I’ve been down this road before. When there’s a series I feel like I should like, I have a hard time letting it go. My experience tells me that I usually wait too long before facing the truth, and end up regretting it. That’s starting to feel like the case with Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, not least because Hatakeyama Mamoru is directing it. But three episodes is a pretty decent window in which to formulate an opinion, and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I’m not done, but I’m starting to feel like it’s time to warm up the car.
I talk about the whole horses for courses concept here sometimes, and I think it applies more to comedies than it does to any other genre. A shoe can be perfectly well-made, but if it doesn’t fit it’s not going to be very comfortable to walk around in. This whole Shaft thing that Hatakeyama has going on here, the incessant narration (though that did back off some this week, at least), the self-aware snarkiness – it’s just not my cup of tea. There’s certainly a market for whom it is, and that’s great – but my growing suspicion is that I’m not a part of it.
That’s not to say there weren’t things I enjoyed this week. At this point it’s no longer theoretical – my enjoyment level of these chapters is inversely related to the omnipresence of the narrator. The first chapter was thus a trial for me, as he just never shut up. OK, I know it’s a gag manga, but the gag wasn’t really that funny and that’s the problem with gag manga anime – if the joke doesn’t make you laugh, the whole segment is a loss. The next two were better though, if for no other reason than the relative paucity of narration. Even without it I still have the sense of push-button laugh lines you sometimes get with gag manga (everything but the rimshot, pretty much) but with the narrator effectively telling you “laugh now” it’s definitely worse.
A couple of other nice touches: the speeded-up intro segment (which I take as an acknowledgement of how dumb last week’s full-length groundhog day was) Hatakeyama inserting an actual yeti into the third chapter, and the ED. The ED was easily the funniest part of the episode for me in fact, which is great – except that if the ED is the funniest part of a comedy, that’s not a great reflection on the rest of the episode. Also, while it seems not to cause major problems in RL and the chapter itself was pretty standard moe-pandering and ojou-sama tropes, I did feel for the girl walking to school. Kids make their own way to school – on foot, by bus, by train – at an astonishingly young age here (from first grade) and it never fails to make me nervous when I see them soloing.
ChengKingdom
January 27, 2019 at 8:31 pmIf u would have dropped it u should had let it go to some other reviewer, now there wont any review of it on randomc if ya drop it.
Guardian Enzo
January 27, 2019 at 9:23 pmI picked it up there in the earnest hope I would come to love it (and who knows, anything’s possible), and because no other writer there could take it and I didn’t think it should go unblogged so I volunteered to at least take a shot at it.
Miyu Fan
January 27, 2019 at 9:48 pmI’m starting to think they blowing their budget on OP and ED. But seriously the animation in ED was so smooth and the song is so catchy that I love it so much.
L0ken
January 28, 2019 at 2:12 amYeah,it’s totally understandable why you feel that way about the show,that unfortunate that narrator irks you that much,I suspected that thing that worked so well in the manga-format may not translate this well into anime for some part of the audience.Well,I guess nothing can’t be done about that,for me I really enjoying the anime,though slightly worried about next episode cause they gonna adapt 4 chapters mini-arc which is 1 chapter more then they usually do,although this time there is plotline across all 4 segments,maybe it help will the flow,especially if op or ed cutted.Also not really seeing it’s genre as pure “gag” manga because there is way more romance and serious-heavy moments for it,more then most of other romcoms.
donhumberto
January 28, 2019 at 3:19 amHonestly, this is the kind of stuff that makes me feel that either I’m too old or I live in a parallel universe to the rest of the anime fandom. I barely made it through the first episode and all I could think was “Really?? People are super hyped for THIS???” I mean, sure, this isn’t as terrible as Grand Blue (another rom-com super popular among anime fans, hence the comparison) but still…
L0ken
January 28, 2019 at 6:14 amI think some people who watched first episodes had wrong impression about the hype that Kaguya receives,not counting excited anime-onlys,if we are talking purely about the hype from manga readers who already have full perspecrive on the hugely popular manga,sure one of the reasons is unexpectedly good creative production from studio and how much care they put into it,but in regards of the actual content,while many of readers loved the early more episodic chapters that anime is covering right now,the series would never become so popular and acclaimed if it was just what it seems from the first look.No,without being specific it’s mainly because of how well manga passed test of time(135 chapters in) and it consistently surprising grown upon initial premise with it’s writing of story,multi-dimensional cast of characters,their changing relationships and development,comedy,drama and romance aspects,established world and lore e.t.c,so overall, it resulted into becoming a rare big romcom manga that hasn’t dropped the ball,with very beloved characters that is more engaging then even hundreds chapters in…which now received good anime adaptation!So you need to take into account that factor while wondering about it’s huge popularity,you won’t see it right now and from only 1st episode.
P.S.Also Grand Blue was never a romcom and the anime adaptation was sadly lackluster and mediocre 🙁
Guardian Enzo
January 28, 2019 at 7:24 amI hope I can hold out till we get to that part of the manga.
Honestly, my reaction has mostly been along the same lines. Not hating it (Grand Blue I did hate), occasionally laughing, but just not getting what all the fuss was about. Frankly so far this series seems pretty generic to me, and with all the hype I was expecting distinctive. The one unusual though hardly unique element is the omnipresent narrator, and that’s the worst part of the show.
bnbros
January 28, 2019 at 4:15 pmCurrently, we still have the three council members as the main focus 3 episodes in, so I can kind of understand why the show hasn’t clicked with you yet. Hopefully, we’ll get to encounter some of the other prominent characters soon because their interactions with the main cast is part of what makes the series such a treat imo.
Guardian Enzo
January 28, 2019 at 6:01 pmThey better hurry…
Simone
January 28, 2019 at 7:09 pmDunno, while the characters increase and their interactions get more interesting and varied, if the style of humour doesn’t do it for you, you probably better just cut your losses. It’s not going to change that much, except perhaps for the final episode, if they go full-on feels.
bnbros
January 28, 2019 at 8:27 pmThey did tease the other council member briefly during the second skit (as well as during the beach vs mountains skit in the previous episode via some hilariously-placed censorship lol) and since this show is currently slated for 12 episodes, I’m hoping for the formal introduction on the next episode.
Simone
January 28, 2019 at 10:23 pmI’ve read what the chapters for next episode are, and we’re not getting that. We’re getting the international exchange students arc, though, so that’s going to be a single narrative across the whole episode with a bunch of outsiders so it’s at least going to be different.
bnbros
January 28, 2019 at 10:36 pm@Simone Hmm I see. Then again, the anime so far has adapted chapters in a different order, so there’s a chance a different set of events might play out instead. Guess we’ll find out soon.
Marty
January 28, 2019 at 2:52 pmHonestly, I say to each their own. I personally find this series really funny, but if you feel like either dropping the series or just not blog about it (a la Slime style), then do as you must. There’s no point in covering something one doesn’t enjoy, then it feels more like a chore, and that’s no fun.
Guardian Enzo
January 28, 2019 at 3:26 pmYup, that’s the nut of it.
The real concern I have is that I picked it up over at RC so that someone would, and that’s a series that really should be covered by somebody over there. I’d feel legit bad it it wasn’t.
Jon
January 28, 2019 at 10:48 pmJust a thought, but I remember you enjoying Kyoukai no Rinne’s narrator a lot. What do you think is the main difference between the two narrators? They seem superficially similar.
Guardian Enzo
January 28, 2019 at 10:53 pmThe one in Rinne wasn’t nearly as omnipresent. That’s the most obvious difference to me.