Overall Rating
Good
Story: 3
Dialogue: 3
Animation: 5
Entertainment: 4
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(Long review is long.)
People might have guessed, but this is an otome game adaption, aka male harem. Whoever isnāt positive they can stand that is free to click the little back button on their browser right now.
Now that thatās out of the way:
The story starts out pretty good, if a little typical, with the main characterās quest to learn about her task/fate, the background of her family, and her trying to grow closer to the āguardiansā of the family. Sadly, however, the potential shown there never quite gets fleshed out. The plot stays short, simple, and sweet -- which isnāt necessarily a bad thing, as itās certainly easy to get into and to follow, and there isnāt too much objectionable stuff, count out various shots of fanservice for the female audience (go figure). In this sense, however, much of the drama from e.g. background conflicts and setups is never quite played upon; and the whole thing stays very much incomplete, ending on a high note that feels rather like a cliffhanger than an end. What truly destroys much of the plot though is the pacing, which is rather inconsistent and, in stark contrast to the concept, doesnāt allow for much suspense or emotion, and neither allowed me to feel with the characters all that much.
Donāt get me wrong. The whole series is short, simple, sweet, easy to follow, and heck, it is interesting for the conflict it sets up and for its concept; one that shows great potential as it certainly does a step aside from generic and even ties closely into Japanese beliefs. Thereās far worse places to go to. A second season has even been announced for October, one that might very well solve the āincompletenessā problem. However; maybe I set the bar too high, but I felt like this season didnāt evolve half of its potential. I understand that both time frame and plot capacity are limited with thirteen episodes only, and if that explains the lack of played-upon background, it certainly doesnāt explain the edgy pacing. Wish theyād pay a little more attention to that in the next seasonā¦ it just does so much to an anime.
Moving on to the topic of characters: These certainly are individuals, easy to tell apart, and have some nice touches to them -- such as, say, Takumaās liking for crossword puzzles. Iāve got no complaints about the mix either. On the downside, again, their range is rather standard as none has much personality beyond their basic (not exactly original) types. Thereās little development in most characters, and, as mentioned before, most backgrounds are merely hinted at. The heroine leaves much to be desired in terms of fighting ability, but at least she displays some more spunk than the usual otome game protagonist. >.< Character interaction, on the upside, is easy to follow and can be quite funny if youāve got a sense for bickering and small moments of sarcasm, even if itās a little thin and unrealistic on the āgrowing closerā side-plot at times. The development of both relationships and interaction, if far from completed in any way, is interesting to watch. And on a personal note, Iād still like to know how the producers managed to portray Yuuichiās narcolepsy as an amusing trait rather than some serious medical problem. Iām not really sure how to feel about that, so not trying to judge in any way, but Iād like to know how they managed.
Dialogue -- Without a doubt, the voice actors do a top-notch job, and were it only for them, the characters would really be coming alive and quite easy to empathise with, no matter their limited personalities. Sadly, the script poses a problem, as it feels rather unnatural and forced much of the time, and focuses a little too much on giving everyone something to say in each scene. Iām not sure what to do with this category, to be frank. The voice actors have it sky-rocketing, but the script in all its hindered flow is really below what Iād expect.
Music -- Opening and closer are well-chosen, and the soundtrack during the series itself fits well and is generally rather peaceful and beautiful. Itās not the most memorable I personally encountered in anime, but itās fitting, easy on the ears, and nice to listen to.
Animation -- This series being recent, certainly the animationās excellent. The action might be a little letdown to action fans as it does prefer effects to moves, making the characters appear remarkably inept in battle. This isnāt a shounen show, however, and since everyone appears this way, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. Fight choreography is very well-done, and the effects are flashy and colourful, resulting in something definitely enjoyable if you donāt put the bar very high especially in terms of movements.
Artwork -- While there are a few shortcomings (re-used shots, especially close-ups of characters; or how the woods seem to be perfectly groomedā¦ no kidding, I doubt the forestās spirits/kami do gardening), the general artwork is well-done, quite detailed, and not easily disturbed by these small faults. The colour scheme varies between muted/dark and warm, autumnal colours; settings like that appear either haunting or highly relaxing and easy on the eyes. The artās main focus, autumn, is captured beautifully and detailedly overall, with warm colours and careful placement of patterns of shadow and light.
Character design -- It might be a little typical for an otome game, but the characters are easily distinguishable, so Iām not going to complain. Costumes are appealing in design and colouring as well. What put me off somewhat was the post-credits fanservice shots (for the girls around -- donāt get the wrong idea ^^Ā°), none of which had anything to do with the series except for featuring its characters. Not like Iād mind fanservice of which nature ever as long as it doesnāt disturb the plot; but this anime isnāt the dating sim it stems from, and the shots seemed awkwardly out-of-place here.
Entertainment -- Thereās a variety of characters; thereās friendship, hints of romance, and the general āgrowing closerā plot; thereās the supernatural touch which at times ties quite closely into some Japanese beliefs/superstitions; thereās some humour that, if not really deep (mainly bickering and/or situational comedy), does fit the general tone of the show; and if you enjoy some flashy effects or your handful of bishounen on top of all that, itās sure not to disappoint.
Thereās one main problem though: the show never quite goes to its limits. The pacing is edgy, effectively killing most possible suspense; the dialogue feels stilted and forced, and doesnāt help the characters any; and the whole series at this point is too short to pull off believable drama and/or character development.
Donāt get me wrong: I enjoyed this while it was running. It was easy to get into; it was comparably relaxing; the character interaction was good for some light laughs; the āgrowing closerā plot and the main characterās quest, for all their faults, were interesting; and the visuals were absolutely beautiful to top it off. Yes, there were a few slight hanging points, but I got over all of those -- all in hopes of something more substantial; something that never came, as the series simply never seemed too ambitious to rise beyond what it established in the beginning.
In retrospect, I think I set the bar too high for a thirteen-ep series. For the fact that it is short, still incomplete, and a game adaption -- something that never looks quite as āeasyā as a manga one -- itās decent. Simple, short, sweet, easy to follow, visually beautiful with flashy effects -- itās pretty sure not to disappoint if you donāt mind some shortcomings in terms of overall flow and completeness. Certainly, thereās much worse places to go to if youāre into reverse harem/otome games.
IMHO though, āHiiro no Kakeraā didnāt yet establish its full potential. For me, the deciding factor is yet to come with the turn the second season takes this autumn. Itās been a few weeks since I finished this, and I must say Iām not exactly in āMust get my hands on second season nowā mode, but Iāll be sticking around to see where the series goes, and hopefully for some deeper development. I learned to lower my expectations, though. This first season is a decent one to watch, but to become excellent in my book, āHiiro no Kakeraā needs to go all out in whatās to come -- and to fix its pacing, at the very least.
Cheers.
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