Miss Monochrome The Animation

R3353★ 8

Miss Monochrome is an anime with each episode being 4 minutes long. It is about an idol, Miss Monochrome trying to become a well-known singer in Japan. With 4 minutes each episode including the 1 minute long ED you might be wondering if it's worth it. It is definitely worth watching if you have a little time to spare and you are just looking for a laugh. Each episode will make you laugh at least once, it's guaranteed. Story: 7 It's another story about an aspiring idol looking to make it big in Japan. Only difference being that Miss Monochrome is an android. Like most androids inanime, she is incapable of emotion most of the time. This does not hinder her charm, in fact it further enhances it. The lack of reactions during gags makes the humor that much more abundant. There is in fact a back story to why she wants to become an idol and it has something to do with another more popular idol. I will not spoil it. Art: 8 The art is modernly basic during normal scenes in which there is mostly dialogue. The scenes that are showing another idol singing or something important going on are where the art shines. The colors in these scenes have nice contrast and realistic movements. Miss Monochrome's ED is especially entertaining despite being CGI. Sound: 8 There is no OP for this anime, and I applaud it for that as most other short episode anime never have enough time for the actual show because of this. It does however have an ED it is appropriately named "Poker Face". No it's not a Lady Gaga cover. It is a Miss Monochrome original that fits her perfectly because as I mentioned before, she is incapable of emotion. The voice acting for this anime is quite good. Maneo, the manager is well voiced. Miss Monochrome herself is monotone due to being an android so she's great too. Character: 10 I needed to give Miss Monochrome a 10 for characters. This anime has single-handedly created the most spectacular character of all time ever to exist in anime... Ruu-chan. Its dialogue was amazing! It further added to the story, without it I don't think Miss Monochrome could exist. It has the most heart breaking back story I have ever seen in any piece of media ever. Alas, tragedy strikes. I don't want to go into spoiler territory... But I cried... A lot. Another semi important character is Miss Monochrome herself. She is very spontaneous with the ideas she comes up with for becoming famous. She also orgasms from batteries. Maneo is her Manager. He gets her tons of gigs that she ultimately ruins in one way or another. Kikuko is the main big idol whom Miss Monochrome has a tragic past with. She is the drive for Miss Monochrome to become an idol. Mana is just some cunt of a loli that although I hate to admit it. Without her the story would not have been set into motion. Enjoyment: 10 Although it's short, I really enjoyed this anime. Every second that Ruu-chan was on screen was another second of enjoyment. Miss Monochrome definitely went beyond my expectations in terms of enjoyment. I hope we get a season 2. Overall: 8 Miss Monochrome deserves the score I give it. It has created a character that will forever change anime as a whole. Ruu-chan has set an all-time high for my expectations for anime characters in the future. As I said before, I hope Miss Monochrome gets a second season. I need more Ruu-chan.

OtakuJKP★ 7

If I had to describe this anime, it would be weird and random, but funny at the same time. I have no idea what I just watched, but I like it! For a 4 minute show, Miss Monochrome will definitely leave you saying, “what just happened” by the end of each episode. If you didn’t know already, Miss Monochrome is a slice of life anime. Story: (8/10) The story begins with our main character, Miss Monochrome, aspiring to become a popular idol like Kikuko on T.V. and her caretaker, Mana, asks to be her manager. She becomes her manager and requests 19.3 billion yen as thefirst thing to do as an idol. Our poor main character, Miss Monochrome, believes her and gives her all her money, leaving her broke, homeless, and stranded out on the streets to search for a new manager. Upon hoping to find one, a person named Maneo, who is surprisingly a manager, appears out of nowhere, but is not the manager you’d expect him to be. Little did you know, he’s actually a manager for a convenience store. Maneo becomes her manager and decides to help Miss Monochrome try to become a popular idol that she had always dreamed about. There’s not that much to say about the story, because the anime is so short, but what makes this so compelling is that you don’t know what to expect. What you just read, was an example of one of them. Majority of the episodes you watch are unexpected and randomly funny and by the end of each episode, it leaves you wondering if you’ll ever see Miss Monochrome become an idol. The only drawback I found within the story is that it perceives to be linear by the way the writer had set it up. You may not think the story leads anywhere, but it all comes together in the end. Characters: (10/10) This anime couldn’t be done well without its characters. Our main character, Miss Monochrome, may seem like a vocaloid by appearance, but in actuality, she’s an android. Her inability to feel emotions and take things literally enhances the show’s comedy. Another thing this anime does well is that the characters feel like a comedy routine. Maneo, being the one to find jobs for Miss Monochrome, sets up the joke and Miss Monochrome, the android who can’t differentiate between a joke and a serious answer, is the punchline. Mana, the con artist, sets up the tragedy for the main character and Kikuko, the popular idol, being the main goal. Of course you couldn’t forget about Miss Monochrome’s trusty pet, Ruu-chan, to add character depth towards her. Each character in this anime serves a purpose and executes it well. Art: (8/10) The artwork was produced by Liden Films who also made Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches, Terraformars, and Senyuu. The artwork for this anime wasn’t that bad. The 3D CGI character of Miss Monochrome in the end credits were well done. However, the overall environment and the design for some of the characters looked generic. Sound: (9/10) There’s no opening theme for this anime, only an ending. However, only taking up the last minute of the show, it sounds good. I was surprised how well the English dub vocal crew were compared to the Japanese one. The main character for Miss Monochrome sounds very similar to the Japanese vocal actress which I liked very much. The rest of the English dub voice actors seemed to have fit the role just as the Japanese ones as well. Enjoyment: (8/10) Since Miss Monochrome is 4 minutes long, I expected it to become another generic anime and something linear, but it seemed to have proved me wrong. This anime made me go on an unexpected feels trip. I never knew something that seemed so upbeat, lighthearted, and innocent be so tragic at the same time. Another thing I liked about this show, was how it referenced some real life people, anime, and merchandise. I mean, who doesn’t like a bit of references right? An anime can throw around a few references, but when it’s done right, it can become a masterpiece. In Miss Monochrome, the references aren’t just some subtle hint hoping to give you a little chuckle, it actually adds toward the story and the comedy which, surprisingly, impressed me. Overall: (8/10) Overall, Miss Monochrome is a short, enjoyable, slice of life anime that will make you laugh and feel good after watching it. You can kind of expect what’s going to happen in the end, but the random journeys you go on with Miss Monochrome makes up for it. Miss Monochrome’s stale but optimistic view on becoming an idol has certainly put a smile on my face. This underrated anime deserves a little more attention and I hope you give it a chance too.