Anime-Gataris

Stark700★ 8

When I decided to watch Animegataris, the first thoughts in my head were if this show is actually about anime itself or something more. To be precise, Animegataris is essentially what I envision as a series about anime stories. It makes sense given the title by context and not to mention, this show seems to adapt such a formulaic story by expectations. However, the show turned out to be a bit more than what I had bargained for but in the end is quite a thrill ride. To be honest, watching Animegataris felt like it was targeted to a specific demographic. At first, I wasn’t reallysure if I was part of that category. The show itself takes on the world of anime and rather than using it as a theme, it tells stories through them. It’s super self-aware as every episode makes references and alludes to pop culture. For me, it didn’t take long to realize that Animegataris wanted the viewers to experience what anime is really about. And it all begins with the “anime research club”. Taking place at Sakaneko Private High School, the club members essentially all shares their love for anime. Despite their different opinions, they all share a general fundamental view that anime is a form of enthralling entertainment. Minoa Asagaya, a new student is invited to this club by one of their members, Arisu Kamiigusa. It doesn’t take long for her to get hooked into anime. She gets enlightened by the very ideas of anime after participating in some of their activities, getting involved with their conversations, and accepting anime for what it is. To me, this show satires anime as a form of art. It makes many references from some of the most popular works of recent years. (ex. Re:Zero, Girls und Panzer, Boku Hero no Academia) It aims at anime fans in general with its ideas. As the story progresses, the anime research club encounters oppositions, most prominently, the student council. Absurdly powerful and reluctant, they enforce their own principles and practically go to war with them. It adds drama to the show, something that’s actually needed considering how plotless the series feels at times. Other times, the series’ plot focuses more on the adventures of the club such as going on to anime conventions and cosplay events. As a show that satires anime, you should definitely expect a diverse circle of characters. Indeed, every character from the anime research club stands out in some way through their persona. We have the oujo-sama Arisu Kamiigusa, light novel enthusiast Miko Koenji, the athletic Yui Obata, delusional Kai Musashisakai, idol fanatic Kouki Nakano, and the club president Erika Aoyama. All of them shares a love anime although each member also shares a love for a particular type. For instance, Erika loves magical girl shows. Kai has a chuunibyou-like obsession with action characters/superheroes. Kouki has a love for idols while Miko is inspired to become a light novelist someday. The point the show is trying to get across is that all these characters embraces the anime culture and hope to share their vision to others. For Minoa, she starts off as a newbie but learns from the club. Each episode shows her knowledge growth about anime and she even begins to make friends outside the club. As a show with a colorful cast, their personalities indeed are also take notice. From the very few episodes, it’s shown that each of them are distinctive. The character chemistry and bond between them is meaningful as well. For instance, they all unite together against the council when they seek to abolish the club. They uphold their values and doesn’t back down. Even at desperate times, the club makes the best with what they have and love. To me, that’s inspirational. By the time you go through a few episodes, I think it’ll become obvious that a majority of the show appeals to comedy. I already said that this show is very self-aware and makes references to anime culture. However at times, it also deconstructs the very aspect of anime such as breaking the fourth wall completely. It gives a sense of surreal feel that I haven’t seen done much in recent years. The amount of cosplay and delusional moments also makes an impact through the characters’ roles. (I’m looking at you Kai) The dialogues consists a lot of casual talk that blends between anime culture and everyday language. It’s very easy to get into even despite how deep it gets at times. There’s also a character (Neko-sensei) that brings a supernatural-like side to the show that is strangely addictive to watch. However, I will say that this show isn’t designed for anyone. The general audience may accept the show for what it has its offer but it won’t surprise me if someone finds the series to be particularly dull. There’s an abundance amount of repetitive jokes, some that I find to be absurdly amusing while others come off as dry. (Personally, I think the yaoi-jokes is way overused as an attraction) For the story itself, the show jumps between various styles often from slice of life adventures to dramatic ideal clashes. Hell, the final few episodes of this show can really surprise viewers at the direction it decides to take. Adapted by Wao World, I was cautiously optimistic about this work. The raw visual quality of the show isn’t impressive as characters and setting looks average at best. The studio itself doesn’t have an impressive resume either so my expectations weren’t high. However, looking beyond the raw visual quality gave me a different impression. To me, this show even parodies its art style through actual storytelling. The deformed faces and cartoony character designs in specific episodes are done intentionally as a way to deconstruct anime tropes. Hell, even the OP song makes fun of the colorful art style with running gags of certain characters, especially Yui. Cosplay in the show alludes to characters’ persona to match their interest. For fan service, this is again usually portrayed more as a parody rather than shock value. Yui is the guiltiest example because of her athletic body but the rest of the female cast isn’t too far off either; specifically Erika and even Minoa at times. Character facial expressions and body languages are also noticeable for their running gags. I lost count how many times I had to laugh at Kai for his antics. For a show as lighthearted as Animegataris, it has some surprisingly catchy music. Both the OP and ED theme songs are highly decorated with the usual gages from the show itself. It also feels like there are influences to the show’s OST. Some tracks sounds similar such as those from the show, Haruhi Suzumiya. Character voice mannerism definitely delivered in particular for characters such as Kai and Neko-sensei. I can’t say this enough but the voices of the characters in this show always sound alive and attracts attention. As a show that was based on the original Anime-Gatari, this anime stepped up to the plate with its themes, style, and humor. I wasn’t sold on what it had to offer at first but after giving it a chance, it quickly won me over. It’s strangely addictive watching the everyday lifestyles of the anime research club. Every character stood out in some way from this show that I came to enjoy watching. While the story isn’t written well at times, it still stays honest with its general premise and genres. As an anime fan who has been watching anime for years, I feel serviced.

ADAOS99★ 8

This anime was great! I'm kind of a novice to anime, but I don't many who love anime. It kind of related to me. It is a parody anime with a lot of anime references and anime jokes. I liked it because it was fun trying to figure out the references. I noticed a few like Ru:Zero, Anosuba, Autumn Wars, PreFae, and I think Guden Daran. The story is very slice of life but the last 2 episodes were just crazy. Character ideas were really creative and thought into. The art looked pretty amazing as well. It was overall an amazing anime and I rate it 8/10!