Dusk Maiden of Amnesia

Stark700★ 9

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia. Even that title alone may convince some viewers to watch this series. But what you may least expect would be a ghost troll (a hot ghost troll if I may add) hanging out with the main protagonist on a daily basis doing cute little things here and there. The story covers the Paranormal Investigation Club, a club that deals with the supernatural. From there, we have the other members starting with Teiichi Niiya, probably the only normal member of the group. He maintains an unusual relationship with our ghost troll Yuuko in which despite her flirtatious and mischievous attempts at him,he still values her as a friend and not forget her. Then, there's Momoe Okonogi, the most enthusiastic member of the group. Her enthusiasm of the the club is probably over the limits in Niiya's point of view as far as she shows the most interest in finding out what happened 50 years ago involving our lovely ghost troll, Yuuko. Of course, she still hangs out around the club while creating many mischievous interactions between herself and Niiya. Next, we have the Kirie Kanoe, the not so enthusiastic member. At first glance, she seems normal but when you get to know her more, you'll find that she's a very insecure person. Why? Well, for nearly every 5 minutes, she goes on about the dangers of Yuuko and warns Niiya to be on his guard. She can be seen as the antithesis of Yuuko for even though her outside (appearance) may resemble her somewhat, her inner self is worlds apart. Then, finally our lovely ghost troll Yuuko, who can forget about her? After all, she is the star of the series and the "dusk maiden" of amnesia. Her flirtatious attitude with our main protagonist is guilty pleasure and some of the guys watching this might be biting their fingernails about how lucky he is. (I know I am at least sometimes) However, it does seems that despite playful self, she harbors a dark past she tries to keep herself a secret from anyone. She tries hard to forget about her past and make it into an amnesia but there's one thing you cannot forget: you can't run away from your problems like an amnesia. And of course, even for stories like this, there would be fan-service, pool parties, and those cute "love-love" scenes. Then there is always those "horror" scenes mixed in with light comedy and even psychological twists later on. However so far, this series is not another Another (no pun intended). I mean seriously, let's ask ourselves: who actually got scared out of their pants in the first episode? Despite this though, there is definitely an eerie atmosphere behind the curtains and lies beyond the horizon of the dusk. We also later learns the truth behind Yuuko's death and the hatred she developed that manifested as the her ying and yang. Hate is definitely a strong word this time around as her darker self becomes one of the driven antithesis of Yuuko's cheerful self. As she deals with her past with her new profound friend Niiya, they must cope with the horrors that may lie in the future. Beyond that, I find the art of the series to be gorgeous as well as the various well captured angles of "dusk" in this anime and the night moon skies. Kudos to Silver Link I say, you sure know how to set a high bar for this season. As for the sound, it's not something you'll listen to while studying for your university entrance exam but it's also something catchy that fits the overall story. And take notice the OP and ED song that our beloved ghost troll Yuuko-san seems to be imitating. She would go pretty far in American Idol I'd say. Overall, I find Dusk Maiden of Amnesia to be entertaining and makes Sundays a wonderful relaxing day to finish off the weekend. Its balanced light comedy and seriousness is something that most of us will notice and while it doesn't reach the necessity horror levels of some other series you may have seen in the past, it does makes it up with its entertainment and value. Its darker tone of the story later on will keep some of you viewers glued to your seat. This is an unique anime at that and one such series this Spring Season that I'm sure most of us will not forget like an amnesia. (at least I hope)

Kevstuf★ 10

Hmmm I rarely consider any anime as 10's, but Dusk Maiden of Amnesia truly was an impressive piece of work. It's saddening to see so many negative reviews of it. Story: 10/10 There is one tiny flaw in the story: it's slightly hard to follow. If you don't really pay attention to what the characters tell you, it can be easy to fall behind and get confused. Nonetheless, if you can follow the explanations, the story will be awesome. Story wise, it's really as the synopsis says: the school ghost Yuuko can't remember her past whatsoever, and the main protagonist along with some others form a clubto help her discover it. Now, the synopsis makes the story sound extremely spooky and the anime is classified as horror, but it really isn't, so if you're not a fan of horror stories, do not worry. It's more of a thriller and mystery; the horror elements are almost nothing. In fact, there's a lot of comedic moments since it is a romance. But I think the way in which they tell the story is flawless. The beginning episodes may seem a bit filler since they're individualistic and don't seem to contribute plot movement at first, but they're important to the story as a whole, which is what I was saying before about following the story closely. The pace at which they reveal details is perfect as they don't try to flood you with too many revelations, but leave just enough cliffhangers to make you watch the next episode. And like a true mystery story, they don't completely leave the viewer in the blind; you too will be able to decipher the mystery with some thinking. This may cause some people to think it a predictable anime, and while the ending was sort of expected, I would not say it was predictable. Art: 10/10 Normally art style isn't a huge aspect in a lot of anime, but since this is technically a horror (it really isn't scary I promise), the visuals are semi-important, and I think the artists did a wonderful job portraying the thriller elements. The art sort of reminded me of the Bakemonogatari series, and for those who have seen that, the art was extremely important in making it fantastic, just like in this series. Sound: 9/10 Fitting music for a mystery anime. The opening and ending themes were alright; they weren't amazing but the sound effects and spooky motifs were perfect. Character: 9/10 I think this is where other people would have the most disagreements with me. There's a lot of criticism for the male protagonist since he's sort of cliche, and while that is true, I think his slightly cliche personality was important to developing Yuuko, the truly interesting character of this series. Because she's a ghost with amnesia on a journey to discover her past, her personality naturally changes as she recovers memories, and this extremely unpredictable and dynamic character makes the series fun to watch because you really never know what she'll do next, and the predictability of the male protagonist molds well with hers. If both characters were too dynamic, it would make the story too chaotic since it is a mystery by nature and the viewer already has to keep track of the plot and all its details. Enjoyment: 10/10 I normally don't watch horror/thriller/mystery whatever you want to call it, but I was definitely not disappointed. If you're hesitating because you don't like horror (I personally get scared pretty easily), don't let that stop you because the horror aspects are minimal and only add to the excitement of the mystery. It's a story with funny moments and emotional moments, and enough plot twists to keep you watching. There were honestly no flaws that were significant enough to decrease the quality of this anime, and I think this show appeals to a broad range of fans: those who love romance, mystery, or just a good story with highly developed characters will find this show enjoyable. So please give it a watch! If you found this helpful, please click so, it means a lot!