frami.ardith - 2017-03-31 22:43:13

what a ride

mkunze - 2017-03-31 19:11:33

At first the anime is good, but in the end I was only disappointed, I hated this anime.

oreilly.miracle - 2017-03-31 09:30:49

Hmm, where to start, first let me just say that I really enjoyed this show. It kept me invested through every episode and somehow was so gripping in between that I never got to the point of forgetting about new episodes. However I can completely understand why others might not feel that way so here’s a spoiler-free breakdown from my perspective.
I don’t like giving scores or ratings because it really doesn’t gel with my way of thinking. To me it just doesn’t make sense but I highly recommend this show to people. Unfortunately I can’t post this without some kind of star rating so it gets a 4.5 for me.

Now … onto the breakdown!

Artwork: The character designs are all absolutely stunning. They look like real people who could exist but at the same time drawn so beautifully that they’ve become just that bit above and stepped into the realm of being fantasised. The only thing I didn’t quite like was when one of the characters later on has cut her hair. She still looked good but her long hair was just far nicer in my opinion but there was a meaning to it which I appreciated.

Animation: This is a beautiful show to look at but I’ll admit there’s not an awful lot going on animation wise. There’s the motifs of things falling like petals and feathers which I’m a sucker for and freely admit that. But it’s not a show with high amounts of motion, it’s not an energetic show. As such I kind of feel the calmer, more still, route worked. I might be reading way too much into it but I also feel it helped convey the emotional distance many characters had or tried to keep between themselves and others at times.

Soundtrack: I loved both the opening and ending songs. The rest of the soundtrack tended towards being more subtle and mood enhancing without being too obvious about it. The bits I took notice of all sounded great and nothing stood for bad reasons so the show gets another few points for that.

Characters: Because a lot of focus is put into the mindsets of the characters that matter to the story, they’re all complex and very interesting. This particularly works with our two teenage leads and the other two teenage cast members as it conveys the confusion and logical if incredibly harmful and misguided thought processes they have. I completely understood where most of them were coming from even if I didn’t always agree with what they did or how they did it. The only character that I feel fell short was unfortunately Hanabi’s crush. I got hints that there was a deep and interesting character buried in there but his development and our insight into him just didn’t make it into the 12 episode run time which is a shame.

Story: On the surface the plot looks simple and even eye rolling. However the love triangles or whatever shape they actually end up being because it’s a bit more complex than that are actually very well written. Not only that but it’s a very mature and maybe not quite realistic but inspired heavily by realism. It’s the study of the characters though that really gives the story its juicy main course. I’ve seen people call this show depressing but I didn’t feel like that was the case. It was heavy at times, with a few more light hearted scenes dispersed throughout and yes for the characters I can see how for them this situation would be very depressing but in my case it actually just made me determined because I wanted to see what the result would be for these characters that I’d got invested in. Even the one I didn’t like I was invested in knowing where their story would end. Unfortunately this is another anime which suffers a bit for the number of episodes it has. The beginning episodes are paced great, maybe a bit slow for some people, but towards the end things started to feel rushed. The attention to the details and the intricate thoughts of the characters had to fall to the wayside so everyone could get their endings. And the endings made sense, they were good but they needed a bit more in the build up. All in all this is not a show you come to in order to have a good fun time (Unless you maybe have a crueler sense of humour?). You come to it for the feels and the investment and hot damn it delivers.

hammes.murphy - 2017-03-31 03:11:41

Este ánime cambió mi forma de pensar sobre ellos. Y el final, aunque distante de cómo esperaba que fuera, no me decepcionó y pero me dejó con ganas de más.

stanton.grant - 2017-03-31 00:22:06

Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s wish) is a Japanese manga series written by Mengo Yokoyari. It was later adapted into a 12-episode drama, romance animated series. This series ran from January 13, 2017 to March 31, 2017 (winter season).

For the animation, Studios Lerche easily performs up to par with most modern anime. The characters are drawn more realistic; however, the animation does shift greatly when the characters go through an introspective state mind. Typically, this is done to express the character’s true nature through both animation, sound and dialogue. The settings are like any other school romance anime out there. However, the usage of lighting shaped the scenes when characters were engaged in very meaningful dialogue (discussing their emotions) or interactions (reacting to a sudden event or problem). I am also rather fond of the pale colors. They were very light and did not pull the viewer’s attention from the scenery or interactions on the screen. Overall the colors created a very melancholic experience. A similar atmospheric series is Aku no Hana. Although Aku no Hana is gritter, I believe that the overall atmosphere in both series displayed powerful yet fleeting moments.

The opening is Uso no Hibana by 96Neko. This is a very incredible opening for the series, not only for the sound, but also because of the lyrics. The lyrics embodied the terrifying feeling of falling in love, coupled with the uneasiness and loneliness of unrequited love. The ending is Heikousen by Sayuri. The ending gives off a complicated but longing for human connection for the viewer. This echoes the emotions of the main cast. The line “Let’s escape from the solar system and cross it in parallel lines,” perfectly sums up the immediate feeling of loneliness but longing our main characters feel. They want to escape these feeling; however, they do not want to completely let go at the same time. The rest of the OST continues this melancholic attitude from scene to scene. The OST illustrates the sorrowful and pathetic relationships that are cemented during the series.

In terms of the story/plot, there is not much to talk about. We meet Hanabi Yasuraoka and Mugi Awaya. Hanabi Yasuraoka and Mugi Awaya are seemly perfect couple; however, outside of physical attraction, they feel no emotions or loyalty to each other. This is greatly expressed in their first passionate kissing. Unlike “Sukitte & My Little Monster,” the kiss was not by chance, but by pure physical exploits, which is very apparent within the first episode. Both characters love two other individuals (both of which are teachers at their highschool). Hanabi loves her childhood neighbor and homeroom teacher, while Mugi loves his music teacher. Due to obvious reason, both Hanabi and Mugi reluctantly hold off on confessing to their love interests. Through this mutual need for physical attention, both Hanabi and Mugi agree to become each other’s sexual exploit. They can simply have “everything, but each other’s feelings.” The sexual and emotional exploitation does not necessary stop with these two. Many other characters are also taken advantage of sexually and emotionally. The plot essentially relies on each character becoming a replacement for another one. This creates a very blurred or warped perception of what constitute love, while simultaneously displaying the trope of “All Love Is Unrequited.”

For many viewers, the unnerving, blurred ethical perceptions sell the series; however, the series lacks proper execution in regards to their intrapersonal relationships when compared to series such as Aku no Hana or NGE. Kuzu no Honkai severely undercuts the weight of its subject matter. Viewers are left wondering why the character feel so strongly about each other or why their warped perceptions appear as plot contrived, rather than circumstantial. Instead of empathizing with the characters, we the viewer are constantly questioning the legitimacy of their “love.” As the story advances, we gain small insight into the individual ‘s past, beliefs, and perceptions of love.

Many of the characters are not scummy as the title would lead you to believe, but are simply individuals confused and unable to effectively express their feelings to each other in a more normalized fashion. This of course creates uneasiness for the sex scenes. Many of the scenes lack implicit consent, which creates another layer onto the complexes and nuances of love. Overall, the story lack clear motivation for the characters’ actions. The character spent much more time sleeping around than expressing their emotions verbally to each other.

We are only introduced to six characters Threee main characters and three supporting characters. I will talk about the three main characters. Hanabi, a dark haired 17-year-old higher schooler, is the protagonist. She constantly feels the need for validation. More importantly she lacks the initial drive, and determination you would expect from someone in love. I felt that her overall resolve was weaker when compared to Mugi; however, as the series continues she progressed into someone who understands that love is dynamic not linear. Her earlier misconceptions of love led to a very uneventful and bothersome lifestyle. Always picking the easier route rather than confronting her problems. She eventually begins to channel her fear and emotions into action, which leads her chase her desires rather than validation. Mugi begins the series as a very deviant individual. He quickly spotted weak and vulnerable. He would exploit these vulnerable individuals. As the series neared its ending, Mugi comes to grips with his actions, and accepts the reality of the damage he caused. Akane (which is the only other character I will mention) is a very conflicted, but interesting character. Akane exploits others, whilst being exploited herself. She plays the “Wolf/bitch in sheep’s clothing” to a T; however, we miss out on important characterization at the beginning of the series. She is represented as the antagonist when really Akane and Hanabi are on in the same. I believe that Akane was not given much room to develop in the series. The writer stuck her development in the last 3 episodes, which rushed her interactions and muddled her overall background story.

In conclusion, I believe that Kuzu no Honkai tells a beautiful, yet unconventional love story. Unrequited love creates a very bittersweet tale that many individuals can connect with. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys romance stories; however, if you enjoy more sensible and logical stories then I would pass on this series.

Final Grade
C+

cstanton - 2017-03-30 21:32:49

Overall it does a good job portraying how many (toxic) relationships go nowadays, but fails miserably in developing the effects of such relationships downplaying them as “child games”

preston.breitenberg - 2017-03-16 08:02:18

** Please excuse me if my english isn’t that good. Japanese is my main language **

I read the manga before the anime aired. So I already know what is going to happen. But I am going to try to keep this spoiler-free. Just be careful!

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Story: 9
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This is a story about a girl and a boy each loving someone that they can never be with and they are using each other as ‘substitutes’. The story is more realistic compared to some other anime. Some of the scenes might be slightly ‘inappropriate’, but it is still an amazing anime.

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Art: 9
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Absolutely love the art style! It’s clean and it has a rare ‘no line’ style and I love it. Also, when they try to convey some feelings each character might be feeling, it changes art style and you can tell what is going on in their hearts.

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Sound: 8
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The opening and ending is absolutely THE BEST! Honestly, if you are not going to watch the anime, at least go and check out the opening and ending! The opening song is called “Uso no Hibana (嘘の火花)” and the ending is “Heikousen (平行線)”.

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Character: 7
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The character designs are really nice, but until the 7th episode, I still don’t see any obvious character developments. However, the animations and artists really capture the theme that they are ‘scums’ (if you didn’t know already the anime’s english name is ‘Scum’s Wish’).

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Enjoyment: 8
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I really like this anime, but as I said before, there are mature scenes and it’s hard to watch this anime in the open…

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Overall: 9
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Love this show. Read the manga, know where this is going to go. Though I wish that they will stray from the manga…

aron96 - 2017-03-08 09:13:31

There is just something about this anime. I feel like it doesn’t deserve 5 stars. The animation is lacking at times and is hardly ever better than average, the soundtrack is amazing, the plot is a mess and the characters are often times hard to understand, at least for me. In fact, I can’t even recommend it to any of my friends because I dont think they’ll like it. But this show connects to me on a personal level. I crave it, and it makes me emotional after every episode I watch. It is definitely the best anime that I have seen in a very long time in terms of personal enjoyment, and I may pick up the manga afterwards depending on where the show leaves off. I truly don’t know what kind of audience this appeals to, but if you have somehow managed to read this far into my review then I suggest you go watch the first couple episodes. You’ll probably know pretty quickly if it’s something that isn’t for you.

isabella.hagenes - 2017-03-03 02:10:55

This anime lives up to its name, Scum’s Wish.

For more mature audience, has nudity and many scenes that could make you feel uncomfortable. It is not your typical cutesy romance anime.

Very original and unique enjoyed watching something different for once.

rick.davis - 2017-02-09 16:23:19

Face it. A lot of stories involving love triangles either involve characters, who never confess or harem series with the main character totally oblivious to every female around him. There’s just too much of that. Well, this series is different but not unique. I can cite Kimi ga Nozumu Eien.

This series centers itself around miserable people making each other more miserable. It features a world that sucks, because the people in it suck. Quite frankly, that is reality. Here, we see an examination of the interesting interactions between one form of misery with another. All of their decisions affect the decisions of others in a messy relational web entanglement. In a sense, their interactions are analogous to a pool of predator and prey relationships. That is the problem with one-sided relationships everywhere. People take, take, and take both emotionally and physically. At the end of the day, characters are left in tears, with no one in this cast safe.

So, if there is one reason to watch this series, it is the complications. Just picture some volatile chemicals inside a beaker, and more are being poured in. Then watch as the compounds within boil and bubble as they interact.

With that said, time to enjoy the ride.