a new challenge -- training camp. And while that idea doesn't sound particularly hard, it becomes a lot more frightening when they find out just who they will be training alongside. Reiko Satouin's own stomping ground, Takafuji High, decides (At the recommendation of Kagami-sensei) that it would be beneficial in some way or another to host the newbies of Kunahama Institute. Now, you'd think that just having to put up with Reiko would be enough the ruin this training getaway, but when Takafuji's captain (And reigning national champion), Shindou Kazunari, shows his face, things get a little more...complicated.

The first time we see Shindou is in the middle of the night while Masaya is sitting along the shoreline being the somber and slightly-angsty teen he is. It becomes evident that the two know each other after a few vocal exchanges and Shindou quickly hints at the real reasoning behind Takafuji and Kunahama getting together -- so that he could see Masaya again (In a totally non-Yaoi way). Apparently, Hinata Masaya used to be sort of a role model for Shindou. And all the time that the two were apart, Shindou practiced and honed his abilities in the hopes that he would, one day, get to play a match against his former role model/new rival. Obviously, though, Masaya has no more interest in playing flying circus and deflects the national champion's request for a game the following day. Instead, three sets of 1v1 games are formed: Asuka vs. Rika (That girl that Masaya keeps accidentally seeing naked who apparently goes to a school miles away from him despite living next door), Mashiro vs. Reiko, and finally Misaki vs. Shindou.

The first and third matches are the ones that we really get to see the most of, considering the second match is essentially just a brief moment of proof that Reiko Satouin is still too good at flying circus. Anyway, in match one, we finally get to see Rika in action -- and boy is she fast. Even with Masaya's help, Asuka has an incredibly hard time deciphering the currently-clothed Rika's aerial maneuvers (With weird names like "Low yo-yo"). But eventually, she gives her air kick turn another try and succeeds (Bringing her success rate to 66.7%) and scores a single point before the match timer runs out. The third match, though, is where things get intense. Misaki, being frustrated over Shindou's cocky, dismissive attitude toward her, gets herself fired up and ready to annihilate the overly-purple champion. However, he is still a champion and starts crushing her right off the bat to the point where he actually stops because it's just too unfair. But instead of just giving up the match, he challenges her to a "Dogfight," in which both players become strict fighters and divert all mental and physical resources on...well, attacking the other player. After a few twisty yellow/purple lines make their way across the sky and the intensity between the two players heightens, Misaki does actually land one attack on Shindou, ultimately making her the Asuka of the day. Apart from Asuka.

Apart from the pure action and more flying circus stuff, there is still a decent amount of semi-exposition present in this episode. It is now, even more, confirmed that Masaya was once a star flying circus player. Hell, he even has a rival now. Asuka, on the other hand, grows as a player too, seeing as she is seemingly able to air kick turn whenever she wants now. Rika even gets some slight profile growth this time around and isn't just used as a fanservice tool for Masaya anymore. Oh, and speaking of fanservice, there was a hot spring scene in this episode. Do I really have to say anymore?

In Summary:

Things seem to be picking up for AOKANA. We have a clear view of who "The bad guy" is for the time being, and the characters all have balanced screen time. In addition to this, the Kunahama seems to be getting a grip on its abilities at a surprisingly fast rate. The fanservice in this episode seems to outweigh that of the former two, but that can mostly be attributed to the hot spring scene. I still can't seem to bring myself to really enjoy the game of flying circus, though. More things keep being introduced to the sport that, in no way, really change it. There are just different methods of flying around and touching the opponent's back. Being a series centralized on a sport, AOKANA needs to rely heavily on the fact that the viewers will actually enjoy that sport. And as of right now, flying circus is the worst part of the series. Hey, maybe I'll become more interested in it as the show goes on, but right now, the only things that matter to me are the characters and the potential for drama.

Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #2 Review

All right! Three new members in one day!

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Following what could be considered the upset of the century (To put it the way AOKANA's Madoka Aoyagi did), Asuka Kurashina has discovered a hidden love for the sport of Flying Circus. Even though she only beat the semi-professional Reiko Satouin by sheer beginner's luck, Asuka and the other girls believe that they might be on to something. And so, in an effort to renew Kunahama's flying circus team (Which had been reduced to a fan club considering it only had two members), Madoka recruits Asuka and the others with hopes of making it to the next seasonal competition. The problem is that not only does Asuka have no experience in flying circus, but none of the girls even have competition gear. Did someone say shopping spree? I distinctly heard a "Shopping spree" just now.

If you couldn't tell from the last two sentences, the new members of the flying circus team make their way to town to invest in some new competition gear. We learn a few more things about the different positions of the strange sport (Fighter, Speeder, and All-Rounder) and each of the three girls chooses which shoes they think best suit their playstyles. Asuka, being the newbie, goes with the all-rounder shoes, while Misaki and Mashiro both choose the fighter ones. Well, I mean, technically Mashiro chose the speeder shoes, but she had them programmed to be fighter shoes because that's what Misaki had. (Calling it early, but these two might be the best non-yuri yuri couple of the year. I ship it). 

After the girls go clothes shopping, the flying circus club begins their first practice. Things take off (No pun intended. Maybe) right away with Misaki immediately challenging Asuka to a match. And, of course, that match goes essentially the same way Asuka's last one did -- with her being absolutely dominated until a last minute attempt for a comeback. Just, this time, that comeback doesn't actually happen and Misaki wins 9-0. From this, I can deduce that Misaki is actually the best flying circus player in Japan and that it isn't Reiko Satouin at all. That's it, wrap it up, folks. Series over.

We also see our first signs of subplot/character development in that of the series' main male protagonist, Masaya Hinata. Through various vocal exchanges made between him and the teacher, Aoi Kagami (Who is easily the most attractive girl in the show), it is hinted that Masaya has had some experience with flying circus in the past. However, considering both him and the teacher are frowningly serious in these exchanges, it is safe to assume that whatever experience he did have with flying circus didn't really work out the way it was supposed to. I take this as a sign of big things to come in terms of that needed dramatic plot aspect I detailed in last week's review. Also, I'm all for any more serious conversations with Kagami-sensei (Whose name I can't say without having flashbacks of Denpa Kyoushi (The Ultimate Otaku Teacher). Man, they really should have given her a different last name.

In Summary:

Episode two of AOKANA serves as another outlet for exposition and details on how exactly flying circus works. The moments of fanservice are plentiful but extremely brief for the most part, and the comedy is that of the same caliber episode one possessed. Character development and dramatic subplots will most likely commence within the following episodes. But apart from some more flying circus information and some slight propelling of the coming story, this week's episode of AOKANA was a bit lackluster compared to the former. With that being said, I still expect great things to come in the following weeks.

Grade: C+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation Complete Series Anime Review

There are some things that have value because they're pointless, you know?

What They Say:

Sakurako Kujō is a genius beauty in her mid-twenties whose life is centered around one thing and one thing only: bones. With little tolerance for others, she would be completely isolated in her study full of skeletons if it weren’t for high school boy Shotaro—her new assistant and constant companion. Why exactly she has taken a shine to him remains a mystery, but one thing is clear: Whenever the two go out together, the chances are high that they will come across a human corpse.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Everyone has that one show every season that they're super excited for. Whether it be a continuation to a former series, an all-new creation from a favorite studio, or even a show just has an extremely pretty girl on the promo poster, us anime fans get ourselves psyched up over basically anything. For me, the conductor of the primary hype-train for Fall 2015 was Beautiful Bones or A Corpse Is Buried Under Sakurako's Feet. 

This mystery light novel adaptation follows the unlikely crime-solving duo of Kujou Sakurako, a well-off osteologist from a wealthy background, and Shoutaro Tatewaki, who is basically just some high school kid. This directorial debut from Makoto Katou is equally as youthful in the animation department, being only the second series animated by studio TROYCA (Aldnoah.Zero). The light novel, which goes by the same title as the anime, began publication in 2013 and is currently still adding more volumes to its name. The author and artist, Shiori Ota and Tetsuo respectively, once again exemplify how fresh this series is when you take into account just how little they worked on. Hell, even the two main voice actors have never been in an anime before. With an entire staff of people who could be considered "freshmen" by some others in their field, Beautiful Bones busted onto the scene with the notion of proving that the new guys in town can be just as good as the old veterans.

The series follows the typical arc format that many other series, primarily mysteries, have been utilizing as of late -- meaning that each individual mystery could consume anywhere from one to four episodes. As these arcs progress, the underlying plot line does as well. Actually, I'm not sure if "Plot line" is the right term to use there. The biggest part of this entire series is watching how the two protagonists grow and develop in terms of their relationship. As Sakurako and Shoutarou solve these mysteries, which are occurring at a suspiciously alarming rate, their thoughts of each other progress, in the same way, that the cases do. Shoutarou sees Sakurako as this astoundingly beautiful, overly smart grown woman that he still needs to watch after due to her sometimes absentmindedness. Sakurako, however, seems to view Shoutarou as sort of a replacement to someone she may have known in the past.The two become rather codependent on each other, and watching them grow is honestly the most entertaining (And important) part of the series.

Each arc and each mystery you will encounter in Beautiful Bones is quite different than the next. Seeming, more often than not, like typical "Foul play" murder cases, each story has something buried deep down inside it that literally turns the case on its back. But, I mean, it wouldn't really be a mystery without that, right? More than half of the arcs wind up being exponentially darker than they seem at first which, depending on how you view the series, can be either incredibly entertaining and gripping or just flat out disturbing and uncalled for. My particular favorite (And I won't spoil it for you) is the final arc that details one of the strangest love triangles of all time. This arc actually goes on to introduce a bigger continuing plot that I'm sure the light novels make a huge deal of. However, considering this plot doesn't spring up until the last three or four episodes (And we only have 12), we don't get to see much of it. The plus side to this is that it leaves a metric ton of room for a second season if this one is received well enough.

This isn't a series where you're going to see Square Enix style, fashionably gorgeous characters, but instead characters that accentuate the realism of...well, reality. Each one seems more like someone you might encounter in town rather than an anime series -- which is awesome. This creates sort of a subconscious tie that viewers can create with particular characters that may remind us of some people we've actually met in real life before. Except Sakurako -- she's too perfect to be an emulation of an actual person. Along with character design, location and landscapes display a sense of realism that is both rejuvenating and nostalgic. Even the music shines in this series, spiraling into a chorus of enchanting violins when Sakurako activates detective mode. Beautiful Bones is well rounded in a multitude of ways, leaving only some rushed and confusing story aspects to drag it down.

The strangest thing about this series is how Sakurako is introduced. One of the first times we hear Shoutaro talk about her, he mentions that she is engaged to some guy somewhere or something. Then, we never see that guy, or even hear about him again. Hell, I don't think she even mentions him at all for the entire series. Maybe he shows up later in the light novels or something, but the way it seems to me is that this fiance guy was just thrown into the mixture to dispell feelings of intimacy between Sakurako and Shoutaro (Or, if you want to get weird, just make it more taboo). Not only is this weird and unnecessary as far as developing characters goes, it's just too safe of a decision for me. I mean, this is a series that highlight suicide, child abuse, more suicide, and a plethora of other things. But it draws the line at a relationship between an adult and kid who will be an adult in, what, two years? Personally, if you're going to weave a tale centered on co-dependency, I don't think you should throw random obstacles in the way. Any obstacle introduced should have a reason -- it shouldn't just be there for the sole purpose of complicating things.

In Summary:

Beautiful Bones boasts an "Impressive on all fronts" personality which only becomes bigger when you take into account how new every staff member is to the anime industry. Story arcs are deep and detailed with little self-censorship, which is essential for a mystery series. Character design is realistic while character personalities are relatable and intimate. Art design evokes a sense of nostalgia while still painting a beautiful portrait of an enchanting environment. The only thing that comes as a true hurdle to this series is some rushed conflict in terms of character relationships. As a whole, though, Beautiful Bones is a refreshing story of codependency between unlikely candidates that harkens back to stories like The Garden of Words. Room for a second season only makes it better.

Grade: B

Streamed By: Crunchyroll/Hulu

Aldnoah.Zero Vol. #1 Manga Review

There is no guarantee we'll come back alive.

Creative Staff:

Original Concept: Gen Uroboshi

Story: Olympus Knights

Art: Pinakes

Translation: Sheldon Drzka

Lettering: Brndn Blakeslee, Lys Blakeslee

What They Say:

Fifteen years have passed since the hypergate collapsed on the moon's surface - a catastrophe known as the Heaven's Fall. The war between Earth and the VERS Empire of Mars is now in a cease-fire.

The VERS' Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia descends upon Earth as an ambassador hoping to encourage reconciliation while some citizens are not willing to compromise. Inaho Kaizuka, a Terran high school student... and Slaine Troyard, who swears his allegiance to Princess Asseylum... Their fates cross as both societies watch in horror as a missile crashes on Asseylum's motorcade. This incident marks the beginning of a new war.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Aldnoah.Zero -- one of the latest mech dramas to take the world by storm. Originally created by the famed Gen Uroboshi (Fate/Zero, Puella Magi Madoka Magica), Aldnoah.Zero (The animation) propelled the series toward early critical acclaim, and ultimately ended with said acclaim falling off near the end as Uroboshi's involvement with the project ceased. About a month after the show's first episode aired, the manga was brought into this world by Olympus Knights and Pinakes in a four-volume "First season." Alas, the manga had a new mountain to climb -- one that would surpass the boundaries of it's source material buried within the anime.

In the beginning of the written series, we are introduced to two different, yet similar species, in the martians and the humans. Lead by their princess Asseylum Vers Allusia, Mars harbors seems to harbor negative feelings toward the beings on Earth -- which they refer to as "Terrans." These Terrans are basically riding in the same boat, with their armed forces keeping a constant eye on the ever-protective Mars. One of the first characters we meet apart from the princess Asseylum is her consort, Slaine Troyard, a mysterious white-haired Terran boy who has mysteriously wound up on the opposite side of the fence. Slaine, looked down on by nearly every natural-born Martian, encourages the princess in her latest idea -- venturing to the planet Earth in an attempt to better the relationships between the two planets. However, things don't exactly work out that way, but we'll get to that in a minute.

On Earth, we are introduced to a boy around the same age as Slaine named Inaho Kaizuka along with several of his classmates and his older sister, Yuki, a Warrant Officer in the Earth Alliance. Inaho seemed to be living a relatively normal life -- at least until the day that Princess Asseylum landed on Earth. Positioned at a parking garage and observing the Martian convoy with his friends, Inaho witnessed an attack made on the princess and the rest of the Martians conducted by Earth themselves. In just one moment, Inaho's life spirals out of control and he is tossed into a war that he feels he must fight in order to preserve the lives of his friends and his sister.

This attack on the princess Asseylum didn't exactly go all that well for Mars. With their beloved monarch out of commission, Mars decides to launch a counterattack on Earth. Headed by 37 different commanders, the Martian forces (Also known as the VERS) rain hell down on Earth in the form of technologically superior mech warriors. Among these commanders is the baron Trillram, accompanied by former-Earthling, Slaine. Slaine, who seems a bit hesitant in aiding the VERS army in slaughtering his former people, eventually bites the bullet and decides to press on with the attack due to his affinity for the princess. But after a chapter and a half of chasing down the presumed attackers of Asseylum, it is revealed that it may not have even been Earth who launched the assassination attempt. In fact, it might be someone closer to him than he can imagine.

The first volume of the manga has a lot going on for it. The story, on paper, seems like a great introduction to a tale of war, with tons of despair and loss to come in the future. Over the three chapters contained in this volume, we are shot back and forth between the dueling perspectives of both Slaine and Inaho. The thing is, this winds up creating some relatively jumbled exposition and unfortunately winds up making some of the characters (Particularly some of the Terrans) seem...well, unimportant would be the best way to put it. With so much time used on crafting intense fight/chase scenes, character introductions seem like sort of an afterthought, which is unfortunate when you consider just how many characters were introduced in such a short time span. To be honest, so many characters were introduced that I can't remember the names of any of them apart from Calm, and that's just because his name is weird as hell. Now, I get that things need to be fast paced because a war has literally just broken out, but if a series plans on killing off characters, and I know this one does, time needs to be spent on making readers actually care about those characters. 

It's not all bad though. Right here, we have a plot that has been re-used throughout the ages -- warring kingdoms. Hell, this time we even have different planets fighting that war instead of different countries or different gangs or whatever. The potential for growth and the overall importance and relatability of a story like this is one that will almost always hit home if done in the right way. The art is pretty spectacular as well and easily shows the attention to detail given by Pinakes. In addition, character design is solid for a good portion of the characters. Unfortunately, not every character seemed like they got a fair treatment as far as that goes. But hey, this is supposed to be set in an almost-realistic environment (I think), so I guess the boring looking characters can just be chalked up to that notion.

In Summary:

I'm not sure how Aldnoah.Zero compares to the actual animated series of the show -- but I think this review is better that way. I have no pre-existing affinities for any particular characters and am essentially a critical bystander to what may or may not be an extravagant war fought for all the wrong reasons. This manga has some spectacular artwork and an almost-gripping story that I expect will become something much bigger than it is after this volume. However, that means that some time will be needed to get this thing where it needs to be in order to succeed in the story department. The characters are basically all forgettable because of the way they were introduced. But once again, with the passage of time, I assume that these characters will either leave an immense impact on me...or die. Honestly, I'm cool with either. 

Content Grade: B-

Art Grade: A-

Packaging Grade: B

Text/Translation Grade: B+

Age Rating: 13+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: December 15, 2015

MSRP: $12.99

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #1 Review

You are weak, oh so weak, but you can fly.

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Ahh, the visual novel -- perhaps my favorite form of Japanese media. With that being said, it was a given that I would sign up for weekly reviews on this series when lined up next to the others. Not to mention that the developers of AoKana (sprite) are the same developers of Koi To Senkyo To Chocolate, one of the most precious hidden gems in the anime world as far as I'm concerned. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to play the VN for this, but I'd like to blame that on the fact that I can't read Japanese and that the game hasn't been translated yet. Nor has it even been picked up by any English VN company -- at least not that I know of. So, now that you know I haven't been able to get to the visual novel, you also know that anything I say about this series over the next several months can, in no way, be linked to said VN as well. Now that that's all out in the open, let's get game started.

AoKana starts off with a blurry, nostalgic flashback shot of who I'm going to call the "main" heroine of the series, Asuka Kurashina. Asuka, at first glance, seems like a lonely, yet determined, young girl who wants nothing more than to be able to fly alongside the birds. After a few lines from some song I don't recognize and a cliche "Hand reaching toward the sky" moment, the shot cuts away to present-day, with Asuka frantically making her way to her first class at her new school, the Kunahama Institute.  Caught up in the moment a bit too much, Asuka drops her keys, creating a fantastic moment for the male protagonist of the series, Masaya Hinata, to slide right in and introduce himself. Alongside him is the dark-haired Misaki Tobisawa, a girl of the same year who likes to meow in every other sentence. I like that. Five points to Misaki in the current best-girl competition. Needless to say, the three of them find Asuka's keys and start their voyage to school. The only problem is that Asuka has no idea how the two of them are able to fly and must be physically dragged by Misaki in order to get to campus on time.

After Asuka is obviously placed into the same class as Masaya and Misaki (Because anime), the two are appointed as her "Flight instructors" meaning that they will instruct her on how to...well, fly. In this "Dream come true" moment for Asuka, things actually go a lot better than expected and she's able to lift off without a hitch. Well, for the most part. She eventually loses her balance and goes tumbling toward the ground. But that's cool because with these new anti-gravity shoes, you are literally incapable of crash landing. Man, I want shoes like that.

Shortly after learning the basics of flying, Asuka stumbles upon a girl named Reiko Satouin, who is confident that she is the best Flying Circus player ever. Asuka, having no idea what Flying Circus even is at this point in the series, decides that it's a good idea to challenge Reiko to a match in order to preserve the good name of her new school. Wait what? Asuka, why? There's no way you're going to win.

And then she does . Because anime.

After the episode runs out of time and Asuka and company save the day, the ending rolls, revealing a super awesome song and animated sequence which may or may not wind up being the opening for the series. But man, it was a damn good song. It took me back to the days of Shakugan No Shana, and those were good days. And no, that's not me comparing this series as a whole to Shana -- they are entirely different. But Aokana has a charm of its own that I think I'm going to wind up really enjoying somewhere down the line.

Right off the bat, we have a lovable group of characters in story that teeters on slice of life and sports with a lot of room for drama knowing how sprite works. At least I hope there will be drama -- I feel like it could fit well here. And if you know anything about me, I love me some drama. Apart from that, the animation has a unique and beautiful feel to it and the overall character design is fantastic. Throw that into a blender with various original background music that fits the tone almost perfectly and you might have something here. The anime actually felt like a visual novel. Anyone that knows how those work would easily be able to figure that out after just one episode if they were thinking about it. With that in mind, I think the series may have accomplished its goal right off the bat -- appeal to pre-existing fans and open a gate for new ones.

In Summary:

AoKana could be something very special if it continues down the path that I think it's going. At the same time, it could easily slip away and quickly become uninteresting with just a few mistakes. The characters are going to be they type to grow on you, each with their own distinct personality and uniquely beautiful appearance. Though the plot may seem a little childish in comparison to the same company's "Koi To Senkyo To Chocolate (Or Love, Elections & Chocolate, if you prefer English)" I feel like there is still potential for a solid amount of adult, melancholic moments that would go on to sculpt an incredibly enjoyable viewing experience. All in all, I think this show is definitely one to look out for if you have even the slightest interest in visual novels. For those of you out there looking for something more action-packed or "manly," I don't think this is the right fit for you. But as of right now, I'm looking forward to whatever this series has in store for me next week. 

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon Complete Series Anime Review

Will you abandon your own humanity to achieve your goals?

What They Say:

Set in a world where witches run havoc, the military decides to shift from using a sword to utilizing guns to neutralize magical threats. The Anti-Magic Academy is an institution that specializes in training witch hunters. Takeru Kusanagi, who can’t use guns and continues to fight with a sword, is relegated to the 35th Test Platoon, a motley group who can’t cooperate. One day, Ouka Ohtori, an elite pistol master who was forced into demotion, joins the platoon. Will they be able to gather their strengths and work together?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

It's becoming a common occurrence for various series that I know absolutely nothing about to blindside me and overtake a 4-5 hour portion of my life, leaving nothing but a few gasps and several wide-eyed stares in their respective wakes. In just this year alone, it's happened with shows like Ranpo Kitan, Death Parade, SaeKano, and so many others. Why do so many of the shows that I haven't looked into wind up being better than the ones I count down the days for? Am I just overhyping things too much? Anyway, Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon is just another example of one of these series to glide in under my radar and become something much bigger than anticipated. However, not everyone seems to see it that way.

Being another light novel adaptation, the Anti-Magic Academy anime already had a story set in stone prior to its creation. This is both a good and bad thing. The good part is that since the product has already been exposed to the general populous, there are a guaranteed few people who will be tuning in to see how the anime turns out. The bad part, though, is that these same people are typically the ones to shout, "Heresy!" when things don't play out exactly as they should. Personally, I haven't read the light novels. And I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing at this point after reading so many reviews from people who did.

Written by Touki Yanagimi with art from Kippu, Anti-Magic Academy focuses on one of the many different student platoons of the aptly named "Anti-Magic Academy." However, the platoon that we will be spending our time with (Platoon 35) isn't exactly the best one out there. In fact, they're total crap in comparison to every other platoon of the school. But that all changes once Ouka Ootori is appointed as its newest inquisitor. For those that haven't watched the series, inquisitors are basically this anime's version of magic-police, or people who dedicate their lives to eliminating "Witches" which can be viewed as criminalistic mages for lack of a better word(s). Ouka Ootori happens to be a damn good one, but that's probably because she has given up everything else in her life in order to exact revenge for her sister, who was basically killed by a witch. Kind of. As for the rest of the platoon, well, they're pretty okay. I guess.

The leader of the 35th test platoon, Takeru Kusanagi, is a level-headed, semi-typical male protagonist. And I say semi-typical because he isn't an overly-dense unrealistic moron that doesn't realize he is the main character of a harem. Takeru isn't just another carbon copy of this type of character, though. His backstory, which is briefly highlighted in the later portion of the anime, is actually pretty cool. There is this whole thing with how he is forced into either protecting or murdering his sister (SPOILER: She's a witch) and it's actually really cool. The other characters are all equally memorable as well. There's Usagi: The sniper rabbit, Suginami: The girl next door if that girl never left her house, and Mari Nikaidou: The second cutest girl of the season. The cast itself is probably the most memorable of the season as far as I'm concerned, and a huge reason for that is that each one was actually developed.

Here is where the light-novel fans are probably clenching their fists and thinking, "Yo, they weren't developed at all! Suginami only had three episodes of backstory! WTF?!". The fact of the matter is this -- we're looking at a typical one-cour show. With the 12 episodes we have, there isn't a ton of time for development. But honestly, the way this development was handled was actually significantly better than a bunch of other adaptations that face the same issue. Look at Toyko Ghoul √A for example. Do you remember how they handled character development? That's right, they just skipped over it entirely. Anti-Magic Academy actually gives some thought to each of its characters, even if that time wasn't in the form of six-episode arcs for each person.

One of the best things about Anti-Magic Academy is how unafraid it is to highlight the darker portions of its story -- a feat that a lot of anime nowadays strays away from in order to achieve a better time-slot and ultimately be exposed to a wider variety of people. There is actually a ton of moments in this series that will make you think, "Wait, what is this show rated?" and those moments really go on to sculpt another unique viewing experience. But at the same time, the series still dedicates sufficient time to those fanservice-craving viewers that just want to see Suginami without her shirt on. That's not a bad thing, don't worry, guys. In fact, I think that's a totally plausible reason to watch this show in the first place. I mean, come on. We all know it.

In the later portion of the show, we are finally introduced to Kusanagi's little sister, Kiseki (Which is an incredibly perfect name for her character if you know the meaning of the word). Kiseki is basically Saya from Saya no Uta, meaning that she is basically so awesome that her awesomeness can't be contained and takes on the form of a giant monster that wants to kill everyone. In fact, she is so awesome that the inquisition has had to chain her up for years now just to ensure that she doesn't escape and kill all of their families, making her into some sick test-subject for the inquisition who, up until now, appeared to be the good guys. And so they kill her hundreds of times every day, only to have her constantly respawn as if nothing had ever happened. This sequence of events is not only disturbing and totally f'ed up, but excruciatingly depressing as soon as we find out how adorable and kind she really is. Needless to say, Kusanagi finds everything out about her being murdered all the time and totally flips on the inquisition and spirals into a madness centered on protecting his sister at all costs. And considering this is a harem, his entire platoon follows him, putting their lives on the line as well, culminating in an action-packed arc that turned this series into something even bigger -- a story about "Right vs. Wrong."

Now, I don't think I'd go as far as saying this is an essential watch or how I will remember this for the rest of my life. But it's shows like these that serve as a reminder as to why I watch anime. The first two anime series I ever watched were Love Hina and Elfen Lied. And, in a weird way, this is kind of a wonky combination between those two, as well as...Index or something along those lines. What I'm trying to say is that everyone has that niche -- that one type of show that really appeals to them in a nostalgic sort of way. For me, Anti-Magic Academy was just that. I don't care about the light novel (Though I will definitely buy it if winds up being published in the US), I don't care about what this anime "skipped." I care about what I saw. And to sum it up, what I saw was everything that I wanted to see, wrapped tightly in one unique package.

In Summary: 

Despite what you may hear about it, Anti-Magic Academy is well-paced action drama that pays close attention to what its viewers want to see. Character development is executed well for the short amount of time the series has to offer, and the cast is one of the most lovable and memorable of the year. A surprisingly dark story will reel you in within the first several episodes and continue to surprise you from that point on. Though the art might not be as beautiful as some other series out there, the story and cast more than make up for it. If you like action, cute girls, an actual story and weird eyeball-flesh-monsters, this anime might just be what you've been searching for.

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll