Another was one of my most anticipated anime to watch this season. Yet again I am reaffirmed that no one knows how to properly do a mystery story. I am always one to pick on plot holes, but being a mystery story, this is even more important to be fleshed out. It didn't leave as sour of a taste as Higurashi did for me, but it was far from my expectations.
Story
This is the core of any mystery anime, how well woven is the mystery. It starts off quite strong and holds it's grip for most of the series. The problem lies as the story unravels. Suffice to say, it is impossible to guess this mystery just because of how hidden the secret is. This isn't a good thing because it also means the final result was not very well linked with the story and feels almost random. At the end of a good mystery story, you should be rewatching the series to see the subtle hints you kept missing, this was not true in this show. Definitely a huge let down after they had such good build up.
~3/10
Immersion
This had things moving quite rapidly throughout the story. They did quite well to keep the pace moving and kept you guessing all season. The setting was okay on the conceptualization. The problem was when they decided to try and explain things and they added holes in the story by establishing new rules to their world. It just another example of a strong start only to fail to follow through.
~5/10
Animation
Part of why I like PA works is all their stuff usually does quite well for animation. They take the time to have much better animation and art then your average anime. Being an anime without fighting they could easily keep up the high quality without breaking the budget.
~ 8/10
Characters
The characters themselves did not really change much, thought we were able to see the uglier side of almost every character as the curse sets in. The only real problem was how weak the female lead, Misaki Mei, was. This influx of super quiet characters that say nothing and pretending to be mysterious is getting old. I know the focus of the show wasn't the characters, but they could have spent a bit more time to give them minds of their own and not be mindlessly pushed around by plot.
~6/10
Personal Satisfaction
The only redeeming quality of the show was Akawaza Izumi. They did hold the suspense quite well throughout the series and I was always looking forward to the next one. The resolution is very important in a show like this. Holding the story as the main selling point of a mystery story and then failing to deliver will always anger me greatly.
~2/10
Overall
This feels like a classic example of poor planning. The author only had a vague idea of how it would all end leaving the story filled with plot holes when you look back. It isn't hard to keep throwing twists and turns and keep the viewer at the edge of the seat, proper execution of the final unravelling is what makes a mystery story great.
Final Score [5/10]
~Pearz
