Overall Rating
Good
Story: 4
Dialogue: 4
Animation: 5
Entertainment: 4
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The title of this show is derived from the RDB, Red Data Book, which is basically a collection of data on endangered species.
Whatās an RDB reference doing in anime? Basically, āRed Data Girlā plays on spiritually talented people in a world thatās not particularly kind to their kind--and the RDB reference is just saying that these spiritual abilities makes them ātreasuredā, so-to-speak.
If this doesnāt show the level of thought put into this anime, I donāt know what does. For that level of thought, though, twelve episodes are a tad too short if you ask me.
Reviewās long once again.
āRed Data Girlā is a series about a sheltered shrine girl named Izumiko, who has some as of yet unknown power. Thatās just the surface of things, though, and zero percent as overused as it sounds, at least in the context.
The entire story is kind of told from Izumikoās eyes; and as sheās not initially aware of her powers and some or another mystery revolving around them, the viewer as well only gradually becomes aware of bits and bits of information; and so the background info/story is puzzle-pieced together during the watch. Itās a quite fresh approach, and it gets even better since every single scene is important to the story. Thereās not one unnecessary moment in the entire anime.
That in itself might be awesome. Thereās one problem with it, though; and thatās that the āshow, donāt tellā approach is taken to extremes at times. Basically, if you donāt get something, you wonāt have it explained at some or another point; at least not unless you trouble Wikipedia, Google, or your nearest know-it-all friend. And some things tend to be quite complicated; namely, a lot of the details in this anime tie into Shinto religion and Buddhist mysticism, both of which is interesting but probably not common knowledge in most Western cultures.
Itās quite a deep story; but not always that easy to get, at least not in terms of background story (the superficial story tends to be easier, but those spiritual undertonesā¦). And itās not exactly light either. āRed Data Girlā is almost completely serious to sometimes dark, and can get quite heavy at times. It manages to uphold viewer attention well though.
The devil once more lies in the detail, though, and in the time. Twelve episodes are barely enough to press the entire story in. Thereās a whole lot of information in each episode; and while itās amazing enough that things donāt feel cluttered with that (in fact, Iāve read a whole lot of complaints about āRed Data Girlā being too slow), some things simply arenāt cleared up. If you ask me, the end is more of a āgood enoughā one than one that really ties up all the strings. It gives enough closure so the story doesnāt just drop out and leaves people wondering about the next episode; but thereās just that bit of background missing, and if youāve been patiently collecting the puzzle pieces, itās somewhat annoying. Basically, of the sourcing novelās six volumes, the producers just left out the last.
With all the complaints about the pacing (complaints I personally canāt relate to, but w/e), I donāt want to know about the reactions had P.A. Works taken the time to set up all of the sourcing work and let āRed Data Girlā run over two seasons. Iāve got the feeling thereād at least be a few open questions less, though.
Iāve got to admit I didnāt really like the character cast at first. Out of the two main characters, Izumiko is shy and weak on the outside (sheās got quite the power, as becomes obvious later on, but first and foremostā¦ well), and Miyuki only appears as somewhat of a jerk at first.
The story allows for a good deal of character exposition however. āRed Data Girlā takes its time in setting up the characters and their relationships, and as time goes on, the characters definitely become more interesting, if not likable as well. Character development in the main characters is good, though side characters can appear rather static throughout.
There were a few moments when I felt the dialogue had just left me behind, aka confused. Only when re-watching did I often get all the detail. Other than that, though, I canāt complain. The script flows well, gets the characters and their relationships across, and the voice-acting definitely deserves an A.
Visually, āRed Data Girlā is a treat for the eyes. 2013 animation quality, the musicās nice, and the art is nothing short of awesome. P.A. Works has a knack for character animation and lush backgrounds, and it definitely in this anime. Backgrounds in general are detailed and look good; there are some especially impressive shots of mountain scenery, and spirit realms have the right touch of otherworldly feeling to them. The colour schemeās usually subdued, just slightly more vivid in spirit realms, but with some eye-catching contrasts (e.g. Izumikoās clothing). Characters are attractively designed and rendered as well. The background music is lightly used, but it fits.
I did like this anime--a lot in fact. The first two or three episodes didnāt yet win me over; I initially didnāt like the characters, and subtle revelations of background story just isnāt something that jumps in your face. As the ball got rollinā, though, I found the sense of mystery to be quite enticing. I like the fresh approach it takes, and I loved the cultural references and overall depth/thought put in this anime. Itās visually pleasing as well, and while thereās not much comedy and only a minimum of graphic content all in all, I tend to like the more serious works, and Iām not usually engrossed by over-the-top action--that oneās the icing on the cake for me, if anything.
And yet, just because Iād been collecting the puzzle-piece-y bits of background story all the while, and occasionally gotten frustrated with confusion over one or another reference I didnāt get before rummaging through Wikipedia, I was quite disappointed with the way āRed Data Girlā ended. Sure the end wrapped up some things, but a lot of the stuff I would have lided to see was left entirely up in the air.
I understand that itās hard adapting six full novels into twelve episodes; heck, they barely managed the same with five. Nevertheless, Iād be much happier with this anime if theyād wrapped up all the story threads they opened. Itād probably be asking a lot, but thatās how it is. I love the concept and thought behind this, and I liked how the story unfolded; but the way it ended simply was a disappointment for me.
Thanks for the read.
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