JHD_inc
Joined Mar 2005
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Ratings1.2K
JHD_inc's rating
Reviews8
JHD_inc's rating
The show is packed full with character driven humour. It comes in both the high and low energy variety. On the whole it's rather loud though. If you're looking for something low-key or soothing, look further.
The fact the show is entirely character driven highlights both its strengths and weaknesses. The characters are, obviously, the most important part of the show. And they're entertaining, original, likable and well-designed and animated. And all of them together make a nice quilt of quirkiness.
But the individual characters are also quite two-dimensional, in the widest sense of the word. Most are endowed with only one or two (very obvious) character traits, which are milked for comedy. But being rather shallow, they run dry too quickly. The show tries to remedy this with a steady stream of new characters. This is especially prevalent in the first two seasons, where there's next to no story progression.
Though there are plenty of witty moments, the space in between is filled with, well, filler; repetitive gags that keep milking the same cows (Taneshima is short, Inami is scared of men, etc.). There are a lot of different cows, which mitigates some of the damage. In itself this would be quite forgivable; many sitcoms are guilty of the same thing, using the same set-up over and over again, and still manage to be amusing. And an argument can be made for repetition being an essential comedic device. But the amount of ingenuity is spread rather thinly over the iterations, there's little variation in the execution. Combine this with the fact there's little to no plot progression and the show can get a tad repetitive, even tedious at times. Especially when you watch more than one episode at a time. So my advice: enjoy, but watch in moderation. Just to make clear I'm not trying to paint a negative picture here, I'll reaffirm; even if you take out all the filler fluff, there is still plenty left to make you smile or even laugh.
As stated before, there is almost no story. Not in the show as a whole and the average episode won't have much of a plot either, just a premise. But it's not about the story anyway; it's about the characters going about their (un)usual business. So I don't think it needed more story, though I do feel it would have benefited from a faster pacing. And in the 3rd season and concluding special, the show finally picks up that pace, finally resolving the few story lines it has. And it does so in style. Its own style, that is.
As a little (but appreciated) bonus: an enjoyable intro clip. It doesn't just rehash existing footage (so lazy) and its quirkiness fits the rest of the show. Panpanpanpan! (See season 2 for this to make sense.)
P.S. Don't forget to check if there's a little extra scene after the credit roll.
The fact the show is entirely character driven highlights both its strengths and weaknesses. The characters are, obviously, the most important part of the show. And they're entertaining, original, likable and well-designed and animated. And all of them together make a nice quilt of quirkiness.
But the individual characters are also quite two-dimensional, in the widest sense of the word. Most are endowed with only one or two (very obvious) character traits, which are milked for comedy. But being rather shallow, they run dry too quickly. The show tries to remedy this with a steady stream of new characters. This is especially prevalent in the first two seasons, where there's next to no story progression.
Though there are plenty of witty moments, the space in between is filled with, well, filler; repetitive gags that keep milking the same cows (Taneshima is short, Inami is scared of men, etc.). There are a lot of different cows, which mitigates some of the damage. In itself this would be quite forgivable; many sitcoms are guilty of the same thing, using the same set-up over and over again, and still manage to be amusing. And an argument can be made for repetition being an essential comedic device. But the amount of ingenuity is spread rather thinly over the iterations, there's little variation in the execution. Combine this with the fact there's little to no plot progression and the show can get a tad repetitive, even tedious at times. Especially when you watch more than one episode at a time. So my advice: enjoy, but watch in moderation. Just to make clear I'm not trying to paint a negative picture here, I'll reaffirm; even if you take out all the filler fluff, there is still plenty left to make you smile or even laugh.
As stated before, there is almost no story. Not in the show as a whole and the average episode won't have much of a plot either, just a premise. But it's not about the story anyway; it's about the characters going about their (un)usual business. So I don't think it needed more story, though I do feel it would have benefited from a faster pacing. And in the 3rd season and concluding special, the show finally picks up that pace, finally resolving the few story lines it has. And it does so in style. Its own style, that is.
As a little (but appreciated) bonus: an enjoyable intro clip. It doesn't just rehash existing footage (so lazy) and its quirkiness fits the rest of the show. Panpanpanpan! (See season 2 for this to make sense.)
P.S. Don't forget to check if there's a little extra scene after the credit roll.
The show has a nice balance between drama and gentle comedy. The humour is mixed in smoothly, never obtrusive or breaking the mood. And setting this mood it does very well, with a few effective imageries and no unnecessary vocalization. Overall the emotional moments are well executed, not over the top or forced and with plenty of build-up.
It starts out at a comfortable pace, taking enough time to set the mood and establish the story and characters with their backgrounds. And where it matters it continues to develop the characters in that same measured pace as well. But about half-way the shows staggers, as it continues in little story-arcs focusing on a single character. There are some touching moments and the segments are well executed (it does feel rushed in some spots), but a lot is quite secondary to the main story. You could take them out and the whole would be just as coherent (perhaps even more so). The show systematically lets its characters resolve their issues, as if wanting to place a checkmark next to each name. One character at a time is put in the spotlight, while the others take step back and wait their turn. It makes the collection of individual stories rather segmented, instead of an intertwined whole. It picks up a bit of a 'one step forward, one step back'-routine. The story loses momentum and is in danger of becoming repetitive.
The characters are nicely rounded. Not particularly complex or original, but they're likable, feel real and fit the atmosphere with their not too outspoken personalities, which are established naturally and unhurriedly. Even some supporting characters which at first glance may seem flat, get fleshed out a bit in later episodes.
For a show focussing a choir, it doesn't feature a lot of music. The soundtrack consists of only a handful of songs, which are enjoyable, but not much more. Even within the context of show, the music leaves but little impression.
Though it misses that bit of extra originality or impact to make it a classic, it's still quite well executed and truly enjoyable. I'll gladly recommend this one if you're in the mood for some gentle laughs and mild tears.
It starts out at a comfortable pace, taking enough time to set the mood and establish the story and characters with their backgrounds. And where it matters it continues to develop the characters in that same measured pace as well. But about half-way the shows staggers, as it continues in little story-arcs focusing on a single character. There are some touching moments and the segments are well executed (it does feel rushed in some spots), but a lot is quite secondary to the main story. You could take them out and the whole would be just as coherent (perhaps even more so). The show systematically lets its characters resolve their issues, as if wanting to place a checkmark next to each name. One character at a time is put in the spotlight, while the others take step back and wait their turn. It makes the collection of individual stories rather segmented, instead of an intertwined whole. It picks up a bit of a 'one step forward, one step back'-routine. The story loses momentum and is in danger of becoming repetitive.
The characters are nicely rounded. Not particularly complex or original, but they're likable, feel real and fit the atmosphere with their not too outspoken personalities, which are established naturally and unhurriedly. Even some supporting characters which at first glance may seem flat, get fleshed out a bit in later episodes.
For a show focussing a choir, it doesn't feature a lot of music. The soundtrack consists of only a handful of songs, which are enjoyable, but not much more. Even within the context of show, the music leaves but little impression.
Though it misses that bit of extra originality or impact to make it a classic, it's still quite well executed and truly enjoyable. I'll gladly recommend this one if you're in the mood for some gentle laughs and mild tears.
Overall the show is quite enjoyable, but it fails to leave a lasting impression. If you're looking for some light entertainment, give this one a go; contrary to what my final grade may imply, I can still recommend this one. Grading the show solely on the ability to make you smile, it would have received a solid 7/10. But it's earned itself some demerits in other areas. The main cause of its shortcomings seem to me to be the fact it tries to do too much, not giving itself enough time and space to actually do it right.
It's fun when it sticks to what it does best; lighthearted mysteries of the "let's hunt for ghosts"- and "who stole the apple-pie"-calibre, which the protagonists commit themselves wholeheartedly to solving. This contrast, and the contrast between the two main characters, produces a steady stream of low-key humour. Sure, the investigations always go suspiciously smoothly and they always manage to leap to the correct conclusion based on very limited data. But who cares? It's fun. It probably won't make you laugh out loud, but that's not its intention.
Unfortunately, in a lot of episodes it tries really, really hard (too hard) to be dramatic and touching, cramping the set-up, building of tension and resolution into a span of 20 minutes or less. With mixed results. Supposedly emotional breakthroughs are glossed over and profound issues are solved in laughably simplistic ways. Not to say they're all misses, but the success-ratio is rather low.
There's not a lot of opportunity for development and exposition of the main characters, but there's no real need for it either. Their chief function is to guide you through a small mystery each episode and entertain you in between, which they do successfully. The two main characters interact nicely together and each have some charming quirks and the humour flows naturally from their personalities. The supporting cast is a bit bland though (and not very supporting).
But little room is made for music. After the (perceived) promise made in the first scene, and having been directed to this show after finishing (the wonderful) Hibike! Euphonium, this realisation came as a bit of a let-down. In all fairness, this was largely caused by my own preconceptions, I can't actually hold against the show. So just take this as a friendly warning to spare you similar heartbreak; the premise of scrounging together a concert-band is little more than a framing device. It could have easily been replaced by, say, the formation of a volleyball team. There are one or two nice moments when the theme of music actually serves a purpose. So I do think, had it been more intertwined with the story and given more space, together with the whole let's-get-together-and-build-harmony-bla-bla-bla concept, the show would have been richer for it.
As a bonus; actually acceptable English! Just a few words, but still. What a relief! (A bit sad this should count as a cause for celebration. Sure, it seems Japanese are bad at English as a rule – a fact of which they're quite aware and a point of much appreciated self-ridicule – but if you're going to put gai-jin in your show, hire a suitable voice- actor or at least hire a consultant!)
It's fun when it sticks to what it does best; lighthearted mysteries of the "let's hunt for ghosts"- and "who stole the apple-pie"-calibre, which the protagonists commit themselves wholeheartedly to solving. This contrast, and the contrast between the two main characters, produces a steady stream of low-key humour. Sure, the investigations always go suspiciously smoothly and they always manage to leap to the correct conclusion based on very limited data. But who cares? It's fun. It probably won't make you laugh out loud, but that's not its intention.
Unfortunately, in a lot of episodes it tries really, really hard (too hard) to be dramatic and touching, cramping the set-up, building of tension and resolution into a span of 20 minutes or less. With mixed results. Supposedly emotional breakthroughs are glossed over and profound issues are solved in laughably simplistic ways. Not to say they're all misses, but the success-ratio is rather low.
There's not a lot of opportunity for development and exposition of the main characters, but there's no real need for it either. Their chief function is to guide you through a small mystery each episode and entertain you in between, which they do successfully. The two main characters interact nicely together and each have some charming quirks and the humour flows naturally from their personalities. The supporting cast is a bit bland though (and not very supporting).
But little room is made for music. After the (perceived) promise made in the first scene, and having been directed to this show after finishing (the wonderful) Hibike! Euphonium, this realisation came as a bit of a let-down. In all fairness, this was largely caused by my own preconceptions, I can't actually hold against the show. So just take this as a friendly warning to spare you similar heartbreak; the premise of scrounging together a concert-band is little more than a framing device. It could have easily been replaced by, say, the formation of a volleyball team. There are one or two nice moments when the theme of music actually serves a purpose. So I do think, had it been more intertwined with the story and given more space, together with the whole let's-get-together-and-build-harmony-bla-bla-bla concept, the show would have been richer for it.
As a bonus; actually acceptable English! Just a few words, but still. What a relief! (A bit sad this should count as a cause for celebration. Sure, it seems Japanese are bad at English as a rule – a fact of which they're quite aware and a point of much appreciated self-ridicule – but if you're going to put gai-jin in your show, hire a suitable voice- actor or at least hire a consultant!)