School Daze – The Gamez

There’s been game-based anime (such as Fate/Stay Night, Devil May Cry and even *shudder* Pokemon) floating around for quite a few years now, in what seems to be a bit of a reversal to Western media, where games and such are normally a spin-off from a successful film or TV series.

However, in the last couple of seasons in particular, a plethora of these have hit the screens – especially those based on what are called “visual novels”. I’m not going to go into the reasons why, a friend has already pondered that point quite eloquently here. Visual novels are – to use the simplest description – stories you read on your PC screen, with occasional graphics and a storyline that can follow various paths, depending on how the player responds to various questions. Although there are exceptions to the norm, like the popular (and gory) “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni” murder/mystery series, the majority of those being animated lately are based on what is known as dating sims – where a boy, or boys, meets lots of girls and invariably ends up in the sack with one (or more) of them.

Luckily, in most cases the anime versions are toned down (due to pretty strict censorship laws in Japan) and whilst most of them are predictable drivel (“Myself; Yourself”, “H2O”, “Kimikiss” and “They Are My Noble Masters” head up this “don’t waste your time” list – and I dread to think what the current season has in store for us), there are a few that have stood out and are worthy of a ramble on my part.

(By the way, in my defense, this doesn’t imply that I’ve actually played any of these games… I do have a life and frankly, reading a story on my PC sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry. So does watching animated characters having sex, for that matter… although I might admit there is a seifuku thing going on…)

ef – a tale of memories

Thought I’d start off with a series that shows just what can be done if a studio (in this case, Shaft) is prepared to spend the time, effort and money on a series. Bearing in mind that the anime is based on a game that brought in Mikoto Shinkai (he of “5 Centimeters a Second” and “Voices of a Distant Star” fame, and of whom I’m an unashamed fanboy) to provide the opening animation sequence, as well as a soundtrack by Tenmon, and it’s clear that the game’s producers are taking this very seriously and were, no doubt, expecting the same from the series. I think it’s safe to say they weren’t disappointed.

Although Shinkai isn’t credited on the anime, his borrowed influence is visible in some of the best artwork seen in any anime series recently. Tenmon, however, is on board and provides an amazing soundtrack – which is what we’ve come to expect from this gifted musician. Even though the character design itself leaves much to be desired (possibly the only really flaw in this), it’s the combination of the artwork and some very strong writing that makes this stand head and shoulders above its peers.

Although, at first glance it is a simple ‘boys meet girls’ type story, with the usual stereotypes present, the individuals are given a depth rarely seen in this genre. Given the added twist of the obligatory ‘damaged girl’ (actually all the girls are damaged to one degree or another) being damaged in such an interesting way (a memory that only last 13 hours) and the way the 3 boys react to and interact with the 3 girls makes for a refreshing change. Chihiro, she of the very short-term memory, relies on a diary to keep track of a life which is made more complex by the arrival of Renji on the scene. Miyako vies for the attention of Hiro (a wannabe mangaka) with Kei, the childhood friend (and Chihiro’s twin sister and in a way responsible for Chihiro’s condition) – who whilst not willing to admit her own feelings, isn’t about to risk somebody else getting in the way. However, Miyako, being the product of a broken home and desperate to feel loved, isn’t about to be shouldered out the way.

It is all pretty predictable, and given that it is based on an ero-game it’s pretty fanservice-y too, but as I mentioned before the writing and characterisation make this stand out – three scenes in particular are so powerful and so well scripted and visualised that the series is worth watching simply for those. I mean, of course, what has gone down in animedom as “Miyako’s 99 messages” (you might not understand it, but it’s worth listening to for 3 minutes of some sublime drama), the telephone confession between Miyako and Hiro and Chihiro’s reaction upon waking up, having slept for more than 13 hours – thus losing every memory of the last 4 years. The final scene between Chihiro and Renji is also worthy of mention, as she tries to simplify her life by removing the pages concerning him from her diary and thus eventually her memory – provided she can stop thinking about him for 13 hours – and his frantic attempts to recover the pages makes for a touching climax. Those alone, combined with the amazing soundtrack and visuals make “ef” possibly the game-based series to watch, if you must watch one.

True Tears

A strange one this. Firstly kudos to the producers for not following the story of the game (which hasn’t been released yet anyway) and secondly to whoever put up the budget to produce a very visually appealing and detailed series. True, it is your typical love-triangle type tale, but the writing is decent enough and there’s enough character development, even in a short series, to make this worth watching, plus it’s given a pretty decent treatment by director Nishimura Junji (who also gave us the beautiful Simoun) . Except… and it’s probably just me… I find the characters in this tale all particularly unlikable.

Shinichiro, the hero, wafts around like a leaf in a storm, completely unable to make up his mind until the very end – and then probably makes the wrong choice too. He also comes across as having the personality of a wet paper bag. Noe, is cute and quirky, which combined with a sense of vunerability, makes her an interesting character – to start off with – but this veneer starts to tarnish pretty quickly and she becomes brattish. Hiromi, the orphan taken in by Shinichiro’s parents and the girl he’s loved for ages is, simply put, a manipulative bitch. Which is odd, seeing as she’s supposed to be the tragic heroine. She knows she’s got him wrapped around her finger and almost takes sadistic delight in tormenting him… until things don’t go her way and Noe appears on the scene.

Then there’s the ubiquitous childhood friend, Aiko, whose sole purpose seems to be to lead us on a wild goose chase, as she pops up, confesses her love, gets rebuffed and vanishes. A shame really, because she has more genki than the rest of the cast put together.

I don’t know what it is with this show – the artwork is great, the soundtrack very nice, the writing is intelligent, although it’s not without holes – we’re never quite sure why Shinichiro’s mother is initally so abusive towards Hiromi, or why she suddenly changes tact. (just an aside on that, it’s the 3^rd series I can think of this year with a link to sake brewing. Odd, unless the sake marketing board is looking towards a new target market or something) yet at the end of the day, I actually couldn’t care less about the characters or what happens to them. I’m not sure if it is a flaw in the characterisation, or just me, but it does detract from what could have been one of the better offerings in this genre.

Clannad

Clannad is the third (ok, fourth if you include the Kanon remake) offering from Key and delivers what Key does best – visually pretty candyfloss – something to keep you busy for a bit, with no real substance and is probably bad for you in excessive doses. Whilst it certainly is pretty to look at (although consensus seems to indicate it’s a step back from some of their previous work) and contains some fairly engaging characters, overall it misses the mark. For that matter, you could also argue that it’s not quite sure what it wants to be – a romantic comedy (where it succeeds) or drama (where it fails).

Broadly, the storyline is fairly interesting, as we watch the school rogue (meant as in ‘lovable rogue’) – overcome his own domestic problems and learn the true meaning of family, through his interactions with a herd of impossibly cute girls, his ever-present sidekick – and a couple of madcap parents. What adds to the story is that the interactions aren’t linear, but rather the group as a whole binds together to sort out the problem afflicting a particular character. (Yes, it’s one of those where there’s a damaged girl or girls that needs fixing.) The problem arises when these girls all – in their own special way – start falling for him, whilst you’d have to be deaf, blind, dumb and likely in a coma not to realise within the first few minutes of episode 1 who he’s going to end up with. Still, it makes for a pleasant distraction as the tale unfolds and in fairness it does solve the pending harem situation in a fairly satisfactory manner.

It does, however, make the mistake of trying to mix comedy and (attempts at) drama. In fairness, it does the comedy bits quite well, especially the scenes involving the distinctly odd and quirky Fuku and child-genius-with-social-skills-of-a-doorknob Kotomi and Nagisa’s parents also pop up occasionally and provide decent comic relief. Suffice to say there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, especially the scenes where Okazaki (our hero of the tale) plays pranks on the other characters and the one-sided battles between the sidekick, Sunohara and the resident tsundere, Tomoyo. There’s even times when it appears that it isn’t taking itself seriously and sticks in a game-play type interface into proceedings. It’s when the story tries to add drama to these characters, underdeveloped as they are and given the comedic build up to events, that it falls flat and comes across as schmaltzy, contrived and sickeningly sweet at times. It also has the annoying trend of virtually dropping a character from the storyline once they’re “fixed”.

It’s pretty, fluffy and funny for the most part, but at the end (the last 4 or 5 episodes in particular) the story stutters and wavers and finally goes out with a whimper, rather than a bang. I suppose that given the series apparently only really covers half the actual gametime, we can expect a sequel sometime soon, which promises to be schmaltzier and sadder than this series. It would have been better, methinks, to have crammed a bit more into the last few episodes, and wrap it up properly, rather than drag things out. Despite all this, there’s a part of me that really does want to like this show – it’s probably because I’m a sucker for cute.

School Days

Ah yes, School Days. “That” show, that sparked “that” controversy, that sparked “that” meme. The first of the game based shows that not only went beyond boy-meets-girl, but also possibly the first to have anything but a happy ending. In fact, it was this lack of a happy (but rather an especially bloody and shocking) ending, coinciding with the real-life events of a Japanese schoolgirl taking to her father with an axe that resulted in the final episode being preempted by many stations. Fans tuned into the late night broadcasts to be greeted with visuals of various passenger liners sailing serenely around the coast – hence the short-lived internet meme, “Nice boat!”

All that aside, it does have it’s strong points. The characters are well defined and develop over the course of the show – each and everyone revealing their true colours at some point. Makoto is the lucky guy in question, as his crush on the pretty but reserved Kotonoha, results in him receiving “lessons” from his friend Sekai, who, of course has ulterior motives. Once she’s successfully seduced him (yes there’s sex in this show – never shown, but implied – there’s lots of blouses being buttoned and unbuttoned) he parts ways with Kotonoha – except he’s too much of a coward to actually tell her.

It’s around this point that the wheels start to come off, as both Kotonoha and Sekai start to display disturbing behaviour once Makoto casts them aside in search of pastures new. It’s the clever interplay between the rapidly degenerating Kotonoha and Sekai, the clueless Makoto whose mind (as with most hormone-ravaged teens) is elsewhere, and several bit-players that play their own poisonous role in this tale. It soon develops into something akin to watching a slow-motion train wreck happening, especially for the viewer who has all the facts to hand.

There is a realism to School Days that makes the difference to other shows. It’s not all light and fluffy bunnies being in love. Kids do have sex and will run off to the nearest love hotel (or home, if both parents are working) instead of into the sunset, people do get hurt and actions have consequences, as Makoto finds out when confronted with a pregnancy.

It’s at this point where the story spins up into its violent and unexpected climax, again, something which makes it stand out from its peers. It’s well acted, decently written and whilst it’s not about to win any storytelling awards, it plays around with familiar themes within a well-used genre and manages to come up with something different.