Tag: light novel adaptation

GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri (“The Self-Defense Forces Fight Like This in That Place”)

(24 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a light novel series about Japan being attacked by heroic-fantasy forces coming from another dimension, and fighting back.

Characters

Oh, dear.

Look, I can see why the show concentrates on setting up the core premise instead of developing the actual cast. Selling the high concept is important, after all. It may go a bit too far in overstating the novelty of it, especially with this amazingly tepid “cliffhanger” revealing that the access point between the two dimensions is called “the GATE”. Never would have guessed that.

And we do have an actual protagonist. Itami, off-duty lowly JSDF soldier who was at the right enough place during the initial attack to provide vital direction to the first responders and prepare the way for the actual defense forces. As a result, he gets a promotion, medals and much publicity he doesn’t really care for, as well as being part of the first serious wave being sent through the Gate and to try and occupy the neighbouring dimension.

For maximum audience identification, he’s also a massive otaku (who missed Comiket because of this). And he’s also having random visions of girls of assorted fantasy races who are probably going to be future love interests. The pandering, it hurts. And that’s the core problem with Itami as a character : he never feels like a coherent whole, but instead like a collection of traits the audience should like. He doesn’t feel like an actual person, you see ?

It doesn’t help that everyone else in this episode is amazingly one-note and forgettable. There’s some fuss about the Prime Minister driving much of Japan’s reaction dying before they get to the “invade the other world” part, but we’re given little reason to care about why that would matter. Please focus a random crying orphan girl instead !

Production Values

Nice enough ; you can always count on A1-Pictures to produce competent animation that’s not very flashy but does the job. And hey, the very generic designs for the heroic-fantasy armies may be part of the point.

Overall Impression

I’m sure there are many people ready to pounce upon the “JDSF, fuck yeah !” jingoism that constitutes the backbone of this show. And on some level, it is indeed a bit problematic. But that really wouldn’t matter if the series made a much better effort at making me care. Featuring some actual characters instead of paper-thing cutouts would help. As would a bit of world-building beyond the obvious.

But this first episode leaves me with very little confidence that it can deliver anything on that front. Everything here was by-the-numbers and obvious. There’s no twist (aside from the JSDF actually winning a fight for a change), no particular insight, the “enemy” have no depth whatsoever, and the blatant emotional manipulation showing up here and there gives me little hope on the plot suddenly becoming more even-handed between the various factions.

I just don’t care. Pass !

Source: [In Which I Review] New anime, Summer 2015

Mikagura School Suite (Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a comedy light novel series, itself based on a series of vocaloid songs. Is this starting to become a thing ?

Characters

Eruna, our protagonist, does her best to be as irritating as possible. She’s lazy (to the point of playing around instead of choosing a high school to attend after her graduation), shallow (she picks the school her cousin suggests because it’s got nice-looking uniforms and dorms), and more than a bit of a pervert. Also, she’s clearly attracted to girls, if her dating sims and the way she slobbers over any pretty girl in sight are any indication.

Fortunately for her, the entrance exam is a joke. She gets a ridiculously easy special test (“1+5 = ?”), and a nonsensical interview that she passes just for seeing the magical mascot interviewing her. (There’s noise in the background that she got fast-tracked because of her bloodline or something like that.)

The school’s gimmick is that there are a number of cultural clubs competing in battles, and the standing of your club determines the quality of your accommodations ; as someone in no club yet, Eruna gets barely any food, 5 minutes of water in the shower, and a sleeping bag in a corridor. This gives her strong incentives to join a club, any club. She just has to find one that’ll accept her. Given her obnoxious personality, that’s no easy feat.

Each representative of a club we see lugs around a giant symbol of their club, for some reason. So far, we have :
– the enthusiastic head of the calligraphy girl (giant paintbrush)
– the super-shy and apologetic member of the astronomy club (decent-sized telescope)
– the member of the painting club with the face of a thug (and merely some paint on his face)
– …I’m not sure I want to know what the club of the guy hanging around in the background with a big scythe is about.

Seisa, the headmistress’s granddaughter, heads the “going home club” (of which she is the only member), which is apparently a polite excuse for her to stay in her room most of the time. She goes out of her way to offer Eruna potential membership in her club. Eruna is delighted (she’d been drooling over the beauty posing in the school’s leaflet for a while), although she’s slightly more worried when Seisa asks her to take her place in the club battle… next week.

I have no clue what’s going on in the prologue.

Production Values

Quite good. It can sell the school as a place of wonder and weirdness, and it’s got decent comedic timing.

Overall Impression

Well, that was certainly baffling. Still, I’m a bit intrigued ; and while Eruna is a terrible excuse for a human being, she’s at least entertainingly so. I’m as curious as her as what the heck is going on with this school ; provided some answers come at a decent pace, this could prove to be fun. On the other hand, if it keeps on being gratuitously random and goes nowhere, it’ll wear on my patience very quickly.

This could turn out either way ; still, I’m willing to give it a second episode. Don’t waste it and please get to the point.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2015 – Page 4.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru no Darou ka)

(12ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a light novel series attempting a romance/harem comedy setup in a RPG-style fantasy world.

Characters

The high concept here is that the gods of the setting have gone down to mingle with mortals and enjoy normal life ; the only power they have left is to empower some normals so that they can go and adventure into dungeons. Not that the writers care too much about verisimilitude ; all monsters drop generic “crystal” loot for some reason, and adventurers have even got stat sheets.

Enter Hestia, very minor goddess with a grand total of one follower, the both of them living in obvious poverty. Not that she minds that much being alone with him, really. The way she’s so possessive and clingy rubs me the wrong way, to be frank.

Bell, said follower, is still a newb and can barely adventure enough to bring food on the table (Hestia helps by working part-time at a food stand). He’s got some enthusiasm, but is very weak indeed. “Should not be adventuring below level 3 of the dungeon” weak. But he wants to get stronger, not only to gather better loot, but also hoping to become a good enough prospect for the likes of…

Aiz, an elite member of the Loki house, who saves him from a minotaur. She’s so taciturn she barely gets a couple of lines in the whole episode, but I get the impression she isn’t as inaccessible as everyone likes to claim. (Wait, what’s with having her only level 5 ? For that matter, how can Bell still be level 1 despite his stats improving twice in the episode ? How does this system even work ?)

Rounding up the cast are the rest of the Loki house (including a loudmouth asshole who enjoys disparaging noobs, to the exasperation of his pals) ; Eina, a support guild worker who’s mostly there to provide a good chunk of exposition ; and Syr, a waitress who manages to trap Bell into eating at her expensive inn.

Production Values

Quite good ; the fantasy town feels more lived in than average. On the other hand, the camera loves to perv, especially when Hestia is giving it a hand by multiplying the risqué poses.

Overall Impression

Well, this is definitely a romance/harem comedy set in a RPG world. The setting is mildly interesting, but not enough to overcome my apathy over the near absence of a plot (Bell somehow now levelling faster whenever he thinks of Aiz barely counts) and nearly everyone involved’s lack of charisma ; Bell is just way too bland, and Hestia actively annoying.

I’m trying to be slightly more selective this season, and this is too mediocre to make the cut.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Spring 2015.

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman (Seiken Tsukai no World Break)

(12ish episodes ?)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of yet another light novel series set in a magic high school. You know the drill.

Characters

Moroha, our male lead, is a new freshman at the academy. Like all of them, he’s the reincarnation of past warriors, and as such should regain his memories and abilities with the right prodding. Which will be sorely needed, if the talk of various nasties roaming the world and the mandatory opening epic battle flash-forward are any indication. Unfortunately all of this is still hazy for him.

Satsuki, one of his new classmates, doesn’t have that problem. She’s already got a good handle on her abilities, and remembers Moroha as her beloved brother in a past life. And now there’s no pesky incest taboo to hinder them ! (I have no words. What happened to Ayana Taketatsu’s career for her to be so regularly pigeon-holed into bro-con roles ?) Aside from that, her main trait is that she’s very enthusiastic about their mission of saving the world.

Shizuno, another classmate who manages to steal Moroha’s first kiss “by accident”, to Satsuki’s furor. Given how constantly she’s gently trolling them, I’m sure there’s more to it. At least she doesn’t feel malicious.

[Random Asshole whose name I can’t be bothered double-checking], who quickly comes to blow with Satsuki after mocking her “ally of justice” mindframe. He humiliates her, leading to a rematch where Moroha tries to teach him a lesson… and unlocks his own powers just in the nick of time.

Production Values

This is actually quite sharp-looking. Vivid colours, nice animation, gorgeous backgrounds… Some care has been put into giving motion to this.

There’s quite a degree of fanservice at play here, if only from the script managing to fit in a locker scene, a shower scene, some clothing damage, and girls rubbing a guy’s head against their chest. Given all that, the execution almost feels positively restrained.

Overall Impression

This looks quite good, and there are some okay beats, but I still can’t quite shake my impression that like many of its ilk, it’s coasting on the “magic school” setting and its associated default hijinks to substitute for an actual plot. Since I have little patience for those clichés, I have trouble getting invested into even a better-than-average execution of it. (It doesn’t help that I’ve been badly burnt by the likes of the Irregular at Magic High School.)

Let’s be honest : there are many shows I’d rather be viewing than this.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Winter 2015 – Page 2.

Unlimited Fafnir (Juuou Mujin no Fafnir)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a light novel series.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the Fafner in the Azure sequel that airs on the same day within minutes of it.

Characters

Yuu, our protagonist. He’s a “D”, a vague of children who were born with superpowers after Dragons showed up and wreaked havoc on the world (just by existing, due to their massive size). He’s apparently the only male D, because of course. Initially he worked in the armed forces, but he’s now joining Midgar, the academy where all the D girls in the world were rounded in and are training for anti-dragon warfare.

Mitsuki, his younger sister, and also the student council president. Finally reunited after three years apart ! She hopes he won’t embarrass her.

Iris, a white-hair girl he first meets when she’s taking a skinny dip on the beach. (/facepalm) A bit of a ditz, she’s actually less resentful of that terrible first encounter than you’d expect. She still lets wild rumours propagate, of course.

Lisa, the spokesperson for all the students who are outraged by a boy’s presence in their school. Also, his powers are lame.

Their class’s teacher is mainly there to provide clumsy exposition. Including this uncomfortable tidbit : Dragons can turn Ds into their own rampaging kind, which is a good reason why nobody liked Ds in the first place.

Production Values

Terrible. And this is of course the fanservice-heavy version of studio Diomedea, as you’d expect from this kind of material. It’s especially thick whenever Iris is involved.

Overall Impression

Yeah, this is crap. Maybe there are a few interesting ideas here, but they’re drowned out under tons of the usual light novel wish-fulfilment clichés, and facepalm-inducing fanservice. All the characters are annoying, to boot.

Pass your way, nothing to see here.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Winter 2015 – Page 2.

Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend (Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata)

(12 episodes if you include this “prologue”)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a light novel series lampooning romantic comedy clichés.

Characters

This series follows the members of a high school club aiming to produce a romance videogame, including :
– Tomoya, the one dude and apparent “leader” of the club, the idea guy giving direction to the group.
– Utaha, the main writer (who also makes light novels on the side). Very sardonic and critical of the clichés of the genre, she’s quick to make fun of Tomoya’s terrible exposition in his narration and dialogue. Also aggressively vamping on him, with enough plausible deniability to leave him confused.
– Eriri, the main artist (who also publishes bestselling doujinshi on the side). A proponent of flash over substance, and thus in content conflict with Utaha. It doesn’t help that she’s Tomoya’s childhood friend and doesn’t like this newcomer macking on him.
– Michiru, the musician, an oddball who mostly stays in the background so far.
– Megumi, the one “normal” girl in the club, with no apparent artistic ability. She’s used by Eriri as a model for her artwork. Paratext indicates that she’s the girl Tomoya is actually interested in, and thus the “Boring Girlfriend” in the title.

This is a hot springs episode, with all the (lack of) plot advancement this implies.

Production Values

It takes some gall for a show to open with a gratuitous and very fanservicey hot springs scene, only for one of its characters to immediately launch into a rant against this kind of thing (with another very weakly trying to defend the practice).

Aside from this, it’s a decent-looking show.

Overall Impression

Hum. Usually you get this kind of thing as an OVA, not on TV before the first episode even airs. (Especially as it’s clearly set somewhere in the middle of the series, and isn’t a real prologue.)

But while this episode, by its very nature, doesn’t establish or develop the plot in any way, it gives a very good overview of the character dynamics at play here, as well as the metafictional humour it’s going for. And there’s quite a lot to enjoy here ; Utaha’s dry wit and trolling are the major attraction, and play well with the rest of the cast. There’s nothing particularly original, but the execution is strong enough to overcome my pre-release fears about the plot direction.

This must be the first ever hot springs episode I’ve ever found promising. That alone makes me think it’s doing something right, and pushes the show onto my to-watch list.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Winter 2015.

The Testament of New Sister Devil (Shinmai Maou no Testament)

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a light novel series.

Characters

Basara is an ordinary teenager whose father suddenly announces he’s remarried, and brings two stepsisters in to live with them. And who then proceeds to leave the country for work or whatever, leaving Basara very confused over how to handle those two girls.

Mio, the older one, of course gets the worse possible impression of him after he stumbles on her in the bathroom. (Sigh) It doesn’t help that Maria, the younger one, is a bit of a troll who enjoys making him look like he’s got a sister complex.

The twist is that Dad never remarried ; Mio is actually the heir to the previous Demon Lord (and Maria her succubus servant), who manipulated him to get a base on Earth. So yeah, get lost, Basara.

The other twist is that Basara is a young warrior on the side of Light, and can handle his own against the two of them enough to drive them out. Okay, didn’t see that coming.

The other other twist is that Dad was fully aware of what was going on ; it turns out that the previous Demon Lord was much more peaceful and easy to deal with than the guy who’s taken over since, and so it would be a good idea to harbour Mio until she’s strong enough to reclaim the throne. You know, it would probably have been a better idea to clue Basara in on all this at some point before it’s almost two late and the “sisters” get ambushed by agents of the new regime…

Production Values

Awfully cheap-looking throughout, and the constant fanservice doesn’t help make it look better.

Overall Impression

This is an episode that starts off awful and then gradually improves until it reaches the dizzying heights of “almost clever enough to be watcheable”. That’s quite the dramatic turnaround indeed, and it’s certainly never boring.

On the other hand, it’s never actually good either. The occasional fanservice outbursts (and the incest teases) aren’t exactly endearing, and I’m pretty sure this story has already been better executed elsewhere. So I kinda doubt I’ll be giving it the benefit of the doubt and another episode.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Winter 2015.

Absolute Duo

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Adaptation of a light novel series where teenagers attend a school to improve their magical battle proficiency. Like every other light novel that gets adapted into anime, then.

Characters

Thor (*snigger*), our generic male protagonist who doesn’t even get to feature on the series’ main poster artwork. Unlike most everyone else here, his “soul weapon” is a shield, not a blade. Also, he’s very, very bland.

Imari, a girl he meets just before the entrance ceremony and with whom he’s got some actual chemistry. (Which might be partly due to reconstituting the main couple of VAs from SAO. Or maybe it’s just that Haruka Tomatsu can improve anything by her presence.) So of course the sadistic and impossibly young school headmistress announce that all the applicants must duel in pair, with only the winner getting to enter ; and Thor is thus forced to beat her and make her drop out. (Maybe she’s not entirely written out, but I’m not holding my breath.)

Julie, the nearly-mute moeblob he’s then paired with and has to room with. No real personality on display yet.

Some more supporting cast get a bit of screentime, but none of them are striking enough to deserve mentioning.

Production Values

Those are some very uninspired character designs, with the girls often wearing some fetishized clothing that doesn’t look like fabric, and high heels that seem wholly unsuited to the somersaulting around they do in the OP sequence. But at least there’s not too much fanservice.

Points off for the impenetrable pre-credits sequence, which seems to think that drowning the screen in bloody darkness looks good and dramatic.

Overall Impression

Is this a prank ? An attempt to ram every single light novel cliché into the one show ? And it takes itself dreadfully seriously, of course. This goes beyond mediocre and into laughably bad… Except I’m falling asleep instead of laughing. It’s just that boring.

Don’t bother with this one.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Winter 2015.

#01 : Boogiepop Phantom

(12 episodes)

What’s it about ?

Sanity slippage, the anime. (Adapted from a light novel series.)

Characters

The titular Boogiepop is an urban legend bogey(wo)man ; everyone has vaguely heard spooky stories, and many of the strange happenings in the city are rumoured to be linked to her. In true horror anthology fashion, she barely shows up for a couple of minutes at the end of this first episode, killing off the monster and quickly explaining the plot. If you want to push it, she could just be a “normal” high school girl with advanced knowledge of the occult and wearing a fancy coat and hat over her uniform… but what are the odds of THAT ?

Moto, our actual point of view character for this episode is an angsty, self-conscious high school girl. She’s got issues over her best friend Yasuko becoming more socially proficient (and sexually active), and regrets not pursuing her crush on Yasuko’s former middle-school boyfriend further.

Saotome, said ex-boyfriend, has recently disappeared, and only shows up in flashbacks. Whatever happened to him (Boogiepop claims to have killed him), the thing that Moto stumbles on and has taken his form definitely isn’t him. She’s very lucky Boogiepop was in the vicinity to take out that man-eating monster.

I’m pretty sure that’s the end of Moto’s story, with each subsequent episode focusing on a different character that intersects briefly with the others’ path. As Moto’s narration says, what happened to her was just a ripple effect of a bigger story.

The credits prominently feature (and name) three characters :
– Touka is the only one who gets any actual screentime here ; she’s an ordinary student at Saotome’s highschool who crosses paths briefly with Moto and tries being helpful, despite Moto not wanting any help.
– Nagi is another student at that highschool, although she spends most of the OP looking grim in leather and riding a motorcycle. She doesn’t even show up at all here, although it’s said Saotome had a crush on her. Everyone knows her to be bad news.
– And then there’s some older guy in a trenchcoat, who doesn’t appear at all either.

Production Values

Atmosphere ! This show is all dull greys and browns, which is great at setting up the mood, but not so much at making the characters easily distinguishable (especially as the non-supernatural characters have naturalistic designs). Still, it’s very good at selling the alienation and the anything-could-happen nature of the setting.

Aside from the rocking OP/ED sequences, the soundtrack has very little actual music, instead playing up sound effects for maximum otherworldliness. What little music there is in the action sequences, is disrupted and fragmented. (In a good way.)

Overall Impression

As it happens, the first show on the list is the one I’ve already seen twice, and one of my all-time favourites. The shifting-POV, non-linear storytelling at play here is a thing of beauty, as each subsequent tale builds into a cohesive bigger picture. It’s relentless, it’s creepy, but it still leaves a ray of hope at the end of the day, thanks to Boogiepop herself.

I love this show, and I’m really tempted to rewatch it right now. That’s going to be a tough act to follow.

Source: [In Which I Review] Anime series from 2000

Fall 2014 capsules

Hmm. For some reason Karen Senki wasn’t even on my checklist. I can’t even find any hint it’s actually airing in Japan. But hey, it’s at the very least a Japanese co-production by the creators of Sakura Wars, and Crunchyroll is streaming it, so close enough for a token mention in this thread.

This is quite an odd series. For one, it’s 12 half-length episodes. For two, it’s full-CG. And for three, I can’t tell whether the plot being so disjointed and making no sense whatsoever is intentional.

It follows the adventures of Karen, who wages an essentially single-woman war against robots, who have taken over society and killed her cute young sister. (Or so she claims ; the flashbacks show nothing of the sort.) But the robots’ rule doesn’t seem that drastic, as everyone else seems to be carrying on normally, aside from whenever they have to deal with the collateral damage of Karen’s battles. Her being randomly attacked by killer-bots seems to be the exception, not the rule. One of her associates seems perfectly fine having a robot lover. And frankly, Karen just doesn’t sound entirely sane.

Or this may just be because the series as a whole is an excuse to string along elaborate action sequences. Now, they’re quite well-directed ; the problem isn’t so much that they’re hard to follow, but that they don’t fit with their context. But the real issue here is that the actual character animation is goddarn awful. People don’t move that way ! They can emote decently, but just about anything else about them is awkward. This is massively distracting, and doesn’t help the series’ case.

I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt, and a second episode. But I dread it’s going to test my patience quickly.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Fall 2014.

 

Anyway, let’s say a few words on I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying (Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken). It’s a series of shorts adapting a 4-panel gag manga series. Basically, it’s about a wife being flummoxed by her husband’s ultra-otaku ways. It’s mildly funny, but most of these jokes have already been done to death, and you often wonder why those two even got married in the first place. (That’s actually addressed immediately, but her reasoning is more than a little evasive.) This is a perfectly inoffensive show, but I doubt it’ll hold my attention for long unless it gets significantly better soon.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Fall 2014 – Page 2.

 

As it turns out, I just can’t make a proper review of Fate/stay Night – Unlimited Blade Works. Too much of my viewing experience was influenced by my foreknowledge from the DEEN series & movie, as well as Fate/Zero. It’s not like I can remember exactly who’s a Master (and of which Servant), especially as we’re in a different route and things might change around a bit, but I still know more than a few incoming twists that make it impossible to offer a “virgin” preview. (And I do have doubts on whether the series is aimed at anyone but people who’ve already seen either or both of these previous shows.)

Still, this is a good start. Way less infodumpy than Fate/Zero, and with some actual impressive battles right off the bat in this opening double-length episode. It helps a lot that it features Rin as a protagonist ; as someone who actually has a clue what’s going on, but not the details of who she’s fighting, she offers a more interesting and proactive perspective than Shirou did the first time around.

So far, so good. I was wondering whether I had lost interest in the franchise, but this looks fun enough to be worth watching.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Fall 2014 – Page 2.

 

Mysterious Joker (Kaitou Joker) might be at least partially to blame for my sleepiness. It’s a kids’ show about a quirky Gentleman Thief… and if you’re wondering what’s the difference with Magic Kaitou, it’s the targeted age group : this show aims much lower. All the characters are highly annoying and SHOUTING all the time, the jokes fall flat, and I literally couldn’t follow the plot because I was falling asleep every couple of minutes. Something about the protagonist recruiting a “ninja” fanboy kid ? I don’t care at all, and it really doesn’t help that another show with similar themes which is superior in every way is airing concurrently. Pass.

Also falling flat : The Circumstances in My Home’s Bathtub (Orenchi no Furo Jijo). Now, this type of series of shorts based on 4-panel gag manga often have the problem of only delivering the same joke over and over, never really amounting to anything. Here, the issue is that I can’t even see the joke. Dude brings a merman to his bathtub by mistake, and that’s pretty much it. They don’t even have much banter. I just don’t get it.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Fall 2014 – Page 4.

 

Sometimes I’m baffled by weird gimmicky series of shorts. Such as Hi☆sCoool! SeHa Girls, where anthropomorphic personalizations of Sega’s consoles enter a bizarre dedicated school ; it’s mostly an excuse to string along “nostalgic” allusions that most often fly completely other my head (as I was more of a Nintendo fan). It’s a better use of full CG animation than we usually get for these, but it’s still a niche gag series where I’m not part of the audience.

Oh, and since I’m pressed for time, I’m going to quickly skip over Gundam Build Fighters TRY : long story short, it’s very promising, doesn’t require any knowledge of the first season thanks to a time jump and a different cast (although Mr Ral still makes a cameo), and I’m pleased to see it has the girl as a true fighter and the leader of the team.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Fall 2014 – Page 5.

 

No full review for Ronja the the Robber’s Daughter, as as I fell asleep watching the first episode and don’t care to give it another try. This Ghibli adaptation of a Swedish fantasy book is just very, very dull, and the uninspiring full-CG animation doesn’t help. (Those characters emote way too exaggeratedly for my tastes.) Don’t care, won’t watch any more.

Bonjour Sweet Love Pâtisserie has a completely different problem : it’s a generic shoujo “male harem” romance show that barely gets to breathe in the 5 minutes or so of screentime per week it gets. As a result, all the characters are walking clichés, and the “glamourous baking academy” setup feels completely artificial. Not really worth your time, this one.

via [In Which I Review] New anime, Fall 2014 – Page 6.