Upon reading the synopsis for Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, I expected the atmosphere of the series to be more on the darker side with little bits of suspense or horror thrown in. While this was true for the later episodes, it was definitely not the case for the earlier ones, which gave me the impression that this was yet another romantic comedy except with a small twist, in the form of having a human and a ghost being the main couple. Looking at it as a whole, this series has been a slightly weird one. Although it strayed from my expectations, it managed to provide an entertaining experience for the most part. There were both the flaws and the memorable moments; a solid series overall.
Art (9/10)
The art was the strongest aspect of this series by far. I was absolutely captivated by the beautiful use of colours in those countless panoramic and sky shots of the sunset and night sky. It reminded me of how a lot of attention was put into the clouds in the sky in Makoto Shinkai movies. The use of SHAFT-like animation sequences also effectively added to my enjoyment of the artwork. Like SHAFT's animation, Silver Link took a risk by using a hit-or-miss art style in many of the more serious scenes and I think it paid off. In addition to the detailed backgrounds and environment, the character designs were also quite solid, with the periodic chibi designs providing a nice bonus.
Characters (7/10)
To be honest, I felt some of the side characters needed more development, namely Kirie and Momoe. While it was easy to see that Teiichi developed from being a seemingly dull person into someone who really cared for the girl he loved (especially near the end), the development of the other characters was much more lacking. Even Yūko's development was restricted, but that was mainly due to the nature of her character. The only thing I got out of the series regarding the two other members of the Paranormal Investigations Club is that Kirie acts as an "advisor" for Teiichi and Momoe is there for comic relief. Although the development of the main character is crucial, I don't think it's enough just to focus on him/her alone. I find it is equally important to build up the supporting cast to a certain degree, which is one thing that this series failed to do.
Sound (8/10)
Partially backed by the excellent OP, which I find to be important in getting a viewer into the mood of watching the episode, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia presents a decent auditory experience. The ED, although slightly overshadowed by CHOIR JAIL, manages to effectively slow down the pace and allow for time to reflect on the episode, especially in the latter half of the series. While the BGM is far from noteworthy, it did contain a few nice tracks which added to my overall enjoyment. In terms of voice acting, there were no big-name seiyūs aside from Kitamura Eri, who didn't even play a large role as Kirie. Nonetheless, the voice acting was solid and I especially liked how Teiichi's voice actor was able to convey his character's emotions with a great degree of skill, particularly in the last few episodes.
Story (7/10)
To put it bluntly, the ending ruined everything. I felt it was an amateur decision on the part of whoever was responsible for it. Furthermore, if the final scene was not used, I wouldn't have hesitated to give the story an 8/10 (which I had initially had). This just goes to show how much of an influence a bad ending can have on the story as a whole. But aside from that, the premise of the series is interesting at the least. It successfully struck a good balance between a "romantic comedy" and a "dark mystery"—two genres which generally don't go well together. And because of that, I feel one's satisfaction with it can vary, depending on how well the ending sits with them.
Overall (8/10)
To say whether I liked the series or not is difficult. On one hand, the first and last few episodes were really good in their own way. But on the other hand, the fact that the plot jumped around quite a bit in the middle and the presence of that horribly placed ending makes me think otherwise. If it came down to it, I'd say the positives outweighed the negatives. Tasogare Otome x Amnesia is a solid series overall and those who enjoy romantic comedies and/or mysteries will most likely have fun watching it.
Still need to watch the last 2 episodes to make up my mind, but it should be pretty much be the same as yours, unless the ending really disappoints me in some way or another.
ReplyDeleteI like the visuals alot too, especially those shots where they shrink the screen into something really thin and then just letting it explode out again. This effect / technique has been overdone throughout the show, but I think it works really well here.
The romantic comedy between the couple actually made me want to get invested in them and look forward to what happens. Though I must say, after watching the second episode and immediately jumping to manga, my impatience on the revealing "you know who" kind of made me dislike the show a bit. The colors used in every episode really lets the show live up to its "Dusk" name, and nothing was unnecessarily scary or over-the-top disturbing like other shows I refuse to mention.
Without making references or commenting on the manga too much, I still have to say that this is a well done show with great visuals and mysterious aspects for its nice alluring atmosphere ~ definitely would give it a thumbs up and recommend others to watch.
SPOLIERS AHEAD:
ReplyDeleteI think your comments on the final scene are a case of the idea that happy endings are somehow bad writing. The argument between Teiichi and Kirie in Chapter 11 establishes the final conflict. Teiichi is about to accept that he's going to lose Yuuko, and Kirie tells him that he's being weak and fearful, which sets up the message that you should fight for your love and not just quietly accept the hand you're dealt. Had they wanted to go with the bittersweet ending, that scene should have been the opposite -- Teiichi should have been ready to fight to keep Yuuko, and Kirie should have told him that he should accept the inevitable.
There are two other things that lead up to this ending as well. The first was in episode 2, where there's a rumor that if you look over your shoulder when looking into the mirror (as Teiichi did) you'd be trapped there forever. One of the running themes of the show is that there is a grain of truth to all of the ghostly rumors around the school -- Teiichi may not have been pulled into the mirror, but the implication of the rumor was that he would be haunted forever, and that's what ended up happening. Sure, it's a "good" haunting, but Yuuko is definitely haunting him. In a sense, she's kind of a succubus -- a jealous spirit who wants Teiichi for herself.
Secondly, Teiichi's weakness in the face of adversity was a source of conflict earlier in the series. Teiichi's major character flaw is that he's *too* willing to accept loss. The running theme of the show (unlike most shows about ghosts) was never that acceptance is a good thing.
I don't have anything against bittersweet endings in general, but given the above, a bittersweet ending (wherein Yuuko disappears) would have been inappropriate. If they wanted to end it that way, most of the series would need to have been retooled to some extent in order for it not to be completely jarring.